Reading plays a very important role in the life of people. It educates a person, enriches his intellect. Books help to mould a person"s character, from his moral values. Besides, books bring pleasure and delight. It"s a wonderful way of spending spare time. Sometimes we read the same book again and again.
Thanks to books we learn to express our thoughts and feelings more exactly. The book is faithful and understanding friend. It can be put aside and taken up again at any moment. There are books which have been our favorites since childhood.
People are fond of reading different kinds of books. Some people enjoy reading detective stories, adventure stories, novels, biographies, other prefer classics. Fairy tales are enjoyed and read by children, books about adventures and journeys are enjoyed by those who are fond of travelling. Legends and myths are read by those who are fond of history. Some people developed much time to reading books and reading becomes their free time occupation, their passion.
Throughout the centuries books had an enormous influence on the minds and hearts of people. Books bind together ages, personalities. Thanks to books we can talk to people who lived in different countries and ages. Through reading books we hear their voices, thoughts and feelings.
The book is the surest way to bring nations together. It helps people achieve understanding, trust, cooperation and friendship. Books awaken the young reader"s imagination. They develop literary taste, arouse interest and curiosity, the reader"s laugher as well as his tears. They teach the readers to be truthful, friendly, honest decisive, conscientious, frank, firm, fair and serious.
Libraries play an important part in the cultural development of people. People like reading, they have a desire learn they seek a knowledge. Books sat this desire. There are a lot of books in our country, in our flats. But it is difficult to buy all the books which we want to read. That is why we get books in public libraries.
Books shouldn"t be read only by pleasure. Reading books helps us in our education. We can fond all kinds of books in the libraries. Books offer romance history adventure, autobiographers science fiction and humor in the form of short stories and novels, poetry, prose and plays as well as reference books, encyclopaedias, dictionaries and so on.
In some libraries we can find books in many foreign languages. When a reader comes to a library for the first time he feels in library card and the librarian helps to chose something to read. The reader is allowed to borrow books for a certain number of days. The catalogues help the reader to find the books and not damage them in any way. Readers come to the reading rooms to study and prepare materials for their reports or for their scientific work.
Literature is the greatest human property. It is generally known that Russian literature is one of the most voluminous in the world. A. Pushkin, I. Turgenev, I. Goncharov, L. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky, A. Chekhov are the leaders of the world classical literature. They set a pattern for language, subject matter, and narrative techniques of Russian and world literature. Their works attract readers even today, because everybody can find something special there.
Ivan Turgenev successfully linked social problems with true literary art. His "Hunter"s Sketches" and "Fathers and Sons" depict Russia"s life with realism and with artistry which make these works classics. The problem of the generation gap discussed in his "Fathers and Sons" is very acute today. The everyday life of the Russian provincial gentry is perfectly described by Goncharov in his famous novel "Oblomov". The writer shows how the best and the brightest men can degenerate if they do not see how to use and develop their talents.
Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Dostoevsky are recognised as the best Russian writers. They give a realistic picture of the Russian society of the 19-th century. Their research in a person"s inner world is unique. Their characters do not always know what they really want, and when they think they do know, the fate breaks their illusions. Moral issues are raised in Tolstoy"s and Dostoevsky"s works. Tolstoy"s "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" as well as Dostoevsky"s "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brother Karamazov" focus on serious human problems.
The end of the 19-th century was dominated by Anton Chekhov. He contributed to two genres: short stories and drama. His short stories are really short, but powerful. They make people laugh and cry at the same time. Some of his stories may seem very cruel, but Chekhov simply reflected the Russian life in his prose. His plays are not numerous, but they are really outstanding. "The Cherry Orchard" is his best known play. It is an emotional drama of the decline of a Russian noble family, which shares the fate of the Russian nation.
I also like British literature. My favourite writer is Oscar Wilde. His reputation as a dramatist rests on his comic masterpiece "The Importance of Being Earnest". Within the social intrigues and artificial devices to resolve conflict, Wilde used his wit to create a form of comedy new to the English theatre. Oscar Wilde was the representative of the late 19-th century Aesthetic movement in England. It proclaimed art for art"s sake. Wilde was born in Ireland; he went to Trinity College in Dublin, and later continued his education at Oxford. During the years of study Wilde distinguished himself not only as a classical scholar, but also as a poet by winning the popular prize for his poem. In the early 1880s Wilde established himself in social and artistic circles. His most powerful novel is "The Picture of Dorian Gray." In this novel Wilde shows the darkest corners of a man"s soul. The author"s message can be interpreted in the following way: a person who loves only himself will never be able to realise himself.
America gave the world many great writers. Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Рое, and Walt Whitman dominated in the 19-th century literature. The great American writers of the 20-th century were Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald.
