1 . 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.”     1     Often it leaves a single sharp impression to be turned over and over in the mind. After finishing the story, the reader should have something to think about: the humor of life, its ironies, or the unpredictability of human behavior.

    2     The first and most obvious level is conveyed through the plot. Plot refers to the sequence of events, to the actions of the characters and the situations in which they are involved. To explain the plot, then, is to tell what happened in the story and to whom. In some short stories, plot is the dominating element. In other short stories, plot plays a very minor role.

In Hemingway’s story, The Old Man and the Sea, however, we must approach the content on another level.     3     To understand and appreciate the story, the reader must be able to identify its general topic or theme. The next step is to identify the device by which the author comments on this theme.     4    

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.     5     Style grows out of the writer’s own personality and can be seen in the choice of words and phrases, the arrangement of sentences, the rhythm and tone. Structure refers to the architecture of the story, the way in which the details are selected and arranged to produce the desired effect.

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.

2 . Sometimes a book comes along that isn’t just “interesting” or “well done”— it’s a book where it seems like the author looked into your brain and wrote a book specifically for you. A book like that for me was released this week. It’s called 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet, written by editor Pamela Paul.

Paul lists 100 things we used to do that the Internet has either changed or taken over completely: writing letters, print newspapers, the joys of being bored, and not having all the knowledge in the world in your pocket.

As I’m a longtime accumulator of random knowledge, certain entries on the list—Being the Only One, Figuring Out Who That Actor is—hit me where live; remembering detailed facts is no longer   nearly as impressive when everyone has the capability to find the answer in seconds.

On and on the list goes, with every minor shift adding to the pile. What this book does so well is illustrate the growth of that pile; while any individual item might be no big deal, the collected set is significant. It’s a list of ways in which the world now is different from the world then.

Obviously, Paul isn’t saying that everything back then was better. Time marches on, after all. and it’s tough to argue against the many benefits that the Internet has brought into our lives. But that isn’t really the point. It’s not about whether it used to be better. It’s that it used to be different.

100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet is a fun read for those of us who share some of Paul’s memories and experiences. We remember what it was like and we like to remember. The landscape has shifted, and no doubt it will shift again as technology’s advancement continues apace. This book serves as a reminder of the simple truth that when gains are made, sometimes something is lost.

1. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To review and recommend a good read.

B．To comment on the effect of the Internet.

C．To argue for the viewpoint of a new book.

D．To urge the readers to value what they have.

2. Which might be entries on Paul’s list?

A．Maps and Eye Contact.

B．E-pay and Compact Disks.

C．Postcards and Homeschooling

D．Bad Photos and Washing Machines.

3. What does the underlined phrase “hit me where l live” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Prove what I’m good at.

B．Introduce how I grew up.

C．Describe the place I live in.

D．Speak out what is on my mind.

4. What conclusion has the author drawn after reading Paul’s book?

A．Things in the past are better.

B．There’re no gains without pains.

C．The internet is a double-edged sword.

D．Technology is constantly changing the world.

3 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Charles Dickens

It has been 150 years since Charles Dickens died, 184 years since his first work was released to the public and 156 years since his last completed book came out. In all of this time, these novels have never been out of print. Dickens may have left us, but his work remains timeless,     1     (fascinate) the majority of those who open their pages.

Most people have read, watched or at least heard of Dickens’ stories, but what makes him and his work so popular? Since he began novel writing in his 20s, Dickens constantly produced quality classics. Year after year his awaiting fans were not left     2     (disappoint) as their minds were fed with complex tales of romance, crime, hope and despair.

In the Victorian era he lived in, much of the work Dickens produced     3     (model) on the literature before him. He was one of the first writers of the time     4     (portray) honest examples of working-class people, giving many something to relate to. He focused on unfolding the good and bad qualities of characters which allowed his readers to follow their journeys and understand     5     they may have acted in the unusual or shocking ways that they did.

Any Dickens fans will know the diverse and outrageous (耸人听闻的) characters coming to life between the pages.     6     was special about this novelist’s ability in imagining these characters’ stories is that it comes from his own life’s path.     7     a young boy left to take care of himself in a workhouse to the wealthy figure he became through his writing successes, he knew what it was like to see in different lights. This deep understanding of his characters gave his fictional stories the strong element of believability     8     is needed in a good novel.

Over a century and a half later, Dickens’ themes can be relevant to today’s world problems. His words and imagery have been transformed further into the media of modern film, television and even musical adaptations.     9     set in a time unfamiliar to readers today, his work still enables everyone to relate to the love, hardship and sense of family that pours from the narratives. It is this aspect     10     has carried Charles Dickens into the 21st century.

4 . If having to make a choice between reading an e-book and a printed book, which would most people choose? Some would go for an e-book while some still prefer the hard-printed book.

Undoubtedly, e-books do have benefits. Firstly, changes to an electronic publication are relatively easy to make. They are quicker to obtain. E-books are more easily updated. The printed books on many subjects can become outdated very quickly. Secondly, e-books can be easily and quickly kept up to date. You usually get far more than just the e-books. Most e-books are sold with bonuses and related information that usually do not come with the purchase of a printed book. Moreover, they take up less space. Instead of a big library, you can fit literally thousands of books on your computer. It also makes it easier to share this information with families and friends.

For nearly twenty years, additionally, futurists have been predicting the development of printed books. The conventional view has been that digital e-books are on the verge of replacing paper books. However, this has not been the case. A printed book has its advantages too. Firstly, it is an object that can be carried and used alone. It needs no electric outlet (插座), no batteries, nothing. Secondly, e-books will always require some forms of support that the printed book does not need.

I believe that the online publishing has not taken off because people want real books. What is being published online more and more are pamphlets (小册子) and things that really do not need to be in print. These are stuff that people throw away afterward. More often, people do not want to read a book on the computer. What could be better than a paper book? It lasts a long time. These books are designed to last a long time without disappearing.

To sum up, there is no denying that the printed book is still very much preferred over its digital cousins. Reading electronic publications is just not the same when it comes to books. People are still very interested in real books and notebooks.

1. What can we know about an e-book?

A．It will never be out of date.	B．It always gives you an added bonus.
C．It can deliver information quickly.	D．It has taken the place of printed books.

2. Which statement would futurists probably agree with?

A．Printed books will disappear.	B．Printed books can be used alone.
C．E-books have many restrictions.	D．E-books have no drawbacks.

3. What is one cause of the failed online publishing?

A．The low demand for book industry.	B．The expectations from people.
C．The guidance of policy.	D．The desire for the printed books.

4. What does the author think of the future of the printed book?

A．Hopeless.

B．Unpredictable.

C．Costly.

D．Promising.

5 . Four Seasonal Best-Sellers Online

Are you among the parents who are seeking books for your children during the coming winter vacation? The following seasonal best-sellers may be on your list of choices.

Salt

Salt, in which Helen Frost tells a story about friendship between Anikwa and James, was set in a time of war. Anikwa and James spent their happy days together in the forests of the Indiana Territory until facing the cruel war. As a children’s literature, it was once considered as a Kirkus Reviews Best Book in 2013.

Now

Now was set in the present day. This is the final book in Morris Gleitzman’s series that began with Once, continued with Then and Now. In the novel, Felix, a successful man with painful memories of his childhood recalls his time with his granddaughter Zelda. It has been popular with teenagers since it came out. Now is one of Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books of 2012.

Green

Die-cut (模切的) pages bring surprise after surprise in this magical new book. How many kinds of green are there in the world? Laura Vaccaro Seeger shapes a respect to a single color that will delight and quite possibly shock you. Green was considered as Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book of 2012 and a 2013 Caldecott Honor Book.

Holes

In this wonderfully creative novel, Louis Sachar makes up a puzzle about Stanley Yelnats, a boy who was sent to juvenile detention center (少年管教中心) Camp Green Lake, and forced to dig a hole a day, five feet across in the hard earth of the dried-up lake bed. It is a darkly humorous tale. The book wins the Winner of the National Book Award and was one of the best sellers among children.

