There is distinction between reading for information and reading for understanding.31 The first sense is the one in which we read newspapers, magazines, or anything else.32Such materials may increase our store of information, but they cannot improve our understanding. And clearly we don' t have any difficulty in .gaining the new information, for our understanding was equal to them before we started. Otherwise, we would have felt the shock of puzzlement.
The second sense is the one in which we read something that at first we do not completely un- derstand. Here the thing to be read is at the first sight better or higher than the reader. The writer is communicating something that can increase the reader' s understanding.33Otherwise one per- son could never learn from another. Here "learning" means understanding more, not remembering more information.
What are the conditions in this kind of reading? First, there is inequality in understanding.34Besides, his book must convey something he possesses and his potential readers lack. Sec-ond, the reader must be able to overcome this inequality in some degree. And he should always try to reach the same level of understanding with the writer. If the equality is approached, success of communication is achieved.
35It is the least demanding and requires the least amount of effort. Everyone who knows how to read can read for entertainment if he wants to. In fact, any book that can be read for under- standing or information can probably be read for entertainment as well.
A. The writer should have a better communicating skill.
B. Such communication between unequals must be possible.
C. We can get access to the content of those materials easily.
D. The writer must be "superior" to the reader in understanding.
E. Thus, we can employ the word "reading" in two distinct senses.
F. Reading for entertainment is capable of increasing our understanding for information.
G. Besides gaining information and understanding, there' s another goal of reading-enter-tainment.
为了获取信息而阅读和为了理解而阅读之间是有区别的。所以,我们在使用“阅读”一词的时候有两种不同的意思。
第一种阅读是读报纸、杂志等的阅读。我们轻易地就能抓住这些材料的内容。这些材料能增加我们的知识储备,但却不能提高我们的认识。而且显然我们在获取新信息的时候没有任何困难,因为在开始阅读之前,我们的理解力和这些材料就是等同的。否则,我们会感到困惑而震惊。第二种阅读指的是读那些我们不能一下子完全理解的东西。这里需要读的东西一开始要优于或说高于读者的理解。作者想要表达的内容能够提升读者的认识。这种不平等的人之间的交流一定是有可能的。否则一个人就不能从另一个人那里学到东西。这里“学”指的是理解得更多,而不是记住更多信息。
这种阅读是在什么状况下发生的呢?首先,两者的认识之间存在差异。作者的认识一定要“优于”读者。此外,他的书里一定要传达一种潜在读者缺乏的东西。第二。读者在一定程度上要克服这种差异。而且他要一直试图追上作者的认识水平。如果等够达到等同,那幺就实现了成功的交流。
除了获取信息和提高认识,阅读还有一种目的——消遣。这是最轻松,需要花费力气最少的阅读。每个人都知道如何进行消遣性的阅读。实际上,任何能拿来提高认识和获取信息的书大概也能用来消遣阅读。
答案及解析
31.E【解析】根据第二段第一句的“The first sense is the one...”和第三段第一句的“The second sense is the one in which we…”可知E选项符合题意。故选E项。
32.C【解析】下文中提到“Such materials may increase our store of infor-marion,but they cannot improve our understanding.”,而且选项C也提到了materials一词,故选C项。
33.B【解析】前面两句中说作家的作品中有些读者不知道的内容,是需要读者认真领会的,因而作家与读者在知识上是不对等的(une.quals)。空格后的句子Otherwise one person could never leam fromanother.表示“否则一个人不可能从另一个人那里学到东西”,该句也解释了unequals(两个水平不同的人)的含义。同时,从行文上看,空前一句提到了communicating,而只有B项中的suchcommunication与之衔接紧密。
34.D【解析】D选项The writer must be“superior”to the reader in under-standing(作者必须比读者的理解力强)与本段第二句“First,thereis inequality in understanding.”相符。故选D项。
35.G【解析】下文内容是上文内容的一个延续,与上文为递进关系,所以用besides开头。本段后面出现了两次entertainment也提示答案为G项。
2017年9月全国英语等级考试二级阅读理解练习题(7).doc