MPK_Coursebook_4_Reading Skills (Skim, Scan, F&O, Passages)-1

Reading Skills

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TERINTEGRASI

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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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 don‘t 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 similarly

and questions answered differently, and then, discuss your reading habits.

READING FASTER

How can you improve your reading habit? Bill Cosby, a well-known black American comedian and TV star

wrote 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 to Read Faster Bill 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 started

to pile up faster than my brother Russell and I could read them!

It wasn‘t until much later, when I was getting my doctorate, I realized it wasn‘t my eyeballs that

were to blame. Thank goodness. They‘re still moving as well as ever. The problem is, there‘s too much to

read 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.

I‘ll 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 you—and you can put them

to use immediately.

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

efficiently. So you‘ll have time to enjoy your comic books, have a good laugh with Mark Twain or a good

cry with War and Peace. Ready?

Okay. The first two ways can help you get through tons of reading material—fast—without reading

every word.

They‘ll give you the overall meaning of what you‘re reading. And let you cut out an awful lot of

unnecessary reading.

1. Preview—If It’s Long and Hard

Previewing is especially useful for getting a general idea of heavy reading like long magazine or

newspaper 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, you‘ll be able to

decide which reports (or which parts of which reports) are worth a closer look.

Here‘s how to preview: Read the entire first two paragraphs of whatever you‘ve chosen. Next read

only the first sentence of each successive paragraph. Then read the entire last two paragraphs.

Previewing doesn‘t give you all the details. But it does keep you from spending time on things you

don‘t really want—or need—to read.

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

light reading, there‘s a better technique.

2. Skim—If It’s Short and Simple

Skimming is a good way to get a general idea of light reading—like popular magazines or the

sports and entertainment sections of the paper.

You should be able to skim a weekly popular magazine or the second section of your daily paper in

less than half the time it takes you to read it now.

Skimming is also a great way to review material you‘ve read before. Here‘s how to skim: Think of

your eyes as magnets. Force them to move fast. Sweep them across each and every line of type. Pick up

only 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 we‘ll both

get a pretty similar idea of what it‘s all about.

To show you how it works, I circled the words I picked out when I skimmed the following story.

Try it. It shouldn‘t 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 didn‘t 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, ―I‘ll spank you.‖ We went to sleep fast. And

you know something? They never did come back.

Skimming can give you a very good idea of this story in about half the words—and in less than half

the time it‘d take to read every word.

So far, you‘ve seen that previewing and skimming can give you a general idea about content—fast.

But neither technique can promise more than 50 percent comprehension, because you aren‘t reading all the

words.

(Nobody gets something for nothing in the reading game.)

To read faster and understand most—if not all—of what you read, you need to know a third technique.

3. Cluster—To Increase Speed and Comprehension

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

My—brother—Russell—thinks—monsters.

You probably still read this way sometimes, especially when the words are difficult. Or when the

words have an extra-special meaning—as in a poem, a Shakespearean play, or a contract. And that‘s O.K.

But word-by-word reading is a rotten way to read faster. It actually cuts down on your speed.

Clustering trains you to look at groups of words instead of one at a time—to increase your speed

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

Here’s how to cluster: Train your eyes to see all the words in clusters of up to 3 or 4 words at a

glance.

Here‘s how I‘d 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 didn‘t 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, ―I‘ll 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.

Here‘s 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 see

what you missed the first time.

Try a second piece. First cluster, then reread to see what you missed in this one. When you can read

in clusters without missing much the first time, your speed has increased. Practice 15 minutes every day and

you might pick up the technique in a week or so. (But don‘t be disappointed if it takes longer. Clustering

everything takes time and practice.)

So now you have 3 ways to help you read faster. Preview to cut down on unnecessary heavy

reading. Skim to get a quick, general idea of light reading. And cluster to increase your speed and

comprehension.

With enough practice, you‘ll be able to handle more reading at school or work—and at home—in

less time. You should even have enough time to read your favourite comic books—and War and Peace!

Selecting the main Idea.

Exercise

Which of the following statements do you think best expresses the main idea of Bill Cosby‘s article? Why is it

better than the other two?

1. Moving your eyes fast across each line will give you a general idea of the content of reading material

in 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 read

and the amount of comprehension you need.

3. You should preview long and heavy readings, skim simple ones, and read in groups or clusters when

you 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. Which

book would you choose? Why? Tell a student next to you about your choice. Did you choose the same

book?

Book 1

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. This book was first published in England in 1958. it is

the author‘s first and most famous novel. A classic of modern African writing, it is the story of

a man whose life is dominated by fear and anger. It is a powerful and moving story that has

been compared with Greek tragedy. The writer‘s style is uniquely and richly African. Subtly

and 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 can

about the book from its cover.

Title: Author:

Type of book:........ Fiction ..........Non-fiction

Front 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 Magic by Mary Stewart. This novel was on The New York Times best-seller list

for eight months, and the reviewer wrote that the tale is ― a magical concoction...warm and

sunny for all its violence.

Stewart tells the story of a beguiling young actress, Lucy Waring, who visit Corfu for

a 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

polished and lively novel...luscious from start to finish.‖

Book 3

Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke. Winner of the Edgar Award for best novel, this 1989

detective story is ―full of low-lifes and rich crooks. Burke shows that ‗serious‘ literary

craftsmanship is compatible with the hard-boiled genre‖ of the crime novel.

Burke‘s story leads his hero from Louisiana to Montana as he strives to escape a phony

murder charge, protect his little girl, and find a professional killer. Reviewers call this novel ‗a

fine book, tough and vital.‘

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SCANNING

Efficient readers determine beforehand why they are reading a particular selection and they decide which

strategies and skills they will use to achieve their goals.

To scan is to read quickly in order to locate specific information. Practice in scanning will help you

learn to skip over unimportant words so that you can read faster. The steps involved in scanning are the

following:

1. Decide exactly what information you are looking for, and think about the form it may take. For

example, if you want to know when something happened, you would look for a date. If you want to

find out who did something, you would look for a name. You do not read every word, only the

words that answer your question.

2. Next, decide where you need to look to find the information you want. You probably would not look

for sports scores on the front page of the newspaper, nor look under the letter S for 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.

Exercise Read each question. Then scan the following television programs to locate the correct answer. Work

quickly!

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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Reading Skills

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SKIMMING

It is sometimes useful to obtain a general impression of a book, article, or story before deciding whether or not

to 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, or only 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 an encyclopedia are from biographies of famous people. Preceding each selection is a question concerning a research topic. You must skim each passage to decide if a careful reading would provide information on the topic 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 the

topic.

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 to

modern elementary education?

___Yes

___ No

ADDAMS, JANE (1860-1935), American social worker who founded the Chicago social welfare center

known as Hull House. She was born in Cedarville, III, on Sep. 6, 1860, the daughter of a prosperous

merchant. 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 first

university settlement. In 1889, with her college classmate Ellen Gates Starr, she founded Hull House in the

slums of Chicago.

Hull House grew rapidly and soon became the most famous settlement house in America. Many

reformers 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, and

playgrounds. It initiated steps toward progressive education and attempts to acclimatize immigrants to

America.

