Four books that will inspire you to travel around the world

 There's truly nothing like travel when it comes to gaining perspective（远景）and exposing yourself to other cultures. To get you in the adventuring mood, we asked Amazon Senior Editor Chris Schluep to help us come up with a list of books that transport readers to another time and place. Below, see his list of four books that will inspire you to travel the world. For more information, please click Amazon. com.

SEATTLE: Where You'd Go, Bernadette?

Price: $16.73

    Maria Semple's first novel is not exactly a love story to Seattle, but if you read it you just might want to come here to see if people are really as self-involved as the characters in her book. What really shines through is the strange storytelling and the laughs. Buy it on Amazon.

ITALY: Beautiful Ruins

Price: $16.29

This book written by the popular author Jess Walters is a love story that begins on the Italian Coast in the early 60s and eventually appears on the screen in Hollywood. With the settings of the background from Italy to Edinburgh to Los Angeles, you will find yourself longing to go as well. Buy it on Amazon.

ENGLAND: Wolf Hall

Price: $15.57

You can't travel to Thomas Cromwell's England without a time machine, but reading Hilary Mantel's prize-winning novel is the next best thing. It will make you long to see the ancient buildings and green grass of the English countryside, much of which is still there. Buy it on Amazon.

NANTUCKET: Here's to Us

Price: $17.16

Elin Hilderbrand has built a writing career out of writing about her hometown island of Nantucket. Her latest is Here's to Us, which, perhaps not surprisingly, is a great beach read.

21. Whose book has been made into a film according to the text?

  A. Hilary Mantel’s.                   B. Jess Walters’.

  C. Maria Semple’s.                    D. Elin Hilderbrand’s.

22. What can you buy if you have only $32?

  A. Beautiful Ruins and Where You’d Go, Bernadette.

  B. Where You’d Go, Bernadette and Wolf Hall.

  C. Beautiful Ruins and Wolf Hall.

  D. Wolf Hall and Here’s to Us.

23. What do the four books have in common?

  A. They have the same price.

  B. They have the similar content.

  C. They have the similar background.

  D. They have the same place of sales.

24. Where does the text probably come from?

  A. A website.    B. A magazine.   C. A newspaper.       D. A textbook.

It’s easy to blame (责备) technology for having damaged our social abilities, since most people feel more comfortable chatting online than meeting face to face. But this is actually a “chicken-and-egg” problem. It’s possible that social networking is damaging our ability to socialize offline. As people rely more and more on typed words and emoji, their emotional sensitivity is decreasing. “You can’t learn non-verbal expression of feelings from a screen in the way you can learn it from face-to-face communication,” Yalda Uhls, a researcher at the University of California said. “If you’re not practicing face-to-face communication, you could be losing important social skills.”

A study in 2013 found that people unlocked their phones more than 100 times on average per day. Constantly checking your phone----a symptom of the phenomenon called FOMO (fear of missing out)----is also distracting people from face-to-face communication. 

But for people who already suffer from social anxiety, the Internet is a safe barrier (屏障) for them to function normally. Behind that barrier, they feel more comfortable saying what they want without the risk of embarrassment. For them it’s much easier to look at a phone than to look at someone in the eye. Social media may even help with offline communication. In a study, US teenagers who are afraid to talk to the opposite sex were asked to approach a boy or a girl online first before talking to them in person. “Once they felt like they were doing okay online, then they could continue the conversation face to face in a more comfortable state,” a researcher said. “The anxiety was lessened by using technology.”

25. What’s Yalda Uhls’ opinion on online communication? 

A. It can replace face-to-face communication.     

B. It helps people convey more meaning.  

C. It has both advantages and disadvantages.      

D.  It causes people to lose social skills.

26. What's the meaning of the underlined word in the second paragraph?

  A. prevent             B. protect          C. attract          D. confuse

27. Why is the Internet a safe barrier for some people? 

A. They find it dangerous to see a phone.            

B. It can avoid much embarrassment.

C. They can say whatever they want.           

D. It can free them from social anxiety.  

28. According to the last paragraph, how do teenagers benefit from social media? 

A. They get less nervous in offline communication.   

B. They find it easy to talk to the opposite sex.  

C. They learn to chat with others online.  

D. They make more friends online.  

Joanna Cole, born on August 11, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, has been credited to be one of the most popular children’s authors of all time. She has written over 250 books and is famous for writing one of the most popular children’s book series. She knew as early as early as 5th grade that she was interested in writing and science. Cole has owed a large part of her passion to one of her elementary school teachers.

