Looking for an extreme thriller to get stuck into? We asked our readers to tell us the best thriller they’ve ever read and why. We collected the responses to produce this list of must-read titles for your next break.
Don’t Say a Word
Don’t say a Word by Andrew Klavan. It still gives me chills (寒冷) to think of anyone doing that to my family. It also sent me searching out all of Klavan’s other novels, and he is a master of the emotionally involving thriller, so it introduced me to a lot of good reading.-Lorraine Cormack
IT
IT by Stephen King. To this day I am scared of clowns and balloons. I don’t walk in the rain. The book has put the “IT” fear in me. —Eliatha Cyprus
Those Bones Are Not My Child
Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara. The story unfolds with the disappearance of a 12-year-old boy and his mother’s tireless search to find him. Throughout the pages of the novel, Bambara enveloped me into the mind of a community turned upside-down by violence. From beginning to end , her words offered me a heartbroken picture of a family changed by tragedy and a nonstop search of America’s past. It’s a believable and urgent story about love and loss.-Helen Schulz
Tell No One
Tell No One by Harlan Coben. A doctor’s sadness over his wife’s murder transforms into tricks, then addiction, once he doubts the possibility that she might still be alive. The story had one good plot twist (翻转) after another and I couldn’t put it down, although I had things to do! It messed with my head! -Mara Evans
1.Who is the author of Don’t Say a Word?
A.Stephen King. B.Harlan Coben.
C.Andrew Klavan. D.Toni Cade Bambara.
2.What is Helen Schulz’s favor book about?
A.Love and loss. B.Justice and fairness.
C.Life and hope. D.Devotion and friendship.
3.What is the purpose of the test?
A.To educate. B.To introduce.
C.To persuade. D.To convince.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
My brother and I had the typical older-sister, younger-brother relationship. He loved to annoy me and I wanted to boss him around. I am five years older so we didn’t really share friends or activities but we always got along well. That all changed in 2013 when my mom died.
Sorrow does strange things to people. My brother and I dealt with it differently. He was 18 then and put his feelings into finishing his final year of high school. I turned to drug. I’d been using a painkiller for years to help with my kidney disease and I’d never abused it. But that changed in a moment. My mother’s death took over my life. I remember swallowing a handful of painkillers and then calling a local drug dealer to bring me more pills.
My addiction progressed and I became even more irresponsible. I even risked losing my son when child protective services became concerned enough about my ability to be a good parent. I’ll never forget the fear on my brother’s face when he came to the police station. My brother was confused by my decisions. He didn’t realize addiction was a mental illness. I could see the anger and hopelessness in his eyes. Seeing him walk away from me was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced.
I started treatment. As my brother saw the work I put into my recovery, he began to let go of his anger. Little by little, we repaired our relationship. I know our mother would be proud. I remember someone telling me that my mother’s death would either destroy our family or bring us closer. At first, it tore our family apart but, from ashes to beauty, I firmly believe her death and all of the hardship along the way have made us closer than ever. I am forever grateful.
1.How did the brother react to their mother’s death?
A.He lost hope for life. B.He started to take drugs.
C.He quit school immediately. D.He focused on his study.
2.Why did the author nearly lose her son?
A.She couldn’t afford to raise him.
B.He was taken away by the police.
C.She was not considered a responsible parent.
D.She didn’t want to take care of him any longer.
3.What repaired the author and her brother’s relationship?
A.Her efforts put into recovery. B.Her devotion to her brother.
C.Somebody else’s kind words. D.Good memories of their childhood.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Sufferings after Mother’s Death
B.Drugs-Not a Good Way to Kill Sorrow
C.Kicking Away My Drug Addiction
D.Getting together with My Dear Brother
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As the global novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒) speeds up, many are wondering about the effectiveness of masks and when it’s appropriate to wear them. Most people from the East believe that wearing a mask is essential to control the spread of the disease. But people in the West generally would argue that, unless one is already ill, wearing a mask is simply unnecessary.
