книги
материал (8 класс) по теме

BOOKS

        I’m fond o reading. I’ve got a very good collection of books at home and I’m really proud of it. I can’t say my collection is thematic. I’ve got different books: fiction and historical novels. I’ve got many books about animals and birds. I also have books which can tell you about different countries and lands. I think many people can say that their hobby is reading and I’m sure it is easy to explain why. We learn when we read books.

        Whatever you do, wherever you go, you’ll always need a true friend and a good teacher. This friend and the teacher for you is the book. I’ve already read many books. Some of them are very interesting indeed; some are boring. Some of them are easy to read, and some are difficult to understand. But I usually read all of them up to the end. As I have already said my collection of books at home is good, but I often go to the library and take books to read there. My favourite books are about animals.

DIALOGUE

A: Oh, B! Is this really you? I’m glad to see you. What are you reading/

B: Oh, hello, A! I’m glad to see you, too. The weather is so fine today that I’ve decided to go to the park and read here. The book is so exciting that I can’t stop reading it. It’s “The Lord of the Rings”. Have you read it?

A: No, I haven’t . What kind of book is it? A ghost story?

B: Oh, no. It’s fantasy, but it’s full of adventures. The main hero is Frudo, he’s a hobbit. He has a magic ring.

A: What is the ring for?

B: With this ring the sorcerer Souron wants to conquer the world. It can give him great power.

A: So, Souron wants to kill Frudo, doesn’t he?

B: Of course, he does. But Frudo is the main character of the book. Everybody helps him.

A: Really? Did Frudo kill Souron?

B: Yes, he did; and then Frudo destroyed the ring.

A: Oh, I think the book is really interesting.Can you give it to me after you have finished reading it?

B: With great pleasure. And have you got anything interesting for me?

A: Oh, I’ve got a very good collection of books at home. I have different books (see the text). What books do you like?

B: I like detective stories best of all. Have you got an books about Sherlok Holmes?

A: No, I haven’t got any books by Konan Doyle, but I have some books by Agatha Christie. Her stories are really exciting.

B: That’s right. I’ve read some of them. And what books do you like?

A: Well, I prefer adventure stories. And I think reading is my hobby.

B: Man people can say reading is their hobby.

A: And it is easy to explain why. We learn when we read books. Books are our friends and teachers.

B: Right you are . And do you always read all the books up to the end?

A: Well, I usually do, but some of them are not easy to understand.

B: And some are really boring. By the way, do you sometimes borrow books from the library?

A: I was going to the library when I saw you. I think, I must go now.

B: Well, I’ll phone you in the evening, OK?

A: OK! Bye!

B: Bye!

READING (QUESTIONS)

1. Are you fond of reading?
2. What books do you prefer? (Fiction, detective stories, adventure books, travel books, science fiction, historical novels)
3. What books do you read and study in your literature class?
4. What Russian and foreign classics have you read?
5. Is there a book that you’ve read several times?
6. Do people make you read books or are you a passionate reader?
7. Do you put aside a book that seems dull to you?
8. Do you always read a book to the end?
9. Who is your favourite writer?
10. What appeals (привлекать) to you in your favourite characters in books?

TALKING ABOUT BOOKS

A: I’ve just finished reading two books. They are as different from each other as any two books can be.

B: Really! And you enjoyed both of them, I suppose.

A: Oh, no! Only one of them. The other one makes unhappy reading. But I won’t tell you the story. You may want to read it. Better tell me what you are reading or have read.

B: Well, I usually prefer stories based on real life, but this time, I chose something different. I’ve just finished it.

A: An adventure story, eh?

B: Yes, and the author has a fine imagination. He holds your interest right to the end of the book. But you haven’t told me anything about the other book you’ve just finished. The one you said you enjoyed.

A: Oh, that! Well, it is a book you could spend hours with. It’s a very funny story. I laughed all the time while I was reading it. And, besides, the author has created very believable characters.

B: Do you think it would interest me?

A: I think so. If you like, come with me to the library and you can get it straight away.

B: Good! That’s an idea. Shall we go right now?

DISCUSSING A BOOK

1. The book is ... (interesting and easy to read, full of information about..., very useful, to give you knowledge of ...)
2. What makes the book so popular is that ... (it raises your interest in ..., it is the type of book that makes you think, the events described in this book are all true, it is very original and very funny, the book shows real life to the reader).
3. The reason why the book is so interesting (popular) is that ... (it makes easy, interesting reading, this is a very truthful story, the author has described tha atmosphere of the time with great skill, it will give you a real feeling of what life is like).
4. As for me I prefer ... (an excellent adventure story, am amusing story for light readind, a book full of interesting, real facts and pictures).

FAMOUS ENGLISH AND AMERICAN WRITERS

MARK TWAIN (1835-1910)

        Mark Twain lived in the state Missouri on the banks of the Mississippi. He wrote about Tom Sawyer. He began to work at the age of 12, was a sailor. Mark Twain became famous in 1865. He was a short story writer and the greatest American humorist.

JACK LONDON (1876-1916)

        Jack London was a son of a farmer. He had lots of jobs: worked as a newspaper seller, sailor, factory worker. He wrote his first book in 1898. Jack London wrote novels and stories about animals (152 stories about the North).

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616)

        W. Shakespeare lived in Stratford-on-Avon. He went to a grammar school. He worked as an actor at the London theatre called ‘The Globe’. W. Shakespeare wrote about 37 plays, many poems.

JAMES HADLY CHASE (1906-1985)

J.H.Chase was born in London. He began to write in 1939 and immediately became famous. He worked as a bookseller and wrote 78 books.

MY FAVOURITE WRITER        

I’m fond of reading. Usually I borrow books from the library, but I have a lot of them at home. I like reading books about the history of our country, about famous people.

        Literature means much in my life. It helps to form the character and the world outlook, to understand life better.

        There are some names in Russian and foreign literature that are very dear to me. In Russian literature I value Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883) highly. For me he is a real intellectual and aristocrat, a man of culture, devoted to literature, music and painting. Though he lived abroad for a long time he didn’t stop to be a Russian writer for a moment. He created a number of national characters in his books. The image of Turgenev’s woman , deeply feeling, faithful and tender is an ideal of a Russian woman for me. Turgenev’s descriptions of nature are delightful too.

        Of the present writers and poets I like ….

My favourite foreign writer is Agatha Christie(1890-1976). She is a well-known English detective story writer. She was born in 1890 in a small town of Torkey, Devonshire. Her father soon died. Agatha and her elder sister didn’t get the traditional education. At home they had a private tutor who taught them a foreign language and how to knit and sew.

        As Agatha was gifted for music and singing, the family borrowed money to send Agatha to Paris to better teachers. But she didn’t make a singer.  When Agatha was 25 she made a bet with her sister that she would write a detective story, and she did it. Thus in 1915 Agatha’s first detective story appeared.

        Nowadays Agatha Christie is one of the most readable authors in the world. I like the works of Agatha Christie very much. Most of all I enjoy the books in which Hercule Poirot acts. I have read such novel as The Murder of Rodger Ackroyd. Hercule Poirot is supposed to be more than 65, but he is always active and full of ideas. He investigates and breaks the most intricate crimes. He used to say that ‘one must use grey cells’. He always brings the criminal to justice, arrests a murderer, and tries to comfort a victim. Poirot is sometimes asked to resolve even the governmental secret cases.

             Agatha Christie wrote 68 novels, 17 plays, more than a hundred stories.