1 . Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a name that every lover of English literature will always remember and cherish. He is the pen father of the extraordinary detective Sherlock Holmes and a number of detective stories.
Arthur chose to go to medical field and become a surgeon from the University of Edinburgh, and this is the place where Arthur met a person who influenced him to become a writer. It was one of his teachers Dr. Joseph Bell who was master at observation, logic, detection and diagnosis. All these qualities were later found in the character of the celebrated detective Sherlock Holmes.
1888 was a significant year that rocketed Doyle to fame with his novel which was named as ‘A Study in Scarlet’ in which he introduced his two immortal characters—Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The story ‘The Sign of Four’ was instrumental in establishing Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle in literature.
The writer tried to open a practice in Paris but not a single patient came to him, which proved to be a blessing in disguise. It gave him a lot of time to think. And it was here that he met an illustrator named Sydney Paget who created the image of Sherlock Holmes which captured the minds of the readers and made the detective famous all over.
Doyle’s next creation was the delightfully violent Professor Challenger. ‘The Lost World’ which involved Professor Challenger was an immediate success.
Finally, because of his wife’s illness, Doyle decided to devote his life to his previous work rather than writing. This was the time when he decided to end the stories of Sherlock Holmes, which he did in ‘The Final Problem’.
The great Arthur Conan Doyle died at the age of 71 in 1930. He has left a legacy (遗产) to last us a lifetime and is still alive through his books and stories.
1. What was Conan Doyle’s job in his early years?| A．A writer. | B．A doctor. | C．A detective. | D．A professor. |
| A．By inspiring him to create Holmes. |
| B．By advising him to go to Paris. |
| C．By encouraging him to be a surgeon. |
| D．By teaching him the art of writing. |
| A．The Lost World. | B．The Sign of Four. | C．A Study in Scarlet. | D．The Final Problem. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Facts speak louder than words. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. | D．Behind bad luck comes good luck. |
2 . “The Life of Pi” is about a teenage boy from India, called Pi, who travels across the Pacific Ocean in a lifeboat. His companion (同伴) in the lifeboat is an enormous tiger. It was written by the Canadian author Yann Martel, and has sold seven million copies worldwide.
At the start of the book, we learn about Pi's childhood in India. His father is a zookeeper and the family live in a house in the zoo. Pi and his brother help their father in the zoo and learn to look after the animals. When Pi is sixteen, his family decide to close the zoo and move to Canada. They sell some of the animals to zoos in North America and the family take the animals with them on a ship to Canada. On the way, there is a terrible storm and the ship sinks. Sadly, Pi's family and the ship's sailors die in the storm. Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with a hyena, zebra, orangutan and a tiger. When he sees the animals, Pi is scared and he jumps into the ocean. Then he remembers there are sharks in the ocean and he climbs back into the lifeboat. One by one, the animals in the lifeboat kill and eat each other, till only Pi and the tiger are left alive. Luckily for Pi, there is some food and water on the lifeboat, but he soon needs to start catching fish. He feeds the fish to the tiger to stop it killing and eating him. He also uses a whistle and his knowledge of animals from the zoo to control the tiger.
Pi and the tiger spend 227 days in the lifeboat. They live through terrible storms and are burnt by the Pacific sun. They are often hungry and ill. Sometimes, Pi is happy and hopeful, but sometimes he feels sad and lonely. Finally, they arrive at the coast of Mexico, but you will have to read the book to find out what happens in the end!
