We recently asked subscribers of the BuzzFeed...

We recently asked subscribers of the BuzzFeed Books newsletter to tell us about a book that changed their lives. There’s something here for everyone, so take your pick — and get ready to be inspired.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

This is a book about the story of an unlikely friendship between Finch, who's fascinated with dying, and Violet, who's living for the future in the wake of her sister's death. Both have much to learn from each other. All the Bright Places really shows that, no matter what tragedy or hardship you may have faced, you eventually just have to get back out there and live your life. —Mikaila C.

Get it from Amazon for $7.99+, Barnes and Noble for $8.49, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

As an American-Nigerian, this book spoke to me on so many levels — from the simple joy of a text interspersed with the language of my parents, to the struggle of understanding race in terms of the world beyond America. I highly recommend it.—Chikodili Agwuna

Get it from Amazon for $10.99+, Barnes and Noble for $13.07, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Growing up without family to turn to during adolescence, I felt every pain and loneliness that the prince experienced. But The Little Prince taught me to make friends and value them by looking into their hearts — not just into what they projected in public. —Erika, Chicago

Get it from Amazon for $6.51+, Barnes and Noble for $7.51, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.'

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This is the story of two Afghan women who find their lives connected forever. It taught me about the struggles of womanhood, as well as the power and strength of sisterhood, and proves that not all love stories have to be romantic.—Susan M.

Get it from Amazon for $5.43+, Barnes and Noble for $10.94, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

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1.Which of the following doesn’t tell about friendship?

A.All the Bright Places B.Americanah

C.The Little Prince D.A Thousand Splendid Suns

2.Whose book is the cheapest from Barnes and Noble?

A.Jennifer Niven B.Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

C.Antoine de Saint-Exupéry D.Khaled Hosseini

3.Where does the passage most probably come from?

A.a travel guide B.a newspaper

C.a magazine D.a website

高三英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Two recently released books offer significant criticisms of the current landscape of higher education. As to what we should do about those problems, the two books propose completely opposed solutions.

Bryan Caplan, a professor of economics at George Mason University, gives away his big idea in his title, “The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money.” Caplan argues that the primary value of a college degree is in what it “signals” rather than what people may have learned or experienced.

In Caplan’s view, most education is wasted on the young, who are incapable of appreciating or benefiting freedom education. Caplan’s solution is to “stop using tax dollars to fund education of any kind.” He sees a greater role for vocational or trade education, starting early as children fail to show interest or aptitude (资质) in school subjects, which should primarily focus on the “practical”-not art, music or anything else. Caplan even puts in a good word for child labor as an alternative to the schooling they neither enjoy nor appreciate.

Cathy Davidson, director of the Futures Initiative at the City University of New York, offers a different attitude in “The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World in Flux (变化).”

Davidson also believes higher education needs to change, but rather than starving it, she advocates for a broad-based “revolution” that attacks the barriers between students and learning, including educational costs, approaches to curriculum, and how we measure and credential (提供证明) students. Davidson has a chapter on “college for everyone”, examining the potential to innovate community colleges to serve as ladders to social mobility.

Education does need to continue to evolve. But it’s Davidson who has a vision for what education could and should be that’s consistent with the traditional values of freedom, opportunity and progress we associate with education. As to which of these two visions we’d like to follow, we have a choice. I hope we choose wisely.

1.Why does Bryan Caplan criticize the present higher education?

A.It fails to teach students overall knowledge.

B.It spends too much time on ungifted students.

C.It costs students much money for education in college.

D.It wastes students’ time in learning unpractical knowledge.

2.What can we learn from Cathy Davidson’s book?

A.Higher education should be accessible to all students.

B.Government shouldn’t fund college students with tax dollars.

C.The barriers between students and learning won’t be broken down.

D.Community colleges have helped more students achieve social mobility.

3.The two books are introduced in the passage to stress ________.

A.the problems with higher education

B.the necessity of higher education reform

C.the situation of the present higher education

D.the popularity of the two newly released books

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dear Friend,

The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware that there's a huge market out there.

And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year ... plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.

Who are these needed writers? They're ordinary folks like you and me.

But am I good enough?

I was once where you might be now. My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for help.

Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude（潜能）,and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed.

