A Book Review — The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages.
The theme: The main theme is a teenage search of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age. Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries. As the book moves to a close, James' swimming coach says to him: "You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more. You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going."
The characters: James is the hero of the story. He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母). Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother. The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James' parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically.
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James' foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother. The only clue he has is a fossil, "the snake stone" which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: "Take good care of Sammie. It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there.
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother. With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found. James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels. The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel. He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger's door fifteen years before. Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness. As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending. Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, "I was home."What is the main theme of the novel?
| A．Life with foster parents. | B．Life in the world of diving. |
| C．A journey of self-discovery. | D．A travel around the country. |
What do the coach's words in Para. 2 suggest?
| A．James is a successful diver. | B．James is a hopeful swimmer. |
| C．James is an outgoing young man. | D．James is an independent young man. |
The snake stone in the novel is ____________.
| A．a stone with an address on it | B．a clue left by the birth mother |
| C．a gift from the swimming coach | D．a fossil left by the foster parents |
Which of the following is true about the novel?
| A．The story has a sad ending. |
| B．The story takes place in the city of London. |
| C．The characters are vividly described. |
| D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother. |
New arrivals
| I Love You, Sweetheart Author(s): Elm Hill Books Publisher: Elm Hill Books Format: Hardcover List Price: $9.99 Our price: $4.99 Category: Self-Help Subject: Motivational & Inspirational ISBN-10: 1404185526 Language : English Pages: 24 Overview: A great gift for your sweetheart. This book contains 24 pages full of pictures and thoughts to remember. This perfect gift also contains a CD with 3 all-time favorite love songs and a place to write your own note of romance and love. |
Eat Right for Your Metabolism Author(s): Kliment, Felicia Drury Publisher: McGraw-hill Companies Format: Paperback List Price: $16.95 Our price: $4.99 Category: Health & Fitness Subject: Diets ISBN-10: 0071460152 Language : English Pages: 312 Overview: Offer an eating plan. Help you keep your ideal weight without dieting or drugs. |
| The Girls Author(s): McLellan, Diana Publisher: LA eekly Books Format: Paperback List Price: $16.95 Our price: $3.99 Category: Acting Arts Subject: Film ISBN-10: 0312283202 Language : English Pages: 440 Overview: In The Girls, Diana Mclellan shows the complex(复杂的)and close connections that lay behind the public personae(表面形象)of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and the women who loved them. |
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas Gift Set Author(s): Tommy Nelson Publisher: Tommy Nelson Format: Boxed-set List Price: $14.99 Our price: $6.99 Category: Children Fiction Subject: Holidays & Festivals -- Christmas ISBN-10: 140039404X Language : English Pages: 104 Overview: This delightful take(诠释)on the traditional song “Twelve days of Christmas” is the funniest, furriest, freshest way to laugh through the holidays. |
If Michelle, ten, wants some books to read, she may choose the work(作品) by _____.
| A．Elm Hill Books | B．Kliment, Felicia Drury |
| C．McLellan, Diana | D．Tommy Nelson |
If John wants to build up his body, the book number he may choose is ________.
| A．1404185526 | B．0071460152 | C．0312283202 | D．140039404X |
The Girls is probably written for those who are interested in ______.
| A．fiction | B．pop songs | C．acting arts | D．health |
Which will save the most money for you?
| A．I Love You, Sweetheart |
| B．Eat Right for Your Metabolism |
| C．The Girls |
| D．The Twelve Dogs of Christmas Gift Set |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The Girls is thicker than The Twelve Dogs of Christmas Gift Set. |
| B．There are only some beautiful pictures in I Love You, Sweetheart. |
| C．Eat Right for Your Metabolism tells us the connection between people. |
| D．Not only I Love You, Sweetheart but also The Girls is paperback. |
Americans often plan social gatherings（社交聚会）on short notice, so don’t be surprised if you get invited to someone’s home or to see a movie or baseball game without much warning. If the time is convenient (方便) for you, surely accept their invitation. But if you’re busy, don’t be afraid to decline the invitation, perhaps suggesting a time that would be better. Your host won’t be shamed.
Invitations are usually sent in person or over the telephone. The main exception(例外) is for some formal occasions, in which case a written invitation will be mailed. You would normally receive a written invitation to a wedding(婚礼).
For a casual(不正式的)dinner invitation, don’t arrive more than 5 minutes early, because your host may still be preparing for your visit. Arriving more than 10 minutes late is considered rude if very few people were invited. If many people were invited, it’s OK to arrive a little late, even as much as half an hour late. For example, it’s OK to arrive late for a party, for a potluck (家常便饭) dinner or for a social gathering inviting a large group of people.
If you’re invited for dinner, it’s proper to bring the host a bottle of wine, a gift basket of fruit, a box of candy (糖果), or a bouquet(束)of flowers. Don’t bring roses, as men often give roses to women on a date (约会).
