Busy Parents

  Read both texts, and then answer Question 1 on the question paper.   Text A: Who are the real experts?   This passage explores the idea of expertise.   Last week, I needed to book lunch in a city that I didn’t know well, and began searching for a   suitable restaurant. Years ago, I’d have done that by turning to a restaurant guide or travel book.   In the world I grew up in, it was normal to seek advice from the ‘experts’. Nowadays, it wouldn’t   occur to me to do that. Instead, I typed what I needed into my phone, scrolled through long lists   of online restaurant recommendations from people who said they’d eaten in them – and picked 5 one. Risky, yes: estimates suggest 20 per cent of comments posted on review websites are fake, ...

  Read Text A , and then answer Questions 1(a)–1(e) on the question paper.   Text A: Paper is back: why ‘real’ books are on the rebound   Digital books (also called e-books) are electronic versions of books designed to be read on a tablet or screen (e-reader).   The latest numbers for book sales are reported to be surprising and encouraging. For the first time since the invasion of their newest enemies, e-books and e-readers, real books are fighting back.   The result of the battle looks more like co-existence than conquest. For now.   Publishers, tracking what readers are buying, found the number of paper books sold 5 went up 2.4 per cent last year, in all types of bookstores. At the same time, e-books   have hit a plateau.   Apparently, print books are selling better than they have since sales of e-books exploded ...