Tom Brennan was working in a Philadelphia office building when he noticed a black bag. The bag contained a book.

　　This chance discovery ended a 12-day search by the Library Company of Philadelphia for a historical treasure-a 120-page diary kept 190 years ago by Deborah Logan,” a woman who knew everybody in her day,” James Green ,the librarian told the magazine American Libraries.

　　Most of the diary is a record of big events in Philadelphia. It also includes a description of British soldiers burning Washington D.C. in the war of 1812. She describes President James Madison on horseback as "perfectly shaking with fear “during the troubled days. George Washington, she writes, mistook her for the wife of a French man and praised her excellent English.

　　The adventure of the lost book began on September 4 when Cory Luxmoore arrived from England to deliver the diary of his ancestor(祖先)to the Library Company, which he and his wife considered to be the best home for the diary.

　　Green told American Libraries he had the diary in his possession “ about five minutes” when Luxmoore took it back because he had promised to show it to one other person. On returning to his hotel after showing the precious book to Green, Luxmoore was shocked to realize that he had left it in the taxi.

　　Without any delay, Green began calling every taxi company in the city, with no luck, "I've felt sick since then," Luxmoore told reporters.According to Green, no one has yet learned how the diary came to the office building .

   Tom Brennan received a reward(奖励)of 1,000, Philadelphia gained another treasure for its history , and Luxmoore told reporters, "It's wonderful news. I'm on high".

This article mainly tells about the story of ___________.

　 A. a lost diary 　                        B. Deborah Logan 　

C. Cory Luxmoore 　                D. the Library Company

From the text, we learn that the diary is now owned by ___________.

　 A. Tom Brennan　　　　　　　　      B. an unknown person

　 C. a Philadelphia magazine                   D. the Library Company of Philadelphia

Philadelphia is thought to be the best home for the diary because ___________.

　 A. it was written in Philadelphia  　

B. it tells stories about Philadelphia

　 C. people in the city are interested in old things

　 D. the British and the Americans once fought in Philadelphia

Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to the diary?

　 a:Tom Brennan found the book in an office building.

　 b:The book was shown to James Green.

　 c: Cory Luxmoore arrived from England.

　 d: The book was left behind in a taxi.

　 A. a.b.c.d 　　　　B. c.b.d.a 　　　  C. a.c.d.b 　　　  D. c.a.b.d

What did Cory Luxmoore mean when he said "I'm on high"?

　 A. I'm rich　　　　B. I'm famous　　 C. I'm excited 　　       D. I'm lucky.

New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Price: ￡28.00
Publication Date: 30/11/2006
Publisher’s description:
Collect 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 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 description:
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 biology 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 description:
On 11^th 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 mediate(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(劫机) 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 11^th 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.
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Price: ￡20.99
Publication Date:11/08/2006
Brief description:
Camping in the garden, riding bikes through the woods, climbing trees, picking wildflowers, running through piles of autumn leaves… these are the things childhood memories are made of. But for a whole generation of today’s children the pleasures of a free-range childhood are missing, and their indoor habits contribute to obesity, attention disorder and childhood depression. This book shows how our children have become increasingly distanced from nature, why this matters and how we can make a difference. Richard Louv is chairman of the Children and Nature Network and co-chair of the National Forum on Children and Nature. He is the author of seven other books and has written for newspapers and magazines including the New York Times and the Washington Post.
【小题1】Who is the writer of the latest book published among the four books?

A．Arthur Conan Doyle	B．Daniel Libeskind
C．Art Spiegelman	D．Anita Shreve

【小题2】If one wants to know something about Victorian society, he or she may read____.

A．Light on Snow	B．In the Shadow of No Towers
C．Breaking Ground	D．New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

【小题3】Which of the following refers to tragedies?

A．Light on Snow　＆　Breaking Ground

B．Light on Snow ＆　In the Shadow of No Towers

C．In the Shadow of No Towers ＆　Breaking Ground

D．New Annotated Sherlock Holmes　＆　In the Shadow of No Towers

【小题4】Which book is based on a real big event?

A．Breaking Ground	B．In the Shadow of No Towers
C．Light on Snow	D．Last Child in The Woods

【小题5】Who has also written for newspapers and magazines according to the text?

A．Arthur Conan Doyle.	B．Daniel Libeskind
C．Art Spiegelman	D．Richard Louv

A newspaper reporter’s job can be very interesting. He meets all types of people and lives quite a busy life. He is on the rush for news all the time, then after several years he may get a desk job, and life becomes a bit more settled. Let’s look at his work a little more closely. In a day he may have to interview the prime minister of a foreign country, and the next day he may be writing about a football match. Sometimes he may be so busy that he has hardly any time to sleep. And at other times he may go on for days looking out for news materials yet return empty-handed.
　　In the beginning, a reporter has to cover a very wide field. After the early years he becomes more specialized in his work. For example, he may finally be asked to write only on court cases or politics or sports. Some reporters may become so specialized that they are asked only to write on a special thing: horse racing, for example. In most newspaper houses there is at least one special racing correspondent. Some newspapers have book reviews. Their job is delightful. They read the latest book and then write reviews on the ones they like. Then there are those who write on films, so they get to see them even before they are shown in the cinema. How lucky, you would say!
　　A reporter’s job can also be very dangerous. A number of them have died rushing from one assignment to another, and if there is a flood or a riot(暴乱) they may get hurt or even be killed. Three years ago there was a reporter whose camera was smashed by a group of men, because they were angry with him for taking their picture. Dangerous or not, one thing is certain, and that is, their job is never dull!
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “on the rush” mean in the passage?

A．on the beach

B．on the spot

C．in a hurry

D．in no time

【小题2】Reporters who write on films are said to be lucky because they _____.

A．can see more film stars

B．can see the films before most people see them in the cinema

C．can pay less than other people

D．can write anything they like

【小题3】A reporter’s work becomes dangerous when _____.

A．there is an interview with the prime minister	B．there is a football match
C．he is seeing a horror film	D．there is a flood or a riot

【小题4】From the passage we can infer that, to be a good reporter, he must be all of the following except _____.

A．brave

B．quick in mind

C．strong

D．well-informed

New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Price: ￡28.00

Publication Date: 30/11/2006

Publisher’s description:

Collect 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 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 description:

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 biology 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 description:

On 11^th 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 mediate(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(劫机) 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 11^th 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.

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

Price: ￡20.99

Publication Date:11/08/2006

Brief description:

Camping in the garden, riding bikes through the woods, climbing trees, picking wildflowers, running through piles of autumn leaves… these are the things childhood memories are made of. But for a whole generation of today’s children the pleasures of a free-range childhood are missing, and their indoor habits contribute to obesity, attention disorder and childhood depression. This book shows how our children have become increasingly distanced from nature, why this matters and how we can make a difference. Richard Louv is chairman of the Children and Nature Network and co-chair of the National Forum on Children and Nature. He is the author of seven other books and has written for newspapers and magazines including the New York Times and the Washington Post.

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

A．Arthur Conan Doyle                     B．Daniel Libeskind

C．Art Spiegelman                         D．Anita Shreve

2.If one wants to know something about Victorian society, he or she may read____.

A．Light on Snow                          B．In the Shadow of No Towers

C．Breaking Ground                        D．New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

3.Which of the following refers to tragedies?

A．Light on Snow　＆　Breaking Ground

B．Light on Snow ＆　In the Shadow of No Towers

C．In the Shadow of No Towers ＆　Breaking Ground

D．New Annotated Sherlock Holmes　＆　In the Shadow of No Towers

4.Which book is based on a real big event?

A．Breaking Ground                        B．In the Shadow of No Towers

C．Light on Snow                          D．Last Child in The Woods

5.Who has also written for newspapers and magazines according to the text?

A．Arthur Conan Doyle.                     B．Daniel Libeskind

C．Art Spiegelman                         D．Richard Louv

 

When Marilynne Robinson published her first novel, Housekeeping, in 1980, she was unknown in the literary world. But an early review in The New York Times ensured that the book would be noticed. “It’s as if, in writing it, she broke through the ordinary human condition with all its dissatisfactions, and achieved a kind of transfiguration（美化）,” wrote Anatole Broyard, with an enthusiasm and amazement that was shared by many critics and readers. The book became a classic, and Robinson was recognized as one of the outstanding American writers of our time. Yet it would be more than twenty years before she wrote another novel. 

During the period, Robinson devoted herself to writing nonfiction. Her essays and book reviews appeared in Harper’s and The New York Times Book Review, and in 1989 she published Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State, and Nuclear Pollution, criticizing severely the environmental and public health dangers caused by the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in England—and the political and moral corruption(腐败). In 1998, Robinson published a collection of her critical and theological writings, The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought, which featured reassessments of such figures as Charles Darwin, John Calvin, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Aside from a single short story—“Connie Bronson,” published in The Paris Review in 1986—it wasn’t until 2004 that she returned to fiction with the novel Gilead, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her third novel, Home, came out this fall.

Her novels could be described as celebrations of the human—the characters in them are unforgettable creations. Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her sister Lucille, who are cared for by their eccentric（古怪的）Aunt Sylvie after their mother commits suicide. Robinson writes a lot about how each of the three is changed by their new life together. Gilead is an even more close exploration of personality: the book centres on John Ames, a seventy-seven-year-old pastor(牧师) who is writing an account of his life and his family history to leave to his young son after he dies. Home borrows characters from Gilead but centers on Ames’s friend Reverend Robert Boughton and his troubled son Jack. Robinson returned to the same territory as Gilead because, she said, “after I write a novel or a story, I miss the characters—I feel like losing some close friends.”

1.Robinson’s second novel came out ____.

A. in 1980                         B. in 1986                          C. in 1998                          D. in 2004

2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A. Robinson’s achievements in fiction.

B. Robinson’s achievements in nonfiction.

C. Robinson’s influence on the literary world.

D. Robinson’s contributions to the environment.

3.According to Paragraph 3, who is John Ames?

A. He is Robinson’s close friend.

B. He is a character in Gilead. 

C. He is a figure in The Death of Adam.

D. He is a historian writing family stories.

4.From which section of a newspaper can you read this passage?

A. Career.                        B. Lifestyle.     　   C. Music.                           D. Culture.