1 . I entered high school having read hundreds of books. But I was not a good reader. Merely bookish, I lacked a point of view when I read. Rather, I read in order to get a point of view. I searched books for good expressions and sayings, pieces of information, ideas, themes—anything to enrich my thought and make me feel educated. When one of my teachers suggested to his sleepy tenth-grade English class that a person could not have a “complicated (复杂的) idea” until he had read at least two thousand books, I heard the words without recognizing either its irony (嘲讽) or its very complicated truth. I merely determined to make a list of all the books I had ever read. Strict with myself, I included only once a title I might have read several times. (How, after all, could one read a book more than once?) And I included only those books over a hundred pages in length. (Could anything shorter be a book?)

There was yet another high school list I made. One day I came across a newspaper article about an English professor at a nearby state college. The article had a list of the “hundred most important books of Western Civilization.” “More than anything else in my life,” the professor told the reporter with finality, “these books have made me all that I am.” That was the kind of words I couldn’t ignore (忽视). I kept the list for the several months it took me to read all of the titles. Most books, of course, I hardly understood. While reading Plato’s The Republic, for example, I needed to keep looking at the introduction of the book to remind myself what the text was about. However, with the special patience and superstition (迷信) of a schoolboy, I looked at every word of the text. And by me time I reached the last word, pleased, I persuaded myself that I had read The Republic, and seriously crossed Plato off my list.

1. On hearing the teacher’s suggestion of reading, the writer thought______.

A．one must read as many books as possible

B．a student should not have a complicated idea

C．it was impossible for one to read two thousand books

D．students ought to make a list of the books they had read

2. While at high school, the writer______.

A．had plans for reading

B．learned to educate himself

C．only read books over 100 pages

D．read only one book several times

3. The underlined phrase “with finality” probably means______.

A．firmly	B．clearly
C．proudly	D．pleasantly

4. The writer’s purpose in mentioning The Republic is to______.

A．explain why it was included in the list

B．describe why he seriously crossed it off the list

C．show that he read the books blindly though they were hard to understand

D．prove that he understood most of it because he had looked at every word

5. The writer provides two book lists to______.

A．show how he developed his point of view

B．tell his reading experience at high school

C．introduce the two persons’ reading methods

D．explain that he read many books at high school

2 . Lainey finished third grade. She had good grades and could read ______       grade level, but she did not like to read. On a family car trip, her Aunt Dede pulled out a copy of Harry Potter, as a surprise for her     ______. But Lainey took one look at it,       ______   her eyes, and said, “Borrrring！”

Aunt Dede, a teacher, had read the book to her students, and they loved it.     ______     the youngest children in the class were       ______   by the story. They     ______     with great interest, and then     ______     joined in grand conversations about Harry's adventures.

“How can you say it's     ______？Have you read it？” asked Aunt Dede.

“No, it's too long and it doesn't have any     ______，” complained Lainey.

“Oh, that's where you are       ______； there are lots of pictures. Every page is full of pictures; you just have to read the words to       ______     them. It's like magic.”

“Nice try, Aunt Dede，” Lainey replied     ______     from the back seat.

Another ______ was in order. “Well, if you don't want to read it, give it ______. Maybe your mum would ______ hearing the story.” The book sailed through the air to Aunt Dede and she began to read it aloud. By the end of the first chapter，______ were coming from the back seat: “Please read a little ______．”

Lainey is an example of an   ______ reader. As shown here, Lainey can become ______ about reading when ______ with literature on topics that interest her, and when the people around her model involvement in the reading process.

1.

A．within

B．on

C．to

D．above

2.

A．daughter

B．niece

C．student

D．friend

3.

A．opened

B．dried

C．rolled

D．shaded

4.

A．Even

B．Still

C．Just

D．Yet

5.

A．surprised

B．annoyed

C．puzzled

D．attracted

6.

A．read

B．told

C．listened

D．wrote

7.

A．suspectedly

B．anxiously

C．calmly

D．enthusiastically

8.

A．amazing

B．boring

C．ridiculous

D．humorous

9.

A．pictures

B．stories

C．adventures

D．conversations

10.

A．crazy

B．foolish

C．wrong

D．different

11.

A．see

B．match

C．show

D．recognize

12.

A．sourly

B．patiently

C．eagerly

D．shyly

13.

A．idea

B．try

C．belief

D．behaviour

14.

A．away

B．out

C．in

D．back

15.

A．enjoy

B．admit

C．mind

D．finish

16.

A．decisions

B．requests

C．comments

D．promises

17.

A．more clearly

B．longer

C．louder

D．more carefully

18.

A．unpleasant

B．innocent

C．unwilling

D．independent

19.

A．astonished

B．worried

C．confused

D．excited

20.

A．presented

B．concerned

C．disturbed

D．replaced

3 . I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives (观点) by creating worlds we could step into, take part in and live in.
With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.
Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction (文学作品)．As a law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter—the volume (量) of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn't necessarily be able to have in my lifetime.
1. What can be inferred about the author as a child?

A．He never watched TV.

B．He read what he had to.

C．He found reading unbelievable.

D．He considered reading part of his life.

2. The underlined word "voice" in the second paragraph most probably means “      ”.

A．an idea

B．a sound quality

C．a way of writing

D．a world to write about

3. What effect does reading have on the author?

A．It helps him to realize his dream.

B．It opens up a wider world for him.

C．It makes his college life more interesting.

D．It increases his interest in worldwide travel.

4. Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

A．Why do I read?

B．How do I read?

C．What do I read?

D．When do I read?