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ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES 19

1. THINKING ABOUT YOUR READING HABITS

2. PREVIEWING

&

PREDICTING

3. SCANNING

4. SKIMMING

5. REFERENCES

6. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN FACT AND OPINION

7. READING PASSAGE

8. PARAGRAPH READING

9. READING A POPULAR SCIENCE ARTICLE

10. APPRECIATING A LITERARY TEXT

11. READING A NEWSPAPER

12. NON-LINEAR TEXTS

13. READING AN ACADEMIC TEXT

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ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES20

THINKING ABOUT YOUR READING HABITS

Reading can help much more if you can read well. That means being able to read many different materials

and being able to understand them. How well you read depends a lot on your reading habits. Answer all of

the questions in the questionnaire below according to your own experience.

For each statement, circle Y(Yes) or N(No)

1. I always read every word of a passage. Y N

2. Reading aloud helps me improve my reading. Y N

3. When I read in English, I track with my finger along the line. Y N

4. I use different reading methods in my native language and in English. Y N

5. When I read in English, I understand more when I read slowly. Y N

6. If I dont know the meaning of a word in English, I always look it up in the

dictionary. Y N

7. To read well in English, I must be able to pronounce every word. Y N

8. I read books from cover to cover. Y N

9. I start reading before I have worked out what I need to know, or what I am

looking for. Y N

10. I keep checking back along the line, rereading what I have just read Y N

11. I read difficult sections before I have worked out the general gist Y N

Compare your answers with another student. Do you agree? Look at questions which you answered similarlyand questions answered differently, and then, discuss your reading habits.

READING FASTERHow can you improve your reading habit? Bill Cosby, a well-known black American comedian and TV starwrote an article that explains the ways to improve our ability to deal with new information effectively.

Before you read the article, discuss in groups how you can improve your reading speed.

How t o Read FasterBill Cosby

When I was a kid in Philadelphia, I must have read every comic book ever published. (There were

fewer of them than there are now.)I zipped through all of them in a couple of days, then reread the good ones until the next issues

arrived.Yes indeed, when I was a kid, the reading game was a snap.

But as I got older, my eyeballs must have slowed down or something! I mean, comic books startedto pile up faster than my brother Russell and I could read them!

It wasnt until much later, when I was getting my doctorate, I realized it wasnt my eyeballs that

were to blame. Thank goodness. Theyre still moving as well as ever. The problem is, theres too much toread these days, and too little time to read every word of it.

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Now, mind you, I still read comic books. In addition to contracts, novels, and newspapers.Screenplays, tax returns and correspondence. Even textbooks about how people read. And which techniques

help people read more in less time.Ill let you in on a little secret. There are hundreds of techniques you could learn to help you read

faster. But I know of 3 that are especially good. And if I can learn them, so can youand you can put them

to use immediately.They are commonsense, practical ways to get the meaning from printed words quickly and

efficiently. So youll have time to enjoyyour comic books, have a good laugh with Mark Twain or a goodcry with War and Peace. Ready?

Okay. The first two ways can help you get through tons of reading materialfastwithout readingevery word.

Theyll give you the overall meaningof what youre reading. And let you cut out an awful lot ofunnecessaryreading.

1. PreviewIf Its Long and Hard

Previewing is especially useful for getting a general idea of heavy reading like long magazine ornewspaper articles, business reports, and non-fiction books.

It can give you as much as half the comprehension in as little as one tenth the time. For example,

you should be able to preview eight or ten 100-page reports in an hour. After previewing, youll be able todecide which reports (or whichparts of which reports) are worth a closer look.

Heres how to preview: Read the entire first two paragraphs of whatever youve chosen. Next readonly the first sentenceof each successive paragraph. Then read the entire last two paragraphs.

Previewing doesnt give you all the details. But it does keep you from spending time on things youdont really wantor needto read.

Notice that the previewing gives you a quick, overall view of long, unfamiliarmaterial. For short,

light reading, theres a better technique.

2. SkimIf Its Short and Simple

Skimming is a good way to get a general idea of light readinglike popular magazines or thesports and entertainment sections of the paper.

You should be able to skim a weekly popular magazine or the second section of your daily paper inless than half the time it takes you to read it now.

Skimming is also a great way to review material youve read before. Heres how to skim: Think ofyour eyes as magnets. Force them to move fast. Sweep them across each and every line of type. Pick uponly a few key words in each line.

Everybody skims differently.

You and I may not pick up exactly the same words when we skim the same piece, but well bothget a pretty similar idea of what its all about.

To show you how it works, I circled the words I picked out when I skimmed the following story.Try it. It shouldnt take you more than 10 seconds.

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My brother Russell thinks monster live in bedroom closet at night. But I told

him he is crazy.

Go and check then, he said.

I didnt want to. Russell said I was chicken.

Am not, I said.

Are so, he said.

So I told him the monsters were going to eat him at midnight. He started to cry.

My Dad came in and told the monsters to beat it. Then he told us to go to sleep.

If I hear any more about monsters, he said, Ill spank you. We went to sleep fast. And

you know something? They never did come back.

Skimming can give you a very good ideaof this story in about half the wordsand in lessthan half

the time itd take to read every word.So far, youve seen that previewing and skimming can give you ageneral ideaabout contentfast.

But neither technique can promise more than 50 percent comprehension, because you arent reading all thewords.(Nobody gets something for nothing in the reading game.)To read faster and understand mostif not allof what you read, you need to know a third technique.

3. ClusterTo Increase Speed and Comprehension

Most of us learned to read by looking at each word in a sentenceone at a time. Like this:

MybrotherRussellthinksmonsters.

You probably still read this way sometimes, especially when the words are difficult. Or when thewords have an extra-special meaningas in a poem, a Shakespearean play, or a contract. And thats O.K.

But word-by-word reading is a rotten way to read faster. It actually cuts down on your speed.Clusteringtrains you to look at groupsof words instead of one at a timeto increase your speed

enormously. For most of us, clustering is a totally different way of seeing what we read.

Heres how to cluster:Train your eyes to see allthe words in clusters of up to 3 or 4 words at aglance.Heres how Id cluster the story we just skimmed

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My brother Russell thinks monster live in bedroom closet at night

But I told him he is crazy.

Go and check then, he said.

I didnt want to. Russell said I was chicken.

Am not, I said.

Are so, he said.

So I told him the monsters were going to eat him at midnight. He

started to cry. My dad came in and told the monsters to beat it. Then he told us to go to sleep.

If I hear any more about monsters, he said, Ill spank you. We went to sleep fast.

And you know something? They never did come back.

Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.Heres how to go about it. Pick something light to read. Read it as fast as you can. Concentrate on

seeing 3 to 4 words at once rather than one word at a time. Then reread the piece at your normal speed to seewhat you missed the first time.

Try a second piece. First cluster, then reread to see what you missed in this one. When you can readin clusters without missing much the first time, your speed has increased. Practice 15 minutes every day andyou might pick up the technique in a week or so. (But dont be disappointed if it takes longer. Clusteringeverythingtakes time and practice.)

So now you have 3 ways to help you read faster. Preview to cut down on unnecessary heavyreading. Skim to get a quick, general idea of light reading. And cluster to increase your speed andcomprehension.

With enough practice, youllbe able to handle morereading at school or workand at homeinless time. You should even have enough time to read your favourite comic booksand War and Peace!

Selecting the main Idea.

Exercise

Which of the following statements do you think best expresses the main idea of Bill Cosbys article? Why is itbetter than the other two?

1. Moving your eyes fast across each line will give you a general idea of the content of reading materialin much less time than it would take to read every word.

2. It is necessary to choose your method of reading according to the kind of material you have to readand the amount of comprehension you need.

3. You should preview long and heavy readings, skim simple ones, and read in groups or clusters whenyou have to understand most of the material quite well.

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Comprehension Questions

1. Is previewing a useful technique for all kinds of reading?2. How many 100-page reports should you be able to preview in an hour?3. Exactly how do you preview?

