Topic 1 Reading

Vocabulary: the types of books:

Autobiography, allegory, biography, criticism, contemporary literature, detective story, essay, folklore, bestseller, travels, classical literature, encyclopedia, historical novels, love story, popular literature, mystery story, prose, science fiction, poetry, drama, bedtime story

The benefits of reading:

1.       Leasure activities like reading can help people relax when they are overdriven. What’s more, reading can make life richer and more enjoyable.

2.       In spite of the rapid development of science and technology, reading is the only entertainment which is also an essetial skill.

3.       Reading boosts intelligence and inspires imagination, which cannot be achieved by watching TV.

4.       The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the smarter you will become.

5.       Reading a good story can help you forget the unhappiness in your life.

6.       When life becomes bleak and dreary, reading a poem can pick you up.

7.       As you read something inspirational, you will find you feel much better about yourself and your overall situation.

8.       Reading fictions provides an escape from the day-to-day routine of life, which is a great way to take a break.

9.       The beauty and rhythmn of language has the ability to calm and relax us.

10.   Reading opens your mind to new possibilities. It stretches your imagination in new and wonderful directions and takes your mind on a wonderful journey through others’ lives.

11.   Enjoyable reading is a deeply satisfying pursuit. The expression curling up with a book evokes a warm and cozy image in people’s minds.

The positive impact of reading on children:

1.       Books place kids at the centre of the world of imagination.

2.       Children who love reading:

Read better, write better and concentrate better.

Have an easier time processing new information.

Have a better chance for a successful and fulfilling adult life.

Have many interests and do well in a wide variety of subjects.

Develop an ability to understand how other people feel and think.

Tend to be more flexible in their thinking and more open to new ideas.

Tend to do well in school

3.       Reading can help children expand their horizons as they learn more about people and the world.

4.       Reading is enjoyable. It can bring a great deal of pleasure to children.

Related passages；

Reading selectively or extensively?

How can we read? Should we read selectively or extensively? Everyone has his own opinion.

Some people believe we should read selectively. They argue that more and more books are published every day with the development of modern science and technology. It is impossible for us to read all the books. At the same time there are many bad books that are poisonous to our mind, so we should not read them. Since we can’t read all the books, and we shouldn’t read bad books, we should read relectively.

But others may disagree. They emphasize that today’s society is not like before. If you want to be successful, you should read widely and acquire knowledge in both natural sience and humanities. If a person knows much in one field but knows nothing in others, he may be useless. Since we must have many kinds of knowledge, we must read extensively.

Who is right? It is hard to say because there is a lot to be said for both sides of the argument. However, I think we should read extensively first and then read more about what we are interested in.

Read good books only

The more books we read, the more knowledge we get. However, books can also be harmful, particularly the pornographic books. Good books, on the other hand, teach and help children to do good things.

Bad books contain evil thoughts. There might be much description about violence, superstition, and sex. Let us suppose you are in a position of a parent, would you allow your children to read whatever appeals to them? If your answer is Yes, you are either extremely permissive or just irresponsible.

Good books are children’s real companions, and they are both instructive and inspiring. Children know about the past from history books, learn space and numbers through mathematics books. In a word, different kinds of good books can give them a large amount of ideas and knowledge.

Consequently, those who read good books can be inspired to grow up healthily, while those who read bad ones will lead a wicked life and meet with miserable failures. So before we encourage our children to read books, we should help them to identify good books from bad ones.

Reading fiction is more enjoyable

Reading fiction, such as novels and short stories, is more enjoyable than seeing a movie. Of course the images in a movie are much more vivid, because you are seeing them on a large screen in a dark room. The images you see in a novel are as strong as your own imagination. But the more you read, the stronger your imagination becomes. Reading exercises your imaginative power. Watching a movie dulls them.

Reading fiction can also develop your storytelling skills. The more reading you do, the better you becomes at creating plots and characters. The plots and characters in movies are often very simple, because the emphasis is on action rather than on language or character development.

Still, sitting in a large theatre with a lot of other people is fun. You experience the same responses to what you are seeing together.Reading is a one-person experience. It is a chance to go into a wonderful world by yourself. Both experiences can be fun and rewarding, but I think reading fiction is more enjoyable.