Question

Books are typically written first, then narrated (朗读) for audio (有声) books. Until now. Audible , the largest company of audio books, has begun asking well-known writers to create works specifically for audio, instead of inviting people to narrate already existing print books. It’s a new chapter for the book industry.

Audible now has about 30 totally new audio works in production. And it turns out that audio books, which have long been regarded as less important than e-books, have actually been doing quite well. They are a $1,000,000,000 industry, with more than 35,000 titles published in 2013 alone.

What promotes that progress is not only an evolution of technology, but more importantly ,the rise of the celebrity (名人) narrator. Narrators are key to the success of an audio book and these days, producers are signing on more and more celebrities. Celebrities’ narration is like a private performance to customers, who get a feeling of closeness in listening to their voices. Many of the customers buy audio books based on the narrator. They will listen to anything a specific actor or actress reads.

That is why Audible is taking the risk of not producing print books at all but starting totally new audio works. There’s another reason why the company is expecting its risk-taking action to pay off: humans have been telling stories since the beginning of time. We are taking part in a little habit that goes back thousands and thousands of years—before the first mark was ever made on a stone. Long before writing, people were telling each other stories and the audio book goes all the way back to that tradition. As Peter Allen sang softly in the 1970s, everything old is new again.

1.The “new chapter” (Para. 1) refers to a time of ______.

A. producing totally new audio works

B. starting audio companies

C. narrating print books for audio

D. creating electronic books

2.What does Paragraph 2 tell about audio books?

A. Their difference from e-books.

B. Their previous production.

C. Their great importance.

D. Their bright future.

3.Customers like celebrities’ narration because ______.

A. celebrities help them understand the stories

B. celebrities have more attractive voices

C. celebrities have better narrating skills

D. celebrities seem to be within their reach

4.Audible believes its risk-taking action will be rewarding because ______.

A. the action agrees with the story-telling tradition

B. customers play an active role in the action

C. the company has spent a lot on the action

D. the action has lasted for a long time

Answer 1