LEAD IN: In pairs, discuss the questions below:

1. What type of texts do you normally read?

2. Do you prefer printed documents or electronic? Why?
3. Are printed books/press in danger of extinction in the face of e
publishing?
The book is dead. Long
live books.
!e" !ar#is
$onday !une %& 2''(. )he
*uardian
We need to kill the book to sa#e
books. +o, relax. -.m not
suggesting burning books& nor
replacing them ,ith electronic
gi/mos in some paperless future
of fable and fantasy. -nstead& -.m
merely arguing that the book is
an outdated means of
communicating information. And
thanks to the searchable&
connected internet& books could
be much more.
0et ,e pro#e to undermine
e"orts to update the book
because& culturally& ,e gi#e
extreme re#erence to the form
for the form.s sake. We hold
books holy1 children are taught
there is no better use of time
than reading a book. Academics
perish if they do not publish. We
tolerate censors regulating
tele#ision but ,ould ne#er allo,
them to censor books. We e#en
ignore the undeniable truth that
too many books& and far too
many bestsellers& are pap or
crap. All this might seem to be
the medium.s greatest
ad#antage1 respect. 2ut that is
,hat is holding books back from
the progress that could sa#e
and spread the gospel of the
,ritten ,ord.
When - ,rote this on my blog&
defenders of the printed faith
came after me ,ith pitchforks
and cries of& 34hilistine56 After
7ournalist 8e#in 8elly ad#ocated
for the digital future of books in
a recent edition of +e, 0ork
)imes& !ohn 9pdike took to the
stage at the 2ook:xpo
conference to criticise him.
34retty nai#e stu"&6 9pdike
moaned& 3thro,ing us back to
the le#el of preliterate
societies.6 ;r holding us back in
a predigital society.
)oday& any medium that de<nes
itself by its medium is in trouble1
ne,spapers& broadcasting and
books must be #alued for their
substance o#er their shape. -s a
book bound paper? ;r is it the
ideas and information ,ithin? -f
there are better ,ays to share
kno,ledge& ,hy should it su"er
the limitations of the printed
page?
2ooks are fro/en in time& yet in
digital form& they can li#e in
ne#erending editions. =hort of
footnotes and bibliographies&
books ha#e little connection to
related sources and debates>
online& the simple link sol#es
that. ?ear 2en @ershbo, of the
-nstitute for the Auture of the
2ook1 34arts of books ,ill
reference parts of other books.
2ooks ,ill be ,o#en together
out of components in remote
databases and ser#ers.6 And
8e#in 8elly1 3-n the ne, ,orld of
books& e#ery bit informs
another> e#ery page reads all
the other pages.6
)here are also too fe, books.
)rade publisher 2o,ker reports
that in the 98& more ne, book
titles ,ere published last year
than in the 9= 2'B&''' #
1C2&'''. -n print& books rely on
scarce shelf space& gatekeeping
agents and editors& and
expensi#e production. 2ut
online& ,riters could reach the
mass. And <nally& unless you are
4lato or =hakespeare& your book
,ill #anish ,hen there is no
space left for it. 4rint is ,here
,ords go to die. )here are other
problems to consider1 copyright
la, is built for an old ,orld. ?o,
can ,riting be supported in a
postscarcity information
economy& ,here there is no
shortage of ,ords? What social
and technical barriers ,ill there
be in getting authors and
readers access to tools and
connecti#ity? Abo#e all& there
are cultural issues. We ha#e to
get o#er the idea that lecture
media is al,ays superior to
dialogue. We ha#e to mo#e past
our one,ay culture. While ,e
,orship the book ,ith its
present limitations& ,e cannot
rein#ent it. )he book is dead.
Dong li#e books.

I. ead the te!t and choose the correct answer:
1. Which statement best summarises the main idea of
the text?
aE 4rinted books are no longer read in presentday
postindustrial societies.
bE )he future of books lies on digital formats gi#en
their greater capacity to share and expand
kno,ledge.
cE $ost printed books are lo,Fuality ,orks.
2. -n the ,riter.s opinion& ,hat is keeping printed
books ali#e is
aE culture.s ,orship of the printed format o#er the
content of books
bE readers. reluctance to use ne, technologies
cE society.s stress on authorship
3. Defenders of the printed faith stand against the
digital future of books
aE because they fear the expansion of illiteracy in a
purely digital society.
bE because they ignore the limitations of the printed
page.
cE because they ,ant to hold readers back in a pre
digital society.
G. )he author.s ideal of a future ,orld of books is a
,orld
aE ,ith free and unlimited access to books
bE in ,hich books are connected and rein#ented by
online links
cE ,ithout libraries full of dead books
%. According to the ,riter copyright la, is built for an
old ,orld because
aE it pre#ents the expensi#e production of books
bE it fa#ours a dialogue bet,een ,riters and readers
cE it pri#ileges authorship and lecturing o#er
readership and dialogue.
II. "ind words and e!pressions in the te!t that
#ean the $ollowing:
1. ;ldfashioned& not current or belonging to the
present time HHHHHHHHHH...
2. to make something become gradually ,eaker or
less e"ecti#e HHHHHHHHHH...
3. )o examine cultural products and remo#e ,hat is
considered ob7ectionable HHHHHHH.
G. DiIcult or impossible to negate& irrefutable
HHHHHHHHHH...
%. Do,Fuality& foolish material Jinformal languageE
HHHHHHHHHH...
B. )o extend& enlarge
HHHHHHHHHH...
C. Komplained& lamented
HHHHHHHHHHH
L. )o be connected and combined into a uni<ed ,hole
HHHHHHHHHH...
(. )o disappear lea#ing no trace
HHHHHHHHHHH
1'. )o sho, de#otion or re#erent lo#e
HHHHHHHHHHH
%&'LE (LA)) DE*ATE
+',- A1 0ou.re the manager of a printing house and
a strong defender of printed books and press. )hink of
as many ad#antages as you can in reading& buying
and commerciali/ing printed materials and ,hy e
documents ,on.t make them obsolete
+',- *: 0ou.re the manager of an online site
speciali/ed in selling ebooks and readers. )hink of as
many ad#antages as you can in reading& buying and
commerciali/ing edocuments and ,hy they ,ill make
printed materials obsolete.
.E/:
I.
1 b> 2a> 3a> Gb> %c.
II.
1. outdated
2. undermine
3. censor
G. undeniable
%. crap
B. spread
C. moaned
L. be ,o#en together
(. #anish
1'. ,orship