That youngsters were glued to online games on their smart phones was a great concern for Ngurang Meena, a school teacher in Nirjuli. The 30-year-old social science teacher, who ran the Ngurang Learning Institute, an adult literacy centre, said that she felt disheartened when she read student papers. "The graph of student performance is falling every year. It breaks my heart whenever I see answer sheets-basic grammar skills are missing and there's an absence of any cohesive(连贯性的)expression. They lack guidance and reading culture is almost zero," Meena said. When her school and the centre she ran had to close due to infectious diseases, she planned to do something to solve the problem.
Inspired by a similar proposal in Mizoram, Meena set up a bookshelf with around 80 books as well as some benches on the side of the road in Nirjuli on August 30th, 2020, where passers-by could spend time reading. The selections included motivational books, biographies and novels as well as comics for young children. "I have to please the children with sweets to sit and read, but that is okay." she laughed.
Meena's bookshelf became a hit among youngsters who spent hours in the reading corner. Within two months, her effort became the talk of the town.
Now, generous contributions of books come in from the public and she is even receiving requests to set up such libraries in other parts of the state, including one in the capital, Itanagar. Since the tiny libraries are far from the main town, she also lends books out to those who want to read at home.
"I never thought that this would become such a big inspiration," Meena said. "Since childhood, we have been told that books are our best friends. The next generation of kids is focused on games and other things. I don't want them to head on the wrong track," she added.
【小题1】What's the aim of Meena's reading program?| A．To help adults learn cohesive expression. |
| B．To care for youngsters lacking in reading. |
| C．To keep Ngurang Learning Institute running well. |
| D．To highlight the importance of reading for adults. |
| A．She offered them transportation. | B．She offered some rewards to them. |
| C．She chose novels with beautiful covers. | D．She selected books covering every category. |
| A．Influential and meaningful. | B．Small and useless. |
| C．Large but impractical. | D．Widespread but unwelcome. |
| A．Books: Sources of Knowledge | B．The Roadside Reading Corner |
| C．The Library: a Heaven for the Young | D．New Ideas about Setting a Reading Plan |
