19年高考真题与模拟题(部分)分类05阅读理解（原卷版）

2019年高考英语真题和模拟题分项汇编

专题05阅读理解

一、2019年高考真题

1.应用文

1.【2019•全国卷I,A]

NeedaJobThisSummer?

Theprovincialgovernmentanditspartnersoffermanyprogramstohelpstudentsfindsummerjobs.The

deadlinesandwhatyouneedtoapplydependontheprogram.

Notastudent?Gotothegovernmentwebsitetolearnaboutprogramsandonlinetoolsavailabletohelppeople

under30buildskills,findajoborstartbusinessesallyearround.

JobsforYouth

Ifyouareateenagerlivingincertainpartsoftheprovince,youcouldbeeligible（符合条件）forthisprogram.

Whichprovideseightweeksofpaidemploymentalongwithtraining.

Whoiseligible:Youth15-18yearsoldinselectcommunities（社区）.

SummerCompany

SummerCompanyprovidesstudentswithhands-onbusinesstrainingandawardsofupto$3,000tostartand

runtheirownsummerbusinesses.

Whoiseligible:Studentsaged15-29,returningtoschoolinthefall.

StewardshipYouthRangerProgram

YoucouldapplytobeaStewardshipYouthRangerandworkonlocalnaturalresourcemanagementprojects

foreightweeksthissummer.

Whoiseligible:Studentsaged16or17attimeofhire,butnotturning18beforeDecember31thisyear.

SummerEmploymentOpportunities（机会）

ThroughtheSummerEmploymentOpportunitiesprogram,studentsarehiredeachyearinavarietyofsummer

positionsacrosstheProvincialPublicService,itsrelatedagenciesandcommunitygroups.

Whoiseligible:Studentsaged15orolder.Somepositionsrequirestudentstobe15to24orupto29for

personswithadisability.

21.WhatisspecialaboutSummerCompany?

A.Itrequiresnotrainingbeforeemployment.

B.Itprovidesawardsforrunningnewbusinesses.

C.Itallowsonetoworkinthenaturalenvironment.

D.Itoffersmoresummerjobopportunities.

22.WhatistheagerangerequiredbyStewardshipYouthRangerProgram?

A.15-18.B.15-24.C.15-29.D.16-17.

23.Whichprogramfavorsthedisabled?

A.JobsforYouth.B.SummerCompany.

C.StewardshipYouthRangerProgram.D.SummerEmploymentOpportunities.

2.12019・全国卷H,A]

MyFavouriteBooks

JoUsmarisawriterforCosmopolitanandco-authoroftheThisBookWillseries（系歹!J）oflifestylebooks.

Hereshepickshertopreads.

Matilda

RoaldDahl

IoncewroteapaperontheinfluenceoffairytalesonRoaldDahfswritinganditgavemeanewappreciation

forhisstrangeanddelightfulwords.Matilda*sbattleswithhercruelmeparentsandthebossyheadmisres,Miss

TrunchbulLareequallyfumyandfrightening,butthey'realsoaspirational.

AfterDark

HarukiMurakami

It'sabouttwosisters-Eri,amodelwhoeitherwon'torcan'tstopsleeping,andMari,ayoungstudent.In

tryingtoconnecttohersister.Maristartschangingherlifeanddiscoversaworldofdiverse“nightpeople“whoare

hidingsecrets.

GoneGirl

GillianFynn

Therewasabitofmethatdidn'twanttolovethiswheneveryoneelseontheplanetdidbutthehorrorstoryis

brilliant.There'stensionandanxietyfromthebeginningasNickandAmybattleforyourtrust.It'sarealwhodunit

andthefrustrationwhenyourealisewhat'sgoingonishoiTiblyenjoyable

TheStand

StephenKing

Thisisanexcellentfantasynovelfromoneofthebeststorytellersaround.Afteraseriousfluoutbreakwipes

out99.4%oftheworld'spopulation,abattleunfoldsbetweengoodandevilamongthoselet.RandallFlaggisone

ofthescariestcharactersever.

