【雅思真题】栏目更新了2025年11月22日雅思考试中的一道阅读真题——《How Printed Books Began》，以下为雅思阅读真题的具体题目以及答案：

　　 2025年11月22日雅思考试阅读真题：

How Printed Books Began

　　Before the 15th century, books in Europe were written by hand, typically by scribes working in monasteries. This process was extremely slow and labor-intensive. The value of books lay in their rarity and the effort required to produce them. Although accuracy was desirable, the emphasis often rested on the preservation of religious and scholarly content rather than on perfect reproduction.

　　Printing itself was not entirely new. Woodblock printing had been practiced in China centuries earlier, especially for religious texts and bureaucratic documents. However, these methods were limited by the need to carve entire pages, which made editing nearly impossible. But in Europe, it was two Roman businessmen who first recognized the potential profits of book production. They envisioned a system that could produce many identical copies of texts and spread information quickly. Their ideas laid the groundwork for what would become a printing revolution.

　　Johannes Gutenberg, in the 1440s, developed a mechanical system that used metal types for each letter. These types could be arranged and rearranged to form any text. He inserted them into a square frame which held the layout firmly in place. Ink was applied to the letters, and then the sheet of paper was pressed onto the inked surface using a mechanical printing press. This new method significantly increased the speed and consistency of book production.

　　Some scholars argue that Gutenberg may have drawn inspiration from earlier technologies outside of Europe, though there is no definitive evidence linking his invention to Eastern innovations. Nevertheless, the practical outcome was transformative. Once pages were printed, they went through a checking process called “proof” to identify and fix any errors. After that, the sheets were folded into form bundles of pages. These were arranged in order, sewn, and bound. Some copies were then hand-decorated through a process known as illuminating, and the covers were completed through skilled binding work.

　　One early printer produced an edition so affordable that even poor people could purchase it. Despite this, a later account incorrectly claimed that only the wealthy could afford it. This kind of misinformation sometimes causes confusion about the accessibility of early printed works. Interestingly, this myth persisted for decades and even influenced how certain historians interpreted the spread of literacy. As printing technology spread, types could be adjusted to change fonts or correct alignment issues. There was no need to carve new blocks each time a design was altered, which provided a remarkable degree of flexibility. In many towns, libraries were built next to a local monastery, which made it easier for printers to access texts, references, and educated people for editing or proofreading. While some argued that these locations were chosen for spiritual reasons, most evidence suggests practicality played the larger role.

　　The rise of printing created a demand for specialized skills. Workers needed to be trained in areas like illuminating and binding, as these roles were essential for producing finished books.

　　Apprenticeships were common, and more young men pursued careers in the growing book trade. Ultimately, this led to the formation of the modern book industry, which reshaped education and knowledge-sharing across the world.

　　It’s worth noting that not all printed materials were books. Pamphlets, religious tracts, and even fliers became common as printing shops diversified. These shorter formats allowed for quicker circulation of ideas and proved especially useful during periods of political  upheaval. However, such materials are not the focus of this passage, which centers on the origins of full-length printed books.

　　2025年11月22日雅思考试阅读真题题目：

　　Questions 1-4

　　Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?

　　1. Printed books in the 15th century were full of mistakes.

　　2. The initial recognition of the commercial possibilities in producing books was attributed to a pair of entrepreneurs based in Rome.

　　3. The printing technique innovated by Gutenberg relied on a set of metal components, each representing a different letter.

　　4. A certain printer produced a book that only wealthy people could afford.

　　Questions 5-10Complete the flow-chart below.

　　Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

　　Letters were arranged inside a 5. __________

　　6. __________ was transferred to the letter surface.

　　Text was printed onto a 7. __________.

　　Text were subjected to a 8. __________ stage, during which it was checked for inaccuracies.

　　Printed sheets were 9. __________ into book sections.

　　10. __________ were adaptable to alter typefaces and their positioning.

　　Questions 11-13Complete the sentences below.

　　Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

　　11. Practical reasons mainly decide the close proximity between a local library and a __________.

　　12. Two required production skills were __________ and __________.

　　13. The emergence of the __________ was based on a widely adopted training system in printing and an increasing number of new professionals.

　　2025年11月22日雅思考试阅读真题答案：

　　1. NOT GIVEN

　　2. TRUE

　　3. TRUE

　　4. FALSE

　　5. square frame

　　6. Ink

　　7. sheet of paper

　　8. Proof

　　9. Folded

　　10. Types

　　11. Monastery

　　12. illuminating; binding

　　13. book industry

　　注：以上内容来源网络考生回忆，仅供参考

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