Question

An idea that started in Seattle’s public library has spread throughout America and beyond.The concept is simple:help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.

In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit(追求) to be enjoyed by all,the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus,as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools.The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched the “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” project in 1998.Her original program used author visits,study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book,but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities,and even to Hong Kong.

In Chicago,the mayor appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the “One Book,One Chicago”program.As a result,reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city.Across the US,stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.

The only problem came up in New York,where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population.This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns,where a greater sense of unity can be achieved.Or it may show that New Yorkers missed the point,putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.

Ultimately,as Nancy points out,the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book ,but by how many people are enriched by the process,or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.

1.What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A．To invite authors to guide readers.

B．To encourage people to read and share.

C．To involve people in community service.

D．To promote the friendship between cities.

2.Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A．They were too busy to read a book.

B．They came from many different backgrounds.

C．They had little interest in reading.

D．They lacked support from the local government.

3.According to the passage,where would the project be more easily carried out?

A．In large communities with little sense of unity.

B．In large cities where libraries are far from home.

C．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached.

D．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population.

4.The underlined words “shared a word”in Paragraph 5 probably mean______.

A．discussed the meaning of a word

B．exchanged ideas with each other

C．gained life experience

D．used the same language

5.According to Nancy,the degree of success of the project is judged by____.

A．the number of people who benefit from reading

B．the careful selection of a proper book

C．the growing popularity of the writers

D．the number of books that each person reads

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.B

5.A          

【解析】本文为记叙文，向人们介绍了源自西雅图公立图书馆，而后波及全美国的一个新思想：通过让所有人同时读同一本书而培养群体意识。虽然这一想法存在一定的问题，但正如 Nancy 所说：衡量成功的标准不是看读书人的数量，而取决于有多少人从中受益。

1.B事实细节题。根据第二段第一句中 In addition to encouraging reading...allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book...promoting reading as an experience to be shared...可知B项正确。

2.B推理判断题。根据第四段第一句 The only problem...diverse population.可知：纽约人实行这一计划最大的困难是：人们来自许多不同的背景，所以B项正确。

3.C事实细节题。根据第四段的第二句．..the idea works best in...large towns，where a greater sense of unity (一致) can be achieved.可知D项正确。

4.B词义猜测题。根据上文 have enjoyed speaking to someone...及 share 的意思可以推出 share a word 彼此交换意见。

5.A事实细节题。根据最后一段可知答案。