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Forget losing weight or saving money—we suggest one simple task to add to your list of inspiring New Year's decisions: read a book. Trust us, and your brain will thank you. Not only does reading increase the amount of daily pleasure in your life, but it could also delay dementia (痴呆) and even help you live longer.
But still, picking the perfect novel isn't easy. Thankfully, Business Insider asked a Harvard professor to recommend the one book he thinks every student should read in 2019—and we suggest adding it to your list, too. (No time for all the books on your list? Here's a shortcut: Read the endings to some of the world's most famous books, instead.)
Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard, recommends The Internationalists by legal scholars Hathaway and Shapiro. The book makes a surprising statement that the Kellogg-Briand Paris Peace Pact (条约) of 1928, which declared war illegal, has caused a steady drop in war throughout history.
“But in their fascinating and evidence-rich book, they make a lifelike case,” Pinker said. “And like The Clash of Civilizations and The End of History, the book presents a sweeping vision (视野) of the international scene, making sense of many developments in the news and recent history.”
Other professors at Harvard recommended classics like Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, as well as Just Mercy by Stevenson, The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith, and Robot-Proof by Joseph Aoun.
So, go ahead and give (at least) one of these books a read in 2019! And while you're at it, you should add the following 20 books you really should have read by now to your list, too…
21．Which has the closest meaning to the underlined word “shortcut” in the 2nd paragraph?
A．A time-saving way to read books.
B．A lazy person's way to read books.
C．A quick way to know about endings of books.
D．A wise way to deal with too many books to read.
22．What or who has reduced the number of wars throughout history?
A．The Paris Peace Pact. B．The Internationalists.
C．Hathaway and Shapiro. D．A wide vision of the international scene.
23．What may be written in the next or last paragraph of the passage?
A．More advice on reading books.
B．The names of the 20 books recommended.
C．The main contents of the 20 books recommended.
D．The brief introduction of the 20 books recommended.
