| A．Science fiction. | B．Romantic fiction. | C．Horror fiction |
2 . My three grandchildren grew up, listening to someone read and learning to read. They discovered Jeanne Birdsall, Ben Hatke, Sara Penny packer and Rick Riordan. I read and loved — many of the books. Often, I was reminded of my running story.
I started running when my older daughter was in primary school. During those early days, she made her disrespect for running clear. Later she did run. She ran throughout high school and had been running ever since. We often ran together. At first, I slowed down for her. But very soon, her pace improved, and she was slowing down for me.
Now I compared this with my reading grandchildren. At first, adults-parents,grandparents and teachers-led the way. Then the kids learned to read, and soon they were mere specks in the distance, gulping down books we’d never heard of, referring to series we’d never come across.
Early on, I began preparing myself for the inevitable. The era of cozy reading sessions would end.Indeed, it ended,in the case of my granddaughter. She and her mother still read together, but mostly she read on her own. My grandsons also read like they breathed-in the car, at the table, while walking from the parking lot to the ball field and back again, eyes on their books.
I trailed behind them this summer as they collected a heaping pile of books from the library. They sustained them through ten days in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The night before our flight home, each of them were read, some more than once.
Recently, I picked up a book once owned by a child who was now these boys’ uncle. I began reading aloud during a moment of wild enjoyment, and within minutes both boys were beside me on the couch, listening to narrator Ludlow Fitch describe a terrifying attack and his escape to the tiny village of Pagus Parvus.
1. What’s the author’s purpose of telling her running story?| A．To explain the benefits of running. |
| B．To share her running experience. |
| C．To exhibit her girl's talent for running. |
| D．To show the similarities of learning to read. |
| A．Setting an attainable goal. |
| B．Being a model yourself. |
| C．Discovering their interests. |
| D．Providing suitable books. |
| A．They made their own choice. |
| B．They soon followed suit. |
| C．They quickly lost interest. |
| D．They did much better. |
| A．They were all fond of books. |
| B．They all had curious minds. |
| C．They were keen on traveling. |
| D．They liked thrilling stories. |
3 . Two decades ago, Tropical Storm Allison hit Houston. More than 70,000 houses were flooded, including the home of Sarah Feldman and her family.
At the time, they were in Connecticut on vacation, so they didn’t know what kind of damage they were going to face when they got home to Texas. But then Feldman’s grandparents called with bad news: all of her books had been destroyed in the flooding. Feldman was 14 at the time and loved reading.
To cheer her up, Feldman’s father took her to the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. When they arrived, she started a conversation with Bill Carver, a man who worked at the library.
“I asked him a bunch of questions like, ‘How do you keep all these rare books? What’s the oldest book you have?’” Feldman remembered. Carver answered all of Feldman’s questions. When she told him about her books being destroyed, he told her that he would send her a book in the mail, so she could restart her collection.
After returning to Houston, she received his gift, titled The Medieval Book by Barbara Shailor. Carver included a note that read:
Dear Sarah,
I have often thought of you and your family, and that terrible flood… As promised, with the letter is a rather scholarly book, which may be slightly mature(成熟) for your age, but I thought it might help you shape your new library collection. And as the years progress, this book may grow in value to you. Have a happy holiday season. Wish you and your loved ones all the best.
Yours,
Bill Carver
A lot has changed since Feldman received that book. Feldman is in her 30s now. She’s married and has a dog. But Carver’s gift has made a lifelong impact. “I’m interested in medieval art,” Feldman said. Feldman has tried to find Carver, but with no success. If she could speak to him today, she would like to tell him how much that small gesture meant to her.
1. What happened to Feldman?| A．She was stuck in a flood. |
| B．She lost her books in a flood. |
| C．She suffered the pain of losing her family. |
| D．She had to cancel her vacation because of a flood. |
| A．He ignored her need. |
| B．He mailed her a book. |
| C．He lent her a collection of books. |
| D．He asked her about her flood experience. |
| A．It is a cartoon book. |
| B．It was suitable for Feldman. |
| C．It has had a long-lasting effect on Feldman. |
| D．It was gifted by Barbara Shailor to Feldman. |
| A．Elderly and intelligent. | B．Creative and easy-going. |
| C．Kind-hearted and helpful. | D．Humorous and hard-working. |