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 Woman‘s 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 United

States 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 in

Chicago 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 social

worker who founded the Chicago social welfare center known as Hull House.‖ A brief glance at the

second and fourth paragraphs indicates that she worked for child labour reform, that she was a

pacifist, and that she was chair of the Women‘s Peace party. Her publications, mentioned at the end

of the article, do not deal with elementary education. Note that it is necessary to read only selected

parts 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 to

modern transportation?

_______ Yes

_______ No

CURIE, PIERRE (1859-1908), and MARIE (1867-1934). French scientists, whose isolation of polonium and

radium 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 was

trained in science by his father, receiving only a minimum of the classical education that was standard in his

time. He went to the Sorbonne at 16 and majored in physics. When he was only 19, he was appointed a

teaching 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, the

appearance of electrical charges on the surface of certain insulating crystals when subjected to mechanical

stresses. About 1891, Pierre began an intense investigation of magnetism at elevated temperatures. This led

to the discovery of the Curie point —the temperature at which ferromagnetic substances lose their

magnetism. Further research, led to the formulation of Curie‘s law, which states that the magnetic inversely

proportional to the absolute temperature. This law is not strictly true and was modified by Pierre Weiss in

1907.

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 was

their 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 a

brilliant 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. Her

marriage to Pierre Curie thrust her into the mainstream of French science. Their scientific careers were to

remain intertwined until Pierre‘s tragic death.

Exercise 2 Would you want to read more about Mary Baker Eddy if you were interested in religious

leaders and writers?

_______ Yes

_______ No

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EDDY, MARY BAKER (1821-1910). The subject of sharp controversy in her own day, she is now

recognized 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 ―By

their fruits ye shall know them‖ (Matthew 7:20), and any responsible estimate of her must be determined by

one‘s understanding of Christian Science.

Life, Mary Morse Baker, the daughter of a farmer, was born at Bow, near Concord, N.H., on July

16, 1821. Because of her poor health her education was sporadic, but she received valuable mental stimulus

and guidance from her elder brother Albert, a brilliant student at Dartmouth. Although deeply religious, she

was also independent and early took issue with her father‘s strict Calvinism. Largely because of the sense of

New Testament Christianity she imbibed from her mother, she found it impossible to accept the doctrine that

most of the human race had been born to inevitable damnation. A sharp confrontation on this issue with the

minister of the Congregational Church at Sanbornton Bridge (now Tilton), N.H., when she was 17, resulted

surprisingly 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 the

genesis 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 the

international daily newspaper the Christian Science Monitor in 1980. She died in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on

Dec. 3, 1910, leaving behind her a church with nearly 100,000 members.

Thought.. During her years of invalidism Mrs. Eddy‘s faith in orthodoxy medicine had waned and

she had sought relief through homeopathy, hydropathy, and other systems then popular. Gradually she came

to the conclusion that all disease was mental rather than physical. This was confirmed by her experience in

the early 1860‘s 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 short

passages.

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 appropriate

title. However, the students can be encouraged to do the exercise as quickly

as 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 of

titles 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 Perry

of Detroit, even though she tracked down a remarkably dim

robber. Losing her handbag in a mugging £40, she turned

up at the show a few days later with a policeman—and sure

enough, 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 stations

throughout 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 New

Forest, reported a glowing light with a long orange tail.

―After a second or two, it seemed to explode or

disintegrate.‖ It is thought to have fallen in the sea off the

Isle of Wight.

About a million tons of meteoric rock and dust land

on the earth each year. They are part of the primordial

debris from which the solar system was formed some 5,000

million years ago.

The Daily Telegraph

Explosion in New Forest

UFO seen over Britain

Hundreds call police about

meteor.

Catastrophe near the Isle of

Wight.

A WEALTHY businessman is giving £500.000 to help

gifted children go to private schools.

Multi-millionaire Mr. John James, 72, whose father

was a miner, is sharing the cash between five Bristol

schools–61 years after he won a scholarship to the city‘s

Merchant Ventures Schools.

The money will provide places for able children

whose parents cannot afford the fees.

Ironically, Mr. James‘s son David—who received

£1,500,000 from his father in 1972—wnt bankrupt three

weeks ago.

David, 35, blamed his failure on ―bad judgement,

bad timing, combined with lack of business acumen.

Daily Express

Business man gives

£½million to pay for bright

children.

A help to private schools.

An unfortunate son.

A gifted businessman

JESUIT priests have been invited back to China after 30

years‘ enforced exile, the order‘s Superior-General said

yesterday. Through the French embassy in Peking it offered

to reopen the former Jesuit Aurora University in Shanghai

as a French-teaching medical school.

―They said they would welcome back the former

professors,‖ Father Pedro Arrupe said. ―The Jesuit would be

happy to return, and wish to serve China as they used to

during the last 400 years.‖—Reuter.

The Guardian

New Medical School in China

Jesuits to return to China.

Diplomatic Victory for

France

Educational changes in

China.

Aim III

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

article.

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 aims

at showing them the importance of the first and last paragraphs in an

article and therefore to give them the means of reading a newspaper more

easily and naturally, giving their whole attention only to what they are

really 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 article

is about?

Travis Walton disappears

ONLY WEEKS after NBC had screened a

programme on the hill case in 1975, the strange

tale surfaced of Travis Walton, an Arizona

woodcutter who disappeared for five days in

November 1975 after his colleagues claimed to

have 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 best

stories. And journalists should be more careful

about trusting them.

The Sunday Times.

The article tells us that:

Travis Walton has never been found

again.

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

There is no doubt that Travis Walton

disappeared in a flying saucer.

Travis Walton‘s friends probably killed

him.

Travis Walton and his friends probably

lied, 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 same

noun more than one time in a sentence. Here are some of the pronouns:

Personal Pronouns Other Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive

1st

S I me my mine this, that, these, those

some, others

all, most, many, a few

few, 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 a noun. 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 they need 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. Some students study in the library, and others study in their rooms. (―some, others,‖ and ―their‖ refer

to ―student.‖ Some students = one group of students, others = a different group of students, and their

rooms = the students‘ rooms.)

2. John has his friends and Marsha has hers. (―his‖ refers to John, and ―hers‖ refers to Marsha. ―His‖

friends = John‘s friends, and ―hers‖ = Marsha‘s friends.)

Exercise 1

Here are some sentences with pronouns. Read the sentences and circle the letter of the correct answer to

each question about the pronouns. The first one is done for you.

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

1. The first they refers to ________________

a. social scientists c. shapes

b. families d. sizes

2. The second they refers to ______________

a. social scientist c. shapes

b. 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. them refers 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 what

a family is.

5. it refers to ____________

a. young or old c. sense

b. large or small d. family

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

6. their favorite 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 families

b. the members of an extended family

c. people

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

8. others refers 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 they ask these people to correct them

when they make mistakes.

10. the first they refers to ______________

a. successful language learners

b. people who speak the language

c. mistakes

11. the second they refers to ____________



c. mistakes

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12. them refers to ____________________



c. mistakes

Pronoun Reference between Sentences: Sometimes writers use a pronoun in one sentence to refer to a noun

in a different sentence.