1. Who is the author of the book Salt?

A．Helen Frost.	B．Anikwa.
C．Stanley Yelnats.	D．Louis Sachar.

2. What do we know about the book Green?

A．It tells a serious but funny story.

B．It describes different kinds of one color.

C．It talks about friendship in the period of war.

D．It is one of the series by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.

3. What do the four books in the text have in common?

A．They are set in modern times.

B．They share the same honor as each other.

C．They don’t sell as well as first published.

D．Their readers are mostly children.

6 . 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.

2. Which book is specially designed for teenagers?

A．Cloud Cuckoo Land.	B．Crying in H Mart.
C．Pony.	D．You Will Get Through This Night.

3. What is the feature of 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.

7 . New Journalism, American literary movement in the 1960s and 70s, pushed the boundaries of traditional journalism and nonfiction writing. The genre combined journalistic research with the techniques of fiction writing in the reporting of stories about real-life events.

As in traditional investigative reporting, writers in the genre immersed (沉浸) themselves in their subjects, at times spending months in the field gathering facts through research, interviews, and observation. Their finished works were very different, however, from the feature stories typically published in newspapers and magazines of the time. Instead of employing traditional journalistic story structures and an institutional voice, they constructed well-developed characters, sustained dialogue, vivid scenes, and strong plotlines marked with dramatic tension.     1    . Their writing style, and the time and money that their in-depth research and long stories required, did not fit the needs or budgets of most newspapers, although the editors of prominent magazines sought out those writers and published their work with great commercial success. Many of those writers went on to publish their stories in anthologies or to write what became known as “nonfiction novels,” and many of those works became best sellers.

    2    . They also associated journalism with fiction when they described their work with phrases such as “nonfiction novel” and “narrative techniques of fiction.” In so doing, they sparked off a debate over how much like a novel or short story a journalistic piece could be before it began violating journalism's commitment to truth and facts.

Some observers praised the New Journalists for writing well-crafted, complex, and convincing stories that revitalized readers' interest in journalism and the topics covered, as well as inspiring other writers to join the profession.     3    . They feared that reporters would be tempted to stray from the facts in order to write more dramatic stories, by, for example, creating composite characters (melding several real people into one fictional character), compressing dialogue (making dialogue shorter), rearranging events, or even fabricating (or inventing) details. Some New Journalists freely admitted to using those techniques, arguing that they made their stories readable and publishable without sacrificing the essential truthfulness of the tale.     4    .

A．Others firmly opposed the use of those techniques, arguing that any departure from facts, however minor, discredited a story and moved it away from journalism into the realm of fiction.

B．They also wrote in voices that were distinctly their own.

C．The New Journalists argued that objectivity does not guarantee truth and that so-called “objective” stories can be more misleading than stories told from a clearly presented personal point of view.

D．The New Journalists expanded the definition of journalism and of legitimate (正统的) journalistic reporting and writing techniques.

E．The New Journalists’ ideas continue to be explored and refined by new generations of reporters and editors.

F．Others, however, worried that the New Journalism was replacing objectivity of with a dangerous subjectivity that threatened to undermine the credibility of all journalism.

8 .

	Lord of the Flies An airplane evacuating schoolboys from Britain during World War II is shot down over a remote tropical area. Two boys, Ralph and Piggy find the other surviving boys and begin to organize the group. As time passes, rivalries are formed, rules are broken and civilized behavior has turned savage. Lord of the Flies is a classic study on human nature, adolescence, and competition by William Golding.
	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer’s best friend, stakes out his own adventure in this classic coming-of-age tale. Tired of trying to be good and fearful of his drunken father, Huck Finn runs away and takes Jim, a man who has escaped enslavement, with him. Together they sail down the Mississippi River on a raft and experience dangerous as well as comical adventures along the way. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an enduring classic.
	A Separate Peace A friendship forms between two boys attending a New England boarding school during World War IL. Gene, smart and socially awkward, draws the attention of Phineas, a handsome, athletic and outgoing boy. The two become friends, but war and rivalry lead to a tragic accident. John Knowles is the author of A Separate Peace, a classic story about friendship and adolescence.
	Of Mice and Men Best friends Lennie and George travel from farm to farm in California looking for work while trying to avoid trouble. Although both men are good workers and have dreams of owning their own farm, they never stay at one job long because of Lennie. Lennie is a simple-minded gentle giant who doesn’t know his own strength and often gets into trouble. When tragedy strike, George must make am awful decision that will alter the plans he and Lennie have made for their future. Of Mice and Men is a classic John Steinbeck story about migrant workers and the downtrodden surviving the Great Depression.