4. When is it better to skim than preview?5. How do you skim?6. Why is it better to skim rather than preview?7. How do you cluster?8. What do you think the author means by heavy reading and light reading? Can you give

examples of each of these?

You can tell a lot about a book from its cover, photographs or illustrations.

Exercise 1

Read the information from book covers given below and make some predictions about each book. Whichbook would you choose? Why? Tell a student next to you about your choice. Did you choose the same

book?

Book 1

Things Fall Apartby Chinua Achebe. This book was first published in England in 1958. it isthe authors first and most famous novel. A classic of modern African writing, it is the story ofa man whose life is dominated by fear and anger. It is a powerful and moving story that hasbeen compared with Greek tragedy. The writers style is uniquely and richly African. Subtlyand ironically, Achebe shows his awareness of the human qualities common to people

everywhere.Things Fall Apart is also a social document. It shows traditional life among the Ibo

people in a Nigerian village. The novel documents life before Christianity, and demonstrates

how the coming of white people led to the end of the old tribal ways.

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Exercise 2

Make predictions about what might be in the article based on the photograph below

Exercise 3

Find a book that you have not read. Use the previewing and predicting list below to find out all you canabout the book from its cover.

Title: Author:Type of book:........ Fiction ..........Non-fictionFront and back cover information

Based on your preview, what can you predict about this book?Would you like to read it? Why?

Book 2

This Rough Magicby Mary Stewart. This novel was on The New York Timesbest-seller listfor eight months, and the reviewer wrote that the tale is a magical concoction...warm andsunny for all its violence.

Stewart tells the story of a beguiling young actress, Lucy Waring, who visit Corfu fora holiday. With no warning, she stumbles into strange violence and is threatened with terror

and death.Other reviewers call this book romantic, suspenseful, delightful....rating A and a

olished and livel novel...luscious from start to finish.

Book 3

Black Cherry Bluesby James Lee Burke. Winner of the Edgar Award for best novel, this 1989detective story is full of low-lifes and rich crooks. Burke shows that serious literarycraftsmanship is compatible with the hard-boiled genre of the crime novel.

Burkes story leads his hero from Louisiana to Montana as he strives to escape a phonymurder charge, protect his little girl, and find a professional killer. Reviewers call this novel afine book, tough and vital.

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SCANNING

Efficient readers determine beforehand why they are reading a particular selection and they decide whichstrategies and skills they will use to achieve their goals.

To scanis to read quickly in order to locate specific information. Practice in scanning will help youlearn to skip over unimportant words so that you can read faster. The steps involved in scanning are thefollowing:

1. Decide exactly what information you are looking for, and think about the form it may take. Forexample, if you want to know when something happened, you would look for a date. If you want tofind out who did something, you would look for a name. You do not read every word, only thewords that answer your question.

2. Next, decide where you need to look to find the information you want. You probably would not lookfor sports scores on the front page of the newspaper, nor look under the letter Sfor the telephone

number of Sandra Wijaya.3. Move your eyes as quickly as possible down the page until you find the information you need. Read

it carefully.4. When you find what you need, do not read further.

The exercise below is designed to give you practise in scanning in everyday life.

ExerciseRead each question. Then scan the following television programs to locate the correct answer. Workquickly!

a. How many films are on? .......................................................................................................

b. Which film would you recommend to someone who likes westerns?

........................................................................................................................................................

c. If you like taking photographs, which programmes should you watch?

........................................................................................................................................................

d. Which music programs are on? Which channel?

........................................................................................................................................................

e. Are there any cartoons? .........................................................................................................

f. Is there a comedy program on between 9.00 and 10.00?

........................................................................................................................................................

g. How many times can you see the news?................................................................................

h. If you like gardening or cooking, which channel should you watch?

........................................................................................................................................................

i. What sort of programme is the Friday Alternative, Channel 4 at 7.30?

........................................................................................................................................................

j. Which channel ends first? Which channel ends last?

........................................................................................................................................................

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SKIMMING

It is sometimes useful to obtain a general impression of a book, article, or story before deciding whether or notto read more carefully. To skim is to read quickly in order to get a general idea of a passage. Unlike scanning,which involves searching for details or isolated facts, skimming requires you to note only information and

clues that provide an idea of the central theme or topic of a piece of prose.When you skim, it is necessary to read only selected sentences in order to get the main idea. You should

also use textual clues such as italicized or underlined words, headlines or subtitles, spacing, paragraphing, etc.Do not read every word or sentence.

Once you have a general idea about an article, you may decide to read the entire selection carefully, oronly to scan for specific pieces of information in order to answer questions that have occurred to you.

This exercise is designed to give you practice in skimming. The following partial entries from anencyclopedia are from biographies of famous people. Preceding each selection is a question concerning aresearch topic. You must skim each passage to decide if a careful reading would provide information on thetopic given. Indicate your answer by checking Yes or No.

The following are examples and exercises showing specific aims of skimming.

Aim I:Specific aim: To prepare students to skim by asking them whether a particular passage should be read

carefully.

Skills involved'. Skimming.Reading the passage in one minute to find out whether students are interested in thetopic.

Example: In one minute, skim this passage and indicate if the selection should be read carefully.

Would you do more research on Jane Addams if you were interested in women's contribution tomodern elementary education?

___Yes

___ No

ADDAMS, JANE (1860-1935), American social worker who founded the Chicago social welfare centerknown as Hull House. She was born in Cedarville, III, on Sep. 6, 1860, the daughter of a prosperousmerchant. She graduated from Rockford College (then Rockford Seminary) in 1881. Travelling in Europe,she was stirred by the social reform movement in England and especially by a visit to Toynbee Hall, the firstuniversity settlement. In 1889, with her college classmate Ellen Gates Starr, she founded Hull House in theslums of Chicago.

Hull House grew rapidly and soon became the most famous settlement house in America. Manyreformers came there, not so much to serve as to learn. Jane Addams was the leader and dominant

personality. Hull House pioneered in child labour reform and in the fight for better housing, parks, andplaygrounds. It initiated steps toward progressive education and attempts to acclimatize immigrants toAmerica.

Jane Addams was a practical idealist and an activist. She favoured prohibition and woman suffrage,and she campaigned for the Progressive party in 1912. She went beyond politics, however, for politics to her

was part of a larger movement to humanize the industrial city.She had always been a pacifist, and when World War I broke out in 1914, she became chairman of

the Womans Peace party and president of the International Congress of Women. In 1915 she visited many

countries in Europe, urging the end of the war through mediation. She remained a pacifist when the UnitedStates entered the war in 1917, and as she result she was denounced by many Americans. In 1931 she was

awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (sharing the award with Nicholas Murray Buttler).

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Jane Addams continued to be in the vanguard of social reform movements until her death inChicago on May 21, 1935. She wrote ten books (including her famous Twenty Years at Hull House) and

more than 400 articles. The influence that had begun at Hull House continued to spread around the world.

Explanation:

You should have checked No. The first sentence identifies Jane Addams as an American socialworker who founded the Chicago social welfare center known as Hull House. A brief glance at thesecond and fourth paragraphs indicates that she worked for child labour reform, that she was apacifist, and that she was chair of the Womens Peace party. Her publications, mentioned at the endof the article, do not deal with elementary education. Note that it is necessary to read only selectedparts of each paragraph in order to obtain the main idea.

Exercise 1 Would you read more about the Curies if you were interested in scientific contributions tomodern transportation?

_______ Yes

_______ No

CURIE, PIERRE (1859-1908), and MARIE (1867-1934). French scientists, whose isolation of polonium andradium marked the beginning of a new era in the study of atomic structure.

Pierre Curie was born in Paris on May 15, 1859, the son of a physician. Until the age of 14 he wastrained in science by his father, receiving only a minimum of the classical education that was standard in histime. He went to the Sorbonne at 16 and majored in physics. When he was only 19, he was appointed ateaching assistant and director of laboratory instruction at the Paris Faculty of Sciences.

