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Top Six Most Challenged Books in 2017
Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) in the States tracked 354 challenges (formal attempts to remove or restrict access to library materials and services) to library, school, and university materials and services in2017. Some individual challenges resulted in requests to restrict or remove multiple titles. Overall, 416 books were targeted. Here are the "Top Six Most Challenged Books in 2017”.
1
Thirteen Reasons Why
By Jay Asher
Originally published in 2007. this New York Times bestseller has resurfaced as a debatable book after Netflix aired a TV series by the same name. This young adult novel was challenged and banned in multiple school districts, for it discusses self-killing.
4
GEORGE
By Alex Gino
Written for elementary-age children, this Lambda Literary Award winner was challenged and banned because it includes a transgender child.
2
Drama Written and illustrated
By Raina Telgemeier
This Stonewall Honor Award-winning, 2012 graphic novel from a much-admired cartoonist was challenged and banned in school libraries because it includes confused sexual orientation characters and was considered "confusing.”
5
To Kill a Mockingbird
By Harper Lee
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, considered an America classical, was challenged and banned because of violence and its use of the N-word to insult black people.
3
The Kite Runner
By Khaled Hosseini
This multigenerational novel praised by many critics was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to "lead to 'terrorism" and "promote IsIam.”
6
The Hate U Give
By Angie Thomas
Despite winning multiple awards and being the most searched-for book on Goodreads during its debut(首秀) year, this young adult novel was challenged and banned in school libraries and curricular because of drug use and offensive language.
1.These six most challenged books are all________.
A. prize winners or well received by the public
B. written for curious young adults in schools
C. banned and challenged in nationwide libraries
D. involved with violence and aggressive language
2.Which of the following would be removed from school libraries to avoid misleading kids into racialism?
A. The Hate U Give. B. To Kill a Mocking bird.
C. The Kite Runner. D. Thirteen Reasons Way.
3.It can be concluded from the passage that in the States_______.
A. OIF is responsible for the challenges reported from local schools and universities
B. the government is challenged by intellectual freedom in public materials and services
C. issues like mental illness, drug use and sex education really concern the government
D. best sellers and prize winners are often questioned and rejected by the public
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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See our editors’ top 5 picks in print books and Kindle books, and discover our editors’ picks for the best books of the year.
# 1 Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
by David Grann
In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grami revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. Based on years of research and new evidence, the book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction.
Kindle: $14.99 Hardcover: $ 17.37 Paperback: $15.36
# 2 Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the fierce pull of motherhood and the danger of believing that following the rules can avoid disaster,
Little Fires Everywhere is the perfect gift for the holidays!
Kindle: $13.99 Hardcover: $ 20.96 Paperback: $ 12.95
# 3 Bear Town
by Fredrik Backman
It is a novel about a forgotten town bothered by scandal and the amateur hockey team that might just change everything into a better place. Winning a junior ice hockey championship might mean everything to the residents of Beartown.
Kindle: $10.99 Hardcover: $ 12.95
# 4 Exit West
by Mohsin Hamid
Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, Exit West tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.
Kindle: $12.99 Hardcover: $ 15.73 Paperback: $11
# 5 Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
by Yuval Harari
Yuval Noah Harari, author of the international phenomenon Sapiens, returns with an equally original and attractive book, turning his focus toward humanity’s future, and our quest to upgrade humans into gods.
Kindle: $17.99 Hardcover: $ 28.95 Paperback: $22.99
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1.Which author’s book would make a good Christmas gift?
A. Yuval Harari. B. Mohsin Hamid. C. Celeste Ng. D. David Grann.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Killers of the Flower Moon is a sci-fi for staff in FBI
B. Bear Town tells the story of a hockey team’s growth.
C. Homo Deus is as famous as Sapiens internationally.
D. Exit West is a love story that will not be out of date.
3.Where would you most probably find this text?
A. On a website. B. In a magazine. C. In a brochure. D. In a book ad.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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On a wet Wednesday evening in Seoul, six government employees gathered at the office to prepare for a late-night patrol(巡逻). The mission is to find children who are studying after 10 p. m. and stop them.
In South Korea, it has come to this. To reduce the country’s addiction to private, after-hours tutoring academies(called hagwons), the authorities have begun enforcing a curfew(宵禁令)—even rewarding citizens for turning in violators.