My favourite American writer is Edgar Allan Рое. Не was an outstanding poet and a short story writer. In Europe Рое was considered the only American poet of significance, the one who created literary works of many varied forms. Рое expressed his deep and sincere feelings in his poems. Edgar Allan Рое is mostly remembered for establishing new symbolic poetry. The "Raven" is his best known poem. The poet used symbols, following the ancient traditions. It is the ancient poetry that helped him to find the unusual rhythm. The symbolic meaning of the "Raven" is unclear; raven is a symbol of eternal life as well as the herald of death. Numerous readers in the United States and other countries admire Poe"s short stories. He was the inventor of the detective stories that became very popular in the 20-th century. Рое won recognition and admiration of the Russian readers very quickly. "The Gold Bug", one of Poe"s best stories, was published in the United States in 1843 and in 1847 it was translated into Russian. Poe"s poetry had tremendous influence on the Russian poets of the beginning of the 20-th century. Such outstanding Russian poets as Balmont and Brusov admired Poe"s poetry. They translated his poems into Russian, and used his motives in their lyrics.
Do you like to return to the books that you have once read?
Yes, I do. There are certain books that I can read any time from virtually any page. Each time I open these books I discover there something new, something that I have missed or misinterpreted during my previous reading. Some people say that rereading books is boring, that there are so many books that they have not read yet, that they will never return to the books they have already read. I can not agree with it. There are many books that are not worth even a single reading, while there are others that have numerous layers. Most of all I like to return to the books that 1 have already read every couple of years just to compare in which way my perception of the author and his book has changed.
What are these books?
It would take me some time simply to mention the books that I love to reread. One of these books is "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain. When I first got acquainted with this wonderful novel I did not know how to read and my mother read it to me. The first thing I did when I started reading myself was reading "Tom Sawyer." It was as if I met the old friend. Later I was rereading some episodes that I liked most of all and each time I discovered something new. For example, when I was a kid I thought that the adventures of Tom and Huck constituted the most important part of the book. Later I started to understand the humour of Mark Twain. Since my first acquaintance with this author I have read many other novels and short stories by Mark Twain. Reading "Tom Sawyer" again and again enhanced my understanding of Mark Twain not only as a writer, but also as a personality. Now I am trying to read the novel in the original, I think that this will help me to understand both Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer better.
What do you read when you want to have some rest?
As I have already mentioned I read Mark Twain"s stories and novels a lot. But of course there are other English and American writers whom I admire. When I want to have some rest I like to read Jack London"s Alaskan stories such as "The White Silence", "Call of the Wild", and "Burning Daylight." They are unforgettable. Jack London knew the life of the North perfectly well. He met his characters in real life. He was familiar with their needs and troubles. One of J. London"s best stories is "White Fang." It is a story about the adventures of a wolf, who was tamed by the Indians as a sledge dog, and who little by little perceived the law of life: to eat or be eaten. White Fang, is not only the title of the novel, but the name of the wolf as well, who eventually understood that love and kindness ruled the world. I believe that Jack London loved animals. He wrote a lot about them.
Do you read the books of British and American writers in the original or in translation?
It is much easier to read books that are already translated into Russian. At the same time I am reading some books in English that are specifically adapted for Russian pupils. Reading such books is not only fun; it helps me to improve my English, so that I shall be able to read the works of British and American authors in the original. As I have already said, at the moment I am reading "Tom Sawyer" in the original. This is not an easy task for me. But I know this book very well, and this helps me a lot. Thus I can say that reading Russian translations of the English books is the first step toward reading them in the original.
Список литературы
Для подготовки данной работы были использованы материалы с сайта http://nota.triwe.net/
Польза не во многих, но в хороших книгах. Читая такую впервые, мы испытываем такое же чувство, как при обретении нового друга. Прочитать старую книгу вновь — означает снова увидеть старого друга. So, how many "old friends" do you have?
Essay on Books
There is a quote that I’d like to share with you, guys, ”A book is a dream that you hold in your hand”. - Neil GaimanBooks are wonderful! They accompany us during all our life. When you read you enrich your mind and broaden your knowledge. People who read books are intelligent. Books are also an entertainment. You and the characters of the book you are reading can find yourselves in different countries and have a lot of adventures. Just imagine — new characters, scenes, lives, events! It"s like real life in miniature!
A book can be a faithful friend and a teacher. Reading a book you open new horizons for yourself. A book can form our values and characters. It gives us an opportunity to imagine the future and to look into the past. One can learn a lot by reading books. And I am sure that the time spent on a good book is never wasted. Too bad people started to read less. But it, of course, depends on the author greatly as well, on his or her talent.
Books are of great help in any education. With the help of the Internet, we can find and read online almost any book or literary piece on the Internet. And I find it quite convenient because it saves a lot of time. But I’m sure that no matter how convenient it is to get a book online, there is still no bigger pleasure than reading a printed one.
