To honor the best books for young adults and children, TIME has created this list of classics: Best Young-Adult and Children’s Books.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie’s coming-of-age novel shows family and traditions through young Arnold Spirit, torn between his life in an Indian community and his largely white high school. The specifics are sharply drawn, but this novel, with its themes of self-discovery, speaks to young readers everywhere.
Harry Potter
What more can be said about J. K. Rowling’s unique series? How about this: seven years after the final book was published, readers young and old still go crazy at the slightest rumor of a new Potter story.
The Book Thief
For many young readers, Markus Zusak’s novel provides their first in-depth reflection of the Holocaust(大屠杀). Although terror surrounds Liesel, a young German girl, so too does evidence of friendship, love and charity — recovering lights in the darkness.
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L’Engle’s super-realist adventure has provided generations of children with their first-ever exciting experiences, as Meg travels across the fifth dimension(维度) in search of her father. But the science fiction also has a message: Meg learns independence and bravery in the process.
Charlotte’s Web
Readers are still drawn to the simplicity and beauty of spider Charlotte’s devotion to her pig friend Wilbur. Though family farms may be less common than they were in 1952, E. B. White’s novel remains timeless for its lasting reflection on the power of friendship and of good writing.
Holes
Louis Sachar’s story of a family curse(诅咒), fancy sports shoes and poisonous lizards moves forward and backward through time, telling of how Stanley Yelnats IV ended up in a prison camp. It’s an introduction to a complex story, filled with fun, warmth and a truly memorable criminal.
Matilda
With apologies to the lovable Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this may be Roald Dahl’s most inspiring book for young people. Poor Matilda feels troubled and ignored by her family — a sense that many preteens share. They don’t share her supernatural powers, but that’s the lasting appeal of this escapist fun.
The Outsiders
Published when author S. E. Hinton was just 18, this coming-of-age novel offers evidence that even the youngest writer can provide valuable wisdom. Her striking look at Ponyboy and gang life in the 1960s has continued to have a powerful effect for decades on readers of all kinds, whether they identify more with the Greasers or the Socs.
The Phantom Tollbooth
In a humorous, sharp fairy tale(童话故事) that shows language and mathematics through a story of adventure in the Kingdom of Wisdom, Jules Feiffer’s unusual drawings do as much as Norton Juster’s plain language combined with complex ideas to carry readers through Digitopolis and the Mountains of Ignorance.
The Giver
Lois Lowry’s tale of self-discovery in society has a memorable central character, Jonas, and an unforgettable message — that pain and harm have an important place in individual lives and in society, and to forget them is to lose what makes us human.Which of the following shares the same theme with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?
| A．A Wrinkle in Time | B．The Giver |
| C．The Book Thief | D．Harry Potter |
According to the passage, The Phantom Tollbooth ______.
| A．contains a lot of fancy pictures |
| B．talks only about maths problems |
| C．describes a journey in complex language |
| D．sets its background in the Kingdom of Freedom |
It can be learned from the passage that ______.
| A．Charlotte fell in love with Wilbur |
| B．Matilda was well cared for in her family |
| C．Stanley Yelnats IV got punished |
| D．S. E. Hinton was best at telling fairy tales |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To advertise for some booksellers. |
| B．To introduce some famous writers. |
| C．To admire some classics for kids and young adults. |
| D．To recommend some great works of TIME magazine. |
As the summer time approaches, more and more commercials and advertisements can be seen on the mass media encouraging students to join English study tours abroad. The purpose of these tours is to provide students with an opportunity to learn English in a native speaking environment and use English in real situations. Parents always believe that their children will automatically speak good English after attending these study tours. However, for me, as an English major and former participant of many English study tours, I find these summer tours ineffective.
Parents who send their children abroad for a summer to study English usually believe that the native speaking environment, including the courses, teachers, and host families, can help their children to learn English better. This might be true if the students really study hard and they really get an all-English environment. But the fact is that, most of the time, the tour part is more important than the study part. Although these tours take place in foreign countries, students are rarely exposed in an all-English environment. You will find that, in the morning classes, Taiwanese students would like to stick together and speak Chinese with each other, even though there are some students from other countries. In the afternoon, the students go on a sightseeing excursion with their companions from Taiwan; they speak Chinese of course. In the evening, when students return to the host families, they would stay in their room and share the day with their roommate, another Taiwanese student. People who speak the same language with you is like a log（原木）in the ocean when living in a foreign country where you can not express yourself well, so that you would naturally stick with them. This is especially true with children.
Another unrealistic expectation parents have for these tours is that the experience of living abroad can make their children more independent and mature. However, maturity does not come overnight. It takes time and practice. The most important of all is that they need a good mentor（顾问）. None of these exist in the study tours. Which of the following is the most important thing for children who study in an English environment according to the writer?
| A．Host families. | B．Hard work. | C．Courses. | D．Teachers. |
The underlined word “mature” in the last paragraph probably means .
| A．active | B．free | C．outgoing | D．grown-up |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the English study tours abroad?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Neutral. |
6-Day Trek（艰苦跋涉）in the Highland National Parks
Destinations: Saigon—Cat Tien National Park—Buon Ma Thuot—Lak Lake—YokDon National Park
Estimated trekking time: Average 4-5 hours／day
Summary: This trip is ideal for those who love trekking in natural forests. From the southern part of Vietnam up to the central highlands, you will cross through two national parks. There will be opportunities to see wildlife and challenge yourself physically at a moderate（中等的）level.
Indulge yourself in the beauty of nature, escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, rediscover yourself in the natural world and refresh both mind and body.