21.Whodoes2"refertointhetext?

A.StephenKing.B.GillianFlynn.

C.JoUsmar.D.RoaldDahl

22.WhichofthefollowingtellsaboutMariandEri?

A.Cosmopolitan.B.Matilda.

C.AfterDark.D.TheStand.

23.WhatkindofbookisGoneGirl?)

A.Afolktale.B.Abiography.

C.Alovestory.D.Ahorrorstory.

3.12019・全国卷HLA]

OPENINGSANDPREVIEWS

AnimalsOutofPaper

Yolo!ProductionsandtheGreatGriffonpresenttheplaybyRajivJoseph,inwhichanorigami(折纸术)artist

invitesateenagetalentandhisteacherintoherstudio.MerriMilwedirects.Inpreviews.OpensFeb.12.(WestPark

PresbyterianChurch,165W.86thSt.212-868-4444.)

TheAudience

HelenMirrenstarsintheplaybyPeterMorgan,aboutQueenElizabethIIoftheUKandherprivatemeetings

withtwelvePrimeMinistersinthecourseofsixtyyears.StephenDaldrydirects.AlsostarringDylanBakerand

JudithIvey.PreviewsbeginFeb.l4.(Schoenfeld,236W.45thSt.212-239-6200.)

Hamilton

Lin-ManuelMirandawrotethismusicalaboutAlexanderHamilton,inwhichthebirthofAmericaispresented

asanimmigrantstory.ThomasKaildirects.Inpreviews.OpensFeb.l7.(Public,425LafayetteSt.212-967-7555.)

OntheTwentiethCentury

KristinChenowethandPeterGallagherstarinthemusicalcomedybyBettyComdenandAdolphGreen,about

aBroadwayproducerwhotriestowinamoviestar'sloveduringacross-countrytrainjourney.ScottEllisdirects,

fbrRoundaboutTheatreCompany.PreviewsbeginFeb.12.(AmericanAirlinesTheatre,227W.42nd

St.212-719-1300.)

21.WhatistheplaybyRajivJosephprobablyabout?.

A.Atypeofart.B.Ateenager'sstudio.

C.Agreatteacher.D.Agroupofanimals.

22.WhoisthedirectorofTheAudience?

A.HelenMirren.B.PeterMorgan.

C.DylanBaker.D.StephenDaldry.

23.WhichplaywillyougotoifyouareinterestedinAmericanhistory?

A.AnimalsOutofPaper.B.TheAudience.

C.Hamilton.D.OntheTwentiethCentury.

4.【2019・北京卷，A]

Wanttoexplorenewcultures,meetnewpeopleanddosomethingworthwhileatthesametime?Youcandoall

thethreewithGlobalDevelopmentAssociation(GDA).Whateverstageoflifeyou'reat,whereveryougoand

whateverprojectyoudoinGDA,you'llcreatepositivechangesinapoorandremotecommunily(社区).

Weworkwithvolunteersofallagesandbackgrounds.Mostofourvolunteersareaged17-24.Nowweneed

volunteermanagersaged25-75.Theyareextremelyimportantinthesafeandeffectiverunningofourprogrammes.

Wehavesuchrolesasprojectmanagers,mountainleaders,andcommunicationofficers.

Dependingonwhichroleyouchoose,youcouldhelptoincreaseacommunity'saccesstosafedrinkingwater,

orhelptoprotectvaluablelocalcultures.Youmightalsodesignanadventurechallengetotrainyoungvolunteers.

Notonlywillyouhelpouryoungvolunteerstodeveloppersonally,you'llalsolearnnewskillsandincrease

yourculturalawareness.Youmayhavechancestomeetnewpeoplewho'llbecomeyourlifelongfriends.

Thissummerwehaveboth4-weekand7-weekprogrammes:

Schedule

Country

4-weekprogrammes7-weekprogrammes

Algeria5Jul.-lAug.20Jun.-7Aug.