Examples:

1. More and more libraries are offering special services for their patrons. These include entertainment

facilities, 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. Others include 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. Perhaps your language learning has been less than successful. Then you might do well to try some of

these techniques. (―your‖ and ―you‖ refer to the reader.)

2. Most of us know what a family is. However, we can 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. Read

the paragraph and find the noun to which each pronoun refers. Write the noun in the space above or below

the 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 second

language 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 for

every adult learner.

2. In this chapter, we will discuss some of the ways in which people form family groups. It will also

include 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 of

enjoyable 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 is

the call-in therapy shows, in which callers get the opportunity to air

problems, however intimate, while the hosts offer them free, and

immediate, advice. They started, like so many other self-help psychology

ideas, in California in the early 1970‘s, but now they have spread to many

other parts of the country and enjoy considerable popularity. This

phenomenon certainly does not please all psychologists and the shows

have become a matter of some concern to their professional association,

the APA.

10

15

Present APA guidelines merely prohibit psychologists from

diagnosing problems, or from offering psychotherapy on the radio, while

the earlier ones had prohibited all giving of advice outside the traditional

therapist-patient relationship. This prohibition fails to satisfy many

psychologists. Some consider all giving of psychological advice over the

radio totally unacceptable, but there are others who believe there should be

even more of it.

20

The former are typified by a Hastings Center psychiatrist, who

describes the activity as ―disgusting‖. On one occasion, he backed up his

view by walking out of a radio program when the host insisted he answer

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 professionals

combining psychological expertise with entertainment know-how.

1. them (line 3) refers to:

a. problems c. callers

b. call-in therapy shows d. hosts

2. they (line 4) refers to:

a. problems c. callers

b. call-in therapy shows d. hosts

3. this phenomenon (line 7) refers to the fact that:

a. the shows started in California

b. callers air intimate problems

( ) ( )

( ____ )

( ____ )

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c. the shows started in the early

d. the shows enjoy considerable popularity

4. their (line 8) refers to:

a. therapy shows

b. self-help psychology ideas

c. the hosts

d. psychologists

5. ones (line 12) refers to:

a. APA guidelines c. problems

b. psychologists d. the show

6. this prohibition (line 13) refers to the fact:

a. that no advice be given outside the traditional therapist-patient relationship

b. that psychologists do not diagnose problems or offer psychotherapy on the radio

c. 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 prohibition

b. the traditional therapist-patient relationship

c. giving of psychological advice over the radio

d. psychological advice

8. the former (line 17) refers to:

a. psychologists who object to call-in therapy shows

b. psychologists who advocate more advice-giving over the radio

c. the APA‘s present prohibitions

d. dispensing psychological advice

9. he (line 19) refers to:

a. a Hastings Center psychiatrist

b. the host

c. a listener

d. the former

10. theirs (line 21) refers to:

a. activity c. listeners

b. radio-therapy programs d. views.

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FACT AND OPINION

Critical readers are careful to distinguish between statements of fact and statement of opinion. They

don‘t want to unthinkingly accept or treat an author‘s opinion as if it were an unchallenged and unquestioned

statement of fact. If they are going to share another person‘s 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 of fact provide information about people, places, events, and ideas. However, they do not

reveal the author‘s personal perspective or point of view on the information discussed. The following

sentences 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 on Brown v. The Board of Education.

John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.

Look up facts like these in different places and you‘ll discover the same information. Established facts

usually don‘t vary with place or person. For example, if you check Martin Luther King‘s date of birth in New

York 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 information

considered factual is often based on existing levels of knowledge and methods of experimentation. As they

undergo 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 the

sixteenth 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 and proved accurate or inaccurate, true or false.

In contrast, statement of opinion reflect the author‘s perspective on the subject discussed. Shaped by

an author‘s personal experience, training, and background, opinion on the same subject can change from

group to group or place to place. For an illustration, ask a group of teenagers how they feel about high school

dress code. Then ask their parents. Don‘t be surprised if you uncover a marked difference of opinion.

Unlike facts, opinions cannot be verified or checked with outside sources. They are too subjective,

too personal to be checked in reference books or historical records. The following are all statements of

opinion.

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 individual‘s personal responses to people, events, and ideas, you cannot prove

them true or false, accurate or inaccurate, right or wrong. (This is not to say, however, that opinions cannot

be judged or evaluated in any way.)

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Exercise 1

Mark each statement F for fact or O for opinion.

1. The first commercially printed Christmas cards were produced in London in 1843._______

2. All this uproar about animal rights is nonsense. Animals don‘t have rights. ______

3. The word amen appears 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 writer’s 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 writer’s 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 denotative language.

Denotative language is objective or impersonal. It reveals very little about an author‘s personal opinions,

beliefs, or attitudes, and it generally evokes relatively little emotional response in readers. The following is a

statement 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. The

following statement of opinion relies heavily on connotative language: ―Without question, Pete Rose, with

his ‗never-say-die‘ determination and powerful will to win, was one of the best players in baseball history.‖

Note how the underlined words portray the baseball player Pete Rose in a positive light and encourage

readers 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 you

distinguish between facts and opinions. Just as important, it will help you recognize instances in which the

two blend together. Take, for example, the following sentence; would you label it fact or opinion?

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

refuse medical treatment.

At first glance, the example appears to be a statement of fact. It might take a little research, but you

could 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 own

approval 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 else‘s opinions.

Critical readers are conscious of the way an author‘s choice of words can implicitly interpret or evaluate

events. They know full well that the same set of facts can convey different messages, depending on the

language 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 of shifty-looking teenage wise guys loitered at the bus stop.

2. A lively group of good-natured, high-spirited teenagers waited at the bus stop.

In the first sentence, the italicized words carry negative connotation. Reading that sentence, you

might think trouble could erupt at any moment. However, that‘s probably not your response to the second

sentence. In this sentence, the italicized words carry positive connotations. They suggest youthful gaiety

rather than mischief.

Critical reading would probably be a lot simpler if authors kept statements of fact and statements of

opinion neatly separated. But it‘s just not possible. Statement of fact and statement of opinion often blend

together. In response, critical readers are alert to the way connotative language can introduce an opinion into

what 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 obsessed by 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 his sturdy, muscular form. __________

4. The campgrounds were empty of visitors. ________________

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

6. The way she gobbled her food destroyed his romantic mood. _________________

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

8. In his usual plodding manner, he explained every minute detail of the procedure. ___________

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

10. The boy lay on the table. __________

Exercise 3

The following pairs of sentence contain italicized words that similar definitions. Decide whether the

connotations 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 husband‘s childish behavior had annoyed her for years, but this was the first time she had

considered divorce.

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

country.

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

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. (a) For hours, the ravens had been sitting on the fence; even when it got dark they were still there.

(b) The robins spent 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-packed body.

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


__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

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

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


__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

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

(b) Perhaps as many as ten times a day, the old farmer plodded back and forth from the house to the

field.


__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Exercise 4

Read each of the following sentences carefully. Then label them F for fact, O for opinion, or B if the

sentence blends both, as it does in the following example.

