Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?

Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.

Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbooks, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.

1.It can be inferred from the passage that ____.

A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

D．More people like TV programs about famous men.

2.What does the sentence “Television has not killed reading, however.” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

A．People only need reading, though.

B．Reading is still necessary today.

C．Reading is more fun than television.

D．Watching television doesn’t help reading.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge.

B．Cinemas are the best choice in getting information.

C．Reading is cheap way of learning and having fun.

D．Newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself.

While reading a book in English, every few lines of text, you run across a word or two that you don't know. You look every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does slow you down. Even electric or CD-ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if younger lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step, you'll get nowhere fast .

On your English learning "journey （旅行）”, a dictionary Can be a helpful “travel companion"---if it is not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise（否则），you will always depend on your native（本国的）language and end up translating in you head.

A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. it can help you verify （test and check） spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentences and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources（资源）.

Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols （符号）.

Understand what the abbreviations （缩写字） mean. Try to master the important grammar rules. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You will discover how helpful it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

1．According to the passage,________________________

A．we should look up each new word we meet while reading

B．dictionaries will be helpful if we use them properly

C．we can't look up any new words we come across while reading

D．we can get everything we want in dictionaries

2．The underlined word "companion" means____________________

A．指南            B．札记            C．工具       D．路标

3．Why do we need a good English-to-English dictionary?

A．Because it is a good friend.

B．Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost.

C．Because it can help avoid to think in our native language.

D．Because it can help us to start thinking in English and in Chinese.

4．The underlined word "that" in the last paragraph refers to （指） ____________ 

A．pronunciation symbols and grammar rules

B．abbreviations and usage for grammar rules

C．the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage

D．charts, diagrams and lists

5．According to the passage, we learn that____________________

A．the more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article

B．the more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read

C．the more you use the resources in a dictionary, the more information you can get

D．the better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is

Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbooks, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.
【小题1】It can be inferred from the passage that ____.