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Unit 22 Talking about books
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Unit 22 Talking about books - Форум
Unit 22 Talking about books
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readeralexey | Дата: Среда, 29.09.2021, 16:47 | Сообщение # 1 |
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| Write a blurb for a work of fiction (Russian or English) without revealing its title or character names for your classmates to guess what book it is.
Give an example of compulsive reading you have had recently.
Describe a book you know which was ahead of its time.
Have you read any memoirs? Did you like it? Why (not)?
Was there any book in your History of English Literature course that you would call compulsive reading? What was the most heavy going one?
Do you read in bed? What is good bedtime reading, in your opinion?
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salomiagudova | Дата: Понедельник, 11.10.2021, 21:44 | Сообщение # 2 |
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| Do you read in bed? What is good bedtime reading, in your opinion?
I do read in bed and as a matter of fact I find it the best place for reading because I feel the most comfortable there. I know that some people prefer to sit, for example, in an armchair but for me it’s just not relaxing enough. Plus, I enjoy being covered in blankets while reading.
But although I read quite a lot, I don’t really pick up a book in the evening. For me it’s usually the time to watch something. And if I’m reading a book in the evening, it means that the book is so gripping that I can’t put it down and most probably I will continue reading until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. Which is not a good thing because then my sleep schedule is wrecked. So I think that good bedtime reading shouldn’t be compulsive, otherwise you can’t stop until you’ve finished. Reading actually can be a good way to prepare for your sleep if you choose the right book. I think good bedtime reading is something engaging enough so you would enjoy your evening but still was are able to stop and go to sleep peacefully. Maybe not a plot-driven book but a character-driven one?
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Сообщение отредактировал salomiagudova - Понедельник, 11.10.2021, 21:45 |
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dolysovacom | Дата: Вторник, 12.10.2021, 15:42 | Сообщение # 3 |
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| As a person who chose the profession of philologist I adore reading breathtaking stories. I remember the book I read in the third course and it was difficult to stop once I started. I’m talking about a novel by Emily Brontë Wuthering Heights. It’s one of those books I just couldn't put down. This is a gripping an enigmatic story about two families living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent relationships. I can also describe it as a page-turner, full of moments of insight, mysteries and riddles. It was truly compulsive reading for me.
But nevertheless I was ready for heavy going books. One of them which I read recently was The Red and The Black by Stendhal (according to his pen name). He was a 19th-century French writer. Frankly speaking, I haven't even finished reading.
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Сообщение отредактировал dolysovacom - Вторник, 16.11.2021, 09:34 |
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danil_naydenov | Дата: Среда, 13.10.2021, 21:55 | Сообщение # 4 |
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| Was there any book in your History of English Literature course that you would call compulsive reading?
I have just finished reading "Heart of Darkness", a novella by Joseph Conrad, and I can say that it is the most gripping book I've met come across in a long time. It is a compelling story, though a rather short one, in a lugubrious setting of wild Africa. It tells us about the life and death of Kurtz, who is not even a protagonist of the book. The novella is full of chilling details. Macabre atmosphere makes it thrilling and its style of writing makes it a complete page-turner.
What was the most heavy going one?
Unfortunately, I have to talk about Dickens here, about "The Pickwick Papers". To be honest, I just couldn't finish it, so heavy going it was. Though being funny, for me it lacked that gripping style of storytelling which DIckens has in his later books, such as "Great Expectations". Maybe the fact that I read it first made my experience with "Pickwick Papers" much worse.
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7109633 | Дата: Четверг, 25.11.2021, 19:09 | Сообщение # 5 |
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| Write a blurb for a work of fiction (Russian or English) without revealing its title or character names for your classmates to guess what book it is. It is an engaging and gripping chronicle of birth, childhood, youth and adulthood of a man. The book is not small at all, but once you take it, you can't put it down. The narrative is fast and lightweight. The characters splitted between those who seem to be good and well educated and those who seem obstinate and sly but their inner side is just the opposite to what is seen on the surface. So at the very end there awaits a moment of insight which is more significant for the characters themselves. And for the readers the author made a plot twist, not really surprising, but leaving all the good flourishing and all the bad getting their deserts.
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AUDIO
Шебалкина Е.И.
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danil_naydenov | Дата: Пятница, 26.11.2021, 00:57 | Сообщение # 6 |
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| Sentences. Unit 22.
Recently I’ve been thinking about reading some memoirs. I have never done it before, so the whole genre has got right past me. But I think that good memoirs can give you far more insights than usual fiction. There are many acclaimed works written by people of wartime, though such books may be not for everyone, because they are quite far from being bedtime reading. Memoirs can sometimes be harsh and cruel, but in the end, it is a great opportunity to see historical events not as they are represented in history textbooks, but from the perspective of the direct participants of these events. Memoirs can be extremely informative too, but they have to be goodwell-written, so they do not become too heavy-going.
