Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 1

Ask people about public libraries and a certain image springs to mind: dusty, old-fashioned, the sort of place you enjoyed as a child but, rather like a British seaside town, would you go there now? And anyway—aren’t they all closing?

The reality is startlingly different, as I discovered when the culture department commissioned me to conduct an independent review of English public libraries, published yesterday. As I visited libraries up and down the country, I was surprised to learn there are more than twice the number of libraries (2,892) as there are branches of McDonald’s.

Enter any one of them and you will find a hive of activity. While books are, and should always be, at the heart of any library, a multitude of other services are offered: employment advice, language classes or digital access and support.

There are libraries with business and intellectual property centres, which can help business owners and entrepreneurs. Many have nurses on site to carry out basic health checks, with a link to the GP’s surgery. There are libraries where young people can borrow a Fifa-standard football free.

In return for all of this, you’ll be asked for precisely nothing. There will be no charge and you will never be asked to justify or explain yourself; you will simply be welcomed in, offered help if you need it, and left alone if you do not. There is no other institution, public or private, that can say the same. Yet still our libraries are often overlooked and underappreciated. There is an overall decline in visits and many are struggling as local authorities come under continued financial pressure.

The number of libraries that have closed since 2010 is disputed. An annual survey by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy puts it at nearly 800 across the UK; official statistics held by the Arts Council record 230 in England. It is, of course, 230 libraries too many. So if we are to protect our libraries for future generations, we must raise awareness of them and the work they do.

The review recommends a national branding campaign to give libraries a stronger physical presence, the reintroduction of a scheme to enable members to use their card in any library in the country, and automatic memberships for children. If we don’t use them, we will end up losing them. And for those who haven’t been to a library for some time, they may be surprised by what they find.

21. What was the author commissioned to do about English public libraries?

[A]

Document their valuable traditions. 

[B]

Make a plan for their expansions. 

[C]

Obtain reader opinions on them. 

[D]

Look into their current situation. 

22. According to Paragraphs 3&4, the author finds that libraries

[A]

boast desirable book collections. 

[B]

keep detailed visitor records. 

[C]

perform diversified functions. 

[D]

attract mostly young readers. 

23. It is implied in Paragraph 5 that libraries should

[A]

be given greater attention. 

[B]

impose stricter visit limits. 

[C]

work with private institutions. 

[D]

get their equipment upgraded. 

24. The statistics mentioned in Paragraph 6 show

[A]

the crisis faced by libraries. 

[B]

the advancement of libraries. 

[C]

the contributions of libraries. 

[D]

the flaws existing in libraries. 

25. Which of the following is suggested for libraries in the last paragraph?

[A]

Inviting public feedback. 

[B]

Seeking adequate funding. 

[C]

Improving user convenience. 

[D]

Offering lifetime memberships. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

21. [D] Look into their current situation.
解析：细节题。定位到第二段第一句：“...when the culture department commissioned me to conduct an independent review of English public libraries（当文化部委托我对英国公共图书馆进行独立审查时）”。“进行独立审查/评估”也就是“调查它们目前的状况（Look into their current situation）”，因此选 [D]。[A]记录传统、[B]制定扩建计划、[C]获取读者意见均在原文中无明确体现。

22. [C] perform diversified functions.
解析：细节概括题。第三、四段列举了进入图书馆后你能找到的种种服务：就业建议（employment advice）、语言课程（language classes）、数字访问与支持（digital access and support）、商业与知识产权中心（business and intellectual property centres）、护士进行基础健康检查（basic health checks），甚至免费借足球（borrow a football free）。这些广泛的服务表明，作者发现图书馆“发挥着多样化的功能（perform diversified functions）”，选 [C]。

23. [A] be given greater attention.
解析：推理题。第五段首先赞扬了图书馆是唯一一家不求回报、完全免费且宽容的机构。然后用“Yet”转折指出：“然而，我们的图书馆仍然经常被忽视和未得到充分赏识（often overlooked and underappreciated）”。既然被忽视和低估是一个负面现状，言外之意就是图书馆应该“得到更多的关注和重视（be given greater attention）”，选 [A]。

24. [A] the crisis faced by libraries.
解析：例证推理题。第六段列举了自2010年以来关闭的图书馆数量：一个是近800家（nearly 800），另一个官方数据是230家。作者评论道：“当然，230家也已经太多了（It is, of course, 230 libraries too many）”。大量关停的数据反映的是“图书馆面临的危机（the crisis faced by libraries）”，因此选 [A]。

25. [C] Improving user convenience.
解析：细节题。最后一段列举了审查报告的几项建议：开展全国性的品牌宣传活动、重新引入允许会员在全国任何图书馆使用其借书卡的计划（enable members to use their card in any library in the country），以及为儿童办理自动会员。一张卡全国通用，其核心目的显然是为了“提高用户的便利性（Improving user convenience）”，因此选 [C]。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. as 引导的时间状语从句与过去分词作后置定语：
"The reality is startlingly different, as I discovered when the culture department commissioned me to conduct an independent review of English public libraries, published yesterday."
【解析】`as` 在此引导方式/伴随状语从句（正如我所发现的那样）。在 `as` 从句中，又嵌套了 `when` 引导的时间状语从句。句末的 `published yesterday` 是过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰前面的 `review`（昨天发布的独立审查报告）。

2. 并列结构的被动语态运用：
"There will be no charge and you will never be asked to justify or explain yourself; you will simply be welcomed in, offered help if you need it, and left alone if you do not."
【解析】分号后的句子中，`you will simply be` 后面跟着三个并列的过去分词，构成了被动语态的排比：`welcomed in`（受到欢迎）、`offered help`（被提供帮助）和 `left alone`（不被打扰/让你独处）。这句话优美且有力地表达了图书馆作为公共空间“来去自由、不问缘由”的包容性。

3. 动词 recommends 后的三个并列宾语：
"The review recommends a national branding campaign to give libraries a stronger physical presence, the reintroduction of a scheme to enable members to use their card in any library in the country, and automatic memberships for children."
【解析】句子的谓语是 `recommends`（建议）。其后跟了三个并列的名词短语作宾语：1. `a national branding campaign`（一项全国品牌活动），其后接不定式作目的状语；2. `the reintroduction of a scheme`（一项计划的重新引入），其后接不定式作定语；3. `automatic memberships`（自动会员资格）。结构清晰，条理分明。