1. What is the purpose of the text?| A．To tell us a story. | B．To introduce a book. |
| C．To make an advertisement. | D．To introduce a film. |
| A．They don't want to leave them in India. |
| B．They want to make them a home on the ship. |
| C．They don't want to sell the animals to others. |
| D．They take them along to their new owner. |
| A．They meet a storm and only Pi survives. |
| B．The tiger kills Pi's family and the sailors. |
| C．Pi finds a lifeboat and saves all the animals. |
| D．Pi lives peacefully with the animals. |
| A．Kind, honest and helpful. | B．Weak, selfish and careless. |
| C．Playful, naughty and energetic. | D．Clever, brave and strong minded. |
3 . Science fiction pioneer and writer Wu Yan won this year’s National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award for his latest work China Orbit. The book focuses on the development of the Chinese aerospace (航空航天) industry, and it was inspired by the planning and preparation for China’s first but canceled manned spacecraft, “Shuguang 1”, also known as Project 714, during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
“I collected many historical documents and stories and started writing decades ago,” Wu remembered. Partly based on Wu’s own experiences in the 1970s, the book is a combination of reality and fiction, and in some ways his own memoir (回忆录) was added into the science fiction. This innovative and unique writing method makes the book stand out and has even stirred up a debate on how to categorize it. Is it science fiction, popular science, children’s literature, or aerospace literature?
His fellow science fiction writer Liu Cixin, author of The Three-Body Problem, sees it more deeply, and believes China Orbit is not really children’s science fiction or popular science. He thinks it is too complicated to be classed under a single category. He speaks highly of China Orbit as a unique science fiction novel that vividly shows a child’s real-life experience in a military camp of a specific era.
In Wu’s opinion, China is a big market for children’s science fiction, but it still lacks extraordinary works. He warned people not to try to earn quick money from it after The Three-Body Problem frenzy and movie blockbuster The Wandering Earth because Chinese science fiction still has a long way to go. “We need to build Chinese science fiction step by step, with an accumulation (积累) of really great works. We need to innovate, and treat it as part of building China’s new culture,” Wu said.
1. What is the book China Orbit mainly about?| A．The space industry in China. |
| B．The introduction to Project 714. |
| C．Stories about Chinese outstanding astronauts. |
| D．Preparations for China’s first manned spacecraft. |
| A．He organizes the writing by time. |
| B．He tells the story in the form of debate. |
| C．He focuses on creating the role of children. |
| D．He combines his personal experiences with fiction. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Unclear. |
| C．Favorable. | D．Tolerant. |
| A．China Orbit has great commercial value. |
| B．Chinese science movies are of poor quality. |
| C．Innovation is crucial to Chinese science fiction. |
| D．Wu Yan is disappointed at the Chinese film market. |
4 . Are you a book lover? Here are some of the hottest books of the season.
The One Thing You’d Save
The One Thing You’d Save is about a homework assignment. Ms. Chang has students choose what they’d save if their home was on fire. Some choose baseball cards or animal toys. One picks a sweater that was passed down for generations. Another chooses a box of memories about a sister who died. This book helps readers learn to figure out what matters most in life.
War and Millie McGonigle
It’s 1941. Millie McGonigle, a 12-year-old girl, was supposed to be living a carefree life. However, she lives in the shadow of World War Ⅱ. War and Millie McGonigle is an inspiring story that tackles the topic of life and death. The story line is driven by vivid characters and their relationships. The interaction between Millie and her little sister, Lily, mirrors the real-life sibling (兄妹) relationships in many families.
Simon B. Rhymin’
Simon is starting fifth grade and hopes to become a famous singer. But he’s shy about using his voice to express his ideas and thoughts. When a teacher asks the class to give an oral presentation, Simon must find the strength to change and overcome his fears. Simon B. Rhymin’ is a book that gives confidence to readers who are going through similar struggles.
Rez Dogs
Rez Dog is a book about an eighth grader named Malian. She’s visiting her grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation when COVID-19 hits. To stay safe, Malian has to stay away from school” and her friends. Many kids will understand this tough situation. During the lockdown, Malian learns to think about what other people have gone through and how they are feeling during the pandemic (疫情).
1. How can The One Thing You’d Save influence us?| A．It gets us to preserve sweet family memories. |
| B．We may find it essential to ensure home safety. |
| C．We will try our best to improve our academic performance. |
| D．It reminds us to discover what we should treasure most in life. |
| A．They are both inspirational stories. |
| B．They are both set in cruel war times. |
| C．They both reflect character weaknesses. |
| D．They both involve principles of survival. |
| A．The One Thing You’d Save. | B．War and Millie McGonigle. |
| C．Simon B. Rhymin’. | D．Rez Dogs. |
