Hay-on-Wye is a small town in Wales, just on the border with England. It’s surrounded by beautiful countryside. Today Hay is known as the ‘Town of books’. The man who created this identity for the town and set up the first bookshop there is Richard Booth. He opened his first second-hand bookshop in 1961. He bought a lot of books from abroad. He thought that if you sell books from many different countries, customers will come from many different countries – and he was right. Today there are more than thirty bookshops in Hay-on-Wye.
Richard Booth received a lot of publicity in 1977. He announced that Hay was an independent nation and that he was the head of state. He said that his horse was the Prime Minister!
In the late 1970s Hay became the world’s first official Book Town and ten years later, in 1988, the first Hay Literary Festival was held. At first, it took place in different town buildings, including the primary school, but now it takes place just outside the town, because it’s too big! It’s very successful. Today about 80,000 visitors attend every year, and some of the best known literary figures give talks. In 2001 former American President Bill Clinton was the star speaker.
Read the text again and write sentences TRUE or FALSE – Прочитать текст снова и отметить ПРАВДА или ЛОЖЬ
1. There is a town called Hay-on-Wye in England.
2. Richard Booth opened a second-hand bookshop in Hay.
3. He exported books to many countries.
4. In 1977 he became the Culture Minister.
5. The Hay Literary Festival is usually held in a school.
6. A very famous politician spoke at the festival.
7. Nowadays less than eighty thousand visitors attend the Hay Literary Festival every year.
Правда или лож
2. Правда. Ричард Буф открыл свою первую книжную лавку в Хей в 1961 году.
3. Правда. Он закупал много книг из-за рубежа.
4. Ложь. В 1977 году Ричард Буф объявил, что Хей является независимой нацией, а он сам стал ее главой государства.
5. Ложь. В начале фестиваль проходил в разных зданиях города, включая начальную школу, но теперь он проводится за пределами города.
6. Правда. На фестивале выступают известные литературные фигуры, включая известных политиков. Например, бывший президент США Билл Клинтон выступал на фестивале в 2001 году.
7. Ложь. Сегодня примерно 80 000 посетителей посещают Hay Literary Festival каждый год.