Joanna Cole continued her education by attending the University of Massachusetts and Indiana. She would eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the City College of New York in 1967 after graduation, Cole decided to take some education courses to become a librarian at a Brooklyn elementary school in 1967. Eventually, she would take jobs working for Newsweek, Seesaw book club.

Cole’s passion for writing and science was still alive and well during this time. In 1971 she decided to write her first book, Cockroaches. She did some research and discovered there had never been a book written for children about cockroaches. So she thought she would be the first.

Cole struck gold when she wrote the first Magic School Bus in 1985. The book would go on to be published the following year and quickly became book series and cartoon series due to its success.

Cole continued to write both nonfiction and fiction books for children. She writes in a way that will hopefully inspire children to think like a scientist. She does this by writing ideas instead of just facts. She also tries to ask questions in her books that require children to think and discover the answers as they read. This creates an engaging experience for children, so it is no wonder why younger readers are hooked on her books.

29. When Joanna Cole was young, she ________.

A. was very popular with children      B. got inspired by one of her teachers

C. began her career of writing novels   D. knew what she would do in the future

30. What does the underlined phrase probably mean?

A. made a fortune    B. made a promise    C. got ideas    D. obtained help

31. What do we know about Joanna Cole?

A. She is the most famous woman writer in America.

B. She writes novels not only for kids but for adults.

C. She is an expert at getting science across to readers.

D. She has made great contributions to science.

32. What kind of person is Cole in the passage?

A. positive and brave    B. popular and reliable

C. serious and honest    D. talented and creative

One event that helps educate young people about things they can do for others is National Youth Service Day (NYSD). Every year on this day, organizations all over the country celebrate young volunteers, educate young people about how they can help their country, and invite them to participate in service projects. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said, “National Youth Service Day honors young volunteers and is an invitation to others to join hands and do our part as Americans.”

Founded in 1988, NYSD originally took place on a Tuesday. Now the event lasts from Friday until Sunday so that more people can participate in it. More than 200 organizations work together to create thousands of projects each year. Millions of young people across the United States take part in these service projects.

Long before the event, people, community groups, schools, and nonprofit organizations think of ways to meet their communities’ needs. Then, they plan projects for young volunteers. Projects include bringing food to hungry people, tutoring younger children and helping senior citizens. During the event, young people from the community do things like planting neighborhood gardens and cleaning up local parks.

The organizations that contribute to NYSD believe that volunteering and community service are important activities for people of all ages, but especially for young people. Young people who volunteer are more likely to do well in school, vote, and contribute to charities. More important, they help other people and make the world a better place for everyone.

33. The aim of National Youth Service Day is to _______.

A. educate young people on responsibility  

B. invite young people to meet each other

C. encourage young people to serve others     

D. celebrate the growth of young people

34. On National Youth Service Day, young volunteers will _______.

  A. do some cleaning in public places            B. prepare food for hungry people

  C. plant vegetables and fruit                D. help old people to learn

35. The purpose of writing this passage is to _______.

  A. warn young people not to affect their schooling during volunteering

  B. keep a record of how young people celebrate their festival

  C. introduce an event — National Youth Service Day

  D. advise young people to be cooperative when volunteering

Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited sometimes, loving your parents is a normal part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part a source of who you are.    36   

   Tell them you love them every morning. A gentle “good morning” and “I love you” will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into his this world. Without your parents, we might still wander at an unknown world. Respect them more and cherish these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them, when you’re off on your own. It’s OK to get angry but angry actions don’t help you or your parents.    37     After this, share your feelings with your parents.

   Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don’t get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it’s cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes. Forgiveness is the key.   38   

      39     Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. Listen to their old stories and learn from them. You will find they are your teachers in this way or another.

   Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example.    40     Parents do not have a right to harm you.

A. Keep company with them.

B. Learn to forgive and you will become a better person.

C. Here are some effective ways to love your parents.

D. Seek help if you are being mistreated in any way.

E. The following ways can help you know your parents better.

F. Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?

G. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friends.