1 . 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.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Many people still remember the magic of Father Christmas from when they were children. As parents, they try to keep that magic alive for their children for as long as they can.

That is why Letters from Father Christmas could be the perfect book for those     1     regard Christmas     2     a special time of year. The man who wrote these letters is one of the most famous     3     (name)in English literature—J. R. R. Tolkien,       4     English writer, poet and university professor. The letters were Tolkien’s way of keeping Father Christmas alive for his four children, over a period of more than twenty years.

Every Christmas, an envelope with a North Pole stamp arrived. It     5     (address)to Tolkien’s children. The children must have been very     6     (excite)as they opened the letter to see who     7     could be from. Inside, they would find a handwritten letter from Father Christmas. The letters were also     8     (beautiful)illustrated—each must have taken its true author, Tolkien, a long time     9     (complete).

Letters from Father Christmas tells us that as well as     10     (enjoy)the adventures of Father Christmas, Polar Bear and other characters at the North Pole, we can all share the true spirit of giving at Christmas time.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Cao Zhi, a prince of the state of Cao Wei,     1    (fall) in love with an official’s daughter. However, she married his brother, Cao Pi, and the prince became disappointed. Later, he composed an     2    (emotion) poem about the love between the goddess and mortal. In the poem, he praises the nymph (女神)     3     her beauty.

“Gazing at her from afar,

She shines like the sun     4    (rise) above the rosy mists (迷雾) of dawn;

Observing her close by,

She is as bright as a lotus emerging from clear ripples (涟漪).”

In the 4th century, Gu Kaizhi, a Chinese artist,     5    (move) by the story. He illustrated the poem and created     6     we call the Nymph of the Luo River.   Unfortunately, the original 4th painting was lost. However, artists made several copies of it,     7    (probable) during the Song dynasty. The painting is in     8     form of a long scroll (卷轴), which describes the plot in sections. Let's unfold the scroll and find out about this beautiful story.

In the beginning, Cao Zhi travels with a group of attendants and has to cross the Luo River. Here, Gu Kaizhi gives full play to his artistic     9    (imagine). Through clever composition and application of vivid colors, he describes the meeting between Cao Zhi and the nymph, Fu Fei. She flows lightly and stops when she wants to go.     10    (attract) by her charm, Cao loses his heart to Fu Fei.

4 . The Four Best Astronomy Books

This list has been updated 24 times since it was first published in 2015. Our selection includes editions specifically written to attract youngsters, some of which are for more advanced students. Each of them contains breathtaking, full-color images.

●The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide

The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide (about $30) is a great resource suitable for beginners and experts. It offers in-depth guidance on everything from picking the perfect telescope to avoiding light pollution, with tips on how best to explore the deep sky.

Features:

Over 500 bright photographs

Detailed maps of the Milky Way

●Far out: A Space-Time Chronicle

Far out: A Space-Time Chronicle (about $25) takes you on a journey through time using the concept of light speed to introduce the vastness of the universe. It’s a real page-turner, with one impressive photo after another, and will let your imagination run wild.

Features:

Making connections to human history

Written in a poetic style

Informative and thoughtful

●NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

This book (about $18) has sold upwards of 600,000 copies of its three previous editions. It comes with a variety of charts showing various events, such as when to expect a solar and lunar eclipse (日蚀和月蚀).

Features:

Great for those using telescopes

Helpful telescope shopping tips

●Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide

Perfect for ordinary people or those wanting to get a taste of the subject before devoting themselves to a formal class, this book (about $11) makes it easy for them to learn the main topics and basic rules of a college-level course on their own.

Features:

No math required

Self-tests to check progress

Explaining professional terms

1. What can we say about the book Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle?

A．It is funny and strange.	B．It is exciting and imaginative.
C．It is breathtaking and popular.	D．It is instructive and challenging.

2. Which book is suitable for college astronomy beginners?

A．Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle	B．The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide
C．Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide	D．NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

3. What do the four books have in common?

A．They all have colorful pictures.	B．They are all updated regularly.
C．They are all aimed at young kids.	D．They all focus on the solar system.

