Masterclasses---Researching your novel
When it comes to fiction, research skills are as important as writing skills. Whatever your theme or setting, research skills are an invaluable resource for any writer.
On this course, novelist Alex Preston will show you how to use various research sources to write convincing , powerful stories. You’ll explore online horizons far beyond Wikipedia, and access vast resources of the un-sohuable.
Course description
Through a mix of talks and practical exercises, you’ll learn how to weave
professional-standard research into the fiction writing process to improve all aspects of your work.
Topics include
Resources for research ---using the Internet , libraries and media to enrich your story
Backgrounds---how to use your research to make your story interesting
Shortcuts ---how to research on a tight budget
Writing the past and the present --- how to use detail to bring the world of your story to life
Theories of research--- from Laurent Binet to Hilary Mantel, looking at how the masters work
Practical exercises--- a series of writing exercises designed to inspire and instruct
This course is for you if …
You are an experienced writer currently writing or planning a novel which requires more research than you’ve previously undertaken
You are a new fiction writer struggling with building a convincing world.
You are currently having plotting or structural problems with a novel
Tutor profile
Alex Preston is a prize-winning novelist and journalist. He appears regularly on BBC television and radio and writes for The Observer and GQ Magazine
Details
Date: 21 December 2015
Times: 10 am-5 pm. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the start time.
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price:
Early bird special£199 ( limited in number)
Regular price £229
( all prices include VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
Tickets may be paid back if you contact us at least 7 days before the course start date.
Book now and join our masterclasses ASAP!
1.If you want to make your story real and vivid, you should focus on “_______”
A. Backgrounds
B. Practical exercises
C. Resources for research
D. Writing the past and the present
2.The course is targeted at those who _________
A. are trying their best to work out ideal characters in a story
B. are popular writers with several works completed
C. write for famous magazines regularly
D. lack enough persuasive writing skills
3.Which of the following is Not true according to “Details” ?
A. Only less than twenty people can be admitted into the course.
B. The favourable price includes lunch and desserts.
C. Those who book in advance can get a 15% discount
D. The whole course lasts seven hours.
科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆北京市校高三上學期10月月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:單項填空
_____ in the woods,the two girls were frightened and kept crying.
A.Having lostB.Lost
C.To be lostD.Being lost
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科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆江蘇省鹽城市高三上學期期中模擬練習英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
It was graduation day at Etihad Training Academy,where the national airline of the United Arab Emirates holds a seven-week training course for new flight attendants.
Despite her obvious pride,Ms.Fathi,a 22-year-old from Egypt,was amazed to find herself here.“I never in my life thought I’d work abroad,” said Ms.Fathi,who was a university student in Cairo when she began noticing newspaper advertisements employing young Egyptians to work at airlines based in the Persian Gulf.
Twenty years ago,unmarried Arab women like Ms.Fathi,working outside their home countries,were rare.But just as young men from poor Arab nations poured into the oil-rich Persian Gulf states for jobs,more young women are doing so.
Flight attendants have become the public face of the new mobility for some young Arab women,just as they were the face of new freedoms for women in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s.They have become a subject of social anxiety and fascination in much the same way.
For many families,allowing a daughter to work may call her virtue into question.Yet this culture is changing,said Musa Shteiwi,a sociologist at Jordan University in Amman.“We’re noticing more and more single women going to the gulf these days,” he saiD. “It’s still not exactly common,but over the last four or five years it’s become quite an observable phenomenon.”
Many of the young Arab women working in the Persian Gulf take delight in their status as pioneers,role models for their friends and younger female relatives.Young women brought up in a culture that highly values community,have learned to see themselves as individuals.The experience of living independently and working hard for high salaries has forever changed their beliefs about themselves,though it can also lead to a painful sense of separation from their home countries and their families.
—From New York Times (December 22,2014)
1.It can be inferred from the passage that young Arab women _________.
A. go to work abroad after American women’s example
B. didn’t start to work abroad until the late 20th century
C. are commonly used to living and working separately
D. expect to take the same family responsibilities as men
2.According to the passage,the Arab women flight attendants can be described as _________.
A. proud,homesick or independent
B. honest,outstanding or optimistic
C. mature,enthusiastic or energetic
D. painful,desperate or conservative
3.How do the public respond to young Arab women’s new mobility?
A. The public think highly of it.
B. The public care very little about it.
C. The public show both interest and anxiety.
D. The public are strongly against it.
4.The author intends to tell the readers that __________.
A. Arab women can hardly find any work
B. flight attendants are badly needed in the gulf
C. flight attendants lead quite a different life
D. young Arab women’s values are changing
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科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆云南玉溪市高三第四次月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
The health and welfare of every person in America will be affected by global warming, especially children, the elderly and the poor, according to a new White House science report.
