Will you want me to read a whole book in English?
Yes. Believe it or not, that may be easier than you think. Not all classics are so difficult or complicated. So you’re not limited to the simplified versions. And the easier books are not all for children.
In the original versions ,books may send you to the dictionary. And you might not understand everything you read. But reading one from cover to cover will give you a real sense of accomplishment.
The key is to find the right books. Let’s take a look at these.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
Stepping into an old wardrobe, four English schoolchildren find themselves in the magical world of Narnia. On this delightful land, they find friends among the many talking creatures.
The children soon discover, however, that Narnia is ruled by the White Witch. Edmund, one of the children, falls under her power. Who can free Narnia? Only Aslan, the great and noble lion. He alone knows the Deeper Magic. But the children themselves must help fight the battle against the White Witch and those who serve her.
The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, hasn’t caught any fish in more than 80 days. Sailing far out from land, the old man hooks an enormous fish. That begins an agonizing three-day battle. First he struggles against the great fish. Then he must fight off the sharks that circle the little boat and threaten to eat his fish. Exhausted and bleeding, the old man arrives back at shore. But his fish, his beautiful fish . . .
Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for this superb story of strength and courage, of victory and regret.
A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine Lingle)
Meg’s father, a U.S. government scientist, has been missing for many months. He had been experimenting with time travel when he mysteriously disappeared.
Now Meg, her little brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin will try to rescue him. But first they must outwit the forces of evil they encounter on their journey through time and space. Can they find Meg’s father before it’s too late?
This novel is more than just a science-fiction adventure. It’s an exploration of the nature of our universe.
The Pearl (John Steinbeck)
One day Kino, a poor Mexican pearl diver, finds a magnificent pearl. With it he dreams of buying a better life, new clothes and schooling for his son. Instead, it brings only evil. His wife pleads with him to get rid of it. "No," says Kino. "I will have my chance. I am a man." But when he kills a man who is trying to steal the pearl, Kino and his wife must run for their lives.
This tale of dreams, justice and the power of greed is told simply and beautifully.In the passage, the author intends to _______.
| A．recommend a few simplified versions of classics |
| B．recommend a few original versions of classics |
| C．tell us how to read an English book from beginning to end |
| D．tell us how to find proper English books to read |
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch is probably _____.
| A．an evil woman with magic power |
| B．a friendly woman with magic power |
| C．a delightful talking creature |
| D．a powerful lion |
The underlined word "outwit" in the passage probably means ______.
| A．get rid of |
| B．take advantage of |
| C．beat by being cleverer |
| D．make the most of |
A Wrinkle in Time is different from other books mentioned in the passage in that _____.
| A．it is not a science fiction |
| B．it tells a true story |
| C．it provides some scientific knowledge |
| D．it tells the battle between justice and evil |
Every month, Julia and her cousins would go to visit their grandparents. They would be excited because their grandfather would give them a few coins. Then they would buy toys or sweets. The grandparents commented that, behaving like this, the children would never learn to manage their money. So they planned a special test, in which the children would have to show, over the course of a year, just what they could manage to get with those few coins.
Some thought that they would save their money, but Ruben and Nico continued spending it all on sweets. So they give up saving.
Monty decided to manage his money by exchanging it: buying and selling things, or betting (打赌) it with others. Soon he surprised the whole family. He had accumulated (积聚) lots of money. However, Monty was not very careful, and he got involved in more and more risky deals. A few months later he became penniless after a losing bet. Alex, had a will of iron. He saved the money and at the end of the year he had collected more money than anyone. Even better, with so much money, he managed to buy sweets at a reduced price, so that on the day of the competition he was presented with enough sweets for much more than a year. And even then, he still had enough left over for a toy. He was the clear winner, and other children learned the advantages of knowing how to save and how to wait.
There was also Julia. Poor Julia didn’t enjoy the competition, because even though she had had a wonderful secret plan, she had spent her money without giving her plan enough time to work. However, she was so sure that her plan was a good one, that she decided to carry on with it, and maybe change the expressions on her relatives’ faces, who had seemed to be saying “What a poor girl shel is. She couldn’t manage to save anything”.
