About books and libraries

Reading plays an important role in our life. We should devote as much time as possible to reading. Many people are fond of reading. And many are simply bookworms. I like reading too. I read both for reading and information. There are books that have been our great favourites since childhood. We grow up with them. They stay in our memory for ever. Books are printed on paper. Any book is a collection of sheets of paper bound together into one whole. Books have leather, hard or paper cover. The title page shows the title of the book, the name of the author, the publisher, the place and date of publication. The table of contents gives the title of the chapters. It is usually printed at the end of the book as well. Sometimes there is a preface written by the author or the editor. A book may be published in parts or in some volumes. There are explanatory notes at the end of the book. There are footnotes at the bottom of the page. Books are printed in the printing house. The first man who set up the printing press in Ukraine was Sviatopolk Fiol, then Ivan Fedorov. To read books we buy them or borrow them at the library. Every town has its public and children libraries. They are equipped with fiction, poetry, biography books, books of literary criticism, on traveling, history or science. The library consists of a lending department, reference room and reading rooms. In the reference room and reading room all kinds of reference books are accessible to the readers. Subscribers lend books at the lending department. They may keep a book for 10 days. Then it is possible to prolong it. The readers must observe the library rules. Foreign literature is either in translation or in the original. Some books are adapted. Every man who reads a lot is well-read. Readers’ tastes are different. They like different kinds of books. Some of them prefer science fiction or detective stories; others are keen on adventure fantasy or humour stories. Children enjoy fairy tales while grown ups prefer poems, short stories, historical dramas, biographies, documents, etc. The choice of books can characterize the reader, his interests and education. Books help us to express feelings and thoughts. Books can make us laugh and cry, or leave us indifferent. A writer should possess a great talent, a vivid imagination, an ability to portray life very truthfully, a sense of humour. A book is one of the greatest wonders in the world. It gives us a unique chance to link up with authors who lived hundreds and thousands of years ago. Thanks to books we can talk to people who lived in different ages and countries. A book gives us an insight not only into the past, but also into the future. The book is a faithful friend that can be put aside and taken up again at any moment.

11. Prepare a review of some book you’ve read. Use the plan:

1. Name the title and the author first. If possible give some biographical details about the author, mention his other books.

2. Say what kind of book it is.

3. Speak about the plot and the contents of the book or briefly describe the exciting part of it.

4. Describe the main characters.

5. Say what is new that you’ve learnt from this book.

6. Do you like or dislike the book?

12. Learn and role-play the dialogue: