72 Has your child cracked a book this summer?

　　Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.

　　But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a summer slide in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.

　　Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs and allowing them to choose books that most interested them had a significant effect on the summer reading gap.

　　The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles. A variety of books were offered. The children chose 12 books.

　　The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who werent given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.

　　The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.

　　Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study.

　　One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically werent selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.

　　But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.

　　At a bookstore recently, a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.

　　If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter, Dr. McGill-Franzen said. Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about childrens choices in books.

　　52. Several studies reveal that during summer vacations, .

　　A) parents are eager to choose books for their children B) slide enjoys greater popularity among poor children

　　C) many schools choose to close the library to save money D) childrens reading skills decline without book reading

　　53. To solve the summer reading slide, researchers at the University of Tennessee suggest .

　　A) schools provide free books to children B) children read in company with their parents

　　C) children discuss with friends after reading D) parents buy some classics for their children

　　54. In the study, children are divided into two groups according to whether .

　　A) they come from low-income families B) the books are offered to them for free

　　C) they are allowed to select their own books D) they read much and perform well in tests

　　55. What conclusion of the study is worthy of notice according to the passage?

　　A) Children tend not to read the curriculum books in summer. B) Poor students get the lowest scores in the reading test.

　　C) Children given choice in books improve their reading. D) Teachers summer reading assignment fails to work on children.

　　56. What does Anne McGill-Franzens experience in the bookstore illustrate?

　　A) Parents oppose giving children a choice in books. B) Reading about fictional figures makes children smarter.

　　C) Many children books are undervalued in bookstores. D) There exists generation gap in selecting reading material.

　　參考答案： D A C C A

　　72 Has your child cracked a book this summer?

　　Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.

　　But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a summer slide in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.

　　Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs and allowing them to choose books that most interested them had a significant effect on the summer reading gap.

　　The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles. A variety of books were offered. The children chose 12 books.

　　The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who werent given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.

　　The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.

　　Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study.

　　One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically werent selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.

　　But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.

　　At a bookstore recently, a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.

　　If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter, Dr. McGill-Franzen said. Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about childrens choices in books.

　　52. Several studies reveal that during summer vacations, .

　　A) parents are eager to choose books for their children B) slide enjoys greater popularity among poor children

　　C) many schools choose to close the library to save money D) childrens reading skills decline without book reading

　　53. To solve the summer reading slide, researchers at the University of Tennessee suggest .

　　A) schools provide free books to children B) children read in company with their parents

　　C) children discuss with friends after reading D) parents buy some classics for their children

　　54. In the study, children are divided into two groups according to whether .

　　A) they come from low-income families B) the books are offered to them for free

　　C) they are allowed to select their own books D) they read much and perform well in tests

　　55. What conclusion of the study is worthy of notice according to the passage?

　　A) Children tend not to read the curriculum books in summer. B) Poor students get the lowest scores in the reading test.

　　C) Children given choice in books improve their reading. D) Teachers summer reading assignment fails to work on children.

　　56. What does Anne McGill-Franzens experience in the bookstore illustrate?

　　A) Parents oppose giving children a choice in books. B) Reading about fictional figures makes children smarter.

　　C) Many children books are undervalued in bookstores. D) There exists generation gap in selecting reading material.

　　參考答案： D A C C A