Example: An extraordinary and imaginary film, Steven Spielberg‘s 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 first

weekend can easily be checked. That‘s a fact. But just how extraordinary or imaginative the

film 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, and Rocky IV. Next,

he‘ll make Rocky 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 further

testing; 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 up

until 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 the

thought 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 the

paragraph. Sometimes the main idea is only implied. Being able to determine the main idea of a passage is

one 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 author

discusses. Meanwhile, the main idea can be found by asking what point about that subject the author makes

and what idea is common to most of the text.. What opinion do all the parts support? What idea do they all

explain 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 the

paragraphs.

1. Do you want to know more about your family history? Maybe a genealogist can help you. A

genealogist is specially trained to find information about family histories from many different

sources. Some of this information comes from old records, such as birth certificates, marriage

certificates, and death certificates. Often the genealogist finds information in old newspapers, tax

records, or immigration records. It may even be necessary to visit distant towns and villages to

collect information from the people who live there. Once the information is complete, the

genealogist writes a genealogy which describes the family‘s history.

What is the topic of this paragraph?

a. families c. information about family histories

b. 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 these

countries have very large populations, and if the number of people continues to increase, there will

not be enough food, houses, or jobs for the people. As a result, India, China and other populous

countries are following a family-planning policy—they want families to limit the number of children

they will have. Teachers, doctors, and social workers are explaining to the people why they should

have fewer children by using birth control methods such as contraception and sterilization.


a. India and China c. The government of India and China

b. 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 is

give 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 takes

less than a second for the computer to complete its search. Finally, it prints a bibliography—a list of

the authors and titles of the books and articles it has found—for your subject.


a. library research c. bibliographies

b. 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 you

d. 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 sentences

is the topic sentence of the paragraph and write TS on the line next to that sentence. Next decide what

order 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 for

writing; books were laboriously copied by hand.

_____________ d. With the invention of the printing press in the middle of the

fifteenth century, the modern printing industry was born.

_____________ e. Some form of written communication has been used throughout

the centuries.

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

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

intelligence.

_____________ c. Furthermore, most psychologist agree that intelligence tests are

biased in favor of middle-class children.

_____________ d. The validity of standardized intelligence tests is being seriously

questioned by educators and psychologists.

_____________ e. In fact, motivation seems to be just as important as intelligence

in determining a person‘s 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 with

different types of engines and fuels as alternatives to the

conventional gasoline engines.

_____________ c. One new type of engine, which burns diesel oil instead of

gasoline, has been available for several years.

_____________ d. Finally, several automobile manufacturers are experimenting

with methanol, which is a mixture of gasoline and methyl

alcohol, as an automobile fuel.

_____________ e. A second type is the gas turbine engine, which can use fuels

made from gasoline, diesel oil, kerosene, other petroleum

distillates, 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 you

can apply to any kind of reading. For example, when you read for enjoyment or for general information, it is

probably not important to remember all the details of a passage. Instead you want to quickly discover the

general message—the main idea of the passage. For other kinds of reading, such as reading textbooks, you

need both to determine the main ideas and to understand how they are developed. The main idea of a passage

is the thought that is in the passage 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 the

paragraph. Sometimes the main idea must be inferred as it is not stated. Determine the main idea of a piece

of 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 us

participate 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. Natural

processes go on all around us as well. Plants produce their own food through photosynthesis, storms

build and move, volcanoes erupt, and fertilized eggs mature—the 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, they‘ll tell you it‘s

because of the person‘s personality, intelligence, or sense of humour. But they‘re 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 (the

audience). 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 include

definitions, 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 a

lot of basic information. If you wrote about the international banking system for bankers, your

language and information would be more technical than in a paper written for readers who don‘t

know much about the subject. A discussion of acid rain written for an audience of environmentalists

would 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. It

organizes through its branches at places of work, and at regional and national levels. It seeks to

improve the wages, conditions of service, and other interests of workers, whether they are members

of the union or not. It negotiates with managements, and occasionally at national level with

governments. 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 has

taken many forms throughout history, but the main characteristic of money has always been its

acceptability. Everyone must accept it as a medium of exchange, otherwise it cannot function as

money. 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 we

have more advanced and sophisticated forms of money which are included in the definitions of the

money 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 these

have become popular modern forms of money.

a. Money must be durable and portable, and this is why metals are the most universal and

popular 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 any

means 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 of

money, 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 that

section. The better the questions, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add further

questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engaged

in 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 notice

if 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 can

recite.

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 questions

from all the headings. See if you can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your

memory, then continue.

REMEMBER: THE INFORMATION YOU GAIN FROM READING IS IMPORTANT. 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 Skills

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 very

difficult 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 on

textbook 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 easy

to 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 of Recycling?

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 Britain‘s dustbin will be recycled that, at least, was the

target 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 relative

merits of different collection system, it will largely be new technology, and the opening up of new

markets, that makes Patten‘s target attainable: a recycling scheme is successful only if

manufacturers 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 combustible

materials. 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, and

‗putrescibles‘, such as potato peelings and cabbage stalks, account for 20 per cent, although this

proportion is decreasing as people eat more pre-prepared foods. The final fraction is ‗fines‘—

nameless dust. This mixture is useless to industry, and in Britain most of it is disposed of in

landfill sites-suitable holes, such as worked-out quarries, in which the waste is buried under layers

of soil and clay. That still leaves about 40 per cent of the mixture—glass containers, plastics, and

some paper and metal containers—as relatively clean when discarded. This clean element is the

main target for Britain‘s recyclers.

4 The first question, then, is how best to separate the clean element from the rest. The method of

collection is important because manufacturers will not reuse collected material unless it is clean

and available in sufficient quantities. A bewildering assortment of different collection schemes

operates in the rest of Europe, and pilot schemes are now under way in many British cities

including Leeds, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Cardiff. Sheffield, Cardiff and Dundee are testing

out alternatives as part of a government-monitored recycling project initiated last year by Friends

of 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 Industry‘s Warren Spring laboratory.

This proportion would include metals and perhaps some glass. Statistics compiled by researchers

at the University of East Anglia show that we could almost halve the total weight of domestic

waste going to landfill by a combination of ‗collect‘ schemes (such as doorstep collections for

newspapers), ‗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 in

legislation 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 new

technology 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 TRUE according to the next.

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

recycling. __________

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 forth on 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 the meat 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 cap over 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 the chair.

I estimated he had a four-day beard. The four days taken up by the latest expedition in search of our troops. His face seemed reddened, burned by the sun. Carefully, I began to prepare the soap. I cut off a few slices, dropped them 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." I continued stirring the lather.

