Earlier this month, the United States Library of Congress named Katherine Paterson the national ambassador for young people’s literature.
She is only the second person to hold the position. She replaces writer Jon Scieszka,who had served since two thousand eight.
The librarian of Congress, James Billington, said Miz Paterson “represents the finest in literature for young people”. He spoke of the importance of reading in the lives of America’s young people.Miz Paterson has written more than thirty books. She is among only five writers to have won two Newbery Medals. These are among the most important children’s book awards in the United States.
“Bridge to Terabithia” won a Newbery Medal in nineteen seventy-seven. Her book “Jacob Have I
Loved” won the award in nineteen eighty-one.
Katherine Paterson’s books for children are often quite complex. “Bridge to Terabithia” includes
adult themes like depression and death. The book has caused debate because of its place on school
library bookshelves. Some parents think it is too adult for young children. Miz Paterson says the idea
for the book came from a real life experience. Her son’s best friend died in nineteen seventy-four
when she was struck by lightening.
Katherine Paterson is seventy-seven. She began writing as a young mother with three children. But
she says her interest in writing came as a surprise. As a child she had thought about becoming a
Christian religious worker in foreign countries like her parents were.
Katherine Paterson spoke to a gathering of children when she was named ambassador on January
fifth in Washington. She said: “Read for your life. Read for your life as a member of a family, as a part
of a community, as a citizen of this country and a citizen of the world.
1.The Newbery medal is designed for ______.
A. writers with best books for grown-ups B. children with best books on adult themes
C. writers with best books for children D. children with best books on nature
2.Which of the following is NOT true about the book Bridge to Terabithia?
A. Its topics include depression and death. B. It won a Newbery Medal in the 1980s.
C. Some people think it’s for adults only. D. The idea for it came directly from real life.
3.As a child, Katherine_______.
A. had bad relations with her parents B. showed great interest in writing books
C. hoped to take part in religious activities D. began writing books with serious themes
4.The national ambassador for young people’s literature as a position started in_____.
A. 1977 B. 1981 C. 2008 D. 2009
A new study in West Africa shows how farm irrigation systems powered by the sun can produce more food and money for villagers. The study in Benin found that solar-powered pumps are effective in supplying water, especially during the long dry season.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the part of the world with the least food security. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than one billion of the world’s people faced hunger last year. Around two hundred sixty-five million of them live south of the Sahara Desert. Lack of rainfall is one of their main causes of food shortages.
Jennifer Burney from Stanford University in California led the study. The research team helped build three solar-powered irrigation systems in northern Benin.
The solar-powered irrigation systems produced an average of nearly two metric tons of vegetables per month.
They sold the surplus(过剩的) produce at local markets. The earnings greatly increased their ability to buy food during the dry season which can last six to nine months.
People in the two villages with the systems were able to eat three to five more serving of vegetables per day. But making the surplus available at markets also had a wider effect.
The study compared the villages with two others where women farmed with traditional methods like carrying water in buckets. The amount of vegetables eaten in those villages also increased, though not as much.
The researchers note that only four percent of the cropland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated. Using solar power to pump water has higher costs at first. But the study says it can be more economical in the long term than using fuels like gasoline, diesel or kerosene. And solar power is environmentally friendly.
1.People living in sub-Saharan Africa are short of food mainly because______.
A. it seldom rains there throughout the year B. there is little farmland in the area
C. people there lack experience in farming D. people know nothing about irrigation techniques
2.Which of the following is an advantage of Jennifer’s irrigation systems?
A. They are not affected by the weather.
B. They cost much less than traditional irrigation systems.
C. They have no bad effects on the environment.
D. They use less fuel than traditional irrigation systems.
3.We can learn from the last paragraph that______.
A. people in South Africa will soon be provided with enough food
B. the demand for fuels like gasoline will greatly decrease in Africa
C. people in sub-Saharan Africa don’t take agriculture seriously
D. it’s worthwhile to use the new irrigation systems on the while
4.People in the two villages owe all the following to Jennifer’s irrigation systems EXCEPT that ______.
A. they could buy more food during the dry season
B. they could eat more vegetables than usual every day
C. they could supply local markets with vegetables
D. they could provide people in other villages with food
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A high school history teacher once told us, “If you make one close friend in school, you will be most fortunate. A 1friend is someone who stays with you for life”. 2teaches that he was right. Good friendship is just not easily 3.
It is possible that we simply do not stay in one place 4enough for true friendship to develop. However, there can be 5disagreement on the need for each of us to think carefully about the kind of friendship we want.
To most of us, friendships are considered very important, 6we need to have it clear in our minds the kinds of friendship we want. Are they to be close or 7at arm’s length? Do we want to 8ourselves or do we want to walk on the surface? For some people, many friendships on the surface are 9enough. And that’s all right. But at some 10we need to make sure that our expectations are the same as our friends’ expectations. The sharing of personal experience including our tears as well as our dark 11is the surest way to deepen friendships. But it must 12slowly and carried on only if there are 13of interest and action in return.
What are some of the 14of our friendship? The greatest is to 15too much too soon. Deep relationships 16time. Another “major difficulty” is the selfishness to think one “possesses” the other, including his time and attention. 17, friendships require actions in return. In other words, you must 18as much as you take. Finally there is a question of taking care of. Unless you spend 19time together, talking on the phone, writing letters, doing things together, friendships will die 20.
1.A. true B. fair-weather C. school D. useful
2.A. Knowledge B. Experience C. Hardship D. Schooling
3.A. understood B. formed C. realized D. produced
4.A. certain B. patiently C. long D. fortunately
5.A. some B. any C. great D. no
6.A. but B. and C. or D. while
7.A. remained B. left C. kept D. stayed
8.A. hide B. deepen C. strengthen D. share
9.A. quite B. not C. less D. very
10.A. degree B. point C. places D. length
11.A. clothes B. clouds C. dreams D. letters
12.A. be undertaking B. have been undertaking
C. have been undertaken D. be undertaken
13.A. marks B. signs C. sciences D. sights
14.A. disadvantages B. differences C. difficulties D. requirements
15.A. expect B. pull out Ｃ.command D. develop
16.A. waste B. spend C. kill D. take
17.A. Similarly B. Differently C. Strangely D. Surprisingly
18.A. give B. possess C. act D. walk
19.A. considerate B. wonderful C. reasonable D. comfortable
20.A. down B. away C. out D. off
Of the making of good books there is no end; neither_____ any end to their influence
on man’s lives.
A. there is B. there are C. is there D. are there
______ Sunday, rather than ______ TV all day, I preferred ______.
A. Being; watch; traveling B. It being; watch; to travel
C. It was; to watch; travel D. It were; watching; traveling
Legend has ______ that CaoCao, King of Wei kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period, built 72 tombs to confuse tomb diggers.
A. it B. this C. them D. itself