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Цитата 7109633 ( ) It is an engaging and gripping chronicle of birth, childhood, youth and adulthood of a man... To me it sounds like "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" by Henry Fielding.
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Сообщение отредактировал readeralexey - Вторник, 30.11.2021, 18:57 |
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7109633 | Дата: Суббота, 27.11.2021, 18:42 | Сообщение # 7 |
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| Цитата danil_naydenov ( ) To me it sounds like "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" by Henry Fielding. This book it is :)
Шебалкина Е.И.
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bondarenkodv7 | Дата: Суббота, 09.04.2022, 17:56 | Сообщение # 8 |
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| Have you read any memoirs? Did you like it? Why (not)?
Yes, I’ve read memoirs of a famous physicist Richard Feynman. To be honest, I expected it to be heavy going, as are most memoirs of scientists, but its title, “Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman!”, intrigued me, so I gave it a try. And oh my, was it a page-turner! If you didn’t know the author’s main specialization, you’d think that he’s an acclaimed writer, because his brilliant storytelling style makes the book impossible to put down. And the stories Feynman tells match his literary talent – it’s a breathtaking insight into the life of a genius, who was interested in an unbelievable amount of things and excelled at almost anything he touched. As a boy, he tinkered with old radios and became a go-to repairman for his neighbours. As a student, he once wrote a successful paper for a philosophy course without listening to a single lecture, getting all the material from his experiments with lucid dreaming. Shortly after he graduated, a World War began, so he was recruited by the US government to work on a top secret project that will later on produce the first ever atomic bomb. During his government work he learned lockpicking as a hobby and greatly annoyed the guards by constantly testing security measures at his workplace. After the war, he took part in a small biological project that, if he decided to stick with it, could have brought him a Nobel Prize. Later, however, he still won the prize, and shaped modern quantum physics along the way. Oh, and did I mention that he picked up drums out of boredom, joined a local band, and almost won a nation-wide jazz contest?
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Добавлено (09.04.2022, 23:04) ---------------------------------------------
Do you struggle to attract READERSHIP because people find your books HEAVY GOING? Are your stories as easy to GET INTO as an instruction MANUAL for a 1960s microwave oven? Do your critics sarcastically recommend your books as BEDTIME READING since anyone would fall asleep at page three? Then worry no more – I, Cave Johnson, have a solution to all your problems! With my in-depth, informative, and inexpensive Pro Writing Course you’d become an ACCLAIMED author in no time. Whatever your preferred genre is, my course has everything to help you master it. You write action novels? Get ready for PAGE-TURNERS with GRIPPING plots and wild plot twists. You like horror stories? They will be so LUGUBRIOUS and CHILLING that Stephen King will retire out of envy upon reading them. Maybe you specialize in dramas? Then you’ll leave your readers teary-eyed from your POIGNANT tales, with misfortunate PROTAGONISTS struggling to overcome all the obstacles on the path to their true love. No matter what you’re writing – a LIGHTWEIGHT read for the general public or a sophisticated piece for a literary JOURNAL – we’ve got you covered! Whether you want your works to be AHEAD OF OUR TIME or A PRODUCT OF IT, it’s the perfect time to join the Pro Writing Course!
7,5
Daniil Bondarenko
Сообщение отредактировал bondarenkodv7 - Пятница, 29.04.2022, 15:14 |
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alekssander-com29 | Дата: Воскресенье, 10.04.2022, 14:20 | Сообщение # 9 |
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| Write a blurb for a work of fiction (Russian or English) without revealing its title or character names for your classmates to guess what book it is.
The only completed novel by the acclaimed writer E. A. Poe. It has a gripping plot filled with macabre and chilling details. A breathtaking piece of work by one of the most famous American gothic short story writers which is designed as a logbook of an enthusiastic sailor.
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I`m reading a book by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. It`s compulsive reading. The book is called «The doomed city» and it`s a masterpiece. Wry humour and evocative scenes of life in the conditions of futuristic Soviet experiment make this book engaging and fadeless in my opinion.
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Сообщение отредактировал alekssander-com29 - Суббота, 30.04.2022, 22:07 |
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zhovtyak1441 | Дата: Воскресенье, 10.04.2022, 18:04 | Сообщение # 10 |
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| Do you read in bed? What is good bedtime reading, in your opinion?
I'm a huge fan of bedtime reading. Actually, this type of reading relieves mental stress and helps to relax better. This is one of the best ways to really calm down and immerse yourself in the world of dreams. Reading gives you a restful sleep, however, only if you read printed books. The fact is that the blue light from gadgets excites the nervous system and distances you from the world of dreams.
