question: BEIJING --- Since Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the public has started to consider the way to improve Chinese literature's global presence.

The prize indicates that Chinese contemporary authors and their works are getting the world's attention, which inspires writers and amateurs to continue their work, according to Wang Meng, a famous Chinese writer. But "the prize came a little late," said Xue Yongwu, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Journalism and Communication with Ocean University of China (OUC). There have been many accomplished writers of modern and contemporary literature in China, including Lu Xun, Ba Jin and Mao Dun, who should have won the prize earlier, he noted. China's splendid ancient literature, which extends thousands of years, has been widely acknowledged across the world. However, the contemporary literature failed to get enough recognition from outside the country due to its short history and complex political influences, he explained. Language has also been a barrier. Only a small proportion of Chinese literature has been translated into foreign languages, mainly English. The quality of some translated editions needs improvement, said Xue.

In addition to language skills, translation requires high-level comprehension and explanation of culture and art. It's hard for people without any literature background to produce a translation that fully reserves the aesthetic sense of the original version, according to Ren Dongsheng, professor with the College of Foreign Languages of OUC. The 57-year-old writer is known for his description of Chinese rural life. The settings for his works range from the 1911 revolution, Japan's invasion to Cultural Revolution. Mo combines hallucinatory realism with folk tales, which is more appealing to the taste of Western readers than the styles adopted by many of his peers, such as Yu Hua, Su Tong and Wang Shuo, said Zhang Hongsheng, dean of the Literature Department of the Communication University of China.

However, "Nobel Prize is not the unique standard to judge the achievements of a writer. Prizes presented by different organizations adopt various evaluation criteria," said Xu Yan, a literature critic. The quality of a literary work is always judged by the topic, language, structure, the way of story-telling, imagination and some other significant elements. People's tastes vary from different social background and cultural mechanism, she added.

Chinese contemporary literature, which appeared in 1949, has seen a trend of diversification since the country adopted the market economy in 1992. "The prize is a positive sign that the West begins to recognize Chinese literature. But it's an acknowledgement of individual efforts, and Chinese literature revival still has a long way to go," said Zhang. Xue called upon Chinese writers to produce quality works with international perspectives. Good literature should reveal social problems and people's concerns while create the beauty of art. "The society should provide favorable environment for the growth of Chinese writers," he stressed. Seeking increasing world attention requires Chinese writers to maintain the national characteristics and uniqueness. "Chinese elements are the last to lose in successful writings," Zhang said.

China's book market has witnessed booming sales of Mo's masterpieces over the past days. Zhicheng Classic Bookstore, registered at T-Mall of China's largest online retailer Taobao.com, said 1,500 volumes of Mo's latest novel Frog were sold out in six hours after Mo won the prize. The store has received 1,200 reservation orders by 3:30 pm Friday. The book, about China's family-planning policy, also moved up to 14th from 560th on the list of the most populous book at the Amazon.cn withinin two days. Cao Yuanyong, deputy editor-in-chief of Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing Group, said the company is producing the new edition of a collection of Mo's 16 works, which is expected to refill the empty shelves of many book retailers in a week.
1. Did Mo Yan win any awards?
2. Which ones?
3. For what?
4. Are Chinese books easy to translate?
5. Why?
6. So who can do it then?
7. When did Chinese contemporary books first show up?
8. How are book sales in China?
9. Who sells them?
10. How many copies has his latest book sold?
****
answer: 1. Yes
2. Nobel Prize
3. Literature
4. No
5. It requires high-level comprehension
6. People with literature backgrounds
7. 1949
8. Great
9. Taobao.com
10. 1,500 volumes

question: Sir James Paul McCartney, (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist and singer for the rock band the Beatles, widely considered the most popular and influential group in the history of pop music. His songwriting partnership with John Lennon is the most celebrated of the post-war era. After the group disbanded in 1970, he pursued a solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda, and Denny Laine.

McCartney has been recognised as one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. More than 2,200 artists have covered his Beatles song "Yesterday", making it one of the most covered songs in popular music history. Wings' 1977 release "Mull of Kintyre" is one of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK. A two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and as a solo artist in 1999), and a 18-time Grammy Award winner, McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 songs that have reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and he has 25.5million RIAA-certified units in the United States. McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr all received appointment as Members of the Order of the British Empire in 1965 and, in 1997, McCartney was knighted for services to music. McCartney is also one of the wealthiest persons in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$1.2 billion.
1. Was McCartney given any recognition?
2. Was he a successful composer?
3. What else was he really good at doing, one of the best of all time?
4. How many artists have covered "Yesterday" alone?
5. What year was he born?
6. What nationality?
7. What month?
8. Was he knighted at some point in his life?
9. Is he rich or poor?
10. What's his estimated net worth?
11. Who did he like to collaborate with in the Beatles?
12. Was their work together widely celebrated?
13. Does he only play a single instrument?
14. When did the Beatles break up?
15. What was his new band?
16. How many other people were in it with him initially?
17. What did the band release in 1977?
18. Did it sell well?
19. WHere?
20. What was he inducted into, twice?
****
answer: 1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Performing
4. More than 2,200
5. 1942
6. He was English
7. June
8. Yes
9. Very rich
10. US$1.2 billion
11. John Lennon
12. Yes
13. No
14. 1970
15. Wings
16. Two
17. "Mull of Kintyre"
18. Yes
19. The UK
20. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

question: Hailey stood in her kitchen. She was looking for ideas of what to make for dinner. She could make pasta, soup, chili, or steak. She opened the refrigerator and took out a cartoon of juice. She sat down at the table and tried to write a list of ingredients she would need. She finally thought she would make chili for dinner. She took a sip of her juice and she saw she had all the ingredients she needed except meat.

Hailey saw she was losing daylight. This made her want to take her car to the store in order to buy the meat. It would be faster than walking. She quickly went to the back of the store where she knew the meat was stored and took her find to the cashier. When she made her way back into the lot she ran into her friend, Beth, and invited Beth to come to her house for dinner.

When they both returned to her home they cooked dinner together and had a wonderful evening.
1. Who was in the room?
2. Why was she there?
3. What were her options?
4. Was she thirsty?
5. What was she missing?
6. Was it early or late?
7. How did she get to the shop?
8. Why?
9. Where did she go then?
10. What was there?
11. Did she pay?
12. Did she eat alone?
13. Was she glad?
14. Who was with her?
15. Who is she?
16. WHat did Hailey drink earlier?
****
answer:
1. Hailey
2. looking for ideas for dinner
3. pasta, soup, chili, or steak
4. yes
5. meat.
6. late
7. her car
8. It would be faster than walking
9. to the back
10. meat
11. yes
12. no
13. yes
14. Beth
15. her friend
16. juice