The National Endowment for the Arts recently released
( ~2 g& ]$ i; k( u% l5 `the results of its “Reading at Risk” survey, which described
. e$ S" e5 h1 {the movement of the American public away from books and " u' ~0 ]$ h5 _# W; G9 s
literature and toward television and electronic media. 5 q/ H: f3 h# u( }; R) Q P$ M2 a
According to the survey, “reading is on the decline on every ___1___- B2 n( `# `" {; S% ~+ v5 p+ g
region, within every ethnic group, and at every educational level.”2 R$ s% U& `# O* S
The day the NEA report released, the U.S. House, in a tie ___2___4 A3 y2 u; `4 E3 v$ _( m0 x
Vote, upheld the government’s right to obtain bookstore and 9 H! f0 v, j0 O8 h; L" ~ m
library records under a provision of the USA Patriot Act. The5 k7 O, ]2 ]- a; h0 B" [8 y( H
House proposal would have barred the federal government : d+ W( R8 q- u: U3 k3 n' G# A2 ^( A6 X
from demand library records, reading lists, book customer ___3___
( `* f. A5 |4 l: r9 @lists and other material in terrorism and intelligence investigations.
/ o- w) Q. S$ t; ~8 _These two events are completely unrelated to, yet they ___4___; f' A* J( s1 O `
echo each other in the message they send about the place of $ U, t$ T) v' r1 V
books and reading in American culture. At the heart
* D9 T6 J- C& b$ f6 G2 oof the NEA survey is the belief in our democratic ___5___
3 |! B( _3 X% c& J' x' mSystem depends on leaders who can think critically, analyze 7 B9 T' Q% e1 u& u8 b# f9 [7 N: ^6 [- b
texts and writing clearly. All of these are skills promoted by ___6___( N6 m: ^0 X q& w7 ?' p4 d' l4 W
reading and discussing books and literature. At the same time,8 y; U; a# h. d( i I! y
through a provision of the Patriot Act, the leaders of our
C: b0 M0 k: S' y$ qcountry are unconsciously sending the message that reading / Q8 c/ Q7 g7 J4 N, }6 m0 ]2 i# r$ f
may be connected to desirable activities that might ___7___
2 h% k! y5 q& Y( o+ W# d* Lundermine our system of government rather than helping
4 Z; ~* \9 T/ Zdemocracy flourish." e9 u$ q: y4 F' Y* o; }( g5 q' y
Our culture’s decline in reading begin well before the___8___
1 Z7 \% H! x( u$ Q8 x) U: Wexistence of the Patriot Act. During the 1980s’ culture wars,
. @2 W& e0 K7 b3 J4 j8 Vschool systems across the country pulled some books from " m9 U& k/ E& y4 l
library shelves because its content was deemed by parents ___9___* M9 z3 v/ I. ]4 }! i; f( n! Z
and teachers to be inappropriate. Now what started in schools ! Z5 b, S+ j+ d
across the country is playing itself out on a nation stage and ___10___
/ K$ P) F. y2 V: B" |: Fis possibly having an impact on the reading habits of the
- Y! g" e4 ?/ XAmerican public. |