倒数第8天(5月29日)
(2017·新课标全国卷)It happened to me recently.I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President.A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was，in his words，“a brilliantly(精彩地) written book”．However，he then went on to talk about Mr.Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all.I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one.Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven't.In the World Book Day's “Report on Guilty Secrets”，Dreams From My Father is at number 9.The report lists ten books，and various authors，which people have lied about reading，and as I'm not one to lie too often (I'd hate to be caught out)，I'll admit here and now that I haven't read the entire top ten.But I am pleased to say that，unlike 42 percent of people，I have read the book at number one，George Orwell's 1984.I think it's really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it.It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen，Charles Dickens，Fyodor Dostoevsky (I haven't read him，but haven't lied about it either) and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied，the most common reason was to “impress” someone they were speaking to.This could be tricky if the conversation became more in－depth!
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy，people named J．K.Rowling，John Grisham，Sophie Kinsella (ah，the big sellers，in other words)．Forty－two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story (I'll come clean：I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so)．
1．How did the author find his friend a book liar?
A．By judging his manner of speaking.
B．By looking into his background.
C．By mentioning a famous name.
D．By discussing the book itself.
解析 推理判断题。根据文章第一段的最后两句“However, he then went on to talk abour Mr.Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all.I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.”可以推断出通过讨论这本书的内容作者进而发现朋友在撒谎，故选D。其中，选项A在文中没有体现；选项B偷梁换柱，利用文中出现的his(Mr.Obama) background来迷惑考生；选项C看似在文中首段第二、三句有所体现，但它并不能很好地回答题干所提出的问题，答非所问，故排除。
答案 D
2．Which of the following is a “guilty secret” according to the World Book Day report?
A．Charles Dickens is very low on the top－ten list.
B．42% of people pretended to have read 1984.
C．The author admitted having read 9 books.
D．Dreams From My Father is hardly read.
解析 细节理解题。根据文章第二段最后两句“But I am pleased to say that, unlike 42 percent of people, I have read the book at number one, George Orwell's 1984.I think it's really brilliant.”可知答案。选项A和D提到的细节在文中是有出现，但是选项的内容无法从文章中得出结论；选项C的信息作者在本文没有叙述。
答案 B
3．By lying about reading，a person hopes to________.
A．control the conversation
B．appear knowledgeable
C．learn about the book
D．make more friends
解析 推理判断题。根据文章第四段第一句“Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to ‘impress’ someone they were speaking to.”可知答案为B项。
答案 B
4．What is the author's attitude to 58% of readers?
A．Favorable.
B．Uncaring.
C．Doubtful.
D．Friendly.
解析 作者态度题。结合文章大意，以及文中最后出现的“...am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so”可知，作者对58% of readers持怀疑态度，故C项(怀疑的)符合文意。选项B(不予关注的)，显然错误，作者若不予以关注就不会写出这篇文章。
答案 C