Angolozóna

Picture talk: reading books

A szabadidő-eltöltés, azon belül is az olvasás az egyik slágertéma a szóbeli nyelvvizsgákon, így érdemes jól felkészülni belőle. Az alábbi képleíró mintafeladatból sok ötleteket lehet meríteni egy olvasási szokásokról szóló felelethez vagy esszéhez is.

In the picture I can see a woman reading a book in bed. I really like the cosy vibe of the photo. Well, I used to be a bookworm when I was younger, but now I can’t remember the last time I bought and read a whole book.

The way I see it, our reading habits have significantly changed since the appearance of the Internet. Books sales are down, home Internet usage is up. As for me, I have both a desktop computer and a tablet. To be honest, I‘m spending more and more time online. I keep abreast of current events on the Internet. I don’t buy newspapers anymore. I visit Hungarian news websites and read blogs instead. Also, I sometimes download digital books from free online repositories. I switched from paper to electronic books about a year ago. E-books are easy to store and carry. All in all, the Internet is now replacing public libraries.

Although I don’t have as much spare time as I used to, I still think reading is a great and beneficial pastime. It takes my mind off any problems I have and relaxes me. In addition to this, I can learn new words and thus enrich my vocabulary. My favourite genres are murder mysteries, sci-fi, and fantasy. Agatha Christie is my all-time favourite writer. I enjoy listening to audiobooks too, especially the Poirot stories in bed, at the end of a hard day.

(240 words)

At the end of your presentation the interlocutor might ask you some related questions.

Possible follow-up questions:

– Do you think traditional paper books will disappear one day?

I personally think it’s unlikely to happen, but there’s no knowing… If I had to make a prediction for the future, I would say e-books will grow in popularity. Film adaptations, on the other hand, will reach a larger audience than ever because reading is such a time-consuming activity, it’s hard to fit into our busy schedule.

– And what’s your favourite book-to-film adaptation?

Hm, let me think… I can recommend The Hunger Games, which was based on a dystopian novel written by Suzanne Collins. In my opinion this series is one of the best book-to-film adaptations ever made. It was a box office hit and critical success a few years ago. I don’t have the books, but I often rewatch the trilogy, Katniss Everdeen (played by Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence) is my favourite fictional character ever.

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