But cramming(临时死记硬背)is deeply anchored in Asia, where top grades have long been prized as essential for professional success. Before toothbrushes or printing presses, there were civil service exams that could make or break you. Chinese families have been hiring test preparation tutors since the 7th century. Nowadays South Korea has taken this competition to new extremes. In 2010, 74% of all students engaged in some kind of private after-school instruction, sometimes called shadow education, at an average cost of KRW 2, 600 per student for a year. There are more private instructors in South Korea than school teachers, and the most popular of them make millions of dollars a year from online and in-person classes. When Singapore’s Education Minister was asked last year about his nation’s reliance on private tutoring, he found one reason for hope, “We are not as bad as the Koreas. ”
In Seoul, legions of students who failed to get into top universities spend the entire year after high school attending hagwons to improve their scores on university admission tests. And they must compete even to do this. At the prestigious Daesung Institute, admission is based on students’ test scores. Only 14% of applicants are accepted. After a year of 14-hour days, about 70% gain entry to one of the nation’s top three universities.
South Koreans are not alone in their discontent. Across Asia, reformers are pushing to make schools more “American”—even as some U. S. reformers make their own schools more “Asian”. In China, universities have begun fashioning new entry tests to target students with talents beyond book learning. And Taiwanese officials recently announced that kids will no longer have to take high-stress exams to get into high school. In South Korea, the apogee of extreme education, gets its reforms right, it could be a model for other societies.
The problem is not that South Korea kids aren’t learning enough or working hard enough, but that they aren’t working smart. When I visited some schools, I saw classrooms in which a third of the students slept while the teacher continued lecturing, seemingly undisturbed.
The government has repeatedly tried to humanize the education system, but after each attempt, the hagwons come back stronger. But this time, its reforms are targeting not just the dysfunctional symptom but also the causes. It is working to improve normal public schools by putting teachers and principals through rigorous(严格的)evaluations—which include opinion surveys by students, parents and peer teachers—and requiring additional training for low-scoring teachers. At the same time, the government hopes to reduce the pressure on students. Admissions tests for high schools have been abolished. Middle schoolers are now judged on the basis of their regular grades and an interview. And 500 admissions officers have been appointed to the country’s universities, to judge applicants not only on their test scores and grades but also other abilities.
1.The six government employees were asked to .
A. arrest the students who work late at night
B. reward citizens who turn in violators
C. conduct a survey among students
D. prevent students from studying too late
2.In Paragraph 3 toothbrushes and printing presses are mentioned in order to .
A. tell us that they were invented in Asia
B. show that hagwons play an important role in people’s daily life
C. show that private tutoring has a long history
D. tell us that civil service exams are of equal importance as them
3.What can be concluded from the passage?
A. Hagwons are the source of South Korea’s educational problem.
B. Students in South Korea don’t learn efficiently.
C. It is the teachers and headmasters who are to blame for the educational problem.
D. Private tutoring is not common in Singapore.
4.The main point of the last paragraph is that .
A. it is very difficult to get rid of hagwons
B. the causes of hagwons have been found
C. teachers will have a hard time because of the reforms
D. the government is determined to reform the present education system
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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If 62 is the number in red on the top of your math test, for most of us, it's a total disaster. Your entire week is ruined, and 62 is what races through your head for the rest of the day. If 9 is the number of likes on that cute photo you posted the other day, many will feel rather disappointed.
Our lives have become a constant system of ranks, assessments, and numbers. The days of passing judgment on others based on personality are gone, and now we judge based on how good a person's numbers are. We compare ourselves to the numbers of others, such as how low another person's weight is how high their paycheck. Self-worth is no longer based on quality of character, but quantity of numbers.
In today's social media consumed society,it has never been easier for people to broadcast their numbers to the world.A simple click of a button can take you to a page where you can observe the number of friends or followers a person has. Teenagers have taken on this mentality that if you don't have a certain number of followers, then you aren't“cool”. Many feel they are not important if very few people are witnessing their status updates. This state of mind is harmful and not at all accurate.Twitter and Facebook can let the world witness your updates, but they will never let anyone see who you really are. In the end.self-worth should be based on what you think of yourself, not what the world thinks of you.
So next time you receive a failing grade or you lose a follower, remember that these things cannot and should not define(定义)you. You are not your numbers. You are a person-a3-D living and breathing person with ideas and creativity and love that the rigidity of numbers cannot represent. You are the things you love and the things you laugh at and the way you treat others.
1.How does the author sound in Paragraph 2?
A. Regretful. B. Conservative. C. Doubtful. D. Friendly.
2.According to the passage,teenagers believe it cool to .
