54. Who is the writer of the book latest published among the four books?

A. Arthur Conan Doyle.　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Daniel Libeskind.

C. Art Spiegelman.　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Anita Shreve.

53. What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Do kids still like reading　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Kids’ interest in reading drops

C. New technology on kids’ reading　　　　　　 D. Parents’ influence on kids’ reading

D

New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Price: ￡28. 00

Publication Date: 30/11/2006

Publisher’s description

Collects Doyle’s fifty-six classic short stories, arranged in the order in which they appeared in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century book editions, in a set complemented by four novels, editor biographies(传记)of Doyle, Holmes, and Watson as well as literary and cultural details about Victorian society.

Breaking Ground by Daniel Libeskind

Price: ￡16.00

Publication Date: 11/10/2006

Brief introduction

This is a book about the adventure life that can offer each of us if we seize it, and about the powerful forces of tragedy, memory and hope. For Daniel Libeskind, life’s adventure has been through architecture, which he has found has the power to reshape human experience. Although often relating to the past, his buildings are about the future. This memoir(自传)of one man’s journey brings together history, personal experience, our physical environment and a fresh international vision.

In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman

Price：￡16.00

Publication Date: 02/09/2006

Brief introduction

On 11th September 2001, Art Spiegelman raced to the World Trade Center, not knowing if his daughter Nadja was alive or dead. Once she was found safe -- in her school at the foot of the burning towers -- he returned home, to meditate(反省)on the trauma(创伤), and to work on a comic strip(连环漫画). In the Shadow of No Towers is New Yorker Art Spiegelman’s extraordinary account of “the hijacking on 9.11 and the following hijacking of those events” by America.

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

Price: ￡14.00

Publication Date: 07/10/2006

Publisher’s description

This is the 11th novel by Anita Shreve, the critically accepted bestseller. A moving story of love and courage and tragedy and of the ways in which the human heart always seeks to heal itself.

52. What does the underlined word “underestimate” mean?

A. evaluate　　　　　　 B. ignore　　　　　　　　　　　 C. undervalue　　　　　　　 D. request

51. Parents should ________.

A. begin to read books to kids from the age of 8

B. read more books to kids as early as possible

C. help to prevent the decrease of kids’ reading

D. encourage their kids to read at the age of 11

50. It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A. nowadays all the kids still like to read books

B. most parents begin reading to their kids from their birth

C. some kids like to get some information using the Internet

D. the study of kids’ reading has been made before

49. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. 75 percent of kids like surfing the Internet.

B. Most kids are more likely to read e-books for fun every day.

C. More children like to go online instead of reading books.

D. Most kids like reading books as well as technology.

48. What’s the grandfather’s attitude towards so many changes?

A. Thankful.　　　　　 B. Unfriendly.　　　　　　　 C. Puzzled.　　　　　　　　　 D. Curious.

C

The saying that children don’t like reading any more has been proved untrue. A new study finds that 75 percent of kids between 5 and 17 say that although they love technology, they still want to read books.

“The kids & Family Reading Report” also says that 62 percent of kids prefer reading printed books rather than those on a computer. At the same time, those who search an author’s website or use the Internet to find books by a particular author, are more likely to read books for fun every day.

The study also once again proves that the time kids spend reading books for fun decreases after the age of eight and continues to drop through the teen years. The report is a follow-up to a 2006 study. But this time the focus is on the role of technology and when kids’ interest in reading starts to drop.

“Despite the fact that after the age of eight more children go online daily than read for fun daily, high frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day.” says Heather Carter, a writer of the report.

One in four kids between 5 and 17 say they read books for fun every day and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week. One of the key reasons kids say why they don’t read more often is that they have trouble finding books they like - a requirement that parents underestimate.

The study also finds that parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading, but only about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday. The percent of children who are read to every day drops from 38 percent among five-to-eight-year-olds to 23 percent among nine-to-11-year-olds - exactly the same time that kids’ daily reading for fun starts to drop.

“Parents’ engagement in their children’s reading from birth all the way through the teen years can have a great influence on how often their children read and how much they enjoy reading”, adds Carter.

47. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The grandfather believed that it was reasonable that guys wore earrings.

B. In the grandfather’s opinion, new inventions brought great convenience to human beings.

C. The grandfather thought there was a better family relationship at his time.

D. the grandfather thought so many new inventions usually made old people feel stupid.

46. It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A. the young generation looked down upon the old

B. the old contributed much to the inventions

C. new inventions usually benefit the young greatly

D. it is difficult for the old to accept all the changes

45. Which of the following statements suits the writer’s opinion?

A. There are too many inventions in the world.

B. Old people always don’t keep up with the society.

C. The world is changing too fast.

D. New generation never understands the old.