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 research 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．”What is the main theme of the novel?
| A．A journey of self-discovery． |
| B．Life in the world of diving． |
| C．Life with foster parents． |
| D．A travel around the country． |
What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?
| A．James is a successful diver． |
| B．James is an independent young man． |
| C．James is an outgoing young man． |
| D．James is a hopeful swimmer． |
The snake stone in the novel is ．
| A．a stone with an address on it |
| B．a gift from the swimming coach |
| C．a clue left by the birth mother |
| D．a fossil left by the foster parents |
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． |
It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________．
| A．disappointing | B．boring | C．comfortable | D．worthwhile |
I am a person who does not like to wait．I don' t like lines, being put on hold when making a phone call, arriving at an appointment to find that my companion will be delayed and of course, I don * t like waiting rooms．
However, I realize that my agony(痛苦） will not be good for me, as an increasingly, crowded world can only mean one thing—more waiting．
Owing to this, I have taken a measure and decided to turn my disappointment to productive ends．In short, I am looking for what I call "waiting in line books"．
These are books that contain material designed for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of．Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket．
The other day I went to the supermarket．Convinced that the rain would keep most people away, I was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers．Every checkout was open—and jammed! But I could take out my pocket book and go to work．
The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library．Look at these titles: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts．I have learned interesting and enriching things and much knowledge from these books．
On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the counter along with six or seven other people．The one female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed about．"Just be patient," she said to me．
No problem．I quietly opened my dictionary of prose （散文） and poetical quotations． Perhaps the other customers regarded me as a bookish, lonely soul．But little did they realize that I was enjoying the company of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson．According to the passage, the world ______．
| A．needs to produce many materials to use | B．is becoming more and more crowded |
| C．loses tracks of story line increasingly | D．is crowded with shoppers everywhere |
How did the author overcome his agony of waiting?
| A．By reading books designed to be read in shortened words． |
| B．By arriving early for an appointment． |
| C．By taking measures to produce some books for readers． |
| D．By keeping most people away from the supermarket for some reasons． |
Which of the following can't be carried in the author's pocket?
| A．One Hundred Things Every American Should Know |
| B．The Poetry of Robert Frost |
| C．Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers |
| D．Homer and Ben Johnson |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The author succeeded in changing his agony into fun． |
| B．The author was a bookish and lonely soul. |
| C．Six or seven employees in the store were busy in rushing about． |
| D．There were fewer customers in the supermarket on rainy days． |
When you are little, it’s not hard to believe you can change the world. I remember my enthusiasm when, at the age of 12, I addressed（向……演讲） the people at the Rio Earth Summit. “ I 
am only a child,” I told them.” Yet I know that if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this world would be. At school you teach us not to fight with others, to work things out, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share, not to be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do. You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you, please, to make your actions reflect your words.”
I spoke for six minutes and received a standing ovation. Some of the people even cried. I thought that maybe I had reached some of them, that my speech might actually spur（刺激）action. Now, ten years from Rio, after I’ve sat through many more conferences, I’m not sure what has been achieved. My confidence in the people in power and in the power of an individual’s voice to reach them has been deeply shaken.
When I was little, the world was simple. But as a young adult, I’m learning that as we have to make choices—educa-tion, career, lifestyle—life gets more and more complicated. We are beginning to feel pressure to produce and be successful. We are taught that economic growth is progress, but we aren’t taught how to seek a happy, healthy way of living. And we are learning that what we wanted for the future when we were 12 was idealistic and naive（天真的）.
Today I’m no longer a child, but I’m worried about what kind of environment my children will grow up in. I know change is possible, because I am changing, still figuring out what I think. I am still deciding how to live my life. The challenges are great, but if we accept individual responsibility and make choices, we will rise to the challenges, and we will become part of the positive tide of the change. I hope this goal will be met through our common efforts. Thank you all.The purpose of what the speaker said at the age of 12 was to .
| A．end poverty and make schools beautiful |
| B．find environmental answers and show off |
| C．focus people’s attention on some social problems |
| D．find a wonderful place and clean it up |
What does the underlined word “ovation”in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．A long period of laughing. | B．A cold and unfriendly welcome. |
| C．An expression used for greeting. | |
| D．Great applause or cheering. |
The information in the text is presented mainly through .
| A．question and answer | B．a personal lecture |
| C．cause and effect | D．listing steps in a process |
Which of the following best describes the speaker?
