If you look for a book as a present for a child, you will be spoiled for choice

Ifyou look for a book as a present for a child, you will be spoiled for choiceeven in a year when there is no new Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest forgood children’s books, which has set off alarge quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such asThe Lord of the Rings.

Yetdespite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According tostatistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t likereading at all. In 2003, 35% did. And around 6% of children leave primaryschool each year unable to read properly.

Maybethe decline is caused by the increasing availability（可利用性）of computer games.Maybe the books boom（繁荣）has affected only the top ofthe educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Gordon Brown plans to changethings for the bottom of the class. In his pre-budget（预算） report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery tohelp the children struggling most.

ReadingRecovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual dailyhalf- hour classes with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation earlier thisyear reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readerswithout special help made just five months’progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for theirage.

Internationalresearch tends to find that when British children leave primary school theyread well, but read less – often for fun than thoseelsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on（热衷） reading can expectlifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator（指示物）of future educational success. According to the OECD, being aregular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.

1.Which of the following is true ofParagraph 1?

A.Many children’s books have been adapted fromfilms.

B.Many high-quality children’s books have been published.

C.The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.

D.The sales of presents for children have increased.

2.Statistics suggested that ___.

A.the number of top students increased with the use of computers.

B.a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading.

C.a minority of primary school children read properly.

D.a large percentage of children read regularly.

3.What do we know about ReadingRecovery?

A.An education of it will be made sometime this year.

B.Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.

C.It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.

D.Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.

4.Reading for fun is importantbecause book-loving children ____.

A.takes greater advantage of the project.

B.shows the potential to enjoy a long life.

C.is likely to succeed in their education.

D.would make excellent future researchers.

5.The aim of this text wouldprobably be ____.

A.toovercome primary school pupils’ reading difficulty.

B.toencourage the publication of more children’sbooks.

C.toremind children of the importance of reading for fun.

D.tointroduce a way to improve early childhood reading.

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.B

3.D

4.C

5.D

【解析】略