Highlights:
·Private tour
·Walk through the forest to a fascinating and beautiful wetland area. If you are lucky, you may be able to see many different kinds of animals using only binoculars（双筒望远镜）.
·Night time wildlife-spotting excursion（远足）
·Elephant riding
Includes:
·Travel insurance
·Private transportation
·English-speaking guide
·Guest house-twin shared room
·Meals as indicated in the itinerary
·Elephants
·Canoe
·Mineral water
·Entrance fees & all permits
Excludes:
·Surcharges for other guides in other languages, festival season and peak season surcharges, which will be advised at time of booking
·Visa
·Gong show（80 USD／show）
·Tips
·Personal expensesDuring the tour, visitors will trek through national parks.
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
In the forest, tourists will be able to .
| A．ride elephants |
| B．have barbeques with natives |
| C．play with wild animals |
| D．race in canoes |
Visitors may have to pay extra fees for .
| A．permits | B．a Gong show |
| C．meals and water | D．an English-speaking guide |
This advertisement is especially targeting visitors .
| A．from other countries |
| B．who love wildlife |
| C．who enjoy country life |
| D．interested in hiking in forests |
I once did a year of voluntary service in a residential home for people with learning disabilities. It was set in an English village deep in the countryside, quite different from my home in Sweden. One of my fellow volunteers, a girl from Tanzania, seemed a little unhappy, so I asked what the problem was. She told me she had a friend back home who had financial difficulties and maybe it was impossible for her to complete her university courses.
So this friend of mine had sent all her money to Tanzania to support her friend! This meant that she didn't have much food to eat and no money to go anywhere outside the village.
I was so touched and I felt I had to do something. So, during my next trip to one of the nearby towns I walked into a shop. I didn’t have much money left myself but I thought I'd buy her an extra box of chocolate we both liked and some rice. I started talking to the woman（also a volunteer）working in the shop and eventually told her about my friend.
The woman looked at me, amazed. “Does she eat pasta?” she asked. “Yes,” I replied. She immediately started loading a bag with pasta, cookies, and other things until the bag was full. “Give her this for me. It’s my treat!’’ I couldn’t believe it but accepted with happiness. As I left the shop to go home with my unexpected bag of food, I asked the woman her name. “Just Gloria,” she said.
Imagine my friend’s face when I arranged the gifts on my kitchen table and fetched her from her room to see! I had never seen her so happy! A few weeks later she found Gloria in the shop and thanked her in person.
These two extraordinary women really showed me what true kindness and compassion（同情）are, and the impression will stay with me for the rest of my life!The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to .
| A．the shop |
| B．the writer's home |
| C．the residential home |
| D．a year of voluntary service |
Why did the girl from Tanzania seem a little unhappy?
| A．Because she had to stop her voluntary work. |
| B．Because she had no money to buy food or other things. |
| C．Because she had spent all her money on food and clothes. |
| D．Because her friend in Tanzania maybe had to quit school for lack of money. |
Why did the writer help the girl from Tanzania?
| A．Because the writer was a volunteer. |
| B．Because they lived in the same room. |
| C．Because the writer was moved by her kind act. |
| D．Because the writer didn’t wish she went hungry. |
From the text, we know that .
| A．the writer was from England |
| B．the writer was a university student from Tanzania |
| C．Gloria was from Sweden and was very kind to the writer |
| D．the writer volunteered to help people with learning disabilities |
Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.
On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.
| A．was the only important American inventor |
| B．received the first American patent |
| C．received more patents than any other American |
| D．was the first American inventor |
People decided to honor Edison when ________.
| A．he made the first electric light |
| B．electric power was 100 years |
| C．the country realized electricity's importance |
| D．he died in 1931 |
The suggested plan was to ________.
| A．turn off the lights in factories and schools |
| B．observe a few minutes of total silence |
| C．dim all electric lights |
| D．shut off all electricity for a short time |
Good health is the most valuable thing a person can have, but one cannot take good health for granted（认为……理所当然）. It is important to remember that the body needs proper care in order to be healthy. There are three things that a person can do to help stay in good shape: eat right food ,get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
Proper nutrition (营养) is important for good health. Your body cannot work well unless it receives the proper kind of “fuel”(燃料).Don't eat too much food with lots of sugar and fat. Eat plenty of foods high in protein ,like meat, fish, eggs and nuts. Vegetables and fruits are very important because they provide necessary vitamins and minerals. However, don't overeat. It is not helpful to be overweight.
Finally, get plenty of exercise. Exercise firms the body, strengthens the muscles, and prevents you from gaining weight. It also improves your heart and lungs. If you follow a regular exercise program, you will probably increase your life-span (寿命).Any kind of exercise is good. Most sports are excellent for keeping the body in good shapes: basketball, swimming, bicycling, running and so on are good examples. Sports are not only good for your body, but they are enjoyable and interesting, too.
If everybody, were to eat the right foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly, the world would be a happier and healthier place. We would all live to be much older and wiser.In order to keep good health, ___________ .
| A．we should eat a lot of sweets |
| B．one needs a large amount of fat |
| C．people should eat according to the foods nutrition |
| D．we must try to sleep now and then |
Eating more and sleeping less________.
| A．can keep healthy |
| B．is no good for you |
| C．gets you more energy |
| D．will keep your personality |
The writer explains ________in this passage.
| A．how to eat |
| B．the importance of doing exercise |
| C．how to keep healthy |
| D．what to eat |
The title of the article should be___________ .
| A．Eating and Exercising |
| B．How Vitamins Work in Man's Body |
| C．Staying Healthy |
| D．Sleeping Well |
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