1 . Kathleen Rooney knew that writing Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, from the point of view of a pigeon, was a risk. Rooney, perhaps best known for her 2017 bestseller, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, says her interest in a feathered narrator was excited by one of her students at DePaul University, where she is an English professor. “A student named Brian mentioned Cher Ami in a poem. It blew my mind that this pigeon was so heroic and is stuffed and on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.”
Rooney learned that Cher Ami, a British homing pigeon, helped save a group of American troops during a horrific, multi-day World War I battle. The story of this amazing pigeon and the extraordinary man who commanded the battle, Major Charles Whittlesey, was altogether attractive.
In Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, Charles reflects on his happier prewar days in New York City, where he ran a law firm with a college classmate. When it came time for battle, though, he and his fellows found themselves cut off from supply lines, surrounded by enemy German troops.
Carrier pigeons were the group’s only hope of contacting headquarters and getting the other Americans to stop dropping bombs on them. Cher Ami flew through gunfire to deliver Charles' message, which finally stopped the attack. She lost an eye and a leg, among other wounds, but was eventually able to hobble (蹒跚) on a tiny wooden prosthesis (义肢) that the Army made for her. She lived another year before dying of her injuries in 1919, but in the novel she continues speaking to readers behind glass in the Smithsonian where she’s been since her death.
There’s an interesting lesson to be learned from Charles’ decisions in the battle, too. “He was famous for something we’d describe as passive,” Rooney says. “Once they were in the pocket, he waited as long as he could. I’m an impatient, active person ... His act was stillness, waiting, keeping everybody’s spirits up. The way he did that was amazing.”
Rooney also hopes the book, with its portrayal of the charming and brave Cher Ami, will boost the appreciation of our furry and feathered friends.
1. What inspired Rooney to write the book?| A．Visiting a national museum. | B．Reading a student’s poem. |
| C．Some comments on her bestseller. | D．Experiences of raising pigeons. |
| A．An exhibition featuring a heroic battle. |
| B．Historic events happening to Cher Ami. |
| C．Americans’ poor strategies during the war. |
| D．Charles’ methods for training Cher Ami. |
| A．Charles’ humor and optimism. |
| B．Charles’ affection for carrier pigeons. |
| C．Charles’ patience and motivation. |
| D．Charles’ quick response to the attack. |
| A．A message of hope | B．Braving World War I |
| C．An effort to protect pigeons | D．Finding the lost commander |
2 . Fait Diver: More Than Brief Stories
Every day, there are items in the news believed too minor to report at length. For these
Perhaps the finest flowering of fait divers was in the reports filed by the art critic Felix Feneon 1906. He gave the form more wit, more emotional
One can go days in New York without really thinking about how
| A．curious | B．tiny | C．ridiculous | D．detailed |
| A．tragedy | B．coincidence | C．imagination | D．thriller |
| A．turning up | B．putting up | C．showing up | D．taking up |
| A．images | B．imagination | C．figures | D．portraits |
| A．motivative | B．sudden | C．original | D．weak |
| A．Though | B．When | C．Since | D．Before |
| A．expression | B．peace | C．health | D．discomfort |
| A．identification | B．secret | C．appeal | D．approach |
| A．a series of | B．a pair of | C．a collection of | D．a set of |
| A．received | B．inspired | C．eliminated | D．drawn |
| A．finally | B．accidentally | C．previously | D．unexpectedly |
| A．fascinating | B．populated | C．brilliant | D．sophisticated |
| A．previous | B．future | C．present | D．past |
| A．believable | B．considerable | C．understandable | D．approachable |
| A．deadly | B．lonely | C．lively | D．ghostly |
3 . The below-mentioned books are first-rate bestsellers and would be perfect additions to your reading list.
