BBC 6分钟英语 我们读书是为了炫耀吗

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BBC, learning English.

Hello, and welcome to Six Minute English.

I'm Neil, and I'm Alice. Oh, sorry, wait a minute, neil, I'm just finishing this book.

OK, last page. Nearly there. Ah,

fantastic book. Well, I'm glad you enjoy that.

I'm glad you finished your book there.

Alice, we are talking about books in today s program.

What was it your reading there?

Oh no, never mind. Meal. It's not your kind of book.

You wouldn't like it. Oh, how do you know?

Well, I just think you might read something a little more intellectual.

Oh, I see. Well, we are talking about the kind of books people read and what they say about them today.

Yes, perhaps you read the works of a famous writer, the Classics, charles Dickens, shakespeare, and people will think you are an intellectual.

You can show off by reading these books the Classics.

Or perhaps you read popular novels or romantic fiction, a light, easy read when you go on holiday, maybe to the beach.

What kind of books do you read?

And what do you read when you're going to work?

Hmm, we're going to hear part of a BBC interview with David Adshead from the Commuter Book Club.

A commuter travels to work by bus train, or here in London, the Tube, a train that goes all over the city, mostly underground.

And alice, as usual, we have a quiz question Are you ready?

Oh yes, absolutely. OK, so it's about classic books sales.

So these days, are people buying A more classic books, B the same number of classic books, or see fewer classic books than they used to?

That's an interesting one, tricky to guess, but I'm going to say see fewer classic books.

OK, well, let's find out the answer at the end of the program.

But now, here is David ad's head from The Commuter Club.

What kind of book does he say people usually take with them to the beach?

People often think that, you know, um, traditionally you take a light, easy read for the beach, and on the train, you maybe read something very different, if only to show off exactly, to appear to others, to be more intellectual.

Actually, what we find is that it really comes down to the individual what they like to read.

And actually we've seen this summer, a lot of the book cells of some reads is generally sort of lighter books, easier to get on with, to take away on holiday.

But the big retailers are seen a shift, actually.

People move in sort of slightly higher brow, taken away more classic books, cells in that way of increase.

David adds Head from the Commuter Book Club there.

He says that people usually traditionally take a light, easy read to the beach or on the train.

Yes, he says, these books are easier to get on with.

David says that it really comes down to the individual.

Each person is different. But he says that there has been a shift, a change in what people read.

Yes, he says that the shops that sell books, that's the retailers say the books people are buying are more highbrow the classics, as we were talking about, absolutely highbrow books are read by intellectuals.

Or perhaps the people who read these books are just showing off.

Yes, maybe they are. Well, I wonder if these people have read any books by Fiona Harper.

She writes romantic novels that stories about love, light reading, not highbrow.

She was also at this interview about the commuter book club.

Now, do commuters read her romantic novels on the Tube?

Well, here is novelist Fiona Harper talking about how she writes her romantic novels.

She wants people to not stop reading her stories once they start.

She wants them to be hooked.

I think what when it comes down to most of the time, is you just want to write a really good story, because if you write a good story, then hopefully people are hooked.

They'll keep turning the pages. And do you think, do you wonder whether they're reading them on holiday?

I mean, presumably they're more likely to read your stuff on holiday than when they're sitting on the tube being looked at by lots of other people.

I don't know. Possibly, although, with the advent of e readers, you can eat anything you like, and no one knows, or on your phone, no one knows what you're eating.

That's an important point. That's the author Fiona Harper talking about her romantic novels.

So do commuters read her books on the Tube?

Well, perhaps you don't want others to see you reading that stuff.

It can be a bit embarrassing.

It shouldn't be. But Fiona says you can also use an e reader, an e reader that's an electronic book instead of pages you read off a screen.

Well, if you use an e reader or tablet, no one knows what you're reading.

So perhaps they're reading a romantic novel.

No one knows. OK, let's take a moment to look at some of today's words Alice.

Here they are intellectual show off

the classic romantic fiction. Light reed, heavy, reed.

retailers, highbrow, shift, hooked, advent e reader.

And before we go,

the answer to today's quiz question I asked about classic books Are people these days buying A, more classic books?

B the same number of classic books, or C fewer classic books than they used to?

Yes, and I said, see fewer classic books?

Well, I'm afraid to say, alice, that you're wrong.

I know they're reading more classic books.

Excellent sales in these books are apparen'tly increasing?

Well, that's good to hear. And as the end of today's six minute English, please do join us again soon and keep reading books in English, highbrow classics, or a light read.

It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all.

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