Підручник Англійська мова 7 клас (8-й рік навчання) - Алла Несвіт - Генеза 2016 рік

UNIT 3 Books and Writers

Lesson 11. Readers in the News

1. Read the statements below. Tick them T (True) or F (False). Explain why you think so.

______ 1. Nowadays not many children have developed the habit of daily reading.

______ 2. Nowadays paper books have become old-fashioned. The Internet has replaced them.

______ 3. The only serious books which the teenagers read nowadays are school textbooks and those titles which are included into the curriculum.

2. Read the newspaper article. Say what facts you were impressed with most of all. Do you agree with the reporter?

Did Harry Potter Make Kids Better Readers?

Now that readers know that Harry Potter survived his battles with Voldemort in the seventh and final book in the series by J.K. Rowling, there is one mystery still to be solved: Will young people who enjoyed the Harry Potter stories continue to read books in record numbers? Or were the Potter books a phenomenal event that cannot counter long-term trends showing that kids simply read less than they used to? Are there any other book which are as interesting as this one?

A 2006 study sponsored by Scholastic, Rowling’s U.S. publisher, found that 51 % of Harry Potter’s readers said they were not regular readers before the series but they are now. The same study found that 65 % of Potter readers reported doing better in school than before they started reading the books - and that their parents agreed.

«What we need is a Harry Potter every week,» NEA¹ chairman Dana Gioia stated. «Reading one big book a year is no substitute for the habit of daily reading.» Unfortunately, the percentage of young people who read for fun declines from 43 % of fourth-graders to 19 % of eighth-graders.

Librarians and booksellers are trying to introduce young people to other fantasy-themed books and adventure classics. But they have to compete with video games, the Internet and TV.

3. Work in pairs. Choose the correct item to answer the questions.

1. What is the article about?

a) The Harry Potter books.

b) The habit of reading.

c) The problems of education.

2. What does the article say about the Harry Potter books?

a) They are really interesting.

b) They make teenagers develop a habit of daily reading.

c) They shouldn’t be published.

¹ NEA - National Education Association, the USA.

3. How did the Harry Potter books influence the children’s school results?

a) They became better.

b) Children started reading books about Harry Potter and stopped reading school textbooks.

c) They made children become interested in other fantasy-themed books.

4. What don’t librarians and booksellers do?

a) They don’t try to use the popularity of the Potter books.

b) They introduce young people to other fantasy-themed books and adventure classics.

c) They sell more Harry Potter books and buy more Harry Potter books to the school libraries.

Grammar Lab: (not) as … as / not as … as

We can use (not) as … as to compare things. Look at the examples. Answer the questions:

• Which book is more interesting, Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter?

• Is Harry Potter series more interesting than The Lord of the Rings?

Alice in Wonderland isn’t as interesting as Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter series is not so interesting as Alice in Wonderland.

Harry Potter series is as interesting as The Lord of the Rings.

Conversation Lab

4. Work in groups. Have a class discussion. Express your personal opinion. Use the phrases: I’m sure…; It’s quite true that…; I don’t think…; By the way, …; However, …; As far as I know … , etc.

Many people in the modern world read for information. They find facts in the Internet or with the help of modern telecommunication systems. Group A. You are publishers and booksellers. You think that reading books helps people forget about their busy work in the office and relax at the end of the day. You think that reading for pleasure is more important than reading for information.

Group B. You are experts in Information Technology. You think that reading fewer books does not mean people can’t read as well. They are sure that electronic literacy may be more critical to young people’s future success, than reading a book.

Write a letter to a newspaper. Tell the editor what facts in the article of Ex. 2 on p. 84 you agree / disagree with.