Question

 

For the first time in modern history, less than half of the U.S. adult population now reads literature, according to a recent survey. Reading at Risk: A survey of Literary Reading in America presents a detailed review of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture.

Reading at Risk is a survey of national fashion in adult literary reading. The data source for Reading at Risk is as reliable and objective (客观的) as any such survey can be. The key results of the survey are presented in the “Summary”, but the report can be further explained as: literary reading in America is not only declining rapidly among all groups, but the rate of decline has been speeded up, especially among the young. Reading at Risk merely shows a great cultural change that most Americans have already noted － our society’s great turn to electronic media for entertainment and information.

Reading a book requires a degree of active attention and devotion. Indeed, reading itself is a progressive skill that depends on years of education and practice. On the contrary, most electronic media such as television, recordings, and radio make fewer demands on their audiences, and indeed often require no more than passive participation. While oral culture has a rich reality and electronic media offer the considerable advantages of variety, print culture affords irreplaceable forms of focused attention and thought that make various communications and views possible. The decline in reading, therefore, equals a larger retreat (减少) from participation in public and cultural life.

What is to be done? There is surely no single solution to the present problem, just as there is no single cause. The important thing now is to understand that America can no longer take active and devoted reading for granted.

Reading is not a timeless, common ability. As more Americans lose that ability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent minded. These are not qualities that a free, inventive, or productive society can afford to lose.

1.The main purpose of the survey is to __________.

A. focus on the role of electronic media and reading

B. show that American young people read less and less

C. give a report of the national fashion of literary reading

D. review that less than half of the population now reads literature

2.According to the passage, reading __________.

A. requires less attention and devotion

B. demands no more than passive participation

C. limits various communications and views

D. means active participation in public and cultural life

3.The underlined phrase “cultural change” in Paragraph 2 refers to the change __________.

A. from oral culture to electronic media

B. from print culture to electronic media

C. from electronic media to oral culture

D. from electronic media to print culture

4.The author of the passage __________.

A. misunderstands oral culture

B. doubts the results of the survey

C. encourages the Americans to read more

D. agrees to the solution to the present problem in reading

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

【解析】由文章第二节第一句可知。选项D是调查的结果。

【考点】细节题。解题时抓住题干中关键词：purpose而不是result。

2.D

【解析】由文中The decline in reading, therefore, equals a larger retreat (减少) from participation in public and cultural life.可推断出: “阅读的下降导致了参与公众文化生活人数下降”。

【考点】细节题

3.B

【解析】本段最后一句中破折号后面的句子：our society’s great turn to electronic media for entertainment and information.对此进行了说明。

【考点】词义猜测题。

4.C

【解析】从文章最后一节可以看出作者对现状很是担忧，暗含希望美国人拿起书本去阅读，提高自身素质，则才可跻身于民族之林。

【考点】推测题