.With that trust ____ to serve all Americans and I will do my best to fulfill that duty every day as your President.

The secretary worked late into the night, ______ a long speech for the president.

It happened to me recently. I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President. A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was ,in his words, “a brilliantly（精彩地）written book”. However, he then went on to talk about Mr Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one. Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day’s “Report on Guilty Secrets”, Dreams From My Father is at number 9. The report lists ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading, and as I’m not one to lie too often (I’d hate to be caught out ),I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire top ten . But I am pleased to say that, unlike 42 percent of people, I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it. It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky(I haven’t read him, but haven’t lied about it either )and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to “impress” someone they were speaking to. This could be tricky if the conversation became more in –depth!
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, people named J. k. Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story(I’ll come clean: I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so).
【小题1】How did the author find his friend a book liar?

President Barack Obama's speeches are proving a best-seller in Japan -- as an aid to learning English. An English-language textbook, "The Speeches of Barack Obama," has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.

　　Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated (专门用于) to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.

"Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates(候选人) are excellent as listening tools to learn English. Obama's are especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as 'yes, we can,' 'change' and 'hope' that even Japanese people can memorize," said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.

　　Speeches by George W. Bush and former nominee(提名) John Kerry's four years ago did not have the same interest, however, and nor do those made by Japanese politicians. “We have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes”, Yamamoto said.

　　The 95-page paperback features Obama's speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries(初选), in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.

　　The 1,050 yen ($12) book, which includes a CD of the speeches, tops the bestseller list on bookseller Amazon's Japanese Website, http://www.amazon.co.jp/. He said lawmakers from Japan's main opposition Democratic Party had bought the book to study Obama's speeches.

　　Following Obama's inauguration(就职典礼), Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel(续集) that includes his inaugural address, as well as President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. It will also feature a reading of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address of 1863.

64. Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English because ________.

the speakers are all great

B. the speakers have high speech skills

C. the language is full of humor

D. the contents are good and the words are easy to catch

Why do Japanese place their hopes in a foreign president?

A. Because they don’t have politicians who have such a positive influence.

B. Because they have the same attitude as the foreign presidents.

C. Because they have never made a political speech.

D. Because they hope to have a foreigner as their leader.

Which is true about “The Speeches of Barack Obama”?

A. It contains all Obama’s speeches .

B. It has 1,050 pages with a CD.

C. It includes his inaugural address.

D. It is an especially popular book in Japan.

Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?

A. Japan speaks highly of Obama president .

B. Japan learns English from Obama speeches textbook .

C. Obama gains his fame from his election speeches.

D. Obama gives Japanese speeches on how to learn English.

C
President Barack Obama's speeches are proving a best-seller in Japan -- as an aid to learning English. An English-language textbook, "The Speeches of Barack Obama," has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.
　　Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated (专门用于) to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.
"Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates(候选人) are excellent as listening tools to learn English. Obama's are especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as 'yes, we can,' 'change' and 'hope' that even Japanese people can memorize," said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.
　　Speeches by George W. Bush and former nominee(提名) John Kerry's four years ago did not have the same interest, however, and nor do those made by Japanese politicians. “We have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes”, Yamamoto said.
　　The 95-page paperback features Obama's speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries(初选), in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.
　　The 1,050 yen ($12) book, which includes a CD of the speeches, tops the bestseller list on bookseller Amazon's Japanese Website, http://www.amazon.co.jp/. He said lawmakers from Japan's main opposition Democratic Party had bought the book to study Obama's speeches.
　　Following Obama's inauguration(就职典礼), Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel(续集) that includes his inaugural address, as well as President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. It will also feature a reading of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address of 1863.
64. Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English because ________.
A. the speakers are all great
B. the speakers have high speech skills
C. the language is full of humor
D. the contents are good and the words are easy to catch
65. Why do Japanese place their hopes in a foreign president?
A. Because they don’t have politicians who have such a positive influence.
B. Because they have the same attitude as the foreign presidents.
C. Because they have never made a political speech.
D. Because they hope to have a foreigner as their leader.
66. Which is true about “The Speeches of Barack Obama”?
A. It contains all Obama’s speeches .
B. It has 1,050 pages with a CD.
C. It includes his inaugural address.
D. It is an especially popular book in Japan.
67. Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?
A. Japan speaks highly of Obama president .
B. Japan learns English from Obama speeches textbook .
C. Obama gains his fame from his election speeches.
D. Obama gives Japanese speeches on how to learn English.