I don’t really care how many claws the animal in a comic book (漫画书) has. I’m not overly concerned whether the bird is colored green or grey. In fact I don’t think comic book “collector” really applies to me at all. I’m probably more of a comic book “appreciator”. My interest has always been in what can be accomplished with the medium of “visual story - telling”. In the respect, comic books are the best thing going. And there are some great comics out there.

I’m not sure exactly where this interest of mine came from. I do know that as a child, comic books allowed me to improve my reading – skills. The Mighty Thor made me develop an interest in Norse legends; Challengers of the Unknown got me interested in science fiction. The combination of words and pictures was a perfect springboard (起点) for my childhood imagination.

So just how does one learn to appreciate comic book art? There is a classic example. Writer Scott Macloud was philosophical (达观的) about what makes a comic book stand out in his best – selling book Understanding Comics. The book, first published in 1994, has been translated into 13 languages and is practically useful for students studying graphic illustration (图示说明).

On the Internet there are some cool comic book sites to be found. More than a few are mainly about superheroes and the like. But there are some choice sites that I would describe as “literary (文学的),” in that you can find some great resources that discuss the comic book as an art form. Among them there is a great article and interview at www.rcharvey.com discussing the influence of several artists and writers in the field.

Check it out. Spend two dollars on a comic book and read it with your children. You may find yourself enjoying what you see and read. You may even find yourself wanting more.

And wanting to read more is a good thing!

53．According to Para. 1 the author is concerned about          .

A．the color of the characters in a comic book

B．how many comic books he has collected

C．what he can learn from a visual story

D．whether a story is true to life

54．What do we know about Scott Macloud’s best – selling book?

A．There are many classic examples if comic books in it.

B．It is helpful 1 for students studying science fiction.

C．It suggests what good comic books are like.

D．It is mainly intended for parents.

55．In the passage, the author encourages people to         .

A．follow the example of superheroes from comic books

B．join in the discussion at www.rcharvey.com

C．consider comic books to be literary.

D．buy and read more comic books

56．What is the best title for the passage?

A．Children’s favorite books

B．Well – known comic books

C．Comic books – cooler than you think

D．How to become a good comic book writer

Rome had the forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorker has Liz and Bill.

    Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in the subway station and on busy street corners. Just talk.

    Using a 2-feet-high sign that says, “Talk to Me,” they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.

   They don’t collect money. They don’t push the religion. So what is the point?

   “To see what happens,” said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open conversation（交流）.”

Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York city to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to talk with the strangers after their return.

    “It started as a crazy idea,” Liz said. “We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood, anything.”

    Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was going to take. She had stopped for the second time in two days, to let two listeners know how it went.

    Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. “That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. “To be able to talk about it to totally strangers was very good,” she explained.

    To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met in the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

They may plan more parties or tried to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed their interest in the book, something they say they’ll consider.

1.What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

A. Chatting with people                     B. Setting up street signs

C. Telling stories to strangers             D. Organizing a speaker’s corner

2. What they have been doing can be described as ______.

A. pointless       B. normal           C. crazy            D. successful

3.Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

A. They knew Liz and Bill very well.  

B. They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C. They organized the get-together in the city park.

D. They are example of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

4.What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

A. Going for publishing.                B. Do more television program.

C. Continuing what they are doing.      D. Spending more time reading books.

How many people have I met who have told me about the book that they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many .This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal（排演）and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments .

We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families, always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do. Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life .

In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day!” They speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars. I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us to enjoy the moment: to value this very day .How often do we say to ourselves, "I'll take up horse-riding（or golf, or sailing）as soon as I get a higher position," only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position .

When I first became a reporter, I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper. At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal（反常的）mental state. How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know .

Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it. In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure .He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains .

1.The first paragraph of the passage tells us that________.         

A．we always try to find some time to write a book

B．we always make plans but seldom fulfill them

C．we always enjoy many of life's best moments

D．we always do what we really want to do

2.The man （in paragraph 6）left his first job partly because he was_________.

A．in an abnormal state                     B．under too much pressure

C．not well paid                           D．not respected

3.What is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Provide Homes For Our Family             B．Take Up Horse-riding

C．Value This Very Day                      D．Stay Alive

短文改错（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）
文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^）。并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（/）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不记分。
British public library are linked by computers. If your  nearest library in London doesn't have the book you want  borrow it, the librarian will go on-line to see whether any   other nearby library has. If no library in London have the book   in store, the librarian will search it further, connecting libraries in other city like Manchester. If a copy of the book   found, arrangements will be made for it to be sent to your  library within a day and two, and you will  be able to check it out. It is also possibly for readers to     borrow books from university and college libraries even if we are not students.        

The One and Only Ivan [hardcover]
Katherine Applegate （Author）
Patricia Castelao （Illustrator）
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (117 customer reviews) / Like (58)
List Price: $16.99
Price: $9.34 (for total orders over 25.)
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Gift-wrap available.
Product Details
Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Hardcover: 320 pages 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Languages: English
ISBN-10: 0061992254
ISBN-13: 978-0061992254
Shopping weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Book Description
Release Date: January 17, 2012
Age level: 8 and up
Grade Level: 3 and up
Ivan is an easy-going gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to human watching him. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango.
Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it is up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy (辛辣) to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art and hope.
【小题1】The book is suitable for readers who are _____.