单选题 Reading to oneself is modem activity which was almost unknown to the scholars of the classical and medieval (between AD 1100 and 1500) worlds, while during the fifteenth century the term "reading" undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the nineteenth century did silent reading become commonplace.
One should be careful, however, in assuming that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is distraction to others. Examination of factors related to the historical development of silent reading reveals that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.
The last century saw a steady gradual increase in literacy, and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of potential listeners decreased, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the flourishing of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, railway carriages and offices, where reading aloud would cause distraction to other readers.
Towards the end of the century there was still considerable argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of materials such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its virtues, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by book and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.
By the end of the century students were being recommended to adopt attitudes to books and to use skills in reading them which were inappropriate, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological changes in the century had greatly altered what the term "reading" implied.

单选题 Why didn't silent reading become common before the nineteenth century?
A. There were few places for people to have silent reading.
B. Few people could read for themselves.
C. Scholars disagreed with this kind of reading before the 19th century.
D. People all thought that "reading" undoubtedly meant reading aloud.

单选题 What did the development of silent reading during the nineteenth century indicate?
A. An increase in the number of listeners.
B. An increase in the number of books.
C. A decrease in literacy.
D. A change in the nature of reading.

单选题 In education, we’re also arguing about ______.
A. combining silent reading with reading aloud
B. the amount of information students can get from books and newspapers
C. the value of different types of reading material
D. the importance of using right reading skills

单选题 The mass media and specialized reading materials replaced the old shared literacy culture. This fact shows that ______.
A. the techniques in printing had improved
B. reader's interests had become varied
C. literate people's attitudes had changed
D. books had been used for information

单选题 What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?
A. Encourage students to read more books.
B. Tell the importance of reading.
C. Show how reading methods have changed.
D. Explain how present reading habits developed.