1 . In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life and neglect the simple pleasures that bring us true _______. One such pleasure is reading, a hobby that can transport us to different worlds, broaden our horizons, and enrich our lives in _______ ways.

Reading is not only a source of entertainment but also a _______ tool for personal growth. Through books, we can gain _______ and understanding of topics ranging from science and history to human behavior and emotional intelligence. We can learn about different cultures, religions, and philosophies, _______ a deeper understanding of the world around us.

Moreover, reading has the ability to spark our imagination and creativity. As we _______ the stories of characters in novels or poems, we are invited to imagine their worlds, emotions, and motivations. This exercise in imagination can lead to increased creativity in our own lives, helping us to find new _______ to problems and approaches to challenges.

In addition to its intellectual benefits, reading can also be a source of comfort and relaxation. Curling up with a good book after a long day can help to reduce stress and _______ a sense of calm and well-being. The act of reading itself can be a form of meditation, helping us to _______ our attention and quiet our minds.

_______ , reading is a hobby that offers countless benefits to our lives. It enriches our minds, sparks our imagination, and provides a source of comfort and relaxation. In a world that is constantly changing and _______ , the joy of reading remains a constant source of happiness and growth. So why not _______ time for reading in your daily life and discover the joy it has to offer?

By making reading a part of our daily routine, we can open ourselves up to new ideas, expand our knowledge base, and _______ our minds in ways that are both enjoyable and _______ . The joy of reading is a gift that keeps on giving, so let’s make sure to _______ it by picking up a book today.

3 . Set Aside Time Each Day

Most of us can find 15 minutes or half an hour each day for some _________ regular activity. For example, one famous surgeon always _________ it a rule to spend at least 15 minutes on general reading before sleeping each day. _________ he went to bed at 10 p.m. or 2:30 a.m. _________ no difference.

Check Your Progress Through Pacing

Nearly all “speedy reading” courses have a “pacing” element — some timing _________ which lets you know how many words a minute you are reading. You can do this _________ by looking at your watch every 5 or 10 minutes and noting down the page number you have _________.

Check Your Understanding

Obviously there is little _________ in increasing your reading speed if you do not understand what you are reading. If you find you have lost the _________ of the story, reread the section.

Lightning Speed Exercise

Take four or five pages of an interesting book and read them as fast as you __________ can. Do not __________ about whether you understand or not. After a “lightning speed” of reading, you’ll find your “normal” speed has __________ .

Pay Attention to the Organization of an Article

Most paragraphs in an article have a(n) “__________ sentence” which expresses the central ideas. The opening paragraph often suggests the general direction and content of the piece, while paragraphs that follow __________ or support the first. The ________ paragraph often summarizes the very essence of what has been said.

6 . As COVID-19 restrictions come to an end, foreign visitors have been returning to Paris. Outdoor booksellers called “bouquinistes” have now made their _________ to the neighborhood near the city’s famous Seine River. Many thought the pandemic would _________ their businesses and the tradition of selling by the river, which _________ over 500 years.

Rachid Boianouand is a(n) _________ sailor and fishing boat mechanic. He is now a bookseller. He opened his large green wooden _________ of used books and placed it on a wall _________ the river in the heart of Paris. He sells second-hand books to _________ as they pass by. He smiled as he said “I always love beautiful books, and I think why not share this _________ and share the books and authors I love with other people.”

The city council(委员会) recently _________ Boianouand and 17 other new river side booksellers. This brings the __________ number of booksellers along the river to 230. The booksellers’ riverside spots are __________ sought-after. The Paris city council __________ the spots to be used for five years. The booksellers don’t __________ rent, but they must stay open __________ four days a week. In normal times, __________ summers help with the slower sales of the winter months.

Jan and Maria - Aida Vandemoortele are visitors from Belgium(比利时). They enjoyed ____________ the old books and newspapers for sale. 68-year-old Jan said, “It’s only in Paris that you get to these __________ with wonderful books.”

The Seine book business is not only for tourists, __________, Parisians also love to walk along the river and visit the book sellers’ offerings. Kubilai Iksel, a 27-year-old Parisian, said, “It’s very __________ that new sellers have arrived, and it’s __________ that the Seine book business isn’t going to disappear. It’s one of the most wonderful things about Paris.”

7 . Joining a book club can be a very rewarding experience introducing you to a world of literature that you normally wouldn’t select for yourself. It’s a great way to start reading more and gain a deeper understanding on your reading materials and allows you to meet other people with ______ interest.

It’s always tempting to select a classic or a book that you love so much that you are ______ the group will enjoy it, too. However, joining a book club is also about getting out of your own literary ______ zone as much as it is about reading more. Picking something you haven’t read will mean the story is as ______ for you as for everyone else. A great way select a book is to check for online ______ or ask friends outside the club for their suggestions.

