Question

Why do you go to the library? For books, yes--but you like books because they tell stories. You hope to get lost in a story or be transported into someone else's life. At one type of library, you can do just that--even though there's not a single book.

At a Human Library, instead of books, you can “borrow” people. Individuals volunteer as human “books” and participants in the event can “read” the book--meaning they would have a one-on-one conversation with the volunteer and share in a dialogue about that individual’s experience. “Books” are volunteers from all walks of life who have experienced discrimination (歧视) based on race, religion, class, gender identity, age, lifestyle choices, disability and other aspects of their life.

For a certain amount of time, you can ask them questions and listen to their stories, which are as fascinating and as attractive as any you can find in a book. Many of the stories have to do with some kind of stereotype. You can speak with a refugee (难民), a soldier suffering from PTSD, a homeless person or a woman living with HIV. The Human Library encourages people to challenge their own long-held beliefs—to truly get to know, and learn from someone they might otherwise make a quick judgment about.

According to its website, the Human Library is “a place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.” It provides the opportunity for the community to share and understand the experiences of others in their community.

The Human Library Organization came to be in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000. Ronni Abergel, his brother Dany, and some colleagues hosted a four-day event during a major Northern European festival, hoping to raise awareness about violence among youth. After the success of this event, Abergel founded the Human Library Organization, which has been growing ever since.

Though there are a few permanent human libraries, most aren’t places at all, but events. Though many do take place at physical libraries, you don’t need a library card—anyone can come and be part of the experience. There have been human library events all over the globe, in universities and in pubs, from Chicago to Tunis to Edinburgh to San Antonio.

The stories these "books" tell range from fascinating to heartbreaking and everything in between. And that's the very point of the organization—to prove that no person can be summed up in just one word. It seeks to show people that you truly can't judge a book by its cover---or by its title or label.

1.The “books” in human libraries are ________.

A. long-held beliefs attracting individuals

B. inspiring stones motivating people in trouble

C. events in which people can talk to volunteers

D. unfairly-treated people sharing their experiences

2.The event in Copenhagen is significant because it ________.

A. aimed to help the young suffering from violence

B. attempted to replace traditional physical libraries

C. laid a foundation for the Human Library Organization

D. led to a pleasing development for the community with racism

3.In human libraries, the readers are likely to ________.

A. deepen their understanding of people

B. enrich their own personal experiences

C. hear the stories from all over the world

D. make quick judgments about the “books”

4.The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A. compare and evaluate    B. inform and explain

C. discuss and persuade    D. analyze and suggest

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.A

4.B

【解析】这是一篇介绍说明类文章。文章介绍了有关“the Human Library”的相关信息。在the Human Library，读者可以和来自各行各业志愿者们交谈，了解他们的经历和故事，加深对他人的了解。

1.细节理解题。由第二段中的“At a Human Library, instead of books, you can “borrow” people. Individuals volunteer as human “books” and participants in the event can “read” the book--meaning they would have a one-on-one conversation with the volunteer and share in a dialogue about that individual's experience. “Books” are volunteers from all walks of life who have experienced discrimination (歧视) based on race, religion, class, gender identity, age, lifestyle choices, disability and other aspects of their life” 可知，Human Library的“书”实际上人，这些人来自各行各业，他们经历了种族，宗教，性别等方面的歧视。读者们可以和这些人交谈，了解他们的经历。D选项正确。

2.推理判断题。由倒数第二段中的“The Human Library Organization came to be in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000. Ronni Abergel, his brother Dany, and some colleagues hosted a four-day during a major Northern European festival, hoping to raise awareness about violence among youth. After the success of this event, Abergel founded the Human Library Organization, which has been growing ever since”可知，Ronni Abergel，他的兄弟Dany以及一些同事举行了为期四天的活动，希望提高人们对青年人暴力的意识。在这次活动成功之后，Abergel建立了the Human Library Organization，该组织一直在发展中。由此可知，在Copenhagen举行的活动的成功导致了the Human Library Organization的成立，结合选项可推知，该活动奠定了该组织的基础，故C选项正确。

3.细节理解题。由第四段中的“It provides the opportunity for the community to share and understand the experiences of others in their community”可知，the Human Library给社会提供了分享和了解别人经历的机会。由此可知，通过the Human Library，人们可以加深对他人的了解。故A选项正确。

4.写作意图题。文章介绍了the Human Library(真人图书馆)的情况。在the Human Library，读者可以和来自各行各业志愿者们交谈，了解他们的经历和故事。文章还介绍了the Human Library的成立的情况。很明显，作者希望通过这篇文章让读者了解the Human Library，结合选项，其写作目的应为B选项：告知解释。