Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the scholars of old times, while during the 15 th century the word “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the 19 th century did silent reading become a common practice.

One should be careful, however, in thinking that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud disturbs others. Research into the historical development of silent reading shows that it became the usual way of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.

    The 19 th century saw a gradual increase in literacy （读写能力） and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of listeners dropped, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the popularity of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, trains and offices, where reading aloud would disturb other readers in a way.

    Towards the end of the century there was still heated argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its advantages, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.

    By the end of the 19 th century, students were being advised to form their own opinions on books and to use skills in reading them which were unsuitable for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological changes in the 19 th century had greatly changed what the word “reading” implied.

1．Why was reading aloud common before the 19 th century?

    A．Few people could read for themselves.

    B．Few people knew the value of silent reading.

    C．There were few places for reading alone.

    D．Scholars enjoyed themselves by reading their own works.

2．The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century showed      .

    A．a change in the social position of the educated people  

    B．a change in the nature of reading

    C．an increase in the number of newspapers

    D．an increase in the people’s understanding of the mass media

3．According to the text, educators are still arguing about           .

       A．the importance of silent reading

       B．the value of information given by books

       C．the effects of reading on mental development

       D．the value of different types of reading materials

4．We can learn from the text that “the old shared literacy culture” refers to          .

       A．the practice of reading to oneself          

       B．the practice of reading aloud

       C．the reading of books and magazines      

       D．the reading of newspapers

5．What is the writer of this text attempting to do? 

    A．Show how reading methods have developed

    B．Introduce a new method of reading

    C．Remind people of oral reading in old times

    D．Encourage the growth of reading in the future.

Every country has its heroes. They may be soldiers, sports people, doctors or film stars. We admire them for their courage, their strength, or their devotion to duty .Their examples inspire us to live better and to work harder.

Terry Fox was a young student who loved life. He was a sports fan. When he was just 18 years old, a terrible event happened: his right leg had to be cut off because of cancer. Such an experience would have destroyed a weaker person—but Terry Fox was a fighter. He refused to give up. Instead, while he was recovering from the operation, an idea slowly formed in his mind. He decided he would run across Canada, in order to raise money for cancer research.

Slowly and carefully, he began to train. Every step was extremely painful, but he insisted on increasing the distance covered day by day. Sixteen months later, in the spring of 1980, he was ready for the long journey across Canada—his Marathon of Hope. His every step was extremely painful ,but he insisted on increasing the distance covered day by day. It was a time of inspiration and heart-breaking emotion. Through television, every home saw his particular way of running, a kind of half-hop and half-run. Thousands of people lined the route to encourage him and to wish him well. They also gave him money to fight cancer. Then, on Sep. 1st, 1980, after 143 days and more than 5,000 kilometers completed, everything came to an end. Terry had to stop. He lived on for another nine months and died on June 18 th, 1981. He was almost 23.

1. Terry decided to run across Canada ______.

 A. because he wanted to tell the public that he was a fighter

 B. to win people’s admiration

 C. to collect money for cancer research

 D. to earn some money for cure for his leg

2. Which of the following statement is wrong?

 A. The idea came to him when he was recovering from his operation.

 B. He increased the amount of training day by day.

 C. He covered over 5,000 kilometers in the journey.

 D. Terry practiced 9 months before he began his journey.

3. Which of the following can best describe Terry’s character?

 A. Devoted and discouraged      B. Brave and determined

 C. Attractive and romantic        D. Patient and careful

4. Terry’s journey began in ______.

     A. April; 1980      B. March; 1980       C. May; 1981       D. June; 1980

D day is a term used to stand for the starting day of a campaign or planned series of actions. When the secret starting date is unknown, secret or subject to change, D day is the reference point which helps planners arrange every step of a campaign. For example, the day before D day is D - ; the day after: D+1, D+2 and so on.

The letter D here stands for Day, so D day actually means Day day. More commonly the term has a military usage. In fact, it came into being during the First World War, but it was during the Second that D day got its common usage.

    The beginning of the end of the Second World War was the allied landing of Europe, and D day was its starting date. After months of careful planning, the exact day was fixed for June 5, 1944．Because of impossible weather conditions, at the minute the landing was put off until the following day.

1．If a man – made satellite is planned to launch on August 1 st, but for some reason, it is launched of July 29 th, then according to the passage, the day is          ,

                                       A．D – 2                  B．D – 3                  C．D+2      D．D+3

2．The allied landing of Europe            .

                                       A．brought the Second World War to an end

                                       B．started the Second World War

                                       C．took place on the day D - 1

                                       D．was the end of the Second World War

3．Why was the landing of Europe put off in the Second World War?

                                       A．Because it had been carelessly planned

                                       B．Because it was fine that day.

                                       C．Because it was raining that day.

                                       D．Because it wasn’t suitable for attacking that day.

4．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

                                       A．D day is a term used only in a campaign.

                                       B．In fact, the term D day is June 5, not June 6.

                                       C．D day is helpful for people to plan something to be happening.

       D．June 1 st, Children’s Day can be called D day.

They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon; on foot, on mules(骡子) or by air. We chose the first. Up early; my husband and I and our three children couldn’t wait to get started. We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail.
As we set out, I was shocked at how narrow the path was. And I couldn’t help noticing that the other tourists weren’t like us. They had heavy backpacks, water bottles, and hats. But as usual we were dressed, As the sun rose higher, Arizona’s famous heat seemed to roast(烘烤)　us. There was no shade and our legs were aching. We decided to go back, with the girl on my back and the boys far behind. By the time we finally got back, our legs were like jelly.
The next day, after we’d had a long rest and a good breakfast, we were ready for another view of the Canyon – by air. After our last walk, this would be the easiest thing in the world.
We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon. But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻转)　the plane around, pretending he was going to hit the ground. I shouted, “STOP, TAKE US BACK!” When we finally arrived back on land, once again our legs were like jelly. We hardly spoke as we drove back.
As I said, there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon. We never tried the mules, but personally I’d suggest a fourth: buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic. That way, you can see the Canyon, without fear or tiredness.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?