A. display their status updates B. post their daily doings online
C. win recognition on social media D. define their self-worth themselves
3.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Numbers make What You Are B. You Are More Than a Number
C. It's Your Number That Matters D. Let's Stop Sharing Our Numbers
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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Amazon Charts
The Top Five Most Sold & Most Read Books of the Week
No. 1 It — Now a major film BY STEPHEN KING
Stephen King’s terrifying, classic # 1 New York Times bestseller, “a landmark in American literature (Chicago Sun-Times)”— about seven adults who return to their hometown to fight a nightmare they had first been troubled with as teenagers…an evil without a-name: it.
Readers of Stephen King know that Derry, Maine, is a place with a deep, dark hold on the author. It reappears in many of his books, including Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis and 11/22/63. But it all starts with It.
No. 2 A Column of Fire — # 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY KENFOLLETT
In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral looked down on a city split by religious conflict. As power in England shifted dangerously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clashed, testing friendship, loyalty and love…
No. 3 A Game of Thrones — NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES BY GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
From a master of contemporary fantasy comes the first novel of a landmark series unlike any you’ve ever read before. With A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin has launched a genuine masterpiece, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Mystery, intrigue, romance and adventure fill the pages of this magnificent saga, the first volume in an epic series sure to delight fantasy fans everywhere.
No. 4 The Cuban Affair — INSTANT # 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY NELSON DEMILLE
Brilliantly written with his signature humor and real experience from his research trip to Cuba… Nelson DeMille is a true master of genre.
No. 5 Sleeping Beauties BY OWEN KING, STEPHEN KING
In this spectacular father/son collaboration, Stephen King and Owen King tell the “highest of high-stakes stories: What might happen if women disappeared from the world of men?”
In a future so real and near that it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep. And while they sleep, they go to another place, a better place, where harmony prevails and conflict is rare…
1.According to the article, which book is co-authored?
A.It B.A Game of Thrones
C.The Cuban Affair D.Sleeping Beauties
2.According to the passage, which books have been adapted for television or the big screen?
A.It and A Game of Thrones B.Origin and The Cuban Affair
C.A Game of Thrones and Origin D.Sleeping Beauties and A Column of Fire
3.According to the article, which of the following statements is true?
A.The Cuban Affairs is a novel written with a serious tone.
B.The story in A Column of Fire is set in a modern European country.
C.It describes a frightening story set in Derry, a location familiar to readers of Stephen King.
D.The author of A Game of Thrones has also written other books, including Bags of Bones.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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Books You’ll Need For Your Shelf In Fall 2017
♦ Swing Time
- By Zadie Smith
The author of countless essays has a new work of fiction on the way, and, once again, she’s looking at young women of color finding their lives as they grow into adulthood. In Swing Time, it’s two friends who share a passion for dancing. As the women reach their 20s, they part ways — but their friendship continues throughout their lives.
♦ Another Place You’ve Never Been
-By Rebecca Kauffman
Her collection is a set of connected stories, each about a young woman named Tracy who lives and works as a waitress. The stories follow Tracy from childhood to present day, through parties into the working world. Some are showed by Tracy herself, but we’re given a fuller view of her character from stories told from eyes of others.
♦ Moonglow
-By Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon drew inspiration for his new novel from stories his grandfather told in 1989 — stories of a colorful life that touched on unexpected bits of history. It promises to bear all of Chabon’s best qualities: amazing accounts, real and knowable characters, and a taste of top humor.
♦ Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?
-By Kathleen Collins
Kathleen Collins died in 1988 at just 46. Written several decades ago, the stories offer an honest, artful peephole into the thoughts and experiences of the black people and women about whom Collins writes.
1.If Andy wants to read something funny, whose book can be recommended?
A. Zadie Smith B. Michael Chabon
C. Kathleen Collins D. Rebecca Kauffman
2.In which part of a library can we probably find Swing Time?
A. Math B. Women
C. History D. Medicine
3.The book Another Place You \e Never Been is written by following .
A. order of time B. order of space
C. order of importance D. order of emergency
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Recently, the list of the 2017 top 10 most-used slang phrases has been released.
1．Awkward chat
If you often surf 1. Internet, you’ll know what a typical "awkward chat" is like. It shows that the person who is making the conversation awkward is either really bad at socializing or that they just don't want to bother coming up with 2. (response). Awkward chat is gaining its place among young people 3. have been living under a lot of pressure. Instead of constantly 4. (try) to avoid embarrassment, young people are starting to feel the need 5. (stay) true to themselves.
2. Can you free-style?
On the music program The Rap of Chin,a last year, judge Kris Wu asked many rappers this question. 6. (usual), rappers use lots of slang in their lyrics and make them thyme. Freestyle rapping, an important skill which rappers can have, 7. (mean) that they think up lyrics randomly and then deliver them.