Egypt24Jul-20Aug.19Jun.-6Aug.

Kenya20Jul.-16Aug.18Jun.-5Aug.

SouthAfrica2Aug.-29Aug.15Jun.-2Aug.

GDAensuresthatvolunteersworkwithcommunitymembersandlocalprojectpartnerswhereourhelpis

needed.Allourprojectsaimtopromotethedevelopmentofpoorandremotecommunities.

ThereisnootherchancelikeaGDAprogramme.Joinusasavolunteermanagertodevelopyourownskills

whilebringingbenefitstothecommunities.

FindoutmoreaboutjoiningaGDAprogramme:

Website:wwvv

Emai1:humanresources@glodeve.org

31.Whatisthemainresponsibilityofvolunteermanagers?

A.ToseeklocalpartnersB.Totakeinyoungvolunteers

C.TocarryoutprogrammesD.Tofosterculturalawareness

32.TheprogrammebeginninginAugustwilloperatein.

A.EgyptB.AlgeriaC.KenyaD.SouthAfria

33.ThesharedgoalofGDA'sprojectsto.

A.explorenewculturesB.protecttheenvironment

C.gaincorporatebenefitD.helpcommunitiesinneed

5.12019•天津卷,A]

HistoryFairCompetition

Understandinghistoryisvitaltounderstandingourselvesasapeopleandasanation.

Historyismuchmorethanthestudyofdustyoldobjectsandeventslongpast.Itisanessentialpartofwhowe

aretodayandwhowewillbecome.ThorntonfiddleSchoolHistoryFairCompetitionmakesunderstandinghistory

exciting,engaging,andfun!

ThisYear*sTheme

Allparticipantsmustaddresshowcommunicationortransportationtechnologyhaspromotedthequalityof

lifeforAmericansthroughouthistory.Tomanypeople,technologymeanscomputers,hand-helddevices,or

vehiclesthattraveltodistantplanets.However,technologyisalsotheapplicationofscientificknowledgetosolvea

problem,touchinglivesincountlessways.

Individualsorgroupsmayenteroneofthefollowingcategories：

•Performance

•Documentary（纪实作品）

•EssayWriting

CategoryRequirements

Performance:Adramaticpresentationofthetopicnomorethan10minuteslong.Ifspecialclothesareused,

theyshouldtrulyrepresentagivenperiod.

Documentary:Avisualpresentation（suchasavideo,slideshow,orcomputerproject）nomorethan10

minuteslong.Adesktopcomputer,screen,projector,andloudspeakerswillbeavailable.Studentsmustprovide

theirpresentationsonCDsbeforeFriday,March23.

EssayWriting:Anacademicpaperof2,000to2,500words.Noillustrations（图解）areallowed.Pleasedo

notincludecovers.Alistofreferencesmustbeincluded.

ImportantDates

January5Submitatopicproposaltoyourhistoryteacher.Theteachermayrequireasecondproposal

ifthefirstisoff-topicorunclear.

February5Submitafirstdraftofyouressay,performancescript（居U本），ordocumentaryhighlights.

February19Acommitteeofteacherswillevaluatematerialsandgiveopinions.Studentsthenhavean

opportunitytoimprovetheirproducts.

March9Submitafinaldraftofyouressay.

March15Performanceanddocumentarycommitteepreview

March24ThorntonMiddleSchoolHistoryFairCompe出ion

7：00A.M-9：00A.MParticipantssigninginatthegym

10：00A.M.-6：00PM.Competitionandjudges'review

7：00P.M.Awardsceremonyandpicnic

36.AccordingtoParagraph1,whatisthemajorgoalofunderstandinghistory?

A.Topreservenationaltraditions.

B.Toprepareforahistorycompetition.

C.Tobetterknowthepresentandfuture.

D.Tofurtherexplorehistoricalmysteries.

37.Whatisthethemeofthisyear'scompetition?

A.Technologyadvancesscience.

B.Scienceinteractswithtechnology.

