The National Endowment for the Arts

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. 在71处填写改错内容。