World Book Day falls on April 23 every year．It was set up by the UNESCO* in 1995 to encourage people，especially teenagers，to discover the pleasure of reading．It is also the day to honor great writers，for example，William Shakespeare，born or dead on that day．

Many countries celebrate World Book Day．Take UK as an example．On that day，millions of schoolchildren can buy books of special price，a much lower price than usual，in any bookstore．It has been done every year since 1998．World Book Day is also celebrated in China．Wen Jiabao，Premier of China，is an avid reader．He does lots of reading every day though he is very busy．On World Book Day 2009，he called on people to do more reading．Wen suggested that young people should spend more time reading．"Books can not change the world，but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading，" he said．

Reading can benefit people in many ways．Reading helps us become more knowledge- able and more intelligent．Reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology．Reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world．When we read，we may find many things that are unfamiliar* to us．We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers．The more we read，the more we know．The more we know，the smarter we become．Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English．We all know that it is difficult to learn everything in the classroom，for example，the ways English people are speaking and writing today．Reading helps us．

"Reading makes a full man" （Bacon，1597 ）：Books，magazines，newspapers and other" kinds of reading materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us．Therefore，it is necessary for us to spend time on reading every day．

1．Why was World Book Day set up?

A．To encourage people to learn English．

B．To encourage people to do more reading． 

C．To encourage people to buy more books． 

D．To encourage people to know more about science．

2．An avid reader is a person who ________

A．loves reading                            B．never reads

C．does little reading                          D．hates reading

3．According to the passage，reading can help people in many ways EXCEPT _______

A．learning English better                      B．knowing more about culture

C．improving your memory                   D．knowing more about the outside world

4．What's the best title for the passage?

A．World Book Day in UK

B．Suggestions on Reading

C．World Book Day in China

D．World Book Day and Benefits of Reading

Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With the help from their parents, children can learn techniques to improve their reading skills.
“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”
George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a higher level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.
Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy
—television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Joines said while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.
Parents who do not read themselves should not count on their children being interested in it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.
【小题1】According to George, reading aloud to children_______________.

Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With the help from their parents, children can learn techniques to improve their reading skills.

“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”

George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a higher level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.

     Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy

—television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Joines said while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.

     Parents who do not read themselves should not count on their children being interested in it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.

【小题 1】According to George, reading aloud to children_______________.

  A. helps them correct mistakes

  B. is helpful to their reading

  C. is parents’ first duty to their children

  D. can get children out of television’s attraction

【小题2 】The underlined word (in Paragraph 4 ) means something that_________

  A. can improve children’s reading

  B. can help children’s right way of reading

 C. can make children interested in reading

 D. can make children not attentive

【小题3 】Which of the following is important according to the fourth paragraph?

  A. Reading skills.                       B. Reading speed.

  C. Reading materials.                 D. Reading environment.

【小题 4】If the passage is not completed, which of the following can follow the fifth

paragraph?

  A. Parents choose reading materials for their children.

  B. Advice is given to control their children.

  C. What TV programs children can watch during reading.

  D. How children improve their reading by themselves.

【小题 5】 Which one would be the best title for the passage?

  A. Children Spend More Time Reading with Parents.

  B. Parents Are Their Child's First Teacher.

  C. How Parents Make Their Child a Better Reader.

  D. How to Improve Children's Reading Ability.

Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With the help from their parents, children can learn techniques to improve their reading skills.
“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”
George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a higher level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.
Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy
—television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Joines said while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.
Parents who do not read themselves should not count on their children being interested in it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.

1. 1.

   According to George, reading aloud to children______.

   1. A.
      helps them correct mistakes
   2. B.
      is helpful to their reading
   3. C.
      is parents’ first duty to their children
   4. D.
      can get children out of television’s attraction
2. 2.

   The underlined word (in Paragraph 4 ) means something that______.

   1. A.
      can improve children’s reading
   2. B.
      can help children’s right way of reading
   3. C.
      can make children interested in reading
   4. D.
      can make children not attentive
3. 3.

   Which of the following is important according to the fourth paragraph?

   1. A.
      Reading skills.
   2. B.
      Reading speed.
   3. C.
      Reading materials.
   4. D.
      Reading environment.
4. 4.

   If the passage is not completed, which of the following can follow the fifth paragraph?

   1. A.
      Parents choose reading materials for their children.
   2. B.
      Advice is given to control their children.
   3. C.
      What TV programs children can watch during reading.
   4. D.
      How children improve their reading by themselves.
5. 5.

   Which one would be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Children Spend More Time Reading with Parents.
   2. B.
      Parents Are Their Child's First Teacher.
   3. C.
      How Parents Make Their Child a Better Reader.
   4. D.
      How to Improve Children's Reading Ability.