Although a book per month sounds ______ , sometimes things get in the way and suddenly it’s the week before book club sharing and you haven’t even opened the front cover yet. ______ specific evenings for reading or ______ some time during the weekend is a great way to form a reading habit.

Creating a group for your club on ______ media is a great way to stay in ______ and allows changes to dates/times to be made with less trouble than texting or phoning. Here you can ______ state the book for that month for anyone who has missed it and it is a really nice way to keep each ______ by sharing progress and thoughts on the book. This group can be set to be completely ______ so that only members can see the page or ______ with members.

Finally joining a book club is a really great way to meet people and to gain a fresh perspective on the books you read. It is also a great way to ______ your passion for reading.

8 . Why girls do better at school than boys?

For centuries, boys were top of the class. But these days, that’s no longer the case.

A new study by the OECD, a club of mostly   _______ countries in Europe and North America, examined how 15-year-old boys and girls performed at reading, mathematics and science. Boys still get somewhat better _______ in maths and physics, and in other science courses the genders are roughly _______. But when it comes to the students who really struggle and suffer at school, the difference is _______ : boys are 50% more likely than girls to fall short of basic standards in all three areas.

_______ are girls performing better at school than their male classmates?

First, girls read more than boys. Reading proficiency (熟练) is the basis upon which all other learning is built. When boys don’t do well in reading, their _______ in other school subjects suffers too.

Second, girls spend much more time on their homework and out-of-class learning. _______ , girls spend five and a half hours per week doing homework while boys spend a little less than four and a half hours. Researchers suggest that doing homework _______ by teachers is linked to better accomplishment in maths, reading and science. Boys, it appears, spend more of their free time in the _______ world; they are 17% more likely to play cooperative online games than girls every day. They also use the Internet more.

Third, peer_______ plays a role. A lot of boys decide early on that they are just too cool for school. They adopt a so-called concept of masculinity (男子气概) that includes a disregard for _______ , which means they’re more likely to be rude and noisy in class. Teachers mark them down for this. In anonymous (匿名的) tests, boys perform better. In fact, the gender gap in reading_______ by a third when teachers don’t know the gender of the pupil they are marking.

So what can be done to close this gap? Getting boys to do more homework and cut down on screen time would help. And offering boys a _______ to read non-fiction would help too: they’re keener on comics and newspapers. But most of all, abandoning gender stereotypes (刻板印象) would _______ all students. Boys can read much better than girls. And as we know, girls in Shanghai are good at mathematics, and they _______ boys from anywhere else in the world.

9 . With over 125,000 followers, 34-year-old Oliver James is a star in the Book Tok community. And it all started with a simple_________: Learn to read.

For most of the kids, school is a place where they can develop a relationship with learning in a_________ environment. For James, the opposite. _________ with learning and behavior. Disabilities made him in_________ education. “The special education system at the time was a lot more_________ on behavioral than educating,” he said.

Reading_________ carried over into James’ adulthood and it significantly _________ his employment opportunities and affected his self-esteem (自信). However, when he and his wife decided_________ to their family of three, James became determined to change things.

Starting his journey with a book of inspirational quotes gifted by his wife, James began reading bits out loud and _________ to TikTok. Being a motivational speaker, he would often combine his interests with his heartfelt honesty and personality. __________ will often send James more books to read in hopes for his book reviews.

But perhaps the biggest __________ has been the way reading has __________ James’ relationship with his son. In an interview, he shared that they’ve not only__________ over books but reading has proven to be a great __________ for mental health, which has helped James become a better parent. James’ new goal is to read 100 new titles by 2024 —__________ for any bookworm in this day and age.

10 . Nowadays, media and information coming so quickly on the Internet, kids are used to getting things in quick ways, but refuse to read a book.

I remember the wonderful ________ when I realized my 6-year-old niece could read. One weekend, it was bedtime and we were reading Make Way for Ducklings. She ________ a few words. I was ________ to see that she was enjoying reading. Two years later she moved in with me. Our bedtimes were filled with various stories. Now she is 11. However, she is more interested in Tik Tok than in any of the stories. And ________ she certainly can read, she really doesn’t like to unless I threaten to ________ her iPad.

As an educator and writer, this is ________ for me. To my regret, reading has become a ________ in my family.

“Don’t worry too much,” educational consultant Waldinger ________ me when I called to discuss my pain. “As digital natives, our children simply have a ________ relationship with the written word from that of us who came from the typewriter ________”, suggested Waldinger

“Kids do lots of incidental (伴随的) ________,” she told me. “Playing video games and watching a movie like Frozen with closed captions (字幕) are reading. And so is using a(n) ________ to make cookies.”

She said, “You just can’t expect kids to sit down and ________ the encyclopedia (百科全书) like we did back in the day. Accept the fact, stop ________ over reading, and just give children more ________ to read, whether digital or printed.”