 | Maybe the power of one's belief isn't the ultimate example of intelligence. Maybe, in a constantly changing world, the ability to make judgements and change one's mind accordingly is much more important. That's Adam Grant's theory, and Think Again is here to help you to look at the world around you, check your assumptions, and—you guessed it—think again. —Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor |
 | This book reads like fiction but tells the true story of murder and greed that troubled the Osage Nation in Oklahoma in the 1920s. When oil was discovered on their land, the Osage people became the wealthiest in the world and the targets (particularly the women) for the white men who had their sights set on marrying and murdering into their riches. I suggest you treat yourself to this exceptional read right now. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor |
 | The subject of Isaacson’s book is Jennifer Doudna, who won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work developing CRISPR. CRISPR is the innovation that will open the door to gene control, driving the life sciences revolution for decades to come. But it will also open the door to moral problem as we ask ourselves. How far should we go in editing humans—especially before birth—and who should control those decisions? —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor |
 | While the book unfolds during the course of a single day, flashbacks to when a group of kids were crowding around a desk and to when their rock star father abandoned them time and again reveal the complex dynamics still in force in their adulthood. After I finish this book, I would dream of these characters and their restaurant by the sea. Malibu Rising is a fun, unforgettable read. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor |
| A．The Code Breaker | B．Think Again |
| C．Killers of the Flower Moon | D．Malibu Rising |
| A．It solves the problem of gene control. |
| B．It is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novel. |
| C．It focuses on the 2020 Nobel Prize winners. |
| D．It covers Jennifer Doudna and her achievements. |
| A．The kids had high expectations of their father. |
| B．The kids ran away from their father frequently. |
| C．The kids' father destroyed their dream of being rock stars. |
| D．The kids' childhood experiences affected their adult life. |
4 . When my mother told me stories about Emily, her grandmother, who she admired, I was all ears. My mother drew a
Emily attracted me. Not until 2005 did my research on ancestry really start to
I
One day, the phone rang, “Hello, this is Oprah Winfrey, the talk show hostess.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I responded in
| A．parallel | B．diagram | C．picture | D．symbol |
| A．moral | B．physical | C．mental | D．psychological |
| A．change | B．repeat | C．fit | D．work |
| A．fall through | B．heat up | C．get across | D．fade away |
| A．supported | B．believed | C．employed | D．limited |
| A．luck | B．problem | C．alternative | D．patience |
| A．angry | B．sad | C．silent | D．active |
| A．leave | B．accept | C．choose | D．introduce |
| A．colleagues | B．ancestors | C．partners | D．kids |
| A．followed | B．imagined | C．recited | D．directed |
| A．hired | B．fined | C．profited | D．sold |
| A．embarrassing | B．glorious | C．improper | D．identical |
| A．horror | B．difficulty | C．advance | D．surprise |
| A．finally | B．approximately | C．rarely | D．potentially |
| A．smaller | B．stricter | C．broader | D．worse |
5 . In recent years, publishers, directors and TV producers have taken a keen interest in popular online novels, thanks to their originality and solid fan base.
Genre(题材) is an important factor. According to a survey by Chinese online literature platform Cloudary, of 100 online novels whose copyrights were sold by Cloudary for adaption in 2012, modern city novels, historical romances and war stories were the most popular.
Online author Liu Chenfeng’s best-known novel A Clear Midsummer Night(《盛夏晚晴天》) is a love story. It attracted more than 30 million web hits and won the top prize in the annual competition for Chinese romance novels in 2012. A TV adaption of the book, starring Yang Mi and Liu Kaiwei, was a huge hit when broadcast in 2013. The success of the TV adaption has brought Liu greater popularity and more confidence in her writing.“It’s as if a feast prepared by me has been appreciated by numerous dinners, which is a great encouragement,” Liu says.
Literature websites have played an important role in this trend. Major websites, which are owned by Cloudary, have established special branches to help film and TV producers who are looking for good stories and to deal with copyright licensing. Liu, who has entrusted(委托) the literature website Hongxiu.com to deal with her copy right licensing to TV producers, thinks it makes things easier for writers and allows them to focus more on their work.
However, many other writers have sought to work closely with film and TV producers and play an active role in the adaption process of their own works. The author’s unique understanding about the original works is valued by producers and directors. Popular online writer Bao Jingjing worked with director Teng Huatao as the screenwriter for one of her online novels. The movie Love Is Not Blind（《失恋33天》）adapted from her story, became an instant hit in 2012. Bao graduated from Beijing Film Academy with a degree in literature. Her background gave her extra weight in winning the director’s trust. The experience has led Bao on a new career path. She won the award for best adapted screenplay at the 49th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan in 2012.