The report said every region (地區(qū)) of the country will suffer worse health from heat waves and drought. All but a handful of states would have worse air quality and flooding. It predicts an increase in diseases spread by tainted (腐爛的) food, bad water and bugs (臭蟲).
The report concludes that climate change causes real risk to human health and human system that supports the way of life in the United States.
Man-made global warming is caused by greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels. At current emission (放射) levels, global temperatures are likely to rise by about 2 degrees by midcentury and about 7.5 degrees by the end of the century.
The most vulnerable (脆弱的) Americans — the poor, elderly, sick, very young and immigrants — will suffer more. That’s at least 10 percent of the country’s population, probably more. It will be tougher for these people to get enough health care for climate-related illnesses, to cool down in heat waves, to escape extreme events such as Hurricane Katrina, and even to get enough food.
While every region of America is vulnerable to global warming’s health and welfare effects, more people are moving to coastal regions, which are most vulnerable to climate change because of drought and hurricanes.
1.According to the report, we learn all of the following will risk human’s health EXCEPT ______.
A. heat waves and drought
B. increase in the number of bugs
C. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions
D. global warming and climate change
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. All of states would suffer flooding.
B. Air quality in few states is not high.
C. About half of all states would have clear air.
D. Flooding would occur in almost all the states.
3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Global warming is caused by human beings.
B. It is wise for the Americans to move into coastal regions.
C. Global temperatures are increasing year by year because of carbon dioxide.
D. At least one tenth of Americans are more likely to suffer climate-related illnesses.
4. The writer wrote this passage to ______.
A. explain how the phenomenon of global warming forms
B. protect the vulnerable Americans from suffering from diseases
C. provide evidence that global warming and climate change risk human’s health
D. warn every American of the danger of global warming to their health
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科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆遼寧實驗中學分校高三12月月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
I have two sons. They are as different as night and day. My youngest is sweet, loveable, easy-going, and finds joy in everything. My oldest we’ve nicknamed the “Evil Genius” is ambitious, self-confident, and suffers no fools.
Whenever we mentioned Santa my husband and I were rewarded with major eye rolling and deep sighs from my oldest. At first we both tried to ignore it.
We both knew that our eldest had figured out the big secret. But I’d be damned(指責) if he was going to ruin it for his six-year-old brother who had plenty of Santa-loving years ahead of him. I looked at my husband in the eye and said, “I’ll handle this.” to which he responded “Okay just be careful because I’m not sure he knows - he might just be acting like it.” But I knew. And I had it in my mind that he was about to break his younger brothers spirit and break the news to him. I was afraid he was going to take the Christmas spirit away from my sweet innocent youngest and stamp all over it. I had to protect him. I needed to control this now before it got out of control. I rushed into the play room where my oldest was playing alone. I looked him dead in the eyes and said: “Well you know Santa isn’t real, right?” And as I stared at my eight-year-old son for what seemed like a long time of silence, his eyes started to fill with tears. And a tear dropped down his cheek when he screamed out, “He’s not?”
“Um well it’s not that he’s not real (shut up you idiot- stop saying he’s not real), but he doesn’t really make and deliver all the toys. Dad and I get some of them for you. So he’s real. He’s just got a little help from us.”
The Evil Genius wasn’t buying it. He just sat there looking at me with an expression of doubt.
You know when you make a terrible mistake but you can’t stop yourself from making it worse? That was me because I just had to know. I had to know why he had seemed to be over Santa. So I asked him why he rolled his eyes and sighed every time his father and I mentioned Santa, to which he replied that kids at school had been saying Santa wasn't real but that he still thought he was.
1.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Two different sons
B. Santa secret given away
C. Protecting one, ruining the other
D. Making a mistake worse
2.What did the writer conclude when “Evil Genius” rolled his eyes and sighed?
A. “Evil Genius” had discovered Santa was not real.
B. “Evil Genius” had broken the secret to his younger brother.
C. “Evil Genius” had passed his Santa-loving years.
D. “Evil Genius” had been influenced by his classmates.
3.What does the underlined sentence mean in the passage?
A. “Evil Genius” refused to buy toys.
B. “Evil Genius” didn’t believe his mother’s words.
C. “Evil Genius” wanted to keep silent.
D. “Evil Genius” would not give away the secret.
4.What lesson can we learn from the story?
A. Lies can never change facts.
B. Honesty is the best policy.
C. No one is perfect.
D. We should think twice before we act.
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科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆江蘇省常州市兩校高三聯(lián)考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:單項填空
______ “ Double 11”, which is quickly turning into China’s biggest grassroots festival, somewhat overlaps with Valentine’s Day and provides another occasion for lovers to buy each other gifts, most spending on that day doesn’t involve a change of single status.
A. Ever since B. In case
C. Even though D. As though
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科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆河北衡水第二中學高三上學期期中英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest, Mount Qomolangma’s peak is no longer a lonely place and is turning into a trash heap.
