The blessings which the reading habit confers on its possessor are many. Provided we choose the right kind of books， reading gives us the highest kind of pleasure.Some books we read simply for pleasure and amusement for example， good novels.And novels and books of imagination must have their place in everybody"s reading.When we are tired， or the brain is weary with serious study， it is a healthy recreation to loose ourselves in some absorbing story written by a master hand.
But to read nothing but books of fiction is like eating nothing but cakes and sweetmeats. AAs we need plain， wholesome food for the body， so we must have serious reading for the mind.And here we can choose according to our taste and interest.There are many noble books on history， arts， literature， biography， philosophy， religion， travel and science which we ought to read accordingly， and which will give us not only pleasure but an education.And we can develop a taste for serious reading， so that in the end it will give us more solid pleasure than even novels and books of fiction.Nor should poetry be neglected， for the best poetry gives us noble thoughts and beautiful imaginings， clothed in lovely and musical language.
Books are the most faithful of friends. Our friends may change， or die；but our books are always waiting patiently to talk to us.BThey are never cross， peevish， or unwilling to converse， as our friends sometimes are.No wonder a reader becomes a“book-lover.”
难点重点，一目了然！
长难句解析Sentence Structures
AAs we need plain， wholesome food for the body， so we must have serious reading for the mind.
正如我们的身体需要清淡而有益健康的食物一样，我们的头脑也必须有严肃的读物加以充实。
BThey are never peevish， or unwilling to converse， as our friends sometimes are.
书籍绝不会像我们的朋友有时会生气、发脾气或不愿谈心。
97.The Art of Asking Embarrassing Questions 直截了当提问的艺术
Track 097. MP3
朗读指数：◆◆◆
背诵指数：◆◆
难度指数：◆◆
总词汇量：0397词汇
每篇好演讲都有灵魂！
今日关键语导读Today"s Key Points
在生活中通过人际交流获取所需的信息是人生的另一个重要方面。在与人沟通时，我们往往会遇到种种顾虑而不愿意或不好意思提出该提的问题，以致丧失获取必要信息的机会，从而不能实现心中目标，留下遗憾。
文中障碍词抢先攻克！
障碍词先听为快Words and Expressions
精彩文字，耳听心受！
好英文娓娓动听Words and Expressions
I am a pushy parent and proud of it.Parents such as I may be an irritant to universities， but I am convinced we should accompany our offspring to university open days because we can make a difference to their futures.How？By being older， wiser and asking embarrassing questions.
By going to open days， parents and their children can gauge the culture of the institution， check out the buildings and facilities， assess academic standards， get the measure of the current students and compare notes afterwards. The differences were enormous， which is something you can"t really find out just by reading prospectuses， surfing university websites， or by osmosis.Nothing beats seeing for yourself.
If my son had chosen a university based on his own youthful agenda， he would have gone to the one with the prettiest girls and the highest ratio of girls to boys（Surrey）. High on his list of priorities were also good food， cheap student-union beer， a friendly， laid-back atmosphere， nightlife， plush halls of residence and a low cost of living.
While not disputing the importance of any of these， I had a different agenda：academic standards and reputation， impressiveness of the academic staff， league-table position， overall status and ease of getting a good job afterwards. Universities often say students should above all else choose an institution on the basis of a course they really want to study.
ABut it"s a case of horses for courses. How one university teaches a particular subject may be very different from the way another one does.It is only by going to open days that you can work this out for yourself.