BOOKS AND TV
Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes; fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read a novel, when a play on television can tell you same story with colour, picture and action?
Why read the biographies of famous men and women, when an hour-long television programs can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers and magazines are sold in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and entertainment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are published today as paperback books, which are reasonably cheap. A paperback novel, for example, is almost always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or theatre, and you can keep a book forever and read it many times.
Books at home are a wonderful source of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. Every home should have an atlas of the world, with large clear maps. It might be expensive, but a good encyclopedia is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. In addition, it is useful to have on your bookshelves other non-fiction books such as history books, science textbooks, cookery books, books about medicine and health, etc. It is equally important to have some fiction on your shelves, too. Then you can relax with a good story, or from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favourite poets.
8 КЛАС
READING COMPREHENSION TEST
I Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right
1. ...an articlea) a book that is used to study a school subject
2. ...an atlasb) a publication that comes out weekly or monthly
3. ...a biographyc) a book with maps of the world
4. ...a noveld) usually a cheap book with a soft cover
5. ...a textbooke) a story about a real person
6. ...a dictionary f) a piece of writing in a newspaper
7. ...a poem g) a book of word definitions
8. ...a paperback h) usually a short piece of writing expressing a deep
feeling or thought
9. ...a magazinei) a story about people who are not real
II Choose the best answer according to the information in the passage
1.Which is easier to get the news from?
a) a newspaper
b) the television
2.Which is usually quicker?
a) to read a biography of a famous person
b) to watch a television programme about a famous person
3.Which is usually cheaper?
a) a paperback
b) an evening at the cinema
4.Which is usually cheaper?
a) a paperback
b) a hardcover book
5.Which is it most important to have in your home?
a) non-fiction books, such as a dictionary and an encyclopedia
b) fiction, such as novels, short stories and books of poems
c) a mixture of both good non-fiction and your favourite fiction.
III Which of the following are non-fiction and which are fiction? Put the words into the two columns
Atlas, novel, short story, textbook, play, dictionary, encyclopedia, poem.
IV Write a short review of the book you've read and liked very much. Be sure to mention the title of the book, say a few words about the author, describe the scene of the action, main characters and ideas
2. Has he a sister? - He has a sister, hasn't he?
3. Can Sally speak Chinese? - Sally can't speak Chinesse, can he?
4. WHat kind of stone was that stone? - That was an unusually stone, wasn't it?
5. Does she hate onion? - She hates onion, doesn't she?
6. When did Dan arrive? - Dan arrived two hours ago, didn't he?
7. Were many students in the hall there? - There weren't many students in the hall, were there?
8. Will he pick you up at o'clock? - He will pick you up at o'clock, wouldn't he?
Online shopping is a modern way of buying everything you want from your home. It has become very popular and it seems to be much better to choose clothes, shoes and accessories without spending hours in a shopping centre.
Apart from saving time, you can also find same things online but they often cost less than they do in a mall. However, you may have doubts about the size. Luckily, most online shops give detailed information about sizes and even offer some online assistance.
In addition, when you shop online you may find whatever you need in one clic, even if there are thousands of items on the website. You can use filters and select only those kinds that interest you. You may also choose a colour, a style and sometimes a brand.
Moreover, online shopping gives you the opportunity to be aware of special offers, sales and discounts. Online shops may send you messages or e-mails, thus, you will be able to receive this information any time and any place.
Nevertheless, online shopping has also its weak points that stop many people from online purchasing. You can’t see whether the dress or other thing looks like on the picture on the website, you can’t be sure about the purity of the colour, about the quality of the material, etc.
However, there are many online shops now that let you see and even try clothes and pay afterwards only if the thing fits and suits you. That makes you feel more relaxed and assured.