Question

It happened to me recently.I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President.A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was，in his words，“a brilliantly (精彩地)written book”．However，he then went on to talk about Mr Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all.I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.

And it seems that my friend is not the only one.Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t.In the World Book Day’s“Report on Guilty Secrets”，Dreams From My Father is at number 9.The report lists ten books，and various authors，which people have lied about reading，and as I’m not one to lie too often (I’d hate to be caught out)，I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire top ten.But I am pleased to say that，unlike 42 percent of people，I have read the book at number one，George Orwell’s 1984.I think it’s really brilliant.

The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it.It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen，Charles Dickens，Fyodor Dostoevsky (I haven’t read him，but haven’t lied about it either) and Herman Melville.

Asked why they lied，the most common reason was to“impress”someone they were speaking to.This could be tricky if the conversation became more in?depth!

But when asked which authors they actually enjoy，people named J．K.Rowling，John Grisham，Sophie Kinsella (ah，the big sellers，in other words)．Forty?two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story (I’ll come clean：I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so)．

1.How did the author find his friend a book liar?

A．By judging his manner of speaking.

B．By looking into his background.

C．By mentioning a famous name.

D．By discussing the book itself.

2.Which of the following is a“guilty secret”according to the World Book Day report?

A．Charles Dickens is very low on the top?ten list.

B．42% of people pretended to have read 1984.

C．The author admitted having read 9 books.

D．Dreams From My Father is hardly read.

3.By lying about reading，a person hopes to________.

A．control the conversation

B．appear knowledgeable

C．learn about the book

D．make more friends

4.．What is the author’s attitude to 58% of readers?

A．Favorable. B．Uncaring

C．Doubtful D．Friendly

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】本文是一篇议论文。主题讲述了作者就奥巴马写的一本书同朋友进行交谈，发现朋友撒谎说看过这本书的故事，从而引出了本文要讨论的主题：很多人明明没有看过某一本书，但是仍然说看过，这样做是为了给人留下知识渊博的印象。

1.

2.2】解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第二段中的Approximately two thirds of people have lied...In the World Book Day’s“Report on Guilty Secrets”，Dreams From My Father is at number 9.和后面的．.. unlike 42 percent of people，I have read the book at number one...可知，guilty secret指的是人们撒谎说读过某本书这样的情况，故B项符合语境。作者并未承认看了9本书，而是Dreams From My Father这本书排名第9，故排除C项；A项表示查尔斯·狄更斯在书单中排名比较低，无依据；D项中的hardly错误。而且这三项均与guilty secret不相关。

3.3】解析：选B。细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的Asked why they lied，the most common reason was to “impress”someone they were speaking to.可知，当人们被问到为什么撒谎的时候，最常见的理由是为了给与他们谈话的人留下印象，表现出知识渊博的样子。因此选B。

4.4】解析：选C。推理判断题。根据最后一段中的(I’ll come clean：I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so)可知，作者坦承自己这样做过，并吃惊于58%的人说从来没这样做过，表明了作者对于这些人说法的怀疑。A项表示“赞成的”，B项表示“不关心的”，D项表示“友好的”，均与astonished意义不符。