THE WEEK IN READING: THE BEST NEW BOOK RELEASES FOR APRIL, 2017Void Star by Zachary MasonFarrar, Straus and Giroux, 400 pagesZachary Mason creates a world in which the line between human and computer 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

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THE WEEK IN READING: THE BEST NEW BOOK RELEASES FOR APRIL, 2017

Void Star by Zachary Mason

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 400 pages

Zachary Mason creates a world in which the line between human and computer is completely erased, yet he still manages to make the reader feel for all the characters—both man and machine—equally. Add that to a highly addictive plot and an exploration of memory’s impact on our identity, and you’ve got one of the most richly complex novels of the year.

An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal

Penguin Press, 416 pages

It’s not uncommon to come across a complete takedown of the American healthcare system as it stands today. But what is uncommon is what Elisabeth Rosenthal has done in this must-read exploration of what we are (and aren’t) doing right: She has the answers we’ve all been searching for in a potential post-Obamacare world. An American Sickness is the frontline defense against a healthcare system that no longer has our well-being at heart.

A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central America by ?scar Martínez

Verso, 288 pages

El Salvador and Honduras have had the highest homicide rates in the world over the past ten years, with Guatemala close behind. Every day more than 1,000 people—men, women, and children—flee these three countries for North America. Step outside yourself for a couple hours and immerse yourself in one of the most incredibly vivid, well-reported journeys through Central America that you will ever experience.

Sunshine State by Sarah Gerard

Harper Perennial, 384 pages

Sarah Gerard deftly takes the reader through the most essential issues of our time—homelessness, addiction, incarceration—via a coming-of-age lens in the state of Florida, where, as we all know, anything goes.

The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day

William Morrow Paperbacks, 432 pages

An incredibly complex and smart novel, The Day I Died contains all the features of a small-town murder mystery but takes it one step further with a narrative about a woman’s unbreakable search for the answers to not just a crime but about her own identity.

1.If you want to know about social problems in the US, you will probably choose _______.

A. Void Star B. A History of Violence

C. The Day I Died D. Sunshine State

2.Which statement is NOT true according to these books?

A. Void Star is a science fiction with a highly addictive plot.

B. The American healthcare system is favored by all Americans.

C. A History of Violence perhaps involves violence problems.

D. The Day I Died is a novel not only about a murder mystery.

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“Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?” Lindsey whispers to Tori.

With her eyes shining, Tori brags, “You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago.”

Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happened to be yours truly, Adam Freedman. I can tell you that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren’t very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话). I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.

An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic-breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out-that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.

If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? Theanswer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor(传言) can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don’t. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the “in group.” In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(优越感).

Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The dos and don’ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.

The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story” might have.

1.The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to .

A. introduce a topic B. present an argument

C. describe the characters D. clarify his writing purpose

2.Professor David Wilson thinks that gossip can .

A. provide students with written rules

B. help people watch their own behaviors

C. force schools to improve student handbooks

D. attract the police’s attention to group behaviors

3.What advice does the author give in the passage?

A. Never become a gossiper

B. Stay away from gossipers

C. Don’t let gossip turn into lies

D. Think twice before you gossip.

完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

I was a shy kid. Nothing seemed harder than talking to people. I didn't even like to answer the phone for fear that I’d have to talk to somebody I didn’t know.

1 , at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My 2 was studying. It was something I could do 3 and by myself. I spent a lot of time studying and was 4 with good grades.

Eventually I went to college. I came to realize that some people were rather fun to 5 with. Yet my childhood 6 carried over and I found myself tongue-tied and 7 whenever I found myself in a conversation.

One day while on campus, I 8 an advertisement for a position on the local classical music 9 station. I had grown up listening to classical music, and I loved it.

In order to get the job, applicants needed to be interviewed. I had absolutely no background in radio, and the idea of listeners 10 me. I didn’t really want the job. I just wanted to prove that I could talk to a(n) 11 .

Two weeks 12 , I was even more terrified to discover and I had actually landed the job.

It was a 13 job, but I grew to enjoy it. I announced music to thousands of 14 in the city, sometimes answering their calls and 15 to their requests. I began to feel comfortable talking to these people, these strangers who I couldn’t even 16 .

Although I now spend much time talking with people, I’m still basically a 17 person. My former shyness is a gift, as I can 18 people who feel discomfort when they talk to strangers. I still enjoy moments of being 19 . But I’m also glad I decided to make a 20 in my life that has opened many doors and opportunities that I never knew existed.

