Last year, the most-read children' s books at least in UK were almost all fantasy novels. But why is this the case? What. exactly does fantasy offer to young readers？
What' s important to point out here is that fantasy writing has come to be considered as belonging to popular culture, and is therefore generally regarded as being of lower quality than realism.
This idea was formed in me during childhood by my mother, who believed that fantasy was "rubbish". She was always trying to persuade my two brothers to let go of their dog-eared copies of American author David Eddings' books and read something "proper".
I had also met some people who were against reading fantasy. While living in Finland, where I joined a book club, I was told at my first meeting that the club didn't read "genre" books, which meant that realism was in", but everything else including fantasy was " When it comes to the subject of children, discussions about which books are "better" for them often focus on the fantasy and realism debate, causing Professor John Stephens to write that: one of the more curious sides to the criticism of children's literature is the strong wish to separate fantasy and realism into competing types, and to state that children prefer one or the other, or "progress" from fantasy to realism or vice versa（反之亦然).
A quick survey of the big children's publishing trends over the past ten years confirms that fantasy is as popular as ever in the children' s book scene. From the 450 million copies of Harry Potter books sold over this period to the more recent Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, it would seem that children are as enthusiastic about fantasy as ever before and rather than "progressing" out of fantasy, the popularity of fantasy in the young adult market would suggest just the opposite.
1.What was the author's mother's attitude towards fantasy?
A. Uncaring. B. Cautious.
C. Unfavorable. D. Enthusiastic.
2.The book club the author joined in Finland ________
A. didn't have a realistic aim
B. was always full of people in and out
C. had a tense atmosphere in most cases
D. was not acceptive of various literature styles
3.According to Professor John Stephens, the critics of children's literature
A. want to separate children into different groups.
B. want to divide fantasy and realism into separate groups
C. aim to get children to progress from fantasy to realism
D. wish to explore the difference between fantasy and realism
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Fantasy books are and continue to be popular among children.
B. Realism books are the bestsellers of the present time.
C. Young readers are moving away from fantasy .
D. Fantasy books are better than realism ones.
The First Try
Every girl dreams and Li Xie is no exception. She has read dozens of books on how to be a ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员). “Swan Lake” is her favorite. She hopes one day her dream will come true. She has taken ballet lessons and all her teachers confirm she is a good student.
One day she saw an advertisement that a famous ballerina group will be performing in her hometown. "I must meet up with the leader of the group and show him my skills," she whispered to herself. She dressed herself and hid in the dressing room. To her luck the leader entered and she timidly (胆怯地) knocked at the door. She bravely approached him and handed him a bunch of red roses. The thorns (刺) hurt her hand but she did not care about the pain. The leader observed her action as she told him her dream. "Alright, you dance and I will give you my conclusion." But half way through the dance he stopped her and said, "I'm sorry you're not good enough!" On hearing this Li Xie ran as fast as her legs could carry her and was ashamed. She gave up her dream.
Many years later, she heard that the same ballet group was performing in her town again. Bitter memories of the leader's crude words came flooding back to her. This time she was determined to find out why the leader had told her she was not good enough. This was his reply, "I tell this to every student." She angrily shot back, "You've ruined my life! 一 Then she got a further shock, "
"I remember your gift of roses and how the thorns(刺)had hurt your fingers but you carried on bravery. If you only had treated ballet like that and did not give up so easily; therefore, you still deserve my conclusion! "
1.What is “Swan Lake”?
A. a kind of food B. a song C. a ballet D. a book
2.Why did Li Xie go to meet up with the leader of the group?
A. She wanted to join the group.
B. She wanted to give him a gift.
C. She wanted to see the performance.
D. She wanted to show him her skills.
3.What do you think of Li Xie?
A. positive B. weak-willed
C. clever D. determined
Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are excessively concerned with their own appearance and actions.
Worrisome thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: what kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes? It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must negatively affect people. A person's conception of himself or herself is reflected in the way he or she behaves, and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a profound effect on all areas of their lives.
Shy people, having low self-esteem, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need reassurance that they are doing "the right thing." Shy people are very sensitive to criticism; they feel it confirms their feelings of inferiority. They also find it difficult to be pleased by compliment with a statement like this one, "You're just saying that to make me feel good. I know it's not true." It is clear that while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.
Can shyness be completely eliminated, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determined and patient efforts in building self-confidence. Since shyness goes hand in hand with a lack of self-esteem, it is important for people to accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Each one of us is a unique, worthwhile individual, interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our full potential. Let's not allow shyness to block our chances for a rich and fulfilling life.
1.The first paragraph is mainly about _______.
A. the cause of shyness
B. the feeling of shy people
C. the effect of shyness on people
D. the question in the minds of shy people
2.According to the writer, self-awareness is __________.
A. harmful to people
B. a healthy quality
C. the cause of unhappiness
D. a weak point of shy people
3.What is the shy people’s reaction to praise?
A. They are pleased by it.
B. They feel they are worthy of it.
C. They are very sensitive to it.
D. They feel it is not true.
4.What can learn from the passage that shyness can _______.
A. be overcome with determination
B. help us to live up to our full development
C. enable us to understand ourselves better
D. have nothing to do with lack of self- respect
假如你是王莉，很喜欢绘画，并在网上注册加入了一个国际绘画爱好者论坛。 该论坛的版主Clark 想要办一个中学生美术展，请你根据以下提示给Clark 写一封电子邮件，向他提出一些意见和建议。
1. 选择中学生喜欢的主题；
2. 征集一些中学生自己创作的作品；
3. 选一些名人的代表作品，配上作品解读；
4. 介绍著名画家的励志故事。
注意：1. 词数在100左右（开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数）；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Dear Clark,
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely
Wang Li
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的一下作文。 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限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
One day a rich man took his son on a trip to the country in order to show his son if the poor lived, so he could be thankful to his wealth. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of that would be considered a very poor family. On their return back, the father asked his son to explain what he had learnt. The boy, who had remained silent and deep in thought on the journey home, replying in a way that shocked his father.
The boy said he wanted to become farmer. He envied the farmers who had the beautiful night star to give them light while her family had only expensive lanterns. His wish was to have a farm where he could go swimming in an endless river instead of the garden pool in their home. Finally the boy finished by saying, “Before the trip I thought we were rich but today I have learnt who is true rich.”
With this, the boy got up and walked away, leaving his father sat on their comfortable sofa, totally speechless.
Nail art is increasingly popular throughout the world and many are using their fingernails 1. (display) creativity and personality. They like to show off their latest and curiously beautiful designs, especially young women, who are fond of doing so 2. the intention of leaving a good impression on others.
As a matter of fact, nail polish(指甲油) and nail art have a long history, dating back to 3000BC in China, India and Egypt, when plants were processed to create a dye used as a type of nail paint, which 3. (apply) and represented social class and wealth; deep colors like red were worn by the rich 4. lighter paler colors were used by the poor. People in the Inca civilization painted animals on their nails, showing which tribe(部落) they belonged to! Not until the early 19th century 5. (be) nail paints changed into the nail polish that we see today. Besides various colors, the skills have got improved, leading to 6. nail polish industry’s success.
Nail art is part of the fashion world. With the application of gemstones, airbrushing and fine detail, you can complete any look, which can make you cheerful and 7. (delight). If necessary, you can surf the Internet, where you can get plenty of 8. (inspire) and get a professional finish in a short while with the help of the latest introduction. Everything is 9. (entire) up to you. And whatever pattern you choose, 10. (make) sure it suits you best.
