Have you ever been to the tiny Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye,situated on the River Wye on the Welsh-English border.In the distance,it looks like any other small European town.But Hay-on-Wye has a delightful quirk that sets it apart from other small towns.It’s home to 1,400 people and hundreds of thousands of books,making it the largest centre for second-hand books in the entire world.
You won’t find a Barnes and Noble in Hay-on-Wye,but what you will find is over 30 charming,cozy second-hand bookshops rich with the smell of old books.(By the way,there’s a scientific reason why you love that smell.)There’s a bookstore specialising in out-of-print children’s books.A shop called“Murder and Mayhem”sells mainly detective literature.And one outdoor bookshop,the Hay Castle Bookshop,is built around the walls of—you guessed it—a castle.How could a book-lover possibly ask for anything more?(Though this is a Welsh town,it would be very easy to develop this Japanese literary habit here.)
One of the town’s most unique features is its “honesty bookshops”.There are basically just bookshelves sitting out in the open,without a cashier or employee to speak of.A sign announces the prices of the books(which are often less than one US dollar),and a collection box for money sits nearby.Customers are trusted to pay,on their honour.There are no security cameras or anything,just good old-fashioned trust.
Apart from being a popular tourist destination for literary fanatics throughout the entire year,Hay-on-Wye also throws a literary festival each year at the end of May.Bookworms from all over the world flock to this tiny town to hear famous writers speak,attend book signings,and,of course,stock up on reading material.And there’s plenty for the kids to do (and read) too!Here,your child grows up loving to read.
18. What can be the best title of the passage?
A.A Small Town with More Books than People |
B.Honest People in a British Town |
C.The Most Unique Bookshops in the World |
D.Bookshops—a Good Place for Tired Travellers |
19. Which of the following can take the place of the underlined word “quirk” in the first paragraph?
A.Atmosphere. | B.Situation. |
C.View. | D.Feature. |
20. The small town has the following features except that
.
A.it’s the largest centre for second-hand books |
B.the bookshops there are in the Japanese style,with no security cameras |
C.there is a literary festival each year for book-lovers throughout the world |
D.customers to the honesty bookshops help themselves to buying books |
21. In which column of a magazine can you probably find the passage?
A.Finance. | B.Fashion. | C.Travel. | D.Health. |