The National Endowment for the Arts recently released the

the results of its “Reading at Risk” survey, which described

movement of the American public away from books and

literature and toward television and electronic media.

According to the survey. “reading is on the decline on every　　　 62.__________

region, within every ethnic group, and at every educational level.“

The day the NEA report released, the U.S. House, in a tie 　　　　 63.___________

vote, upheld the government's right to obtain bookstore and

library records under a provision of the USA Patriot Act. The

House proposal would have barred the federal government

from demand library records, reading lists, book customer 　　　　 64.___________

lists and other material in terrorism and intelligence investigations.

These two events are completely unrelated to, yet they 　　　　 65.___________

echo each other in the message they send about the place of

books and reading in American culture. At the heart

of the NEA survey is the belief in our democratic　　　　　　　　 66.__________

system depends on leaders who can think critically, analyze

texts and writing clearly. All of these are skills promoted by 　　　 67.__________

reading and discussing books and literature. At the same time,

through a provision of the Patriot Act, the leaders of our

country are unconsciously sending the message that reading

may be connected to desirable activities that might　　　　　　　 68._________

undermine our system of government rather than helping

democracy flourish.

Our culture's decline in reading begin well before the 　　　　　 69._________

existence of the Patriot Act. During the 1980s' culture wars,

school systems across the country pulled some books from

library shelves because its content was deemed by parents 　　　 70.__________

and teachers to be inappropriate. Now what started in schools

across the country is playing itself out on a nation stage and 　　 71.________

is possibly having an impact on the reading habits of the

American public.

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