JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author, has signed a deal with Little, Brown and Company, to publish her first ever novel for adults, which is set to become one of the most anticipated (期望的) book in years.
The deal means that Rowling’s long-standing relationship with Bloomsbury, the London-based publisher that launched (发行) the Harry Potter books, has come to an end, at least in terms of new works by the author.
Rowling is keeping her fans guessing about the characters and plot of her new book. She only said that the new novel will be nothing like the Harry Potter series, which was sold over 30 million copies in the UK alone. She thought that with the move from children’s to adult fiction, a switch to a new publisher seemed like a natural and reasonable step.
She said, "Although I've enjoyed writing it every bit as much, this book will be very different from the Harry Potter series. The freedom to explore a new field is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me."
Ian Rankin, the Edinburgh-based author whose highly-successful detective novels are also set in the city, suggested Rowling’s book will be a crime novel.
"Wouldn’t it be funny if JK Rowling’s first novel for adults turned out to be a crime story set in Edinburgh?" he said.
Industry insiders guessed that the deal is worth more than ￡5 million and the new book is expected to come out later this year.
A spokesman said, "JK Rowling’s audience is vast and her position is unique. Harry Potter books were a global success and her fans are very loyal. Children that were eight, nine, or ten when the books first came out in the 1990s are now in their 20s. Plenty of adults, loved the books regardless of whether they had children, so the potential market for her is huge."What does the text mainly tell us?
| A．JK Rowling has signed a deal with a new publisher. |
| B．JK Rowling's new book will be more successful than her Harry Potter series. |
| C．JK Rowling’s first book for adults will be published later this year. |
| D．JK Rowling has to switch to a new publisher in order to publish her new book. |
JK Rowling’s new book for adults .
| A．has been sold 30 million copies in the UK alone |
| B．is poorly thought of by the London-based publisher Bloomsbury |
| C．has nothing in common with the Harry Potter series |
| D．is expected to bring her more money than the Harry Potter series |
The author used Ian Rankin’s words in order to .
| A．tell us that some famous novelists offer to give Rowling some advice |
| B．show that many readers are curious about Rowling’s new book |
| C．tell us that many readers prefer to read detective or crime novels |
| D．prove that a crime story set in Edinburgh is sure to be successful |
We can learn from the text that .
| A．Little, Brown and Company is specialized in publishing adult books |
| B．the author has no doubt about the success of Rowling’s new book |
| C．JK Rowling will be a crime novelist as good as Ian Rankin |
| D．it was in Edinburgh that Ian Rankin got to know JK Rowling |
C
All parents know that one of their most important tasks is to prepare their children for an independent life, but any parent can tell you that it’s hard to let go of your children. That balance between keeping your children safe and allowing them to learn from their own mistakes can be heartbreaking. Years of experience means that parents often do know best, but on the other hand the young, being less bound by tradition, are often more creative, more able to find new solutions to old problems. Revolutions are led by the young.
Good teachers make the growth of critical thinking (批判性思维) easier in their students, only to find that this lead to a questioning of the teachers’ basic beliefs. Schools encourage parents to become involved, but are often embarrassed when parents have doubts about some of the educational methods being used. Governments encourage unimportant groups to empower themselves in order to participate fully in the development process. And they are often surprised when the new leaders of these groups turn around and attack the policies or decisions of that same government. However, the rebellious (叛逆的) young and the newly unimportant groups are important in social development. They are not necessarily representatives of those they want to represent in their demands, but their voices must be heard.
Good parents know that just forbidding (禁止) particular behaviors does not prevent their children from finding ways to engage in these forbidden activities. Indeed, sometimes the forbidden fruit is more inviting, just because it is not accepted by authority. Parents must work with their children to educate them on the facts, know as much as possible about the lives of their children, provide a good example, encourage more wholesome activities but also support their children when they don’t follow what is expected of them. But the most important point is that they also need to learn how to let go.By saying “Revolutions are led by the young.”, the author indicates that young people are more _______.
| A．conventional | B．realistic | C．creative | D．heartbreaking |
From the second Paragraph we know ________.
