Bible is America's favorite book: poll

      When it comes to literary pursuits in the United States most people agree on at least one thing -- the most popular book is the Bible, according to a new survey.

      It came in first in a Harris Poll of nearly 2,513 adults but the second choice in the survey was not as clear cut.

      "While the Bible is number one among each of the different demographic groups, there is a large difference in the number two favorite book," Harris said in a statement announcing the results.

      Men chose J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and women selected Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" as their second-favorite book, according to the online poll.

      But the second choice for 18- to 31-year-olds was J.K. Rowling'sHarry Potter series, while 32- to 43-year-olds named Stephen King's "The Stand" and Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons."

      Picks for second-favorite book also varied according to region. "Gone With the Wind" was number two in the southern and midwestern United States while easterners chose "The Lord of the Rings" and westerners opted for "The Stand."

      Whites and Hispanics picked "Gone With the Wind" as their second-favorite book after the Bible, while African-Americans preferred "Angels and Demons."

      Finally, they may not agree on candidates, but one thing that brings together partisans is their favorite book. For Republicans, Democrats and Independents, the top two books are the same -- the Bible followed by "Gone With the Wind."

      Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown, "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand and "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger rounded out the top 10 favorites.(Agencies)

      说到美国人的文学喜好，多数人至少在一点上是一致的。据一项最新调查显示，《圣经》是美国最受欢迎的书籍。

      本次哈里斯调查共有近2513名成年人参加，调查显示《圣经》排名第一，然而哪本书排在第二位则不是那么明朗。

      哈里斯调查机构在公布调查结果的声明中说：“《圣经》在每个不同调查群组中都排名第一，但排在第二位的书却存在很大差异。”

      该项在线调查显示，多数男性选择的是J.R.R.托尔金的《指环王》，女性选择的则是玛格丽特•米歇尔的《飘》。

      18岁至31岁的受访者更青睐JK•罗琳的《哈里•波特》系列小说，32岁至43岁的人更喜欢史蒂芬•金的《末日逼近》以及丹•布朗的小说《天使与魔鬼》。

      除此之外，人们最喜爱的第二本书还存在地域差别。美国南部和中西部地区的人更青睐《飘》，东部地区是《指环王》，而西部地区则是《末日逼近》。

      白人和西班牙裔的第二选择是《飘》，而美洲黑人更推崇《天使与魔鬼》。

      共和党、民主党和无党派人士可能会支持不同的党派候选人，但他们最喜爱的两本书都是一样的——分别是《圣经》和《飘》。

      丹•布朗的《达芬奇密码》和《天使与魔鬼》、哈伯•李的《杀死一只知更鸟》、艾恩•兰德的《地球颤栗》和塞林格的《麦田守望者》跻身最受欢迎书籍前十名。
 
      Vocabulary: 

      clear cut:明确；清楚