5 . Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler

Saint Maybe is an example of how one small mistake can result in tragedy (悲剧) for a family with lives changed forever. The true strength of the novel lies in the author’s ability to write with sincerity and understanding. I’ve read this book many times over and always find it inspirational when it comes to writing my own novels about the complexities of family life.

— Eric James

Silly Verse For Kids by Spike Milligan

This book is so tiny and thin, but I loved all these funny poems inside-and it made me want to write rhymes. After reading this, I started writing my own poetry. I like including silly poems and lyrics in my books, which is definitely down to the influence of this book. It’s a book that you would read as a kid and it would really stimulate your imagination.

— Liz Pichon

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

A book read at my father’s knee and one that inspired my imagination and shaped my writing life. My desire to fall down a rabbit hole that might take me to Wonderland surpassed (胜过) my other childhood wishes. Wonderland with its Cheshire Cat and never-ending tea parties, which were reflected in a life-long love of cats and cakes, suited me best.

— Menna van Praag

Bambi by Felix Salten

My mum read this to me before I could read, and later I read it to myself again and again. In the Suffolk countryside where I grew up, I would often spot deer in the fields. This book made me stop and study the animal tracks on the ground and made me think about the world around me in a different way, setting me on the path to being a writer.

— Polly Crosby

1. What is the advantage of Saint Maybe?

A．The content of the book.	B．The example in this novel.
C．The complexities of life.	D．The author’s writing abilities.

2. Which book would you choose if you want to read poems?

A．Saint Maybe

B．Silly Verse For Kids

C．Alice in Wonderland

D．Bambi

3. What do the four books have in common?

A．They influence the four readers greatly.	B．They are mainly recommended for kids.
C．They can stimulate readers’ imagination.	D．They allow readers to see the world differently.

6 . I never saw daffodils (水仙花) in Gaza.     1     When I was walking in the gardens, a line from Wordsworth’s poem came to mind: And then my heart with pleasure fills,/And dances with the daffodils.

My father used to say, “English is a window looking over the world.” He specialised in English Language and Literature. At home lively debates would erupt about literature or philosophy.     2     I was born into a refugee (难民) family as my father and grandmother had to leave their motherland for Kuwait because of war decades ago. When I was 13, my family travelled to Gaza but we had to stay there as a war broke out in Kuwait. I became a refugee for the second time. However, my parents were determined that my education was of the greatest importance.     3    

In the following years, I studied hard and finally worked as a research fellow to investigate the impact of conflict on health in the Middle East and North Africa. During this time, I attended an artistic workshop, which offered the skills to share my research findings through artistic media like poetry.     4     I didn’t find it difficult to write — I’d be walking along, and the lines just seemed to flow out of me.

Recently, a poem inspired by my research will be featured in the Creative Encounters exhibition, which forms part of the Cambridge Festival.     5     They bring a lightness and beauty, and within this lightness and beauty lies hope.

A．In this way, I rediscovered my love of poetry.

B．I specifically focused on the health of people in Gaza.

C．So they enrolled at the English Department of a top University in Gaza.

D．Despite the happy atmosphere in our home, a shadow lay across our lives.

E．They knew from experience that even if everything was lost education remained.

F．It was only when I came to University of Cambridge that I saw them for the first time.

G．While my research can’t express Gazans’ sufferings, my words can be a voice for them.

7 . 阅读下面材料, 在空白处填入适当的内容 (一个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式.

A Journey to the Center of the Earth is an 1864 science fiction novel by rules verge. The scientific knowledge in the book is old, but this has nothing to do with the     1     (popular) of the book.

There are three main     2     (character) in the book: axes, the narrator of the story; his uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, the scientist of geology, and Hans, their     3     (faith) Iceland guide.

The Professor was     4     impatient person, but he insisted on continuing the journey, and finally     5     (manage) it. Hans was silent and incredibly calm. As long as the Professor was hiring him and paid his wage     6     (regular), he could do anything for him, despite the seemingly hopeless situation. His faith, courage and excellent skills saved the other two companions for several times.

