本文选自2019高考全国卷（Ⅱ），主题语境：人与社会，主题语境内容为文学艺术。阅读难度较小。主要介绍了本文介绍了最喜欢的四本书。下面我们一起来学习一下吧。
真题原文
My Favourite Books
Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the This Book Will series（系列）of lifestyle books． Here she picks her top reads．
Matilda
Roald Dahl
I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl's writing and it gave me a new appreciation for his strange and delightful words． Matilda's battles with her cruel parents and the bossy headmistress, Miss Trunchbull，are equally fumy and frightening, but they're also aspirational．
After Dark
Haruki Murakami
It’s about two sisters — Eri, a model who either won’t or can’t stop sleeping, and Mari, a young student． In trying to connect to her sister, Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of diverse "night people" who are hiding secrets．
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn
There was a bit of me that didn't want to love this when everyone else on the planet did, but the horror story is brilliant． There's tension and anxiety from the beginning as Nick and Amy battle for your trust． It's a real whodunit and the frustration when you realise what's going on is horribly enjoyable．
The Stand
Stephen King
This is an excellent fantasy novel from one of the best storytellers around． After a serious flu outbreak wipes out 99．4% of the world's population, a battle unfolds between good and evil among those left． Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters ever．
全文精读
Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the This Book Will series（系列）of lifestyle books． Here she picks her top reads．
重点词汇讲解
Cosmopolitan：①作为形容词指“全世界的；四海为家的”（containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the word，or having experience of many different places and things）例如：New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是个国际化程度很高的大都市。②作为名词指“四海为家的人，游历世界的人”（someone who has experience of many different parts of the word.）例如：Lisa is a real cosmopolitan.莉萨真是见多识广。此处作为名词使用，意在说明Jo Usmar很有名。
co-author：①作为名词指“合著者”（one of two or more people who writes a book, article, report,etc. togehter）.例如：John is her co-author of this book. 约翰是她一起合著这本书的人。②作为动词指“合著，共同撰写”（to write a book, article, report,etc. together with another person or people.）例如：Robert and his daughter have co-authored a diet book specifically written for young people.罗伯特和他女儿一起写了一本有关健康饮食的书，阅读对象是年轻女性。
top：除了指“上面的，顶上的”，还指“最重要的，最成功的，最好的”（in the position of being most important or successful;best）.例如：As a chess player he's among the top ten percent in the country.他的国际象棋水平居该国前10%之列。
参考译文：Jo Usmar是一位闻名世界的作家，同时也是这套“将系列”图书的合著者（关于生活方式的书）。在这里，她选了一些自己最喜欢的读物。
I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl's writing and it gave me a new appreciation for his strange and delightful words． Matilda's battles with her cruel parents and the bossyheadmistress, Miss Trunchbull，are equally fumy and frightening, but they're also aspirational.
重点词汇讲解：
Matilda是英国作家Roald Dahl的一部著作，中文为《马蒂尔达》。这本书描述了一些趣味童话故事，通过小神童女孩马蒂尔达的故事，把孩子们带入了一个个奇幻而又快乐的美妙世界。
fairy tale 指神话故事；童话。
appreciation：①指“欣赏；理解；感谢”（the act of recognizing or understanding that something is valuable,important,or as described）.例如：These flowers are a token of my appreciation for your help.你们给予我那么多帮助，这些鲜花聊表谢意。②指“价格、价值等的上涨。增值"（increase in price, value, etc.）例如：There has been little appreciation in the value of property recently.最近房地产价格几乎没有上涨。
bossy：指“专横的；爱指挥人的”（a bossy person is always telling people what to do.) 例如：His bossy attitude makes me angry.他专横的态度使我很生气。这个词作为名词还有”小牛、母牛“的意思.
