World Book and Copyright Day is an occasion to pay a worldwide tribute(致敬) to books and authors and to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading. It is hoped that this will lead to the renewed respect for those who have made great contributions to social and cultural progress.

What Do People Do?

A range of activities to promote reading and the cultural aspects of books are held all over the world. Many of these emphasize international cooperation or friendships between countries. Events include: relay readings of books and plays; the distribution of bookmarks; the announcement of the winners of literary competitions; and actions to promote the understanding of laws on copyright and the protection of authors’ intellectual property.

In some years, the Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance is awarded. This is a prize for novels, collections of short stories or picture books that promote tolerance, peace, mutual understanding and respect for other peoples and cultures.

Background

The year 1995 was named the United Nations Year for Tolerance and UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris, concentrated on this theme. People voted to establish an annual occasion to carry the message of tolerance into the future, in the form of a day to celebrate books, authors and the laws that protect them. The date was chosen because April 23 marks the anniversary of the birth or death of a range of internationally renowned writers and because of the Catalan traditions surrounding this day. World Book and Copyright Day has been held annually since 1995.

Symbols

Each year a poster is designed and distributed around the world. It features images designed to encourage people, particularly children, to read books and appreciate literature. There is also a logo for World Book and Copyright Day. It features a circle, representing the world, and two books, one of which is open.

1.What is the purpose of World Book and Copyright Day?

A To kill the time by reading.

B To inspire more people to read.

C To let people know the meaning of reading.

D To improve people’s respect for books.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第一段的“pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors and to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading”和“this will lead to the renewed respect for those who have made great contributions to social and cultural progress”可知，其设立目的是推动更多的人去阅读和写作，希望所有人都能尊重和感谢为人类文明做出过巨大贡献的文学、文化、科学、思想大师们，保护知识产权。故选B。

2.What does the underlined word “intellectual” mean?

A A person’s ability to think.

B The laws of nature.

C The medical examination of a person’s body.

D The health of a person’s mind.

解析：选A。A词义猜测题。根据划线部分前面的“actions to promote the understanding of laws on copyright”可知，人们希望世界读书日能增进人们对版权法和其他保护知识版权措施的理解，版权是对创作才华的保护，因此和人们的思考和创作能力有关。故选A。

3.What can we know from the text?

A At first, World Book and Copyright Day wasn’t on April 23.

B The first World Book and Copyright Day was in 1959.

C The poster of World Book and Copyright Day is always the same.

D The poster is designed to improve people’s love for reading.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据最后一段第二句“It features images designed to encourage people, particularly children, to read books and appreciate literature.”可知，每年都会设计一张海报，海报以鼓励人们，尤其是儿童阅读书籍和欣赏文学作品为特色。故选D。

4.What’s the author’s intention of writing the text?

A To persuade.

B To introduce.

C To appeal.

D To advertise.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。本文主要介绍了世界读书日的设立目的、相关活动、背景和标志，因此本文目的是介绍。故选B。