Text 2. Books & reading in our life

“Books and friends should be few but good,” says an English proverb. “Except a living man there is nothing more wonderful than a book! They teach us and open their hearts to us as brothers,” wrote Charles Kingsley, an English writer of the 19th century. The book is certainly one of the greatest human inventions. It is a friend and a teacher. We learn many things by reading books. Books teach people to live. After reading some books it is easy to understand what should be done and what must not be done. One can learn a lot by reading books.

Why are so many people fond of reading? The world of books is full of wonders. You and characters of books can find yourselves in different countries and have a lot of adventures. The book forms our values and characters. We try to look like the characters of our favourite books: to be brave, honest, not to be silly and greedy, to be true friends. We enjoyed the beauty and wisdom of fairy-tales and fables when we were babies and Granny read them to us. They taught us to be kind, clever, hardworking, to understand other people and help them. They teach us to understand the beauty of nature, take care of it, to love our homeland. Books have been with us since childhood. Who hasn’t read «Alice in the Wonderland», «Mowgli»? Who hasn’t travelled with Marry Poppins to her imaginary world? Who hasn’t imagined himself to be Robinson Crusoe on the deserted island?

Contemporary life is impossible without reading. The influence of literature on people's mind is great. Regular reading enriches your knowledge of the world and helps to form your entire personality. If a book appeals to you, it arouses lots of feelings and emotions in your heart. If you take to reading, the world of other people's ideas and problems becomes familiar to you. The process of reading demands much thinking on the part of the reader because reading exists not only for entertainment. When you are taken away by a thrilling plot and by author's vivid imagination or by his humorous remarks or by the way he portrays people, you can't help reading the book from cover to cover, when the life of a literary character is similar to yours, you take described events close to heart.

The book is a faithful and understanding friend. It can be put aside and taken up again at any moment. There are books which have been our favourites since childhood. People are fond of reading different kinds of books. Some people enjoy reading detective stories, adventure stories, novels, biographies, other prefer classics. Fairy tales are enjoyed and read by children, books about adventures and journeys are enjoyed by those who are fond of travelling. Legends and myths are read by those who are fond of history. Some people devote much time to reading books and reading becomes their free time occupation, their passion.

Reading plays a very important role in the life of people. It educates a person, enriches his intellect and imagination. Books help to mould a person's character, develop his best qualities, form his moral values. Besides, books bring pleasure and delight. It's a wonderful way to spend spare time. Sometimes we read the same book again and again. And every time we read it we find something new for us, discover some new and unfamiliar aspects and implications. Thanks to books we learn to express our thoughts and feelings more exactly, through the experience of the characters of the book we learn to analyze and understand our actions, feelings and emotions better.

Through out the centuries books had an enormous influence on the minds and hearts of people. Books bind together ages, personalities. Thanks to books we can talk to people who lived in different countries and ages. Through reading books we hear their voices, thoughts and feelings. The book is the surest way to bring nations together. It helps people achieve understanding, trust, cooperation and friendship. Books awaken young readers' imagination. They develop a good literary taste, arouse interest and curiosity, the reader's laugher as well as his tears. They teach the readers to be truthful, friendly, honest, decisive, conscientious, frank, firm, fair and serious. Books are worth reading. Read more and you'll never be bored!

1. Answer the questions.

1. Why is reading important in our life? Give as many reasons as you can.

2. Is reading popular with young people today?

3. Are you fond of reading? What literature do you prefer to read?

4. What is your favourite book? What is it about?

2. Speak about your favourite author. Why do you like his / her books? What is your favourite book by this author?

3. Speak about your favourite book. (The author, the plot, the setting, the main characters, your own opinion).

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30