Directions:

　　Write an essay based on the following chart. In your writing, you should

　　1)interpret the chart, and

　　2)give your comments.

　　You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)

　　(一)预测范文

　　The column chart above reveals clearly the statistics of reading quantity per person in seven countries in 2013. Based upon the data, the numbers of reading volumes in the U.S., Israel and Russia are highest among the several nations, accounting for 56, 44 and 42 respectively. On the contrary, those in Korea and China are lowest, taking up merely 11 and 4.

　　This tendency is rather disturbing, for one should know that reading extensively are no less necessary to one’s mental life than fresh air to one’s physical life. From reading extensively, we can derive companionship, experience and instruction. First and foremost, a good book is our faithful friend. It can increase our contentment when we are cheerful and happy, and lessen our pain when we are sad or lonely. Furthermore, reading extensively can also offer us a wide range of experiences. Few of us can travel far from home or live long over one hundred, but all of us can live many lives through the pages of books. The last but not the least, reading extensively can increase our intellectual ability, broaden our minds and make us wise.

　　Though with the advent of TV and Internet, books are no longer read as extensively as they once were, nothing can replace the role that reading extensively plays in our lives.

　　(二)参考译文

　　上述柱状图清晰地揭示了2013年七个国家人均阅读量的统计。根据数据，美国、以色列和俄罗斯的阅读量在七个国家中最高，分别是56本，44本和42本。相反，韩国和中国的阅读量最低，只有11本和4本。

　　这种倾向令人担忧，因为我们知道，书籍对人的精神犹如空气对人的身体同样是十分必需的。从读书中我们可以得到伴侣，得到经历，受到教益。一本好书就是我们一个忠实的朋友。当我们高兴和幸福时，书能增添我们的快乐;当我们伤心和孤独时，书能减轻我们的痛苦。书还能向我们提供各种经历。我们中很少人能到很远的地方去旅游，或能活过一百岁，但是通过读书我们能经历各种各样的生活。更重要的是，读书能提高我们的知识技能，开阔我们的眼界，使我们变得聪明智慧。

　　虽然随着电视、手机和网络的出现，读书的人没有以前多了，但没有什么东西可以取代书籍在我们生活中的作用。