when the time for the next elections came, it was clear that the most important question would be slavery. there were four candidates, but a northerner called abraham lincoln won the election. in his inaugural address lincoln warned the southerners that they shouldn't destroy the union of the states, but they didn't listen. in february 1861 eleven southern states formed their own union, which was called the confederacy, but abraham lincoln wouldn't let them split up the country. and so the civil war began. the north (their army was called the union army) was actually more powerful than the south: as you remember, they had more men, and their factories produced weapons and supplied the northern army with everything it needed. but the confederacy had one big advantage: they didn't have to invade the north, they just had to protect their own land and homes. at that time a lot of people thought that it would be possible. so at first, the confederacy had more luck; their men were better trained and fought with more spirit. just as in the revolutionary war, americans from the south were once again fighting for their independence. the union soldiers were getting tired. after they lost some important battles, the anti-slavery idea wasn't enough to inspire them any more. the southerners felt that just one more big victory would be enough to win the war.
Books play a very important role in my life. I think that modern life is impossible without reading. The more I read, the more knowledge and experience I get. I can’t say that all books are useful. Some are boring and pointless.
I like both fiction and non-fiction books, but my favourite genre is detective stories. This includes Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot books. I started reading books when I was quite young, about 8 or 9 years old. My first books were fantasy stories and I really enjoyed them.
At the moment we have many books on school program and I get less time for reading my favourite ones. I can’t say that I don’t like classical literature. It is also quite good. I especially like Pushkin’s poems and Gogol’s short stories. Sometimes I also read various stories in English. If I see an unknown or new word, I check its meaning in a dictionary.
The last story I read was “A cup of tea” by Katherine Mansfield. The plot was really engaging and the style of writing too. I’d like to read more stories by this author.
There are many teenagers nowadays who don’t like reading. They prefer watching TV or playing computer games. In my opinion, they miss something important. Reading a good book awakes a lot of positive emotions. It is like travelling to another world.
Educational books are also useful. They help us to prepare for important exams or tests.
Summing up, I should say every person should read books because they make us more intelligent and wise.