3．Beat a call
Originally coming from Japanese, the phrase "beat a call" refers to a cheering dance that 8. (perform) by people obsessed(迷恋的)with pop culture. They jump, clap and wave glow sticks for their idols onstage. Now the application of the phrase is even 9.(broad). It's used to show support and approval for people, things or events. In October, Xinhua News Agency used it in an article 10. the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads.
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
There are some books I would never pick up if it weren' t for review purposes and Frankly in Love is one of therm. I bad heard of this book and seen it all over Goodreads.
Within the first few pages of this book, I was all in. I think part of what was so engaging is that it's from he viewpoint of Frank Li, a teen of high school.
Game of Stars by Sayantani Dasgupta
Just like any 12-year-old girl, Kiran is just tying to figure out who she is. Unlike other 12-year-old girls, however, she has to0 deal with titles like "princess and "demon slayer (魔鬼杀手)”. She happens to be a princess from the Kingdom Beyond, a world where gods and demons existed. Now it is up to her to save the kingdom and be the hero.
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
This is a remarkable book. The depth of the story went far beyond my expectations. The author paints a picture of Lincoln, a portrait (肖像) of strength, determination, and sacrifice in the face of personal and national disaster. Although some readers may find it rude to use a great leader of the United States in a fictional action book for entertainment, Grahame Smith tries to preserve an air of dignity and honor in the character of Lincoln.
1.What does the book Frankly in Love probably show to readers?
A.A world in a teen's eye.
B.The building of a new country.
C.The life of a famous politician.
D.Ways of becoming a top student.
2.If you don't like to read about sex, which do you prefer?
A.Frankly in Love
B.Game of Stars
C.Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
D.Cosmopolitan
3.What is special about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?
A.It's about a romantic painter.
B.It is a collection of pictures.
C.It' s about a country leader.
D.It tells the true life of the author.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads.
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
There are some books I would never pick up if it weren' t for review purposes and Frankly in Love is one of therm. I bad heard of this book and seen it all over Goodreads.
Within the first few pages of this book, I was all in. I think part of what was so engaging is that it's from he viewpoint of Frank Li, a teen of high school.
Game of Stars by Sayantani Dasgupta
Just like any 12-year-old girl, Kiran is just tying to figure out who she is. Unlike other 12-year-old girls, however, she has to0 deal with titles like "princess and "demon slayer (魔鬼杀手)”. She happens to be a princess from the Kingdom Beyond, a world where gods and demons existed. Now it is up to her to save the kingdom and be the hero.
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
This is a remarkable book. The depth of the story went far beyond my expectations. The author paints a picture of Lincoln, a portrait (肖像) of strength, determination, and sacrifice in the face of personal and national disaster. Although some readers may find it rude to use a great leader of the United States in a fictional action book for entertainment, Grahame Smith tries to preserve an air of dignity and honor in the character of Lincoln.
1.What does the book Frankly in Love probably show to readers?
A.A world in a teen's eye.
B.The building of a new country.
C.The life of a famous politician.
D.Ways of becoming a top student.
2.If you don't like to read about sex, which do you prefer?
A.Frankly in Love
B.Game of Stars
C.Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
D.Cosmopolitan
3.What is special about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?
A.It's about a romantic painter.
B.It is a collection of pictures.
C.It' s about a country leader.
D.It tells the true life of the author.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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If you put a buzzard（秃鹰） in a pen(围栏) six to eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be a prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten to twelve feet. Without space to run, it will not even attempt to fly, but remain a prisoner for life in a small prison with no top.
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is to shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight height from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
A bumblebee (大黄蜂), if dropped into an open tumbler(平底玻璃杯), will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but insists on trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists until it completely destroys itself.
In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above them.
1.Why does a buzzard choose to stay in a pen?
A. Because it is safe to live there.
B. Because it gets used to living there.
C. Because it cannot take off within an limited area.
D. Because it lost its ability to fly.
2. The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means “ .”
A. to run slowly B. to move slowly
C. to pace slowly D. to fly slowly
3.A bumblebee will completely destroy itself for .
A. it does not look for a way out above
B. it is dropped into an open cage
C. it does not try to find a way to escape
D. it hurts itself while flying
4. In which way are many people similar to a buzzard, an ordinary bat and a bumblebee?
A. They are overcoming all their problems and frustrations.
B. They are all content with the things as they are.
C. They choose to give in to problems and frustrations.
D. They do not seek new ways to deal with difficulties.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析