If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write. The idea that we must be readers first in order to be writers is repeated throughout books on writing and is often the first piece of advice published authors give to ambitious novelists. “The more we read, the faster we can perform that magic trick of seeing how the letters have been combined into words that have meaning，” writes bestselling author Francine Prose in Reading Like a Writer.
In a study done by the University of Florida, researchers surveyed students' reading materials and habits. Upon analyzing their findings, the researchers concluded that students who read academic journals and literary fiction scored higher in terms of writing complexities (复杂事物) than those who read popular fiction or web content published on sites.
However, Andrew Jarosz, a psychology professor at Mississippi State University, points out that this study had a relatively small sample size and says it's too soon to draw the conclusion.
“It could indeed be that reading complex materials leads to more complex writing，” he said. “Alternatively, what if those who are better writers prefer to read complex materials that mirror their own writing abilities? It is entirely possible that the relationship goes in the other direction.”
Jarosz says other factors may also be responsible for why some people write at a higher level than others, including intelligence, working memory capacity and the ability to store and process information at the same time.
Susan Reynolds, author of Fire Up Your Writing Brain, believes that deep reading — thoughtful and slow reading that's rich in complexities and sensory details — is essential for a better writer. She encourages writers to abandon television and commercial fiction and instead read poetry and literary fiction, which encourages a deeper reading. Research has found that deep reading is different from other types of reading when we skim for information.
By reading, writers not only gather knowledge, but they also gain a better understanding of language, learn their writing styles, grow their vocabulary and most importantly, find inspiration.
语篇解读：本文是说明文。本文主要讨论了阅读材料的复杂程度和类型影响着写作水平。
1．What is stressed in the first paragraph?
A．The difficulties of writing books.
B．The way of reading like a writer.
C．The requirements for being a writer.
D．The importance of reading for writers.
解析：选D 推理判断题。第一段中的“If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write”和“we must be readers first in order to be writers”等都强调了要想写东西，阅读很重要。
2．What does the study done by the University of Florida suggest?
A．Writing ability mainly relies on reading time.
B．The level of writing can reflect what one reads.
C．What a person reads is determined by his writing habits.
D．Writing ability can show one's academic achievements.
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“Upon analyzing their findings ...read popular fiction or web content published on sites”可知，这项研究表明一个人的写作水平能够反映他所读的书。
3．What opinion does Andrew Jarosz hold?
A．No writers can get help from simple materials.
B．Better writers prefer to read complex materials.
C．Simple materials can also lead to better writers.
D．All writers usually like reading simple materials.
解析：选B 观点态度题。根据“Alternatively, what if those who are better writers prefer to read complex materials that mirror their own writing abilities？”可知，他认为也可能是因为擅长写作的人喜欢阅读那些复杂的材料。
4．What's the last but one paragraph mainly about?
A．What deep reading is.
B．Good materials to read.
C．Why deep reading is good.
D．Different types of reading.
解析：选A 段落大意题。本段主要围绕deep reading展开，介绍了如何读和读什么才能被称为deep reading，故本段主要介绍了什么是deep reading。
