As summer approaches, a lot of people will be in search of a great book to read while they are relaxing on the beach or by the pool. Here we have made a list of four e-books that we think are great summer reads.
Stark by Ben Elton--- If you have read a lot of books then you may know that Ben Elton is  one of the funniest writers around the world. This book is one of his best pieces of work to date and it will certainly leave you in hysterics(狂笑). You may find yourself laughing out loud constantly when reading this book.
1984 by George Orwell---there is a big chance that some of you may have read this book ,but even if you have, it’s still well worth reading again. This is a great holiday book and it will shock you constantly due to the accuracy of the book. The book was actually written in 1948 and was written about what the author (George Orwell) fell the world would be like in 1984,and he was pretty spot-on .This book is thrilling and will probably leave you a little scared at the end of it.
The Road---This book is a fantastic read and will leave you hanging on edge all the way through it. This book is quite dark, however, and it certainly had some shocking moments throughout. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic(浩劫后的) world where modern life has been destroyed and in which there is no wildlife and a lot of humans have actually turned to cannibalism(同類相食).This book is fantastic if you enjoy a thrilling read that will leave you on the edge of your seat every few seconds. This certainly isn't a book for the faint of heart.
The Theory of Everything by Stephen Hawking---If you haven’t read this book yet then you really must .If you’re looking for a non-fiction and highly informative book for your summer then this is the book for you. This book was written by Professor Stephen Hawking and is extremely famous.
【小題1】What is the text mainly about?

A．An introduction to four e-books that are great summer reads.

B．Advice on how to choose great e—books for summer reads.

C．The contents of four e-books that are famous around the world

D．People’s opinion on reading e-books on the beach.

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Ben Elton is the funniest writer all over the world.

B．If you’ve read 1984, there’s no need to read it again.

C．The Road presents a world in which there are no humans.

D．The Theory of Everything is full of information that is helpful to readers.

【小題3】We can learn from the passage that____________

A．George Orwell wrote what the world in 1948 was like in his book

B．Readers will surely be scared after reading 1984.

C．The Theory of Everything is a work of popular fiction.

D．Readers who are fond of comedies may like to read Stark

【小題4】If Mark likes reading thrilling and exciting stories, which of the following should he choose?

A．Stark

B．1984

C．The Road

D．The theory of Everything

【小題5】In which section of a magazine would you most probably read the text?

A．Literature

B．Travel

C．Lifestyle

D．Nature.

There are some topics that readers never grow bored with, and the search for a suitable partner（伴侶） is one of them. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, first published in 1813, tells the story of five young women, all of whom are looking for a husband. In order to fully understand the novel, the readers must know that at the time when Jane Austen was writing, if a family was not rich, the daughters needed to marry well in order to live a comfortable, independent life. That is the reason why Mrs. Bennet, the mother of the five girls, is so eager to have her daughters married.
The heroine of the story is Elizabeth Bennet, and as in all good romantic novels, she and Darcy, the man she finally marries, remain separate until the very end of the story. The wealthy Darcy is a proud, unsociable man, and when Elizabeth hears that he has insulted both her and her family, she dislikes him very much. Poor Darcy then falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth, and has to work terribly hard to persuade her to change her mind about him. He succeeds of course, and they live happily ever after.
Set at the turn of the 19th century, the novel is still attractive to modern readers. It has become one of the most popular novels and receives great attention from literary scholars（學者）.Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic（戲劇的）and a lot of novels and stories modeling after Austen’s memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.
Jane Austen is rightly famous for her style. Her sentences have a wonderful rhythm（韻律）, and she makes such clever, true comments about people. It is not surprising that Pride and Prejudice has lasted.
【小題1】In the 19th century, a poor girl in Britain was often encouraged to           .

A．master the skills of writing	B．marry the one she loved
C．obey her parents	D．change her life by marrying rich

【小題2】The underlined word “insulted” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to           .

A．treated warmly	B．paid no attention to
C．had mercy on	D．said something rude about

【小題3】What do we know about Elizabeth and Darcy?

A．They’ve experienced ups and downs but get married in the end.

B．They both come from poor families and wish to marry rich.

C．They get separated from each other shortly after being married.

D．Darcy falls over and gets hurt but Elizabeth still loves him.

【小題4】According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice _________.

A．was first published in 1813 and sold 20 million copies soon

B．tells a sad love story which moves generations of readers

C．inspired many other novels and many plays have been produced based on it.