1. Which pair of books covers the subjects of adolescence and competition?

A．Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies

B．Lord of the Flies and A Separate Peace

C．The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Lord of the Flies

D．A Separate Peace and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

2. What often upsets George’s plan for the future?

A．George’s tendency to get into trouble.	B．Lennie’s dependence on George.
C．Lennie’s inability to manage his own strength.	D．George’s identity as a migrant worker.

3. Which of the four books includes the element of humor?

A．Lord of the Flies	B．A Separate Peace
C．Of Mice and Men	D．The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

9 . On today’s blog post, I’ll be talking about my favorite magazines. I love reading books & magazines, and I’m learning so many useful tips about healthy living, daily life, etc.

Women’s Health

Women’s Health has a unique content. You can find various interesting information about healthy living or exercises you can do at home. I also love their writers because they explain every topic so simple that you can even understand biological articles.

Healthy Food Guide

I totally recommend it to everyone because it has lots of useful information about being healthy during your daily life. In this magazine, you can find articles about foods you often eat but don’t have much idea what it contains or if they’re healthy. If you are searching for new diets, this magazine gives you all the information.

Time Out

Time Out is a well-known magazine and it’s free in my city. Every time I see a Time Out magazine, I get it because it has lots of useful tips. I got Time Out London when I was in London, and I discovered new restaurants, galleries, museums, and events. This magazine has various information about the city life. For example, it gives you the events that are happening near you. It gives you tips for the railway stations and other transportation choices.

La Cucina Italiana

If you love cooking Italian food, this magazine is for you! It has lots of recipes and also restaurant reviews. You can also find popular restaurants near you in this magazine. I’ve also read articles by famous chefs from my city.

1. What can we find in Healthy Food Guide?

A．Ways to keep fit.	B．Tips on cooking.
C．Different eating habits.	D．Information of new restaurants.

2. What can we read to find comments on restaurants?

A．Time Out.

B．Women’s Health.

C．Healthy Food Guide.

D．La Cucina Italiana.

3. What can we learn about the author?

A．He lives in London.	B．He loves and enjoys life.
C．He often goes travelling.	D．He likes collecting recipes.

10 . From the ancient Chinese stories, to the stories in the medieval cathedrals（中世纪的教堂）in the west, it is perfectly clear that there is strong pleasure and meaning to gain from stories told through images or pictures. People are lucky enough to have had books with both pictures and words when they were children.    1    .

After the world wars, the cheap books without pictures were everywhere and it made reading books illustrated with pictures for adults a very luxurious thing. Somehow, pictures had also come to seem childish or strange.    2    Just as the ever-increasing popularity of the graphic novel（连环画小说）suggests, works both words and pictures are regarded as classics.

    3    In fact the former develops from the latter. Early writing systems such as those in Egypt and China: things in the world were expressed in written form by drawing special pictures.       4    In some languages, the sound associated with an image are separated from its original meaning.

What is the use of a book without pictures? Very little, it turns out, particularly if we consider that pictures are buried within the very symbols used to write words. As for a picture book for adults, author Tokarczuk sweeps away all doubts. She adores the picture book.    5    This kind of story is able to get through to anyone – regardless of age, cultural differences or level of education. It’s hard to disagree.

A．Because it is hard to read books with pictures.

B．And yet readers love stories told through pictures.

C．However, words and pictures are not always connected.

D．Text and picture, after all, are not so far apart.

E．For her it is a powerful, old way of telling a story.

F．Adults are thought foolish to read such books.

G．They often remember the pictures as clearly as the words.