How cool can libraries be in an era of iPods and Kindles? More than you think.Only if you know where to go.

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps(竖琴)in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland.

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library,” which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors.

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum.The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A. Central Library B. Trinity College Library

C. Geisel Library D.TU Delft Library

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that _____________.

A. Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

B. it has a roof of grassy hill

C. famous writers often deliver speeches there

D. it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can _________________.

A. drink cocktails B. buy souvenirs

C. enjoy sci-fi films D. see the old harp

When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station . When other teens were studying or going out, she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street. But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholarship and gain entry to Harvard University. And her amazing story has inspired a movie, “ Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story”, shown in late April.

Liz Murray,a 22-year-old American girl, has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination. Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted parents. There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house. Liz was the only member who had a job. Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old. The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life. Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died, she decided to do something about it.

Liz went back to school. She threw herself into her studies, never telling her teachers that she was homeless. At night, she lived on the streets. “ What drove me to live on had something to do with understanding, by understanding that there was a whole other way of being. I had only experienced a small part of the society,” she wrote in her book Breaking Night.

She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on. She used the benefits that come easily to others such as a safe living environment, to encourage herself that “next to nothing could hold me down”. She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University. But Liz decided to leave her top university a couple of months earlier this year in order to take care of her father, who has also developed AIDS. “I love my parents so much. They are drug addicts. But I never forget that they loved me all the time.”

Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is “as simple as making a decision”.

1.The main idea of the passage is __________ .

A. how Liz managed to enter Harvard University

B. What a hard time Liz had in her childhood

C. why Liz loved her parents so much

D. how Liz struggled to change her life

2.In which order did the following things happen to Liz ?

a. Her mother died of AIDS.

b. She worked at a petrol station.

c. She got admission into Harvard University.

d. The movie about her life was put on.

e. She had trouble about finding a place to sleep.

A. b, a , e , c, d B. a , b , c , e , d

C. e , d, b , a , c D. b , e , a , d , c

3.What actually made her go towards her goal ?

A. Envy and encouragement.

B. Willpower and determination .

C. Decisions and understanding.

D. Love and respect for her parents.

4.When she wrote “What drove me to live on … I had only experienced a small part of the society”, she meant that __________ .

A. she had little experience of social life.

B. she could hardly understand the society.

C. she would do something for her own life.

D. she needed to travel more around the world.

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