1 . Every year, Barnes & Noble picks the 10 best books of the year, covering all genres and age groups. If you’re looking for an amazing book to grab before the end of 2021, here are some of the best books of the year.
Cloud Cuckoo Land
This novel is both a historical and futuristic science fiction story that connects five characters across hundreds of years through their relationship to a book: “Cloud Cuckoo Land.” The book they find is about a shepherd named Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird, so he can live a carefree life forever. As each character finds this book, from a l5th century kid to a young teen on a futuristic interstellar ship, their stories meet in this complex yet fascinating read.
Crying in H Mart
When Michelle Zauner was 25, her mother s cancer changed her life forever and forced her to accept her Korean American identity in a desperate attempt to stay connected to her mother. As a talented musician, Michelle had previously been divorced from her cultural roots, but quickly turned to food to keep her mother's memory alive in this powerful and heartbreaking memoir.
Pony
It is a historical, middle-grade adventure novel intended for adolescents. It talks about a 12-year-old boy named Silas who is woken in the middle of the night to see his father being taken away by three horsemen. With only his horse named Pony by his side, Silas sets off on a life-changing mission to find his father.
You Will Get Through This Night
It is a nonfiction read about mental health that offers both a personal and professional outlook on how to survive the hardest mental health days. Dividing the book into three chapters — This Night, Tomorrow, and The Days After — Daniel Howell wants readers to not just survive the hard nights but properly care for our mental health.
1. What do Cloud Cuckoo Land and Pony have in common?| A．Plot. | B．Literary form. | C．Characters. | D．Writing background. |
| A．Cloud Cuckoo Land. | B．Crying in H Mart. |
| C．Pony. | D．You Will Get Through This Night. |
| A．It is about psychological health. | B．It helps cure physical disabilities. |
| C．It is a collection of personal stories. | D．It mainly solves sleeping problems. |
2 . Jules Verne was a Frenchman who was born in 1828 and died in 1905. He read a great many scientific books and wrote a number of exciting books about the things which he thought that scientists and inventors would one day be able to do. Years later, many of the things really happened. At that time, however, his stories seemed like fairy tales.
Jules Verne’s most famous book is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.（A league is an old word meaning a distance of about three miles《海底二万里》）. In those days submarines（潜艇） had not been invented but he described an underwater ship very like a modern one.
Many of the things Jules wrote about in his books more than a hundred years ago to look into the future, however, were almost the same as we see today. In his book From the Earth to the Moon he wrote at the age of about forty, three men and a dog made a journey around the moon in a hollow ship fired from a gun. After going around the moon, they returned to the earth and splashed down into the sea not far from where the first real moon traveler landed in July, 1969.
1. Jules wrote a lot of exciting books partly because he ________.| A．liked reading on science | B．liked reading fairy tales |
| C．was a great inventor | D．was a famous scientist |
| A．is almost the same as what happened years later |
| B．is quite different from what happened years later |
| C．never comes true |
| D．seems impossible to the people today |
| A．as soon as Jules’ books were published |
| B．some years after his books were published |
| C．at that time |
| D．when Jules was in his forties |
| A．as large as the spaceship today |
| B．similar to the spaceship today |
| C．a gun used to send up a ship |
| D．an underwater ship |
| A．walked | B．slept | C．fell | D．spent |
3 . Are you struggling to find reading materials for your kids? You can try these books.
Johnny Catching Fire
By Aaron Allen
www. xlibris. com
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
$22. 99 | $16. 99 | $3. 99
Johnny somehow gets the strength of super power. Now, he must decide whether to use his power for good or to get even with those who played tricks on him. Young readers can be inspired to think about the choice of life. To forgive? Or the other way around?
The Unequal Twins
By Sylva Kanderal
www. xlibris. com
Hardback |Paperback | E-book
$28.99 | $16.99 | $3.99
What if …the twins Ava and Zoe, who could hardly be distinguished from each other visually and who could not have been more different in character, had to go through severe envy, jealousy, and hate? Where does that road lead to? To a total loss of their connection, or are they finding the lost path to each other again?
How to Help Yourself to Be Who You Want to Be
By Pam Grewall
www. iuniverse. com
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
$23.99 | $13.99 | $3.99
This self-improvement book offers a simple handbook to help kids recognize their strengths and weaknesses and understand how to make their own destiny.
Quotes from the Quiver
By Dante P. Galiber, MD, FACC
www. authorhouse. com
Hardback | Paperback|E-book
$43.99 | $22.99 | $3.99
Inspired by time, space, and human interaction, this collection offers a series of original and thought-provoking ideas and quotations designed to uplift and enlighten young readers.
1. Which book mentions a teenager’s super power?| A．The Unequal Twins. |
| B．Johnny Catching Fire. |
| C．Quotes from the Quiver. |
| D．How to Help Yourself to Be Who You Want to Be. |
| A．$28.99. | B．$36.98. |
| C．$43.99. | D．$7.98. |
| A．They are designed to inspire young readers. |
| B．They help readers to understand adulthood better. |
| C．They help kids recognize their strengths and weaknesses. |
| D．They provide quotations to uplift and enlighten people. |
4 . It's the most wonderful time of the year! The winter holidays are the perfect chance to get comfortable with a good book, and luckily we have some best sellers right now. We're sure you'll find what you're looking for.
Sunday Funday by Katherine Hallgan
Hardback, $20 (10 percent off with membership)
A great book full of seasonal activities that families and friends can enjoy together. From gardening projects to creative hand-made things and warming winter recipes (食谱), there's something for everyone, whatever the weather.
The History of the World in 100 Animals by Simon Barnes
Hardback, $16.99
This beautifully pictured book explores the good relationship between humans and animals, from bees to chimpanzees (黑猩猩) who share more than 90% of our DNA. If you are crazy about animals, this is the book for you.
