The Kite Runner

I can understand a review of a novel.

BOOK REVIEW

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini's first novel, The Kite Runner, is a powerful story of friendship, betrayal and suffering. It is set in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in the seventies, then a relatively liberal and open-minded city. ¹ _____

Although the novel describes dramatic political events, it is Amir's close friendship with Hassan, the son of his father's servant, which catches our attention. Hassan serves his friend breakfast every morning and then stays to clean the house while Amir is driven to school. Hassan does not resent his friend's much more comfortable life and he is a loyal companion. However, Amir betrays him, an act that will make Amir feel guilty even when he and his father have escaped to America and left Hassan and the war behind. ² _____ It is a journey that takes him back to his home country and forces him to face the suffering that the people he left behind have to live with.

Hosseini describes Afghanistan in a way that brings the country to life, and his writing style is always clear and easy to follow. The story moves along at a fast pace and takes us on an incredibly exciting journey from the joy and happiness of the boys' youth to the anxiety and fear of the war. ³ _____Hosseini has demonstrated great skill in managing to take such a complicated theme and produce a novel that readers all over the world find hard to put down.

The Kite Runner is a dramatic novel that is full of action and emotion and that, despite the war that erupts and destroys people's lives, offers hope. ⁴ _____Much of the story is set in a country that has suffered greatly, but the ending suggests that there might be a better future both for the characters and for Afghanistan. One can only hope that this is the case.

1 Read the review. Which three writing skills (a-e) does the reviewer say Hosseini has?

(Đọc bài đánh giá. Người đánh giá cho rằng Hosseini có ba kỹ năng viết (a-e) nào?)

a He writes good dialogues between the characters.

b He provides good descriptions.

c He uses a wide range of vocabulary.

d He is able to explain a difficult topic to readers.

e The story moves along at a good speed.

Reading Strategy

• When you do a gapped sentences task, first read the text quickly to find out what it is about.

• Then read the text more carefully and think about what information is missing in each gap.

• Look at the parts of the text before and after each gap to find words or information that link it to one of the missing sentences.

• Pay attention to vocabulary and grammar structures, which may also provide ideas. Check that the remaining sentence doesn't match any of the gaps.

Tạm dịch

Chiến lược đọc

• Khi bạn làm bài tập về các câu có chỗ trống, trước tiên hãy đọc nhanh văn bản để tìm hiểu xem nội dung đó nói về điều gì.

• Sau đó đọc bài viết cẩn thận hơn và suy nghĩ xem thông tin nào còn thiếu ở mỗi chỗ trống.

• Nhìn vào các phần của văn bản trước và sau mỗi chỗ trống để tìm từ hoặc thông tin liên kết nó với một trong những câu còn thiếu.

• Chú ý đến cấu trúc từ vựng và ngữ pháp vì chúng cũng có thể cung cấp ý tưởng. Kiểm tra xem câu còn lại không khớp với bất kỳ khoảng trống nào.

2 Read the Reading Strategy. Then read the text again. Match sentences (A-E) with gaps (1-4). There is one extra sentence.

(Đọc Chiến lược đọc. Sau đó đọc lại văn bản. Nối câu (A-E) với khoảng trống (1-4). Có một câu bị thừa.)

A The Kite Runner then becomes a story of Amir's journey in search of a way to make up for what he did.

B The fighting seems to go on forever, but there is a feeling at the end that good will defeat evil eventually.

C We follow the development of the boys' close relationship, but it is shattered by completely different events.

D The story not only provides Western readers with an insight into a culture and a country, but it is also a lesson in how to write a bestseller.

E As well as portraying the close relationship between two boys, Amir and Hassan, it describes the last peaceful days of Afghanistan, before revolution and war would destroy the country.