Reference no: EM133321497

Did you know that some people don't do their reading assignments? It's shocking, but it's true. Some students don't even read short texts that they are assigned in class. There are many reasons for this. They may be distracted or bored. They may be unwilling to focus. They may be unconfident readers. Whatever the reason, it has to stop today. There are 5 many benefits to be derived from reading. Reading stimulates your mind. Research consistently demonstrates that attention deficits have a deleterious effect on academic achievement if the brain is not stimulated. Impairments in attention, and not hyperactivity/impulsivity, are associated with learning difficulties and academic problems in students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity 10 disorder (ADHD). Many neurologists have commented that in studying the brain, the act of reading helps to prevent some of these reading disorders. Accordingly, it is believed that reading is like a workout for your brain. Doctors have stated that when people get old, their muscles begin to deteriorate. They get weaker and their strength leaves them. Exercise can prevent this loss. The same thing happens to people's brains when they get 15 older. Brain power and speed decline with age. Reading strengthens your brain and prevents these declines. You can benefit from reading in the near term too because reading provides knowledge. Knowledge is power. Therefore, reading can make you a more powerful person. You can learn to do new things by reading. Do you want to make video games? Do you want to 20 design clothing? Reading can teach you all this and more. But you have to get good at reading, and the only way to get good at something is to practice. This means clearing 2 your mind from what may distract you. Whatever position that suits you, you can curl up and read your book. Then you will be able to enjoy all the joys that come from reading because now your imagination is alive, you feel comfortable as you gain knowledge. 25 Read everything that you can at school, regardless of whether you find it interesting. Reading expands your vocabulary. Even a "boring" text can teach you new words. Having a larger vocabulary will help you better express yourself. You will be able to speak, write, and think more intelligently. What's boring about that? It is even more difficult to be part of a discussion when you are limited in your words. People want to 30 know they can engage with others who possess some knowledge of basic words so that conversations are meaningful. This is what reading does. Consequently, once there is the ability to read what is in front of you, new words will emerge and you will be able to use these words to make interesting and dynamic statements. Do not just discount a text because it is unfamiliar to you. Each time you read, you are 35 exposed to new ideas and perspectives. As a result, reading can change the way that you understand the world. It can give you a broader perspective on things. It can make you worldlier. You can learn how people live in faraway places. You can learn about cultures different from your own. Moreover, many sociologists as well as anthropologists (people who study the way of life of other people) will argue that reading about different cultures 40 can expand the way you think about others. This is achieved primarily by immersing yourself in a book and feeling it become alive, showcasing the cultures of unknown people. Reading is good for your state of mind. It has a calming effect. It can lower your stress levels and help you relax. Patients in some hospitals are given magazines to read to calm 45 their minds before doing an operation or to see the doctor. They can escape from their troubles for a moment when they read, and it's a positive escape. Overall, these patients get to feel calmer and less stressed about whatever their conditions are that brought them to the hospital in the first place. Such is the power of a written material! 3 The benefits of reading far outweigh those of acting in ignorance. So do yourself a favor: 50 the next time you get a reading assignment, take as much as you can from it. Squeeze it for every drop of knowledge that it contains. Then move on to the next one. The next time you are feeling bored, take a book and stimulate your mind, give yourself the escape from the ordinary to the extra-ordinary.

Questions

1. (a) What is the intention of the writer? (b) Give one example of evidence from the passage to support your view.

2. Who would you say is the writer's intended audience?

3. State whether the passage is artistic or technical/scientific prose. Give TWO pieces of evidence from the passage to support your response.

4. (a) What is the primary type of writing used by the writer? (1 mark) (b) State two features of this type of writing in the passage to support your response.

5. What is the purpose of the extract?