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I’ve bought a thirty-volume ENCYCLOPEDIA. I'll check the LOGBOOK tonight. The drawn blinds gave a LUGUBRIOUS aspect to the room. Our READERSHIP was not pleased. It was a POIGNANT thought. There is nothing ENIGMATIC in what I said. Will you help me write my MEMOIR ? He decided to keep a JOURNAL. I have a lot of work to do on that ANTHOLOGY. This MANUAL specifically focuses on children.
(corrected) I’ve bought a thirty-volume ENCYCLOPEDIA. I'll check the LOGBOOK tonight. The drawn blinds gave a LUGUBRIOUS aspect to the room. Our READERSHIP was not pleased. It was a POIGNANT thought. There is nothing ENIGMATIC in what I said. Will you help me write my MEMOIR ? He decided to keep a JOURNAL. I have a lot of work to do on that ANTHOLOGY. This MANUAL specifically focuses on children. [Mind your full stop punctuation!]
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Сообщение отредактировал zhovtyak1441 - Пятница, 29.04.2022, 23:27 |
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7109633 | Дата: Воскресенье, 10.04.2022, 19:33 | Сообщение # 11 |
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| My name is Titus Groan and my mom says that I was named after the EPONYMOUS PROTAGONIST of Mervin Peak’s books. It’s an ENGAGING tale which was a rather popular PAGE-TURNER in the years of my mom’s youth. It was ACCLAIMED by the public even decades later, so I want to read it myself to see what it is. Yet I’m kind of excited whether it will be an INSIGHT for me or I won’t be able to GET INTO it and understand the decision of my mother.
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Шебалкина Е.И.
Сообщение отредактировал 7109633 - Суббота, 30.04.2022, 16:03 |
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zhuravleva369 | Дата: Воскресенье, 10.04.2022, 23:42 | Сообщение # 12 |
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| Do you read in bed? What is good bedtime reading, in your opinion?
Sometimes I read in bed before sleeping. When I was younger I did it more often because I had more time. I think it's a good idea to read before sleeping because it helps to think about something which is not about your everyday routine and problems. Thus, for me the Gospel is the best bedtime reading. It gives food for the mind and helps to get rid of bad thoughts. Any other good and soft books would be a good option as well. Some people like to read scary stories before going to bed, which is very strange for me. As a person with periodic insomnia, I prefer books that calm rather than strain.
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Once I chose a book about vampires as my BEDTIME READING. It was not A GRIPPING STORY at all. There were so many characters, so it was a HEAVY GOING book. I just could not GET INTO the story, so I stopped reading it.
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Сообщение отредактировал zhuravleva369 - Воскресенье, 01.05.2022, 22:29 |
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lopatinavarvara | Дата: Воскресенье, 10.04.2022, 23:44 | Сообщение # 13 |
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| Give an example of compulsive reading you have had recently.
I don't often come across books that I can't tear myself away from reading, but in January I read Irwin Shaw's novel "Rich Man, Poor Man", which absorbed me. There were about 800 pages in this book and I read the whole book in 3 days. This is a very fascinating story of a poor family from America. I really like to read books close to life, although I have also read fiction. Now, unfortunately, I don't have time to immerse myself in reading a book, but before going to bed I like to take time to read. Now I am reading two dystopias at once, Orwell's "1984" and Huxley's "Brave New World", which I also really like.
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etenthousandg1 | Дата: Воскресенье, 08.05.2022, 02:25 | Сообщение # 14 |
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| Describe a book you know which was ahead of its time.
I think that The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne is a book significantly AHEAD OF ITS TIME. It is certainly not a LIGHTWEIGHT novel. Sterne uses many devices that would make a modern-day novelist's head spin. The EPONYMOUS PROTAGONIST writes his MEMOIRS in a manner that is long-winded and completely over-the-top. His tendency towards diversions of thought and voicing his opinion on everything and anything gives the novel a quality that is almost ENCYCLOPEDIA-like, reminding me of books like Joyce's Ulysses and giving us some INSIGHT into the 18th century way of life in an ENGAGING and hilarious way. Tristram Shandy's almost stream-of-consciousness-like style of narration is also not dissimilar to modernist experiments, but makes the book quite difficult to GET INTO. I think that it's the most HEAVY GOING novel from around that time period that I've ever read.
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Зипунников С. (Потерял пароль от старого профиля)
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tsvioletta17 | Дата: Воскресенье, 05.03.2023, 15:35 | Сообщение # 15 |
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| Give an example of compulsive reading you have had recently.
Truth be told, I don't read as much as I'd like to. I prefer to read short articles in an app on my phone. There I can find articles on various topics and issues that interest me.
Now I feel more involved in psychology and biological processes in the human brain. At the moment I am not hungry for fiction. I have to read something I don't like very much, but for general development it is useful and great.
I seldom read something with rapture. I owe it to my older sister for befriending me with books. But I think you can learn to read all your life.
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Сообщение отредактировал tsvioletta17 - Воскресенье, 05.03.2023, 15:36 |
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