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The birth of a nation

     The most memorable writing in eighteenth-century America was done by the founding fathers, the men who led the American Revolution of 1775-1783 and wrote the constitution of 1989. But none of them were writers of fiction. Rather, they were practical philosophers, and their most typical product was the political pamphlet. They shared the European Enlightenment belief that human reason could understand both nature and man. Unlike the Puritans – who saw man as a sinful failure – the Enlightenment men were sure man could improve himself. They wanted to create a happy society based on justice and freedom.

     The writings of Benjamin Franklin (1706 -1790) show the Enlightenment spirit in America at its best and most optimistic. His style is quite modern and, even today, his works are a joy to read. At the same time, there’s something “anti-literary” about Franklin. He had no liking for poetry and felt that writing should always have a practical purpose.

     Almanacs, containing much useful information for farmers and sailors (about the next year’s weather, sea tides, etc.), were a popular form of practical literature. Together with the Bible and the newspaper, they were the most-widely read and often the only reading matter in most Colonial households. Franklin made his Almanac interesting by creating the character “Little Richard”. Each new edition continued a simple but realist story about Richard, his wife and family. He also included many “sayings” about saving money and working hard. Some of those are known to most Americans today:

     Lost time is never found again.

     God helps those who help themselves.

     In 1757 Franklin collected together the best of his sayings and published The Way to Wealth. This little book became one of the best-sellers of the Western World and was translated into many languages.

(Peter High. Outline of American Literature . Essex, Longman. 1996. Adaptado)

Text 3:

Simple Steps to Improve Your English Reading Comprehension

1- Read the right books

If you dislike science fiction, you might not want to read a book about a man stuck on Mars. When you're choosing books (and other texts) to read, keep two things in mind:

1st. What you're interested in

2nd. Your reading level

Whenever you can, you should read things that you enjoy. You should also choose books that are at an English level just above the one you're most comfortable with. You want to challenge yourself just enough to learn new things, but not enough to get frustrated with your reading.

2. Ask yourself questions while reading and after reading

There's more to understanding a book than just reading the words!

There are a few things you can do before, during and after you read to help you better understand the text.

Before you read, browse the text. Take some time after you read too, to browse again and summarize what you remember. Try to quickly say or write a few sentences that describe what the text was all about.

Thinking about what you read will show you how much of it you really understood, and help you figure out if you still have questions.

Adapted from:

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/how-to-improve-englishreading/