Love of Reading
One day, I was talking about books with two teachers, one Indian and the other Chinese.
"What books did you read as a teenager?" the Indian teacher asked me.
"My English proficiency was quite poor then," answered I, "I read a lot of Chinese novels. I would only read English novels when I was in the mood. My favourite was the Famous Five Series".
"I also read The Famous Five Series. I was the fan of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys too. But I read them in Primary Four to Six. When I was a secondary school student, I graduated to reading classics," said the Indian lady.
"Me too," echoed the Chinese teacher, " My strong foundations in both English and Chinese stood me in good stead. I read the classics of both languages when I was a teenager."
"How impressive!" I could not help praising them.
"Have you ever read classics?" asked the Chinese teacher.
"Yes, but only recently" was my reply.
"My goodness," the Indian teacher gasped, " I read so many classics during my youth that I don't wish to see any single copy now!"
"You've missed too much, Lo," said the Chinese teacher.
Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "I don't find it too late. Reading books like Jane Eyre and Passage to India gives me aesthetic enjoyment."
"I read Jane Eyre when I was thirteen," said the Indian teacher, shaking her head.
"I read Passage to India when I was fifteen," said the Chinese teacher, her voice tinged with pride.
"Did your parents encourage you to read English books?" asked the Indian teacher.
"They did. They always took me to the library to borrow books." I replied.
"My parents were both professionals. They made sure I wrote a book report on any book I had read," said the Chinese teacher.
"My parents asked me to talk about my feelings after reading a book," said the Indian lady.
"My parents would be happy if I could finish reading a book. They never thought of asking me to write a book report. They were only simple-minded hawkers."
"My parents were different. They were concerned about my language development," said the Chinese teacher.
"My parents took my reading hobby seriously. It was no child's play to them," said the Indian teacher.
"How fast does it take you to finish a book?" I asked the two ladies.
"One to three days, depending on what book I read."
"Two to four days, I read almost everyday."
"What about you, Lo?" asked the Chinese teacher.
"I am a slow reader, and it takes me one to four weeks to finish a book."
"I can't believe it!" blurted the Chinese teacher.
" My fourteen year old son could have easily beaten you with his reading speed!" said the Indian teacher.
"What makes you so slow in reading?" asked the Chinese teacher.
"I look up difficult words in my dictionary and copy interesting words and phrases" I answered.
The Chinese teacher tsk-tsked her tongue and said, " I think you are not used to reading books. The way you read deprives you of reading pleasure."
The Indian teacher nodded in agreement and said, " The more you read, the faster your reading speed becomes."
I said, "I am too used to my reading habit, and I find nothing wrong with it. Can you remember most of the new words you've picked up?"
The Chinese teacher smiled and said, "I can remember every single word I've learnt. My mind is like a photo-copying machine."
"Copying new words is a waste of time," said the Indian teacher, "My mind is conditioned to remembering as many words as possible from my disciplined reading."
"You ladies are simply amazing!" I looked at them wide-eyed.
"What books did you read as a teenager?" the Indian teacher asked me.
"My English proficiency was quite poor then," answered I, "I read a lot of Chinese novels. I would only read English novels when I was in the mood. My favourite was the Famous Five Series".
"I also read The Famous Five Series. I was the fan of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys too. But I read them in Primary Four to Six. When I was a secondary school student, I graduated to reading classics," said the Indian lady.
"Me too," echoed the Chinese teacher, " My strong foundations in both English and Chinese stood me in good stead. I read the classics of both languages when I was a teenager."
"How impressive!" I could not help praising them.
"Have you ever read classics?" asked the Chinese teacher.
"Yes, but only recently" was my reply.
"My goodness," the Indian teacher gasped, " I read so many classics during my youth that I don't wish to see any single copy now!"
"You've missed too much, Lo," said the Chinese teacher.
Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "I don't find it too late. Reading books like Jane Eyre and Passage to India gives me aesthetic enjoyment."
"I read Jane Eyre when I was thirteen," said the Indian teacher, shaking her head.
"I read Passage to India when I was fifteen," said the Chinese teacher, her voice tinged with pride.
"Did your parents encourage you to read English books?" asked the Indian teacher.
"They did. They always took me to the library to borrow books." I replied.
"My parents were both professionals. They made sure I wrote a book report on any book I had read," said the Chinese teacher.
"My parents asked me to talk about my feelings after reading a book," said the Indian lady.
"My parents would be happy if I could finish reading a book. They never thought of asking me to write a book report. They were only simple-minded hawkers."
"My parents were different. They were concerned about my language development," said the Chinese teacher.
"My parents took my reading hobby seriously. It was no child's play to them," said the Indian teacher.
"How fast does it take you to finish a book?" I asked the two ladies.
"One to three days, depending on what book I read."
"Two to four days, I read almost everyday."
"What about you, Lo?" asked the Chinese teacher.
"I am a slow reader, and it takes me one to four weeks to finish a book."
"I can't believe it!" blurted the Chinese teacher.
" My fourteen year old son could have easily beaten you with his reading speed!" said the Indian teacher.
"What makes you so slow in reading?" asked the Chinese teacher.
"I look up difficult words in my dictionary and copy interesting words and phrases" I answered.
The Chinese teacher tsk-tsked her tongue and said, " I think you are not used to reading books. The way you read deprives you of reading pleasure."
The Indian teacher nodded in agreement and said, " The more you read, the faster your reading speed becomes."
I said, "I am too used to my reading habit, and I find nothing wrong with it. Can you remember most of the new words you've picked up?"
The Chinese teacher smiled and said, "I can remember every single word I've learnt. My mind is like a photo-copying machine."
"Copying new words is a waste of time," said the Indian teacher, "My mind is conditioned to remembering as many words as possible from my disciplined reading."
"You ladies are simply amazing!" I looked at them wide-eyed.
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