英语读书笔记
第一篇：There’s no shortcut in life.
----Lynn Barber<an Education>
What does a beautiful and clever girl need? This book is based on Lynn Barber which is a famous journalist working for <the Guardian>. The book tells us a truth written in stone, that is, there’s no shortcut in life. When the journalist Lynn Barber was 16, she was picked up at a bus-stop by an attractive older man who drew up in his sports car - and her life was almost wrecked. A bright confident girl, on course to go to Oxford, she began a relationship which, incredibly, was encouraged by her conventional, suburban parents and which took her into the semi-criminal world of west London just as the 1960s began.
Lynn is a beautiful, intelligent, versatile, grace, romantic girl who considers France as his dream destiny. Undoubtedly, she is excellent. However, she is also a girl with serious rebellious spirits, even thought she always gets the first in his school.
Such a girl like her meets a man in her sixteen’s. She believes that the man is the one she needs. He is rich, humorous, talkative, gentle and with good taste. He always takes her to the Upscale Dining-room, to the art exhibition, to the concert, making all her dream comes true, instilling deeper edification in her mind.
At last, she sadly found that the man has been married. Through the abundant experience, she realizes the sham and delusion in the adult world. She decides to leave the man. Finally, she is admitted to Oxford by her own effort and meets her true love.
In the world, there are so many girl that born with great talents such as Beautiful appearance, clever mind, wonderful opportunity and so on. They are more lucky and excellent by nature. Some girls have something in their disposition. Maybe they were just born too mean, or maybe they were born too tender.
Nevertheless, the god likes offering the beautiful and clever girls a choice question, just like Lynn’s true experience in this book. Actually, he hopes us to truly understand that there’s no shortcut in life. Although you get more talents than other girls, all of these advantages force you to be pragmatic. Only has compared to the others early, diligently, can be appreciated by the god of the destiny. And the true love comes from the common psychological sympathetic chord. False perfection is not immune to true incomplete. A girl must has her own self-esteem and proud.
This book also raises a question open to discuss, why we girls need to learn, what we learnt and what we need. In the ancient china, women are born with men’s accessories. Up till now, although the world gets better, but it is still a patriarchal society. What we girls learnt? There’s no denying that if we enter a better school, we will meet better men, get better opportunities. Maybe we can get into the society, work for international companies and be independent women. We can live better, but could we get happiness? Why not we learn how to choose a man? In my humble opinion, learning makes us have the chance to choose, to choose what we need. Learning makes us independent and self-confident. We can live our own life and have the chance to choose, choose a man to get marry, choose a kind of life to live, choose what we want. It is reasonable that girls dreams of being princess, and learning makes you be your own queen.
第二篇：Treasure Island
Book: Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Ⅰ.Introduction to the author:
Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh and trained as a lawyer. He wrote some plays, and books about his travels in France and Belgium, but his first full-length story was Treasure Island.
He got the idea for the story from a map his stepson, Lloyd, had drawn when they were on holiday. Between them they invented names for the places on the island. That imaginary island inspired Stevenson to write Treasure Island.
Ⅱ.Introduction to the book
When an old pirate dies in his parents’ inn, Jim Hawkins takes possession of a treasure map and with his friends Dr Livesey and Squire Trelawney he sets sail to find the treasure. When he discovers that the ship’s crew, led by Long John Silver, plan to mutiny and steal their treasure though, Jim has to work hard to outwit the pirates. Eventually Jim and his friends triumph and return to England with their share of the treasure, but not before the slippery Long John Silver has escaped-taking four hundred guineas with him!
Ⅲ.Find out answers to the questions:
1. How can Jim get a silver four pence once a month from Flint?
If he’d keep his eyes open for a sea-faring man with one leg.
2. What do Jim and his mother find in Flint’s room?
From inside comes a strong smell of tobacco. At the very bottom they find a bundle tied up in oilcloth, and a bag that jingled with coins.
