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Books vs E-Readers
Books vs E-Readers

Learn English with this books vs e-readers English lesson

Date: Jul 02 2014

Themes: Hobbies, Tech

Grammar: Present Progressive Tense

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Reading. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s an activity you’ve definitely done, and do, and will do again. Libraries around the world are museums of a country’s culture and history. However, as modern technology spreads, paper books are starting to disappear.

It’s true that having heavy university textbooks on your computer or on an e-reader can be a big convenience. Instead of lugging a heavy bag around, you can just carry a light screen. However, reading something online is definitely different than cracking open a brand-new book.

Do you remember your favorite children’s book? The nostalgia of childhood might make having a real copy of that book worth it. A first edition of a famous book might also be someone’s favorite possession. It would be sad to see all books disappear!

What do Marni and Gary think about books and e-readers? Figure it out in today’s English lesson about reading!

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Gary

Gary

Marni:  Gary.

Gary:  What’s up, Marni?

Marni:  I just love reading, but I’ve been lugging around this copy of War and Peace, and it is just so heavy.

Gary:  That book is huge!

Marni:  I know.

Gary:  Why don’t you just put it on your phone?

Marni:  I think e-readers and reading online, it’s… I get the convenience, but it’s nothing like the experience of cracking open a book. I love the nostalgia.

Gary:  Yeah. Is it worth it, though? You’re carrying around pounds and pounds of paper when you could have hundreds of books on your phone, and you can actually control the size of the text.

Marni:  I don’t like reading off screens for long periods of time. People have to do that at work all day or whatever. I love the experience of the book, and I think it’s worth it. If you have an old edition of something, it can gain value.

Gary:  Sure. I’ll throw out there, though, that the modern readers, the screen doesn’t feel like a phone. So if you’re using an e-reader, it’s got a nice softness to the page, so it actually looks like you’re looking at, almost like, paper.

Marni:  So, they’re really trying to mimic the feeling of actually reading a real book.

Gary:  I think they’re trying to, yeah.

Marni:  Well, I can see the convenience factor being a plus, but I just don’t know. I like being able to pass on books, but I guess I could just pass on an e-reader.

 

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Discussion

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Marni’s been reading the famous book War and Peace, but it’s really heavy, and she’s tired of carrying the big book everywhere she goes.

Gary suggests she put it on her phone, but Marni says she doesn’t like reading on screens. She loves books, especially opening one that is brand new.

Gary has a point, though, and Marni agrees that e-readers are more convenient than real books. They are very light, and you can have lots of books with you all the time.

To convince her to try an e-reader, Gary tells Marni that newer readers have screens that almost look like paper. He thinks she won’t be missing books very much if she just gives an e-reader a try.

Do you have an e-reader? Which paper books would you still want to buy?

 

Comments

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joao correia

Brazil

I’m an e-reader but I prefer crap open a book and to read by papers because to read by screen it is so tired sometimes. 

07:42 PM Mar 13 2016 |

Djana

Djana

Algeria

I like reading so much and actually it doesn’t matter for me how,i use them both,but to be more Honest i prefer books ;)

07:20 PM Mar 10 2016 |

Els_sm

direwolf

South Korea

Books are better!

06:38 PM Sep 06 2015 |

1 person likes this

oobabybaby

oobabybaby

Turkey

of course they not the same thing. there is a truer word. it’s this: does he/she know travel or read??? i think this question as i say. isn’t it? i think book better than e-readers. book has existed for years, but e-readers???? okey i understand technology is evolving but there is some thing you never not change, i think it’s this one thing of them. reading, reading, reading.

06:23 PM Sep 06 2015 |

1 person likes this

chuanchuan1986

China

Anyway, I enjoy reading with my lovely kindle~

07:49 AM Jul 24 2014 |

1 person likes this

sam14719

sam14719

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

maybe we say new digital technologies are a undeniable fact in our modern world but i think we cant never replace our real books with digital books now.


books have more than 4000years history(for first time who made by papyrus in  Egypt)  for replace with digital books maybe need to tens or hundreds or….years


qua we couldnt find any  replace with  wheels after more than 6000 years


02:05 PM Jul 19 2014 |

1 person likes this

arman19940326

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I have books in my phone too but I have audio books! I usually listen to my books before sleeping and I enjoy it very much.Try to listen to audio books whenever you can (e.g. while you’re in a bus,while your walking…) and enjoy transmitting information to your mind! In recent years this is one of my favorite hobbies.I almost listened to 60 or 70 audio books…

02:52 PM Jul 16 2014 |

ar2011

ar2011

Brazil

I dont agree with Marni. Reading books through e-readers is great because you can choose the size, the kind and the color of the letter, and even the color of the digital book page. I dont read paper books anymore. Ive lots of books in my phone and reading  books on e-reader is so cool :)

09:04 PM Jul 08 2014 |

foz12

foz12

Saudi Arabia

I totally agree with Marni, there is nothging like touch and feel the book.