C.Sciencehasmadethestudyofhistoryeasy.

D.TechnologyhasimprovedthelifeofAmericans.

38.Amongtheitemsprovidedbytheschoolfbravisualpresentationare

A.specialclothesandascreen

B.adesktopcomputerandaCD

C.aprojectorandspecialclothes

D.adesktopcomputerandloudspeakers

39.Whatwouldaparticipanthavetodowithanessayof1,500wordstomeetthecategoryrequirement?

A.Includemoreinformationintheessay.

B.Removethereferences.

C.Provideacoverfortheessay.

D.Explainthedetailswithillustrations.

40.WhatwillthecommitteeofteachersdoonFebruary19?

A.Previewperformancesanddocumentaries.

B.Makecommentsonthematerials.

C.Improvetheparticipant'sfirstdraft.

D.Collectasecondproposalfromtheparticipant.

6.【2019・江苏卷，A]

IWhateveryourageorinterests,Buxtonhas

some由ingtoseeordotomakeyourvisittruly

memorable.

Hiqhenergy

Ifyoudesirephysicalactivities,youcanchooseactivitiesfromswimmingtohorse

riding.ExploretheheightswithGoApe,thehighwireforest

adventurecourse,orjourneybeneaththeearthatPoole's

Cavern.Anddon'tforget:wearcsurroundedbyanatural

playgroundjustperfectforwalking,caving,climbingand

cycling.

Highminded

Buxtonisjustifiablyproudofitsculturallifeandyou*II

findmuchtosuitalltasteswithart,music,operaandtheperformingartsatBuxtonOpera

House&PavilionArtsCentreandGreenManGallery.Thereareplentyofopportunitiesfor

thecreativepersontobecomeinvolved,includingworkshopsandevents.

Keepingthekidshappy

Childrenlovethesmalltrainandplaygroundsinthe

PavilionGardensandthere'splentymoretoexploreat

theBuxtonMuseum.There'sanewindoorplay

centre,plusthespecialeventsandworkshops,and

othersduringschoolholidayperiods

56.Ifyouwanttotakeanundergroundjourney,whichplaceisthebestchoice?

A.Pole'sCaven.B.PavilionGardens.

C.BuxtonMuseum.D.GreenManGallery.

57.BuxtonOpenHouse&PavilionArtsCentreisspecialbecauseitoffers

A.ridesinsmalltrainsB.coursesinmodernarts

C.artisticandculturalactivitiesD.basiccoursesinhorseriding

IL记叙文

1.12019•全国卷I,B]

ForCanaanElementary'ssecondgradeinPatchogue,N.Y.,todayisspeechday,andrightnowit'sChris

Palaez'sturn.The8-year-oldisthejokeroftheclass.Withshiningdarkeyes,heseemsliketheofkidwhowould

enjoypublicspeaking.

Buthe's,nervous/Tmheretotellyoutodaywhyyoushould...should...”Christripsonthe”-ld,"a.

pronunciationdifficultyformanynon-nativeEnglishspeakers.Histeacher,ThomasWhaley,isnexttohim,

whisperingsupport.”...Vbtefbr...me...”Exceptforsomestumbles,Chrisisdoingamazinglywell.Whenhe

bringshisspeechtoaniceconclusion,Whaleyinvitestherestoftheclasstopraisehim.

Asonofimmigrants,ChrisstaredlearningEnglishalittleoverthreeyearsago.Whaleyrecalls（lnl想起）howat

thebeginningoftheyear,whencalledupontoread,Chriswouldexcusehimselftogotothebathroom.

LearningEnglishasasecondlanguagecanbeapainfulexperience.Whatyouneedisagreatteacherwholets

youmakemistakes."Ittakesalotfbranystudent,“Whaleyexplains,""especiallyforastudentwhoislearning

Englishastheirnewlanguage,tofeelconfidentenoughtosay,'Idon'tknow,butIwanttoknow.'"

