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 mon 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 e 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 booksD．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 itselfC．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．DoubtifulB．FavorableC．UncaringD．Friendly【小题5】In the sentenced I'd hate to be caught out. catch out can have the similqr meaning with .A．catch upB．1ook forC．catch atD．find outA
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(答案→)A
解析：
试题解析：本文是一篇议论文。作者通过与朋友聊天引出本文的话题book liar，列举了大家谎称读了而实际上没有读的书目，以及大家喜欢的一些作家，并阐述了大家撒谎的一系列的理由。
【小题1】推理判断题。本题的关键词guilty secret，定位在第二段和第三段，根据第二段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. 作者读过这本书，而且42% 的人没读过但却装作读过，所以A正确。
【小题2】细节理解题.根据文章第一段可知，作者和他的朋友深谈有关奥巴马的那本书时，发现朋友对奥巴马的背景一无所知，这暗示出朋友其实并没有读过这本书，所以B正确。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据第四段中Asked why they lied, the most mon reason was to impress someone they were speaking to可知，人们之所以撒谎是想让对方觉得他们知识渊博，从而给对方一个好的印象，以交到更多的朋友，所以D正确。
【小题4】推理判断题。根据第五段最后一句话This could be tricky if the conversation became more in-depth !,这表明了作者的态度，所以A正确
【小题5】词义猜测题。A. catch up赶上 B.1ook for寻找 C. catch at 设法抓住 D.find out发现根据整句意思可以判断出D正确