1.A. However B. Therefore C. Otherwise D. Besides

2.A. advice B. practice C. task D. escape

3.A. obviously B. simply C. quietly D. poorly

4.A. filled B. rewarded C. decorated D. faced

5.A. help out B. catch up C. put up D. hang out

6.A. happiness B. shyness C. kindness D. goodness

7.A. excited B. astonished C. embarrassed D. interested

8.A. noticed B. posted C. realized D. believed

9.A. fire B. gas C. TV D. radio

10.A. terrified B. pleased C. satisfied D. amazed

11.A. child B. singer C. interviewer D. applicant

12.A. ago B. later C. before D. since

13.A. well-paid B. puzzling C. comfortable D. challenging

14.A. listeners B. followers C. viewers D. dancers

15.A. referring B. responding C. offering D. comparing

16.A. feel B. move C. hear D. see

17.A. busy B. warm C. quiet D. smart

18.A. look into B. relate to C. combine with D. worry with

19.A. alone B. alive C. active D. awake

20. A. plan B. mistake C. change D. dream

Every year, the ancient Town of Fenghuang,1.of China’s most well-known ancient towns, is visited by a large number of people from all over the world.2.(fortunate), it was under water as heavy rain hit the centre of the country,3.tens of thousands of people leaving from the area. Heavy rain and floods lasted for the past few days. Waters in the nearby river called the Tuojiang River rose by almost one meter above warning level,4. (cause) heavy rainstorms. More than 120,000 local people and tourists have been helped to leave there because of the terrible disaster. And more than 4,000 shops in the town5.(shut). Several bridges on the Tuojiang River have been damaged or destroyed. Water has flowed into many bars, restaurants and hotels in its ancient town, and electricity in the ancient town has been cut off.6.the heavy rains have stopped, the popular tourist spot remains closed for local people’s 7.(safe).

8. shoe shop owner named Kuang said the flood was the9.(bad) the town had experienced. They could only live in an old factory10.many homeless people had to stay together.

The Lazy Donkey

A man bought a donkey at the market one day and took him home on approval. Now the man owned several donkeys already and he knew each one’s character very well.

One of the donkeys was very strong and brave. Another was eager to please but quickly exhausted. One donkey was very lazy. He hated going to work in the morning and he did as little as he possibly could all day long. When the other animals were being loaded up he always tried to be the last so that he would get the lightest load.

The man led the new donkey into the stable yard. For a moment he stood sniffing at his new companions. Then, without hesitation, he trotted up to the lazy donkey and began feeding comfortably at his side.

Though it was late in the day, the man immediately led the new donkey out of the yard, straight back to the market.

“You cannot have given him a fair trial yet,” said the merchant. “It is only ten minutes since you bought him.”

“I don’t need to try him any more,” replied the man. “I know just what he is like from the friend he chose for himself. Take him away and give me my money back. I can do without donkeys like him.”

【写作内容】

1．以约30个词概括以上短文的主要内容。

2．以约120个词谈谈你对故事的看法，内容包括：

(1) 故事的寓意；

(2) 你对交友的认识；

(3) 你对青少年交友的建议。

【写作要求】

1. 作文中可参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

They have been married for nearly two years and they are ________ to have a baby. However, their wish hasn’t come true.

A. cautious B. desperate

C. contradictory D. unwilling

People are often at a loss when frequently seeing smog level predictions ________ each other in different official forecasts.

A. contradict B. acknowledge

C. allocate D. circulate

To our surprise, the man, who was looked down upon by others in the past, is now ________ the whole project.

A．beyond control B．in control of

C．out of control D．losing control of

It is widely known that any English conversation begins with the weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson’s famous comment that ＂When two English meet, their first talk is of weather＂. Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.

Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that ＂To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.＂ Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.

Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive.＂Bryson is wrong,＂ he says, ＂because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena. The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.＂ According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.

Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs, which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank ＂fillers＂. In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.

1. The author mentions Dr. Johnson’s comment to show that ____________.

A. most commentators agree with Dr. Johnson

B. Dr. Johnson is famous for his weather observation

C. the comment was accurate two hundred years ago

D. English conversations usually start with the weather

2.What does the underlined word＂obsession＂ most probably refer to?

A. A social trend. B. An emotional state.

C. A historical concept. D. An unknown phenomenon.

3. What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?

A. To explain what English weather-speak is about.

B. To analyse misconceptions about the English weather.

C. To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman.

D. To convince people that the English weather is changeable.

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