Whaleygottheideaofthissecond-gradepresidentialcampaignprojectwhenheaskedthechildrenonedayto

raisetheirhandsiftheythoughttheycouldneverbeapresident.Theanswerbrokehisheart.Whaleysaysthe

projectisaboutmorethanjustlearningtoreadandspeakinpublic.Hewantsthesekidstolearntoboast（夸

耀）aboulthemselves.

“Boastingaboutyourself,andyourbestqualities,Whaleysays,“isverydifficultforachildwhocameinto

theclassroomnotfeelingconfident.”

24.WhatmadeChrisnervous?

A.Tellingastory.B.Makingaspeech.

C.Takingatest.D.Answeringaquestion.

25.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“stumbles"inparagraph2referto?

A.Improperpauses.B.Badmanners.C.Spellingmistakes.D.Sillyjokes.

26.WecaninferthatthepurposeofWhaley'sprojectisto.

A.helpstudentsseetheirownstrengths

B.assessstudents5publicspeakingskills

C.preparestudentsfortheirfuturejobs

D.inspirestudents?lovefbrpolitics

27.WhichofthefollowingbestdescribesWhaleyasateacher?

A.Humorous.B.Ambitious.C.Caring.D.Demanding.

2.12019・全国卷n,B]

“Youcanusemeasalastresort（选择），andifnobodyelsevolunteers,thenIwilldoit."Thiswasanactual

replyfromaparentafterIputoutarequestforvolunteersformykidslacrosse（长曲棍球）club.

Iguessthatthere*sprobablysomedemandingworkschedule,orsocialanxietyaroundsteppinguptohelpfor

anunknownsport.Shemayjustneedalittlepersuading.SoItryagainandtugattheheartstrings.Imentionthe

singleparentwithfourkidsrunningtheshowandItalkaboutthedadcoachingateamthathiskidsaren'teven

on...Atthispointtheunwillingparentspeaksup/6Alright.Yes,Tildoit.”

I'msecretlyrelievedbecauseIknowthere'srealpowerinsharingvolunteerresponsibilitiesamongmany.The

unwillingparentorganizesthemealschedule,sendsoutemails,andcollectsmoneyforend-of-seasongifts.

Somewherealongtheway,thesameparentendsupbecominganinvaluablememberoftheteam.Thecoachisable

tofocusonthekidswhiletheotherparentsarerelievedtobeoffthehookforanotherseason.Handingoutsliced

orangestobloodthirstykidscanbeasexcitingaswatchingyourownkidscoreagoal.

Still,mostofusvolunteersbreatheasighofreliefwhentheseasoncomestoaclose.Thatreliefiscoupled

withadeepunderstandingofwhythesamepeoplekeepcomingbackformore:Connectingtothecommunity（社

区）asyoufreelygiveyourtime,money,skills,orservicesprovidesarealjoy.Volunteeringjustfeelssogood.

Inthatsense,I'mprettysurevolunteeringismoreofaselfishactthanI'dfreelyliketoadmit.However,if

othersbenefitintheprocess,andIgetsomerewardtoo,doesitreallymatterwheremymotivationlies?

24.Whatcanweinferabouttheparentfromherreplyinparagraph1?

A.Sheknowslittleabouttheclub.

B.Sheisn'tgoodatsports.

C.Shejustdoesn'twanttovolunteer.

D.She'sunabletomeetherschedule.

25.Whatdoestheunderlinedphraset€tugattheheartstrings^inparagraph2mean?

A.Encourageteamwork.

B.Appealtofeeling.

C.Promotegooddeeds.

D.Provideadvice.

26.Whatcanwelearnabouttheparentfromparagraph3?

A.Shegetsinterestedinlacrosse.

B.Sheisproudofherkids.

C.She'llworkforanotherseason.

D.Shebecomesagoodhelper.

27.Whydoestheauthorlikedoingvolunteerwork?

A.Itgivesherasenseofduty.

B.Itmakesherveryhappy.

C.Itenableshertoworkhard.

D.Itbringshermaterialrewards.

