Historian Tom Holland is the award-winning author of Rubicon, Persian Fire and Millennium. He appears regularly on radio, TV and in print. His latest book Dynasty is published in paperback. He shares the books that changed his life.
Moominsummer Madness
By Tove Jansoon
What I love about this book, as a child and still today, is its mix of the fantastical and normal. On the one hand, it’s about a family and their friends all enjoying themselves, quite happy not doing much. On the other hand, it’s about characters that can change into strange shapes, magicians coming down from the moon and strange creatures coming out from the roof. That mix of the familiar and extraordinary informs all my writing.
The Histories
By Herodotus
By the time I was 12, I was attracted by Ancient Greece and Rome. At first, I found the early section of The Histories really boring because it’s like a long story that never gets to the point. In the second half I was rewarded with the stories I’d been waiting for, like the battles of Marathon, Salamis and Thermopylae. Over the years, I came to value the infectious curiosity of the first half and the description of the world in the fifth century BC seen through the eyes of this extraordinary Greek historian.
A Distant Mirror
By Barbara W. Tuchman
Tuchman’s book The Guns of August won the Pulitzer Prize, but it’s this slightly less wellknown work that provided me with a role model for my own writing. Both scholarly (学术的) and interesting, it’s a description of the 14th century in Western Europe and brings medieval civilization (中世纪文明) to life, transporting the reader back to the horror of the Black Death, the Peasants’ Revolt and the Great Papal Schism. I felt I knew what it was like to die of the plague (瘟疫) or to have a sword put through me — real stories told outstandingly.
【小题1】What do we know about Moominsummer Madness?A.It’s both typical and imaginary. |
B.It tells the writer’s life stories. |
C.It’s undervalued by readers. |
D.It features family struggles. |
A.It’s quite stupid. |
B.It’s entertaining. |
C.It’s culturecentered. |
D.It’s hard to understand. |
A.The Histories. |
B.A Distant Mirror. |
C.The Guns of August. |
D.Moominsummer Madness. |
I arrived home from work, my mind racing. I was scheduled to perform an experiment using a pricey piece of equipment, but I had spent the whole day worrying about the experiment which was on the top of my agenda (日程), and I amazingly longed to shut off my anxious thoughts. So after dinner, I made a cup of hot chocolate, stretched myself on my sofa, and opened a page. Almost instantly, my mind left behind the details of experimental design and stepped into a land of monsters, magic dust, and man-like bears comprising a wonderful world distinct (不同的) from my daily life. It was exactly what I needed.
Growing up, I was virtually never a big fan of novels. My classmates would be crazy about the latest Harry Potter book, while my copy sat collecting dust on a shelf. Instead, I would choose to read through the reference books related to my academic fields for better grades. After I started graduate school, extracurricular reading didn’t appeal to me at all but I spent most of my time on campus digesting research papers and textbooks and my mind couldn’t handle processing fact-filled nonfiction books at home, too. So I knew that I needed to find a way to enjoy reading again.
To help me stick with it, I made a New Year’s resolution: I would read two fiction books per month for the entire year. The result was an almost instant appreciation of fiction, along with many unexpected results including ones that have benefited my schoolwork.
What surprised me the most was how much I learned. Some of the best books I read were historical fictional stories happening in a realistic historical setting. I learned about life in different countries, as well as struggles people there faced during difficult periods in their histories. The books have helped me build sympathy and understanding, with an unexpected benefit: I’ve started to think more deeply about the diversity of issues in the scientific community and could serve it, heart and soul.
【小题1】What did the author do to wipe out the anxiety?A.He drowned it in chocolate. | B.He conducted an experiment. |
C.He slept on the sofa leisurely. | D.He escaped into a fantasy world. |
A.Reading novels was a waste of time. |
B.Reading a good book was time well spent. |
C.He was too busy to take good care of his books. |
D.The Harry Potter book wasn’t as good as expected. |
A.More sympathy went out to him. |
B.His moral values were strengthened. |
C.He learned much about religious diversity. |
D.He gained new insight into his academic fields. |
A.Reading: A Lifelong Hobby | B.The Power of Research Papers |
C.Novels: Love at Second Sight | D.The Benefits of History Reading |
How do you deal with hunger of your stomach? Eat your favorite meal and keep quiet after that?
Once you read a book, you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you.
This is nothing but creativity.
So guys, do give food to your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading.
A.Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading. |
B.Also this makes a great contribution to your vocabulary. |
C.Reading can help you make more friends as well. |
D.Now what are you waiting for? |
E.Just like your stomach, your mind is also hungry. |
F.Why not do some reading while you are hungry? |
G.The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. |
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has called for a return to the classics of English literature in schools, but are they still appropriate for today’s children?
A quick scan of any list of the most read children’s books will reveal(揭示) that today’s young people are growing up in a very different literary environment from their parents.
Gone from bedroom bookshelves are the Famous Five and the Chronicles of Narnia. And in their places are the likes of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid. And as for the 19th Century classics of English literature, such as Emily Bronte and Charles Dickens, many children simply have not heard of them.
One south London mother, Geri Cox, explained how her daughter’s Year 5 class was to be named this year after the literary giant, Jane Austen. But the class teacher soon had second thoughts when the suggested name was met with blank stares. “My daughter came back and said they weren’t going to be called Austen class anymore, because not many people had heard of her. Instead, the class was to be named after Rowing, the Harry Potter author.”
Ms. Morgan argues that children will miss out if they do not have access to “our rich heritage(遗产) of world-famous children’s literature”. But perhaps these more modern books are able to do the job of lighting the literary touch paper just as well. A spokesman for Penguin Random House Children’s books said: “Millions of children are readers because of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Jeff Kinney’s work is perfect for turning unwilling readers on to books.”
According to Seni Glaister, children’s books expert, the mix of type-face and art is a big part of the attraction. “It means the text does not look frightening and that it will therefore appeal to unwilling readers.”
【小题1】Who enjoys the greatest popularity among children?A.Jeff Kinney. | B.Jane Austen. |
C.Emily Bronte. | D.Charles Dickens |
A.Teachers learn less about their students. |
B.Children often stare blankly at their teachers. |
C.Year 5 class should select their own literary giant. |
D.Children don’t like reading literary classics today. |
A.Unclear. | B.Positive. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Confused. |
A.It belongs to one of literary classics |
B.It was written by a writer in 19th century. |
C.It turns out to be a great success among children. |
D.It isn’t well-received by experts on children’s books. |
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