崭新的世界

四川 蒋建平

从“我”两岁起，妈妈每晚都要为“我”读书。 八年前，妈妈开了一家儿童书店。 从此，“我”进入一个崭新的世界。

397 难度 ★★★ 建议用时文章词数 7分钟

Good afternoon, everybody. I am April.

Eight years ago, I got the biggest present of my life. After reading me books every night since I was about two, my mom opened and ran a children's bookstore. I still remember the day I stepped into the warm, lovely place. Sunshine glowing on the bookshelves, I smelled the scent of books for the first time. And I still remember the happy moment my mom held me in her arms and read me a book.

“In an old house in Paris

That was covered with vines,

Lived twelve little girls

In two straight lines.”

Time passed, and I grew from a little kid who was often mistaken for a boy to a big girl. However, the love of reading has been kept unchanged, except that I don't suck my fingers anymore while I'm reading.

Surrounded by books, I am enthusiastic about reading. I bring a book with me wherever I go. I read in restaurants while I'm waiting for a meal. I read in the metro on my way to school. I read every night before I go to sleep. To read is to voyage through time, to visit places you would never otherwise know and to experience a world of imagination, adventure, and discovery.

Take Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as an example. When I read that book, I fell with Alice into her Wonderland. There, rabbits can talk and play cards, and cats can vanish at will. As I read that book, my mind kept wanting to return to Wonderland and experience all this nonsense again.

One of the amazing things about reading is that when you're reading, you're engaging in a conversation with the author. When reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, I feel like I'm accompanying the author as he travels through space and time. His deep curiosity about the world and encyclopedic（百科全书的） knowledge of these topics impressed and touched me.

There's one thing I know for sure: reading will be a life-long love for me. I read because loving one life is just not enough. Today I stand here to share my reading stories with you because I believe that reading can light up the whole world. So, why not surround yourself with books, sit down quietly,and enjoy the words, the pictures, and how they fit together so beautifully?

Thank you.

Reading Check

1. What is the genre of this text?

A. A novel. B. A lecture. C. A report. D. An interview.

2. What does the underlined phrase “the biggest present” in Para. 2 refer to?

A. Books. B. My mom.

C. The bookshelves. D. A children's bookstore.

3. Why does the author mention Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the text?

A. To prove the function of reading. B. To introduce the story in the novel.

C.To show the attitude towards reading. D.To recall the past about the author's reading.

4. What does Para. 7 mainly talk about?

A. The feelings of reading a masterpiece.

B. The writing techniques applied in a book.

C. The interaction with the author during reading.

D. The contents of A Short History of Nearly Everything.

Language Study

Complete the summary writing with only one word or with the words given in their proper forms.

When I was 2, my mom read books for me every night and she 1. __________（establish） a bookstore. Since then, I have been addicted 2. _________reading. Reading benefits me in two 3. _________. Firstly, reading is exploring unknown time and places, 4.________allows me to experience a world of imagination, adventure, and 5. __________（discover）. Secondly, reading 6. __________（mean） having a meaningful communication with the author. For these two reasons, I will take reading as my life-long hobby throughout my life.

Cultural Background

《万物简史》

该书为比尔·布莱森所著，是一部有关现代科学发展史的、既通俗易懂又引人入胜的书，作者用清晰明了、幽默风趣的笔法，将宇宙大爆炸到人类文明发展进程中所发生的繁多妙趣横生的故事一一收入笔下。 本书2003年5月在美国出版后，连续数十周高居《纽约时报》《泰晤士报》排行榜前列，荣登亚马逊网站2003年度十大畅销书之列。