Early Careers. In 1808, Pierre Curie and his brother Jacques discovered piezo-electricity, theappearance of electrical charges on the surface of certain insulating crystals when subjected to mechanicalstresses. About 1891, Pierre began an intense investigation of magnetism at elevated temperatures. This led

to the discovery of the Curie pointthe temperature at which ferromagnetic substances lose theirmagnetism. Further research, led to the formulation of Curies law, which states that the magnetic inverselyproportional to the absolute temperature. This law is not strictly true and was modified by Pierre Weiss in1907.

In 1895, Pierre married Marie Sklowdoska, a young student from Poland, who had begun her

scientific career with an investigation of the magnetic properties of different kinds of steel. In fact, it wastheir mutual interest in magnetism properties of different kinds of steel. In fact, it was their mutual interest in

magnetism that drew them together. Marie Sklowdoska was born in Warsaw on Nov. 7, 1867. She made abrilliant record as a student but found no outlet for her talents in her native country. She became a private

tutor and might have remained in that position had it not been for sister Bronislawa, who lived in Paris.Marie joined her sister in 1891 and studied mathematics, physics, and chemistry at the Sorbonne. Hermarriage to Pierre Curie thrust her into the mainstream of French science. Their scientific careers were toremain intertwined until Pierres tragic death.

Exercise 2 Would you want to read more about Mary Baker Eddy if you were interested in religiousleaders and writers?

_______ Yes

_______ No

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EDDY, MARY BAKER (1821-1910). The subject of sharp controversy in her own day, she is nowrecognized as a pioneer of modern spiritual healing, but her position as a Christian thinker is still variously

estimated. Mrs. Eddy herself urged that her life and her works be submitted to the New Testament test Bytheir fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:20), and any responsible estimate of her must be determined byones understanding of Christian Science.

Life, Mary Morse Baker, the daughter of a farmer, was born at Bow, near Concord, N.H., on July16, 1821. Because of her poor health her education was sporadic, but she received valuable mental stimulusand guidance from her elder brother Albert, a brilliant student at Dartmouth. Although deeply religious, shewas also independent and early took issue with her fathers strict Calvinism. Largely because of the sense ofNew Testament Christianity she imbibed from her mother, she found it impossible to accept the doctrine thatmost of the human race had been born to inevitable damnation. A sharp confrontation on this issue with theminister of the Congregational Church at Sanbornton Bridge (now Tilton), N.H., when she was 17, resultedsurprisingly in her being accepted into membership despite her doctrinal protest.

In 1866 her years of illness came to an abrupt climax when she was critically injured by a fall and

restored suddenly to health while reading in the Bible of one Jesus healings (Matthews 9: 1-8). This was thegenesis of Christian Science. The remainder of her long life was given to study, writing, healing, teaching,and finally to organizing and guiding the Church of Christ Scientist. In 1877 she married Asa Gilbert Eddy, a

practitioner of Christina Science healing. One of her last acts, when she was 87, was the founding of theinternational daily newspaper the Christian Science Monitor in 1980. She died in Chestnut Hill, Mass., onDec. 3, 1910, leaving behind her a church with nearly 100,000 members.

Thought.. During her years of invalidism Mrs. Eddys faith in orthodoxy medicine had waned andshe had sought relief through homeopathy, hydropathy, and other systems then popular. Gradually she cameto the conclusion that all disease was mental rather than physical. This was confirmed by her experience inthe early 1860s with a healer named Phineas P. Quimby, in Portland, Me.

Aim II

Specific aim : To prepare the students to skim by asking them to give titles to shortpassages.

Skills involved : Skimming.Identifying the main point or important information.

Why? : In itself, this exercise is not entirely an exercise in skimming since some of

the passages will have to be read carefully in order to choose an appropriatetitle. However, the students can be encouraged to do the exercise as quicklyas possible to see how quickly they can understand the gist of each article.Also, it is one way of drawing the students attention to the importance oftitles which are often sufficient to tell us whether or not the text is worth

reading from our point of view.

Exercise 3

Read the following articles as quickly as you can and decide which title is best suited to each of them.

SHERLOCK HOLMES would be proud of Dorothy Perryof Detroit, even though she tracked down a remarkably dimrobber. Losing her handbag in a mugging 40, she turnedup at the show a few days later with a policemanand sureenough, the mugger was sitting in her seat.

A Lucky Meeting

A Violence in Detroit

A Clever policeman

A Good Detective

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By our Science Correspondent

Hundreds of people made 999 calls to police stationsthroughout Britain early yesterday to report a fiery meteor.Many said they had seen a UFO.

P.C. John Forder, who was in a patrol car in the NewForest, reported a glowing light with a long orange tail.After a second or two, it seemed to explode ordisintegrate. It is thought to have fallen in the sea off theIsle of Wight.

About a million tons of meteoric rock and dust landon the earth each year. They are part of the primordialdebris from which the solar system was formed some 5,000million years ago.The Daily Telegraph

Explosion in New Forest

UFO seen over Britain

Hundreds call police aboutmeteor.

Catastrophe near the Isle ofWight.

A WEALTHY businessman is giving 500.000 to help

gifted children go to private schools.Multi-millionaire Mr. John James, 72, whose fatherwas a miner, is sharing the cash between five Bristolschools61 years after he won a scholarship to the citysMerchant Ventures Schools.

The money will provide places for able children

whose parents cannot afford the fees.Ironically, Mr. Jamess son Davidwho received

1,500,000 from his father in 1972wnt bankrupt threeweeks ago.

David, 35, blamed his failure on bad judgement,bad timing, combined with lack of business acumen.

Daily Express

Business man gives

million to pay for brightchildren.

A help to private schools.

An unfortunate son.

A gifted businessman

JESUIT priests have been invited back to China after 30years enforced exile, the orders Superior-General saidyesterday. Through the French embassy in Peking it offeredto reopen the former Jesuit Aurora University in Shanghaias a French-teaching medical school.

They said they would welcome back the formerprofessors, Father Pedro Arrupe said. The Jesuit would behappy to return, and wish to serve China as they used toduring the last 400 years.Reuter.

The Guardian

New Medical School in China

Jesuits to return to China.

Diplomatic Victory for

France

Educational changes inChina.

Aim III

Specific aim : To show the students where to look for the main information in thearticle.

Skills involved : Inference & Predicting.Why? : In order to be able to skim quickly and efficiently through a text, students

should know where to look for the main information. This exercise aimsat showing them the importance of the first and last paragraphs in anarticle and therefore to give them the means of reading a newspaper moreeasily and naturally, giving their whole attention only to what they arereally interested in.

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Exercise 4

Below, you will find the title and the first and last paragraphs of an article. Can you find out what the articleis about?

Travis Walton disappearsONLY WEEKS after NBC had screened a

programme on the hill case in 1975, the strangetale surfaced of Travis Walton, an Arizona

woodcutter who disappeared for five days inNovember 1975 after his colleagues claimed tohave seen him taken aboard a flying saucer. As

the Express recounted on February 24.The moral is that UFOlogists should

admit that there are two sides to even their beststories. And journalists should be more carefulabout trusting them.

The Sunday Times.

The article tells us that:

Travis Walton has never been foundagain.

Travis Walton probably left in a U.F.O.

There is no doubt that Travis Waltondisappeared in a flying saucer.

Travis Waltons friends probably killedhim.

Travis Walton and his friends probablylied, and he never really disappeared.

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References

Recognizing Pronoun Reference

Pronoun Reference within a sentence: Writers often use pronouns when they do not want to use the samenoun more than one time in a sentence. Here are some of the pronouns:

Personal PronounsOther Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive

1st

S I me my mine this, that, these, thosesome, others

all, most, many, a fewfew, none

P We us our ours

2nd

S You you your yours

P You you your yours

3rd

S

He him his his

She her her hers

It it its its

P They them their theirs

A pronoun always refers to anoun. Sometimes the pronoun takes the place of the noun.

Examples:

1. John told Marsha he wanted to talk to her. (he refers to John; her refers to Marsha.)

2. People go to libraries when theyneed information. (they refers to people.)

Sometimes the pronoun refers to part of the noun, or it shows that something belongs to the noun.

