单选题 What makes Reader's Digest the most successful magazine in publishing history? Beneath the fun and excitement that fill our pages, it is, above all else, a serious magazine. Our readers are serious people. The Digest never loses sight of the fact that each day all of us confront a tough, challenging world. To millions who know our record of viewing this world, we are not a luxury; we are a necessity.
Basic to our magazine is a steady focus on the power of the individual. We show that man's greatest ideas and accomplishment, his often stunning (极好的) faith and courage and hope, can be seen in the conduct of ordinary men and women. We reflect the universal skepticism that government can solve our problems; we herald the unending promise of self-determination and individual enterprise. Readers depend upon us for truth and accuracy, logic and common sense.
Our stories come from the grit of human experience—the tough, the tender, the funny. These stories—always told in a powerful narrative style—spring from love and caring, from a sense of right and wrong, from a dedication to the vitality (生命力) of the human spirit. We are at the forefront of major issues of medicine, health, environment, human rights. We take readers behind the headlines to the cause and meaning of world events. We celebrate courage, champion adventure and always seek to expand the mind, and to enrich the spirit and the body. It is this clear voice—never preaching (说教), always showing—that has made readers set us apart from all other magazines.
Deep within our widely varied package of humor, drama, and helpful information, there hums (哼唱) a subtle power that guides people in every aspect of their lives. They listen because what we put forth rings true. They are comfortable with our clear, concise words that inform them, entertain them, and remind them of those eternal values that fortify all decent people as they seek clarity and coherence in a confusing world. Our readers recognize that our compass is good for the long haul—that our principles are good for all seasons, good for all ages, good for all those who wish to play a role in making their world a better place. So long as we never lose sight of these powerful principles that are at the soul of our magazine—and so long as we remain at the cutting edge of life in our world—then we are prepared to lay claim to a future as brilliant and as exciting as our past.

单选题 The Reader's Digest claims to be a necessity because ______.
A．it provides fun and excitement to its readers
B．it views the world as the ordinary people do
C．it presents people with solutions to life's problems
D．it has such a long history that every generation is reading it
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。第一段指出，《读者文摘》从来都没有忘记这一事实，即我们每天都面临的世界是艰难、具有挑战性的，因此它发表对世界的看法(viewing this world)，而知晓这一点的读者必会读它。下文又讲它将焦点集中于个人的能力，讲述个人的经历在生活的各个方面引导人们(guides people in every aspect of their lives)等等。因此可判断它发表的对世界的看法可以帮助人们解决生活中遇到的各种问题。A意为：它为读者提供娱乐和刺激。而第一段讲，在娱乐和刺激的表面下，最重要的是，它是一本严肃的杂志。B意为：“它看待世界的方法与普通人一样。”而文章中没有作出这种比较，只是说它主要通过讲述普通人的经历和业绩，使人们从中受益。D意为：“它的历史很长以至于每一代人都读它”，文章中根本没有提到它的历史长短问题。
单选题 All of the following about the Reader's Digest are true EXCEPT that ______.
A．it firmly believes that the government can be trusted with ready help
B．people can strengthen their minds and will by reading it
C．it trusts that the ordinary people are capable of glorious deeds in their lives
D．it can help the ordinary people to discover truth for themselves
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 是非题。第二段中有一句：我们反映这种普遍的怀疑(universal skepticism)，即政府能够解决我们的问题。由此可见，《读者文摘》并不认为政府可随时为人们提供帮助，这反映了人们对政府的普遍不信任。因此A与原文不符，是本题的正确答案。
单选题 According to the passage, what has made readers set the Reader's Digest apart from all other magazines?
A．Its variety of themes.
B．Its focus on human mind.
C．Its narrative style of showing rather than preaching.
D．Its functions of informing, entertaining and reminding.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。此题答案在第三段最后一句：It is this clear voice—never preaching，always showing—that has made readers set us apart from all other magazines．由此可知，正是这种陈述方式使《读者文摘》与众不同。故C是正确答案。
单选题 According to the passage, the Digest will have a bright future as long as ______.
A．it holds the principles as it has been doing in the past
B．it keeps pace with the latest development of the world's situation
C．it keeps its language clear, concise and easy to understand
D．it combines serious themes of life with a sense of humor
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。文章最后一句提到只要我们永不忘记这些原则，我们就可以宣称未来像过去一样美好。因此A“它会一如既往地坚持它的原则”与文意符合。
单选题 It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A．the most important thing about a magazine is to provide a wide variety of things
B．the success of the Digest lies in its guiding principles and orientation
C．the moral lessons are consciously taught to the readers in the Digest
D．only success stories get their way into the Digest to present people with models
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 推断题。第三段最后一句提到，正是这种清晰明确的陈述方式使《读者文摘》与众不同。最后一段又提到，我们的原则是很好的，只要我们一如既往地坚持原则，未来就会像过去一样美好。所以可推断出，它的指导原则和方向是它成功的关键。因此B“《读者文摘》的成功在于它的指导原则和方向”与此符合，是本题的正确答案。C说“《读者文摘》是有意给读者上道德课的”，根据原文可知，《读者文摘》是让人们在娱乐的同时无意识地获得精神上的收益，因此C项错误。D意为：“只有成功的故事才能被《读者文摘》引用以向人们提供榜样。”第三段第一句讲，《读者文摘》的故事都是来自人们的生活经历，并不一定都是成功的故事。因此D项叙述错误。