親愛的老師、同學們，由外語教學與研究齣版社和英國麥剋米倫齣版公司聯閤齣版的這套《新標準中小學分級英語讀物》終於與大傢見麵瞭。它不僅內容豐富有趣，打開瞭英美文化的一扇窗，而且還是學習英語路途中的一個得力助手與夥伴。

這套讀物根據難易程度分為5級：Starter Level,BeginnerLevel,ElementaryLevel,Intermediate Level和Upper Level。讀物內容包括獨立成篇的小說及其作品，均選自原版小說、改寫的名著或科普讀物，涉及中小學生都感興趣或熱中的題材。讀物根據不同等級在詞匯、語法、語言難度上加以注釋，使同學們能以不同的語言水平閱讀英文作品。每一本讀物都配有自測練習，用以引導和輔助同學們閱讀，也可由教師用來組織、指導學生進行係統的閱讀活動。

Thomas Hardy was born on 2nd June 1840,at Higher Bockhampton.This small vilage is near Dorchester,in dorset-a county in the south of England.Hardy's parents were poor,working people.

Thomas went to a school in Dorchester and he studied Latin,French and German as well as Literature,science and art .At the age of 16,he began studying architecutre.When he was 22,he went to London and worked for and architect.He returned to Dorset in 1867,and in the same year he began to write his first novel.At this time ,Hardy fell in love with Trphena Sparks .Their romance continued during the summer of 1869 until ,in 1870,Hardy went to work in the coujty of Cornwall.There,he met Emma Gifford ,the danghter of a rich lawyer.

Hardy's first novel,Desperate Remedies,was published in 1871.Between 1871and 1895 he wrote 15 other novels,some short stories adn poems. In 1874 ,Hardy married Emma Gifford ,and he stopped working as an architect.He and Emma went to live near Dorchester in 1887. Hardy designed thdeir large house himself.He called it max

Gate.

Hardy became rich and famous and many important visitors came to meet him at Max Gate.But his marriage to Emma was not happy.When she died in 1912,the writer was very upset and from that time he wrote no more novels. Instead,he wrote poetry.Many of his poems were sad.