Examples:

1. Somestudents study in the library, and othersstudy in theirrooms. (some, others, and their referto student. Some students = one group of students, others= a different group of students, and theirrooms = the students rooms.)

2. John has hisfriends and Marsha has hers.(his refers to John, and hers refers to Marsha. Hisfriends = Johns friends, and hers= Marshas friends.)

Exercise 1

Here are some sentences with pronouns. Read the sentences and circle the letter of the correct answer toeach question about the pronouns. The first one is done for you.

When social scientists study families, theyfind that they have different shapes and sizes.

1. The first theyrefers to ________________

a. social scientists c. shapesb. families d. sizes

2. The second theyrefers to ______________

a. social scientist c. shapesb. families d. sizes

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When most people think of libraries, they think of books

3. In this sentence, they refers to__________

a. most people b. libraries c. books

There are as many different library services as there are types of people who use them.

4. themrefers to _____________

a. there b. library services c. people

No matter whether it is young or old, large or small, traditional or modern, every family has a sense of whata family is.

5. itrefers to ____________

a. young or old c. senseb. large or small d. family

Music lovers can listen to recordings of theirfavorite musicians in the Music Library.

6. theirfavorite musicians means the favorite musicians of ____________

a. music lovers b. recordings c. the Music Library

Because they are all related, the members of an extended family are called relatives.

7. they refers to _____________________

a. extended familiesb. the members of an extended familyc. people

Some families have long histories, while others know very little about theirancestors.

8. othersrefers to ____________________

a. families b. histories c. ancestors

9. their refers to __________________

a. some families b. long histories c. other families

Successful language learners find people who speak the language and theyask these people to correct themwhen theymake mistakes.

10. the first theyrefers to ______________

a. successful language learnersb. people who speak the languagec. mistakes

11. the second theyrefers to ____________


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12. themrefers to ____________________


Pronoun Reference between Sentences: Sometimes writers use a pronoun in one sentence to refer to a nounin a different sentence.

Examples:

1. More and more libraries are offering special services for their patrons. These include entertainmentfacilities, community activities, and facilities for blind readers. (These refers to special services.)

2. Some people think of a family as a mother, a father, and their children. Othersinclude grandparents,uncles, aunts, and cousins. (Others refers to people. Others= other people)

Writers also often use the pronouns you, your, yours or we, us, our, ours to refer to the reader.

Examples:

1. Perhapsyour language learning has been less than successful. Thenyoumight do well to try some ofthese techniques. (your and you refer to the reader.)

2. Most of usknow what a family is. However, wecan learn more about families from social scientists.(us and we refer to the reader and the writer.)

Exercise 2

In these paragraphs, the pronouns are underlined and there is a space above or below each pronoun. Readthe paragraph and find the noun to which each pronoun refers. Write the noun in the space above or belowthe pronoun. The first two are done for you.

1. Learning a language is easy. Even a child can do it. Most adults who are learning a secondlanguage would disagree with this statement. For them learning a language is a very difficult task.They need hundreds of hours of study and practice, and even this will not guarantee success forevery adult learner.

2. In this chapter, we will discuss some of the ways in which people form family groups. It will alsoinclude some information on the ways in which they have changed over the years.

( learning a language )

( most adults

( )( )

( )

( _____ _ ) ( ____ )

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3. Your local library is a good source of information and entertainment. Most libraries have nonfiction

collections of books about many different subjects, and their fiction collections are a good source ofenjoyable reading practice. Many of them sponsor lectures on topics of interest to the community,and some offer concerts and films.

Exercise 3

Read the passage below and then choose the one best answer to each question.

5

A relatively new feature of radio broadcasts in the United States isthe call-in therapy shows, in which callers get the opportunity to air

problems, however intimate, while the hosts offer them free, andimmediate, advice. Theystarted, like so many other self-help psychology

ideas, in California in the early 1970s, but now they have spread to manyother parts of the country and enjoy considerable popularity. This

phenomenon certainly does not please all psychologists and the showshave become a matter of some concern to theirprofessional association,the APA.

10

15

Present APA guidelines merely prohibit psychologists fromdiagnosing problems, or from offering psychotherapy on the radio, while

the earlier oneshad prohibited all giving of advice outside the traditionaltherapist-patient relationship. This prohibition fails to satisfy manypsychologists. Some consider all giving of psychological advice over theradio totally unacceptable, but there are others who believe there should beeven more of it.

20

The former are typified by a Hastings Center psychiatrist, whodescribes the activity as disgusting. On one occasion, he backed up hisview by walking out of a radio program when the host insisted heanswer

listeners calls. But radio therapy hosts, who are mostly attractive,youngish and qualified women, are fully capable of backing up theirs, and

do so charmingly and effectively, as might be expected from professionalscombining psychological expertise with entertainment know-how.

1. them (line 3) refers to:a. problems c. callersb. call-in therapy shows d. hosts

2. they(line 4) refers to:a. problems c. callersb. call-in therapy shows d. hosts

3. this phenomenon(line 7) refers to the fact that:a. the shows started in Californiab. callers air intimate problems

( ) ( )

( ____ )

( ____ )

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c. the shows started in the earlyd. the shows enjoy considerable popularity

4. their (line 8) refers to:a. therapy shows

b. self-help psychology ideasc. the hostsd. psychologists

5. ones(line 12) refers to:a. APA guidelines c. problemsb. psychologists d. the show

6. this prohibition(line 13) refers to the fact:a. that no advice be given outside the traditional therapist-patient relationshipb. that psychologists do not diagnose problems or offer psychotherapy on the radioc. that not all psychologists are pleased

d. that it is a matter of some concern to the APA

7. it(line 16) refers to:a. this prohibitionb. the traditional therapist-patient relationshipc. giving of psychological advice over the radiod. psychological advice

8. the former(line 17) refers to:a. psychologists who object to call-in therapy showsb. psychologists who advocate more advice-giving over the radioc. the APAs present prohibitionsd. dispensing psychological advice

9. he(line 19) refers to:a. a Hastings Center psychiatristb. the hostc. a listenerd. the former

10. theirs(line 21) refers to:a. activity c. listenersb. radio-therapy programs d. views.

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FACT AND OPINION

Critical readers are careful to distinguish betweenstatements of factandstatement of opinion. Theydont want to unthinkingly accept or treat an authors opinion as if it were an unchallenged and unquestionedstatement of fact. If they are going to share another persons point of view, they want it to be conscious

decision on their part. However, that means they need a clear idea of how facts and opinions differ.Explaining that difference is the primary goal of our discussion.

Distinguishing between fact and opinion

Statements offactprovide information about people, places, events, and ideas. However, they do notreveal the authors personal perspective or point of view on the information discussed. The followingsentences are all statements of fact:

American Samoa consists of seven islands in the South Pacific. In 1961, Trans World Airlines was the first commercial airline to introduce in-flight movies. The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled onBrownv. The Board of Education. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.

Look up facts like these in different places and youll discover the same information. Established factsusually dont vary with place or person. For example, if you check Martin Luther Kings date of birth in NewYork or San Francisco, with a local librarian at home or a history teacher in Fairbanks, Alaska, the date will

remain the same: January 15, 1529.However, facts do occasionally change over time as new discoveries or methods of experimentation

come to light. This is especially true in science, history, and medicine, fields in which informationconsidered factual is often based on existing levels of knowledge and methods of experimentation. As theyundergo changes, so can the facts associated with them.

For example, it was once considered a fact that the sun revolved around the earth. But in thesixteenth century, a Polish astronomer named Nicolaus Copernicus used the laws of planetary motion to

challenge that fact. Copernicus proved that, in fact, the earth revolved around the sun.Generally speaking, however, facts are fairly fixed of information. They can be verified through

research andprovedaccurate or inaccurate, true or false.In contrast, statement of opinionreflect the authors perspective on the subject discussed. Shaped by

an authors personal experience, training, and background, opinion on the same subject can change fromgroup to group or place to place. For an illustration, ask a group of teenagers how they feel about high schooldress code. Then ask their parents. Dont be surprised if you uncover a marked difference of opinion.