| A．He is an experienced educator. |
| B．He is an impolite man. |
| C．He is a man of great worries. |
| D．He is a man of social responsibility. |
If you’re networking（建立人际关系）and nothing is happening，you might need to evaluate how you’re doing it．Maybe you show up at each event and still feel challenged by the process．You aggressively talk to people，give out your cards，call endlessly to schedule an appointment but have no real success from your efforts．To help you gain a different future，here are eight habits you should avoid.（避免）
Ineffective networkers：
1．Lack patience．They expect immediate results and want business now, not tomorrow．
2．Constantly“selling”something．They see dollar signs every time they shake hands with someone．
3．Too many choices．If they offer a variety of products，they might try too hard to tell about all of them．Offering too much infomation sends a confusing message making it difficult for people to send references．Opportunities are all around us but when you’ re networking j only focus on one．
4．Change positions too often．If they move from company to company or do something totally different，it might be difficult for people to keep up with them．
5. Lack manners and respect．They interrupt others，talk with food in their mouth，aren’t very polite and appear unprofessional．They call people during dinner or on the weekends without thinking whether the occasion is suitable．
6. Focus on themselves. Too much self-promotion can leave the other person to feel unappreciated. Every sentence begins with“I”and is all about their business．
7．“Taking”instead of“giving”．They don’t realize what other people sense when they are being very selfish．Others may think that they are being taken advantage of．
8．Poor communication and interpersonal skills．They have trouble speaking effectively，building relationships and following up．
Networking is a process that is an investment of time and money．If you find you’re doing any of these habits，consider learning how to improve on these and maximize your results while networking．You’ll start to get better at connecting with people and obtain more opportunit
ies．According to the text，some people didn’t succeed in networking because .
| A．they didn’t make efforts | B．they didn’t behave effectively |
| C．they didn’t pay enough money | D．they didn’t spend enough time |
According to the second habit，we shouldn’t when we are networking．
| A．make friends | B．talk about dollars |
| C．shake hands with everyone | D．pay attention to money only |
When talking with others，you should .
| A．give out your cards every now and then |
| B．talk about the quality of your product as much as possible |
| C．1et other people express themselves completely |
| D．interrupt others when they make a mistake |
Which of the follo
wing is not suitable for a salesman’s behavior?
| A．He offers too much self-promotion during the conversation． |
| B．He considers when he can get what he expects carefully． |
| C．He only focuses on one opportunity when networking． |
| D．He keeps his promises and doesn’t expect too much from others． |
The Future of Education
David Kelly, founder of the Design School Stanford, said, “In the classroom of the future, education will be custom-made for each student. Every child will have a laptop programmed for his or her learning style and speed. At the same time, more students will go out into the community to learn from business owners. And you’ll see more retirees in the schools as teachers.”
A New Way to Pay
Turn your cell phone into a “mobile wallet” and speed through the checkout line. With a smart phone that uses the same technology as “tap and go” cards, you’ll be able to access your financial data fast. You can select a credit or debit card（借记卡）from the screen, and then tap the phone on the checkout console（操纵台；控制台）.
High-Tech Guitar
A 26-year-old Australian designer has inve
nted a brand-new way to be a rock star. The Misa Digital Guitar’s fret board looks like a traditional six-string’s but with no strings attached. There’s a touch pad （垫）where the sound hole 
normally is, and instead of plucking strings,（弹弦） you tap, drag, or brush the pad to “play” the instrument electronically.
The Future of Phones
Jason Chen, editor of the website gizmodo.com, makes his prediction. “Data connections will get even faster, and you’ll be linked to your environment by cell phone. Fcr example, wh
en you go on vacation, you can point your phone at a monument（纪念碑） and it will give you information about what you’re looking at.’
Needle-Free Vaccines（无针接种）
Boston University researchers are working on a new method of inoculation（接种）—no injection necessary. A mild electrical charge from a small device, shaped like a gun, is used to drive the particles（粒子） into the body. The new idea beats the old needle method.The passage mentions the following EXPECT .
| A．payment | B．medicine | C．education | D．music instrument |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Even a man with no music knowledge can be a rock star in the future. |
| B．Students should go out into the community to learn from business owners instead of staying at school to learn from books. |
| C．We can carry no cash while shopping in the future. |
| D．We can feel more pain with the method of inoculation. |
In which column can we read the passage?
| A．Entertainment. | B．Production. |
| C．Technology. | D．Work. |
Americans use many expressions with the word dog．People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well．They take their dogs for walks，let them play outside and give them good food and medical care．However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of 1ife．The expression，to lead a dog’s life，describes a person who has an unhappy existence．
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world．That means many people are competing for the same things，like good jobs．To be successful，a person has to work like a dog．Such hard work can make people dog-tired，or sick as a dog.
Still，people say every dog has its day．This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life．To be successful, people often have to learn new skills．Yet．some people say that you can never teach all old dog new tricks．They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and wilt not change the way they do things．
Husbands and wives use this doghouse term when they are angry at each other．For example，a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary．She might tell him that he is in the doghouse．She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes．However，the husband may decide that it is best to 1eave things alone and not create more problems．He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie．
Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather．The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year．A rainstorm may cool the weather．But we do not want it to rain too hard．We do not want it to rain cats and dogs．The correct statement about the dog in the expression“to 1ead a dog’s life”is .
| A．a lucky dog | B．a homeless dog |
| C．a clever dog | D．a tamed dog |
When people compete against each other and will do any thing to get what they want，we use ,
| A．1ead a dog’s life | B．a dog-tired competition |
| C．a dog-eat-dog world | D．a dirty dog |
Which of the following expressions is similar to“to rain cats and dogs”?
| A．a curtain of rain | B．a sudden rain |
| C．drops of rain | D．a fine rain |
The author writes this passage mainly to .
A．express his supporting at titude about expressions with dog |
| B．show that he is a super dog-lover and he likes these expressions |
| C．describe the bad effect on the relationship between husband and wife |
| D．introduce some expressions with dog used in American daily life |
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