When she was about to complete the second year of her plan, Julia surprised everyone by turning up at the grandparents’ house with a violin and a lot of money. She did it really well.Who saved nothing at the end of the first year?
| A．Ruben, Julia and Alex | B．Ruben, Nico and Monty |
| C．Ruben, Monty and Julia | D．Ruben, Nico and Alex |
Why did the grandparents plan a test on the children?
| A．Because they wanted the children to learn to spend money. |
| B．Because they wanted the children to learn to save money. |
| C．Because they wanted the children to learn to manage money. |
| D．Because they didn’t want the children to buy toys and sweets any more. |
From Monty’s story, the children learned ______________________.
| A．to save and to wait. |
| B．to buy and to sell things |
| C．to set a achievable goal. |
| D．to be careful and self-disciplined |
The underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph means ______________.
| A．Julia will bring disasters to herself and her family. |
| B．Julia is not good at managing money. |
| C．Julia is too stupid to do anything well. |
| D．Julia has so many secrets that nobody likes her. |
Our society reports many negative messages about bicycling in traffic. Bicycling in traffic is considered by many to be reckless and sometimes rude. The most common advice given to cyclists is to avoid busy roads that provide convenient access to important places, which means they should only go to unpopular destinations on undesirable and inconvenient roads. Another popular idea is that cyclists should stay as close to the edge of the road as possible in order to stay out of the way of cars. Getting in the way of cars is considered to be an invitation to death, because car drivers are often expected to run into anything that is slower or more vulnerable. Going together with motor traffic used to be regarded as a nice idea for cyclists, but today it is thought to be suicide. Roads are believed to be designed for cars and not for bicycles. Inferior bicycles may hold that they have the right to use the road, but they had better stay out of the way of superior users or they will be “dead right”.
As a result of these “common-sense” beliefs, bike safety programs developed by motoring organizations and “pedestrian-style” cyclists during the 20th century attempted to teach cyclists to provide a clear path to motorists at all times by hugging the edge of the road, riding on sidewalks so cyclists can see when to get out of the way. Some towns tried to prohibit bicyclists from operating on important roads or roads without shoulders. Engineering projects designed for bicycle safety have involved construction of side paths to get cyclists off roads and bike lanes to keep cyclists out of the way of motorists. The benefit of these efforts is to protect cyclists from collisions from behind, which are widely believed to be the greatest danger to cyclists and caused by cyclists’ failure to keep up with the desired speed of motor traffic. This is the taboo that harms the bicycle transportation policy: that bicyclists must be kept out of the paths of motorists or they will surely be killed.According to the author, bicycling should be ________.
| A．supported | B．banned |
| C．controlled | D．cancelled |
From the first paragraph, the person riding a bicycle in the city should take ________.
| A．main roads | B．streets |
| C．highways | D．sidewalks |
Why do many people do not agree that people should ride bicycles on roads?
| A．Most people think roads are designed for cars not for cyclists. |
| B．People riding bicycles are considered to be inferior. |
| C．People’s riding on the road is against the law of the country. |
| D．People riding bicycles are not experienced. |
The underlined phrase “cyclists’ failure to keep up with the desired speed of motor traffic” in the second paragraph means ________.
| A．cyclists’ speed is beyond the limit |
| B．cyclists’ speed is much lower than that of motorists |
| C．cyclists often compete with motorists on the roads |
| D．motorists usually look down upon cyclists |
What does “superior users” in paragraph one refer to?
| A．Bicyclists. | B．Government leaders. |
| C．Motorists. | D．Pedestrians. |
In earliest times, men considered lightning to be one of the great mysteries of nature. Some ancient peoples believed that lightning and thunder were the weapons of the gods.
In reality, lightning is a flow of electricity formed high above the earth. A single flash of lightning 1.6 kilometres long has enough electricity to light one million light bulbs.
The American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, was the first to show the connection between electricity and lightning in 1752. In the same year he also built the first lightning rod (避雷针). This device protects buildings from being damaged by lightning.
Modern science has discovered that one stroke of lightning has a voltage (电压) of more than 15 million volts. A flash of lightning between a cloud and the earth may be as long as 13 kilometers, and travel at a speed of 30 million meters per second.
Scientists judge that there are about 2,000 million flashes of lightning per year. Lightning hits the Empire State Building in New York City 30 to 48 times a year. In the United States alone it kills an average of one person every day.
The safest place to be in case of an electrical storm is in a closed car. Outside, one should go to low ground and not get under a tree. Also, one should stay out of water and away from metal fences. Inside a house, people should avoid open doorways and windows and not touch wires or metal things.
With lightning, it is better to be safe than sorry.People once thought lightning came from ________.
| A．the sky | B．the gods |
| C．the earth | D．nature |
According to the passage what do you think all buildings need?
| A．Metal fences. | B．Electricity. |
| C．lightning rods. | D．Machines. |
Lightning can travel ________.
| A．as quickly as water |
| B．not so quickly as electricity |
| C．at very low speed |
| D．at very high speed |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．In the U.S. about 360 people die from lightning in a year. |
| B．The Empire State Building frequently gets hit by lightning. |
| C．Swimming during a thunder storm is a good idea. |
| D．A closed car is the best place to be during an electrical storm. |
Lightning is probably ______ to man.
| A．useful | B．kind | C．useless | D．Friendly |
Did you know that reading can keep your mind active and engaged well into old age?
Several years ago when I was working as a newspaper reporter, I interviewed a woman who was a resident at a local nursing home. She was 100 years old. She read at least one book per week, mostly novels. She was bright, intelligent and fun to talk with.
