THE WEEK IN READING: THE BEST NEW BOOK RELEASES FOR APRIL, 2017
Void Star by Zachary Mason
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 400 pages Zachary Mason creates a world in which the line between human and computer is completely erased, yet he still manages to make the reader feel for all the characters—both man and machine—equally. Add that to a highly addictive plot and an exploration of memory’s impact on our identity, and you’ve got one of the most richly complex novels of the year. |
An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal
Penguin Press, 416 pages It’s not uncommon to come across a complete takedown of the American healthcare system as it stands today. But what is uncommon is what Elisabeth Rosenthal has done in this must-read exploration of what we are (and aren’t) doing right: She has the answers we’ve all been searching for in a potential post-Obamacare world. An American Sickness is the frontline defense against a healthcare system that no longer has our well-being at heart. |
A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central America by Óscar Martínez Verso, 288 pages
El Salvador and Honduras have had the highest homicide rates in the world over the past ten years, with Guatemala close behind. Every day more than 1,000 people—men, women, and children—flee these three countries for North America. Step outside yourself for a couple hours and immerse yourself in one of the most incredibly vivid, well-reported journeys through Central America that you will ever experience. |
Sunshine State by Sarah Gerard Harper Perennial, 384 pages
Sarah Gerard deftly takes the reader through the most essential issues of our time—homelessness, addiction, incarceration—via a coming-of-age lens in the state of Florida, where, as we all know, anything goes. |
The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day William Morrow Paperbacks, 432 pages
An incredibly complex and smart novel, The Day I Died contains all the features of a small-town murder mystery but takes it one step further with a narrative about a woman’s unbreakable search for the answers to not just a crime but about her own identity. |
1.If you want to know about social problems in the US, you will probably choose _______.
A. Void Star B. A History of Violence
C. The Day I Died D. Sunshine State
2.Which statement is NOT true according to these books?
A. Void Star is a science fiction with a highly addictive plot.
B. The American healthcare system is favored by all Americans.
C. A History of Violence perhaps involves violence problems.
D. The Day I Died is a novel not only about a murder mystery.
Happiness is one of the most precious things in life. _______ it, a man will feel that his ill fate has taken charge of him and the world is utterly dark and dreadful. As a result, too many people _______ of happiness as their ultimate goal of life. What is happiness? Many people think that when they become rich and successful, happiness will _______ follow. Let me tell you that nothing is further from the truth. The world is full of very rich people who are as _______as if they were living in hell. Besides, we have read stories about movie stars who _______suicide or died from drugs. It is _______ that money is not everything.
Happiness is not an end _______ in itself but is more of a way of life. If you’re waiting for happiness to _______, it’s likely that it never will! The only time to be happy is right now! When you’re always wanting something more and always looking forward to a time when you’ll be “happy”, you’ll never _______ that goal. Happiness is not a set of accomplishments or the ________ of material things. You must accept that life will always have ________ and things will not always go your way. Instead of feeling disappointed when things don’t ________ the way you’d hoped, you’d better feel ________ for the experience. ________ dreaming of a brighter, happier and richer tomorrow, you’d better make today as wonderful as you can.
Happiness is not some state we will one day reach for good, but a ________ process of honest, productive work which makes a real contribution to others and makes you feel you are a useful and ________ person. Just as a famous saying goes, “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” Happiness is a ________ decision that you can make right now. Thinking of the future and having aspirations is essential to ________ a happy and fulfilled life.
In a word, ________ waiting for happiness to arrive and simply decide to be happy! It’s not some great goal or destination, but a journey and a ________.
1.A. For B. Without C. Before D. After
2.A. think B. refer C. regard D. consider
3.A. naturally B. constantly C. eventually D. deliberately
4.A. puzzled B. changeable C. disappointed D. miserable
5.A. condemned B. claimed C. committed D. commanded
6.A. possible B. obvious C. strange D. difficult
7.A. dream B. promotion C. goal D. success
8.A. show up B. swell up C. speed up D. split up
9.A. analyze B. arrive C. distinguish D. reach
10.A. distribution B. evaluation C. combination D. accumulation
11.A. rewards B. appreciation C. challenges D. fantasy
12.A. carry out B. work out C. let out D. figure out
13.A. grateful B. guilty C. sympathy D. sorry
14.A. On top of B. In spite of C. On account of D. Instead of
15.A. serious B. humorous C. continuous D. various
16.A. worthy B. modest C. kind D. generous
17.A. reasonable B. conscious C. proper D. temporary
18.A. spending B. wasting C. leading D. consuming
19.A. remember B. prevent C. try D. stop
20.A. lifestyle B. criterion C. demand D. target
—The Smiths have invited us to join their picnic and I decide to give them a present.
—________ ! What’s it?
A. You don’t say B. With pleasure
C. Not likely D. I beg to differ
—Does my son listen to the teacher attentively in class?
—Rarely, believe it or not, ________ him behave well in class.
A. did I see B. I saw
C. I have seen D. have I seen
“Tokyo seeking international support over the Diaoyu Islands will be ________,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday.
A. in vain B. in silence
C. in ruins D. in chorus
They have been married for nearly two years and they are ________ to have a baby. However, their wish hasn’t come true.
A. cautious B. desperate
C. contradictory D. unwilling
