Reading is the key to school success, and like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking.

Educators (教育家) call it "automaticity (自动性)”．

A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With more and more practice, he stumbles less and less. As a result, he can read by the phrases and soon by sentences. With automaticity, he doesn't have to think about the meaning of words, so that he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.

It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.

According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount of time a child spends reading, not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 t0 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.

You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice.

【1】"Reading is the key to school success" means that reading_______.

A. helps school develop faster

B. is a key to a successful school

C. helps students go to a key school

D. can improve students' learning results

【2】Children with "automaticiy" can read faster because they_______.

A. know how to read the words

B. pay attention to the meaning of the text instead of the words

C. read by themselves without any help

D. do not have to think while reading

【3】Rossman tells that any child who __________  will possibly be an automatic reader.

A. turns off TV one night 4 weeks

B. reads books by the word quickly

C. spends an hour reading every day

D. gets the same grades as others in exams

【4】The underlined word "stumble" in the second paragraph means“ _____   ”in Chinese.

A．结结巴巴地读    B．全神贯注地读

C．心不在焉地读   D．声情并茂地读

【5】The best title for the passage is“_______”．

A. IQ is the Key- to the Automaticity

B. TV is Bad for Children's Reading

C. Automaticity Needs a Lot of Practice

D. Automatic Readers Must Be Successful

答案

【1】D

【2】B

【3】C

【4】A

【5】C

解析

试题分析：这篇短文主要介绍了阅读是学习成功的关键。他像其他的技能一样需要大量的练习。如果你能够自动阅读，那你将读的更快，因为你把所有的注意力集中在短文的意义上。只有通过大量的练习才能形成自动阅读。

【1】D推理判断题。根据短文第三段automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.描述可知在一年级自动读者不仅阅读几乎是其他孩子的三倍,而且在考试中得到了更好的结果。可以判断，阅读会提高成绩，联系所给四个选项的含义，故选D。

【2】B细节理解题。根据第二段With automaticity, he doesn’t have to think about the meaning of words, so he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.描述在不知不觉中，他没有必要再思考单词的意义，所以他可以把他所有的注意力集中在短文的意义上。根据句意及上下文，故选B 。

【3】C细节理解题。根据Any child who spends at least 3.5 t0 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity.任何一个孩子每周至少花费3.5到4个小时看书，看杂志或看报纸，就有可能达到自动性。故选C。

【4】A词义猜测题。根据第二段With practice, he stumbles less and less, reading by the phrase联系下文可知通过练习，他以短语的方式阅读，他停顿的越来越少。即结结巴巴故选A。

【5】C标题归纳题。根据短文大意可知通过大量的阅读练习你可以成为一个自动阅读者。故选C。