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 . People who argue that William Shakespeare isn’t responsible for the plays attributed to his name are known as anti-Stratfordians (from the name of Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon). They think that Shakespeare simply was not educated enough or from a high enough social class to have written plays with such a wide range of subjects like history and international culture. Shakespeare was the son of a glove-maker. He only had a basic grade school education, and he never set foot outside of England — so how could he have written in such detail about historical figures and events, or about different cultures and locations around Europe? But in fact, most anti-Stratfordian arguments can be refuted (反驳) with a little background about Shakespeare’s time and upbringing.
First of all, those who doubt Shakespeare’s authorship often point to his common birth and brief education as blocks to his writerly talents. Although it’s true that Shakespeare did not come from a noble class, his father was a very successful glove-maker and his mother was from a very wealthy land-owning family — so he would have been educated accordingly. Also grade school education in Shakespeare’s time was actually quite strict and exposed students to classic drama through writers like Seneca and Ovid. It’s not unreasonable to believe that Shakespeare received a very solid foundation in poetry and literature from the courses at school.
Next, anti-Stratfordians tend to question how Shakespeare could write so extensively about countries and cultures he had never visited before (for example, Romeo and Juliet was set in Italy). But again, this criticism doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny (推敲). For one thing, Shakespeare was living in London, a business, political and cultural center of Europe. Among the daily crowds of people, Shakespeare would certainly have been able to meet travelers from other countries and hear firsthand accounts of life in their home country. For another, it was also the age of the printing press. Such technology made it possible to print and circulate books much more easily than in the past. This allowed people to read about life and ideas throughout Europe. One needn’t travel the continent to learn and write about its culture.
1. What is the main purpose of this text?| A．To explain two sides of an argument. |
| B．To criticize a theory by presenting evidence. |
| C．To give some historical background about a literary figure. |
| D．To encourage readers to be skeptical about famous writers. |
| A．By referring to Shakespeare’s educated parents. |
| B．By insisting upon Shakespeare’s natural talent. |
| C．By comparing Shakespeare with other writers of his time. |
| D．By explaining grade school education in Shakespeare’s time. |
| A．International travel was extremely rare in Shakespeare’s time. |
| B．Until recently, classical drama was only taught in universities. |
| C．In Shakespeare’s time, glove-makers weren’t part of the upper class. |
| D．Some writers in Shakespeare’s time wanted to harm his reputation. |
| A．It’s Shakespeare’s most famous play. |
| B．It was inspired by Shakespeare’s trip to Italy. |
| C．It’s an example of a play set outside of England. |
| D．It was unpopular when Shakespeare first wrote it. |
3 . The best science fiction books of 2021
We take a look at the most exciting new science-fiction books of 2021. No matter what kind of science fiction fan you are, we're sure you'll find something to add to your reading list.
The Saints of Salvation
By Peter F. Hamilton
The Olyix have laid siege（围攻）to Earth, harvesting people for their god. Cities are ru¬ined by their weapons and millions have either fled to seek refuge in space or are fighting a war that seems unwinnable. As Earth's defeat draws ever closer, a team are sent to enter the Olyix's air-ship secretly. Their plan? This is the final science fiction in Peter F. Hamilton's extremely surprising series The Salvation Sequence.
A Desolation Called Peace
By Arkady Martine
This impressive sequel（续集）to Arkady Martinets Hugo Award-winning science fiction book sees the Teixcalaanli Empire facing an alien threat which could bring about its complete destruction. Fleet captain Nine Hibiscus sends a person to negotiate with the mysterious invaders...
Jack Four
By Neal Asher
Jack Four-one of twenty human clones-has been created to be sold. His purchasers are the aliens and they only want him for their experimentation program. But there is something different about Jack. No clone should possess the knowledge that's been loaded into his mind.
Rabbits
By Terry Miles
Rabbits is a secret, dangerous and sometimes deadly underground game. The rewards for winning are unclear, but there are rumors of money or it might unlock the universe's greatest secrets. Everyone knows that the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes-and the body count is rising. Since the game first started, ten rounds have taken place. The eleventh round is about to begin, and what happens in the game, stays in the game...
1. What can we know aboutThe Saints of Salvation?| A．It's about the war among people on earth. |
| B．The Olyix are defeated in the end. |
| C．It belongs toThe Salvation Sequence. |
| D．It's the last novel of Peter F. Hamilton. |
| A．He gives the alien a complete destruction. |
| B．He lets someone negotiate with the alien. |
| C．He fights against the alien bravely. |
| D．He makes the alien face a threat. |
| A．In a book recommendation. | B．In an art magazine. |
| C．In a biography. | D．In a novel |