Accidentally Famous by David Baddiel
Paperback, $12.99
Nothing amazing ever happens to Billy Smith but when TV workers visit his school he becomes popular, but as everyone knows, being famous comes with a price. David Baddiel's laugh-out-loud book asks what life would be like if everyone suddenly knew your name.
Eddie Albert and the Animal Gang by Paul O'Grady
Paperback, $15
This action-filled adventure from TV favourite Paul O'Grady follows a young boy with a very special gift—he can talk to animals! On a trip to Amsterdam, Eddie meets a monkey in danger and rescues the young creature with the help of his animal friends.
1. What is the member price for Sunday Funday?| A．$20. | B．$19. | C．$18. | D．$10. |
| A．Sunday Funday. | B．Eddie Albert and the Animal Cang. |
| C．Accidentally Famous. | D．The History of the World in 100 Animals. |
| A．They are published in hardback. | B．They stress harmony with animals. |
| C．They are full of beautiful pictures. | D．They speak of famous TV persons. |
5 . Joseph Conrad, a famous English novelist, said that his goal as a writer was “to make you hear, to make you feel, and above all, to make you see. That, and no more, is everything.”
In Hemingway’s story, The Old Man and the Sea, however, we must approach the content on another level.
Readers cannot appreciate a short story fully unless they react not only to what has been said but also to how it has been said.
| A．They must look for style and structure. |
| B．In complex stories, careful readers may not always agree with the author. |
| C．The impact on the reader comes from the sudden and unexpected response. |
| D．A good short story tries to give the reader a sense of the actual experience. |
| E．Finally, the reader should be able to explain the insights which the author has given into the theme. |
| F．The impact of the story comes from the insight it gives us into the needs and desires of youth and old age. |
| G．In order to read a short story with full understanding, the reader must approach the content on two levels. |
6 . The long summer vacation is a perfect time for reading, and these are the books you'll want on your reading list. Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you have something through our links, we may cam a commission（佣金）.
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers
If you or your children grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, you'll want this 2018 book by Maxwell King to be at the top of your list. It is the first full-length biography of Mr. Rogers and gives readers a never-before inside look at the life and carcer of the beloved television icon.
The Darwin Affair
Billed as one of the most “inventive and entertaining novels of 20l9,” this Victorian-era thriller by writer Tim Mason is a perfect addition to your summer reading list. Set in London in 1860, it details the events that occur after an intruder（闯入者）tries to murder Queen Victoria, Fast-paced and lively, this page-turner would appeal to fans of Charles Dickens.
Becoming
In her New York Times Best Seller biography, former First Lady Michelle Obama gives readers a personal glimpse into her childhood, schooling, early career choices, marriage and life in the White House. Eye-opening and inspirational, Becoming gives us a fascinating look into the life of one of the most recognized women in America.
The Leon Sisters
This new novel by best-selling author novelist Jill Shalvis is sure to appeal to fans of her previous contemporary romance novels. It tells the story of Mindy Lemon, a mom of three, and her sister Brooke. If you're a fan of romance novels, you'll want to add it to your list.
1. How did Mr. Rogers gain his popularity?| A．Through his character on TV. | B．Through Maxwell King's book. |
| C．By watching neighborhood. | D．By writing biographies. |
| A．It is entertaining and relaxing. | B．It is published in London. |
| C．It tells a story in the 19th century. | D．It is written by Charles Dickens. |
| A．Maxwell King's. | B．Tim Mason's. | C．Michelle Obama's. | D．Jill Shalvis's. |
7 . Jules Verne lived in a small French town named Nantes in his childhood. Verne ran away once as a child and came upon a small boy who was crying. The boy said he had to leave his family to go on a ship, but he didn’t want to. So Verne took his place on the ship. He thought he was going to explore the world, but his father caught up with the ship before it got very far and took Jules home and punished him. Verne said that after that he would only travel in his imagination, and he did.
Verne wanted to write plays. So as a young man he went to Paris and hung out at local theaters and became friends with all the play-writers there. That’s how he met Alexander Dumas. Dumas wrote adventure stories that interested Verne very much. Verne decided to write one of his own, an adventure about the ever so popular hot air balloon trips of that time.
Success was not easy for him, though. He didn’t know much about science and he had a wife and two children to take care of. So he would wake up early each morning and do work and research before he went to work to support his family. Once he felt he knew enough about sience he began to write his story in the morning. Luckily, his book was finally published by a person named Hetzel.
Jules Verne was the first to write a believable story about a person going to the moon. Verne used his knowledge of science to write a book about it. Thanks to his book, people started thinking that going to the moon was more realistic. After Jules Verne died in 1905, other authors started writing about space. Children would read Verne’s book and dream of growing up to build rockets. Because of Verne’s book, the dream of going to the moon was reached.
1. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to ______.| A．discuss the adventures Jules Verne had in his life |
| B．explain the reason why Jules Verne became a writer |
| C．show Jules Verne’s knowledge of science |
| D．give a brief introduction to Jules Verne |
| A．adventurous | B．friendly | C．naughty | D．shy |
| A．Verne was the first person to go to the moon in the world |
| B．Verne’s books were the most popular ones with children at that time |
| C．without Verne’s books people would never have dreamed of visiting the moon |
| D．Verne probably mentioned rockets in his story about traveling to the moon |
| A．Verne wrote many believable novels about people visiting the moon. |
| B．Verne’s first adventure story was about hot air balloon trips. |
| C．Verne’s idea of traveling on a ship was frustrated by his father. |
| D．Verne showed much interest in the adventure stories written by Dumas. |