| A．teachers’ basic beliefs should be questioned by students |
| B．schools encourage parents to question their education methods |
| C．government is satisfied with the new leaders’ attack on the policies |
| D．the voice of the rebellious young should be heard by the government |
In order to educate children well, parents should _______.
| A．forbid particular behaviors in their daily life |
| B．know them well and set a good example to them |
| C．educate them with facts and expect much of them |
| D．know as much as possible about their children |
From the passage we can learn that the author prefers _______.
| A．free parenting | B．traditional parenting |
| C．critical parenting | D．smart parenting |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Letting Go – for Children’s Independent Life |
| B．Parents’ Task – in Children’s Development |
| C．Way of Growth – for the Young Groups |
| D．Teaching Methods – for Teachers and Schools |
B
What happens inside the skull of a soccer player when repeatedly heads a soccer ball? That question motivated a challenging new study of the brains of experienced players that has caused discussion and debate among soccer players, and some anxiety among those of us with soccer-playing children.
For the study, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York selected 34 adults, men and women. All of the volunteers had played soccer since childhood and now competed year-round in adult soccer leagues. Each filled out a detailed questionnaire developed especially for this study to determine how many times they had headed a soccer ball in the previous year, as well as whether they had experienced any known concussions (脑震荡) in the past.
Then the players completed computerized tests of their memory and other learning skills and had their brains scanned, using a complicated new M.R.I. technique which can find structural changes in the brain that can’t be seen during most scans.
According to the data they presented at Radiological Society of North America meeting last month, the researchers found that the players who had headed the ball more than about 1,100 times in the previous 12 months showed significant loss of white matter in parts of their brains involved with memory, attention and the processing of visual information, compared with players who had headed the ball fewer times.
This pattern of white matter loss is “similar to those seen in traumatic (外伤的) brain injury”, like that after a serious concussion, the researchers reported, even though only one of these players was reported to have ever experienced a concussion.
The players who had headed the ball about 1,100 times or more in the past year were also generally worse at recalling lists of words read to them, forgetting or fumbling the words far more often than players who had headed the ball less. The passage is most probably a ________.
| A．news report | B．research report |
| C．story for soccer players | D．text for doctors |
In which way can researchers find the structural changes in the brain?
| A．Computerized test | B．Questionnaire |
| C．Scanning | D．M.R.I. technique |
From the passage we can conclude that frequent heading may have ________.
| A．significant effect on brain | B．little effect on one’s brain |
| C．nothing to do with the brain injury | D．one’s memory improved |
What is likely to be the cause of memory loss?
| A．Playing soccer frequently | B．Tests of their memory |
| C．White matter loss | D．Information processing |
The underlined word “fumbling” is closest in meaning to ________?
| A．remembering | B．misunderstanding | C．recalling | D．missing |
A
Once there was a man who liked to eat mangoes. One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.
So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.
Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived — a well-known sage (a wise person) who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people’s problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.
He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man.
Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout: “What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?” The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry: “If I could just come down, I would show you!”
That’s what everybody wanted. Then he was coming down. But how? Now everybody was tense about what would happen next! Some wanted to blame the sage, but they didn’t. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was even more angry and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge (复仇).
He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.
However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really saved him because he induced (引诱) him to try his best and save himself.
“I should be thankful and not angry.”From the story we know that the sweetest mango must be the one ______.
| A．on the very top of a tree | B．hidden in the middle of a tree |
| C．on the tree for the longest time | D．exposed to sunlight less often |
What happened after he had picked a few sweet reddish mangoes?
| A．He slipped and fell to the ground suddenly. |
| B．He was climbing down quickly but carefully. |
| C．He remained hanging helplessly on the tree. |
| D．He shouted loudly for help but no one helped. |
How did the man feel when the sage hit him with a stone?
| A．He was nervous. | B．He kept silent. |
| C．He felt surprised. | D．He was angry. |
What do you think motivated (caused) the man to climb down?
| A．Courage. | B．Revenge. | C．Carefulness. | D．Assistance. |
What does the story imply?