“I love to read. It helps me keep up with what’s going on in the world,” she said. “A friend of mine brings me a new book every week. I look forward to her visits and I look forward to the books.”
“I can’t get around much any more,” said the 100-year-old woman, “but when I read, I can go anywhere, anytime I want. And no one has to help me!”
Reading also sets a good example for younger generations. I have observed that the best readers are those students who see their parents reading. And I’m not talking about only reading novels. Newspapers and magazines are important too. Your actions will communicate a great deal to your children and grandchildren about what you value.
But why is reading so important? In this day and age, with television to give us news, and movies and videos to keep us entertained, who needs to read?
The answer is everyone.
Developing good reading skills does not only mean that you can read a novel or a magazine, it also means being able to read and understand things like a credit card contract or an insurance policy, or the instructions for how to put a new printer to use with your computer. In addition, developing good reading skills means that you can think for yourself. You can read about the advantages and disadvantages of anything from homeschooling to taking a vacation to Ireland. And then you can make up your own mind about what’s best for you and your family.The example of the 100-year-old woman is used to _______.
| A．inform us of a woman who loved reading |
| B．show a new way of gaining information |
| C．find differences between books and travels |
| D．introduce the benefits of reading books |
The 100-year-old woman loved reading because _______.
| A．reading helped her meet her friends |
| B．reading could broaden her horizons |
| C．she wanted to escape from the real world |
| D．she taught her grandchildren to read |
Who are most likely to be book lovers according to the author?
| A．The kids taught by intelligent teachers. |
| B．The kids forced to read by their serious parents. |
| C．The kids influenced by book lovers around them. |
| D．The kids curious about the outside world. |
We can infer form the passage that _______.
| A．other media are less important than books |
| B．the old woman’s friend was a bookseller |
| C．understanding is important in reading |
| D．the author once worked in a nursing home |
In which part of a newspaper would the passage be most likely to appear?
| A．Business | B．Lifestyle | C．Travel | D．History |
Many people rely on a cup of coffee or two to wake them up in the morning or pick them up during the working day, but now a chemist has come up with a speedy alternative to crafting a cup of coffee.
U.S. biochemist Ben Yu has created ‘Sprayable Energy,’ which claims to be the world’s first caffeine - based topical energy spray. He said tired workers can spray a ‘shot’ of caffeine onto their skin without experiencing a strong buzz, loading up on unnecessary calories or being stuck with a nasty aftertaste like they might get from drinking energy drinks or coffee.
The patent-pending caffeine spray is an odourless liquid that is absorbed through the skin and distributed through the body over a number of hours to deliver a caffeine hit that apparently lasts longer than guzzling a cup of coffee.
Each small aluminum bottle of Sprayable Energy contains around 160 sprays - the equivalent amount of caffeine to 40 cups of coffee and the creators say it is a much cheaper way of getting a caffeine fix than popping to a café. The only active ingredient in the spray is caffeine, which can naturally enter the human body through the skin by passing through cell membranes as it is very similar to nicotine in structure. Each spritz of Sprayable Energy contains around a quarter of the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee, but apparently has the same effect as a full cup.
The website said: ‘The reason for this is our product not being ingested, isn’t almost entirely metabolised（新陈代谢） by the liver before entering your system and becoming available to your body.’‘Thus, a smaller amount of caffeine can have just the same effect as a very large amount of caffeine ingested through an energy drink or cup of coffee. Sprayable Energy`s website recommends that users apply the spray in places where they normally spritz perfume, such as the neck or wrists, but warns users not to exceed 20 sprays a day.
It claims that after spraying the product on the skin, users will feel ‘awake and focused without being over-stimulated’, which is common with coffee and energy drinks.What can we learn about Sprayable Energy from the passage ?_______.
| A．A bottle of Sprayable Energyis cheaper than 40 cups of coffee. . |
| B．Sprayable Energy lets users not worry about taking in unnecessary calories.. |
| C．Sprayable Energy can be used at least 20 sprays a day |
| D．The caffeine spray is a colorless liquid that is absorbed through the skin.. |
What does the fifth paragraph mainly tell us ?____
A, Sprayable Energy is taken by mouth...
B. Before Sprayable Energy is absorbed by body, the liver entirely metabolizes it
C. How Sprayable Energy acts on user’s body and how users use the product.
D. Sprayable Energy is convenient but expensive.We can conclude from the passage that ____
| A．Sprayable Energy can not be permitted to be used by people now. |
| B．Sprayable Energy has not already gone into mass production |
| C．Each spritz of Sprayable Energy has the same effect as a full cup of coffee |
| D．Sprayable Energy is well received by flagging workers. |
The writer’s attitude towards Sprayable Energy ______
| A．negative. | B．positive |
| C．uncertain | D．indifferent |