[originaltext] Reading is a permanent topic for those highly civilized count

Reading is a permanent topic for those highly civilized countries. Americans have read a lot in recent weeks about a study. It shows that for the first time in modern history, fewer than half of the adults in the country read literature.
    A federal agency that gives money to the arts announced the findings. The National Endowment for the Arts is the official arts organization of the United States government.
    The report says 47 percent of American adults read novels, short stories, plays or poetry. That was down ten percentage points from 20 years earlier.
    The study is called "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America. " The Census Bureau, the agency that collects facts about the population, did the study.
    Researchers asked 17,000 people about their reading. The people could define literature however they wanted. It could be any kind of fiction, poetry or play. It could include works like love stories, mysteries or science fiction.
    Women read more literature than men. But the research shows that men and women are both reading less and less.
    20 years ago, people between the ages of 18 and 44 read more literature than any other age groups. But the new study shows an increasingly sharp loss of interest in reading among young adults. Researchers say the only people who read more literature were those aged 65 and older.
20. What do we learn about reading in America?
21. What is the difference between men’s reading and women’s reading?
22. What do we know about the reading situation among different age groups?