C
I recently booked tickets to take my children，aged seven and nine，to see The Railway Children at the theatre.Thinking they may get more out of it if they already knew the story，I ordered the book to read to them.I’m slightly ashamed (羞愧的) to say we only managed to read a few parts of the book.While everyone loved the film and the play was excellent，as far as a reading experience goes，for me at least，it was quite hard to stand.
It wasn’t because the language was difficult，but because the writer seemed to use 10 sentences when one would probably work.But，as a booklover，hoping that my children would read widely，I thought，“Is it important that they read the classics (经典著作)？”
My friend Pandora thinks children’s classics are just for school.She said，“Unless they had great adventure，then they won’t keep the parent or the kid gripped while reading together.”
Another friend of mine Clare believes it is important that her children read the classics and revisit them again when they are older.
Camilla，my sisterinlaw，makes a very good point that books like The Railway Children were written in a different period of time with a different lifestyle in mind.She said，“I think the issue is that books are written for people who have less time now，while the classics were people’s entertainment，so the writing had to be long and drawn out.”
Nowadays，children may feel that when they read a book from the past，they have to struggle through a lot of difficult writing，only to find that not much happens.If that’s the case，they might enjoy the books more in simplified versions (简化版) or by having the books read to them as a bedtime story.
“Some people seem to refuse books in simplified versions，but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with reading a classic novel in a simplified version first，and then later in life moving to the full version，” Camilla said.It sounds like excellent advice.
语篇解读 一些经典书籍对于现在的小孩而言过于枯燥，那么现在的小孩应该阅读经典书籍吗？
28．What does the underlined word “gripped” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A．Attracted. B．Disappointed.
C．Touched. D．Frightened.
解析： 词义猜测题。根据“Unless it had great adventure”可知，这里是指如果书里面没有冒险描写的话，很难一直“吸引”读者读下去。
答案： A
29．What does Camilla think about books like The Railway Children?
A．They don’t really have much value.
B．They shouldn’t be considered as classics.
C．They’re no longer suitable for today’s kids.
D．They’re really good to entertain today’s people.
解析： 推理判断题。根据第五段的“I think the issue is that books are written for people who have less time now，while the classics were people’s entertainment，so the writing had to be long and drawn out.”可知，Camilla认为经典书籍已经不适合现在的小孩子读了。
答案： C
30．Which of the following would the author most probably agree with?
A. Today’s children shouldn’t read classics.
B．Classics are usually famous for their stories.
C．Today’s kids can read simplified versions of classics.
D．Today’s kids don’t have to read a classic again and again.
解析： 作者观点题。根据末段的“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with reading a classic novel in a simplified version first以及It sounds like excellent advice.”可知，作者认为小孩子可以读简化版的经典书籍。
答案： C
31．What would be the best title of the text?
A．Should today’s kids read classics?
B．Do today’s kids like reading classics?
C．What should today’s kids read in their spare time?
D．What kind of books should parents buy for their kids?
解析： 主旨大意题。根据文章内容可知，本文主要围绕现在的小孩是否应该读经典书籍展开的。
答案： A
