Harry potter and The Hunger Games haven’t been big hits for nothing.Lots of teens still read quite a lot.But a study shows a clear decrease over time.Nearly half of 17-year-olds say they read for pleasure no more than one or two times a year.That’s way down from ten years ago.
The digital revolution (革命) means there are more platforms (平台) than ever to read on.Jim Steyer has been studying the effect of technology on children.He has four kids and has seen the trend most with his 16-year-old.“I start to see it in our 10-year-old as well, because he is reading less and less, and more and more attracted to some of the digital media platforms that he has access to, and that he didn’t have access to when he was 6 or 7 years old,” he says.
The studies don’t say that kids are reading less because they’re spending more time online.But Steyer is convinced that’s at least part of the answer.
“First of all, most children now have access to e-readers, or other smart electronic devices like phones and tablets (平板电脑),” he says.“ And they’re spending time on that.Many reports show the increasing use of new technology platforms by kids.It just strikes me as extremely logical that that’s a big reason.
Researchers want to know more about how teens are spending their time in the digital age.But Kathryn Zickuhr of the Pew Research Center says it’s tricky.If a kid is looking at a book, you may think he or she is reading.But when it comes to looking at a smartphone or tablet, who knows?
“We’ve heard from middle and high school teachers that sometimes the Internet is wonderful for enthusiastic students to do deep research,” says Zickuhr.“But on the other side, obviously there are many distractions on the Internet.”
However, Jim Steyer says, “Kids with parents who read, who buy or take books out of the library for their kids, and who then set time aside in their kids’ daily schedule for reading, tend to read the most — whether it’s on a book, an e-book or some other devices.”
1.What did Jim Steyer see in his four kids?
A. They tend to read more on electronic devices.
B. They created their own digital media platform.
C. They improved their reading on electronic devices.
D. They have become more addicted to digital media.
2.What statement may Kathryn Zickuhr agree to?
A. Kids are easily distracted on the Internet.
B. Most kids pretend to be doing online reading.
C. Most kids like to read on a smartphone or tablet.
D. Kids rarely use the Internet to do serious research.
3.The last paragraph suggests that ________.
A. parents need to spare time to read for kids
B. parents should make a reading plan for kids
C. parents can do a lot to encourage more reading
D. parents working in a library tend to read the most
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. What books do teens like to read the most?
B. Why aren’t teens reading like they used to?
C. How can teens read on electronic platforms?
D. When will teens turn to books for fun again?

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was born Agatha May Clarissa Miller in Devon,England in 1890,the youngest of three children in a conservative,well-to-do family.Taught at home by a governess and tutors,as a child Agatha Christie never attended school.She became skillful at creating games to keep herself occupied at a very young age.A bashful child,unable to adequately express her feelings,she first turned to music as a means of expression and,later in life,to writing.

In 1914,at the age of 24,she married Archie Christie, a World War I fighter pilot. While he was off at war, she worked as a nurse. It was while working in a hospital during the war that Christie first came up with the idea of writing a detective novel. Although it was completed in a year, it wasn’t published until 1920,five years later.

“The mysterious Affair at Styles” gave the world the unique Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian police officer who was to become one of the most enduring characters in all of fiction. With his waxed moustache and his “little grey cell,” he was “meticulous (careful to do things correctly),a tidy little man, always neat, orderly and a bit absurd. ”

Christie wrote more than 30 novels featuring Poirot. Among the most popular were” The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”(1926),“Murder on the Orient Expredd”(1934),and “Death on the Nile” (1937).

Another of Christie’s most well-known and beloved characters was introduced in “Murder at the Vicarage” in 1930.Miss Jane Marple, an elderly single in the old- fashioned English village of St. Mary Mead, solved all manner of mysteries with intense concentration and instinct.

Christies ultimately (finally)became the acknowledged Queen of the Golden Age. In all, she wrote over 66 novel, numerous short stories and screenplays, and a series of romantic novels using the pen name Mary Westmacott. Several of her works were made into successful feature films, the most notable being Murder on the Orient Express (1974).In short, she is the single most popular mystery writer of all time. In 1971 she was awarded the high honor of becoming a Dame of the British Empire.

1.Which of the following is the correct order in which the events happened?

A. Agatha became a Dame of The British Empire.

B. Agatha worked as a nurse

C. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published.

D. Murder on the Vicarage Express was published

e. Murder on the Orient Express was filmed

f. Archie Christie went to the front as a fighter pilot.

A. f-b-d-c-e-a

B. f-b-c-d-a-e

C. f-d-b-c-a-e

D. f-d-c-b-e-a

2.What does the underlined word “bashful” probably mean?

A. Shy B. Conservative

C. Stupid D. Sensitive

3.Mary Westmacott is_________________.

A. Agatha’s governess

B. the name of Agatha’s novel

C. another name for Agatha

D. the heroine of Agatha’s novel

4.Which of the following is NOT true about Hercule Poirot?

A. He was once a policeman

B. He paid much attention to details

C. He sometimes seems rather foolish

D. He solved mysterious with a sixth sense

5.In Agatha Christie’s life, What were the most popular novels that she wrote?

A. biography

B. detective novel

C. romantic fiction

D. science fiction

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