In Eastern countries like China, mask-wearing is rooted in their cultures. In fact, people in the East wear masks not just to protect themselves from illness but also for a variety of other reasons. Young people in Japan, for example, wear masks as a fashion statement, expressing their personal style through unique designs and patterns. Wearing a face mask is also an outward expression of group-centered values. With one’s face partly covered, one becomes part of a giant group. In many Asian countries, masks are worn in many conditions in daily life, such as doing housework or visiting patients in the hospital. They can give people the comfort of being protected.
In Western countries, however, individual values are the most important. It is up to the individuals to decide whether to wear masks or not. A face mask is reserved only for those showing symptoms (症状) of illness.
As a citizen, it is one’s duty to prevent the spread of illness by following proper procedures. Whether from the East or the West, social culture has played an important role in one’s decision on whether or not to wear a mask. That’s because human beings are social creatures who take into consideration what other members of society think of us. The most important thing is to respect others’ opinions, no matter how different they are.
1.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A.To lead to the topic of the text. B.To show how serious the disease is.
C.To confirm the influence of culture. D.To prove it is essential to wear a mask.
2.What is the reason why some young people in Japan wear masks?
A.They wear masks to show respect for others.
B.They want the comfort of being protected.
C.It is fashionable for the young to wear masks.
D.They wear masks to be the focus of their group.
3.What is the author’s attitude towards people’s decision on wearing masks?
A.Subjective. B.Objective.
C.Doubtful. D.Positive.
4.Where is the text most likely taken from?
A.A diary. B.A guidebook.
C.A novel. D.A magazine.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
GPS has completely transformed how we get around. But other animals have long had their navigation (领航) systems built right in.
“We know their eyes are quite sensitive to polarized (偏振的) light and the sky has a particular pattern of polarized light relative to the position of the sun,” Barbara Webb, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, says.
You can see polarized light firsthand if you take a pair of polarized sunglasses and spin them against the sky-the light passing through the glasses changes. Webb says the insects have polarization like that built into their many eyes. “You can think of it as having lots of sunglasses pointing in different directions.”
But Webb was curious whether there’s really enough information in the sky to give insects an accurate sense of direction. So her team built a sensor (传感器) modeled after a desert ant eye and put it under artificial light meant to simulate the sky. They then put that sensor into a model meant to model the brains of desert ants and other insects. And they found that with the insects’ sensing and processing equipment, they can likely sense direction down to just a couple degrees of error.
A system based on that of insects could someday be a cheap, low-energy choice to GPS. Insects have very tiny brains. A brain the size of a pinhead that’s using hardly any energy. And yet they’re still able to navigate better than we can with GPS, which is surprising. Webb is now working on building a robot that can use light to get its directions.
1.What can we learn from the text?
A.GPS is not accurate enough.
B.Insects have better eyes than humans.
C.Light changes passing through polarized sunglasses.
D.Insects have tiny brains that use no energy.
2.What does the underlined word “simulate” in paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Pretend. B.Cover.
C.Block. D.See.
3.What did Webb’s research find?
A.Insects can’t find their ways during nights.
B.Insects can find directions with little mistakes.
C.Insects always make mistakes finding directions.
D.Insects have sensing and processing equipment in their eyes.
4.Which of the following can best describe insects’ navigation ability?
A.Disappointing. B.Interesting.
C.Amazing. D.Confusing.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Social distancing isn’t easy for anyone, but it can be especially tricky when many people live together. 1. Find out how to explore this new experience.
Create a schedule. If you want your relationship to survive, you need to have a schedule that allows partners to spend time together. 2. Setting an alarm, getting up together, doing chores, keeping the house tidy, having some physical activity and spending time alone are all important.
Plan for alone time. Be open and honest with each other about your emotional needs. 3. If you need attention, ask for that, too. While it can be hard to provide, time in the form of a short walk alone or a hot bath in a bathroom is absolutely necessary. Constantly being around anyone, including your partner can be stressful.
