3、Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the scholars of old times, while during the 15 th century the word “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the 19 th century did silent reading become a common practice.

One should be careful, however, in thinking that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud disturbs others. Research into the historical development of silent reading shows that it became the usual way of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.

    The 19 th century saw a gradual increase in literacy （读写能力） and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of listeners dropped, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the popularity of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, trains and offices, where reading aloud would disturb other readers in a way.

    Towards the end of the century there was still heated argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its advantages, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.

    By the end of the 19 th century, students were being advised to form their own opinions on books and to use skills in reading them which were unsuitable for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological changes in the 19 th century had greatly changed what the word “reading” implied.

1．Why was reading aloud common before the 19 th century?

    A．Few people could read for themselves.

    B．Few people knew the value of silent reading.

    C．There were few places for reading alone.

    D．Scholars enjoyed themselves by reading their own works.

2．The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century showed      .

    A．a change in the social position of the educated people  

    B．a change in the nature of reading

    C．an increase in the number of newspapers

    D．an increase in the people’s understanding of the mass media

3．According to the text, educators are still arguing about           .

       A．the importance of silent reading

       B．the value of information given by books

       C．the effects of reading on mental development

       D．the value of different types of reading materials

4．We can learn from the text that “the old shared literacy culture” refers to          .

       A．the practice of reading to oneself          

       B．the practice of reading aloud

       C．the reading of books and magazines      

       D．the reading of newspapers

5．What is the writer of this text attempting to do? 

    A．Show how reading methods have developed

    B．Introduce a new method of reading

    C．Remind people of oral reading in old times

    D．Encourage the growth of reading in the future.