Harry Potter lovers around the world may want to thank Alice Newton. She was eight years old when her father brought home a manuscript for her to read. At the time, he was working for Bloomsbury Publishing.
After reading the manuscript, Alice wrote a note to her father: "The excitement in this book made me feel warm inside," she wrote. "I think it is probably one of the best books an 8 or 9 year old could read."
Based in part on Alice's comments, Bloomsbury went on to publish "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."
Alice's note to her father is part of the British Library's new exhibition, "Harry Potter: A History of Magic." It celebrates the 20th anniversary of the publication of J.K. Rowling's first book about Harry and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
When "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was released in 1997, Bloomsbury sent just 500 copies to stores in Britain and another 500 copies to British libraries.
Now, Harry and his friends are known worldwide.
The exhibit at the British Library in February includes Rowling's outline for her books, her artwork of its characters and a map of the Hogwarts School. It also includes early versions of Rowling's books that were rejected by other publishers.
The show has two rooms. They are divided up based on the subjects offered at Hogwarts. Areas include Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Each area describes the stories and beliefs that Rowling included in her books.
Included in the exhibition are discussions of alchemy, the European traditions that led to modern chemistry, and the Ripley Scroll--a six-meter-long document from the 1500s. It describes how to make a Philosopher's Stone.
The British Library has already sold about 30,000 tickets to the exhibit—the most advance tickets ever sold for a British Library exhibition.
The show closes on February 28, 2018. It will then travel to New York for the 20th anniversary of the release of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the book's title in the United States.
【小题1】Why does the writer mention Alice Newton at the beginning of the text?

A．To prove the popularity of the following paragraphs

B．To introduce the topic of the following paragraphs

C．To remind readers to love books as Alice Newton does

D．To encourage readers to read Harry Potter series more often

【小题2】Which is NOT included in the British Library’s new exhibition, “Harry Potter: A History of Magic.”?

A．Rowling’s outline for her books

B．A map of the Hogwarts School

C．Rowling’s early published books

D．The very note to her father by Alice

【小题3】Which of the following statements is true?

A．Thanks to Alice and her father, Harry Potter series gained popularity

B．As soon as the first Harry Potter was available, it became the best seller

C．The exhibition of Harry Potter: A History of Magic will last two months in Britain

D．The exhibition will include discussions about modern chemistry

Maaseik, a city in Belgium, has opened an exhibition of about 200 relics and treasures of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 907 AD), showing China's golden age of ancient civilisation (文明).
The exhibition, which opened on May 11 and will continue until Oct. 20, is part of the city's effort to create a centre of Chinese culture. Belgian Princess Mathilde formally announced the beginning of the exhibition, titled “China's Golden Age:    Treasures from the Tang Dynasty”.
The items, including gold plates and silver wares for royal families, Tang Dynasty tri-colour glazed figurines (小雕像of women and paintings, have recently been on exhibit in the Dutch city of Assert.
All of the exhibited items are from Shaanxi Province, China. Its provincial capital Xi'an was the most populous (人口多的）city in the world and once the capital of the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang period is generally regarded as a high point in Chinese civilisation一equal to, or better than that of the earlier Han Dynasty (202 BC—220 AD), a golden age of Chinese culture.
Several years ago, said Dirk Verlaak, vice-mayor of Maaseik, his city and Assen teamed up to host history and culture exhibitions of China's first two imperial dynasties,the Qin (221 BC—206 BC) and the Han. The Chinese relics and treasures attracted 350,000 visitors in Assen and 190,000 in Maaseik.
“Westerners don’t know much about China's ancient civilisation and history, and we hope the new exhibition in Maaseik can attract more visitors,” said Verlaak.
【小题1】Maaseik held the exhibition in order to       .

A．make money	B．educate people
C．attract foreign visitors	D．spread Chinese culture

【小题2】Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Dirk Verlaak is    interested in Chinese history

B．All the items in the exhibition are from China

C．Assert attracted more visitors than Maaseik several years ago

D．This is the first time that Maaseik has held such an exhibition.

【小题3】What's Dirk Verlaak's attitude toward the exhibition?

A．Doubtful.	B．Consent.
C．Worried.	D．Excited

【小题4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Tang Dynasty Treasures Exhibited in Belgium

B．Tang Dynasty Treasures Discovered in Belgium

C．Chinese Culture Goes Around the World

D．Chinese Civilisation Attracts Foreigners

A new TV series in England, Away from it all, has surprised everyone by becoming a huge success with young people across the country. Its success is surprising because 【小题1】 main character in the series is a shepherd, and the series is about the relaxing and different 【小题2】 (lifestyle) of people who live in the country. There is none of the actions that we usually see on TV today. There are also no stressful moments, busy offices or 【小题3】 (crowd) cities. Away from it all 【小题4】 (set) in the peaceful English countryside and tells simple stories about people’s kindness.
The director of the TV series says that its success is a sign of teenagers 【小题5】 (suffer) from stress. He says that watching Away from it all 【小题6】 (help) teenagers forget about the pressures of exams and homework, and the troubles 【小题7】 fill the world today.
【小题8】 the series’ success might have a good side, many teachers and parents are worried They say that some of their students and children are becoming couch potatoes and are using Away from it all as an excuse for not completing homework. Some children have even refused to learn for exams because they say that they can only achieve 【小题9】 (person) happiness by avoiding stressful situations 【小题10】 (complete).