Speed-reading is a necessary skill in the Internet age．We skim over articles, e-mails and
WeChat to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text．Surrounded with
information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word,
line by line．But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits
beyond the intelligent stimulation．
A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New
Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smartphones．They sink into cozy chairs
and read in silence for an hour． Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the slow reading
club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read
in a quiet, relaxed environment． According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one
example of a movement started by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before
the Internet and smartphones．
Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the
mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to
sympathize． Another study published last year in Science showed that reading novels helps
people understand other's mental states and beliefs, a fundamental skill in building relationships．
Yet technology has made us less attentive readers． Screens have changed our reading
patterns from the straight and information．left-to-right sequence to a wild skimming and skipping
pattern as we hunt for important words and information. Reading text punctuated with links leads
to weaker comprehension than reading plain text. The Internet may have made us stupider, says
Patrick Kingsley from The Guardian． Because of the Internet, he says, we have become very
good at collecting a wide range of interesting news, but we are also gradually forgetting how to sit
back, reflect, and relate all these facts to each other．
Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted, straight pattern, in a quiet environment free
of distractions． Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly from The Atlantic． “You can squeeze in
that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments, you pick up a meaningful work of
literature,” Kelly said． “Reach for your e-reader, if you like． Kindles make books like War and
Peace less heavy, not less substantive, and also ensure you'll never lose your place．”
67．The book club in Wellington mentioned in Paragraph 2 shows____________．
A．the new trend of slow reading B．the decline of electronic devices
C．the importance of exchanging ideas D．the increasing number of club readers
68．According to Patrick Kingsley, people are stupider partly because of_____________．
A．a non-stop reading pattern B．the straight, left-to-right screen
C．a wide range of interesting news D．the lack of reflection
69．According to the passage, slow reading___________．
A．contributes to understanding among people
B．promotes the current technology advances
C．provides people with a quiet environment
D．cures the memory loss of elderly people
70．What's the best title for the passage?
A．Benefit of Reading Clubs． B．Return of Slow Reading．
C．Reading of the Internet Age． D．Influence of Speed Reading．