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 knew that I was talking to a book liar (a person who tells lies).
And it seems that my friend is not the only one. About 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 different 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 (承认) here and now that I haven't read the whole 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 better 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). 42 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 surprised that 58 percent said they had never done so).
1. How did the author find his friend a book liar?| A．By telling it from his way of speaking. |
| B．By looking into his background. |
| C．By mentioning a famous name. |
| D．By discussing the book itself. |
| A．Charles Dickens is very low on the top-ten list. |
| B．42% of people pretended (假装) to have read 1984. |
| C．The author admitted having read 9 books. |
| D．Dreams From My Father is hardly read. |
| A．control the conversation |
| B．appear knowledgeable |
| C．learn about the book |
| D．make more friends |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Anyone who ever did anything truly great failed first. Failure is a part of trying. It’s going to happen. What matters is how you deal with it.
It is failure that is the key to success. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he invented the light bulb. Abraham Lincoln was defeated in several government elections (选举) before becoming one of the greatest American presidents in history. When Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, he went home, locked himself in his room and cried. He became surely the greatest basketball player of all time.
Failure doesn’t have to be the end. If you let it, failure can be an effective and powerful teacher that finally leads to success. Many teens today don’t understand this. Passing or failing a test, making the team or getting cut, being accepted socially or being laughed at — teenage life can be confusing (令人困惑的) and full of pressure, and, sadly, teenagers think it’s easier not to try at all than to face their fear of failure.
Clearly, failure represents opportunity and growth, not deficit or loss. But if teens don’t try or take chances, great opportunities for success will pass by them. And having an attitude of avoidance (逃避) and a fear of risk-taking can finally lead teenagers to give up themselves altogether. Teens face important decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. It’s an important time for them to know how to properly face failure. They may be about to experience a lot of it.
We are going to experience failure, but no experience in life is wasted if you learn something from it. Make sure you know that failure is just a stepping stone to success.
1. The writer considers that Thomas Edison’s and Abraham Lincoln’s failures _________.| A．let them down | B．helped them succeed |
| C．made them cry | D．gave them hope |
| A．confusing | B．hopeful | C．boring | D．energetic |
| A．happiness | B．surprise | C．success | D．weakness |
| A．never try at all | B．have a fear of risk - taking |
| C．try or take chances | D．have a positive attitude |
| A．Thomas Edison was a great scientist. | B．Many teens today are confused. |
| C．Teens should make right decisions. | D．Failure is the first step to success. |
【推荐2】One morning, the sun was shining bright through my bedroom window, and it immediately gave me this warm feeling inside. I thought to myself, “Today is going to be a great day. One of the best days ever! ”I got out of bed, took my morning shower and began to get dressed. I put on a pair of dress pants, followed by my dress shirt. I reached into my pants left pocket and pulled out what felt like some paper.
Can you imagine that feeling of finding a $ 20 bill in your pants and it feels like free money? Because you forgot all about it and thought you never did. I pulled out a $ 100 bill and a $ 50bill in the same pocket. It was one of the best feelings and I'm sure if someone saw the smile on my face, they would understand.
I yelled in joy, with my poor puppy looking at me like I was crazy! Start your morning off thinking you are going to have the best day ever and you just might! I wonder what will happen next!
1. What was the weather like that morning?| A．Cloudy. | B．Sunny. | C．Rainy. | D．Windy. |
| A．Dress. | B．Shirt and skirt. | C．Shirt and pants. | D．Shirt and jeans. |
| A．In the left pocket of pants. | B．In the left pocket of dress. |
| C．In the left pocket of jeans. | D．In the left pocket of shirt. |
| A．$20. | B．$50. | C．$100. | D．$170. |
| A．A Crazy Puppy | B．How to Dress | C．A Best Day | D．When to Get Up |
Laughter is important for our health. But sometimes we feel bad, or people around us make us feel bad. What should we do?
Confidence
Confidence (自信) is a feeling.
Our confidence can be hurt. For example, a classmate’s opinion might have a big influence (影响) on us.
Feeling low
We all have the time when we are not all that happy. It’s usual for people at your age.
If you have those problems, talk to your parents and doctors.
| A．It makes you feel like you can do something. |
| B．We care about what others say, and that’s OK. |
| C．Why are there so many people who have depression? |
| D．But if you feel bad all the time, there may be a problem. |
| E．Lots of changes are happening to your body and in your life. |
| F．If the person is criticizing you to help you, respect their advice. |