Unlike facts, opinions cannot be verifiedor checked with outside sources. They are too subjective,too personal to be checked in reference books or historical records. The following are all statements ofopinion.

Madonna is an artist of extraordinary talent. Although John F. Kennedy gets most of the credit, it was Lyndon Johnson who truly advanced the

cause of civil rights. Killing animals for sport is wrong. Christopher Columbus is a hero to all school children. This country needs better gun control laws.

Because opinions do reflect an individuals personal responses to people, events, and ideas, you cannot provethem true or false, accurate or inaccurate, right or wrong. (This is not to say, however, that opinions cannotbe judged or evaluated in any way.)

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Exercise 1

Mark each statement Ffor fact or Ofor opinion.

1. The first commercially printed Christmas cards were produced in London in 1843._______2. All this uproar about animal rights is nonsense. Animals dont have rights. ______3. The word amenappears 13 times in the Old Testament; it appears 119 times in the New Testament.

________

4. Food tastes better when you are hungry. ________5. Children should be seen and not heard. ________6. The President of the United States is elected for four years. ________7. Blue and red are a pleasing color combination. ________8. Abortion is wrong. _______9. Rich people are more intelligent than poor people. ________

10. Smoking cigarettes is harmful to your health. ________11. Some people live to be over one hundred years old. _______12. Life is difficult. _______13. More people live in Chicago, Illinois, than in Akron, Ohio. _______14. People in Mexico speak Spanish. _______15. Math is an easier subject to learn than biology. ________

Statements of fact:

can be checked for accuracy or correctness.

can be proved true or false. are not affected by the writers background or training.

employ more denotative than connotative language.

rely on measurements, dates, and statistics.

Statements of opinion:

cannot be checked for accuracy or correctness.

Cannot be proved true or false.

Are shaped by the writers background or training.

Rely more on connotative than on denotative language.

Use verbs and adverbs that suggest doubt: seems, appears,probably, arguably.

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The Language of Fact and Opinion

Authors concerned primarily with statements of fact are likely to rely on denotati ve language.Denotative language is objective or impersonal. It reveals very little about an authors personal opinions,beliefs, or attitudes, and it generally evokes relatively little emotional response in readers. The following is astatement of fact: even fifteen-year-old boys stood at the bus stop.Note that the denotative language does

not, in any way, judge or evaluate the event described.Connotative language, in contrast, is more subjective or personal. It does help reveal how an author

feels about the topic under discussion. It also tends to elicit or provoke an emotional response in readers. Thefollowing statement of opinion relies heavily on connotative language: Without question, Pete Rose, withhis never-say-die determination and powerful will to win, was one of the bestplayers in baseball history.Note how the underlined words portray the baseball player Pete Rose in a positive light and encouragereaders to admire him as much as the author seems to.

Blending Fact and Opinion

Recognizing whether an author employs connotative or denotative language will certainly help youdistinguish between facts and opinions. Just as important, it will help you recognize instances in which thetwo blend together. Take, for example, the following sentence; would you label itfactor opinion?

At least thirty-eight states have sensibly decided to give terminally ill patients the right torefuse medical treatment.

At first glance, the example appears to be a statement of fact. It might take a little research, but youcould certainly check its accuracy and prove it to be accurate or inaccurate. But what about the word

sensibly? It carries positive connotations or associations. After all, most people would prefer to believe they

are behaving sensibly, or with good judgment. With that one word, then, the author suggests her ownapproval of the decision and encourages readers to do the same.Critical readers, however, would think twice before they made that opinion their own. They would

be careful not to let connotative language lure them into unthinkingly accepting someone elses opinions.Critical readers are conscious of the way an authors choice of words can implicitly interpret or evaluateevents. They know full well that the same set of facts can convey different messages, depending on thelanguage an author uses.

Remember the previous statement about the fifteen-year-old boy at the bus stop? Look now at how

the message of that statement changes with the choice of words.

1. A mob ofshifty-lookingteenage wise guys loiteredat the bus stop.2. A lively group ofgood-natured, high-spirited teenagers waited at the bus stop.

In the first sentence, the italicized words carry negative connotation. Reading that sentence, youmight think trouble could erupt at any moment. However, thats probably not your response to the secondsentence. In this sentence, the italicized words carry positive connotations. They suggest youthful gaietyrather than mischief.

Critical reading would probably be a lot simpler if authors kept statements of fact and statements ofopinion neatly separated. But its just not possible. Statement of fact and statement of opinion often blendtogether. In response, critical readers are alert to the way connotative language can introduce an opinion intowhat appears to be a simple statement of fact.

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Exercise 2

In the following sentences, decide whether the italicized words have a positive (P), negative (N), or neutral(O) connotation.

1. He was obsessedby the memory of his dead wife. His house had become a shrine to her memory.

_______________

2. She enjoyed flaunting her newly-found-wealth, and everything she wore screamed money.

______________

3. Even from a distance, she could recognize hissturdy, muscular form. __________

4. The campgrounds were empty of visitors. ________________

5. The cuddlylittle kitten had brought life back into the house. __________

6. The way shegobbled her food destroyed his romantic mood. _________________

7. Every time the professor made a joke, the studentguffawed his approval. _______

8. In his usualploddingmanner, he explained every minute detail of the procedure. ___________

9. Every time she made a mistake, he wouldsmirk at her. _______________

10.The boy lay on the table. __________

Exercise 3

The following pairs of sentence contain italicized words that similar definitions. Decide whether theconnotations of words are similar as their definitions. Then, in the blanks that follow your choice,explain how the connotations are similar or different.

1. (a) Her husbands childishbehavior had annoyed her for years, but this was the first time she hadconsidered divorce.

(b) Sophisticated and worldly in the city, his face took on a childlike look when he was in thecountry.

The connotation of these words are [ ] similar [ ] different.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. (a) For hours, the ravenshad been sitting on the fence; even when it got dark they were still there.(b) The robinsspent their days hopping around the garden gobbling the seeds she had just planted.


__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

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3. (a) Wearing a red, sleeveless tee shirt and white shorts, he displayed his muscle-packedbody.

(b) His body was so muscle-boundhe walked with a stiff and jerky gait.


__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. (a) With a flirtatious look in her eyes, shesippedher martini, watching him over the rim of the glass.

(b) Even while heguzzledhis beer, he never took his eyes off her.


__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5. (a) At the age of eighty, she could still walktwo miles a day without feeling short of breath.

(b) Perhaps as many as ten times a day, the old farmerploddedback and forth from the house to thefield.


__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Exercise 4

Read each of the following sentences carefully. Then label them F for fact, O for opinion, or B if thesentence blends both, as it does in the following example.

Example: An extraordinary and imaginary film, Steven Spielbergs E.T. earned several million dollars

in the first weekend of its American debut. ____B____Explanation: This statement blends fact with opinion. Exactly how much the movie earned in its firstweekend can easily be checked. Thats a fact. But just how extraordinary or imaginative thefilm was is a matter of personal opinion.

Do the rest of the exercise in the same manner.

1. The Supreme Court should reintroduce prayer into the schools. __________

2. Within ten years, computers are going to replace teachers. __________

3. From full moon to full moon, the lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. _________

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4. Sylvester Stallone has made millions of dollars on Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, andRocky IV. Next,hell makeRocky V, and it too will be a smash hit. ________

5. The battle of the Alamo, where frontier hero Davy Crockett died, took place on February 23, 1836._______

6. I think soap operas are pure junk. ________

7. Measles has an incubation period of seven to fourteen days. ___________

8. Diet pills called starch blockers were recalled by the Food and Drug Administration for furthertesting; that probably means they were a health hazard. _______

9. We live in a terrible and violent world. ________

10. The local color movement in American literature began after the Civil War and continued right upuntil the turn of the century. ________

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Paragraph Reading

Topic and Main Idea

In contrast to the topic, which refers to the subject under discussion, the main idea of a passage is thethought that is present from the beginning to the end. In a well-written paragraph, most of the sentences

support, describe, or explain the main idea. It is sometimes stated in the first or last sentence of theparagraph. Sometimes the main idea is only implied. Being able to determine the main idea of a passage isone of the most useful reading skills you can develop.

