I can remember when my daughter Maggie, who is now six, used to crawl into my lap and say, “Daddy, read me a story.” Last year she announced, “Daddy, I’m going to read you a story.”
Maggie was a television child. When she first became conscious of anything beyond eating and sleeping, the TV set was right there, and it soon commanded her attention.
A few years ago, we were worried not only that we’d never get the children away from the set long enough to learn to read, but that we’d forget how to read ourselves. But in 1955 there was not only more reading than before TV, but more reading than ever before in history.
Clearly, reading has survived television as it has survived a lot of other things. When I was six, a wail went up about menaces (威胁) to reading at home: motor cars and cinema. When Maggie came along, there was television. The motorcar, the radio, the cinema and television do take up a lot of time.
Well, we’ve got more time. When my mother was a girl, people worked about 60 hours a week. Now it’s 44. When Maggie grows up, it’ll be 30. And there’ll be numerous gadgets to do her housework. She’ll have to read. You can’t watch TV all day.
At present Maggie is reading about Johnny Woodchuck. Ahead of her — and I’m a little envious — are her first brush with Black Beauty, Alice stepping through the looking glass, Huck and Jim drifting down the Mississippi, the emotional storms of Shakespeare, the spiritual agonies of Tolstoy. For reading isn’t all joy. Like life itself, it’s mixed with many moods, from ecstasy (狂喜) to despair. Maggie will learn to take the rough with the smooth, gathering from the ancient wisdom of long-dead genius a little fire to enrich her spirit.
And some day, if she’s lucky, she’ll get the biggest thrill of all, when a little girl climbs into her lap and announces, “Mummy, I’m going to read you a story.”
4. Why do the young generation like Maggie have more access to reading?
A.They face less working pressure. |
B.There is more time available for reading. |
C.Their parents encourage them more often. |
D.They have a stronger desire for knowledge. |
5. What makes the author envious of Maggie?
A.Her exposure to classic reading. | B.Her productive works in writing. |
C.Her wild imagination in daily life. | D.Her spiritual reflection on the books. |
6. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 6 imply?
A.Maggie has rich experiences. |
B.Maggie has a good plan for reading. |
C.Maggie will benefit a lot from reading. |
D.Maggie is on the road to becoming a genius. |
7. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Reading makes Maggie a fortunate girl. |
B.More girls like Maggie enjoy telling stories. |
C.Maggie’s daughter brings her the biggest thrill. |
D.It is a blessing that reading can be passed down. |