The National Endowment for the Arts recently released the the results of its “Reading at Risk” survey, which described3 P" M4 `- ], O# ~- b
movement of the American public away from books and
0 t* m! f' e7 `- }3 p, g literature and toward television and electronic media.; ?/ o" D8 ^6 q( x U% v
According to the survey. “reading is on the decline on every 62.__________
3 s' t/ W7 I4 T+ k& ~0 Z region, within every ethnic group, and at every educational level.“ r* w* h* ?/ a) |4 \
The day the NEA report released, the U.S. House, in a tie 63.___________
' \: ]; L: r, T2 C vote, upheld the government's right to obtain bookstore and# M' l0 ?+ z( A& W9 [
library records under a provision of the USA Patriot Act. The& g1 A0 o3 Z' H$ y' y
House proposal would have barred the federal government/ I' w6 x3 y; s( `% u) V$ f
from demand library records, reading lists, book customer 64.___________, c" Z T) t* I3 t: x
lists and other material in terrorism and intelligence investigations.
' d0 B- o! l9 d# w6 h1 O/ a These two events are completely unrelated to, yet they 65.___________6 E8 l" s8 X' z! {7 j
echo each other in the message they send about the place of: V& K4 d6 E: o( ?4 b* p
books and reading in American culture. At the heart% E; X7 T) |2 N% P Z
of the NEA survey is the belief in our democratic 66.__________
4 O+ V! n5 i. }) {" g1 g$ v system depends on leaders who can think critically, analyze
/ f) g* P! \" B texts and writing clearly. All of these are skills promoted by 67.__________& L8 D/ G. E* d2 ?
reading and discussing books and literature. At the same time,
2 }* p* `- f) C through a provision of the Patriot Act, the leaders of our( t% v5 B* P& j' @# p$ N! K1 }/ x L
country are unconsciously sending the message that reading' p1 T. P# O! G8 V0 K) k
may be connected to desirable activities that might 68._________
0 J5 h. X3 ~- a! i {" D undermine our system of government rather than helping3 w% T+ z# f f0 E3 B+ K
democracy flourish.& T. ]7 E" I2 s: d% r3 h8 n
Our culture's decline in reading begin well before the 69._________
4 W; b6 Q0 q4 w( X existence of the Patriot Act. During the 1980s' culture wars,
1 N# ?) k! v0 s- v4 _0 U7 z1 B; M school systems across the country pulled some books from
% q X" {, L1 [' Z z1 H library shelves because its content was deemed by parents 70.__________3 ^: X( P( Q2 c0 W! f: M- R
and teachers to be inappropriate. Now what started in schools2 Q9 L- n7 a A- X
across the country is playing itself out on a nation stage and 71.________8 v% K) B" A& H7 g- a d/ w2 i
is possibly having an impact on the reading habits of the1 j+ @( I0 O5 E& H* n
American public.2 |7 d- ?0 N9 X: C3 q( d8 Q/ A2 B
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