D．is set at the turn of the 19th century and not well received worldwide

A winter wonderland on the outskirts of Quebec City has become one of Canada's hottest attractions and most sought out accommodations. Guests stay close for warmth in sleeping bags on beds of ice, hats pulled over their ears to prevent frostbite, while sipping cocktails (雞尾酒) in glasses also made of ice.
A cool place to host a memorable wedding or for a romantic getaway, the Quebec Ice Hotel has attracted 600,000 curious tourists, including 30,000 who stayed overnight, since opening seasonally 11 years ago. Like Victoria and Jeremy Martin, dozens of couples will exchange vows (誓約) this winter in a temporary church next to the hotel, made entirely from blocks of ice with seats covered in furs.
Average temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees C (minus four F) in winter, but inside the hotel's 36 rooms it is relatively comfortable. Thick walls of packed snow and ice act as an insulator, trapping body heat inside. Each room is uniquely decorated, using designs created by Quebec architecture students. Two hotel bars also sell special cocktails in ice glasses.
First-time guests of the hotel, however, are recommended to stay only one night as sleeping in sub-zero temperatures is not very refreshing. This year for the first time the ice hotel has teamed up with a brick and concrete Quebec City hotel to offer packages(全套服務) for one-night accommodations at each. Prices for one night only at the ice hotel start at 200 US dollars per person.
The 3,000-square-metre (32,300-square-feet) buildings take six weeks starting in December to build, using 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice, at a cost of some 750,000 US dollars. Eleven weeks after its seasonal grand opening, the hotel will close on March 27 and then melt away with the arrival of spring.
【小題1】What is true with the ice hotel?

A．630,000 people have visited it.

B．Its rooms all look alike.

C．It stays open for two months each year.

D．Wedding ceremonies are often held there.

【小題2】The underlined word “insulator” in Paragraph 3 possibly refers to something that ______.

A．stops heat passing through it

B．collects and reflects light and heat

C．makes things become very cold

D．works like an air-conditioner

【小題3】First-time guests are advised to stay there only one night because _______.

A．they may not be able to stand the cold

B．their other night is with an ordinary hotel

C．new guests have no advantages over old ones

D．they may find the beds made of ice too hard to sleep on.

Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. When a person does a certain thing again, he is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, then a habit is formed. Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of. It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits. Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live. Older persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by them.　　
There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help. Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty and so on.
　　Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on. These are all easily formed habits. Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided(避免).
　　We should keep away from(遠離) all these bad habits, and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others.
【小題1】________ are formed little by little.

A．Good habits	B．Bad habits
C．Both good habits and bad habits	D．Either good habits or bad habits

【小題2】The underlined word "them" in the first paragraph refers to ________.

A．bad habits

B．good habits

C．children

D．other persons

【小題3】Generally speaking, it's difficult for one _____ and easy for them _____which should be avoided.

A．to form bad habits; to form good habits

B．to form good habits; to form bad habits

C．to form such habits as will be good; to get rid of bad habits

D．to get rid of bad habits; to form good habits

【小題4】Why should we pay much attention to the formation of habits?

A．Because habits are of great help to every one of us.

B．Because a man can never get rid of a habit.

C．Because it's hard and sometimes even impossible to throw away bad habits.

D．Because we are forced to do them again and again.

【小題5】According to the passage, early rising ________.

A．has something to do with success

B．is an easily formed habit

C．is such a habit as should have been avoided

D．is such a habit as will be kept

What kind of job do you want to do in the future ? One that earns the most money or one that gives you the highest social position? What about a job that makes you feel happy? Surprisingly, these three things do not always go together in the job world .
According to a general social survey by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago in the US, the ten happiest jobs are not those with better pay or higher social position. They are ordinary jobs.
But what is it that makes a “happy” job?
Researchers found that people are happier when they feel they are doing something worthwhile. Six of the top ten happiest jobs are based heavily on helping others, such as firefighters, teachers, and physical therapists(理療師 ).
Being able to express oneself is also important for people to feel satisfied . Take authors as an example. Their pay is “ridiculously low or non-existent”, but “the freedom of writing down the contents of your own mind leads to happiness ,”wrote business author Steve Denning on his blog on Forbes.com.
These jobs are greatly different to the top ten “hated jobs”, according a website survey earlier this year. Director of information technology, sales manager, technical specialist and others that are generally considered respectable jobs are on the list.
Todd May from The New York Times didn’t find the results strange. He argued that
“ a meaningful life must, in some sense then , make people feel worthwhile”. If a person doesn’t participate in the causes “ that are generally regarded as worthy, like feeding and clothing the poor, their life will lack meaning ,”he said . Work takes up the greater part of most people’s  lives . It’s no wonder that the people with the most worthwhile jobs are the happiest of all.
However, it’s important to remember that these two surveys are broad ones and that it doesn’t matter whether your dream job is on the two lists. Now it is the time to think about the future . After all, something that satisfies your mind will always bring you happiness.
【小題1】According to the passage , which of the following is probably a happy job?

A．A marketing manager	B． An engineer of IT
C．A teacher of art	D． A technical expert

【小題2】Steve Denning thinks that being an author is happy mainly because authors_____.

A．are helpful to others

B．can be free to express themselves

C．earn much money

D．are considered respectable

【小題3】From the passage we learn that_________.

A．the more you earn , the happier you are

B．respectable jobs are happy jobs

C．the higher your social position is , the happier you are

D．most happy jobs are related to helping others

【小題4】In the last paragraph the author stresses that_________.

