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The Costa Book Awards consistently pick winners that are both of the moment and subsequently endure. It's our pleasure to confirm this year’s Category Winners.
First Novel Award Winner
Book: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Author: Gail Honeyman
Eleanor is 31 years old; work finishes on a Friday and begins again on a Monday. Between, her only company will be two bottles of vodka and her own solitary, unique wit (機(jī)智). It is contentment, of a kind, but an unexpected shared experience suddenly opens the door to possibility. Challenging reader expectations with a living, breathing character, Gail Honeyman’s debut (初次登臺、開張)is a funny and moving diamond.
Biography Award Winner
Book: In the Days of Rain
Author: Rebecca Stott
The Exclusive Brethren were a closed community who believed the world is ruled by Satan. Into this is born Rebecca. Her father had been an influential Brethren Minister. As her father lay dying, he begged her to help him write the memoir. He wanted to tell the story of their family who for generations had all been members of a fundamentalist Christian sect.
Poetry Award Winner
Book: Inside the Wave
Author: Helen Dunmore
To be alive is to be inside the wave, always travelling until it breaks and is gone. These poems are concerned with the borderline between the living and the dead — the underworld and the human living world – and the acutely intense being of both.
Children's Award Winner
Book: The Explorer
Author: Katherine Rundell, Hannah Horn
Four children survive their aircraft plunging into the Amazon jungle, but for Fred and his friends it’s only the beginning of a cruel battle for survival. Brimming with adventure and a real command of character and incident, Rundell has few peers in superb children's fiction.
1. What kind of life does Eleanor lead?
A. boring and lonely. B. funny and touching.
C. exciting and complex. D. ordinary and happy.
2. Why did Rebecca Stott write In the Days of Rain?
A. To introduce beliefs of the Exclusive Brethren.
B. To help her father fulfill his last wish.
C To share the life of fundamentalist Christians.
D. To pass on her family traditions.
3. For a young adventurous soul, which book seems more appealing?
A. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine B. In the Days of Rain
C. Inside the Wave D. The Explorer
【答案】1. D 2. B 3. D
【解析】
【分析】這是一篇應(yīng)用文。文章給讀者介紹了四本獲獎的書籍，包括它們的書名、作者以及內(nèi)容等。
【1題詳解】
推理判斷題。根據(jù)First Novel Award Winner部分的Eleanor is 31 years old; work finishes on a Friday and begins again on a Monday. (31歲的Eleanor，周五結(jié)束一周的工作，星期一又開始。)和It is contentment, of a kind, but an unexpected shared experience suddenly opens the door to possibility.(這是從某方面來說是一種滿足，但是一個意外的分享經(jīng)歷突然打開了可能性的大門)可推測，Eleanor過著平淡而幸福的生活。D. ordinary and happy.(普通而幸福)符合以上說法，故選D項。
【2題詳解】
細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)Biography Award Winner部分的Her father had been an influential Brethren Minister. As her father lay dying, he begged her to help him write the memoir. (她的父親曾是一位有影響力的牧師，當(dāng)她的父親在彌留之際，他懇求她幫他寫回憶錄)可知，Rebecca Stott 寫In the Days of Rain 是為了完成父親的遺愿。B. To help her father fulfill his last wish.(為了幫助她的父親實現(xiàn)最后的愿望)符合以上說法，故選B項。
【3題詳解】
推理判斷題。根據(jù)Children's Award Winner部分的Four children survive their aircraft plunging into the Amazon jungle, but for Fred and his friends it's only the beginning of a cruel battle for survival. (飛機(jī)墜入亞馬遜叢林，四個孩子幸免遇難，但對弗雷德和他的朋友們來說，這只是殘酷的生存之戰(zhàn)的開始)可知，The Explorer這本書主要講述了四個孩子的冒險生存的經(jīng)歷。由此推測，The Explorer對喜歡冒險的孩子來說有吸引力。D. The Explorer符合以上說法，故選D項。
