An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America a

An idea that started in Seattle's public library hasspread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build asense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at thesame time.

In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangersto communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting readingas an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came fromSeattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起）the"If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her originalprogram used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bringpeople together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many otherAmerican cities, and even to Hong Kong.

In Chicago, the mayor appeared on television toannounce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "OneBook, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighborhoodgroups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents andchildren reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the busabout plot and character.

   The only problem arose in New York , wherelocal readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diversepopulation. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities orlarge towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can beachieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting alltheir energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussionabout a book itself.

As Nancy points out, the level of success is notmeasured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched bythe process or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would nototherwise have shared a word.

1.Whatis the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A. To invite authors to guide readers

B. To encourage people to read and share.

C. To involve people in community service

D. To promote the friendship between cities.

2.Whywas it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A. They had little interest in reading.

B. They were too busy to read a book.

C. They came from many different backgrounds.

D. They lacked support from the local government.

3.Accordingto the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A. In large communities with little sense of unity

B. In large cities where libraries are far from home

C. In medium-sized cities with a diverse population

D. In large towns where agreement can be quicklyreached

4.Theunderlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean       .

A. exchanged ideas with each other

B. discussed the meaning of a word

C. gained life experience

D. used the same language

5.Accordingto Nancy, the degree of success of the project is judged by        .

A. the careful selection of a proper book

B. the growing popularity of the writers

C. the number of people who benefit from reading

D. the number of books that each person reads

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.A

5.C

【解析】

试题