A．your future job should be one that makes you happy

B．your dream jobs should be based on the two surveys

C．the two surveys are of great importance

D．it won’t be easy to find a job in the future

Through history, children have played with toys and they help to prepare children for adult life. But the toys are changing all the time. As science and technology have changed the way adults live, the toys children play with have changed as well. Developments in science and technology have had a big effect on the toys that children play with. Today trains and mobile phones are popular toys for young children, but there were no toys of this kind before real trains and mobile phones were invented.  The materials that toys are made of have also changed.  Today lots of toys are made of plastic. Plastic is a modern, man-made material that did not exist (存在) in the past. On the other hand, some other toys that you have might not be all that different from the ones children played with 1,000 years ago. Scientists have found some bone dice (骰子)in Aberdeen. In medieval (中世紀的)times dice were used for playing games as much as they are today.
A recent survey found that half of all the children aged from 4 to 6 have played video games, a quarter of them regularly. The increasing use of electronic toys troubles Dr Singer, a professor at Yale. “One thing we know is that kids in early years need to be in touch with the real world,” he said, “No matter how brilliant they are, they’re not going to learn to walk, to move or to talk to others unless their hands or feet have a direct role in such activities.”
Some toy experts argue that the best toys are the ones that increase a child’s creativity and imagination. Traditional toys can be used for different kinds of purposes and be used in group settings, individually(單獨地), and one-to-one. They are also used differently depending on the child’s age and skill level. And these toys made of natural materials are valuable for children because they teach children what the world is made of.
【小題1】In how many ways do toys change according to the first paragraph?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D． Four.

【小題2】From the article, we can know that     .

A．only children like to play with toys

B．toys have nothing to do with children’s future life

C．the development of toys is related to science and technology

D．plastic is the best material for making toys

【小題3】According to Dr Singer,     .

A．the electronic toys are good for children if they play often enough

B．the electronic toys prevent children keeping in touch with the real world

C．children should be stopped from being hurt by the danger coming from the outside world

D．children should play with electronic toys instead of the traditional ones

Recently, a  professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book called MoneyandtheMeaningofLife. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day­to­day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.
He says that our relation with others often becomes clearly defined when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you have a very good friend. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn't. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.
Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.
Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich?
Answer: The most surprising thing is why people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I do not know much. All I am is rich.
People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.
【小題1】The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money ________.

A．is a good way to test your friendship

B．will do harm to your friendship

C．will strengthen your friendship

D．is a good way to break off your friendship

【小題2】What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?

A．He does not feel that he is well educated.

B．He does not think that he is a very important person.

C．He does not think that being rich is worth so much attention.

D．He does not consider himself to be very successful.

【小題3】What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?

A．Money is an end.	B．Money is a means.
C．Money is everything.	D．Money is unimportant.

【小題4】Which of the following might the author disagree with?

A．Money is important in modern society.

B．The meaning of life does not completely lie in money.

C．Wealth will surely bring the owner happiness

D．Happiness is not necessarily the result of wealth.

Say sorry to your wife---it may help her live longer, according to scientists.
“Sorry” may be the hardest word, but scientists say it could be one of the healthiest. Researchers have discovered that women who receive an apology for hurtful behavior suffer less stress and possible damage to their heart than those who don’t.
It is said that the heartbeat of a wronged woman returns to normal 20 percent quicker after a well-timed “sorry” than without it. But for men, their heartbeat takes longer to recover, according to the research.
The research was undertaken by American scientists using 29 men and 59  women whose diastolic blood pressure was measured throughout an experiment. Diastolic blood pressure
is a measure of pressure in the blood vessels( 血管 ) between heartbeats---if it is continuously high it can increase the chances of heart attacks.
The men and women were asked to undertake a difficult mathematical task. They were told they had five minutes to complete it but were disturbed after a minute and told rudely to carry out the task more quickly. They were disturbed twice more before five minutes had passed and told to speed up. Finally they were told, “ You’re obviously not good enough.” Two minutes later researchers said sorry to half of the men and women.
The researchers found that, on average, the women’s diastolic blood pressure dropped back to normal 20 percent---quicker if they received an apology from the researchers, while the men’s took 20 percent longer to return to normal. One of the researchers said, “Results indicates that the effects of apology and forgiveness on women are greater.”
【小題1】The term “sorry” is considered as one of the healthiest words because it _________.

A．is the most powerful

B．can cure heart disease

C．helps people forget hurtful behavior

D．can reduce pressure and damage to the heart

【小題2】We can know from Paragraph 3 _________.

A．women’s hearts beat faster than men’s

B．women are quicker at making apologies

C．men can forgive others’mistakes more easily than women

D．men stay angry for a longer time than women after receiving an apology

【小題3】Which of the following is the RIGHT time order for events in the study?
a. Half of them received apologies.
b. They were disturbed a minute later.
c. They were told that they weren’t good enough.
d. They were asked to finish a math task in five minutes.
e. They were disturbed two more times during the study.

A．d-b-c-e-a

B．d-c-b-a-e

C．d-b-e-c-a

D．d-c-b-e-a

【小題4】The research confirmed (證實) that _________.

A．men are unwilling to apologize to others for their mistakes

B．men’s chances of getting heart attacks are higher than women’s

C．women can benefit more from receiving apologies than men

D．people can also get healthy benefits from giving apologies