I’m fond of reading different genres like historical novels, detectives or science fiction, tales and legends. In my small library at home, I have some printed books which are important to me. Books like Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings, Life of Alexander the Great and others. I like to re-read them from time to time, sometimes I make some notes on their pages and just smell the scent of childhood and magic.
Never forget that books are worth reading.
Книги — это замечательно! Они сопровождают нас на протяжении всей нашей жизни. Когда вы читаете, вы обогащаете свой ум и расширяете знания. Книги — это развлечение. Вы и персонажи читаемой книги можете побывать в разных странах и испытать множество приключений. Просто представьте — новые персонажи, сцены, жизни, события! Это как настоящая жизнь в миниатюре!
Книга может быть верным другом и учителем. Читая книгу, вы открываете для себя новые горизонты. Она может сформировать наши ценности и характеры. Она дает нам возможность представить будущее и заглянуть в прошлое. Можно многому научиться, читая книги. И я уверена, что время, потраченное на хорошую книгу, никогда не пропадает даром. Очень жаль, что люди стали меньше читать.
Книги помогают в любом образовании. С помощью Интернета мы можем найти и прочитать онлайн практически любую книгу или литературный фрагмент. И я нахожу этот способ довольно удобным, так как это экономит много времени. Но я уверена, что независимо от того, насколько удобно достать книгу в Интернете, до сих пор нет большего удовольствия, чем чтение печатной книги.
Мне очень нравится читать разные жанры: исторические романы, детективы, научную фантастику, сказки и легенды. У меня есть несколько печатных книг в моей небольшой домашней библиотеке, которые важны для меня. Книги, как Алиса в стране чудес, Властелин колец, Жизнь Александра Великого и другие. Мне нравится перечитывать их время от времени. Иногда я делаю пометки на страницах и просто вдыхаю запах детства и волшебства.
Никогда не забывайте, что книги стоят того, чтобы их читали.
Похожие сочинения
To begin with, I would like to point out that it is quite hard to imagine our life without books. Moreover, books are our constant friends at different stages of life. We read our first stories and fairy-tales in childhood. We could not put the book down at school when we were very much interested in breath-taking adventures taking place on the pages of our favourite novels. Needless to say, even now books help us to get ready for different kinds of exams and tests, because they can present much useful information.Even though it may seem that the Internet and television are taking over, the role of books in our lives cannot be underestimated. Reading helps to change our viewpoint. Due to classic books, we can distinguish between the right and the wrong.
Перевод
Сначала я бы хотела обратить внимание на то, что достаточно сложно представить нашу жизнь без книг. Более того, книги являются нашими верными друзьями на различных этапах жизни. В детстве мы читаем наши первые истории и сказки. В школе мы не могли отложить книгу в сторону, когда мы были увлечены чтением захватывающих приключений на страницах наших любимых произведений. Само самой, разумеется, даже сейчас книги помогают нам подготовиться к различным тестам и экзаменам, так как они могут дать нам много полезной информации. И даже, когда, кажется, что интернет и телевидение затмили их, нельзя недооценивать роль книг в нашей жизни. Чтение помогает нам изменить нашу точку зрения. Благодаря классике, мы умеем отличие добро от зла. Чтение помогает нам расти духовно. Также начитанный человек может похвастаться своей эрудицией. Например, исторические произведения могут помочь нам вспомнить многие исторические события, нам это может пригодиться на уроках истории. Пожалуй, также можно добавить, что при чтении книги, вы можете совместить приятное с полезным. По правде говоря, люди, которые много читаю, всегда имеют большое преимущество перед людьми, которые читают меньше.Что касается меня, то, сколько я себя помню, книги занимают одну из главных ролей в моей жизни. Я обожаю классическую литературу и таких авторов, как Шекспир Диккенс и Селенджер. Их истории показывают нам, что такое храбрость и честность, любовь и настоящая дружба, товарищество и доброта. Я верю, что наше общество не могло быть таким без историй о Ромео и Джульетты и Дориана Грэя. Также стоить добавить, что я люблю читать короткие истории просто так. Книги могут быть очень занимательными и увлекательными. Я глубоко уверена, что книги являются настоящим хранилищем мудрости.
Хотите выучить английский язык? То записывайтесь на бесплатный пробный урок по скайпу . Дистанционное изучение английского языка по скайпу является одним из самый удобных и эффективных способов.Reading
Child psychologists believe that reading is one of the best
habits that should be encouraged in children. Ninety percent of
the things we learn during our lifetime come through books;
therefore if we can"t read, we can"t learn.
Books appeared long ago. At first they were written by hand, but
after printing was invented, it became easier to publish books.
There are two large groups of books: fiction and non-fiction
books. Fiction books are most popular with readers and include
short stories and novels of different genres and poetry.
Non-fiction books are dictionaries, reference books, historical
books, biographies, encyclopaedias and others.
