It is hardly necessary for me to cite all the evidence of the depressing state of literacy. These figures from the Department of Education are sufficient: 27 million Americans cannot read at all, and a further 35 million read at a level that sufficient to survive in our society.
But my own worry today is less that of the overwhelming problem of elemental literacy than it is of the slightly more luxurious problem of the decline in the skill even of the middle-class reader, of his unwillingness to afford those spaces of silence, those luxuries of domesticity and time and concentration, that surround the image of the classic act of reading. It has been suggested that almost 80 percent of America’s literate, educated teenagers can no longer read without an accompanying noise (music) in the background or a television screen flickering at the corner of their field of perception. We know very little about the brain and live it deals with simultaneous conflicting input, blitz every common-sense intuition suggests we should be profoundly alarmed. This violation of concentration, silence, solitude goes to the very heart of our notion of literacy; this new form of part-reading, of part-perception against background distraction, renders impossible certain essential acts of apprehension and concentration, let alone that most important tribute any human being can pay to a poem or a piece of prose he or she really loves, which is to learn it by heart. Not by brain, by heart; the expression is vital.
Under these circumstances, the question of what future there is for the arts of reading is a real one. Ahead of us lie technical, psychic, and social transformations probably much more dramatic than those brought about by Gutenberg, the German inventor in printing. The Gutenberg revolution, as we now know it, took a long time, its effects are still being debated. The information revolution will touch every facet of composition, publication, distribution, and reading. No one in the book industry can say with any confidence what will happen to the book as we’ve known it.
1. The picture of the reading ability of the American people, drawn by the author, is（ ）.
2. The author’s biggest concern is（ ）.
3. A major problem with most adolescents who can read is（ ）.
4. The author claims that the best way a reader can show admiration for a piece of poetry or prose is（ ）.
5. About the future of the arts of reading the author feels（ ）.
问题1选项
A.rather bleak
B.very impressive
C.fairly bright
D.quite encouraging
问题2选项
A.elementary school children’s disinterest in reading classics
B.the surprisingly low rate of literacy in the U.S
C.the musical setting American readers require for reading
D.the reading ability and reading behavior of the middle class
问题3选项
A.their fondness of music and TV programs
B.their ignorance of various forms of art and literature
C.their lack of attentiveness and basic understanding
D.their inability to focus on conflicting input
问题4选项
A.to be able to appreciate it and memorize it
B.to analyze its essential features
C.to think it over conscientiously
D.to make a fair appraisal of its artistic value
问题5选项
A.upset
B.alarmed
C.uncertain
D.pessimistic
第1题:A
第2题:D
第3题:C
第4题:A
第5题:C
第1题:
推理判断题。由题干定位到文章第一段第二句“…27 million Americans cannot read at all, and a further 35 million read at a level that sufficient to survive in our society. 2700万美国人根本不能进行阅读，还有3500万美国人的阅读水平足以在我们的社会中生存。”可知A项“相当凄凉的”与原文相符。B项“令人印象深刻”；C项“非常有希望的”；D项“非常令人鼓舞”。因此A选项正确。
第2题:
细节事实题。由题干定位到文章第二段第一句“But my own worry today is less that of the overwhelming problem of elemental literacy than it is of the slightly more luxurious problem of the decline in the skill even of the middle-class reader, of his unwillingness to afford those spaces of silence… 但是，今天我自己所担心的，与其说是基本识字这一压倒一切的问题，还不如说是一个稍微奢侈一点的问题：甚至是中产阶级读者的阅读技能在下降，他们不愿给自己留出沉默的空间……”可知D项“中产阶级的阅读能力和阅读行为”与原文相符。A项“小学生对阅读经典名著不感兴趣”，原文并没有相关表达；B项“美国社会读写能力出奇的低”，原文并没有相关表达；C项“美国读者需要阅读的音乐背景”，原文并没有相关表达。因此D选项正确。
第3题:
细节事实题。由题干定位到文章第二段第四句“This violation of concentration, silence, solitude goes to the very heart of our notion of literacy; this new form of part-reading, of part-perception against background distraction, renders impossible certain essential acts of apprehension and concentration... 这种对专注、沉默和孤独的侵犯触及了我们对识字概念的核心；这种在背景干扰下的部分阅读、部分感知的新形式，使得某些基本的理解和集中行为变得不可能……”可知C项“他们缺乏专注和基本理解”与原文相符。A项“他们喜欢音乐和电视节目”，原文并没有相关表达；B项“他们对各种形式的艺术和文学的忽视”，原文并没有相关表达；D项“他们不能专注于相冲突的信息”，原文并没有相关表达。因此C选项正确。
第4题:
细节事实题。由题干定位到文章第二段倒数第三行中“…let alone that most important tribute any human being can pay to a poem or a piece of prose he or she really loves, which is to learn it by heart. Not by brain, by heart; the expression is vital. 更不用说对一首他或她真正喜欢的诗歌或散文最重要的赞颂了，那就是把它熟记在心。不是靠头脑，而是靠记忆；这种表达方式至关重要。”可知A项“为了能够欣赏它并记住它”与原文相符。B项“分析其本质特征”，原文并没有相关表达；C项“认真考虑它”，原文并没有相关表达；D项“对其艺术价值做出公正的评价”，原文并没有相关表达。因此A选项正确。
第5题:
观点态度题。由题干定位到文章最后一段最后一句“No one in the book industry can say with any confidence what will happen to the book as we’ve known it. 在图书行业中，没有人可以自信地说出我们所知晓的图书的未来将是什么。”可知C项“不确定的”正确。A项“不安的”；B项“担心的”；D项“悲观的”。因此C选项正确。
