World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. It was set up by the UNESCO in 1955 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading. It is also the day to honor great writers, for example, William Shakespeare, born or dead on that day.
Many countries celebrate World Book Day. Take UK as an example. On that day, millions of schoolchildren can buy books of special price, a much lower price than usual, in any bookstore. It has been done every year since 1998, World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Wen Jiabao, Premier of China, is an avid reader. He does lots of reading every day though he is very busy. On World Book Day 2009, he called on people to do more reading. Wen suggested that young people should spend more time reading. “Books can not change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading,” he said.
Why do people like reading? One big advantage(优点) is that reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent. Also reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Besides, reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world. When we read, we may find many things that are unfamiliar to us. We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The more we read, the more we know. What’s more, reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English.
“Reading makes a full man”. Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. Therefore, it is necessary for us to spend time reading every day.
When is World Book Day? _________________
In UK, what can school children do on World Book Day?_________________
What did Premier Wen Jiiabao advise young people do?___________________
How many advantages of reading are mentioned in the passage?___________________
What does the passage mainly about?___________________