In my childhood, my mother read different books to me and that
helped me to love reading. When I learnt to read, I was really
happy because I could read books which I wanted and liked. At
first, they were fairy tales, adventure stories and comics.
Later, I was fond of detective stories and thrillers. Now I read
historical novels and I realise that I do not know many things
from history and it is so wonderful that I can learn them now
and understand facts that I could not understand in my
childhood. During my studies I also use non-fiction books like
dictionaries and encyclopaedias to find necessary information.
Today television and the Internet have almost replaced books
because these resources provide any information one wants and
some people think that in the modern world we do not need books
at all. I think, however, that books will never disappear,
because reading gives us pleasure.
Modern technologies also made it possible for us to use
electronic readers instead of paper copies of books. On the one
hand, such readers are very convenient as you do not have to
carry a thick book in your bag: you just take the reader and
upload text files into it, so instead of several books you just
carry one light electronic device! In addition, you may also
keep pictures and even music files on it. Lastly, it is more
environmentally friendly to use an electronic reader - cutting
down trees is not needed for their development unlike the
process of producing paper copies.
However, everything has its disadvantages. To begin with, such
readers are rather expensive and not everyone can afford them.
One point against it is that free electronic texts to download
are hard to find. Finally, paper books are more pleasant to hold
in hands: touch their pages, turn them over, feel their smell. I
have an electronic reader and it is convenient, but I still read
paper copies of books too.
To sum up, it is impossible to live without reading and even if
paper books may disappear in the future, people will never stop
reading.
ПЛАН-ОТВЕТ. READING
1. Вступление (the importance of reading, if we can"t read,
we can"t learn, etc.).
2. Рассказать кратко об истории книгопечатания и двух группах
книг (appeared long ago, were written by hand, printing was
invented, two large groups, fiction: short stories and novels of
different genres and poetry; non-fiction: dictionaries,
reference books, historical books, biographies, encyclopaedias).
3. Рассказать о том, что вы читали в детстве, какие книги
предпочитаете читать сейчас (In my childhood, fairy
tales/adventure stories, etc.; Now I read...; During my studies
I also use...).
4. Рассказать о чтении и книгах в современном мире и современных
технологиях (television and the Internet, do not need books at
all, modern technologies, electronic readers: advantages and
disadvantages, etc.).
5. Заключение (То sum up, it is impossible to live without
reading and even if paper books may disappear in the future,
people will never stop reading.).
QUESTIONS
1. Do you read much?
2. What sort of books do you read?
3. Do you enjoy reading?
4. Should children be encouraged to read?
5. What are the advantages of reading? Are there any
disadvantages? What are they?
6. Is it good to get the reading habit?
7. Do you read in English or in your own language?
8. Does reading help to learn a language?
9. When do you usually read?
10. Do you read newspapers?
11. Do you read magazines or journals?
12. What books do you usually use to get ready for your classes?
13. Do you think people should read more?
14. What will happen if we don"t read?
15. When should we start reading?
16. Do you think that people don"t read so much because they are
busy watching television or surfing the Internet?
17. What would you do to encourage people to read? Is it
difficult to encourage yourself to read? Why (not)?
18. What was your favourite book in your childhood? What is your
favourite book now?
19. What is your favourite genre of books?
20. Do you read electronic books or prefer paper copies of
books? Why?
21. What are the advantages and disadvantages of electronic
readers?
22. Do you think that books may disappear in the future? Why
(not)?
23. Where do you usually buy books?
24. Do you borrow books from a library or do you buy them?
25. Do you think that libraries may disappear in the future? Why
(not)?
USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES
Fiction Художественная литература
action and adventure боевики и приключения
children"s книги для детей
contemporary современная проза
crime детектив
fantasy фэнтези
graphic novels/comics комиксы
historical fiction исторический роман
horror ужасы
humour юмористическая проза
mystery детективный роман
romance любовный роман
science fiction научная фантастика
short story collection . сборник рассказов
thrillers триллеры
young adult литература для подростков
Non-Fiction Научно-популярная литература
almanac альманах
art & photography книги по искусству
biography & memoirs биография/мемуары
blueprint план, чертёж
booklet буклет, брошюра
brochure брошюра
business & finance бизнес и финансы
cookbook кулинарная книга
dictionary словарь
encyclopaedia энциклопедия
gardening садоводство
gift books подарочные издания
guide гид, путеводитель
handbook справочник, руководство
history книги по истории
"how-to" инструкция
journalism журналистика
manual руководство пользователя
medical health & fitness медицина и фитнес
nature & ecology природа и экология
periodical периодические издания
pets о домашних животных
picture book словарь в картинках
psychology психология
reference справочник
self-help книги «помоги себе сам»
sports спорт
textbook учебник
travel книги о путешествиях
