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 |
Ever since humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication．Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech．When there is a language barrier(障碍), communication is completed through sign language in which motions stand for letters, words, and ideas．Tourists and the people unable to hear or speak have had to turn to this form of expression．Many of these symbols of whole words are very lively and exact and can be used internationally; spelling, however, cannot．
Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either meaningfully or not．A wink（眨眼）can be a way of showing that the party is only joking．A nod means agreement, while shaking the head indicates disagreement．
Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a system of raised dots read with the fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals．Road maps and picture signs also guide and warn people．While language is the most common form of communication, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings．Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．There are many forms of communication in use today． |
| B．Language is the most common form of communication． |
| C．Tourists are unable to use an oral form of communication． |
| D．Ideas and thoughts can be expressed by body language． |
Which form other than oral speech could be most commonly used among blind people?
| A．Picture signs． | B．Braille |
| C．Body language | D．Signal flags． |
Sign language is said to be very lively and exact and can be used meaningfully except for ______．
| A．spelling | B．idea | C．whole words | D．expressions |
How many different forms of communication are mentioned here?
| A．Five | B．Seven | C．Nine | D．Three |
Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do.
When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank (打屁股) the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong.
One parent remembers being spanked when he was a child. His parents used a wooden spoon. When he spanked his own children with his hand, he saw that he put a red mark on his child’s leg. He never did that again.
One problem with spanking is that it teaches the child to hit someone when they do not like what the other person is doing. Another problem with spanking is that the parent is usually angry and can hit the child too hard. Sometimes parents will use spanking for everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing.
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a child
more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to ________.
| A．strike them on the bottom |
| B．try to help them do the right thing |
| C．teach them what to do |
| D．take them to court |
Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?
| A．It teaches the child to hit others when they offend（使人不快） him or her. |
| B．The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard. |
| C．Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything. |
| D．It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right. |
Which of the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?
| A．favorable | B．indifferent (不关心) | C．interested | D．unfavorable |
From this passage, we can conclude that ________.
| A．Good children always do the right thing. |
| B．Parents should try their best to avoid spanking their children. |
| C．Parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong. |
| D．Children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked. |
As far back as he could remember，Larry had longed to go to Hollywood and become a film star. The young man’s hopes for success were broken again and again, however. Hollywood just did not seem interesting. When he first came to California, Larry had decided never to give up and return home without success. Therefore, he kept on trying. Someday, he told himself, his big opportunity would come.
Larry found a job parking cars for one of Hollywood’s big restaurants. His pay was basic, but since the guests were kind enough to give him more money, he managed to make a living. One day he recognized an important film director driving into the parking lot（停车场）and getting out of his car. Larry had recently heard that the man was ready to make a new picture.
Larry got into the car and prepared to drive it on into the lot and park it. Then he stopped, jumped out, and ran over to the director. “Excuse me, sir, but I think it is only fair to tell you that it is now or never if you want me in your next picture. A lot of big companies are after me.”
Instead of pushing away the boy，the director laughed，then wrote something on a card and handed it to the young man.“ Come and see me tomorrow.”
Larry got a small part in the director’s next film. He was on his way!Which of the following was Larry really interested in?
| A．Working as a waiter. | B．Becoming a film star. |
| C．Parking cars for film stars. | D．Owning a big company. |
Why did Larry find a job parking cars?
| A．Because he liked the job. |
| B．Because the parking lot was near Hollywood. |
| C．To make a living and wait for the opportunity. |
| D．To see a lot of film stars and work for them. |
After reading the story, what can we know about the film director ?
| A．He wanted to laugh at Larry. | B．He recognized Larry at first sight. |
| C．He was kind and gave Larry a try. | D．He thought Larry would become a star. |
“He was on his way”refers to the fact that_______.
| A．he gave up and returned home |
| B．he began to work towards success |
| C．he took a journey to Hollywood |
| D．he had difficulty in playing the small part |
When it comes to hard, noisy traveling, we’ve found that sometimes we’d rather read about it than actually go. Here are some bestsellers for armchair travelers.
