Reading. 8th grade. 2nd semester

Task I. Six people share their thoughts about books and magazines. Read them and choose the best answer for each question. 

Chris, Belgium.

I prefer magazines over books because I just cannot spend that much time reading a book. It takes just too much time, and a magazine, well you can read it on the toilet. You can read it on the train. You can read it in the car if you have to wait for somebody. It's much nicer. Time passes by and you don't have to invest that much time, like for example if you would have to read a whole book. 

1) Why doesn’t Chris read books?

Buddhi, Sri Lanka.

Do I prefer books or magazines? I'll say magazines because I don't like to read for too long. I actually don't read for too long, so I prefer short articles or something interesting that would finish quickly. I don't like to read for too long. I know that's a bad habit. I’ve got to work on it but I prefer magazines.

2) What does Buddhi like in magazines?

Tom, the UK.

I read a lot of books. Magazines ... uh, very pretty and they look nice on the shelf but I almost never look through them. I'm not interested in the advertising, but give me a good book, and I can read it for hours and hours.

3) What doesn’t Tom like in magazines?

Aiste, Lithuania.

I think books are really nicer to read, at present I read most books from my major area, and as about magazines, so most of the time I don't read magazines. I just take them and scan them while checking out the pictures and what the major topic out if is it but about reading, I think it's a little bit too shallow.

4) What books does Aiste read at present?

Chrystal, the USA.

I prefer both. Actually, I like both, but then if I were to choose, I would choose magazines because they're easier and books are ... honestly, they're boring. I fall asleep all the time. They say that magazines are not good for your imagination, so it's really good to read books more when you're a child, but I don't think that's quite necessarily true because magazines also provide a good pictures and colors and I think it's better for imagination.

5) How can we understand that books are boring for Chrystal?

David, Kenya.

What do I prefer between books or magazines? I'm more into magazines because they're interesting and easy to follow. Both, they are good but you know you have to go to ... I have to go to like a deeper level to it and sometimes it's boring for me.

6) What does David prefer?

Task II. Read the text and decide if the statements below are True/False.

Think about all the emotions expressed in the music you listen to: joy, happiness, loneliness, nervousness, and, of course, sadness. Music with sad themes is often called the blues.

Blues music developed in the USA among Southern blacks after the Civil War. When slaves were brought to America from Africa, they brought their musical traditions with them. Mixed with folk and popular music of whites, these African musical traditions developed into the blues.

The blues is believed to have originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region in northern Mississippi between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. This is a rural area where the poorest black people lived. The sadness of their lifestyle was expressed in the blues. The conditions in this area – poverty, racism, difficult working situations – led many blacks to go north, to cities such as Memphis, Chicago, St Louis and Detroit.

The blues didn’t disappear from the Mississippi countryside, however, and in 1978, the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage festival was founded to celebrate and promote the blues and the culture. Now it is the oldest and largest blues festival in the South, with 20,000 visitors and performances.

1) The blues is the music without any sad themes.

Think about all the emotions expressed in the music you listen to: joy, happiness, loneliness, nervousness, and, of course, sadness. Music with sad themes is often called the blues.

Blues music developed in the USA among Southern blacks after the Civil War. When slaves were brought to America from Africa, they brought their musical traditions with them. Mixed with folk and popular music of whites, these African musical traditions developed into the blues.

The blues is believed to have originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region in northern Mississippi between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. This is a rural area where the poorest black people lived. The sadness of their lifestyle was expressed in the blues. The conditions in this area – poverty, racism, difficult working situations – led many blacks to go north, to cities such as Memphis, Chicago, St Louis and Detroit.

The blues didn’t disappear from the Mississippi countryside, however, and in 1978, the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage festival was founded to celebrate and promote the blues and the culture. Now it is the oldest and largest blues festival in the South, with 20,000 visitors and performances.

2) Blues music developed after the World War among Southern blacks.

Think about all the emotions expressed in the music you listen to: joy, happiness, loneliness, nervousness, and, of course, sadness. Music with sad themes is often called the blues.

Blues music developed in the USA among Southern blacks after the Civil War. When slaves were brought to America from Africa, they brought their musical traditions with them. Mixed with folk and popular music of whites, these African musical traditions developed into the blues.

The blues is believed to have originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region in northern Mississippi between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. This is a rural area where the poorest black people lived. The sadness of their lifestyle was expressed in the blues. The conditions in this area – poverty, racism, difficult working situations – led many blacks to go north, to cities such as Memphis, Chicago, St Louis and Detroit.

The blues didn’t disappear from the Mississippi countryside, however, and in 1978, the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage festival was founded to celebrate and promote the blues and the culture. Now it is the oldest and largest blues festival in the South, with 20,000 visitors and performances.

3) The blues is caused by the happy life of black people.

Think about all the emotions expressed in the music you listen to: joy, happiness, loneliness, nervousness, and, of course, sadness. Music with sad themes is often called the blues.

Blues music developed in the USA among Southern blacks after the Civil War. When slaves were brought to America from Africa, they brought their musical traditions with them. Mixed with folk and popular music of whites, these African musical traditions developed into the blues.

The blues is believed to have originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region in northern Mississippi between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. This is a rural area where the poorest black people lived. The sadness of their lifestyle was expressed in the blues. The conditions in this area – poverty, racism, difficult working situations – led many blacks to go north, to cities such as Memphis, Chicago, St Louis and Detroit.

The blues didn’t disappear from the Mississippi countryside, however, and in 1978, the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage festival was founded to celebrate and promote the blues and the culture. Now it is the oldest and largest blues festival in the South, with 20,000 visitors and performances.

4) The Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival was founded to celebrate jazz.

Think about all the emotions expressed in the music you listen to: joy, happiness, loneliness, nervousness, and, of course, sadness. Music with sad themes is often called the blues.

Blues music developed in the USA among Southern blacks after the Civil War. When slaves were brought to America from Africa, they brought their musical traditions with them. Mixed with folk and popular music of whites, these African musical traditions developed into the blues.

The blues is believed to have originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region in northern Mississippi between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. This is a rural area where the poorest black people lived. The sadness of their lifestyle was expressed in the blues. The conditions in this area – poverty, racism, difficult working situations – led many blacks to go north, to cities such as Memphis, Chicago, St Louis and Detroit.

The blues didn’t disappear from the Mississippi countryside, however, and in 1978, the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage festival was founded to celebrate and promote the blues and the culture. Now it is the oldest and largest blues festival in the South, with 20,000 visitors and performances.

5) Blues music is a mix of black and white musical traditions.

Think about all the emotions expressed in the music you listen to: joy, happiness, loneliness, nervousness, and, of course, sadness. Music with sad themes is often called the blues.

Blues music developed in the USA among Southern blacks after the Civil War. When slaves were brought to America from Africa, they brought their musical traditions with them. Mixed with folk and popular music of whites, these African musical traditions developed into the blues.

The blues is believed to have originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region in northern Mississippi between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. This is a rural area where the poorest black people lived. The sadness of their lifestyle was expressed in the blues. The conditions in this area – poverty, racism, difficult working situations – led many blacks to go north, to cities such as Memphis, Chicago, St Louis and Detroit.

The blues didn’t disappear from the Mississippi countryside, however, and in 1978, the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage festival was founded to celebrate and promote the blues and the culture. Now it is the oldest and largest blues festival in the South, with 20,000 visitors and performances.

6) People don't listen to blues anymore.