Question

Speed-reading is a necessary skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and WeChat to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Surrounded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. 1.

A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smartphones. 2. The point of the slow reading club is to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment.

Slow readers, such as the Atlantic’s Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to sympathize. 3. And this is a fundamental skill in building relationships.

4. Screens have changed our reading patterns from the top-to-bottom, left-to-right reading order we traditionally used, to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we hunt for important words and information. Because of the Internet, we may have become very good at collecting a wide range of interesting news, but we are also gradually forgetting how to sit back, reflect, and relate all these facts to each other.

Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted, straight pattern, in a quiet environment free of distractions. 5. “You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments, you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said. “Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive, and also ensure you’ll never lose your place.”

A. The point is to sit down and exchange ideas about a certain book.

B. Yet technology has made us less attentive readers.

C. Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly from The Atlantic.

D. But a new trend calls on people to enjoy reading slowly.

E. They sink into comfortable chairs and read in silence for an hour.

F. The Internet provides us with many chances, says Patrick Kingsley from The Guardian.

G. It also helps people understand others’ mental states and beliefs.

Answer

1. D

2. E

3. G

4. B

5. C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了在互联网时代，快速阅读已成为一项不可或缺的技能。我们要能在匆匆浏览过文章、邮件、或是微信之后，迅速找到关键词、抓住文章大意。因为我们的手机、电脑每天都会被海量信息所“轰炸”，逐字逐句的阅读显然是不可能的。但是，现在享受慢阅读正在成为一个新趋势，很多人已经开始实践。

1.考查句意理解和上下文语境理解。文章第一段叙述了时下流行的快速阅读现象，而第二段开始作者开始讲述在新西兰兴起的慢速阅读，故第一段最后一句话应该是引出话题。因此D项切题。But a new trend calls on people to enjoy reading slowly.（但是一个新的趋势呼吁着人们享受慢速阅读）。故答案选D。

2.考查句意理解和上下文语境理解。本段主要是介绍新西兰兴起的慢速阅读。根据前句where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smartphones.（会员们在咖啡馆见面并关掉智能手机）可知，接下来应该是进行阅读。因此E选项They sink into comfortable chairs and read in silence for an hour.（他们坐在舒适的椅子上，静静地读一个小时）是上文的延续。故答案选E。

3.考查句意理解和上下文语境理解。本段主要是介绍有规律的阅读习惯的好处。前句a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to sympathize.（有规律的阅读习惯使思维敏锐，提高注意力，较少压力并增强人的同情心）讲到了有规律的阅读习惯的好处，而G选项中的also提示了答案，It also helps people understand others’ mental states and beliefs.(它也有助于帮助人们理解他人的精神状态和信仰)，故答案选G。

4.考查句意理解和上下文语境理解。本段主要是介绍智能产品（手机，互联网）对阅读习惯的影响。文章二、三段提到慢速阅读兴起及其益处，因此第四段第一句应该是引出本段内容，故B项Yet technology has made us less attentive readers.（然而，技术使我们成为不那么专心的读者）切题。故答案选B。

5.考查句意理解和上下文语境理解。本段主要是介绍一些让你养成慢速阅读习惯的建议。尤其是后句“You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments, you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said.（Kelly说：“你可以在你空闲的时候很容易地挤出半个小时的时间，拿起一本有意义的文学作品。”）中的that half hour与C选项中的30 minutes a day相照应。故答案选C。