"But we did all right, you know. We got the main ones. We brought back some dead, and we've got some others 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 of this 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 the sheet 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 sat waiting for the cool caress of the soap. I had never had him so close to me. The day he ordered the whole town to file into the patio of the school to see the four rebels hanging there, I came face to face with him for an instant. But the sight of the mutilated bodies kept me from noticing the face of the man who had directed it all, the face I was now about to take into my hands. It was not an unpleasant face, certainly. And the beard, which made him seem a bit older than he was, didn't suit him badly at all. His name was Torres. Captain Torres. A man of imagination, because who else would have thought of hanging the naked rebels and then holding target practice on certain parts of their bodies? I began to apply the first layer of soap. With his eyes closed, he continued. "Without any effort I could go straight to sleep," he said, "but there's plenty to do this afternoon." I stopped the lathering and asked with a feigned lack of interest: "A firing squad?" "Something like that, but a little slower." I got on with the job of lathering his beard. My hands started trembling again. The man could not possibly realize it, and this was in my favor. But I would have preferred that he hadn't come. It was likely that many of our faction had seen him enter. And an enemy under one's roof imposes certain conditions. I would be obliged to shave that beard like any other man, carefully, gently, like that of any customer, taking pains to see that no single pore omitted a drop of blood. Being careful 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 a conscientious barber, and proud of the preciseness of my profession. And this four-days' growth of beard was a fitting 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 his sideburns 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 of hair 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, and said, "Come to the school today at six o'clock." "The same thing as the other day?" I asked horrified. "It could be better," he replied "What do you plan to do?" "I don't know yet. But we'll amuse ourselves." Once more he leaned back and closed his eyes. I approached him with the razor poised. "Do you plan to punish them all?" I ventured timidly. "All." The soap was drying on his face. I had to hurry. In the mirror I looked toward the street. It was the same as ever: the grocery store with two or three customers in it. Then I glanced at the clock: two-twenty in the 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 recognize him. Much to his benefit, I thought, as I attempted to cover the neck area smoothly. There, for sure, the razor had to be handled masterfully, since the hair, although softer, grew into little swirls. A curly beard. One of the tiny pores could be opened up and issue forth its pearl of blood. A good barber such as I prides himself on never allowing this to happen to a client. And this was a first-class client. How many of us had he ordered shot? How many of us had he ordered mutilated? It was better not to think about it. Torres did not know that 1 was his enemy. He did not know it nor did the rest. It was a secret shared by very few, precisely so that I could inform the revolutionaries of what Torres was doing in the town and of what he was planning each time he undertook a rebel-hunting excursion. So it was going to be very difficult to explain that I had him right in my hands and let him go peacefully—alive and shaved.

The beard was now almost completely gone. He seemed younger, less burdened by years than when he had arrived. I suppose this always happens with men who visit barber shops. Under the stroke of my razor Torres was being rejuvenated—rejuvenated because I am a good barber, the best in the town, if I may say so. A little more lather here, under his chin, on his adam's apple, on this big vein. How hot it is getting! Torres must be sweating as much as I. But he is not afraid. He is a calm man, who is not even thinking about what he is going to do with the prisoners this afternoon. On the other hand I, with this razor in my hands, stroking and re-stroking this skin, trying to keep blood from oozing from these pores, can't even think clearly. Damn him for coming, because I'm a revolutionary and not a murderer. And how easy it would be to kill him. And he deserves it. Does he? No! What the devil! No one deserves to have someone else make the sacrifice of becoming a murderer. What do you gain by it? Nothing. Others come along and still others, and the first ones kill the second ones and they the next ones and it goes on like this until everything is a sea of blood. I could cut his throat just so, zip! zip! I wouldn't give him time to complain and since he has his eyes closed he wouldn't see the glistening knife blade nor my glistening eyes. But I'm trembling like a real murderer. Out of his neck a gush of blood would spout onto the sheet, on the chair, on my hands, on the floor. I would have to close the door. And the blood would keep inching along the floor, warm, eradicable, uncontainable, until it reached the street, like a little scarlet stream. I'm sure that one solid stroke, one deep incision, would prevent any pain. He wouldn't suffer. But what would I do with the body? Where would I hide it? I would have to flee, leaving all I have behind, and take refuge far away, far, far away. But they would follow until they found me. "Captain Torres's murderer. He slit his throat while he was shaving him—a coward." And then on the other side. "The avenger of us all. A name to remember. {And here they would mention my name). He was the town barber. No one knew he was defending our cause." And what of all this? Murderer or hero? My destiny depends on the edge of this blade. I can turn my hand a bit more, press a little harder on the razor, and sink it in. The skin would give away like silk, like rubber, like the strop. There is nothing more tender than human skin and the blood is always there, ready to pour forth. A blade like this doesn't fail. It is my best. But I don't want to be a murderer, no sir. You came to me for a shave. And I perform my work honorably . . . I don't want blood on my hands. Just lather, that's all. You are an executioner and I am only a barber. Each person has his own place in the scheme of things. That's right. His own place.

Now his chin had been stroked clean and smooth. The man sat up and looked into the mirror. He rubbed his hands over his skin and felt it fresh, like new.

"Thanks," he said. He went to the hanger for his belt, pistol and cap. I must have been very pale; my shirt felt soaked. Torres finished adjusting the buckle, straightened his pistol in the holster and after automatically smoothing down his hair, he put on the cap. From his pants pocket he took out several coins to pay me for my services. And he began to head toward the door. In the doorway he paused for a moment, and turning to me he said:

"They told me that you'd kill me. I came to find out But killing isn't easy. You can take my word for it.'' And he headed on down the street.

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Hernando Tellez began his literary career as a poet and essayist. He achieved distinction in both

genres but his fame went beyond his native Colombia with his collection of short stories Cenizas

para el viento y otras historias from which "Just Lather, That's All" is taken. The excellent

translation is by Donald A, Yates

Questions

1. Do you think the title ―Just Lather that‘s all.‖ is appropriate for the story?

2. What background information about the barber did you get from the short story?

3. What background information did you get about the barber‘s client who comes in for a haircut and a

shave?

4. Describe the inner conflict that the barber experiences when he is shaving the captain and why he is

experiencing the conflict.

5. What is your opinion of the captain‘s last words as he leaves the barbershop?

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READING A NEWSPAPER

Pre-reading activity

Talk to a friend next to you about how you usually keep

up with the news. Do you usually listen to it on TV? Do

you usually listen to it on the radio? Or do you usually

read it in a newspaper? Which one do you prefer? Why?

What are the differences between the news on the radio,

on TV and the news in a newspaper?

Reading

A. Headlines

Understanding the headlines is one of the problems that people often have in

trying to read English language newspapers. They are difficult to understand

because of the special language they use.

a. The words chosen for headlines are often different from the ones we

use in everyday speech. They are chosen because they are shorter and

so take up less space, or because they are more dramatic and will

catch our eyes easily: An explosion is called a ‗blast‘ and a fire is

called a ‗blaze‘.

b. The way words are put together is different from normal sentence structure.

Words like ‗a‘ and ‗the‘ (articles) are left-out as well as words like ‗is‘, ‗was‘, ‗has‘, ‗have‘

(auxiliary verbs). The police have raided a gambling house becomes Police raid gambling

house.

Words like ‗men‘, ‗women‘, and ‗people‘ are left-out. Twelve people were hurt in a train crash

becomes 12 hurt in train crash.

Although articles are often about past events, the verbs are written in the present tense. Two

bandits grabbed US$11,000 becomes Two bandits grab US$11,000.

When articles are about future events, they are usually written with the infinitive. A hospital will

get a new wing becomes A hospital to get a new wing.