In order to determine the topic of a piece of writing, you should ask what subject the authordiscusses. Meanwhile, the main idea can be found by asking what point aboutthat subject the author makesand what idea is common to most of the text.. What opinion do all the parts support? What idea do they allexplain or describe. In these exercises, you will practice finding the topic and the main idea of a paragraph.

I. Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions about the topics and main ideas of theparagraphs.

1. Do you want to know more about your family history? Maybe a genealogist can help you. Agenealogist is specially trained to find information about family histories from many differentsources. Some of this information comes from old records, such as birth certificates, marriagecertificates, and death certificates. Often the genealogist finds information in old newspapers, taxrecords, or immigration records. It may even be necessary to visit distant towns and villages tocollect information from the people who live there. Once the information is complete, thegenealogist writes a genealogy which describes the familys history.

What is the topic of this paragraph?a. families c. information about family historiesb. genealogists d. writing a genealogy

2. The government of India encourages married men and women to be sterilized so they cannot have

more children. In China, families can be punished for having more than one child. Both of thesecountries have very large populations, and if the number of people continues to increase, there willnot be enough food, houses, or jobs for the people. As a result, India, China and other populouscountries are following a family-planning policythey want families to limit the number of childrenthey will have. Teachers, doctors, and social workers are explaining to the people why they shouldhave fewer children by using birth control methods such as contraception and sterilization.

What is the topic of this paragraph?a. India and China c. The government of India and Chinab. Sterilization d. Family planning

3. Before the introduction of the computer search, library research was a long and tedious task. Now,instead of spending long hours looking through the card catalogue and periodical indexes for books

and articles on your subject, you can have a computer do the looking for you. All you need to do isgive your subject to the computer. This is not as easy as it sounds, however, because you must know

exactly what your subject is, searches its memory for books and articles about your subject. It takesless than a second for the computer to complete its search. Finally, it prints a bibliographya list ofthe authors and titles of the books and articles it has foundfor your subject.

What is the topic of this paragraph?a. library research c. bibliographiesb. computer research d. looking for books and articles

What is the main idea of this paragraph?a. Library research is a long and tedious task.b. A bibliography is a list of authors and titles of books and articles.

c. A computer can find books and articles for youd. A computer search can save time in library research.

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II. Rearrange the following sentences to make a paragraph. First decide which of the following sentencesis the topic sentence of the paragraph and write TS on the line next to that sentence. Next decide whatorder the supporting sentences should be in and number them 1, 2, 3, and 4.

9. _____________ a. Later on, people began to write on pieces of leather, which

were rolled into scrolls._____________ b. In the earliest times, people carved or painted messages on

rocks.

_____________ c. In the Middle Ages, heavy paper called parchment was used forwriting; books were laboriously copied by hand.

_____________ d. With the invention of the printing press in the middle of thefifteenth century, the modern printing industry was born.

_____________ e. Some form of written communication has been used throughoutthe centuries.

10. _____________ a. For one thing, individual I.Q. scores vary considerably.

_____________ b. Many experts also question whether I.Q. scores are related tointelligence.

_____________ c. Furthermore, most psychologist agree that intelligence tests arebiased in favor of middle-class children.

_____________ d. The validity of standardized intelligence tests is being seriouslyquestioned by educators and psychologists.

_____________ e. In fact, motivation seems to be just as important as intelligencein determining a persons ability to learn.

11. _____________ a. Furthermore, researches are continuing to work on the

development of an efficient, electrically powered automobile.

_____________ b. Researchers in the automobile industry are experimenting withdifferent types of engines and fuels as alternatives to theconventional gasoline engines.

_____________ c. One new type of engine, which burns diesel oil instead ofgasoline, has been available for several years.

_____________ d. Finally, several automobile manufacturers are experimentingwith methanol, which is a mixture of gasoline and methylalcohol, as an automobile fuel.

_____________ e. A second type is the gas turbine engine, which can use fuelsmade from gasoline, diesel oil, kerosene, other petroleumdistillates, or methanol.

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Paragraph Reading

Main Idea

Being able to understand the main idea of a passage is a very useful reading skill to develop. It is a skill youcan apply to any kind of reading. For example, when you read for enjoyment or for general information, it isprobably not important to remember all the details of a passage. Instead you want to quickly discover thegeneral messagethe main idea of the passage. For other kinds of reading, such as reading textbooks, youneed both to determine the main ideas and to understand how they are developed. The main idea of a passageis the thought that is in the passage from the beginning to the end. In a well-written paragraph, most of thesentences support, describe, or explain the main idea. It is sometimes stated in the first or last sentence of theparagraph. Sometimes the main idea must be inferred as it is not stated. Determine the main idea of a pieceof writing, you should ask yourself what idea is common to most of the text. What is the idea that connects

the parts to the whole? What opinion do all the parts support? What idea do they all explain or describe?

III. Read the following paragraphs quickly to discover the main idea. After you read each paragraph,

circle the letter next to the sentence that best expresses the main idea.

1. A process is a natural series of actions and reactions that leads to specific results. All of usparticipate in a variety of processes every day. We digest our food, heal ourselves by making new

skin cells, distributing resources through our bodies by breathing, and use our five senses. Naturalprocesses go on all around us as well. Plants produce their own food through photosynthesis, stormsbuild and move, volcanoes erupt, and fertilized eggs maturethe list seems endless.

a. We all take part in many processes everyday.b. Natural processes that go on around us include photosynthesis.c. A series of actions and reactions leading to certain results is called a process.d. Natural processes take place within our bodies.

2. If you ask most people to explain why they like someone when they first meet, theyll tell you itsbecause of the persons personality, intelligence, or sense of humour. But theyre probably wrong.The characteristic that most impresses people when meeting for the first time is physical appearance.Although it may seem unfair, attractive people are frequently preferred over less attractive ones.

a. Judging people by their appearance is unfair.b. Physical appearance is more important to what we think of others than we believe it is.c. Personality, intelligence, and sense of humour are important in deciding whether you like

someone or not.d. Most people deceive themselves.

3. All communication is a two-way process involving a speaker or writer and listeners or readers (theaudience). In written communication, because the audience is not present, it is easy to ignore.However, the kind of audience you write for determined what you write and how your write. In

describing the World Series baseball championship to a British reader, you would have to includedefinitions, explanations, and fats that a reader in the United States would not need. Similarly, if you

write about cricket (a British sport) for an audience in the United States, you would need to include alot of basic information. If you wrote about the international banking system for bankers, yourlanguage and information would be more technical than in a paper written for readers who dontknow much about the subject. A discussion of acid rain written for an audience of environmentalistswould be quite different from one written for factory owners.

a. Communication is a process that involves speakers and writers.b. British readers would need special information to understand an article on the World Series.

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c. Listeners and readers are called the audience.d. It is important to consider your audience when you write.

4. A trade union is an organization which represents employees in negotiations with employers. Itorganizes through its branches at places of work, and at regional and national levels. It seeks toimprove the wages, conditions of service, and other interests of workers, whether they are membersof the union or not. It negotiates with managements, and occasionally at national level withgovernments. It encourages all employees to join, since it is only by effective collective action that a

trade union can succeed in its objectives.

a. A trade union organises collective action at local, regional and national levels.b. A trade union does not improve wages and conditions of service for non-members.c. A trade union attempts to advance the interests of employees by collective organization and

action.d. A trade union negotiates with management and sometimes with governments.