| A．Anger saves one’s life. | B．Wisdom does count (很重要). |
| C．Skill and strength count. | D．Anger is the biggest enemy. |
Faced with a tough job market, fresh graduates are dreaming of running their own businesses instead．But a recent survey has showed that such ambitions lack the required support and remain just that---dreams．
The Shanghai Municipal Employment Promotion Center poll of 1,276 graduates in several universities and colleges in the city, released last Friday, showed 59.78 percent of respondents considered the possibility of setting up a company or at least a small store．“But they just stop at the‘thinking’stage,” it stated．
Respondents put the top reasons for not going it alone down to a shortage of investment and a lack of business opportunity．They also listed lack of business experience and social networks, the need to advanced study and objections from family members as factors that stood in their way．
More than 90 percent of the interviewees said they would rather take up a job after graduating and then consider starting their own business two or three years down the road．
Guo Bing, a senior student in Shanghai International Studies University majoring in English, decided he wanted to be his own boss last year．But he is looking for a job first．“If I fail to find a satisfying job, I would like to establish a company in exhibition services,” Guo said．The Shanghai native has some relatives working in a local printing plant．With their help, Guo hopes to produce exhibition brochures(小册子） at a relatively low price．He is also confident that his English language skills can help him do well in the industry．
“Social networking is an important factor leading to business success,” Guo said．
Guo said that the shortage of graduate jobs is the main reason driving more university students to set up a business right after their graduation．
Jiang Ye, deputy director of Yangpu District Business Guide Center, said the universitysets up a business guide team made of government officials and professionals．They
regularly give training courses to students who show an interest in having their own business．
The parents of university graduates are more willing to help their children start up alone, the survey showed．"Once you win the support of your family, you have won half the battle," Guo added．Which of the following can be the best title?
| A．A Tough Job Market | B．Graduates Dream of Being Boss |
| C．The Ambitious Fresh Graduates | D．The Story of Guo Bing |
In the view of Guo Bing, what is the key factor that makes fresh graduates dream of being boss soon after graduation?
| A．Their family don't support them． | B．Their social networking is not good． |
| C．There are not enough graduate jobs． | D．They want to achieve greater success． |
Who is this article mostly intended for?
| A．The parents whose child goes to university soon. |
| B．Those who will graduate from university． |
| C．Those who want to be bosses． |
| D．The officials who work in the government． |
Internet dating has become one of the biggest and most successful business ventures on the Internet．Basically，Internet dating is a way to meet people for either friendship or dating without actually having to meet them in person first.
The first thing to do if you decide to try Internet dating is to build your profile which can include your hobbies，hopes for the future，and so on．A photograph is optional，but many sites claim that a photograph increases the number of people who look at your profile. Many Internet dating sites will charge a one-time registration fee to use their services.
Internet dating makes it possible to meet people from all over the world. You call even narrow the search down to your area by zip code．Another advantage is that you can communicate by email before you meet in person．Thousands of people have met，fallen in love，and married through Internet dating．It is an excellent way for shy people to meet．It is also a way for people with busy lives to connect with others，and an easy way to meet people who share your interests.
Just as in conventional dating and love，there are some pitfalls to be aware of in Internet dating．The person you have been talking to on the net may not be who they say they are. Be very aware that there are some people who misrepresent their appearance or private details，such as marital status，income，and so on，for their own reasons．It would not be the first time that someone has been taken in, and talk shows are full of cheating partners who have been caught dating over the Internet in their spare time．Nevertheless，taking a few simple precautions should help ensure that your Internet dating experience is fun.The purpose of writing the passage is to _____.
| A．persuade readers to go dating on the Internet |
| B．inform us how to date on the Internet |
| C．warn readers against web love |
| D．introduce Internet dating to us |
Which of the following is a must to make an Internet dating possible?
| A．A photo . | B．A profile． | C．Registration fee. | D．Business experience． |
One advantage of Internet dating is that _____. ．
| A．you can avoid a face-to-face meeting in the beginning |
| B．you’re sure to find a partner with the same interests |
| C．you'll find absolutely reliable information of others |
| D．you'll gain fame and money overnight |
What is probably talked about following the last paragraph?
| A．Traditional dating． | B．Hidden advantages． |
| C．Safety measures． | D．Romantic love． |