The promise that paid off

The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability:

You will complete at least one manuscript（手稿） suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.

I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.

Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles.

Free test and brochure

We offer a free aptitude test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training.

Realize your writing dream today. There's nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever.

Sincerely,

Kristi

Kristi Holl, Instructor

Institute of Children's Literature

1.From the first three paragraphs, we learn that_____.

A. children’s books are usually bestsellers

B. there is a growing need for writers of children's

C. magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention

D. publishers are making $3 billion each year

2.When finishing the course, you are promised to_____.

A. be a successful publisher

B. become a confident editor

C. get one story or article published

D. finish one work for publication

3.Kristi Holl mentions her experience mainly to_____.

A. prove she is a good instructor

B. give her advice on course preparation

C. show she sold more stories than articles

D. promote the writing program

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dear Friend,

The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware that there's a huge market out there.

And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year ... plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.

Who are these needed writers? They're ordinary folks like you and me.

But am I good enough?

I was once where you might be now. My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for help.

Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude（潜能）, and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed.

The promise that paid off

The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability:

You will complete at least one manuscript（手稿） suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.

I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.

Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles.

Free test and brochure

We offer a free aptitude test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training.

Realize your writing dream today. There's nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever.

Sincerely,

Kristi Holly, Instructor

Institute of Children's Literature

1. From the first three paragraphs, we learn that_____.

A. children’s books are usually bestsellers

B. publishers are making $3 billion each year

C. magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention

D. there is a growing need for writers of children's books

2. When finishing the course, you are promised to_____.

A. be a successful publisher

B. become a confident editor

C. finish one work for publication

D. get one story or article published

3. Kristi Holly mentions her experience mainly to_____.

A. prove she is a good instructor

B. promote the writing program

C. give her advice on course preparation

D. show she sold more stories than article

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dear Friend,

The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware that there's a huge market out there.

And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year ... plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.

Who are these needed writers? They're ordinary folks like you and me.

But am I good enough?

I was once where you might be now. My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for help.

Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude（潜能）, and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed.

The promise that paid off

The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability:

You will complete at least one manuscript（手稿） suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.

I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.

Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles.

Free test and brochure

We offer a free aptitude test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training.

Realize your writing dream today. There's nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever.

Sincerely,

Kristi Holl, Instructor

Institute of Children's Literature

1.From the first three paragraphs, we learn that_____.

A. children’s books are usually bestsellers

B. publishers are making $3 billion each year

C. magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention

D. there is a growing need for writers of children's books

2.When finishing the course, you are promised to_____.

A. be a successful publisher

B. become a confident editor

C. finish one work for publication

D. get one story or article published

3.Kristi Holl mentions her experience mainly to_____.

A. prove she is a good instructor

B. promote the writing program

C. give her advice on course preparation

D. show she sold more stories than article

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When we asked Oprah to pick the 10 books she’s read in the past decade that have mattered to her most, she was momentarily stumped. For someone who describes herself as ―inspired, challenged, and sustained by books, it was almost impossible for Oprah to stay within our limit of 10. Still, she offered up the following, but she emphasized that it was only a sampler of delightful titles that have also managed to teach her — and all of us — a few things．

1. Discover the Power Within You

By Eric Butterworth

256 pages; Harper One

Advice from the internationally known spiritual teacher．

2. A New Earth

By Eckhart Tolle

316 pages; Plume

There’s a reason Oprah picked this for her Book Club in 2008 — and that she gave audience members Post-it pens along with their copies．So much wisdom, so little time! A real-life guide to living your best life．

3. The Poisonwood Bible

By Barbara Kingsolver

576 pages; Harper Perennial

This novel is about a family involved in the political trouble of postcolonial Africa. It established Kingsolver as one of our wisest observers of history, politics, and human nature．

4. Night

By Elie Wiesel

120 pages; Hill and Wang

A memoir（回忆录） of a childhood suffered in concentration camps during the Holocaust. It’s horrific but uplifting. ―I gain courage from his courage,‖ Oprah says．

5. A Fine Balance

By Rohinton Mistry

624 pages; Vintage

A Dickensian novel about India during the Emergency. Like the aftermath of September 11, it teaches us about cultures we haven’t understood. “It takes us out of our own little shell and exposes us to a whole other world out there.” Oprah say．

6. East of Eden

By John Steinbeck

608 pages; Penguin

This classic is about good and evil as played out in a late-19th-century California ranch family. If you didn’t read it in high school, read it now. If you did, reread it!

7. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

By David Wroblewski

576 pages; Harper Collins

A kind of Hamlet on the prairie, this is the wrenching（令人痛苦的） story of a mute boy and his dog． Oprah compares it to East of Eden and To Kill a Mickingbird．

8. The Pillars of the Earth

By Ken Follett

973 pages; Penguin

About the challenges of building cathedrals in 12th-century England. This novel couldn‘t be more different in setting, time, and plot from the author‘s breakthrough success, Eye of the Needle. Oprah declares it simply “great”．

9. The Bluest Eye

By Toni Morrison

224 pages; Penguin

How to choose among the great Morrison‘s novel? Start with this one about a girl who thinks she has to have blue eyes to be beautiful. Oprah considered it one of the best in a crowded Morrison field．

10. The Known World

By Edward P. Jones

400 pages, Harper Collins

When this book was published in 2003, it shocked everybody with its description of slave-owning blacks before the Civil War. A daring, unusual examination of race．

1.The passage is mainly about _______．

A. ten books that have made greatest difference to Oprah

B. an inspiring , challenging and sustainable woman

C. Oprah’s picks from what has taught her a few things

D. the unwillingness of Oprah to share books within a limit of 10

2. Why did Oprah add A Fine Balance to her list?

A． She gained courage from it．

B． It tells about wisdom of human nature．

C． It’s a guide to living a best life．

D． Culture of a different world is exposed．

3. What makes Oprah declare The Pillars of the Earth great?

A． The advice on discovering the power．

B． The story of a mute boy and his dog．

C． The challenges of building cathedrals．

D． The good and evil in a California family．

4. In which book the story was set before the Civil War?

A． In The Bluest Eye. B． In East of Eden.

C． In A New Earth. D． In The Known World.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When we asked Oprah to pick the 10 books she‘s read in the past decade that have mattered to her most, she was momentarily stumped． For someone who describes herself as ―inspired, challenged, and sustained‖ by books, it was almost impossible for Oprah to stay within our limit of 10． Still, she offered up the following, but she emphasized that it was only a sampler of delightful titles that have also managed to teach her --- and all of us --- a few things．

1． Discover the Power Within You

By Eric Butterworth

256 pages; Harper One

Advice from the internationally known spiritual teacher．

2． A New Earth

By Eckhart Tolle

316 pages; Plume

There‘s a reason Oprah picked this for her Book Club in 2008 --- and that she gave audience members Post-it pens along with their copies． So much wisdom, so little time! A real-life guide to living your best life．

3． The Poisonwood Bible

By Barbara Kingsolver

576 pages; Harper Perennial

This novel is about a family involved in the political trouble of postcolonial Africa． It established Kingsolver as one of our wisest observers of history, politics, and human nature．

4． Night

By Elie Wiesel

120 pages; Hill and Wang

A memoir（回忆录） of a childhood suffered in concentration camps during the Holocaust． It‘s horrific but

uplifting． ―I gain courage from his courage,‖ Oprah says．

5． A Fine Balance

By Rohinton Mistry

624 pages; Vintage

A Dickensian novel about India during the Emergency． Like the aftermath of September 11, it teaches us about cultures we haven‘t understood． “It takes us out of our own little shell and exposes us to a whole other world out there．“ Oprah say．

6． East of Eden

By John Steinbeck

608 pages; Penguin

This classic is about good and evil as played out in a late-19th-century California ranch family． If you didn‘t read it in high school, read it now． If you did, reread it!

7． The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

By David Wroblewski

576 pages; Harper Collins

A kind of Hamlet on the prairie, this is the wrenching（令人痛苦的） story of a mute boy and his dog． Oprah compares it to East of Eden and To Kill a Mickingbird．

8． The Pillars of the Earth

By Ken Follett

973 pages; Penguin

About the challenges of building cathedrals in 12th-century England． This novel couldn‘t be more different in setting, time, and plot from the author‘s breakthrough success, Eye of the Needle． Oprah declares it simply

“great”．

9． The Bluest Eye

By Toni Morrison

224 pages; Penguin

How to choose among the great Morrison‘s novel? Start with this one about a girl who thinks she has to have blue eyes to be beautiful． Oprah considered it one of the best in a crowded Morrison field．

10． The Known World

By Edward P． Jones

400 pages, Harper Collins

When this book was published in 2003, it shocked everybody with its description of slave-owning blacks before the Civil War． A daring, unusual examination of race．

1.The passage is mainly about _______．

A． ten books that have made greatest difference to Oprah

B． an inspiring , challenging and sustainable woman

C． Oprah‘s picks from what has taught her a few things

D． the unwillingness of Oprah to share books within a limit of 10．

2. Why did Oprah add A Fine Balance to her list?

A． She gained courage from it．

B． It tells about wisdom of human nature．

C． It‘s a guide to living a best life．

D． Culture of a different world is exposed．

3. What makes Oprah declare The Pillars of the Earth great?

A． The advice on discovering the power．

B． The story of a mute boy and his dog．

C． The challenges of building cathedrals．

D． The good and evil in a California family．

4. In which book the story was set before the Civil War?

A． In The Bluest Eye B． In East of Eden

C． In A New Earth D． In The Known World

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Time flies, but the tracks of time remain in books and museums. This is what made a recent tragedy in Brazil even more terrible.

On Sept.2, a big fire ripped through the National Museum of Brazil. “ Two hundred years of work, research and knowledge were lost, ” Brazilian President Michel Temer wrote on Twitter after the fire. “It's a sad day for all Brazilians.”

Most of the 20 million pieces of history are believed to have been destroyed. Only as little as 10 percent of the collection may have survived, Time reported. Among all the items, there were Egyptian mummies, the bones of uniquely Brazilian creatures such as the long－necked dinosaur Maxakalisaurus, and an 11,500－year－old skull called Luzia, which was considered one of South America's oldest human fossils.

Besides these, Brazil's indigenous(本土的，土著的) knowledge also suffered. The museum housed world－famous collections of indigenous objects, as well as many audio recordings of local languages from all over Brazil. Some of these recordings, now lost, were of languages that are no longer spoken.

“The tragedy this Sunday is a sort of national suicide, a crime against our past and future generations,” Bernard Mello Franco, one of Brazil's best－known columnists, wrote on the O Globo newspaper site.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, as BBC News reported on Sept. 3. After the fire burned out, crowds protested outside the museum to show their anger at the loss of the irreplaceable items of historical value.

According to Emilio Bruna, an ecologist at the University of Florida, museums are living, breathing stores of who we are and where we've come from, and the world around us.

Just as underwater grass floats on the surface if it loses its roots, a nation is lost without its memories. The fire at the National Museum of Brazil teaches the world an important lesson: We should never neglect history.

1.What can be summarized as the main idea of the 3rd and 4th paragraphs?

A. Long history of South America.　　 B. Remains from the fire.

C. Mysteries to be solved.　　 D. History and knowledge burned up.

2.What opinion may be shared by Bernard Mello Franco and the protesters?

A. The government is to blame for the tragedy.

B. The museum should be rebuilt

C. The loss can't be made up for.

D. The criminal should be sentenced to death.

3.What does Emilio Bruna compare museums to?

A. Living stores of our past.　　 B. Underwater grass.

C. The oldest fossils.　　 D. National suicide.

4.What may be the best title of the passage?

A. Death of a civilization　　 B. Functions of museums

C. Gone with the fire　　 D. Brazilians' memories

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

On a recent trip to the island of Newfoundland, Canada, my husband asked our talkative cab driver what made him most proud to be from there.

“Our generosity and hospitality (好客),” he replied in a strong local accent. “Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, someone will stop to help. People here are kind like that.”

His answer lingered in my mind during that ride with my husband and teenage kids, as we headed out to explore on the first day of our vacation.

Little did I know we were about to experience some of that remarkable Newfoundland kindness for ourselves.

We met Alma that same morning at the start of a long hike.

Our teenagers hurried ahead, and as we walked behind, admiring the scenery, two women in sunglasses and summer hiking gear stopped.

They’d heard us discussing different routes, then asked if we’d like suggestions.