The Station by Robert Byron. In 1928, the 22-year-old man made a journey to Mount Athos, resulting in one of the best travel books ever written, matched only by Byron’s own, much more famous The Road to Osciana.
In Darkest Africa by Henry Monton Stanley. It’s about his great efforts to save an unlucky German doctor Eduard Schnitzer, who had no desire to be rescued at all.
A Traveler’s Alphabet: Partial Memoirs by Sir Steven Runciman. A to Z and around the world. He provides priceless information of long-gone princesses, priests, and places.
South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage by Sir Ernest Shackleton. As the planet started the global war, Shackleton and his brave group of explorers made an unsuccessful but heroic journey to cross Antarctica from 1914 to 1917.
The Michelin Red Guide: France 2005 Reading through this final listing of all the nice hotels and wonderful restaurants in France is better than going there, listening to Chirac talk about the poisonous American culture, and spending the price of this book for a tiny cup of tea and a cookie the size of your thumb.
The Past Is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal. This great book of an armchair exploration tells us what has happened in the past and shows the relationship between us and the past travelers.This passage is written .
A. to warn readers against traveling
B. as an introduction to famous travelers
C to sell more books about travels
D. to tell people where to travelThe underlined phrase “armchair travelers” in the first paragraph refers to those who .
| A．like to read about travels instead of travel themselves |
| B．find fun teaching others how to travel to other places |
| C．like to write about their strange traveling experiences |
| D．can only travel with special equipment for the disabled |
which of the books has a very low price according to the passage?
| A．A Traveler’s Alphabet: Partial Memoirs. |
| B．South: A Memoir to the Endurance Voyage. |
| C．The Michelin Red Guide: France 2005. |
| D．The Past Is a Foreign Country. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Henry Monton Stanley, was saved by a German doctor in Africa. |
| B．In his book, Lowenthal focuses more on history than the present. |
| C．It took Shackleton and his men 3 years to cross Antarctica. |
| D．The Station is no more famous than The Road to Osciana. |
Even before they start school, many young girls worry that they are fat. But a new study suggests watching a movie starring a stereotypically(模式化地)thin and beautiful princess may not increase children’s anxieties.
Nearly half of the 3 to 6 year old girls in a study by Professor Stacey Tantleff-Dunn and doctoral student Sharon Hayes said they worry about being fat. About one-third would change a physical feature, such as their weight or hair color.
The number of girls worried about being fat at such a young age concerns Tantleff-Dunn because of the potential effects later in life. Studies have shown young girls worried about their body image are more likely to suffer from eating disorders when they are older.
The encouraging news for parents is that taking their young daughters to see the new Disney film “The Princess and the Frog” isn’t likely to influence how they see their bodies.
“The media have a great effect on how young girls see their bodies. That’s why it’s important for parents to use movies such as ‘The Princess and the Frog,’ to start conversations with their children about weight, skin color and their views of beauty. They can explain that princesses’ tiny waists are not realistic for girls and that children don’t need Cinderella’s golden hair or Snow White’s porcelain(瓷制的) skin to look good,” Tantleff-Dunn said.
“We need to help our children challenge the images of beauty, particularly thinness, that they see and idolize, and encourage them to question how much appearance should be part of their self-worth,” said Tantleff-Dunn. “We should help them build a positive self-image with an appreciation for many different types of body features.” And as their children’s most important role models, parents also should avoid criticizing their own bodies. Tantleff-Dunn worries that young girls caring too much about their appearance may .
| A．have diet trouble in the future |
| B．cause trouble when they are older |
| C．have mental problems later in life |
| D．have difficulty in communication |
What is especially considered as beauty by girls according to the passage?
| A．Having black hair. | B．Having a slim body. |
| C．Having golden skin. | D．Having big bright eyes. |
Parents can help kids build a positive self-image by .
| A．encouraging kids to act as role models |
| B．preventing kids seeing beautiful models |
| C．telling kids the importance of appearance |
| D．avoiding complaining of their own bodies |
The writer writes the passage mainly to
| A．explain the meaning of beauty |
| B．introduce a new research finding |
| C．stress the influence of media on girls |
| D．teach girls how to become a princess |