3.【2019・全国卷IH,C]

Beforethe1830smostnewspapersweresoldthroughannualsubscriptionsinAmerica,usually$8to$10a

year.Today$8or$10seemsasmallamountofmoney,butatthattimetheseamountswereforbiddingtomost

citizens.Accordingly,newspaperswerereadalmostonlybyrichpeopleinpoliticsorthetrades.Inaddition,most

newspapershadlittleinthemthatwouldappealtoamassaudience.Theyweredullandvisuallyforbidding.Butthe

revolutionthatwastakingplaceinthe1830swouldchangeallthat.

Thetrend,then,wastowardthe"pennypapern-atermreferringtopapersmadewidelyavailabletothepublic.

Itmeantanyinexpensivenewspaper;perhapsmoreimportantlyitmeantnewspapersthatcouldbeboughtinsingle

copiesonthestreet.

Thisdevelopmentdidnottakeplaceovernight.Ithadbeenpossible（butnoteasy）tobuysinglecopiesof

newspapersbefore1830,butthisusuallymeantthereaderhadtogodowntotheprinter'sofficetopurchaseacopy.

Streetsaleswerealmostunknown.However,withinafewyears,streetsalesofnewspaperswouldbecommonplace

ineasterncities.Atfirstthepriceofsinglecopieswasseldomapenny-usuallytwoorthreecentswascharged-and

someoftheolderwell-knownpaperschargedfiveorsixcents.Butthephrase"pennypaper"caughtthepublic's

fancy,andsoontherewouldbepapersthatdidindeedsellforonlyapenny.

Thisnewtrendofnewspapersfor"themanonthestreet"didnotbeginwell.Someoftheearlyventures（企

业）wereimmediatefailures.Publishersalreadyinbusiness,peoplewhowereownersofsuccessfulpapers,hadlittle

desiretochangethetradition.Ittookafewyouthfulanddaringbusinessmentogettheballrolling.

28.WhichofthefollowingbestdescribesnewspapersinAmericabeforethe1830s?

A.Academic.B.Unattractive.C.Inexpensive.D.Confidential.

29.Whatdidstreetsalesmeantonewspapers?

A.Theywouldbepricedhigher.B.Theywoulddisappearfromcities.

C.Theycouldhavemorereaders.D.Theycouldregainpublictrust.

30.Whowerethenewspapersofthenewtrendtargetedat?

A.Localpoliticians.B.Commonpeople.

C.Youngpublishers.D.Richbusinessmen.

31.Whatcanwesayaboutthebirthofthepennypaper?

A.Itwasadifficultprocess.B.Itwasatemporarysuccess.

C.Itwasarobberyofthepoor.D.Itwasadisasterforprinters.

4.【2019・北京卷，B]

AliceMooreisateenagerentrepreneur（仓U业者），whoinMay2015setupherbusinessAilieCandy.Bythe

timeshewas13,hercompanywasworthmillionsofdollarswiththeinventionofasuper-sweettreatthatcould

savekids'teeth,insteadofdestroyingthem.

ItallbeganwhenMoorevisitedabankwithherdad.Ontheouting,shewasoffereda

candybar.However,herdadremindedherthatsugarytreatswerebadforherteeth.But

Moorewassickofmissingoutoncandies.Soshedesiredtogetroundthewarning,nWhy

can'tImakeahealthycandythat'sgoodformyteethsothatmyparentscan'tsaynotoit?"

Withthatinmind,Mooreaskedherdadifshecouldstartherowncandycompany.He

recommendedthatshedosomeresearchandtalktodentistsaboutwhatahealthiercandy

wouldcontain.

Withherdad'spermission,shespentthenexttwoyearsresearchingonlineandconductingtrialstogetarecipe

thatwasbothtastyandtooth-friendly.Shealsoapproacheddentiststolearnmoreaboutteethcleaning.

Consequently,shesucceededinmakingakindofcandyonlyusingnaturalsweeteners,whichcanreduceoral

bacteria.