5. What is money? This is a question which many people have difficulty in answering. Money hastaken many forms throughout history, but the main characteristic of money has always been itsacceptability. Everyone must accept it as a medium of exchange, otherwise it cannot function asmoney. There are other characteristics which money must satisfy, particularly notes and coins.Portability is one. You must be able to carry it easily. Durability is another. It must last a long time,and this is why metals have been and still are the most convenient materials for money. Today wehave more advanced and sophisticated forms of money which are included in the definitions of themoney supply. Modern forms of money include credit cars and cheques. More and more institutions,even quite small ones like restaurants and garages, accept cheques and credit cards, and so thesehave become popular modern forms of money.

a. Money must be durable and portable, and this is why metals are the most universal andpopular material used as money, which makes it acceptable.

b. Money has had many forms and needs to be portable and durable, but today money is anymeans of payment which is acceptable to everyone.

c. Cheques and credit cards are modern forms of money, and are increasingly acceptable,whereas they were unknown in the past.

d. Notes, cheques and credit cards have become more important than metal coins as forms ofmoney, since they are more portable, durable and acceptable.

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SQ3R - A READING/STUDY SYSTEM

SURVEY - gather the information necessary to focus and formulate goals.

1. Read the title - help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand.2. Read the introduction and/or summary - orient yourself to how this chapter fits the author's purposes,

and focus on the author's statement of most important points.3. Notice each boldface heading and subheading - organize your mind before you begin to read - build

a structure for the thoughts and details to come.4. Notice any graphics - charts, maps, diagrams, etc. are there to make a point - don't miss them.5. Notice reading aids - italics, bold face print, chapter objective, end-of -chapter questions are all

included to help you sort, comprehend, and remember.

QUESTION - help your mind engage and concentrate.

One section at a time, turn the boldface heading into as many questions as you think will be answered in thatsection. The better the questions, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add furtherquestions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engagedin learning.

READ - fill in the information around the mental structures you've been building.

Read each section (one at a time) with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and noticeif you need to make up some new questions.

RECITE - retrain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads.

After each section - stop, recall your questions, and see if you can answer them from memory.If not, look back again (as often as necessary) but don't go on to the next section until you canrecite.

REVIEW - refine your mental organization and begin building memory.

Once you've finished the entire chapter using the preceding steps, go back over all the questionsfrom all the headings. See if you can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh yourmemory, then continue.

REMEMBER: THE INFORMATION YOU GAIN FROM READING ISIMPORTANT. IF YOU JUST "DO IT" WITHOUT LEARNING SOMETHING,

YOU'RE WASTING A LOT OF TIME. TRAIN YOUR MIND TO LEARN!!!

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RECOGNIZING ORGANIZATION OF A PASSAGE

DIRECTIONS: Read along silently while this passage is read aloud by your instructor or by your

partner. If there are words you do not know, underline each and add them to your vocabulary file. If

you have no difficulty understanding spoken English, try to complete the partial outline following

the passage as you hear it read.

Use of Academic Ski ll s

A [1]All students studying in a college or university need to develop several skills to be

able to do satisfactory academic work. [2]The acquisition of these skills, called academic or

study skills, will enable students to learn more, to learn more easily, and to do the work of

other courses more successfully.

B [1]What are such skills? [2]First, students must be able to take notes in classroom

lectures. [3]This, of course, requires a high level of listening comprehension. [4]For students

doing their college study in a non-native language, understanding lectures may be verydifficult because they do not know all the vocabulary the lecturer uses. [5]Also, recognizing

the main ideas and points in the lecture may be difficult. [6]Still, it is necessary to develop

the skill of differentiating the important ideas from the supporting details because it is

possible to write only the main points and the major supporting facts while the lecture is

speaking.[7]Thus, students have to decide what to put in their written notes at the same time

they are listening. No wonder taking notes in lectures is difficult!

C [1]Another skill college students need is the ability to take notes on assigned readings

in textbooks. [2]Taking such notes is usually easier for students to do than taking notes in

lectures because it is possible to read over the information several times. [3](Unfortunately, it

is usually not possible to hear a class lecture again.) [4]However, the skill of recognizing

important and less important facts and ideas, and their relationship, when taking notes ontextbook assignments is the same ability needed for taking notes in lectures. [5]As part of

acquiring this skill, learning to use the formal outline pattern is important.

D [1]Finally, students need to learn to correlate the information given in class with their

out-of-class reading and homework assignments. [2]When students learn to do this, then they

can use all the information presented in class and in outside assignments to participate

actively in classroom work, to write satisfactory papers, and to do well in examinations.

Recognizing Organization: Outline of the Reading Passage

The following outline of the Reading Passage reduces the information contained in the four

paragraphs to three questions (A, B, C) with short phrase answers. The outline format makes it easyto see the relationships among the ideas and to remember them later. Considering information and

recognizing how ideas are related are two important reasons for using outlines.

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Complete the outline with short phrases.

Use of Academic Skills

Outline of the Reading Text

Fill in the blanks of the following outline:

Topic:Need for university-level students to develop study or academic skills.

A. Study or academic skills are developed to.

1.

2.

3.

B. Academic skills are:

1. Taking notes in lectures, which involves:

2. , which involves:

a. Recognizing main ideas or supporting ideas and lesser or supporting facts.

b.

c.

3) Correlating information given in class with outside reading.

C. The results of acquiring academic skills are:

1.

2.

3.

The partial outline of the Reading Passage in this unit shows only how main ideas relate to the

general topic and how each main idea is developed. Some students prefer to use this simplified

format when analyzing an essay.

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READING A POPULAR SCIENCE ARTICLE

TEXT I

PRE-READING DISCUSSION What are the objectives ofRecycling?

What do people usually recycle? Why?

Mention ways/methods of recycling that you know and discuss those with your friend.

1 By 2000, half the recoverable material in Britains dustbin will be recycled that, at least, was thetarget set last November by Chris Patten, Secretary of State for the Environment. But he gave no

clues as to how we should go about achieving it. While recycling enthusiasts debate the relativemerits of different collection system, it will largely be new technology, and the opening up of newmarkets, that makes Pattens target attainable: a recycling scheme is successful only ifmanufacturers use the recovered materials in new products that people want to buy.

2 About half, by weight, of the contents of the typical British dustbin is made up of combustiblematerials. These materials comprise 33 per cent paper, 7 per cent plastics (a growing proportion),4 per cent textiles and 8 per cent miscellaneous combustibles.

3 Of the rest, hard non-combustibles (metals and glass) each make up another 10 per cent, andputrescibles, such as potato peelings and cabbage stalks, account for 20 per cent, although thisproportion is decreasing as people eat more pre-prepared foods. The final fraction is finesnameless dust. This mixture is useless to industry, and in Britain most of it is disposed of inlandfill sites-suitable holes, such as worked-out quarries, in which the waste is buried under layersof soil and clay. That still leaves about 40 per cent of the mixtureglass containers, plastics, and

some paper and metal containersas relatively clean when discarded. This clean element is themain target for Britains recyclers.

4 The first question, then, is how best to separate the clean element from the rest. The method ofcollection is important because manufacturers will not reuse collected material unless it is cleanand available in sufficient quantities. A bewildering assortment of different collection schemesoperates in the rest of Europe, and pilot schemes are now under way in many British citiesincluding Leeds, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Cardiff. Sheffield, Cardiff and Dundee are testingout alternatives as part of a government-monitored recycling project initiated last year by Friendsof the Earth.

5 A realistic target for recycling mixed refuse is somewhere between 15 and 25 per cent by weight,

according to researchers at the Department of Trade and Industrys Warren Spring laboratory.This proportion would include metals and perhaps some glass. Statistics compiled by researchersat the University of East Anglia show that we could almost halve the total weight of domesticwaste going to landfill by a combination of collect schemes (such as doorstep collections fornewspapers), bring schemes (such as bottle banks) and plants for extracting metals.

6 This estimate makes two important assumptions. One is that the government will bring inlegislation to encourage the creation of markets for products made from recycled materials,especially glass, paper and plastics. The other is that industry will continue to introduce newtechnology that will improve both the products and the techniques used to separate recoverable

materials from mixed refuse.

