Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
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
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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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.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
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?
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