10:36 AM Jul 06 2014 |

sandraa95

sandraa95

Sweden

Well i really appriciate those who read paper books still, just bcaz of nostalgia that they had bfore or the way they enjoy  reading , u know they completly know what they want from the book, like done it and get enerjy, but as time goes by technology surrends our life even if u dont want , and every day it brings some thing new into our life,  baby to toddler, teens to adult every one can be addicted to tech, in many cases and ways,, like here u ask me im a big fan of e,book  no im a mega fan, that’s it 

03:35 PM Jul 04 2014 |

1 person likes this

chopper2102

Peru

nothing compares to the smell of a new book

01:33 PM Jul 03 2014 |

Hazelgirl

Hazelgirl

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

@beciricky,


Pass on: give to someone else, i heard about a great idea long time ago; Book Crossing, Book swap or sth like that, which simply means, read a book and leave it in a public place so that it can be picked up and read again by others, in this way book can be read over and over and better said,it stays alive forever…on the other hand, some people gift their books to libraries or collect their owns to help some schools or communities develop science or create “culture reading” for lifelong learning, all these ways keeps a book fresh and is a solution to reduce the extra expenses of publications and it also helps increase the number of readers.


At last sentence, Marni talks about “a plus” as a positive point of an E-reader but it can be considered if you have an E-reader, instead of many books you can only pass it on ;)

08:13 PM Jul 02 2014 |

3 people like this

ghost.w0506

Germany

reading a book


I prefer to have a real book in my hands !!! What is better than sitting in a comfortable chair, relaxed, fully concentrated at an exiting novelle


Suuuuuuuuuper :) :) :) :)


can do that for hours, instead of looking at tv programe


03:56 PM Jul 02 2014 |

Mr. Learner

Peru

Maybe the feeling of holding a book is different than using an e-reader, for some people. However, for me,  as long as my goal of reading is there, I’ll use whatever makes me reach my goal faster.
I love my E-reader because it has a very long life battery, it doesn’t hurt my eyes, it is not heavy, and it makes me able to carry plenty of books in the same time. ;) 

03:28 PM Jul 02 2014 |

becirickySuper Member!

South Korea

Everyone knows e-books are becoming popular but people think that still they like reading actual books with turning the pages. For me this is the way i use.,


Like kind of novel i buy paper books and read it on my bed or desk. but there are books which content information or learning somethings i put those on my phone so that i can use it  a kind of manaual of my working.

10:43 AM Jul 02 2014 |

becirickySuper Member!

South Korea

Can t understand ~ there are  two kind of pharsal verb (pass on) in the dialog. what does it mean?


pass on books and pass on an e-reader   help me

10:33 AM Jul 02 2014 |

S&W

S&W

China

I have E-reader,It bring me convience, on the other side,dry eyes,can’t stop reading when eating,walking which is dangerous.For me ,E-reader is just a tool,but book is an old friend,when you see a book causally,memories comes to your mind ,then you are eager to read it again .

09:39 AM Jul 02 2014 |

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

its important ” YOUR WAY..YOUR STYLE ” 


DO what makes you happy…


read book or E-reader ..finally ,both has some different advantages and disadvantages.


a classic book doesnt need electricity,battery .


an e-reader is compact,small,light ..you can carry it everywhere..and you can read your stories in the dark night :))


ı love classic books still,as a old-fashioned man :)) although ı have e-reader .. 

09:37 AM Jul 02 2014 |

missAnjelika

Uzbekistan

of course nawadays computer is becoming more and more important in our life, and it sems to be even more important then books but nothing can take a place of really paper book with which we grew up and from which we learned a lot of things that still help us… 

07:28 AM Jul 02 2014 |

_Nora_

_Nora_

Hungary

I love books. Nothing compares to the touch and the smell of a book. I’m using the computer all day, and my eyes are so tired of it. That’s why I prefer paper.


I understand the advanteges of ebooks, but as for myself I can’t read on publick transport. The best way to relax is lying in bed with my favourite book in a rainy day :3

06:59 AM Jul 02 2014 |

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