If you wish to thank the host for his or her hospitality (好客), it’s right to call or send a brief (简单的) written thank-you note the next day.The passage is to tell us ________.
| A．how to accept Americans’ invitations. |
| B．something about American social visits. |
| C．something about American business visits. |
| D．how to make a living in America. |
The underlined word “decline” in the first paragraph most probably means _____.
| A．accept | B．receive | C．refuse | D．follow |
If an American only invites you to his home for an informal supper at 7:30p.m., you’d better get to his house at ________.
| A．7:15p.m. | B．7:35p.m. | C．7:45p.m. | D．7:55p.m. |
In America, invitations to a wedding are often sent ________.
| A．by mail | B．by fax | C．by e-mail | D．over the telephone |
According to the passage, in American ________.
| A．if you’re invited to a family as a guest, you can stay as long as you please. |
| B．if you’re invited for a party, you must always be on time. |
| C．if you’re invited for dinner, you’d better bring some presents. |
| D．you must make a call to show your thanks after you get home from the dinner. |
A farmer grew some vegetables in his garden. One day his wife was ill and he had no money. He had to sell some cabbages and carrots in the market. The next morning he took two baskets of vegetables to town. But it was raining hard that afternoon and there were few people in the street. When his vegetables were sold out, it was dark. He bought some medicine and hurried to his village.
On his way home he saw a person lying on the snow. He placed his baskets on the ground and was going to help the person to get up. At that time he found it was a dead man and there was much blood on his body. He was so afraid that he ran away quickly, without taking the baskets with him.
The next afternoon the farmer was sent to the police station. Having shown the baskets, an officer asked: “Are these yours?” “Yes, sir.” the farmer answered timidly(胆怯地)。”Have you killed the man?” “No, no, sir.” the farmer said in a hurry.” When did you see the dead man?” ”About seven last evening.” “Did you see who killed the man?” “No, Sir.” The officer brought out a knife and asked, “Have you seen it yet?” ”No, Sir.’ The officer became angry and told the policemen to beat him up and send him into prison.
That evening the officer went on trying .Pointing to the knife, he asked again,” Have you seen it yet?” ”Yes, Sir.” The officer was happy and asked,” When and where?” “I saw it here this afternoon, sir.”The farmer decided to sell the vegetables to .
| A．buy some food for his family |
| B．buy some medicine for his wife |
| C．go to see a doctor |
| D．go to the cinema |
The farmer didn’t sell out his vegetables until the evening because .
| A．they were too bad |
| B．they were very expensive |
| C．it rained hard that morning |
| D．few people liked to go out on such a bad day |
As , the farmer decided to help the person to stand up.
| A．he wanted to get some money from him. |
| B．the person was one of his friends |
| C．he thought the person would thank him. |
| D．he thought the person had drunk too much |
The farmer ran away quickly because .
| A．the policemen were coming towards him. |
| B．his wife was waiting for him at home |
| C．he was afraid to see a dead man. |
| D．it was so late that he couldn’t stay there any longer. |
The officer tried the farmer to .
A know who had killed the man.
B. know if he had seen the dead man
C .ask when he saw the dead man
D .ask if he had seen the knife
“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!”
That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better.
Your eyes can tell you that glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is.
When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it.
With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too.
You can even feel sounds against your skin. Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.
All children soon learn what “Don’t touch!” means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things we might buy, such as food, clothes and so on. To see something well, we have to touch it.
The bottoms of our feet can feel things, too. You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a bad floor. All feel different under your feet.
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to them!
Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say, “Do touch! There you can feel every thing on show. If you want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you’ll really see!”By touching things _______.
| A．you will have a strange feeling |
| B．you will learn how to reach out |
| C．you can tell the difference between them |
| D．you can tell what colors they are |
Which of the following can be the best title of the story?
| A．Touching by Feeling | B．To See or to Feel |
| C．To See Better — Feel | D．Ways of Feeling |
When people buy things in shops, they often _______.
| A．try them on first |
| B．put their right hand on them |
| C．just has a look |
| D．feel and touch them |
Why does it say, “At first, it is not easy to feel these things?”
| A．The things are used by people, too. |
| B．People are used to the things. |
| C．People know how to use the things. |
| D．The things are easy to feel. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Touching can help people learn things better. |
| B．Our feet, fingers, hands and skin can help us enjoy music. |
| C．People have to learn to see by feeling as they grow up. |
| D．Visitors cannot feel the things on show in some museums. |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处得最佳选项。选项中有两项是多余选项。请将选项写到答题纸上。
It is said that there are about 40,000 different kinds of jobs in the world. “Finding a job ”is not the same as “choosing a job”. Many young people end up in a job which they are not suitable for .
Here are a few steps to help you think about jobs which you might enjoy doing after school or university.
First , it is important to realize what kind of person you are, which special qualities make you different from everyone else and what you are interested in .If you like art and enjoy looking at pictures, this is an interest. But if you can draw a horse that looks like a horse instead of a big dog, that is a skill.
Then ask yourself this question: in the following three areas----skills with people, skills with information and skills with things-----which are your best skills?
After examining your skills, the next step is research. To find out as many different kinds of jobs as possible, go to the library and read books, magazines and newspapers.
Finally, trust your own ideas and your own thinking!
| A．It is your own life, so find something that you enjoy doing. |
| B．Choosing the right one itself is a difficult job. |
| C．We must know what our ideal jobs are. |
| D．There is a difference between an interest and a skill |
E. Ask your friends about the work they they do.
F. “Chance” may play a more important part than “decision”.
G. Your parents may also give you some useful advice.