The Reading Group

The Reading Group

Part 1

This programme was first broadcast in 2002.

This is not an accurate word-for-word transcript 1 of the programme.

ANNOUNCER:

You’re listening to “The Reading Group” from the BBC World Service. In this series we bring

together listeners, students of English, literature teachers and other contributors from the

world of books to share their enthusiasm for reading. We hope that following this series will

encourage your own interest in reading books in English as a foreign language.

Gary (Presenter):

Hello. I don't know if you remember the moment you first realised you could

read - I can't - but for the Argentinian writer, Alberto Manguel, it was a

dramatic event.

Insert 1 – from A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel

One day, from the window of a car I saw a billboard 2 by the side of the road. The sight couldn't

have lasted very long, just perhaps long enough for me to see large and looming 3, shapes similar

to those in my story book, but shapes that I had never seen before. And yet, all of a sudden, I

knew what they were, I heard them in my head. They metamorphosed from black lines and

white spaces into a solid, sonorous 4, meaningful reality. Since I could turn bare lines into living

reality I was all-powerful – I could read.

Gary: From Alberto Manguel's A History of Reading. This book is a wonderful

account of our love affair with written words, from the first known writing -

marks made in tiny clay tablets over six thousand years ago in the Middle East -

to today's electronic media.

The enjoyment 5 of reading is the subject of this series, in particular, the

enjoyment of reading books in English as a second or foreign language. We'll

also offer strategies for improving your reading, and we’ll give details of how to

contact us at the end of each programme.

Gary: We begin today with a discussion about what it feels like for students to read in

English and how to deal with some of the difficulties.

Annemarit van der Made is from the Netherlands where she graduated recently

from the University of Technology in Delft. Hello

Annemarit: Hello. One of my earliest memories of books date back to my first school days,

coming home, having a cup of tea while my mother was reading me a book.

Gary: Adrian Sack is a journalist from Argentina. Hello.

Adrian: Hello …I’m working here in London as a freelance reporter for one of

Argentina’s newspapers, La Nation. I’m also writing a history book in

Spanish.

Gary: And our third guest is Jeremy Page.

Jeremy: Hello …I’m the Director of Studies at International House, a language school

in London. I’ve written several English language teaching course books and

I’ve also published poetry and short stories.

Gary: Adrian and Annemarit, questions for you first.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading in English?

Annemarit: I enjoy several kinds of books. I like romances, crime, fiction and short stories.

I recently read Joanna Harris books. They are novels and I think she is very

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good at describing scenery and personal behaviour. When something very

exciting happens I really feel like telling the character, don't do this or don't do

that. I can be swallowed by the book.

Gary: What about some of the problems of reading in a different language? Adrian.

Adrian: Well, the two main problems are the lack of vocabulary and the trend to lose

the concentration when I read for long due to the extra effort I have to make

when I read.

Annemarit: Well, I agree with Adrian that it's more difficult to stay focussed on a book for

example when you're tired and I am reading an English book it's more difficult

to stay focused, and apart from that some writers use slang that I'm not familiar

with, and when I read Jane Eyre - I read it recently - this book has been written

150 years ago and sometimes they put the words in a different order so that was

interesting but it was confusing at times.

Gary: Let’s bring Jeremy into the conversation now. Jeremy, in your experience, do

you find that what Annemarit and Adrian have described are typical problems

for learners of English when reading in English?

Jeremy: Very much so, yes. The key problems that most readers experience are to do

with unknown vocabulary and the length of the text. The critical issues are

selection of text in the first place – I think for most readers it makes no sense to

choose something that you would never dream of reading in your own

language, and secondly 6 length is a critical issue as well, that it can be difficult to

maintain focus and motivation. Generally speaking, texts up to 200 pages are

fine, but texts longer than that require a degree of commitment that can be quite

difficult to sustain.

Gary: What advice do you have for students for dealing 7 with unknown vocabulary?

