And the Mountains Echoed

By Khaled HOsseini

ASIN: B009XIXVU6

Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel that explores the many ways in which brothers and sisters nurture, would, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another, and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.

The Secret Life of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd

ASIN : B000W4RFBQ

From the author of The Invention of Wings and set in South Carolina in 1964, the bestselling novel tells the story of Lily Owens, an escaped black girl taken in by three black beekeeping sisters and introduced to their attractive world of bees and honey. This is a remarkable novel about great female power and it’s regarded inspirational. It was adapted into an award-winning movie in 2008.

Just Dreams

By L. J. Taylor

ASIN: B00N6IRDGW

Just Dreams is the first book in the Brooks Sisters Dreams Series. Lawyer file Kathy Brokks agrees to represent Charles Morgan Jr. in a high-profile case against a powerful government defense contractor. But when Charles’ hidden agenda threatens to expose the government’s dirty little secrets, what started out may cost Kathy her career and even her life.

21. What is the ASIN number of the book manly telling family stories?

A. B01N7L0WCA B. B009XIXVU6

C. B000W4RFBQ D. B00N6IRDGW

22. Who probably intended his or her book to encourage women to face challenges bravely?

A. Emily Walters B. Khaled Hosseini

C. Sue Monk Kidd D. L. J. Taylor

23. Which book might be the best choice if Lucy is interested in adventurous and romantic stories?

A. The Handsome Enemy B. And the Mountains Echoed

C. The Invention of Wings D. The Secret Life of Bees

24. What do we know about Just Dreams?

A. The heroine defends the government bravely in the case but is faced with danger

B. This book is one of the series of A Thousand Splendid Suns

C. The film adapted from the book is very successful

D. It may be thrilling to read the book

B

When I was a freshman, on Christmas break I went home and looked through the bags of clothes Mom intended to give away. I took a baggy red shirt, for I needed something to wear in art class. Mom was surprised. She wore that when she was pregnant with my younger brother.

The red shirt became a part of my college wardrobe. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday morning when I cleaned. When I became pregnant, I wore the red shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family. But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 15 years earlier. That Christmas, thinking of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her “real” gift, she said the red shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again. The next year, when my husband and I moved the kitchen table, I noticed something red taped to its bottom. It was the shirt! And so the pattern was set.

On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad’s mattress. Two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The red shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.

Years later, my husband and I divorced. With my three children, I prepared to move back to Illinois, depressed. Suddenly I saw the stained red shirt. I smiled. After unpacking in our new home I visited her, and I hid it in her bottom dresser drawer. Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I discovered the red shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet. The shirt was Mother’s final gift. Mother died three months later.

I was tempted to send the red shirt, faded but in decent shape, with her to her grave. But I’m glad I didn’t. my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art. And every art student needs a baggy red shirt to wear to art class.

25. Where did the author get the shirt for the first time?

A. In art class in college B. In unwanted bags of clothes

C. In her college wardrobe D. In the kitchen

26. How did the shirt help the author?

A. The shirt relieved homesickness from the author

B. The shirt made her find a good job at a radio station

C. The shirt was the only clothes that the author had for art class

D. The shirt was the cheapest gift to give to her Mom for Christmas