黃連英 鐘翠頻

Is listening to an audiobook really reading？ We talk to experts about whether audiobooks count as reading. If you type into Google， “Do audiobooks count as reading？” you’ll find arguments both for and against. On one side are those who love the written word and never quite took to their audio counterparts. On the other are the audiobooks fans， who see it as a newly creative way to absorb a book. Or you have the in-betweeners， who go back and forth between both you.

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on， experts say the difference between both is minimal—your brain works more or less the same way when processing an audiotrack as it does processing words on a page.

“Even though the information is processed differently by our brain， the overall difference between reading and listening in terms of comprehension is negligible，” explains relationship psychologist Mairead Molloy. She adds audiobooks could help the brain activate more images than the written word， but there are advantages to both as reading mediums.

“Audiobooks can help improve our comprehension and vocabulary. Hearing new words can significantly help with comprehension and vocabulary， especially for kids and second-language learners，” she adds. “They also help stimulate the auditory process in the brain. This active listening process helps analyse the information and store it in our memory.”

Reading words on the page has its own advantages from exercising the brain， to improved concentration， literacy， sleep and the ability to focus. Audiobooks offer different advantages， depending on the different needs of the reader.

When it comes to reading， she continues， sweeping statements aren’t the most beneficial way to go because the audiobook versus a traditional book is a very nuanced argument. “I think even if audiobooks aren’t your preference， or you might not necessarily know people who would benefit from audiobooks， it’s important to keep an open mind that maybe it could be the best option for someone rather than ruling it out.”

（材料出自Reader’s Digest，有刪改）

1. What’s the function of the first paragraph？

A. To introduce the topic.

B. To tell us the author’s opinion.

C. To give background information.

D. To arouse the readers’ interest.

2. What does “negligible” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean？

A. Apparent. B. Insignificant.

C. Abnormal.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?D. Potential.

3. Who can benefit most from audiobooks in comprehension？

A. Good listeners. B. Native speakers.

C. Second-language learners. ? ?D. Language masters.

4. Which of the following isn’t the advantage of reading written words？

A. Training our brains well.

B. Improving our concentration.

C. Enhancing the quality of sleep.

D. Stimulating the auditory process.

【參考答案】

1. A。解析：推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第一段的“Is listening to an audiobook really reading？”及其后提到不同人對這個問題的不同看法，我們可知，第一段旨在引入話題，后文則是對這個問題進(jìn)行論述。故選A。

2. B。解析：詞義猜測題。文章第三段第一句中的前一部分是even though引導(dǎo)的讓步狀語從句，從句和主句的內(nèi)容存在轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系。第三段第一句的前半部分提到“盡管我們的大腦處理信息的方式不同”，結(jié)合此段最后一句中的“there are advantages to both as reading mediums（有聲讀物和書面文字都有作為閱讀媒介的優(yōu)勢）”，我們可推斷“negligible”意思是“微不足道的，不重要的”，這半句的意思是“讀書和聽書在理解方面的總體差異是可以忽略不計(jì)的”。故選B。

3. C。解析：細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段的“Audiobooks can help...especially for kids and second-language learners”，我們可知，有聲讀物可以幫助我們提高理解力和詞匯量……特別是對孩子和第二語言學(xué)習(xí)者來說。故選C。

4. D。解析：細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第五段第一句“...from exercising the brain， to improved concentration， literacy， sleep and the ability to focus.”，我們可知，閱讀紙質(zhì)版文字的優(yōu)勢包括鍛煉大腦，提高注意力、讀寫能力、睡眠和專注能力，因此可以排除A、B、C選項(xiàng)，而D選項(xiàng)是有聲讀物的優(yōu)勢。故選D。