Words are sometimes rearranged from their normal order. The police are alarmed at the number

of deaths from heroin overdoses becomes Heroin overdoses deaths alarm police.

c. Headlines assume a lot of cultural knowledge that makes them difficult for those who are new to the

culture. They may also refer to well-known people, places or songs.

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Activity 1: Add the missing words to the following headlines to make complete sentences.

1. 600 trapped by fire for 4 hours

2. Islamic Press to sue US magazines

3. Japan to rush food, aid to Khmers

4. 16 jailed for murder

5. Boy on cliff rescued

Activity 2: Work in pairs and discuss whether The Jakarta Post also uses the special language for headlines

explained above. If yes, find some examples. Exchange the example with your friends and

rewrite them in complete sentences. Discuss the answers with your friends.

B. Kinds of newspaper articles

The news-story is the kind of writing that is most often found in a newspaper, but it is not the only kind.

Newspapers also provide space for readers‘ opinion or comments (Letters to the editor column), editor‘s

opinion or comments (editorials) and feature articles. Each one has a different purpose. There are three basic

purposes of newspaper articles.

a. News-stories are written to inform

b. Editorials and Letters to the editor are written to persuade or to express opinion.

c. Feature articles are written to entertain.

Activity 3: Work in pairs and look for an example of each kind of the writing in The Jakarta Post. Exchange

your examples with your friends and ask them to check whether your examples are right or

wrong. Discuss the answers with your friends.

C. Various sections of a newspaper

There are various sections in a newspaper. In addition to the sections containing news articles about science

and technology, business and finance, sports, there are usually sections for advertisements, entertainments,

travel guide, and extras (‗not so serious‘ items, such as puzzles, interesting pictures, etc.)

D. How to read a newspaper

The following selection tells you how to read a newspaper effectively and efficiently. Read it carefully.

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HOW TO READ A NEWSPAPER

Walter Conkrite

If you‘re like most Americans, you try to keep up with the news by watching it on television. That‘s

how 65% of us get 100% of our news—from the 24-odd-minute TV news broadcast each evening.

The problem—and I know the frustration of it firsthand—is that unless something really special

happens, we in TV news have to put severe time limitations on every story, even the most complicated and

important ones.

Get More than Headlines

So what we bring you is primarily a front-page headline service. To get all you need to know, you have to

flesh-out those headlines with a complete account of the news from a well-edited and thorough newspaper.

Is it really necessary to get the whole story? Dorothy Greene Friendly put it this way, ―What the

American people don‘t know can kill them.‖ Amen.

News people have a responsibility. And so do you. Ours is to report the news fairly, accurately,

completely. Yours is to keep yourself informed every day.

I‘ll never forget the quotation hanging in Edward R. Murrow‘s CBD office. It was from Thoreau, ―It

takes two to speak the truth—one to speak and one to hear.‖

Take a 3-Minute Overview

Here‘s how I tackle a paper. For starters, I take a three-minute overview of the news. No need to go to the

sports section first, or the TV listings. With my overview, you‘ll get there quickly enough. First I scan the

front-page headlines, look at the pictures and read the captions. I do the same thing page by page front to

back. Only then do I go back for the whole feast.

The way the front page is ―made up‖ tells you plenty. For one thing, headline type size will tell you

how the paper‘s editor ranks the stories on relative importance. A major crop failure in Russia should get

larger type than an overturned truckload of wheat on the interstate, for example.

Which is the main story?

You‘ll find the main or lead story in the farthest upper-right-hand column. Why? Tradition. Newspapers used

to appear on newsstands folded and displayed with their top right-hand quarter showing. They made up the

front page with the lead story there to entice readers.

You‘ll find the second most important story at the top far left, unless it‘s related to the lead story. Do

you have to read all the stories in the paper? Gosh, no. But you should check them all. Maybe the one that

appears at first to be the least appealing will be the one that will affect your life.

News is information. Period

A good newspaper provides four basic ingredients to help you wrap your mind around the news: information,

background, analysis and interpretation.

Rule 1 of American journalism is: ―News columns are reserved only for news.‖ What is news? It is

information only. You can tell a good newspaper story. It just reports the news. It doesn‘t try to slant it. And

it gives you both sides of the story.

Look out for a lot of adjectives and adverbs. They don‘t belong in an objective news story. They

tend to color and slant it so you may come to a wrong conclusion.

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Do look for bylines, datelines, and the news service sources of articles. They will also help you

judge a story‘s importance and its facts.

As you read a story you can weigh its truthfulness by asking yourself, ―Who said so?‖ Look out for

―facts‖ that come from unnamed sources, such as ―a highly placed government official.‖ This could tip you

off that the story is not quite true, or that someone—usually in Washington—is sending a ―trial balloon‖ to

see if something that may happen or be proposed gets a good reception.

Another tip: Check for ―Corrections‖ items. A good newspaper will straighten out false or wrong

information as soon as it discovers its errors. A less conscientious one will let it slide or burry it.

An upside-down pyramid

Reporters write news stories in a special way called the ―inverted pyramid‖ style That means they start with

the end, the climax of the story with the most important facts first, then build in more details in order of

importance. This is unlike the telling or writing of most stories, where you usually start at the beginning and

save the climax for last. Knowing about the newspaper‘s ―inverted pyramid‖ will help you sift facts.

A well-reported story will tell you ―who,‖ ―what,‖ ―when,‖ ―where,‖ and ―how.‖ The best

newspapers will go on to tell you ―why.‖ ―Why‖ is often missing. And that maybe the key ingredient.

Many important stories are flanked by ―sidebars.‖ These are supporting stories that offer, not news,

but the ―why‖ background and analysis to help you understand and evaluate it.

Background offers helpful facts. Analysis frequently includes opinion. So it should be—and usually

is—carefully labeled as such. It‘s generally by-lined by an expert on the subject who explains the causes of

the news and its possible consequences to you.

No good newspapers will mix interpretation with ―hard‖ news, either. Interpretation goes beyond

analysis and tells you not just what will probably happen, but what ought to happen. This should be clearly

labeled, or at best, reserved for the editorial page or ―op-ed‖ (opposite the editorial) page.

Form your own opinion first

‗I form my own opinion before I turn to the editorial page for the pundits‘ views. I don‘t want them to tell me

how to think until I‘ve wrestled the issue through my own conclusion. Once I have, I‘m open to other

reasoning. Resist the temptation to let them do your thinking for you.

Here‘s an idea I firmly believe in and act on. When you read something that motivates you, do

something about it. Learn more about it. Join a cause. Write a letter. You can constantly vote on issues by

writing letters, particularly to your congressman or state or local representatives.

To understand the news better you can also read news magazines. Books help fill in the holes, too.

During the Vietnam War, for example, many people felt that the daily news coverage wasn‘t entirely

satisfactory. The truth is, you could have gotten many important new facts on the war form the books coming

out at the time.

Pick a TV story and follow it

Now that I‘ve told you about the basics of getting under the skin of a newspaper, let newspaper get under

your skin.

Tonight, pick an important story that interests you on the TV news. Dig into the story—in your

newspaper. Follow it, and continue to follow it closely in print. See if you don‘t find yourself with far more

understanding of the event.

