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

_________I have to give a speech, I get extremely nervous before I start.

A. Whatever                     B. Whenever           C. Whoever                D. However

阅读理解D

   The deserts of the world are not all covered with sand. Many of them have surfaces of rock or clay(黏土) or small stones. They are not flat, either. They often have high hills and deep valleys. There is some plants’ life in many parts of the desert. There is little rain in the desert, but it does fall often enough for most plants.

   The deserts of the world are not uninhabited(无人居住的). People also live outside oases(绿洲), but these people are not farmers. They have camels, goats, donkeys, sheep, etc. These animals can live on the desert plants and do not need much water.

   The people of the desert have to move constantly from place to place, they must always look for grass or desert plants for their animals. They usually live in tents. When there is no more food for their animals, they fold up their tents, put them on their camels and donkeys, and move to another place. In good years, when there is enough food for their animals, they trade their skins and their goats and camel hairs with the people of oases for wheat and fruit. But in bad years, when there is not enough food for their animals, the people of the desert would attack the oases people. But they are also hospitable, no man in the desert would ever refuse to give a stranger food and water.

【小题１】According to the passage, deserts are mostly made up of ________.

    A. clay         B. rock             C. stones       D. sand

【小题１】The underlined word “hospitable” has the meaning of being ________.

    A. kind         B. brave                C. cruel            D. strange   

【小题１】 In the desert ________.

    A. It rains in spring only.         B. it rains for a short time every month

C. the rainfall is just enough for the plants

D. there is some rain, but far from enough   

【小题１】People live ______.

    A. only inside the oases                B. both inside and outside the oases

C. only outside the oases               D. in places with regular rainfalls.

    Unlike modern animal scientists, dinosaur scientists cannot sit on a hillside and use telescopes to watch dinosaurs in order to know how they lived and whether they were good parents Instead, they have to search hard for information from dinosaurs’ fossils(恐龙化石) because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.

    It’s very difficult for the scientists to reach an agreement because different results can be got from the same fossils. Many fossils of the same kind of dinosaurs have been dug out from one place. They might have formed when an entire group of dinosaurs got stuck(陷入)all at once. Or they might have been the result of dinosaurs getting stuck one after another over a course of a few centuries. Thus we can say that dinosaurs might have in the first case lived in big groups and in the second lived alone.

    Though there are two different results, dinosaur scientists now generally agree that at least some kinds of dinosaurs lived in big groups. “That’s pretty much settled at this point.” Says Paul Sereno, A kind of dinosaurs called Sauropods left behind tracks in the western United States that appear to run north and south, suggesting that they even moved long distances together.

    As to whether dinosaurs cared for their young, dinosaur scientists have turned to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs ― birds and crocodiles ― for possible models. Birds give a lot of care to their young, while crocodiles just help their young to the water. The discovered fossils of dinosaurs sitting on their eggs and staying with their young suggest the parents were taking care of their babies, but we still cannot say that all dinosaurs did the same.

    There is still a long way to go before the above questions could be answered. Dinosaur scientists will have to find more proof to reach an agreement.

1.Dinosaur scientists can get information directly by           .

A. studying dinosaur fossils

B. examining modern animals

C. watching dinosaurs

D. using telescopes

2.What is pretty much settled according to Paul Sereno?

A. Half of the dinosaurs lived alone.

B. Most dinosaurs moved long distances.

C. Many dinosaurs settled in the north.

D. Some dinosaurs lived in big groups.

3.Dinosaur scientists can probably know whether dinosaurs were good parents by              .

A. watching many kinds of animals

B. studying dinosaurs’ living relatives

C. following the tracks left behind

D. working on dug-out dinosaur eggs

4.Which of the following the according to the 4th paragraph?

A. Birds hardly ay attention to their young.

B. Baby crocodiles can look after themselves well.

C. Some dinosaurs took care of their young.

D. Birds and crocodiles take good care of their young.

Even if you are naturally shy, these three tricks will help you to quickly build a new social circle in any new city.

1. Take pictures

One of the great things about taking pictures at an event or party is that it gives you an excuse to get in touch with the person later. Everybody loves seeing pictures of themselves, and it’s very easy after taking a picture to say “If you’d like I can email it to you”. This can be the seed that leads to new connections. The next time you hear about a fun event email your new contacts to let them know about it.

2. Eat alone in public

You might feel self-conscious eating by yourself but it has an important benefit: you are much easier to approach when you are alone. People may be afraid of interrupting you or being rude if you are in a conversation with someone else. Bring a book or newspaper to read (this will make you feel less self-conscious). Plus, having an interesting book with you will give others an excuse to start a conversation if they’ve read it.

3. Join a class, sports team, or club

Yoga, salsa dancing, volleyball, Toastmasters (a public speaking club), a class for work, etc. Take up a new hobby or continue an old one!

These are all great places to meet new people, primarily because you will be forced to see the same people over and over again in the class. You will automatically make friends with them if you have a common interest and are forced to see each other again.

Tips:

* In the beginning, never turn down an invitation from someone, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally do.

* Email your new friends with fun things to do instead of always asking what their plans are. If they have a better plan you can drop yours and join them. This will help establish you as someone who is contributing value instead of just taking it (people want this in a friend).

* Don’t let little things in life upset you or be a negative person. People don’t want to be around someone like that! 

1.________ can give you an excuse to start new connections.

A．Taking pictures of others

B．Eating by yourself in public

C．Reading interesting books

D．Joining group activities

2.When having meals, you’d better ________ if you want to make new friends. 

A．approach others to show conscious friendliness

B．sit on your own in public places

C．invite others to your apartment to eat together

D．start a conversation with those who have friends aside

3.Which of the following pieces of advice is a tip from the text?

A．Try to be outgoing and talkative instead of being shy.

B．Never turn down an invitation from your friends.

C．Offer suggestions on how to spend time together.

D．Always give a positive response to any request.

4.By writing the text, the author intends to tell us ________.

A．why you should change when you move to a new city

B．how you can make new friends in a new city

C．why you should make new friends in a new city

D．how you can keep in touch with strangers