The National Endowment for the Arts recently released the results of its

“Reading at Risk” survey, which described the 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 region, 【S1】 ______.

within every ethnic group, and at every educational level”.

The day the NEA report released, the U.S. House, in a tie vote, upheld 【S2】 ______.

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 【S3】 ______.

lists and other material in terrorism and intelligence investigations.

These two events are completely unrelated to, yet they echo each other in 【S4】 ______.

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 system 【S5】______.

depends on leaders who can think critically, analyze texts and writing clearly. 【S6】______.

All of these are skills promoted by 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 undermine our system of government rather 【S7】______.

than helping democracy flourish.

Our culture’s decline in reading begin well before the existence of the 【S8】______.

Patriot Act. During the 1980s’ culture wars, school systems across the country

pulled some books from library shelves because its content was deemed by 【S9】______.

parents and teachers to be inappropriate. Now what started in schools across the

country is playing itself out on a nation stage and is possibly having an impact 【S10】______.

on the reading habits of the American public.

【S3】