One day, the Professor found a book,     7     described the way down to the center of the Earth. He and his companions got equipped immediately,     8     (start) their adventurous journey. What was waiting for them? Well, we can only figure this out by reading the book.

The book is a short one. Some words in it may be difficult     9     (understand). But don't worry! Not knowing these words will not stop us understanding the plot. And the rest are easy. Therefore, it should be a suitable book     10     high school students and the fans of science fiction.

8 . Some literary characters capture the imagination of readers. Their adventures, experiences, talents and personalities make them _______. Detective Sherlock Holmes is one of these. Author Arthur Conan Doyle created Holmes in 1887 in his works. He was brilliant. Critically, his ability to notice _______, assemble them and draw conclusions amazed everyone. He first appeared in the story “A Study in Scarlet”The story also introduced Dr. John Watson and how he came to live with Holmes and be part of his life. Watson observes that many interesting people visit Holmes at various times during the day. Holmes informs Watson he is a “_______detective”. These people are clients, including _______ from Scotland Yard, who seek his help to solve difficult cases.

Watson narrates this first case which involves the murders of two men. The story has two parts. In the first part, Holmes solves the crime and captures the killer. The second part gives the backstory as to why the killer murdered his _______. It was a revenge (报复) killing for their part in the death of the murderer’s fiancee.

The Red-headed League is on many people’s lists of their favorite stories _______ Sherlock Holmes. In this story, red-headed businessman Jabez Wilson wants Holmes’ help. Several weeks before, Wilson’s young assistant, Vincent Spaulding, had _______ him to reply to a newspaper ad. The ad offered _______ paid work to a red-headed man. Wilson gets the job and is paid 4 pounds a week for short periods of afternoon work. _______ suddenly without notice the job stops. Wilson wants Holmes’s assistance to discover what happened. Holmes ________ a description of Spaulding and goes to see him at Wilson’s shop. He notices that the knees of Spaulding’s trousers are ________. Then Holmes taps on the pavement ________Wilson’s shop. Next he calls a police inspector and the director of the bank that is behind Wilson’s shop. The four men hide in the dark bank vault (金库) and wait. Soon two men, one of whom is Spaulding, ________ from a tunnel cut into the vault’s floor and are captured. The two men had ________ the Red-headed League to keep Wilson away while they dug the ________ to the bank vault.

1.

A．imaginable

B．intelligible

C．powerful

D．unforgettable

2.

A．criminals

B．processes

C．details

D．expressions

3.

A．consulting

B．investing

C．conducting

D．enquiring

4.

A．natives

B．detectives

C．officials

D．rivals

5.

A．colleges

B．partners

C．relatives

D．victims

6.

A．including

B．representing

C．involving

D．praising

7.

A．urged

B．helped

C．warned

D．forced

8.

A．dearly

B．fully

C．highly

D．earnestly

9.

A．Therefore

B．Furthermore

C．Meanwhile

D．Then

10.

A．turns to

B．asks for

C．takes down

D．works out

11.

A．dirty

B．ordinary

C．special

D．wet

12.

A．on top of

B．at the back of

C．in front of

D．in the middle of

13.

A．escape

B．emerge

C．run

D．keep

14.

A．invented

B．organized

C．supervised

D．commanded

15.

A．yard

B．wall

C．hole

D．tunnel

9 . Could J. K. Rowling please leave Harry Potter in peace? 2010 was a good time to move on. We all know that Harry Potter’s last adventures hit the bookstore in 2007, and three years later the Warner Bros adaptations ran their course in cinema, too. For many fans, the young wizard had worked his magic through most of their childhood. But in 2018, a new Harry Potter extended universe film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crime of Grindelwald, was out.

I love Harry Potter series and I always will. It’s all there in my memory: I remember the first delight at reading “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal”. The wizarding treasure hunt, thrown by my parents for my ninth birthday with my dad dressed as Hagrid in the garden, was so clear in my mind. I remember deciphering (破译) my copy of the Deathly Hallows, the first book I read in English, and having to check the French for “wand”. The 2001 trip to the cinema to see Philosopher’s Stone, and all the ones that followed are kept clearly.

