12．Every morning my father buys a newspaper on his way to work．Every evening my mother looks through magazines at home．And every night，I look at the posters with photos of David Beckham and Yao Ming on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep．Can weimagine life without paper or print？
Paper was first created about 2，000 years ago，and has been made from silk，cotton，bamboo，and since the 19th century，from wood．People learned to write words on paper to make a book．But in those days，books could only be produced one at a time by hand．As a result，they were expensive and rare．And because there weren't many hooks，few people learned to read．
Then printing was invented in China．When printing was developed greatly at the beginning of the 11th century，books could be produced more quickly and cheaply．As a result，more people learned toread．After that，knowledge and ideas spread quickly．
Today information canbe received online，downloaded from the Internet rather than found in books，and information can be kept on CD-ROMs or machines such as MP3 players．
Computers are already used in classrooms，and newspapers and magazines can already be read online．So will books be replaced by computers one day？No，I don't think the Yao Ming posteron my bedroom wall will ever be replaced by a computer two metres high!
56．What does the writer do before he goes to sleep？D
A．He reads books．
B．He reads newspapers
C．He looks through magazines
D．He looks at theposters on the wall．
57．When was paper first created？A
A．About 2000 years ago．
B．In the 19th century．
C．About 1000 years ago．
D．In the 11th century．
58．Why were books expensive and rare before the invention of printing？D
A．People could not read．
B．People could not write words on paper．
C．People could not find silk，cotton or bamboo．
D．People could only produce books one at a time by hand．
59．What happened after books became cheaper？C
A．People didn't want to buy books．
B．Printing was invented in China．
C．Knowledge and ideas spread quickly．
D．The Internet was introduced to people soon．
60．What is the writer's opinion about books and computers？B
A．People won't need books any more
B．Books won't be replaced by computers．
C．People prefer to find information in books．
D．Computers have already replaced books．
分析 这篇短文主要讲述了书籍的产生和变化及在人类社会发展中知识和思想传播的巨大作用．
解答 56．D 细节理解题：根据第一段And every night，I look at the posters with photos of David Beckham and Yao Ming on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep．描述，可知作者在睡觉前都要看着墙上的海报，故选D．
57．A 细节理解题：根据第二段Paper was first created about 2，000 years ago，描述，可知报纸是在大约两千年前产生的．故选A．
58．D 细节理解题：根据短文第二段But in those days，books could only be produced one at a time by hand．As a result，they were expensive and rare．描述，可知书籍贵的原因是，书籍那时只能手写，而且一次只能写一张，故选D．
59．C 细节理解题：根据短文第三段As a result，more people learned to read．After that，knowledge and ideas spread quickly．描述，可知在书籍变得便宜之后，更多的人喜欢阅读，之后，知识和思想传播得更迅速．故选C．
60．B 作者态度题：根据短文最后一段No…，可知作者认为书籍不会被电脑取代，故选B．
点评 对阅读理解能力的测试是英语考试中必不可少的测试项目，主要考查学生对于不同体裁或不同题材语言材料的理解能力，以及通过材料的阅读，对材料中信息的捕获能力．这些能力的提高，需要同学们多多训练．
