Books fi rst appeared 2.000 years ago. Books were
written by hand, so no two books were exactly the
same. Books were big, heavy and expensive and
many people couldn't read them. The fi rst revolution
was Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in
1440. Printing presses could print thousands of books
quickly. By 1500 there had been 20 million books in
Europe and millions of people learnt to read. Today, 99% of Europeans can read.
The second revolution was more recent. Publishers started to use computers to
produce books about twenty years ago. Traditional presses started to disappear and
people began to produce books electronically. People also started to read newspapers
and magazines online and some people thought that paper books would disappear
one day. Now the digital revolution is here. E-book readers have arrived and personal
webpages and blogs have also become more popular. Do you know that 31% people
between the ages fourteen and twenty one have got their own blog or webpage?
"Print on demand" is another part of the digital revolution. Soon you'll be able to
choose a book from a selection of millions in any bookshop.A machine will print
your book while you wait in the shop!
Make a text “Digital Revolution” editing additions and using
sources.
I think reading ____ .
For me reading is a way to ____ .
Reading books in everyday life helps me ______
______ to understand diff erent people and culture.
My favourite genres are ____ .
This week I've been reading____ .
I would recommend ____ because ____ .