A DYING ART Read a book? There must be something better to do. This phrase is heard more and more frequently (16)______not only the desire but also the incentive to read declines. Young people nowadays are provided (17)______ too many alternatives (18)______ reading for them to find a justification for actually sitting down and opening a book, let (19)______ curling up in a chair for the afternoon to enjoy a good long read for the pure pleasure of it. Even in schools, where books have been the standard (20)______ of storing and transmitting all types of knowledge for centuries, they are (21)______ KSCL Đội tuyển HSG 12 Cụm Yên Thành 6 supplanted by the tools of the video and computer revolution. (22)______bother to turn a page when by tapping a button or touching a screen the (23)______ information can be flashed before your eyes within seconds? Even the act of reading (24)______ is revolutionised by the advent of portable walkman-like devices which (25)______ store and display the texts (26)______ innumerable books without the reader (27)______ to turn a page. One wonders (28)______ future generations will ever know the actual, physical pleasures of reading: the sturdy weight of the book itself, the rough (29)______ smooth texture of the paper, the soothing rustle of the pages, and the indescribable scent of old paper and ink which is much (30)______ a perfume to the dedicated reader.