cruel：指”残忍的；残酷的；刻毒伤人的“(extremely unkind and unpleasant and causing pain to people or animals intentionally.) 例如：Don't tease him about his weight---it's cruel.别拿他的体重开玩笑---这样太刻薄了。
headmistress指女校长，headmaster指男校长。
fumy：指“冒烟的，多烟的”
aspirational：指“渴望富贵的，渴望更大成功的”（showing that you want to have more money and a higher social position than you now have）.例如：High-end smartphones have become aspirational status symbols, especially among the young. 对那些一些要跻身富贵阶层的人而言，特别是在年轻人当中，高端智能手机已经成为社会地位的象征。
参考译文：我曾经写过一篇论文，是关于童话对Roald Dahl写作影响这方面的。它使我对他奇特而又令人愉快的话语产生了一种新的理解。马蒂尔达与她残酷无情的父母，专横跋扈的校长Trunchbull小姐之间的“战争”虽然有些激烈，令人毛骨悚然，但是也很励志。
It’s about two sisters — Eri, a model who either won’t or can’t stop sleeping, and Mari, a young student． In trying to connect to her sister, Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of diverse "night people" who are hiding secrets．
重点词汇讲解
After Dark是日本作家村上春树的著作，意为《入夜以后》
either ......or .... 要么....要么......（二选一)
其他表达：neither.....nor.... 两者都不
both.....and..... 两者都是
stop doing sth : 停下正在做的事
stop to do sth: 停止现在做的事去做另一件事
discover：①（尤指首次）发现，找到（to find information, a place, or an object,especially for the first time.）例如：Scientists have discovered how to predict an earthquake.科学家们找到了预测地震的方法。②指“发现并培养人才”（to notice that a person has a special ability or quality and to help them to become successful）例如：Los Angeles is full of young actors working as waiters,hoping to be discovered by a movie agent. 有很多年轻的演员在洛杉矶做服务员，他们希望能够被电影星探发现提携。
参考译文：这是关于两姐妹的故事---Eri是一个不肯睡觉，但一睡就睡个不停的模特，Mari是一个年轻的学生。Mari为了联系上她的姐姐开始改变她的生活方式，进而发现了一个多元化的“黑夜人”世界，里面的每个人都隐藏着各自的秘密。
There was a bit of me that didn't want to love this when everyone else on the planet did, but the horror story is brilliant． There's tension and anxiety from the beginning as Nick and Amy battle for your trust． It's a real whodunit and the frustration when you realise what's going on is horribly enjoyable．
重点词汇讲解
Gone Girl是美国作家Gillian Flynn的著作。主要讲述了一对平凡又恩爱的夫妻，突然有一天妻子消失不见，丈夫通过各种方式疯狂寻找，然而在妻子留下的一本日记中却发现，种种线索都表明是丈夫将妻子杀害的。
did：这里的did等于前面的want to love this，为了避免重复，就用did来代替
horror story：恐怖故事
brilliant：①指“颇有才气的，聪颖的；技艺高超的”（extremely intelligent or skilled）例如：Her mother was a brilliant scientist. 她母亲是一位才华横溢的科学家。②指“明亮的，颜色鲜艳的”（full of light, shining,or bright in colour）例如：I was dazzled by a brilliant light. 明亮的灯光晃花了我的眼睛。③指“非常好的，出色的”，例如：I think it is brilliant. 我觉得它很出色。
whodunit：犯罪小说；侦探小说
frustration：沮丧
参考译文：当这个星球上的其他人都准备喜欢这本书的时候，我却不想从众，但是这个恐怖故事确实很精彩。当尼克和艾米为你的信任而战时，一开始就出现了紧张气氛和焦急情绪。当你意识到正在发生的事情非常令人愉快的时候，这才是真正让人沮丧的事情，这也是一部真正的凶杀悬疑小说。
This is an excellent fantasy novel from one of the best storytellers around． After a serious flu outbreakwipes out 99．4% of the world's population, a battle unfolds between good and evil among those left． Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters ever．
重点词汇讲解：
The Stand是Stephen King的著作，中文《看台》
fantasy novel：玄幻小说
storyteller：说书人；讲故事的人；故事作者（a person who writes, tells, or reads stories）
outbreak“（尤指疾病、危险、或不快之事的）发作、爆发，突然发生”（a time when something suddenly begins,especially a disease or begins, especially a disease or something else dangerous or unpleasant）例如：an outbreak of cholera / food poisoning / rioting / war. 霍乱/食物中毒/骚乱/战争的爆发
wipe out ：（尤指车辆）失控，出事故（to lose control,especially in a vehicle,and have an accident）例如： I was going too fast and I wiped out on the bend. 我开得太快了，在拐弯处失去了控制。
unfold：①打开；摊开（to open or spread out something that has been folded）.例如：He watched her expression as she unfolded the letter. 他注视着她拆信时的表情。②（形势或故事）发展，呈现，披露（If a situation or story unfolds, it develop or becomes clear to other people）例如：Like most of people, I've watched the events of the last few days unfold on TV.和许多人一样，我这几天一直在电视上关注着事件的发展。
参考译文：这是一部优秀的玄幻小说，出自世界上最好的说书人之手。在一场严重的流感爆发消灭了全世界99.4%的人口后，一场善恶之战在那些人中间爆发。Randall Flag是有史以来最恐怖的人物之一。