Jeremy: It's interesting that should be raised because at the moment I’m going through

something similar with my son who is nine – who’s reading Harry 8 Potter. He is

coming across a lot of vocabulary unknown to him and what I’ve been

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suggesting that he do is try to make a judgement about vocabulary - words that

he really needs to know, words that would be helpful for him to know and

words that he doesn’t really need to worry about. For students of English,

typically they will be accustomed to being told by teachers 'You don't need to

understand every word.' In my experience students often look a bit sceptical

when they’re told "you don’t need to understand every word" in the classroom.

When you are reading a text on your own, in isolation 9 it can be difficult to come

across a large number of words completely unfamiliar 10 to you - but I would say

– if you feel constantly in need of checking words in dictionaries the selection

of text has been wrong in the first place. The text is too challenging it's too

difficult. Going to the dictionary all the time, destroys the pleasure of reading.

Gary: Thank you. I’ll be asking you for some more advice later, Jeremy.

Now before this series began, we asked users of the BBC’s Learning English

website to share their views on reading. And what stands out in their messages

is that classic books – especially those written in the 19th Century – such as

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte and “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens

– are especially difficult because of the style and complex plots!

This view is echoed by readers in Moscow, where we go now.

Reading Group reporter Dasha Pushkova has been to the planning meeting of

an English language newspaper, published in the Russian capital. The editorial

team are discussing an issue about reading books in English.

Insert 2 – Russian reading group package

Dasha (Reporter):

I am in the editorial building of a newspaper called “English” - it promotes the

language, gives tips and helps students with difficulties they might have while

learning English. I’m here to meet a group of young enthusiasts 11 who are

members of the “Y.E.S Club” - which stands for Youth English Section.

They write their own page in the newspaper. For these young people it’s a

chance to improve their language, read in English and to talk about the books

they’ve been reading.

Today’s planning meeting is devoted 12 to some of the difficulties of reading in

English - and how to inspire the subscribers of the newspaper to read in a

foreign language.

Female: We should make our readers believe that it's much more interesting and much

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more really important to read English literature in original, because in Russian

it's just a totally different thing.

Male: Last summer I read The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien for my pleasure

because I like this book. Many years ago I read it first and I didn't have

possibility or frankly 13 speaking the desire to read it in English. Last summer I

decided 14 that if you like a book written by an English author you should read it

in English. That's why I made this effort, I read it and I understood the meaning

and the plot of the author much better than when I read it in Russian.

Dasha: The editorial team agrees that there are many benefits to be gained from reading

an English book in the original language but one of the major problems that

readers face concerns the choice of vocabulary.

Female: Slang and some peculiarities 15 of the country. For example, Breakfast at Tiffany's

by Truman Capote. It's full of such things. Fortunately I had a kind of

vocabulary in the end of the book, some names of the streets and magazines and

newspapers and shops which I didn't know.

Female2: It's the author's style of writing. For example Dickens's books are very difficult

for me and I prefer reading them in translation because I think that there are

certain things that escape from our understanding and that is the major difficulty

that we can encounter when we read books in original.

Dasha: But whatever the problems, Aliona believes that it's important to discuss what

you've just read with other readers. It might help you to understand the book's

themes and it certainly makes the pleasure last longer.

Female: We do discuss it and I think it's an important thing for evaluating new ideas

after reading the book you can think it over and over because for me the most

important thing is to think after the book.

Gary: Some comments there about the value of reading books in the original

language and also about taking the opportunity to discuss what you read with

other keen readers. Jeremy.

Jeremy: I think that's very interesting and significant. I'm sure that's why reading groups

have become so popular in Britain and a lot of other countries. Reading is a

rather solitary 16 activity and I think the pleasures of reading are better shared and

I'm sure that communicating your enthusiasm for something you've read means

that you will inevitably 17 have a greater appreciation 18 of what you've read and

perhaps greater motivation to read more.

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Gary: Now, for every edition of The Reading Group, we’ve asked an author of

books for students and teachers of English Literature to share their thoughts on

the pains and pleasures presented by reading.

