Part 3:
Discussion topics:
Reading and children
What kinds of books are most popular with children in your country? Why do you think that is?
I think it varies from generation to generation. In fact it depends on children’s taste. However, I’ve found that majority of children would rather read comic books. The characters are funny and make children laugh. The chief reason is that These illustrated books (which are) bursting with colorful pictures are visually attractive and grab their attention. They go through stories and can live tens of lives. In fact, It lets their imaginations fly. Besides, they get entertained with hilarious characters which are wishy-washy or clumsy.
Why do you think children do not read books very often?
Well, there many explanations that could account for this. First and foremost, the so-called children specially those who have entered into their teen years are passionate about spending all their spare time hanging out with friends, watching Tv, playing video games and so on. They are more willing to get connected with their smartphones instead of reading books. If they take out a book, they just flick through the pages and most of them turn their nose up at scanning a book.
How do you think children can be encouraged to read more?
Children have already missed out the pleasure of reading books and I think parents are to blame. There are so many ways to motivate these reluctant readers. Giving a present is considered as an inspirational method to get them involved in books. Parents can accompany their children to read a book in the bedtime like a pair work but children shouldn’t be humiliated if they have mispronunciations because it makes them lose their interest.
Reading for different purposes:
Are there any occasions when reading at speed is a useful skill to have? What are they?
As far as I know, the ability of fast reading has always been seen as a benefit specifically when it comes to taking the exams like the IELTS test which requires the students to skim through the passages including ten-line paragraphs in a short period of time. There is also a speed reading competition in my country which is a bit like a comprehension test at the end of IETLS reading test. The participants are asked to read a thousand-word story in 3 minutes and then they have to remember and talk about what they’ve read. The winners are praised and given precious gifts.
Are there any jobs where people need to read a lot? What are they?
I’ve been following a page named avid readers on Instagram for 2 months. It has more than 3 million followers and inspires people to read more books by introducing best-seller books on a daily basis. Book-lovers are employed and get paid to read a book per a day and post a brief description of that to be introduced to followers. I think it’s an appropriate way for bookworms as they can make money and have some quality time simultaneously .
Do you think that reading novels is more interesting than factual books? Why is that?
Well, I read both and try to keep the balance between fiction and non-fiction books. But I would have to confess that novels are more worth-reading that factual books. The stories and events fire your imaginations and reshape your mind. The fictional roles and the momentous events are more appealing. In contrast, reading real stories is dull and a waste of time in my opinion.