So far, more than 350 climbers have successfully reached the peak. And they have complained about waiting for hours in the bottlenecks (狹窄路段) on the way to the peak, a situation that isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s cold and windy up there — but downright dangerous. If bad weather strikes, climbers can and do die.
As a matter of fact, the dangerous crowds aren’t the only problem on Qomolangma. All those climbers need to bring a lot of gear—and much of them ends up being left on the mountain, sometimes even the peak itself. Mount Qomolangma is becoming the world’s largest dump. Here’s mountaineer Mark Jenkins writing in National Geographic about the state of Qomolangma: “The two standard routes, the Northeast Ridge and the Southeast Ridge, are disgustingly polluted with oxygen cans and torn tents everywhere.”
But the good news is that some mountaineers are taking it upon themselves to clean up Qomolangma. Mountianeer Paul Thelen and his friend Eberhard Schaaf are part of the annual Eco Everest Expedition, which has been cleaning up rubbish from base camps to the peak since 2008. So far they’ve collected over 13 tons of garbage.
Some of that rubbish is even being used for a higher purpose. As part of the Mount Everest 8844 Art Project, a group of 15 artists from Nepal collected 1.5 tons of garbage brought down the mountain by climbers. They’ve transformed the cans and oxygen tanks—and in one case, part of the remains of a helicopter—into 74 pieces of art that have already gone on exhibition in Nepal’s capital. Part of the profit from sales will go to the Everest Peakers Association, which has helped collect tons of rubbish on the slopes of the mountain.
1.What does the underlined word “gear” mean?
A. Equipment for climbing mountains.
B.. The food climbers brought onto the mountain.
C. Some important machines used for the bottlenecks.
D. Some rubbish found on the mountain.
2.The group of 15 Nepali artists_________.
A. created works of art using rubbish from Qomolangma
B. were employed by the Everest Peakeers Association
C. climbed Qomolangma and collected 1.5 tons of trash
D. painted 74 beautiful pictures of Mount Qomolangma’s peak
3.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Eco Everest Expedition Proves Successful
B. Qomolangma Has Become A Huge Mess
C. Test Yourself Against Qomolangma
D. Recycle Rubbish On Qomolangma
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科目:高中英語 來源:2015-2016學年廣西柳州鐵路第一中學高二上段考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
Throughout the world, clothing has many uses. It is used to provide protection from cold. It is also worn to prevent others from seeing specific parts of one’s body. However, the parts of the body that must be covered vary widely throughout the world. Some clothing is worn to provide supernatural protection.
People in all cultures use clothing and other forms of bodily decoration to communicate status, intentions and other messages. In North America, we dress differently for business and various leisure activities. North American women usually are much more knowledgeable of little difference in messages communicated by clothes than men. At times, this leads to silly mistakes of understanding of female intentions on the part of men. Of course, clothing styles also are intended to communicate messages to members of the same gender.
Long before we are near enough to talk to someone, their appearance tells their gender, age, economic class, and often even intentions. We begin to recognize the important cultural clues at an early age. The vocabulary of dress that we learn includes not only items of clothing but also hairstyles, jewelry, and other body decoration. In most cultures, however, the same style of dress communicates different messages depending on the age, gender, and physical appearance of the individual wearing it.
Putting on certain types of clothing can change your behavior and the behavior of others towards you. This can be the case with a doctor’s white lab coat, or an army uniform. Most uniforms are clearly symbolic so that they can rapidly and unmistakably communicate status. For instance, the strange hairstyle and clothing of the English “punks” are essential aspects of their uniforms.
【小題1 】Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A. Clothing and Culture.
B. Ways of Sending Message.
C. Communication through Clothing
D. Clothing and Social Behavior
1.What is the purpose of some people wearing lucky shirts to take an exam?
A. To hide their fear for the exam.
B. To provide protection against bad weather.
C. To make them more comfortable.
D. To call for supernatural help.
2.According to the passage, what can change others’ behavior towards you?
A. Age. B. Dress. C. Status. D. Gender.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Clothing plays an important role in social activities.
B. Words of dress are unable to communicate different messages.
C. Dress is better than language in communicating messages.
D. Messages communicated by clothes are the same in different cultures.
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科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆江西豐城中學高三上學期第四次月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper radio and television ads, promising good shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way add to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA (Food Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律訴訟), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.
1.It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are_____.
A. objective B. costly
C. unbelievable D. illegal
2.The Relaxacisor is mentioned as______.
A. a product which was designed to produce electricity
B. a successful advertisement of a beauty product
C. an example of a quality beauty product
D. a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case
3.The author intends to______.
A. make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promise
B. show the weakness of the law on product safety
C. give advice on how to keep young and beautiful
D. introduce the organization of FDA
4.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous products.
B. The promoters usually just care about profits.
C. New products are more likely to be questionable.
D. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.
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