The teacher of reading is involved, whether this is consciously realized or not, in the de

velopment of a literate society. And every teacher, therefore, needs to determine what level of literacy is demanded by society, what role he or she should take in achieving the desired standard of literacy, and what the implications of literacy are in world context.

The UNESCO report presents a world view of literacy. Too often we limit our thoughts to the relatively small proportion of illiterates in our country and fail to see it in its international context.

The problems facing developing nations are also facing industrialized national development and national development as a whole is bound up with the world context. Literacy is not a by-product of social and economical development--it is a component of that development. Literacy can help people to function more effectively in a changing environment and ideally will enable the individual to change the environment so that it functions more effectively.

Literacy programs instituted in different countries have taken and are taking different approaches to the problem; for example, the involvement of voluntary non-governmental organizations, which underlines the importance of seeing literacy not as a condition imposed on people but as a consequence of active participation within society. People can learn from the attempts of other countries to provide an adequate "literacy environment".

Who are the "illiterates" and how do we define them？ At what point do we decide that illiteracy ends and literacy begin？ Robert Hillerich addresses these questions. An illiterate, he finds, "may mean anything from one who has no formal schooling to one who has attended four years or less, to one who is unable to read or write at the level necessary to perform. successfully in his social position," Literacy, he points out, is not something one either has or has not got: "Any definition of literacy must recognize this quality as a continuum, representing all degrees of development."

An educational definition--in terms of grades completed or skilled mastered is shown to be in adequate in that educationally defined mastery may bear only minimal relation to the language proficiency needed in coping with environmental demands. From a sociological/economic viewpoint the literacy needs of individual vary greatly, and any definition must recognize the needs of tile individual to engage effectively and to act with responsible participation.

Such a broadened definition excludes assessment based on a "reading-level type", and assessment must, rather, be flexible to fit both purpose and population.

Part of the teacher of reading' s involvement in the development of a literate society is through ______.

A．ascertaining their society' s literacy standard

B．determining a level of literacy for their society

C．deciding on a world standard of literacy

D．achieving a desired role for teaching literacy