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.

1、此题要求改正所给短文中的错误.对标题号的每一行做出判断：如无错误，在该行右边的横线上划（√）；如有错误（每行只有一个错误），则按下列情况改正：

此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并也用斜线划掉。

此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。

此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。

注意：原行没有错的不要改。

I’m still a beginner in English learning; yet I hope the following    

will be advisable to you. What can we do when we meet with a new    1．       

word without knowing what it means? Turn to a dictionary and just     2．       

leave it alone? I think the best thing to do it is （to） look at the         3．       

word near it. Looking for something about this word, we’re learning     4．       

to find the clues and use the context while doing my reading.               5．       

Now, for example, it was no wind in the harbor. The sailing boat          6．       

hardly moved a bit all day. Towards evening a zephyr start up,              7．       

but it was only weak enough to get the flag on it flying a little.              8．       

What does “zephyr” mean here? Make guess, will you?                9．       

Yes, a zephyr means a very gently wind.                                            10．       

34、Let us suppose that you are in _____ position of _____ parent. Would you allow your child to do such a thing?

A. a; a             B. a; the           C. the; a            D. the; the

32、Tom and I seldom get together, but we ______ with each other frequently.

A．write           B．correspond         C．respond           D．count

31、_____ on the small island, the tower has been seriously damaged by the sea water.

A．Being lain            B．Laid           C．Being located           D．Located

30、In this workshop, the output of July was three times __________ of January.

A．that           B．this              C．one               D．it

29、Did your speech ____ the audience?     

A．get through to          B．get across to          C．get through           D．get across