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And see if you don‘t have a far more sensible opinion as in the ―whys‖ and ―wherefores‖ of that

event, even down to how it will affect you—and maybe even what should be done about it.

Keep up with the news the way my colleagues and I do—on TV and in the newspapers.

Learn to sift it for yourself, to heft it, to value it, to question it, to ask for it all. You‘ll be in better

control of your life and your fortunes.

And that‘s the way it is.

(1200 words)

Post-reading activity

Activity 1:

After you read it, make a list of the things that the writer advises you to do when you read a newspaper.

Does The Jakarta Post have the same sections and news articles discussed in the text? If not, what are

the differences?

Activity 2:

Below you will find three headings. Following these headings are three letters to the editor column.

Match the letters with the headings.

Once again the Australian Broadcasting Commission has shown its subservient, cringing,

peasant-like attitude in a recent television report. Commenting upon the death of Edmund

Hillary the ABC said that Hillary ascended Mount Everest prior to the coronation of ―the

Queen‖.

Which Queen?

The Queen of Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Swaziland, Thailand, Tonga, the

Netherlands?

Did the ABC refer to the Queen of Great of Great Britain? If so it should say so! The

entire world community has seen Australia refer to Bush for the last seven years!

President of whom? Is it Bush of the U.S.?

□ Noisy construction project

□ Royal Caribbean’s service

□ Are you independent?

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Is it the ―Queen of Great Britain‖? As a concerned reader of The Jakarta Post, I call for

the cessation of these references to the old imperial and colonial powers as if their leaders are

somehow generic monarchs and presidents in this new post-imperial, post-colonial 21st

century.

Australia, are you British or are you independent?

GREG WARNER

Jakarta

We bought our property in South Jakarta, and

lived there since 1995, owning the proper

permits including the maximum construction

license (IMB) required for a maximum two-

story home in this residential area of Cilandak

Barat.

Without prior notice whatsoever in May

2007 major construction began just two meters

from our residence on a six-story office

building (plus basement) intended to be used as

a training center for the State Secretary‘s

Office. The construction has since been carried

out on a near 24-hour schedule without heed to

the surrounding residents.

We have lodged several formal letters of

complaint with the neighborhood unit head and

even to the office of the ministry involved,

expressing concern at the construction and

impact of the large office on a residential area.

However, no satisfactory response has been

forthcoming.

It is quite ironic that in an area zoned for

residential housing permission could be granted

to construct a six-story office building. Is this

because the building is owned by the State

Secretariat? Hence allowing them to ignore the

plight of average citizens and long-time

residents in the vicinity who are suffering the

impact of this building on their once peaceful

neighborhood?

We question whether high officials of this

country still have the dignity to respect the rights

of its people.

Srikandini S.

Jakarta

On Dec. 12, 2007, I along with my family of seven headed to Singapore on a cruise with Royal Caribbean —

―Rhapsody of the Seas‖. We were on the lobby deck when we heard a few people complaining of items that

had gone missing from their cabins when they were disembarking the ship.

During the five day-cruise, not only were we disappointed by the poor service but we were amazed to see the

rude attitude of several staff working for the ship. When we reached home, much to our surprise, my gold

watch worth US$ 1,500 was missing from my briefcase along with my wife‘s expensive cosmetics.

The following day, I immediately lodged a complaint with the RCC (Asia), Pte Ltd and Rama Rebbapragada,

the managing director, who assured us to take this matter seriously, but as of it this date has not been

available.

M.H. CHANDIRAMANI

Jakarta

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Activity 3: Three advertisements follow. Read them carefully.

1. Do the advertisements have anything in common?

2. What is being advertised in each one? (e.g. A advertises a cassette)

3. With other students in your group, discuss which advertisement interests you and which does not.

Give your reasons.

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Reading an Academic Text

Text 1

Read the following text carefully

I

5

Because man is using up the world‘s energy resources at such a rapid rate,

scientists are looking to the sun to supply a lot of the world‘s future energy

requirements. Although solar energy is unlikely to replace all the existing sources

of energy, the sun is nevertheless regarded as a very important source of energy.

Solar energy, moreover, has three advantages over existing energy sources: the

energy sources itself is free; it is virtually inexhaustible; and unlike the burning of

coal, oil and gas, it will not cause pollution.

II

10

Approximately twenty percent of the world‘s present energy already comes from

the sun. It has been estimated that by the beginning of the next century the sun

will be a major source of energy in most countries throughout the world. Almost

half of the world‘s energy, in fact, will come from the sun and such other natural

sources as wind and water. In addition to its use for heating water, solar energy

will be used in ordinary homes for heating or cooling the air, for cooking and

even for refrigeration of foods and other perishable goods.

III 15

The potential of solar energy are very great. The total amount of solar energy

reaching the earth each year is over 30,000 times as much as the total energy used

by man. Even a very small satellite in orbit round the earth can be used to

produce twice as much electricity as the largest conventional power station.

IV

20

25

For a long time man failed to use solar energy because sunshine is not something

which is constant and thus always available, especially in temperate and cold

climates. The direction of the sun‘s rays varies, too. However, during the past two

hundred years significant advances have been made in the use of solar energy to

generate heat and more recently to produce electricity. During the nineteenth

century, for example, solar steam generators were built. These generators

consisted of mirrors which could be moved and could thus concentrate large

amounts of radiation from the sun on blackened pipes through which water

circulated. In this way, the water was turned to steam. Even ice was produced by

a similar method a hundred years ago in Paris.

V

30

However, these early solar devices were very expensive and could be operated

only irregularly when the sun shone brightly. As soon as satellites were put into

orbit round the earth, interest in solar energy increased because for the first time

problems caused by the earth‘s atmosphere and by clouds were overcome.

Reading Comprehension

A. Answer the following questions. You should base your answers on the information in the text.

1. In your own words, say briefly what the whole text is about.

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2. What are the topics of the following paragraphs?

Paragraph I:

Paragraph II:

Paragraph III:

Paragraph IV:

Paragraph V:

3. What are the benefits of solar energy over other types of energy?

4. What were the initial problems of using solar energy?

5. How were the problems solved?

B. Say whether each of the following statements is TRUE or FALSE. In either case, explain your answers.

6. It has taken a long time for people to make use of solar energy because they thought that

conventional sources of energy were sufficient.

7. People became more interested in solar energy after scientists had developed ways to direct the sun‘s

rays.

8. In the past solar energy was solely used for heating water.

9. The best title for the text is: Solar Energy

10. What do the following words/phrases refer to?

a) ‗it‘ in line 7 refers to:

b) ‗its‘ in line 12 refers to:

c) ‗these generators‘ in line 24 refers to:

d) ‗which‘ in line 26 refers to:

e) ‗in this way‘ in line 27 refers to:

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C. Matching: Match the world in the left hand column (taken from the text) with their meanings or

synonyms by writing the letters in the space provided.