Gillian Lazar joins us today – she’s a Senior Lecturer at a British University and

an enthusiastic member of a book group herself! In her talk, she considers why

we read, and offers some suggestions on how to share our enjoyment with each

other.

Insert 3 – Gillian

Gillian: Every two months or so, in a London suburb, a group of women have a

meeting. They laugh a lot, talk excitedly and sometimes disagree quite strongly

with each other. Every few days a 12-year old boy goes on the internet and

writes a story about the character from his favourite（特别喜欢的） children’s novel. Within a

few days, other children, all over the world, have read his chapter on the

internet.

Both the 12-year old and the group of women have something in common –

they all enjoy reading books, and they want to share this pleasure and delight

with other people. The women are part of a reading group; the boy is making

use of a fan fiction（小说） website that encourages people to write stories about their

favourite fictional 19 characters.

It’s often been said that reading a book is like having a conversation. And it

seems that many people want to continue that conversation once they have read

the book. Reading groups are one way of doing so. Typically, a reading group

consists of six to twelve members who meet regularly to discuss a book they’ve

all read. Reading groups take place in private homes, in libraries, in chatrooms

on the internet. Reading groups read contemporary novels or the classics. And

reading groups may even specialise in science fiction or romance, haiku or the

crime novels of Dick Francis.

So why such enthusiasm for reading? A lot of reading we do is for information

– to find out the times of a train, to discover what’s on a menu. But we also

read because it satisfies our need for a good story. We try to make sense of our

world by reading stories about it. In the past, reading was often a more social

activity than it is today – those who could read, read aloud to those who could

not, and everybody shared the stories… Stories which gave insights into the

mysterious complexities 20 of human experience.

So perhaps that’s why reading groups are so popular today. They enable people

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to share stories, and to see how other people’s responses to a story differ from

their own. And from this sharing of stories, people form common bonds of

friendship and community.

Gary: Gillian Lazar, thank you. Next time, we’ll be finding out how to be a good

“book detective”!

ANNOUNCER:

And that brings us to the end of today's programme. If you'd like to share your reading

experiences, you can join our BBC Learning English group on Facebook. We'll have topics on

the Discussion board linked to the subjects covered in The Reading Group programmes. So,

until next time, happy reading!(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

 

点击收听单词发音  






1
transcript

  
 


n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书


参考例句：





A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。












2
billboard

  
 


n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌


参考例句：





He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。












3
looming

  
 


n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近


参考例句：





The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望












4
sonorous

  
 


adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇


参考例句：





The sonorous voice of the speaker echoed round the room.那位演讲人洪亮的声音在室内回荡。
He has a deep sonorous voice.他的声音深沉而洪亮。












5
enjoyment

  
 


n.乐趣；享有；享用


参考例句：





Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。












6
secondly

  
 


adv.第二，其次


参考例句：





Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。












7
dealing

  
 


n.经商方法，待人态度


参考例句：





This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。












8
harry

  
 


vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼


参考例句：





Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。












9
isolation

  
 


n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离


参考例句：





The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。












10
unfamiliar

  
 


adj.陌生的，不熟悉的


参考例句：





I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。












11
enthusiasts

  
 


n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )


参考例句：





A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册












12
devoted

  
 


adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的


参考例句：





He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。












13
frankly

  
 


adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说


参考例句：





To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。












14
decided

  
 


adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的


参考例句：





This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。












15
peculiarities

  
 


n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪


参考例句：





the cultural peculiarities of the English 英国人的文化特点
He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another. 他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。












16
solitary

  
 


adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士


参考例句：





I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。












17
inevitably

  
 


adv.不可避免地；必然发生地


参考例句：





In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。












18
appreciation

  
 


n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨


参考例句：





I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。












19
fictional

  
 


adj.小说的，虚构的


参考例句：





The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。












20
complexities

  
 


复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物


参考例句：





The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。