PREFACE Many years ago I was asked by a student a question which，properly answered，could probably provide a clue to the mystery of story reading.It was in the middle of an English writing class and I was dwelling on the basics of essay writing.A hand shot up.A boy stood up and said in an impatient tone，“Teacher，you could make your points clearer，if you put essays and stories together and compare them.We know a lot more about stories.What’s the difference between them?” The question struck me almost dead for a moment or two.I don’t remember how I brushed it aside as irrelevant and went on with my lecture.But the question，dismissed though，churned incessantly in my mind.It gradually dawned on me that the question，far from being extraneous，was in fact a good starting point for Chinese student…