Books that Win Minds

The decision by the Whitbread judges to award its big prize to a children’s fiction, The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, will have delighted parents and teachers. For Pullman is an author credited, like J.K. Rowling, with the magical power of getting children to read, creating a fictional world so fascinating that even the most stubbornly reluctant readers fall under his page-turning spell (魔力) and discover the joy of books.

The following are some of his viewpoints on reading：

²      We read for many reasons. But what all of us get from engaging with a story is what you don’t quite get with television or film. On screen the pictures do your imagining for you. When you read you have to put more into it — and what you have to put in, you get out.

²      In engaging with a book, something more active is going on in your mind because you are imagining for yourself. This is the thing that parents wish their children were doing.

²      The sense of joy and power and freedom when you can do that— that’s been lost in the national curriculum and the reading strategy. They don’t mention the fun.

²      There is a wonderful range of popular science books which are fascinating for children, who will follow a grown-up book as far as it will take them if they are fascinated by the subject.

²      I read a lot of trash, too—everybody ought to read trash. That way you don’t rely on others to develop your taste.

1. The author of the book, The Amber Spyglass is ________.

A. Whitbread       B. Philip Pullman     C. J.K. Rowling     D. We don’t know

2. According to the author, the main advantage of reading books over watching TV or film is that________.

A. reading can make people imagine something more actively

   B. reading provides more fun

   C. there are more interesting books than TV plays or films

   D. reading can make you more concentrated on your work

3. It is implied that the national curriculum and reading strategy are ________.

   A. important        B. interesting         C. terrible          D. not fascinating

4. In the last paragraph the underlined word trash most probably means________.

   A. science books     B. novels     C. books of poor quality    D. interesting books

Books that Win Minds

The decision by the Whitbread judges to award its big prize to a children’s fiction, The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, will have delighted parents and teachers. For Pullman is an author credited, like J.K. Rowling, with the magical power of getting children to read, creating a fictional world so fascinating that even the most stubbornly reluctant readers fall under his page-turning spell (魔力) and discover the joy of books.

The following are some of his viewpoints on reading：

²      We read for many reasons. But what all of us get from engaging with a story is what you don’t quite get with television or film. On screen the pictures do your imagining for you. When you read you have to put more into it — and what you have to put in, you get out.

²      In engaging with a book, something more active is going on in your mind because you are imagining for yourself. This is the thing that parents wish their children were doing.

²      The sense of joy and power and freedom when you can do that— that’s been lost in the national curriculum and the reading strategy. They don’t mention the fun.

²      There is a wonderful range of popular science books which are fascinating for children, who will follow a grown-up book as far as it will take them if they are fascinated by the subject.

²      I read a lot of trash, too—everybody ought to read trash. That way you don’t rely on others to develop your taste.

1. The author of the book, The Amber Spyglass is ________.

A. Whitbread       B. Philip Pullman     C. J.K. Rowling     D. We don’t know

2. According to the author, the main advantage of reading books over watching TV or film is that________.

A. reading can make people imagine something more actively

   B. reading provides more fun

   C. there are more interesting books than TV plays or films

   D. reading can make you more concentrated on your work

3. It is implied that the national curriculum and reading strategy are ________.

   A. important        B. interesting         C. terrible          D. not fascinating

4. In the last paragraph the underlined word trash most probably means________.

   A. science books     B. novels     C. books of poor quality    D. interesting books

If there were a literary award bigger than the Nobel Prize， Alice Munro would probably win that， too. Munro,82， was awarded literature’s highest honor， respected by the Nobel committee as a thorough but forgiving chronicler(事件的记录者) of the human spirit.

Among her best-known is The Bear Came Over the Mountain， about a woman who agrees with her husband that she should be put in a nursing home. The narrative begins in a relatively tender， traditional mood. But we soon learn that the husband has been unfaithful and doesn’t always regret it. The wife， meanwhile， has fallen for a man at the nursing home. Munro won a National Book Critics Circle prize in 1998 for The Love of a Good Woman and she is also a three-time winner of the Governor General’s prize， Canada’s highest literary honor.

