Do you read e-books? Why or why not?
What is your opinion of e-books?
Are e-books as good as print? Recently I took a ten-hour flight plus boring hours sitting in airports. I’m so thankful for having an iPad so that I could read and download some books I’ve wanted to read for so long. Furthermore, I didn’t need to waste hours before going to a bookstore and to fight crowds of people. I just simply went online to Amazon.com in this case, and looked for what I wanted. In the past, if I had a favourite book, but it was too heavy then I had to leave it at home in favour of some paperback. Now that I have a tablet computer and Kindle I can easily buy and read my favourite books with no extra carry on weight (bag you can take onto an airplane). Yes, I do miss the feeling of a real book and how it feels, it looks in my library at home. And yes, there are some other advantages. Furthermore, I still love to visit a library or go to a bookstore and browse. These days, bookstores are so much more interesting, they have cafes and perhaps you might even be able to strike up a conversation with someone who has the same interest. So I could be sad if print books go the way of the dinosaurs.
However, e-books might be revolutionizing the book industry. Take for example how writer Amanda Hocking got rich selling her fantasy novels as e-books ― and only then was signed to a major publisher. And in education, we can see how some schools are giving students iPads – no more lugging around heavy books all day.
So I wonder what lies in store for printed books, libraries and bookstores.
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
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A huge and complete change |
to strike up a conversation |
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go the way of the dinosaurs |
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To die out, disappear forever |
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Carrying something heavy from one place to another, a burden |
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To begin a discussion with someone, initiate, begin |
A=5, B=1, C=2, D=8, E=6, F=3, G=7, H=4
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
In America most people don’t get a higher education such as university, but in the case of Korea this is about 84%.
I applied for the position, but the other applicant was favoured because they overseas experience.
On weekends many couples like to go to markets and browse the clothes and other things for sale.
Sitting on an airplane can be a good place to strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you.
I wonder when paying with cash will go the way of the dinosaurs.
The Internet has revolutionized the way the world does business.
I used to lug a heavy laptop computer around, but now I have a tablet computer it is much more convenient.
I may move to a new country and job next year, so I wonder what lies in store for me in the future.
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
In the case of printed magazines compared to electronic ones, do you agree that printed magazines will go the way of the dinosaurs? Why or why not?
What kind of books do you favour? Why?
If bookstores disappear, then will you miss browsing in them? What do you feel lies in store for traditional bookstores?
How do you feel about lugging heavy books every day?
If you go to a business conference, how do you strike up conversations with new people?
Do you agree that e-books will revolutionize reading? Why or why not and how much?
ECK Education
