17._READING_BOOKS

- the old man taught the boy to fish and he loved him and looked after him

- but they had bad luck for forty days and caught no fish -> Manolin’s parents told the boy to go to another boat

- the old man set out at the sea alone

- finally, after a terrible struggle, he hooked a giant marlin and made it fast to the boat

- soon the first sharks appeared and attacked the fish -> Santiago killed many of them but by the time he

reached his homeport, there was nothing left of the fish but its skeleton

- Santiago was exhausted and his hands were bleeding but he was happy because he didn’t give up his fight

- this novel ends with words: “A man can be destroyed but not defeated”

- the fight of the old man with the fish and sharks symbolizes the never-ending struggle of a man with nature

- though defeated in reality, Santiago wins morally because he went on fighting

* CZECH WRITERS

- Karel Čapek is known for introducing the word “robot” in his play R.U.R.

- Milan Kundera reached international fame with his novels The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Immortality

- Jaroslav Seifert was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

- Jan Amos Komenský was an important educational theorist and reformer in the 17th century. He is considered the

father of modern education.

* A SHORT SUMMARY OF A BOOK

Of Mice and Men

The book Of Mice and Men is written by John Steinbeck and it is the best book which I have ever read.

I couldn’t resist and I was burning the midnight oil last weekend.

The main characters are George and Lennie. George is an intelligent man taking care of Lennie and Lennie is a bulky, strong man but mentally disabled. They ran away from their last job on a ranch and find a new job on another ranch, because they want to save enough money to buy their own ranch. After some time Lennie accidentally kills a woman and therefore her husband wants to kill his. But George doesn’t want to Lenny suffer and shut him first.

I think this book is worth reading because it is thrilling, moving and one realizes how a friendship is important for life. Although it has a dramatic ending, I recommend this book to everyone.

PHRASES

- I have read a lot of books in my life. I’m a book worm.

- When I was younger, I used to burn the midnight oil and my parents were furious.

- I prefer modern authors to classic.

- I enjoy exciting, thrilling, moving, stories.

- I think that a good book holds your attention from the beginning to the end.

- I can’t stand depressive, slow-moving stories with a complicated plot. I often leave such a book halfway through.

- I don’t like books that are tedious and too much descriptive.

- Romances don’t appeal to me at all. I suppose they are unreal and naive. It’s absolute trash.

- The books is written by.... It ranks among his best and widely read.

- The story is set in the late seventies in Madrid.

- The main character is......

- I liked the book for many reasons:

- The story is gripping, action-packed, with surprising turn at the end.