So many books - which one should we read?
Many of us love to read books and we know that reading has many benefits. So much so, that UNESCO has declared 8 September to be World Literacy Day.
In this week's programme we hear about 'literacy heroes' who have encouraged more people to enjoy reading.
Rob and Finn also discuss how reading has helped people in prison.
This week's question:
The world's longest book is in French and is by Marcel Proust. Translated into English, it's called 'Remembrance of Things Past'. Do you know approximately how many words it contains? Is it:
a) 267,000
b) 1,267,000
c) 10,267,000
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Listen
Literacy heroes
End of Section
Vocabulary
- literacy
the ability to read and write
- bookworm
person who likes to read books and spends a lot of time doing it
- inspires
gives someone the encouragement or enthusiasm to do something
- authors
people who write books
- capture your imagination
interests or fascinates you
- fiction
books and stories about imaginary events and people
- novelist
someone who writes novels (or long fictional stories)
- dyslexia
a medical condition affecting the brain that makes it difficult for someone to read and spell words correctly
- librarian
person who works in a library
- characters
people in a story in a book or film
- moral compass
a feeling someone gets that makes them decide what is right or wrong
- motivation
(here) reason for doing something
