20、

 Every day, you carry a lot of books around in your schoolbag. They are heavy. You might wonder if there’s some way to take the weight off your shoulders. The answer is an e-book reader.

E-book readers are digital machines similar to laptops （手提电脑）, but smaller and lighter. You can read an e-book on one just like reading a real paperback （纸制书）. This small device （装置） can hold over 1,000 books, and you can easily carry it anywhere.

At present, e-book readers don’t carry e-textbooks. But you can use them to read novels and magazines. The most successful e-book reader right now is the Kindle, made by the US book-selling website Amazon.

Last Tuesday, a new e-reader called Nook came on the market. It was developed by the US chain bookstore Barnes & Noble. It might become a big hit with book lovers.

Different from other e-book readers, the Nook allows you to lend your e-book to a friend for up to two weeks. You simply e-mail the book from your Nook and your friend can read it on any device with the Barnes & Noble eReader software – their own e-book reader, computer or cell phone . After two weeks, they can no longer read the book and will return it to you.

The Nook has other new features too. You read in black and white on the main screen, just like with Kindle. But the Nook also has a color touch screen below the main screen. It allows you to flip （翻页） through the book or magazine you’re reading. It goes black to save power when you’re not using it.

The Nook also comes with a wireless Internet connection （无线上网）. Nook users in the United States can go to Barnes & Noble stores and use their e-books to browse （浏览） through thousands of e-books and magazines for free.

1. We can NOT tell from the story that e-book readers are _____.

A．digital machines                               B．similar to laptops

C．smaller than laptops                         D．cheaper than paperbacks

2. Which of the following is the most successful e-book reader?

A．Amazon.          B．The Kindle.          C．The Nook.          D．Barnes & Noble.

3. Different from other e-readers, the Nook allows people to _____.

A．turn pages freely                      B．send text messages

C．surf the Internet and buy books         D．lend the e-book to friends for a certain time

4. What does the word “features” in the 6th paragraph mean?

A．外貌            B．特点                 C．价格                D．形式

5. What does the story mainly tell us?

A．A new trend for reading.

B．What the Nook could offer people.

C．E-books will take the place of paperbacks.

D．Two most important e-book readers companies.