A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages．
The theme: The main theme is a teenage research of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age．Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries．As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more．You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going．”
The characters: James is the hero of the story．He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母)．Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother．The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically．
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother．The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie．It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there．
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother．With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found．James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels．The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel．He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before．Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness．As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending．Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home．”
【小题1】What is the main theme of the novel?

A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages．
The theme: The main theme is a teenage research of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age．Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries．As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more．You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going．”
The characters: James is the hero of the story．He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母)．Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother．The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically．
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother．The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie．It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there．
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother．With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found．James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels．The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel．He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before．Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness．As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending．Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home．”
【小题1】What is the main theme of the novel?

C
Perhaps you have never heard of Katherine Lawes．Katherine was the wife of Lewis Lawes, warden （监狱长） at Sing Sing Prison from 1920 to 1941．In these 21 years he made many reforms --- and an important part of his success was due to his wife Katherine．
Katherine took seriously the idea that the prisoners are human beings ,worthy of attention and respect ．She regularly visited inside the walls of Sing Sing．She encouraged the prisoners, took things to them and spent time listening to them．Most importantly, she cared about them．And as a result, they cared deeply about her．
Then one night in October of 1937, news was "telegraphed" between the prison cells that Katherine had been killed in an accident．The prisoners asked the warden to allow them to attend her funeral．He agreed to their strange request and a few days later the south gate of Sing Sing swung slowly open．Hundreds of men who had committed almost every crime imaginable marched slowly out of the prison, later gathered again at the gate and returned to their cells．There were so many that they proceeded unguarded．But no one tried to escape．If he had, the others might have killed him immediately．So devoted were they to Katherine Lawes, the woman who daily walked into Hell to show the men a piece of Heaven．
Katherine' s strength was to see the men less as prisoners and more as individuals．Thomas Moore once said, "We can only treat badly those things or people whose souls we show no respect for．"
54．When Katherine's husband was the warden at Sing Sing Prison, she did the following things EXCEPT_______________．
A．encouraging the prisoners               B．visiting the prison houses
C．doing some writing for the prisoner    D．spending time in listening to the prisoners
55．Why did the prisoners ask the warden to allow them to attend Katherine’s funeral?
A．Because Katherine didn't look down upon them and cared about them．
B．Because Katherine was the wife of the warden．
C．Because Katherine made reforms in the prison．
D．Because Katherine had been killed by one of them．
56．Whom does the underlined part “the others” refer to?
A．The policemen at the funeral．           B．The other prisoners．
C．The guards．                            D．The policemen from other prisons．
57．The best title of this passage is_________．
A．Katherine Lawes' s Life                        B．Reforms at Sing Sing Prison
C．To Honor Their Souls                           D．To Meet Their Requirement

A. Pacha London  www.pachalondon.com

The world’s most historic club is set in a building of the 1920s beautifully decorated in its original oak paneling and features an impressive glass ceiling. You can enjoy beauty, style and elegance when clubbing at London’s most historic night club Pacha and appreciate works of some famous musicians.

B. Amika London  www.amikalondon.com

Amika plays host to the new super elite (精英) who are seeking the latest fashion trends. A unique playground designed for fun. It is the final destination for major players and glitterati (上层人士) alike. It features table reservations & bookings, events and corporate bookings.

C. SeOne Club London  www.seonelondon.com

SeOne is one of London’s largest music clubs. Situated in the north of London, SeOne consists of five rooms. It can be broken down into smaller spaces and can be used for parties as small as 100 people. SeOne Club has attracted all kinds of promoters and event organizers, from corporate giants to dance promoters.

D. Koko Club  www.koko.uk.com

Situated at 1A Camden High Street, Central London, Koko Club represents a versatile (通用的), 21st-century club. It’s very adaptable so it can be used for anything---from small comedy to international music awards. A must visit!

E. Bar Rumba  www.barrumba.co.uk

Located in London’s west end, Bar Rumba is one of London’s leading late night clubs. Playing funk, jazz, Afro-beat, Latin, Cuban, salsa, drum & bass, break beat. It has an amazing sound system for dance music. Every night it delivers a different beat---from hip hop to Latin dance, from grime to jazz.

F. Club Colosseum  www.clubcolosseum.com

Situated in 1 Nine Elms Lane. Vauxall, London, Club Colosseum won the world’s best club award in 1999. Now it features a new VIP room, a spectacular riverside bar with a view all over London & the River Thames.

下面是几位人员的情况简介，请匹配他们感兴趣的休闲场所。

1.Michael is a great painter and has just moved to London from America. On his arrival, Michael was struck by the beautiful Thames. He dreams of going to a famous night club where he can easily appreciate the unique view of the river.

2.Nancy comes from Japan and wants to go to a world-famous night club with a long history to help her know more about the British culture. Besides, Nancy likes to listen to great musical masterpieces.

3.Laura is crazy about dancing and enjoys different dances with fascinating dance music. Now she is in search of a night club that can offer her quality dance diversity.

4.Lily would like to celebrate her eighteenth birthday at a proper night club next week. She intends to invite over a hundred friends and relatives to her birthday party, most of whom are working in northern London and are true music lovers.

5.Harry is the general manager of a large company in London and he would like to go to a night club which is fashionable. What’s more, it should be suitable for someone of his status.

 He is such a lazy man _______ nobody wants to work with him.

A．that              B．as               C．whom            D．who