They looked to be in their 40s, and were both enthusiastic to share their local expertise.

We listened eagerly, taking mental notes, until one of the women asked, “You have a car, right?”

I explained that there were no cars available during our week on the island, so we had to rely on cabs instead.

“Oh no,” she said, “you need a car.” And then, as casually as if offering a piece of chewing gum (口香糖), she said: “Take mine!”

Dumbfounded, my husband and I just smiled in disbelief.

“Why not?” She insisted. “You need a car to get to know all these places.”

“But you don’t even know us,” I said.

“That doesn’t matter,” she continued with absolute determination.

Stunned, I looked over at her friend, who shrugged and said, “That’s Alma.”

Forty minutes of talking later, my family climbed into Alma’s car.

We spent the rest of our vacation discovering different areas of this beautiful island.

But it wasn’t the groups of whales we saw, or the vast areas of woodland, that made this place so memorable.

Instead, it was the act of kindness from a complete stranger that made us realize how special Newfoundland really was.

Next year, there’s no doubt where we’ll be taking our summer vacation. Who knows what act of kindness we’ll meet then?

1.What problem did the author’s family have in Newfoundland?

A.They couldn’t understand the local accent.

B.Their car broke down on the first day.

C.They got lost during a hike.

D.They didn’t have a car.

2.The underlined word “dumbfounded” in Paragraph 12 is closest in meaning to ______.

A.shocked B.satisfied

C.relieved D.embarrassed

3.What impressed the author most during her stay in Newfoundland?

A.The talkative cab driver.

B.The whales swimming.

C.The beautiful scenery of the island.

D.The help from an enthusiastic stranger.

4.What can we infer about the author from the last paragraph?

A.She is looking forward to meeting Alma once more.

B.She expects to visit Newfoundland again.

C.She hasn’t decided where to go next year.

D.She also wants to be kind to others during vacation.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

As a nation we are becoming more aware of the food we and our children are eating.The recent campaign to improve school dinners by celebrity(名人) chef Jamie Oliver has helped raise awareness of our fast food lifestyles.While we may be trying to eat more healthily，it seems we still have some bad habits.

•Healthy eaters or just trendy?

Are there certain things that you do and don’t eat and why？With so many food programmes and books telling you what you should and shouldn’t eat to be healthy，it’s hard to make choices.

Some people are vegetarians for moral reasons，some don’t like the taste of meat and there are one or two people who do it because it’s trendy.Likewise，it can be trendy to follow the latest celebrity’s diet because it’s what the famous are doing.

•Eating out

People are eating out more often now，not just on special occasions as in the past.The choice of restaurants has also diversified.Italian，Chinese and Indian restaurants have been around for years but have now been joined by Mongolian，Japanese，Mexican and so on.Bars and pubs are still popular for food and often promote English cuisine made with local produce.

“We enjoy eating out a couple of times every month whether with friends or just as a couple.We like trying new things so we go to different restaurants.” said Craig,25，County Durham.

•Eating on the go

From chocolate bars to sandwiches more people are eating on the go—on the street，in cars or on buses and trains.While our parents and grandparents may frown at this behaviour，considering it to be bad manners，people eat on the go because they are rushing from one place to another.And in the home the number of people sitting down at a dining table for their evening meal is on the decrease as meal times become more informal.

“If I’m running late for work I don’t think twice about eating toast in the car or on the bus but I know my mum wouldn’t approve，” said Stacey,24.

1.What can we infer from the text?

A．Our parents think highly of the eating habits mentioned in the text.

B．We should get rid of the bad habits and try to be healthier.

C．Japanese restaurants have been around for years.

D．It’s good for people to eat out more frequently.

2.People find it difficult to decide what to eat to keep healthy because ________.

A．different programmes and books have different ideas about healthy eating

B．there are many celebrities having different diet styles

C．what the famous are doing is different from ours

D．they have some bad eating habits

3.The underlined word “diversified” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”．

A．made a great change

B．made a big difference

C．had a rapid increase

D．had a wide variety

4.Craig often goes to different restaurants because ________.

A．he likes trying new things

B．he follows the latest celebrity diet

C．he enjoys the meal with his friends

D．he has more special occasions to celebrate

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析