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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 (机智). 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 (初次登台、开张)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】这是一篇应用文。文章给读者介绍了四本获奖的书籍，包括它们的书名、作者以及内容等。
【1题详解】
推理判断题。根据First Novel Award Winner部分的Eleanor is 31 years old; work finishes on a Friday and begins again on a Monday. (31岁的Eleanor，周五结束一周的工作，星期一又开始。)和It is contentment, of a kind, but an unexpected shared experience suddenly opens the door to possibility.(这是从某方面来说是一种满足，但是一个意外的分享经历突然打开了可能性的大门)可推测，Eleanor过着平淡而幸福的生活。D. ordinary and happy.(普通而幸福)符合以上说法，故选D项。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据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. (她的父亲曾是一位有影响力的牧师，当她的父亲在弥留之际，他恳求她帮他写回忆录)可知，Rebecca Stott 写In the Days of Rain 是为了完成父亲的遗愿。B. To help her father fulfill his last wish.(为了帮助她的父亲实现最后的愿望)符合以上说法，故选B项。
【3题详解】
推理判断题。根据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. (飞机坠入亚马逊丛林，四个孩子幸免遇难，但对弗雷德和他的朋友们来说，这只是残酷的生存之战的开始)可知，The Explorer这本书主要讲述了四个孩子的冒险生存的经历。由此推测，The Explorer对喜欢冒险的孩子来说有吸引力。D. The Explorer符合以上说法，故选D项。
