A Book Review — The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages.
The theme: The main theme is a teenage search of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age. Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries. As the book moves to a close, James' swimming coach says to him: "You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more. You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going."
The characters: James is the hero of the story. He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母). Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother. The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James' parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically.
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James' foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother. The only clue he has is a fossil, "the snake stone" which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: "Take good care of Sammie. It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there.
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother. With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found. James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels. The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel. He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger's door fifteen years before. Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness. As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending. Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, "I was home."
1.What is the main theme of the novel?
A．Life with foster parents. B．Life in the world of diving.
C．A journey of self-discovery. D．A travel around the country.
2.What do the coach's words in Para. 2 suggest?
A．James is a successful diver. B．James is a hopeful swimmer.
C．James is an outgoing young man. D．James is an independent young man.
3.The snake stone in the novel is ____________.
A．a stone with an address on it B．a clue left by the birth mother
C．a gift from the swimming coach D．a fossil left by the foster parents
4.Which of the following is true about the novel?
A．The story has a sad ending.
B．The story takes place in the city of London.
C．The characters are vividly described.
D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother.
The Chinese word “Shanzhai” means a small mountain village, but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes (假货), after “Shanzhai Cell-phones” produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years.
Besides “Shanzhai” electronic products, there are “Shanzhai” movies, “Shanzhai” stars and even a “Shanzhai” Spring Festival Gala (联欢晚会), a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve.
“Shanzhai” has become a culture of its own, meaning anything that imitates something famous.
In Chongqing, “Shanzhai” version “Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube” woven by farmers with bamboo attract wide attention from tourists. Both are copies of the famous Olympic buildings in Beijing.
A literature critic said that taking the “Shanzhai” Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the“Shanzhai” version appears timely to attract people. “Although it is often connected with poor techniques and operation, ‘Shanzhai’ culture meets the psychological needs of common people and could be a comfort to their minds,” he said.
To the mainstream (主流的) culture, the rise of “Shanzhai” culture is a challenge and a motivation (动力). People believe different kinds of cultures developing together is a perfect situation and it is for the public to choose.
1.The Chinese word “Shanzhai” may have started with ______.
A．Spring Festival Gala B．electronic products
C．fake cell-phones D．Olympic buildings
2.According to the passage, “Shanzhai” culture refers to ______.
A．the action that a person imitates famous people
B．products with poor techniques and quality
C．those similar names to famous brands
D．anything that imitates something famous
3.We can infer that the mainstream culture ______.
A．may develop faster because of the challenge of “Shanzhai” culture
B．is the challenge of “Shanzhai” culture
C．will be replaced by “Shanzhai” culture
D．is held back by “Shanzhai” culture
Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are__1___ than housewives．Evidence shows that __2_ are in poorer health than the job-holders．A study shows that _3___ the unemployment rate increases by 1%，the death rate in-creases correspondingly by 2%．All this comes down to one point：Work is helpful to health．
Why is work good for health? It is because work ___4_ people busy, _5__ loneliness and solitude . Researches show that people feel unhappy，_6__ and lonely when they have nothing to do．Instead，the happiest are those who are _7___．Many high achievers who love their careers feel that they are happiest when they are working hard . Work serves as __8___ between man and reality．By work，people_9__ each other．By collective activity，they find friendship and warmth．This is helpful to health．The loss of work __10__ the loss of everything．It affects man spiritually and __11_ him liable to disease．
__12__ ，work gives one a sense of fulfillment and a sense of _13__ ．Work makes one feel his value and status in society．When __14__ finishes his writing or a doctor successfully __15__ a patient or a teacher sees his students __16_ ，they are happy ___17__ ．
From the above we can _18__ to the conclusion that the more you work, _19___ and healthier you will be．Let us work hard，study well and __20__ a happy and healthy life．
1. A．richer B．weaker C．healthier D．wors
2. A．the old B．the busy C．the hard-working D．the jobless
3. A．whether B．whenever C．though D．since
4. A．forces B．keeps C．needs D．require
5. A．away from B．in lack of C．in touch with D．in charge of
6. A．worried B．joyful C．concerned D．interested
7. A．free B．busy C．lazy D．dull
8. A．a bridge B．a gap C．a channel D．a guard
9. A．come across B．look down upon C．come into contact with D．watch over
10. A．stands B．means C．helps D．matches
11. A．makes B．orders C．finds D．forces
12. A．Then B．Besides C．However D．Yet
13. A．disappointment B．regret C．achievement D．apology
14. A．a worker B．a farmer C．a manager D．a writer
15. A．makes friends with B．has a talk C．deals with D．operates on
16. A．raise B．rise C．grow D．increase
17. A．beyond words B．without a word C．at a word D．in a word
18. A．reach B．come C．arrive D．draw
19. A．the happier B．the weaker C．the stronger D．the lonelier
20. A．make B．lead C．earn D．share
– I’m sorry to have broken your pen. I wasn’t on purpose.
––_______. I’ve got another one.
A．Go ahead. B．Forget it. C．Come on. D．Take your time.
The news has spread all over the country ____ the spaceship succeeded in returning to the earth.
A．which B．that C．whether D．what
____ he works hard, I don’t mind when he finishes the experiment.
A．As soon as B．Even though
C．So long as D．So far as