However, someone needs to call a halt to the endless afterlife of Potter’s fictional universe. It was enough in the seven books and eight films. We didn’t and don’t need a community website, a theatre play, the printed script of said movie, and even more movies.

Rowling has created 21^st-century modern literary classic. I always look up to her as the textbook classy writer: respectfully drawing attention from readers, successful but wise enough to withdraw. She also cares much about the causes she holds dear. In 2011 alone, she donated 16% of her net worth to charities. Of all contemporary authors who hit gold, Rowling remains one of the very most inspirational.

The saddest thing is that Rowling helped with the writing of the Cursed Child. She regularly “revealed” new details about Potter’s magical world on Twitter. Today, I decided to give up: I don’t follow Rowling on Twitter. I don’t want to see the new film. Thank you, Joanne Kathleen Rowling. I have enough valued stories—I don’t need new ones any more.

1. The last book of Harry Potter series was published in ______ .

A．2007

B．2010

C．2011

D．2017

2. We can learn from Paragraph 2 that the author ______ .

A．felt rather easy to understand Harry Potter series

B．was quiet fond of Harry Potter series and its films

C．read Harry Potter series with the help of his parents

D．missed the time of watching Harry Potter movies with his parents

3. What does the underlined phrase “call a halt to” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Share.

B．Appreciate.

C．Stop.

D．Change.

4. What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The talent J. K. Rowling has.

B．The author’s praise for J. K. Rowling.

C．The influence of J. K. Rowling’s works.

D．The author’s expectations of J. K. Rowling.

10 . A common theme running in fiction and mythology is the idea of orphan (孤儿) heroes and superheroes. Fairytales introduce us to children of absent fathers and cruel caretakers, like Cinderella and Snow White. Fiction makes much of the parentage of David Copperfield and Jane Eyre. Comic books offer orphaned heroes like Batman, Spiderman, or you’ll notice characters in more modern fiction from films and books like Harry Potter and Leia Skywalker.

Why are so many heroes and superheroes orphans?

Lacking parents, orphan heroes and superheroes are considered “children of the world”. Having raised themselves, and having been freed from much of the complex relationship of child to parent, ophan heroes and superheroes are at much greater liberty to interact with the world, and they may look at the world as parent and all its inhabitants as family.

Some orphans seek only a home and a family. David Copperfield finds this with his aunt. Cinderella and Snow White escape evil stepmothers by marrying. Others, especially of the superhero “cast” are never really given family in the traditional sense. In fact, though they may have strong bonds with friends, or with caretakers, they are constantly attempting to prove worthiness to the world, and are desperate to save the people they do care about.

You can also evaluate orphan heroes and superheroes as a means by which anxiety, loneliness, and independence are emphasized. The comic book type superhero is usually one who suffers always, or at least most of the time. Loss of even one parent can be intensely upsetting and forever change a child’s life, and superheroes may do all in their power to prevent this fate for other children. Empathy for suffering and a desire to end or prevent it for others are increased.

It’s a good idea to consider why we see this theme expressed so commonly. Perhaps we ⅵew these orphans or poorly parented children as ultimately our own. They may not just be children of the world, but may belong to each reader.

1. Why does the author mention some famous characters in Paragraph 1?

A．To clarify the writing purpose.	B．To advertise classic fiction.
C．To support a statement.	D．To make an overall outline.

2. Which of the following drives some orphans to become superheroes?

A．Intention to escape a family.	B．Desire to prove their value to the world.
C．Strong bonds with their family.	D．Wishes for freedom to explore the world.

3. Which word best describes the comic book type superhero?

A．Childish.

B．Dependent.

C．Cheerful.

D．Sympathetic.

4. What may make the theme of orphan superheroes so common?

A．Ophans’ ultimte fate is pitiful

B．Readers have a preference for tragedies.

C．Orphan characters are reflections of the readers.

D．Readers may regard orphan characters as their own kids.