3. What is Jim first impression of Long John Silver?
He has been worrying that Silver might be the one-legged man he was warned of at the Admiral Benbow. But one look at this clean and smiling landlord tells him he is no pirate like Blind Pew or Black Dog.
4. How does Captain Smollett think of their voyage?
The crew knows more about the voyage than he does. Next, he finds out they are going after treasure. Treasure is dangerous work. He doesn’t like treasure voyages and he doesn’t like it when the secret has been blabbed to every man aboard.
5. What is Silver’s offer?
He said” you give us the chart and stop shooting poor seamen and I’ll give you a choice. You can come aboard the ship, once we have the treasure and, on my word of honour, we’ll deliver you to a safe port. Or if that ain’t to your fancy, you can stay here. We’ll give you a share of the stores and I’ll send the first ship we sight to pick you up.”
6. How serious is captain Smollett wounded?
He has been shot twice: in the shoulder and in the leg. The doctor said he shouldn’t walk nor move his arm for some week.
Ⅳ. Things to ponder
1. What’s your impression of Jim, Smollett and Silver.
Jim: He is eager and enthusiastic to go to sea and hunt for treasure. He is a modest narrator, never boasting of the remarkable courage and heroism he consistently displays. Jim is often impulsive and impetuous, but he exhibits increasing sensitivity and wisdom.
Smollett: Smollett is a real professional, taking his job seriously and displaying significant skill as a negotiator. Like Livesey, Smollett is too competent and reliable to be an inspirational figure for Jim’s teenage mind. Smollett believes in rules and does not like Jim’s disobedience; he even tells Jim that he never wishes to sail with him again.
Silver: Silver is deceitful and disloyal, greedy and visceral, and does not care about human relations. He used to be a member of the pirates under the concern of Flint. With a strong desire to take the possession of seven hundred thousand pounds, he decks himself into the image of a gentleman. So he becomes the secret ringleader of the pirate band. His physical and emotional strength is impressive.
2. What can we learn from this novel?
The intention of the novel tells us the love of humanity and justice are often over evil. The main character Jim is the representation of justice, and finally he wins, while the pirate Silver plays an opposite part who finally is spurned by people. In the novel money actually had changed the feelings between people, corroded the world and everything. Of course, money itself is innocent, but the material and greedy heart that drives people pursue the money by all bad means.
3. What are your feelings after reading the novel?
I can feel the money has a great temptation to human. Both Jim and Silver go to the Treasure Island to take the possession of huge sums of money. The only difference I can find is that Silver is a pirate while Jim is a pure boy. I have always been thinking about the reason why readers believe Silver doesn’t have the right to get money. Maybe it is because he is too hypocritical. He doesn’t deserve it.
Ⅴ. Your favorite sentences in the book
1. We would need more than good luck if we were ever going to see England again. 2. It was a damp cold morning and they stood knee-deep in a white mist.
3. The coracle floated well upon the water, but it was an awkward boat to steer. 4. The cliffs were ringed with fallen rocks where the breakers crashed foaming white.
5. There was not a soul on deck, only muddy footprints and a broken bottle rolling backwards and forward with the rise and fall of the ship.
6. You gives me food and drink and ties up my wound and I’ll tell you how to sail the ship.
7. Only Hands spoiled my happiness. I could feel his eyes following me as I went about my work, watching me with a crafty smile on his face.
8. I never seen any good come out of goodness yet. Him who strikes first lives longest. Dead men don’t bite.
第三篇：The Kite Runner
Book: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini Pages: 1-163
Brief introduction: Amir is the son of the famous merchant in Afghanistan. There are two servants in his house, Ali and his son Hassan. Amir plays with Hassan all the time in his childhood. Hassan is Hazara, while Amir is Pashtuns. Hazara is discriminated against by Pashtuns. So although Hassan believes that Amir is his friend, Amir does not agree. Amir tricks Hassan sometimes but Hassan never gets angry. Things go peacefully, until one night Amir sees three boys hit Hassan to the ground. Instead of help Hassan, Amir runs away. From that day on, Amir does not know how to face Hassan. In order not to be regretted every second, Amir finally makes Hassan and Ali leave his home. Just after that, Russian forces Amir’s country. Amir and his father have to move to America.