Make time for exercise. Fitness is good for your body. It also offers big benefits for your mind and overall well being. There are a lot of emotions and uncertainty right now and just doing some simple movements will get the blood flowing through your body and give you a lot of energy. 4.
Get outdoors. You need a minimum distance of six feet from others. 5. We are experiencing the greatest life indoors further separating ourselves from what our bodies and brains need to survive: nature. Spending time walking outdoors increases focus and energy levels...and more.
A.If you need time alone, voice it.
B.Here’s how to be left alone if you live with your family.
C.That could cause or worsen a sense of disconnection and loneliness.
D.A schedule is vital because it will help people to still feel productive.
E.Even if you’re wildly in love with the people, you need your space and time.
F.Whether you join an online class or go for a jog on your own, you’ll enjoy the benefits.
G.Taking a walk in nature in one of the most ignored yet most powerful things we can do.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A stolen baby goat was returned home to its community garden in Baltimore late Tuesday night.
Ed was reported _______ from the Filbert Street Garden on Monday night. His caretakers _______ in a Facebook post that two teenagers tore through a fence, _______ a lock and got into a barn (谷仓) to steal the animal. The animal _______ just 20 pounds (9 kilograms) and depends on its mother’s _______ to survive.
“We’re not _______ whether they are going to sell him or just kill him,” the Filbert Street Garden post said. “The community begs whoever did this to please just _______ return Ed. He is not _______ enough to live away from his mother yet and could die.”
The garden has since _______ a large number of photos of Ed. Many people ________ attention to it and hoped that it would be back ________ and sound. Security video obtained by the police ________ to show someone walking down the street with the goat in a suitcase as the animal ________.
To everyone’s surprise, the poor little ________ was returned by someone unknown before 10 pm on Tuesday. What’s more, it was really unharmed. In an update Tuesday, the garden ________ Ed’s safe return and ________ police for their help. The people who are knowing the little goat are happy with its ________ and safety. One man in the community said, “It is so ________ to see the little goat together with its mom. Actually, it’s a(n) ________ scene to return it to its dear ________ and let it live in this new world with us.”
1.A.missing B.escaping C.losing D.raising
2.A.witnessed B.kept C.wrote D.settled
3.A.broke B.found C.fixed D.reached
4.A.feels B.weighs C.seems D.hopes
5.A.food B.vegetable C.fruit D.milk
6.A.concerned B.frightened C.sure D.guilty
7.A.sharply B.quietly C.recently D.frequently
8.A.old B.kind C.smart D.smooth
9.A.taken B.owned C.posted D.required
10.A.exchanged B.paid C.cut D.admitted
11.A.special B.short C.hungry D.safe
12.A.appeared B.meant C.led D.planned
13.A.gave out B.cried out C.worked out D.worn out
14.A.dog B.pig C.goat D.parrot
15.A.experienced B.insisted C.signed D.celebrated
16.A.phoned B.thanked C.rewarded D.comforted
17.A.return B.recovery C.appearance D.choice
18.A.annoyed B.believable C.worried D.pleased
19.A.confusing B.amusing C.touching D.boring
20.A.dad B.sister C.bother D.mom
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅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仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
When I am a little girl, I wanted to be a film star. I thought it would be cool to be in the middle of the stage. I used to thinking if I became a film star, I would make many money and lead a happy and rich life. But I changed my dream. Over the recently months, I have seen many doctors and nurses who tried their best save others despite the danger they face and tiredness. They are real hero in our society. They are the most beautiful people in your heart, who, as a matter of fact, deserves our highest respect. I have been made up my mind to be one of them and to be an useful person.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华，你的英国朋友Steven高中毕业后打算到中国留学，他写信询问你什么样的学生最受高校青睐，请你根据下列要求要点给对方写一封回信。
1. 语言是道硬门槛；
2. 适应能力很重要；
3. 兴趣爱好被看重；
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 开头和结束语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Steven,
I’m glad to hear that you want to study in China.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析