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After reading the text, answer the following questions

1. When is recycling possible to be conducted?2. What are the target of recycling conducted by the British?3. What are the four categories of waste mentioned in the text?

4. What kind of waste is best recycled? Why?5. What is the topic of each paragraph?

(1)_____________________________________________________________________

(2)_____________________________________________________________________

(3)_____________________________________________________________________

(4)_____________________________________________________________________

(5)_____________________________________________________________________

(6)_____________________________________________________________________

6. Give the text a suitable title and explain why you give that particular title.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Say whether each of the following statements is TRUEaccording to the next.

7. The secretary of state for the environment has given clear details on how to achieve the target ofrecycling. __________

8. The proportion of putrescibles is decreasing due to increased popularity of fast food. _________9. Reducing the weight of domestic wastes maybe performed through bring and collect schemes.

_______________10. The British government has issued legislation to create markets for recycled products. _________

TEXT 2

Seven phrases in the text below have been omitted. Decide which of the phrases (A K) should go in

each gap. There are more phrases provided than the gaps available.

A. is characteristic of a different plastic.

B. developed their own compatibilisers.

C. which has never been achieved despite substantial government investment in research

D. they could be used in high-grade, high-cost applications such as car bumpers

E. it does not have sufficient rigidity

F. for example, car bumpers made from one material instead of up to seven

G. always been skeptical about recycling plastics

H. as manufacturers do not want to be seen to be using recycled plastics in their quality products

I. for example, steel suspension systems and car bodies

J. such as polythene that are not chemically cross-linked

K. the different plastics in the mixture are not bonded at a molecular level

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RECYCLING PLASTICS

One of the most difficult wastes to recycle is mixed plastics, often used in wrappers and containers.

Plastics manufacturers turn their own offcuts into granules that are melted down for reuse. They can also

reuse any single, pure thermoplastic materials ___(1)_. The British firm Meyer-Newman of Gwent recycles

complete telephones into new ones. But mixed plastics have unpredictable properties and low structural

strengths because __(2)___. So, it is difficult to make a material with good and predictable properties from

mixed plastics waste.

In the grip of octopus

One answer is the compatibiliser. This is an octopus-like molecule in which each arm represent a

section of a different polymer, that in turn __(3)__ . Stirred into a mixture of molten plastics, each arm of the

octopus grabs and reacts chemically with a molecule of one polymer in the mixture. The result is an alloy

rather than a mixture. It is strong because of intra-molecular bonding and has highly predictable properties,

so it is potentially reusable.

During the past two or three years many plastics manufactures have __(4)______. But perhaps the

most advanced, Bennet, was produced independently two years ago, after 15 years of research, by the

Dutch engineer Ben Van der Groep. His invention is already being used widely, largely in secret, _(5)_.

Benner is made up of short sections of several polymers representing the arms of the octopus, each able to

link the molecules of a different polymer in the mixture. The reliable strength of the plastics alloys made

with Bennet suggest that __(6)__ the vehicles recycling industry is keen to recycle more plastics. Despite

the environmental benefits, they fear that the steady increase in the use of unreclaimable plastics will soon

make it uneconomic to recover vehicles for the metal they contain. Some car manufacturers, such as BMW

and Mercedes, are now designing products and requesting components that are easier to recycle; __(7)___.

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APPRECIATING A LITERARY TEXT

Have you ever read an English short story? What is the title? Do you like reading it?Read the following short story and enjoy it.

"And an enemy under one's roof imposes certain conditions."

Just Lather, That's All

BY HERNANDO TELLEZ

HE said nothing when he entered. I was passing the best of my razors back and forthon a strop. When I recognized him I started to tremble. But he didn't notice.Hoping to conceal my emotion, I continued sharpening the razor. I tested it on themeat of my thumb, and then held it up to the light. At that moment he took off

the bullet-studded belt that his gun holster dangled from. He hung it up on a wall hook and placed his military capover it. Then he turned to me, loosening the knot of his tie, and said, "It's hot as hell. Give me a shave." He sat in thechair.

I estimated he had a four-day beard. The four days taken up by the latest expedition in search of our troops. Hisface seemed reddened, burned by the sun. Carefully, I began to prepare the soap. I cut off a few slices, droppedthem into the cup, mixed in a bit of warm water, and began to stir with the brush. Immediately the foam began to rise."The other boys in the group should have this much beard, too." Icontinued stirring the lather.

"But we did all right, you know. We got the main ones. We brought back some dead, and we've got someothers still alive. But pretty soon they'll all be dead."

"How many did you catch?" I asked.

"Fourteen. We had to go pretty deep into the woods to find them. But we'll get even. Not one of them comes out ofthis alive, not one."

He leaned back on the chair when he saw me with the lather-covered brush in my hand. I still had to put thesheet on him. No doubt about it, I was upset. I took a sheet out of a drawer and knotted it around my customer's neck.He wouldn't stop talking. He probably thought I was in sympathy with his party,

"The town must have learned a lesson from what we did the other day," he said.

"Yes," I replied, securing the knot at the base of his dark, sweaty neck.

"That was a fine show, eh?"

"Very good," I answered, turning back for the brush. The man closed his eyes with a gesture of fatigue and satwaiting for the cool caress of the soap. I had never had him so close to me. The day he ordered the whole town tofile into the patio of the school to see the four rebels hanging there, I came face to face with him for an instant. But thesight of the mutilated bodies kept me from noticing the face of the man who had directed it all, the face I was nowabout to take into my hands. It was not an unpleasant face, certainly. And the beard, which made him seem a bitolder than he was, didn't suit him badly at all. His name was Torres. Captain Torres. A man of imagination, becausewho else would have thought of hanging the naked rebels and then holding target practice on certain parts oftheir bodies? I began to apply the first layer of soap. With his eyes closed, he continued. "Without any effort I couldgo straight to sleep," he said, "but there's plenty to do this afternoon." I stopped the lathering and asked with afeigned lack of interest: "A firing squad?" "Something like that, but a little slower." I got on with the job oflathering his beard. My hands started trembling again. The man could not possibly realize it, and this was in myfavor. But I would have preferred that he hadn't come. It was likely that many of ourfaction had seen him enter.And an enemy under one's roof imposes certain conditions. I would be obliged to shave that beard like any otherman, carefully, gently, like that of any customer, taking pains to see that no single pore omitted a drop of blood. Beingcareful to see that the little tufts of hair did not lead the blade astray. Seeing that his skin ended up clean, soft, and

healthy, so that passing the back of my hand over it I couldn't feel a hair. Yes, I was secretly a rebel, but I was also aconscientious barber, and proud of the preciseness of my profession. And this four-days' growth of beard was afitting challenge.

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I took the razor, opened up the two protective arms, exposed the blade and began the job, from one of hissideburns downward. The razor responded beautifully. His beard was inflexible and hard, not too long, but thick.Bit by bit the skin emerged. The razor rasped along, making its customary sound as fluffs of lather mixed with bits ofhair gathered along the blade. I paused a moment to clean it, then took up the strop again to sharpen the razor,because I'm a barber who does things properly. The man, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them now,

removed one of his hands from under the sheet, felt the spot on his face where the soap had been cleared off, andsaid, "Come to the school today at six o'clock." "The same thing as the other day?" I asked horrified. "It could bebetter," he replied "What do you plan to do?" "I don't know yet. But we'll amuse ourselves." Once more heleaned back and closed his eyes. I approached him with the razor poised. "Do you plan to punish them all?" Iventured timidly. "All." The soap was drying on his face. I had to hurry. In the mirror I looked toward the street. It wasthe same as ever: the grocery store with two or three customers in it. Then I glanced at the clock: two-twenty inthe afternoon. The razor continued on its downward stroke. Now from the other sideburn down. A thick, blue beard.He should have let it grow like some poets or priests do. It would suit him well. A lot of people wouldn't recognizehim. Much to his benefit, I thought, as I attempted to cover the neck area smoothly. There, for sure, the razor had tobe handled masterfully, since the hair, although softer, grew into little swirls. A curly beard. One

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