A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty

    The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages.

    The theme: The main theme is a teenage search of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age. Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries. As the book moves to a close, James' swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more. You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going.”

    The characters: James is the hero of the story. He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母). Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother. The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James' parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically.

    The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James' foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother. The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie. It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there.

    The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother. With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found. James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels. The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel. He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger's door fifteen years before. Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness. As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending. Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home.”

普通甜椒的种子经过太空漫游后播种，经过选择，培育成太空椒．太空椒果型增大，维生素C含量增加，这种育种方式为（　　）

—Yes, he is.

从下面两题中任选一题作文：
       （1）“你幸福吗？”是当下时尚话题。笔者认为幸福有时是一种拥有，有时是一种发现，有时是一种感动，有时是一种收获，有时更是一种付出！其实幸福很简单，它就在我们点点滴滴的生活中，在我们成长道路上的每一个脚印里。

        请以“这就是一种幸福”为题作文。
        要求：①文体自选（诗歌、戏剧除外）；②不要套作，不得抄袭；③不少于600字；④文中不得出现真实的人名、校名。
       （2）给材料作文
        清代乾隆年间有两位书法家，一个极认真的模仿古人，讲究每一笔每一划都酷似某某，如某一横要像苏东坡的，某一捺要像李太白的。另一个正好相反要求每一笔每一划都不同于古人，追求自然。一天，第一个书法家嘲讽第二个书法家，“请问仁兄您的字哪一笔是古人的？”后者并不生气而是笑眯眯的反问道:“也请问仁兄您的字究竟哪一笔是你自己的？”第一个听了顿时张口结舌。
        不仅书法，做任何事情都是如此。走不出前人的框架，自然也就不会有自己的天地。只有善于创新，才能有所成就。
        请根据以上材料，自选角度，写一篇文章。要求：①所写文章主旨必须从所给材料中提炼，但不要对材料扩写、续写和改写；②立意自定，题目自拟，文体自选（诗歌、戏剧除外）；③不少于600字；④文中不得出现真实的人名、校名。