Many years ago, my mother read from the book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey to me. I remember as if it were yesterday, hearing her voice at my side on a cold wintry night. My mother’s voice changed my world.
Long before I could read on my own, she shared with me the strength and beauty of McCloskey’s language, a story of a little girl and her mother out in nature, co-existing with a mother bear and her own baby. The power of the story, of language and of my mother all came together. And it happened many times after that, over and over. The reading aloud made me a reader.
Years later, I was reading aloud a picture book to a small child in a classroom. His life, so far, had not been easy. His childhood was troubled by poverty and loneliness. In that moment, in the joy of reading aloud, he had an idea that started something big.
What he said was this: “Mrs. Allyn, let’s make sure everyone knows how good this feels. Let’s have a holiday for reading aloud.” Therefore, my organization, LitWorld, created a grassroots movement World Read Aloud Davin 2010 to honor this young boy’s wish for everyone to be able to have a reading aloud every day.
Since the day he shared that good idea with us, World Read Aloud Day has become a worldwide event reaching over one million people in more than 65 countries around the world. This year we are over 600 cities strong, a number that is growing every day.
Children who grow up as readers become engaged citizens of the global world, and every child deserves the right to read. When I say that reading aloud will change the world, I know it sounds simple. But one of the many great things about giving kids access to the power of stories and sharing them together is that it is simple. It is also cheap and easily done. And the impact is huge.
16. How did the author’s parent change her life?
A.By reading aloud to her. | B.By listening to her reading. |
C.By buying many books for her. | D.By encouraging her to read aloud. |
17. What was the small child’s idea in Paragraph 3?
A.To start a holiday. | B.To reduce poverty. |
C.To found LitWorld. | D.To overcome loneliness. |
18. What does the underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Kids. | B.Reading aloud activities. | C.Engaged citizens. | D.Stories. |
19. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Litworld was founded in an attempt to fight poverty. |
B.Being simple is the best reason for reading aloud. |
C.The author was probably the boy’s favorite reader. |
D.The holiday is winning popularity around the globe. |
20. Which would the author most probably agree with according to the passage?
A.Sticking to reading isn’t easy. | B.Reading gives a high rate of return. |
C.Reading aloud can remove loneliness. | D.Kids should try to change the world. |