Comments: This book makes me remember my childhood. The first part of the book is only about some little things in Amir’s childhood. The warm and happy time he has with Hassan. They climb tree and hills, play games and tell stories. I am extremely upset to see Hassan leave. Amir thinks he hurts everyone, Hassan, Ali and his Baba. But the one he hurts most deeply is his own. Hassan leave is a wound in Amir’s heart, and it won’t recover forever. This stuff makes Amir hate the life in Afghanistan, because all the disgusting memories are at here. He always hide, hide himself deeply in the books, in his stories. Afghanistan is a country full of violence, Amir can’t live happily in this environment, his father is a true Afghanistan man, and he has force. But Amir doesn’t. Amir is a light boy who only like literary. He is different from other kids, he need a person to protect. He wants his father’s care and love, but his father hide his love deeply in heart, which makes Amir always feel unneeded. Maybe the true reason of the hurt around Amir is his father. Digests:
My cheeks burned and guilt coursed through me, the guilt of indulging myself at the expense of his ulcer, his black fingernails and aching wrists. But I would stand my ground, I decided.
I blinked my heart quickening. She had thick black eyebrows that touched in the middle like the arched wings of a flying bird, and the gracefully hooked nose of a princess from old Persia-maybe that of Tahmineh.
They fell from the sky like shooting stars with brilliant, rippling tails, showering the neighborhoods below with prizes for the kite runners.
It just appeared, this other face, for a fraction of a moment, long enough to leave me with the unsettling feeling that maybe I’d seen it someplace before. Then Hassan blinked and it was just him again. Just Hassan.
Page: 163-401
Brief introduction: Amir becomes a popular writer. He meets a girl named Soraya in USA. They fall in love and get married. But they can’t have babies. His father died because of the illness. One of his father’s old friends calls him and invites Amir to his house. He tells the story over 20 years about Hassan and his family. He tells Amir that Hassan and his wife were killed by Taliban and he asks Amir to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab. After a hard and dangerous trip with Talib, Amir does find Sohrab and wins his trust. But in order to get the visa to USA, Amir asks Sohrab to stay in the orphan for a year while Amir promised Sohrab before never send him to there. Sohrab try to kill himself because of this. Although he is overcome then, he refuses to say a word for a long time. Amir takes him back to USA and treats him good, waiting for his forgiveness. Then a kite competition held and Amir sees Sohrab’s smile when he wins. Amir sees the hope.
Comments: I can’t explain whether it is a happy or tragic ending. But I can say that Sohrab will get better and be a normal boy. Amir is hard-working. He cares about Hassan’s things. And he is always regretful for kicking Hassan out of his home. He thinks that Hassan died because of his action. He feels shamed. But he is a real human who has the sickness of humanity. That is why he would refuse to find Sohrab at the beginning and that’s why he asks Sohrab to go to orphan after promised not to. Certainly he does wrong things but in another way he does things anybody would choose to do. This book is not only about family and friends, is also about a kind of target or force, to help you run on whether if life is easy or hard.
Digests: We let him wrap us in his arms and, for a brief insane moment, I was glad about whatever had happened that night. (Predicative clause)
It was a protective gesture and I knew whom Ali was protecting him from. (Object clause)
I had crossed a line, and whatever little hope I had of getting out alive had vanished with those words. (Subject clause)
I had no idea if Hassan would still be there, if anyone would even know of him or his whereabouts. (Appositive clause)
I blinked my heart quickening. She had thick black eyebrows that touched in the middle like the arched wings of a flying bird, and the gracefully hooked nose of a princess from old Persia-maybe that of Tahmineh.
They fell from the sky like shooting stars with brilliant, rippling tails, showering the neighborhoods below with prizes for the kite runners.
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