1. The following genres adapted in 2012 are among the most popular ones EXCEPT___________| A．Modern city novels. | B．Historical romances. |
| C．War stories. | D．Kung fu novels. |
| A．Liu was not satisfied with the TV adaption. |
| B．The success of the TV adaption made Liu more confident in her writing. |
| C．The success of the TV adaption made Liu feel at a loss. |
| D．Liu was not popular before the success of the TV adaption |
| A．Because it can help her be more focused on her writing. |
| B．Because it can help her save a lot of money. |
| C．Because it can help her earn a lot of fans. |
| D．Because it can make her more popular. |
| A．By working with a director. |
| B．By working with her teacher. |
| C．With the help of her friend |
| D．By herself |
6 . Alex Pang's amusing new book The Distraction Addiction addresses those of us who feel panic without a cellphone or computer. And that, he claims, is pretty much all of us. When we're not online, where we spend four months annually, we're engaged in the stressful work of trying to get online.
The Distraction Addiction is not framed as a self-help book. It's a thoughtful examination of the danger of our computing overdose and a historical overview of how technological advances change consciousness. A "professional futurist", Pang urges an approach which he calls "contemplative (沉思的) computing." He asks that you pay full attention to "how your mind and body interact with computers and how your attention and creativity are influenced by technology."
Pang's first job is to free you from common misconception that doing two things at once allows you to get more done. What is commonly called multitasking is, in fact, switch-tasking, and its harmful effects on productivity are well documented. Pang doesn't advocate returning to a preinternet world. Instead, he asks you to "take a more ecological (生态的) view of your relationships with technologies and look for ways devices or media may be making specific tasks easier or faster but at the same time making your work and life harder."
The Distraction Addiction is particularly fascinating on how technologies have changed certain field of labor-often for the worse. For architects, computer-aided design has become essential but in some ways has cheapened the design process. As one architect puts it, "Architecture is first and foremost about thinking... and drawing is a more productive way of thinking" than computer-aided design. Somewhat less amusing are Pang's solutions for kicking the Internet habit. He recommends the usual behavior-modification approaches, familiar to anyone who has completed a quit-smoking program. Keep logs to study your online profile and decide what you can knock out, download a program like Freedom that locks you out of your browser, or take a "digital Sabbath (安息日)" ; "Unless you're a reporter or emergency-department doctor, you'll discover that your world doesn't fall apart when you go offline."
1. Alex Pang's new book is aimed for readers who ________.| A．find their work online too stressful |
| B．go online mainly for entertainment |
| C．are fearful about using the cellphone or computer |
| D．can hardly tear themselves away from the Internet |
| A．Offer advice on how to use the Internet effectively. |
| B．Warn people of the possible dangers of Internet use. |
| C．Predict the trend of future technological development. |
| D．Examine the influence of technology on the human mind. |
| A．It enables people to work more efficiently. |
| B．It is in a way quite similar to switch-tasking. |
| C．It makes people's work and life even harder. |
| D．It distracts people's attention from useful work. |
| A．They use the Internet as little as possible. |
| B．They keep a record of their computer use time. |
| C．They exercise self-control over their time online. |
| D．They entertain themselves online on off-days only. |
The earliest exiting collection of Chinese poetry, Shi Jing(Book of Songs),
The very ancient poetry that was written 1000 or more years ago was simpler and about common things
For foreigners, ancient Chinese poetry is more difficult to understand. One of the reasons is the nature of Chinese characteristics
If the greatest Chinese poets
On the subway in Beijing, most people stare at their smart phones. Some play video games or watch TV dramas, while some choose to read.
Online novels are popular among these readers. In fact, more people are becoming registered users on online literature websites or smart phone applications. The total number of online literature website users had increased to over 500 million by the end of November 2018, according to a report from China Internet Network Information Center. This shows half of all netizens are online literature readers.
Many scholars estimate the number will keep increasing at an annual rate of tens of millions. Yet the fast growth due to the widespread adoption of the Internet and smart phones in the past 20 years was criticized by some writers as disorder. As the number of online literature works increases, some vulgar （低俗的）online novels have appeared. Ning Ken, the top prize winner of the First Online Literature Contest, said online literature needs guidance. "I think it should be something of high quality, rather than just a sort of entertainment. Its quality should be improved," said the writer.
