It happened to me recently, I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President.A friend I wsa talking to agreed with me that it was,in his words,”a brilliantly written book”.However,he then went on to talk about Mr.Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his back-ground at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one. Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven't. In the World Book Day's" Report on Guilty Secrets" ,Dreams From My Father is at number 9. The report lists ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading, and as I'm not one to Lie too often (I'd hate to be caught out) , I'll admit here and now that I haven't read the entire top ten. But I am pleased to say that, un- like 42 percent of peoples I have read the book at number one, George Orwell's 1984. I think
it's really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it. It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens , Fyodor Dostoevsky (I haven ' tread him, but haven't lied about it either) and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to "impress" someone they were speaking to. This could be tricky if the conversation became more in-depth !
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, people named J. K Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella ( ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story (I' lI come clean: I do thi8 and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so).
小题1:Which of the fokllowing is a "guilty secret" according io the world Book Day report?
A.42% of people pretended to have read 1984. |
B.Charles Dickens is very low on the top--tcn list. |
C.The author admitted having read 9 books |
D.Dreams From My Father is hardly read. |
小题2:How did the author find his friend a book liar?
A.By mentioning a famous name. | B.By discussing the book itself |
C.By judging his manner of speaking. | D. By looking into his background. |
小题3:By lying about reading, a person hopes to_____.
A.learn about the book
C. appear knowledgeable
B. control the conversation
D make more friends
小题4:What is the author's attitude to 58% of readers?
A.Doubtiful | B.Favorable | C.Uncaring | D.Friendly |
小题5:In the sentenced I'd hate to be caught out". "catch out" can have the similqr meaning with ____.
A.catch up | B.1ook for | C.catch at | D.find out |