A B

________ conventional a. produce or create something

________ concentrate b. something necessary for doing something else

________ turned to c. differs

________ requirements d. easily becoming rotten or spoiled

________ temperate e. unlimited or infinite

________ varies f. predicted or projected

________ perishable g. common, traditional

________ estimated h. not too cold nor too hot, moderate

________ generate i. changed into other forms

________ inexhaustible j. be present in a large amount

Text 2

Read the text carefully

I

5

Cell phones are not just here to stay. They have evolved into ever more versatile

and powerful devices and have become indispensable to our way of life. Why,

then, can‘t we make the technological marvels safe? Of course, according to the

cell phone industry, cell phones are perfectly harmless: ―After a substantial

amount of research, scientists and governments around the world continue to

reaffirm that there is no public health threat from the use of wireless phones,‖

says Tom Wheeler, president of Cellular Telecommunications & Internet

Association (CTIA).

II

10

According to numerous prominent researchers, that statement is nonsense.

Henry Lai, PhD., a research professor of bioengineering who has over the last

ten years conducted cell phone studies, stated: ―I have a list about 600 research

papers from the past ten years alone, and 70 percent of which show definite

effects from exposure to this kind of radiation, but the industry continues to say

that there is nothing to worry about.‖

III 15

20

25

There have, in fact been several studies that show no correlations between cell

phone use and cancer. These studies were conducted by respected institutions

and researchers and the result published in peer-reviewed journals. However,

this does not prove that cell phone use does not lead to increased risk of brain

cancer, since the studies were all simple statistical studies that compared the

incidence of brain cancer among cell phone users to that of general population.

The National Cancer Institute itself points out that cancer which take along time

to develop would not have been detected by these studies. What has been shown

in numerous studies is that the radiation coming from cell phones does have

measurable effects on brain cell that can lead to cancer, as well as neurological

diseases.

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IV

30

Lai‘s experiments are instructive in this regard. One of his main findings was

the radiation from cell phones at levels below current standards caused damage

to DNA. Nerve cells have less of an ability to repair DNA than other types of

body cells, so this damage could accumulate. Cumulative damages in DNA may

turn affect cell functions. DNA damage that accumulates in cells over a period

of time may be the cause of slow onset diseases, such as cancer.

V

35

In addition, other studies have documented an actual increase in brain tumors

from normal cell phone use. One example is an Australian study funded by

Telestra, the company that control 99 percent of Australia‘s telephone service,

and overseen by the government‘s National Health and Medical Research

Council. Researchers found that mice exposed to normal cell phone radiation for

two half-hour periods for nine to eighteen months developed 2.4 times more

tumors than the controlled group.

VI

40

Virtually every aspect of our lives entails risk. There are over 40,000 total

automobile accidents every year in US, but few people call for a ban on driving,

or lowering the limit to 25 mph. However, we do have safety laws regulating

automobile use and technological innovations to make cars safer. What we need

now with cell phones is not more research, but action. We need cell phone

equivalent of seat-belt laws and airbags to protect consumers.

A. Answer the following questions. You should base your answers on the information in the above text.

1. Give a general view what the text is about. Don‘t go into details.

2. Why did Tom Wheeler say that cell phones are perfectly harmless?

3. Why were the research findings, which stated that there is no relationship between the use of cell

phones and getting cancer, denied by other researchers?

4. Mention four findings which prove that cell phones are actually harmful to the users. (Mention also

the researchers).

5. When we consider the author‘s explanation about cars which may endanger drivers, what should be

done with cell phones?

a.

b.

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c.

d.


Paragraph I:

Paragraph II:

Paragraph III:

Paragraph IV:

Paragraph V

Paragraph VI:

7. Which paragraphs can be put together under ONE SUBTITLE? What is the subtitle?

B. Say whether each of the following statements is TRUE or FALSE; in either case, explain your

answer.

8. According to the National Cancer Institute, the use of cell phones may in the long run cause cancer

to users.

9. Governments are generally supporters of the cell phone industry.

10. A suitable title for the text is: “Researchers of cell phones”

11. What do the following phrases refer to?

a. ‗the technological marvels‘ in line 3 refers to …………………………………

b. ‗that statement‘ in line 9 refers to …………………………………………….

c. ‗this regard‘ in line 26 refers to ………………………………………………..

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Text 3

Read the text carefully

I Cars equipped with catalytic converters emit higher quantities of a gas that

contributes to global warming and depletes stratospheric ozone than cars

without them, according to tests carried out in Sweden and France.

II

5

A catalytic converter is a cylindrical box connected to the exhaust of a petrol

car. It reduces some of the pollutants that petrol engines produce, such as

hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. A modern three-way

catalytic converter (TWC) can eliminate up to 80 per cent of these pollutants.

III

10

All new cars in the US are fitted with catalytic converters in order to reduce

pollution and the European Commission is considering following suit by

making it compulsory for all new models of cars in Europe to be fitted with

TWCs.

IV

15

Nitrous oxide, which ranks behind carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs in its

contribution to the greenhouse effect, is a by-product of the process within

catalytic converters. Until recently, researchers had thought that nitrous oxide

was not a significant pollutant from motor vehicle

V

20

However, Swedish and French researchers have found that levels of nitrous

oxide rose significantly in cars with catalytic converters. These researchers

looked at nitrous oxide emissions from cars with petrol engines. All the studies

found that cars equipped with TWCs produced more nitrous oxide than either a

car without a TWC of a diesel-powered vehicle. They found that vehicles with

TWCs produce up to five times as much as nitrous oxide as cars without them.

However, the difference is greatest at low speeds after a cold start.

VI

25

Because researchers do not understand the chemical processes by which

nitrous oxide is produced within TWCs they cannot modify the converters to

prevent this gas from forming. TWCs do, however, have a significant role in

reducing other oxides of nitrogen, nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen

dioxide (NO2), which produce nitrous oxide when they are deposited on

surfaces. So, cars without TWCs could produce more nitrous oxide indirectly.

A. Reading Comprehension

Answer the following questions. You should base your answer on the information in the text.

1. In your own words, say briefly what the whole text is about.


Paragraph II:

Paragraph III

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Paragraph V:

Paragraph VI:

3. Why are European countries trying to make it obligatory for new cars to be fitted with TWCs?

4. How did researchers find that modern catalytic converters fitted in cars increased nitrous oxide

emission?

5. Why do researchers think that cars without TWCs may indirectly produce more nitrous oxide?

B. Say whether each of the following statements is TRUE or FALSE. In either case, explain your

answer.

6. Nitrous oxide as well as carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs are the by-product of the process within

the catalytic converters.

7. Scientists have just found out that nitrous oxide is a significant pollutant from motor vehicles.

8. Researchers are now trying to find a way to modify the catalytic converter after they made a study of

the chemical processes of the production of nitrous oxide within the converters.

9. Diesel-powered vehicles turn out to be ‗greener‘ than modern cars equipped with TWCs.

10. The best title for the text is: “Global Warming: The Effect of Using Cars”

C. Referent

What do the following words refer to?

a) ‗them‘ in line 3 refers to ……………………….

b) ‗these pollutants‘ in line 7 refer to ……………………….

c) ‗its‘ in line 12 refers to ……………………………….

d) ‗them‘ in line 21 refers to …………………………….

e) ‗this gas‘ in line 25 refers to ……………………………

MPK_Coursebook_4_Reading Skills (Skim, Scan, F&O, Passages)-1

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