1 . For many people today, reading is no longer relaxation. To keep up their work they must read letters, reports, trade publications, interoffice communications, not to mention newspapers and magazines; a never-ending flood of words. In getting a job advancing, the ability to read and comprehend ____ can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet the unfortunate fact is that most of us are ____ readers. Most of us develop poor reading habits at an early age, and never ____ them. The main shortage lies in the actual stuff of language itself – words. Taken individually, words have little____ until they are combined together into phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Unfortunately, ____, the untrained reader does not read groups of words. He read one word at a time with difficulty, often regressing to ____ words or passages. Regression, namely, the tendency to look back over what you have just read, is a common ____ habit in reading. Another bad habit which ____ the speed of reading is vocalization –sounding each word either ____ or mentally as one reads.

To overcome these bad habits, some reading clinics use a device called an accelerator, which moves a bar (or curtain) down the page at a predetermined speed. The bar is set a slightly ____ rate than the reader finds comfortable, in order to “____” him. The accelerator forces the reader to read fast, making word-by-word reading, regression and sub-vocalization, practically ____. At first comprehension is ____ speed. But when you learn to read ideas and concepts, you will not only read faster, but your comprehension will improve. Many people have found their reading skill ____ improved after some training. Take Charles Au, a business manager, for instance, his reading rate was a reasonably good 172 words a minute before the training, now it is an excellent 1,378 words a minute. He is delighted that now he can go through a lot more reading material in a(n) ____ period of time.

1.

A．quickly

B．silently

C．thoroughly

D．vaguely

2.

A．casual

B．curious

C．efficient

D．poor

3.

A．acquire

B．cultivate

C．kick

D．practice

4.

A．formation

B．meaning

C．pronunciation

D．transformation

5.

A．however

B．moreover

C．somehow

D．therefore

6.

A．recite

B．reread

C．reuse

D．rewrite

7.

A．horrible

B．incurable

C．social

D．viewing

8.

A．achieves

B．gains

C．measures

D．reduces

9.

A．orally

B．physically

C．quietly

D．repeatedly

10.

A．better

B．faster

C．lower

D．steadier

11.

A．distract

B．embarrass

C．interest

D．stretch

12.

A．demanding

B．impossible

C．reasonable

D．useful

13.

A．applied to

B．matched with

C．sacrificed for

D．substituted for

14.

A．dramatically

B．hardly

C．slightly

D．subconsciously

15.

A．indefinite

B．lengthy

C．limited

D．set

2 . Amazon Charts

The Top Five Most Sold & Most Read Books of the Week

No. 1 It — Now a major film BY STEPHEN KING

Stephen King’s terrifying, classic # 1 New York Times bestseller, “a landmark in American literature (Chicago Sun-Times)”— about seven adults who return to their hometown to fight a nightmare they had first been troubled with as teenagers…an evil without a-name: it.

Readers of Stephen King know that Derry, Maine, is a place with a deep, dark hold on the author. It reappears in many of his books, including Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis and 11/22/63. But it all starts with It.

No. 2 A Column of Fire — # 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY KENFOLLETT

In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral looked down on a city split by religious conflict. As power in England shifted dangerously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clashed, testing friendship, loyalty and love…

No. 3 A Game of Thrones — NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES BY GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

From a master of contemporary fantasy comes the first novel of a landmark series unlike any you’ve ever read before. With A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin has launched a genuine masterpiece, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Mystery, intrigue, romance and adventure fill the pages of this magnificent saga, the first volume in an epic series sure to delight fantasy fans everywhere.

No. 4 The Cuban Affair — INSTANT # 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY NELSON DEMILLE

Brilliantly written with his signature humor and real experience from his research trip to Cuba… Nelson DeMille is a true master of genre.

No. 5 Sleeping Beauties BY OWEN KING, STEPHEN KING

In this spectacular father/son collaboration, Stephen King and Owen King tell the “highest of high-stakes stories: What might happen if women disappeared from the world of men?”

In a future so real and near that it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep. And while they sleep, they go to another place, a better place, where harmony prevails and conflict is rare…

1. According to the article, which book is co-authored?

A．It	B．A Game of Thrones
C．The Cuban Affair	D．Sleeping Beauties

2. According to the passage, which books have been adapted for television or the big screen?

A．It and A Game of Thrones	B．Origin and The Cuban Affair
C．A Game of Thrones and Origin	D．Sleeping Beauties and A Column of Fire

3. According to the article, which of the following statements is true?

A．The Cuban Affairs is a novel written with a serious tone.

B．The story in A Column of Fire is set in a modern European country.

C．It describes a frightening story set in Derry, a location familiar to readers of Stephen King.

D．The author of A Game of Thrones has also written other books, including Bags of Bones.