【写作内容】
1.用约30词概述所给信息的主要内容；
2.用约120词发表你的观点，内容包括：
（1）谈谈你对网络文学的看法（至少两点）；
（2）请你对改进网络文学作品质量提出合理建议（至少两点）。
【写作要求】
1.可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
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9 . In 1982, I had responsibility for Stephen Hawking’s third academic book for the Press, Superspace and Supergravity. This was a messy collection of papers from a technical workshop on how to devise a new theory of gravity. While that book was in production, I suggested he try something easier: a popular book about the nature of the Universe, suitable for the general market.
Stephen hesitated over my suggestion. He already had an international reputation as a brilliant theoretical physicist working on rotating black holes and theories of gravity. And he had concerns about financial matters: importantly, it was impossible for him to obtain any form of life insurance to protect his family in the event of his death or becoming totally dependent on nursing care. So, he took precious time out from his research to prepare the rough draft of a book.
At the time, several bestselling physics authors had already published non-technical books on the early Universe and black holes. Stephen decided to write a more personal approach, by explaining his own research in cosmology and quantum theory.
One afternoon, in the 1980s, he invited me to take a look at the first draft, but first he wanted to discuss cash. He told me he had spent considerable time away from his research, and that he expected advances and royalties (定金和版税) to be large. When I pressed him on the market that he foresaw, he insisted that it be on sale, up front, at all airport bookshops in the UK and the US. I told that was a tough call for a university press. Then I thumbed the typescript. To my dismay, the text was far too technical for a general reader.
A few weeks later he showed me a revision, much improved. Eventually, he decided to place it with a mass market publisher rather than a university press. Bantam published A Brief History of Time in March 1988. Sales took off like a rocket, and it ranked as a bestseller for at least five years. The book’s impact on the popularization of science has been incalculable.
1. What suggestion did the writer give to Stephen Hawking?| A．Simplifying Superspace and Supergravity. |
| B．Formulating a new theory of gravity. |
| C．Writing a popular book on the nature of the universe. |
| D．Revising a book based on a new theory. |
| A．Financial returns. |
| B．Other competitors. |
| C．Publishing houses. |
| D．His family’s life insurance. |
| A．praised |
| B．typed |
| C．confirmed |
| D．browsed |
| A．bringing him overnight fame in the scientific world |
| B．keeping up the living standard of his family |
| C．making popular science available to the general public |
| D．creating the rocketing sales of a technical book |
10 . Some of the world’s biggest companies — Apple, Amazon, Facebook — didn’t exist 30 years ago. So what firms are we working for in 2050? That’ s a question put forward by historian Yuval Noah Harari in his new book “21 Lessons for the 21st Century”.
He argues that because technology is changing so fast, it’ s one of the first times in human history when we don’t know what jobs will look like in the coming three decades. “So the best bet is to focus on emotional intelligence (EQ),” he said. “Information is the last thing the kids need. They have too much of it.”
In this book, he focuses on the various challenges facing us today. As he writes in the book’ s introduction: “What are today’s greatest challenges? What should we pay attention to? What should we teach our kids?” One area where these questions crop up is artificial intelligence (AI). Harari believes that AI will completely affect the job market for the next generation of workers.
His first two books — “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus” — became international bestsellers, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide. They were praised by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama and Bill Gates. Harari’ s books, about the past and future of humanity, attract a great number of fans. Fellow Israeli, actress Natalie Portman, is a fan. So is American R&B star Janelle Monae.
As for Bill Gates, he might be Harari’s biggest fan. So when the New York Times asked him to review Harari’ s latest books, he jumped at the opportunity. “All the three books wrestle with some version of the same question: What will give our lives meaning in the decades and centuries ahead?” Gates wrote in his review. “So far, human history has been driven by a desire to live longer, healthier, happier lives. If science is eventually able to give that dream to most people, and large numbers of people no longer need to work, what reason will we have to get up in the morning?”
1. What is the best way to help students face the uncertain future according to Harari?| A．Teaching them advanced technology. |
| B．Providing them with more information. |
| C．Improving their emotional intelligence. |
| D．Reminding them of fierce competitions. |
| A．The bright future of the future workers. |
| B．Different challenges in face of people. |
| C．Lessons humans should learn from history. |
| D．The disadvantages of artificial intelligence. |
| A．He is Bill Gates’ good friend. | B．He has a deep understanding of AI. |
| C．He is highly thought of by everyone. | D．His books are well received in the world. |
| A．The desire to enjoy life. | B．The limitless opportunities in the future. |
| C．The driving force of human history. | D．The source of life meaning in the future. |
