Read the text. Then choose A, B, or C for the best answers to the given questions.

Book of the Month 

Home and Family magazine talked to Pamela Darby, author of the new book Time Management. Here's some of the advice that she gives: 

Making time for special treatments and things you enjoy is important. You make time for a lot of things that you don't enjoy, like work and housecleaning. Choose something that you really like to have done, make an appointment, and go. You could get your nails done or have someone massage your back. The important thing is to choose something that you enjoy having done. 

Accept offers of help. People are so used to doing things on their own, that they don't think about letting people help them. If someone asks, "How can I help?" tell them what you need done! For example, if you're planning a class party for one of your children, get some of the other parents to bring food. When someone offers to watch the kids, let them do it! 

But, you don't have to wait for people to offer to help. Assign responsibilities to other family members. Have your spouse drop off the dry cleaning on the way to work. Get your kids to help around the house. Even young children can be responsible for certain tasks, such as putting away their toys or setting the table. 

If you like these ideas, then read Pamela Darby's new book, Time Management, and learn how to use your time better. 

Read the text. Then choose the correct answer to complete each statement.  

Stop Book Banning Now! 

From Alicia Vohn, age 16 

You might think that book banning is a thing of the past. However, that is a common case now. If you are looking for a copy of The Catcher in the Rye in my school library, don't bother. That book has been removed from the shelves. In fact, according to the American Library Association (ALA), over 5,000 books have been challenged or banned from schools and public libraries in the last decade. 

A "challenge" is a formal written complaint requesting that a book be removed from a library. A book can be challenged by any person or group of people who think its content is harmful. Once that happens, a group of experts reviews the book to see whether they agree that it would hurt young people. If they decide that it would, they recommend removing the book. However, schools can ban books without such a review. They just choose not to buy the books at all! 

The reason people give for removing books from school bookshelves is to protect children and young adults like me from content that might be dangerous. But some of the challenges are incredibly ridiculous. The most challenged title this year was Captain Underpants, a series of novels about two 10-year-old boys. They're under 200 pages long and very funny-perfect for encouraging young kids to read. But people think they're offensive because of the word "underpants"! Another book on the list is The Hunger Games, a popular and interesting science fiction story about a girl who lives in the future. 

Most banned books contain taboo language or violent, religious, sexual, political, or racial content. Some people think that banning such books will discourage children and young adults from developing bad attitudes, speech, and behavior. But, personally, I don't think young people find words or details in books that they have not yet seen or heard in real life! Just read any daily newspaper. We learn our behavior from our parents and the friends around us, not from the books we read. And some of the banned books are important works of art that young people can learn from. 

I think it's wrong to limit young people's access to books. Book banning prevents us from examining different ideas and beliefs and learning to form our own opinions. Schools should teach us to accept others' ideas and respect our differences. How can that be taught in a classroom that bans books with "unacceptable" ideas? 

Read the book reviews. Then choose True, False or Not given for each statement.  

Book Review 

Are you looking for something good to read? Read our reviews of some bestsellers and award-winning books. 

Guinness Book of World Records by various authors 

First published in Great Britain in 1955, a new edition is made every year. This book contains information about world records of all kinds. Some of the most popular categories include world records in sports, nature, movies, TV, music, and human achievements. With color photographs and lots of fun facts, this book is popular with adults and children.  

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marquez (Colombia) 

This novel tells the story of the town of Macondo. It starts with the founding of the town by a member of the Buendia family and ends over one hundred years later with its destruction by a severe hurricane. The story follows six generations of the Buendia family and witnesses their passions and emotions, strengths and weaknesses, and successes and failures.  

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (South Africa) 

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the first democratically elected president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela tells his life story in this moving book. He recalls his childhood, learning about black-white relations, and his belief that all people, black and white, must be free. He wrote much of the book secretly during the twenty-seven years he spent in prison. Mandela finishes his story with the day he became president – a day he said his “long walk to freedom” had just begun.  

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (U.S) 

This simple but powerful novel is about Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-four days. He goes farther out into the water and finally hooks a huge fish. But the fish is very strong and pulls the boat. For two days Santiago fights and tries to control the fish. He admires its strength and courage, but won’t let it go. It’s a classic story of a hero who will be defeated.  

For each question, write the correct answer in the gap. Write one or two words, a number, a date, or a time.

1. It is customary to call each other by their [1] ________ at this office. 

2. Ayako registered for the conference before it was [2] ________. 

3. In Sophia’s culture, it is a taboo to eat [3] ________.   

4. The man would like to be [4] ________ by his title and last name.  

5. In this culture, arriving late is considered [5] ________. 

For each question, write the correct answer in the gap.  

1. Mrs. Gilles has pain in her [1] ___________. 

2. Mr. Baker has been [2] ___________ as he has had a bad cold over a week now.  

3. Ms. Rice doesn’t feel well because she has been [3] ___________ like crazy. 

4. The man has been nauseous but he doesn’t have any [4] ___________. 

5. Ms. Pearlman isn’t [5] ___________ to anything. She has been wheezing a lot.   

1. The man is reading a new (1) _________by Smithson. He thinks it's a real cliff-hanger.

2. The woman is reading a travel book. It's apparently a (2) ___________.

3. The woman finds the romance novel she is reading a real (3) ________.

4. The woman is reading an autobiography by a famous (4) ________ artist; but she is not really into it.