She received a scholarship to study at the University of Western Ontario， majoring in journalism， and was still an undergraduate when she sold a story to CBC radio in Canada. She dropped out to marry a fellow student， James Munro， had three children and became a full-time housewife. By her early 30s， she was so frightened and depressed that she could barely write a full sentence.

Her good fortune was to open a bookstore， in 1963. Inspired by everything from the conversation of adults to simply filling out invoices(发票)， she saw her narrative talents resurface. Her first collection， Dance of the Happy Shades， came out in 1968 and won the Governor General’s prize.

Her books having been sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S. alone， she has long been an international ambassador for the short story. Critics and peers have praised her in every way a writer can be praised： the precision of her language； the perfection of detail； the surprise and logic of her storytelling； the graceful shifts of moods. So， she is the kind of writer about whom it is often said－no matter how well known she becomes—that she ought to be better known.

82. What do we know about the woman’s husband in The Bear Came Over the Mountain？ (No more than 10 words) (2 marks)

83. Why did Munro stop her study at the University of Western Ontario？ (No more than 4 words) (2 marks)

84. What happened to Munro in 1963？   (No more than 10 words) (2 marks)

85. What is the main idea of the passage？   (No more than 10 words) (2 marks)

Taiwan-born American director Ang Lee's win of his second directing Oscar has sparked complex feelings among Chinese audiences, who expressed their pride due to the director's Chinese roots, but couldn't help but reflect on why the Chinese mainland has failed to deliver more outstanding films to the world .
Lee, 58, on Sunday accepted the Academy Award for best director for Life of Pi, a 3D adventure-drama film.Lee had won the top directing award in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain and the best foreign language film Oscar in 2001 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Lee came to Hollywood's attention after directing three Chinese-language films in the early 1990s, with an emphasis on the interactions between modernity and Chinese traditions.Some Web users called Lee "a source of pride for Chinese people," and admired him for bearing the torch of Chinese culture.
However, a large number of audience members and critics from the mainland expressed their frustrations over home-made movies: Mainland filmmakers have made numerous ambitious tries for the prestigious award but never won.
Hao Jie, a young director whose 2010 film Single Man won the Special Jury Prize in the Tokyo Filmex Festival but was never screened in the mainland for it showed complex sex lives in a village.
"Due to the censorship(审查), we are prevented from the beginning of our production, which forbids our works from mirroring realities," Hao said.
While acknowledging the system's role in undermining(削弱) excellent works, Su Mu, a well-known film critic, argued that the atmosphere in the mainland's film circle is also to blame."Lee produces his works with his heart, but most mainland directors now only have money in mind."
Though having obtained approval for his second film from the film authority, Hao said cinemas have kept delaying the screening of his work."This is another factor that prevents us from progressing. Cinemas won't risk showing our film, which features no stars and is considered non-mainstream," complained Hao

1. 1.

   What does the underlined phrase “the prestigious award” refer to?

   1. A.
      the Best Director of Oscar
   2. B.
      any of the Oscar Awards
   3. C.
      the Special Jury Prize
   4. D.
      the best foreign language film Oscar
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is true?

   1. A.
      Ang Lee’s films are always focusing on Chinese traditions
   2. B.
      Chinese audiences are proud of their Chinese identity in the films
   3. C.
      Ang Lee has won the world’s favor only by means of his three Oscars
   4. D.
      Ang Lee is famous for his combining modernity and Chinese traditions
3. 3.

   Which of the following is NOT the factor that prevents Chinese mainland films’ progressing?

   1. A.
      Strict censorship
   2. B.
      A lack of wonderful directors
   3. C.
      The bad atmosphere in the film circle
   4. D.
      Cinemas’ not risking showing low-cost films
4. 4.

   The best title for the passage is probably_____

   1. A.
      Ang Lee-Pride of Chinese Movie-makers
   2. B.
      The Future of Chinese Mainland Film-making
   3. C.
      Bitter-sweet Feeling over Ang Lee’s Oscar Win
   4. D.
      What Can Chinese Films Do for the Oscar Awards