Moorethenusedhersavingstogetherbusinessoftheground.Afterwards,sheandherfathersecuredtheir

firstbusinessmeetingwithasupermarketowner,whofinallyagreedtosellMoore'sproduct-Cancandy.

AsCanCandy'ssuccessgrows,sodoesMoore'scredibilityasayoungentrepreneur.Mooreisenthusiastic

aboutthecandyshecreated,andshe'salsopositiveaboutwhatthefuturemightbring.Shehopesthateverykidcan

haveacleanmouthandabroadsmile.

Meanwhile,withherparents'help,Mooreisgenerallyabletoliveanormalteenagelife.Althoughshefounded

hercompanyearlyoninlife,shewasn'tdrivenprimarilybyprofit.Moorewantstouseheruniquetalenttohelp

othersfindtheirsmiles.Shedonates10%ofAilicCandy'sprofitstoBigSmiles.Withhertalentanddetermination,

itappearsthattheskycouldbethelimitforAliceMoore.

34.HowdidMoorereacttoherdad'swarning?

A.Shearguedwithhim.B.Shetriedtofindawayout.

C.Shepaidnoattention.D.Shechosetoconsultdentists.

35.WhatisspecialaboutCanCandy?

A.Itisbeneficialtodentalhealth.B.Itisfreeofsweeteners.

C.Itissweeterthanothercandies.D.Itisproducedtoadentists'recipe.

36.WhatdoesMooreexpectfromherbusiness?

A.Toearnmoremoney.B.Tohelpothersfindsmiles.

C.Tomakeherselfstandout.D.Tobeatothercandycompanies.

37.WhatcanwelearnfromAliceMoore*sstory?

A.Fameisagreatthirstoftheyoung.

B.Ayouthistoberegardedwithrespect.

C.Positivethinkingandactionresultinsuccess.

D.Successmeansgettingpersonaldesiressatisfied

5.【2019・天津卷，B]

ImusthavealwaysknownreadingwasveryimportantbecausethefirstmemoriesIhaveasachilddealwith

books.TherewasnotonenightthatIdon*tremembermomreadingmeastorybookbymybedside.Iwasextremely

inspiredbytheelegantwaythewordssounded.

Ialwayswantedtoknowwhatmymomwasreading.Hearingmomsay,"Ican'tbelievewhat'sprintedinthe

newspaperthismorning,"mademewanttograbitoutofherhandsandreaditmyself.Iwantedtobelikemymom

andknowallofthethingssheknew.SoIcarriedaroundabook,andeachnight,justtobelikeher,Iwouldpretend

tobereading.

Thisishoweveryonelearnedtoread.Wewouldstartoffwithsentences,thenparagraphs,andthenstories.It

seemedanunendingjourney,butevenasasix-year-oldgirlIrealizedthatknowinghowtoreadcouldopenmany

doors.Whenmomsaid,'*TheC-A-N-D-Yishiddenonthetopshelf,MIknewwherethecandywas.Myprogressin

readingraisedmycuriosity,andIwantedtoknoweverything.Ioftenfoundmyselftellingmymomtodrivemore

slowly,sothatIcouldreadalloftheroadsignswepassed.

Mostofmyreadingthroughprimary,middleandhighschoolwasfactualreading.Ireadforknowledge,andto

makeA'sonmytests.Occasionally,Iwouldreadanovelthatwasassigned,butIdidn'tenjoythistypeofreading.I

likedfacts,thingsthatareconcrete.Ithoughtanythingabstractlefttoomuchroomforargument.

Yet,nowthatI'mgrowingandtheworldIonceknewasbeingsosimpleisbecomingmorecomplex,Ifind

myselfneedingawaytoescape.Byopeninganovel,Icanleavebehindmyburdensandenterintoawonderfuland

mysteriousworldwhereIamnowanewcharacter.IntheseworldsIcanbecomeanyone.Idon'thavetowrite

downwhathappenedorwhattechniquetheauthorwasusingwhenheorshewr