Question

    Forget losing weight or saving money—we suggest one simple task to add to your list of inspiring New Year's decisions: read a book. Trust us, and your brain will thank you. Not only does reading increase the amount of daily pleasure in your life, but it could also delay dementia (痴呆) and even help you live longer.

But still, picking the perfect novel isn't easy. Thankfully, Business Insider asked a Harvard professor to recommend the one book he thinks every student should read in 2019—and we suggest adding it to your list, too. (No time for all the books on your list? Here's a shortcut: Read the endings to some of the world's most famous books, instead.)

Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard, recommends The Internationalists by legal scholars Hathaway and Shapiro. The book makes a surprising statement that the Kellogg-Briand Paris Peace Pact (条约) of 1928, which declared war illegal, has caused a steady drop in war throughout history.

“But in their fascinating and evidence-rich book, they make a lifelike case,” Pinker said. “And like The Clash of Civilizations and The End of History, the book presents a sweeping vision (视野) of the international scene, making sense of many developments in the news and recent history.”

Other professors at Harvard recommended classics like Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, as well as Just Mercy by Stevenson, The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith, and Robot-Proof by Joseph Aoun.

So, go ahead and give (at least) one of these books a read in 2019! And while you're at it, you should add the following 20 books you really should have read by now to your list, too…

1.Which has the closest meaning to the underlined word “shortcut” in the 2nd paragraph?

A.A time-saving way to read books.

B.A lazy person's way to read books.

C.A quick way to know about endings of books.

D.A wise way to deal with too many books to read.

2.What or who has reduced the number of wars throughout history?

A.The Paris Peace Pact. B.The Internationalists.

C.Hathaway and Shapiro. D.A wide vision of the international scene.

3.What may be written in the next or last paragraph of the passage?

A.More advice on reading books.

B.The names of the 20 books recommended.

C.The main contents of the 20 books recommended.

D.The brief introduction of the 20 books recommended.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

【解析】

这是一篇应用文。文章向读者建议将读书列为2019年的目标内，并向读者推荐了几本值得读的书。

1.词义猜测题。由划线单词前一句句意（没有时间读你书架上所有的书吗？）以及划线单词后句意（一些世界名著可以只读结尾部分）可知，划线单词处句子句意为（这儿有一个捷径），跟上一句句意连接起来就是有一个明智的办法可以应对有很多的书要读。故选D。

2.细节理解题。由第三段中的第二句话“The book makes a surprising statement that the Kellogg-Briand Paris Peace Pact (条约) of 1928, which declared war illegal, has caused a steady drop in war throughout history.（这本书阐明了一个惊人的观点：1928年在法国巴黎签订的《格-白里安和平条约》，宣布了战争的非法性，并且历史上的战争也自此减少了很多）”可知，是这个条约导致了战争的减少。故选A。

3.推理判断题。由文中最后一句“you should add the following 20 books you really should have read by now to your list, too…（你应该也把下边你真的应该读的这20种书加入你的书单内）”可知，下一段作者应该会列出20本书的书单。故选B。