Usually, when we talk about reading, we think of using our eyes to see letters    1    (write) in ink on paper.    2    ,this is not always true. For example, blind people cannot see, but they can still read books.

The man    3    (introduce) blind people to reading was Louis Braille. Braille lost his eyesight at the age of three as    4    result of an injury. When he was ten, he went.to a school for the blind in Paris.

In 1821, a soldier visited the school and showed the students a system for passing    5    (message) at night during times of battle. His system used paper with small, raised dots    6    could be felt with the fingers. Each letter of the alphabet was represented by a different pattern which    7    (make) up of twelve dots. While the students found the soldier’s idea interesting, the system was too difficult to be of practical use. But young Louis Braille took the idea and worked on it.    8    the age of fifteen, he created a system--“Braille.”

The blind can    9    (easy) recognize Braille with the fingers. Today,    10    is the most common system for them to read and write.

“What shall I read” You might have asked     1    (you) this question more than once. If you are not sure what to read, you can get ideas from different     2    (source), but it is also important to develop your own taste.

To start with, ask your friends, parents and teachers     3    (recommend) what books you ought to read. Most people will be happy to share their favourite books with others. Teachers in particular can provide suggestions for interesting reading materials that can     4    (find) in the library or bookshop easily. You could also read book reviews in newspapers, in magazines     5    online.     6     book review can often tell you whether a book is worth reading or not.

These ideas should point you in the right direction. However, you must also decide for yourself what kind of books to read. You do not have to read a book just because everyone recommends it. Instead, look for books on topics     7     interest you. Take time to look through the collections     8     different sections of your local library, and you are likely to come across books you love to read. Over time, you may find yourself     9    (well) able to seek out books to your taste and enjoy     10    (read) all the more.

For much of history, reading was a fairly noisy activity. Today, however, the majority of us bottle the words in our heads as if     1    (sit) in a library. 

Recent studies provide enough evidence     2     the ancient art of reading aloud has a number of benefits, from helping improve our memories     3     strengthening emotional bonds between people. 

According to research on the impact of reading on memory, people consistently remember words and texts     4    (well) if reading them aloud than if reading them silently. This phenomenon has been named the “production effect”, which means that producing     5    (write) words—namely, reading them out loud—improves our memory of them. Even just silently mouthing the words makes     6    (they) more memorable. 

One reason why people remember the spoken words better is that it gives us     7     additional basis for memory. We are     8    (general) better at recalling events that require active involvement. For instance, producing a word in     9    (respond) to a question makes it easier to remember. 

In time when our interactions with others and the large amount of information we take in     10    (be) all too transient(转瞬即逝的), perhaps it is worth making a bit more time for reading out loud.

It’s one of the     1     (great) novels in world literature. First published in 1791, A Dream of Red Mansions, also     2     (know) as The Story of the Stone, is to Chinese people as William Shakespeare’s famous plays are to westerners.

The novel,     3     reflects the history of the Qing Dynasty, follows the rise and fall of the noble Jia family. Originally, the family seems     4     (be) wealthy and powerful, thanks in part to its close relationships with the royal family. Yet, the heir to the family, Jia Baoyu, enjoys     5     (live) a pure, carefree life, having no interest     6     politics at all.

Expected to pair with Xue Baochai, Jia     7     (stay) glued to his delicately brilliant cousin, Lin Daiyu. As the lovers head toward a tragic end, the family falls on hard times, fading away eventually.

The     8     (appreciate) of the classic novel is surely both a pleasant treat and a bittersome challenge. As always, the novel has experienced various adaptations. Making the detailed 120-chapter novel into just several hours is     9     (absolute) no piece of cake. “Still, choices have to be made,” the opera’s stage director Stan Lai concluded. “For everyone else, the challenge is to make it     10     excellent opera.”