Tsai Chin Chung is one of Taiwan’s most famous cartoonists, and his cartoons are enjoyed by people in many different countries in Asia. His books of cartoons have now become best sellers in Singapore, Malaysia, and even Japan.

   As soon as he could hold a pencil, Tsai Chin Chung lived only for drawing. Every day he practised drawing people and things around him and from his favorite stories.

   When he was only 15 years old, he left home to work for a publisher in Taipei. He worked hard to draw pictures for books. Two years later, he left his job and started to work on drawing cartoon series, which he liked better. He made up his mind to succeed as a cartoonist.

   Now Tsai Chin Chung has achieved something unusual for a modern cartoonist. He has become extremely successful at changing Chinese literature (文学) and philosophy (哲学) into humorous comic stories. In this way, he has made the Chinese classics (古典文学) known to thousands of people.

    Because of his great achievement, several years ago Tsai Chin Chung was given a prize as one of the 10 Outstanding Young People of Taiwan. Since then, he has won many prizes, and his cartoons have become popular throughout Asia, America and Europe. So far, he has published more than 20 comic books. Ten of these are about ancient Chinese philosophers based on Chinese historical and literary classics.  

   Many of Tsai Chin Chung’s books of cartoons and comics have now been published in English in countries like Singapore. His books have also been translated into several other languages, including Japanese, Korean and Thai. Even publishers in France and Indonesia have recently signed agreements for permission to publish his cartoon series.

1. Tsai Chin Chung first worked as ________.

A. a book seller                    B. a cartoonist    

C. a writer of Chinese stories          D. an artist drawing pictures for books

2.Tsai Chin Chung left his first job because he ________.

A. preferred drawing cartoons           B. wanted to go back to school

C. enjoyed drawing pictures for books  D. wanted to be famous

3. Tsai Chin Chung first became interested in drawing when he _______.

A. left school      B. was a very small child  C. was 15  D. started to be a cartoonist

4. Half of the books he has published are related to _______.

A. Chinese and foreign comics       B. countries in Asia, America and Europe

C. foreign languages learning           D. Chinese history and literature

5. Because of his great achievements, Tsai Chin Chung _______.

A. travelled a lot in Asia and Europe           B. went to live in Singapore C. won an important prize in Taiwan           D. has become famous in Africa.

The Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday named Mo Yan winner of the Twenty-Twelve Nobel Prize in Literature.
The academy praised the Chinese writer for what it called his “hallucinatoty realism (魔幻现实主义)”. It noted his ability to combine folk stories, history and modern events in his works.
An academy official said Mister Mo was “overjoyed and sacred” when he learnt he had won the award. He will receive his Nobel diploma, a medal and more than one million dollars at the ceremony in Stockholm in December.
Mo Yan is a leading author of modern Chinese novels. He often writes from memories of his youth. He also sets many of his stories in the area where he was born—Shandong Province in northeastern China.
Mister Mo’s 1987 book Red Sorghum is an example. It is about the extreme violence in rural eastern China during the Communist Revolution in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The story describes the criminal culture of the time, Japan’s occupation and the terrible conditions faced by farm workers. Red Sorghum was later made into a movie.
Mo Yan’s other major works include Big Breasts and Wide Hips, Republic of Wine and Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.
The Royal Swedish Academy compared him to two 20th century writers: American William Faulkner and Colombia Gabriel Marquez.
Mo Yan’s real name is Guan Moye. Mo Yan means “Don’t speak.” The writer said he chose the name to remember to stop his tongue from getting him in trouble.
China is celebrating the victory of his native son. Minutes after the award was announced, millions of Chinese expressed pleasure and pride for Mo Yan on social media websites.
【小题1】How many books of Mo Yan are mentioned in this passage?

Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?

Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbacks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.

Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.

1.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

2. What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

3.What can we learn from the passage?

For some kids, old photos and baby pictures are embarrassing. For others, they are cherished keepsakes (纪念品). But for thousands of children living in orphanages (孤儿院) worldwide, these records of the past simply don't exist. Either the kids' parents weren't around to snap photos, or the pictures have been lost. Whatever the reason is, the Memory Project is giving orphans a lasting document of their youth.

Over the last two years, the Memory Project has provided hand-painted portraits to more than 4,000 children living in orphanages in poor countries. Ben Schumaker, 24, got the idea when he was visiting an orphanage in Guatemala in Central America. But he's not creating the portraits(肖像) alone. Students in hundreds of high school art classes across the U.S. paint them using photos sent from the orphanages.

Schumaker believes that the artists benefit from the project as much as the orphans do. “There are two purposes of the Memory Project,” he said. “One is to offer a special gift to the child abroad. The other is to help open the eyes of the student who is painting.” Staring into the eyes of another person, Schumaker believes, it creates a real connection. This connection raises awareness in U.S. schools about the needs of the world's poor children. “It's about planting a seed,” he said.

Schumaker is also working on Books of Hope, a project in which students of all ages put together homemade books for children in Uganda and India. He hopes that one day children in Uganda and India will send books to the U.S. “It's important to me to have it be a two-way exchange,” Schmnaker says.

1.

Old photos and baby pictures are clearly unavailable to             .

2.

How can the orphans in Guatemala get a continuing record of their youth?

3.

What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?

4.

According to the passage, Schumaker helps the kids in poor countries.

    Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?

   Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.

   Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

   A. TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge

   B. cinemas are the best choice in getting information

   C. reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun

    D. newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself

What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

   A. People only need reading, though.         B. Reading is still necessary today.

   C. Reading is more fun than television.        D. Watching television doesn’t help reading.

What can we learn from the passage?

   A. Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

   B. A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

   C. Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

   D. More people like TV programs about famous men.

What can we learn from the passage?

A. Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

B. A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

C. Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

D. More people like TV programs about famous men.