阅读理解。
Do you know about a series of books that say they are "for dummies"? These American self-help books
have been translated into more than thirty-nine languages including Chinese, Arabic, Russian, French, German,
Greek and Spanish.
"Dummy" is a word for a stupid person. The dummies books are not really for stupid people. They are
designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before, like painting a house or
learning a language. The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies, such as World History for
Dummies, Rabbits for Dummies, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Wedding Planning for Dummies. The
first such book, DOS for Dummies, was published in 1991. It helped people learn how to use the DOS
operating system for computers. Since then, more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been
sold.
The dummies.com website explains the idea behind the books. It says that they show that people can be
taught to do anything. First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand. Then they show how
the information can be interesting and easy. The publishers say that the books do not provide more information
than necessary. They give readers just enough information to do what they want. They say that the dummies
books give the best and easiest way to do something. And the books use simple and easy language.
There are more than one thousand different dummies books. A report in New York Times says that the
top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance.
The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need-
like information about diseases, education and cooking. People interested in opera, car repair and wine can also
find dummies books to help them. And there are even more dummies books to come. The publishers say that
they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year.
1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? [ ]
A. Books for Dummies
B. The Easiest, the Best
C. Self-Help Books
D. New Ideas behind the Books
2. According to the dummies.com website, people can _____ with the help of dummies books. [ ]
A. simplify some personal things
B. do anything they want
C. become expert in any field
D. learn any foreign language
3. The dummies books have been popular because _____. [ ]
A. they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand
B. they provide abundant information on the concerning subject
C. people can learn to do anything with just one copy
D. people can save lots of money through self-teaching
4. According to New York Times, we know that books on _____ sell best. [ ]
A. technology and personal finance
B. opera and car repairing
C. diseases and education
D. cooking and world history
