is still significant appetite for excellent storytelling.

The award, established in 2012, tends to go to books that are already bestsellers near Christmas. It has previously been won by the late American author John Williams's Stoner, the cookbook Polpo by Russell Norman, and last year's choice, Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage.

James Daunt, Waterstones' managing director, said Rooney's win was a sign of the healthy state of literary fiction, which has seen sales decrease over the last decade. "We are delighted to name it our book of the year," he said.

24. What do we know about the current situation of literary fiction?

A. It sells well in Waterstones.

B. It doesn't enjoy popularity.

C. It mainly tells love stories.

D, It is a big winner in 2018.

25. What can we infer about Normal People?

A. It was Britain's most popular book in 2018.

B. It won different awards in a lot of countries.

C. It received praise soon after it was published.

D. It made its author the voice of young people.

26. The underlined word "testament" is closest in meaning to" ".

A. examination B. evidence C. concern D. statement

27. What is the main function of Paragraph 5?

A. To attract readers' attention.

B. To introduce other prize winners

C. To serve as background information.

D. To compare Sally's novel with other books.

In 201 l, Nancy Ballard went for a routine checkup that turned into something extraordinary. In fact, she was carrying a painting of a plant she'd done when she arrived at her doctor's San Francisco office. "It would be great if we had artwork like that for our chemotherapy (化疗) rooms," the nurse said. Ballard asked to see one.

She was shocked by what she found. The walls were dull and bare, and the paint was chipping(剥落). It was a depressing room for a depressing routine - patients restricted to chemo drips for perhaps several hours, often with nothing to look at other