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Michael Hoffen is a new author, and like him, the main character of his book is a teenager. But there’s quite an age gap between them — about 4,000 years. That’s because Hoffen brought to life the story of a young Egyptian from ancient times named Pepi, whose father, Kheti, is intent on getting his son a job in the royal court.

Hoffen, who has been translating ancient texts since middle school, became fascinated by a 4,000-year-old or so piece of literature from ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom known as The Instruction of Khety. The Instruction was written on papyrus, one of the earliest writing materials, that was typically made from reeds (芦苇). Papyruses have yielded vast amounts of information about ancient societies from the Judean tribes, Egypt, Greece, and Classical Rome.

Under the guidance and teamwork of his two co-authors, Egyptologists Casey and Jen Thum, Hoffen spent three-and-a-half years translating hieroglyphics (象形字) into modern-day prose and gathering images to tell the story of Kheti and Pepi. Put together, he published a book called Be A Scribe! Working for a Better Life in Ancient Egypt.

This young author, a scribe (抄写员) himself, shows just how little the human condition has changed in thousands of years. Parents still want the best for their children, and teenagers face important decisions as they set out on their career paths — all of which readers can enjoy with impressive illustrations and imagery direct from Egyptian antiquities (古物).

Amy Chua, Yale Law professor, called the book a “marvel” and said she “could not put it down.” “Young people will wolf it down without realizing they are learning. And even adults with advanced degrees will find themselves absorbed, educated, and fascinated by this story of an Egyptian father giving life advice to his teenage son — and astonished at how little parenting has changed for thousands of years.”

1.What did Hoffen do?

A He wrote a new story.

B He translated an old book.

C He met a teenager of his age.

D He found a job in the royal court.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第二段中的“Hoffen, who has been translating ancient texts since middle school, became fascinated by a 4,000-year-old or so piece of literature from ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom known as The Instruction of Khety.”可知，霍芬翻译了一本古书。故选B。

2.What did Hoffen’s book tell us?

A Changes in family relationships.

B Development of society.

C Tiny differences of humans.

D Information about ancient cities.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的“shows just how little the human condition has changed in thousands of years.”可知，通过霍芬的书，我们可以知道，数千年来人类的变化何其渺小。故选C。

3.Amy Chua may think Hoffen’s book ___________.

A is worth reading

B makes some mistakes

C is slightly helpful

D encourages pursuing dreams

解析：选A。A推理判断题。根据Amy Chua描述的“could not put it down”说明她对此书爱不释手。可推知她会认为值得一读。故选A。

4.What’s the subject of Hoffen’s book?

A Parenting.

B Ancient life.

C Job hunting.

D Egyptian history.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“and astonished at how little parenting has changed for thousands of years”可知，霍芬的书是关于养育子女/为人父母的。故选A。