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  3. Why should we bother reading a book? All children say this occasionally. Many among our educated classes are also asking why, in

Why should we bother reading a book? All children say this occasionally. Many among our educated classes are also asking why, in

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问题     Why should we bother reading a book? All children say this occasionally. Many among our educated classes are also asking why, in a world of accelerating technology, increasing time poverty and diminishing attention spans, should they invest precious time sinking into a good book?
    The beginnings of an answer lie in the same technology that has posed the question. Psychologists from Washington University used brain scans to see what happens inside our heads when we read stories. They found that "readers mentally simulate each new situation encountered in a narrative". The brain weaves these situations together with experiences from its own life to create a new mental synthesis. Reading a book leaves us with new neural pathways.
    The discovery that our brains are physically changed by the experience of reading is something many of us will understand instinctively, as we think back to the way an extraordinary book had a transformative effect on the way we viewed the world. This transformation only takes place when we lose ourselves in a book, abandoning the emotional and mental chatter of the real world. That’s why studies have found this kind of deep reading makes us more empathetic, or as Nicholas Carr puts it in his essay, The Dreams of Readers, "more alert to the inner lives of others".
    This is significant because recent scientific research has also found a dramatic fall in empathy among teenagers in advanced western cultures. We can’t yet be sure why this is happening, but the best hypothesis is that it is the result of their immersion in the internet. So technology reveals that our brains are being changed by technology, and then offers a potential solution—the book.
    Rationally, we know that reading is the foundation stone of all education, and therefore an essential underpinning of the knowledge economy. So reading is—or should be—an aspect of public policy. But perhaps even more significant is its emotional role as the starting point for individual voyages of personal development and pleasure. Books can open up emotional and imaginative landscapes that extend the corridors of the web. They can help create and reinforce our sense of self.
    If reading were to decline significantly, it would change the very nature of our species. If we, in the future, are no longer wired for solitary reflection and creative thought, we will be diminished. But as a reader and a publisher, I am optimistic. Technology throws up as many solutions as it does challenges: for every door it closes, another opens. So the ability, offered by devices like e-readers, smartphones and tablets, to carry an entire library in your hand is an amazing opportunity. As publishers, we need to use every new piece of technology to embed long-form reading within our culture. We should concentrate on the message, not agonize over the medium.
In the author’ s opinion, the most important function of reading is to______.
选项 A、lay solid foundation for all kinds of formal education
B、equip teenagers with basic skills to survive in knowledge economy
C、enrich the emotional experiences of children’ s inner world
D、provide a pastime for children in stressful competition
答案C
解析 本段考查对文章第五段内容的理解。作者在第五段中指出了在他心目中阅读的最重要的功能。首先，作者提到了reading is the foundation stone of all education，“阅读是一切教育的基础”，这是[A]的内容；以及．．．an essential underpinning of the knowledge economy，“也是知识经济不可或缺的支柱”，这是[B]的内容。但是这些功能在作者眼中都不是最重要的。But perhaps even more significant is its emotional role as the starting point for individualvoyages of personal development and pleasure．“但或许书籍在个人人格发展和追寻愉悦的旅程中所扮演的情感角色更为显著。”Books can open up emotional and imaginative landscapesthat extend the corridors of the web．“书籍能够打开情感丰沛、充满奇思妙想的大干世界，拓宽网络狭隘的通路。”因此，作者更为认同的是书籍在强化人的感情、丰富人的内心方面的作用，正确答案应该选[C]。而[D]说读书只是一种消遣，明显是弱化了读书的功能。
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