Reading Strategies

Questions taken from CEE 2009

71. The purpose of the writing is to _____.75. Which of the following can best summarize

the main idea of the passage?76. The passage mainly deals with _____.

66. How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

68. What happened to George and Richard in the end?

70. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

Main idea\ Best title

Facts and Details

72. The expression “to give the thief a piece of their mind” can be understood as “________________”

79. What can be concluded from the passage?

Literal Comprehension

Text-based Inferential Comprehension

Common question forms in reading

A: Main Idea/Best TitleB: Facts and Details C: Literal ComprehensionD: Text-based Inferential

Comprehension

Main idea\ Best TitleQuestion forms: What’s the main idea of the passage?

/What’s the best title for the passage? Which of the following best expresses\

summarizes the main idea of the passage?

The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to _____________.

The passage mainly deals with/ discusses __________________

General strategy: Find the topic sentence.

（ 1 ） Asian countries continue to find better ways to solve their pollution problems. Singapore introduced a Corrective Work Order campaign. C.W.O. requires those people who like to throw waste materials in a public place to do public service. They must clean beaches, parks and housing developments. As a result, rubbish has decreased. Thailand uses fear to control throwing away rubbish. A rich Thai woman designed “magic eyes” to encourage people to protect the surroundings. The eyes were put up in schools and on every street corner. Certainly the most expensive plan is Japan’s large vacuum( 吸尘器 ). This vacuum will operate along Osaka’s dirtiest road. The vacuum sucks up the air and makes it clean.

The passage mainly discusses______________________________A.  Air pollution in AsiaB.  Asian plans for fighting against pollutionC.  How to solve the problem of air pollutionD.  How to make the air clean

(2) In the film Annie Hall, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen have just met and they want to impress each other. While they are talking, their inner thoughts appear in sub-title on the screen. “Listen to me--- what a jerk.” “He probably thinks I’m stupid.” Thoughts like these kill a conversation. So don’t try to impress other people. Just relax and be yourself.

The best title for this passage is ______________.A. An interesting film.B. Relax and be yourself.C. Talk with strangers.D. How to impress other people.

(3) To carry out a successful office move, it’s important to form a project team as early as possible before the move, and at least twelve months in advance. It’s also essential to contact the British Association of Removers and ask for a list of commercial specialists who will advise on packing, security and other important topics. Then you’ll need to appoint a move organizer, or employ a freelance expert from a firm such as Move Plan. You’ll also need to pick a time when closing down your IT department will cause the fewest problems to the business. Finally, make a list of all the furniture, equipment and paperwork.

Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?A: The reasons why we should ask experts for help.B: The importance of making a move plan.C :The necessity to contact the British Association of

Removers.D: The advice on how to move an office.

General strategy for Main idea or Best title: Find the topic sentence At the beginning of the passage. At the end of the passage. Summarize it according to the

structure of the passage

Facts and DetailsQuestion forms: According to the passage, who/ what/ which/ whe

n/ where / why / how/ how many/how much/ how long/ how soon/ how often……, etc.? (wh + h questions)

According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE/ NOT TRUE?

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT MENTIONED?

All of the following are true EXCEPT _________________________.

At Tim Hortons, we value our customers’ safety above anything else. So, whether your lid is leaking or not, in the interest of your safety, we are requesting that you bring your mug to your nearest Tim Hortons, where they will exchange the lid for a new lid that fits safely. The new lids will be available from February1, 2006.Please do not use your mug until you exchange the lid.

Here’s what you do: Please do not use your mug until you have exchanged

the lid for a new one. New lids will be available from February1, 2006. Return your travel mug to a Tim Hortons store. Your lid will be exchanged for a new lid.

If you prefer to return the entire mug, bring it back at any time for a full repayment.

General strategy:

Find relevant sentences in the passage and compare them with the statements in the question.

Literal ComprehensionQuestion forms: The underlined word “…”probably means \

could best be replaced by _________. What does the underlined word “…”refer to\

mean? The word “…” is closest in meaning to ____

______.

General strategy: Make full use of the context clues

(1) Carbon monoxide (CO) is a noxious gas which can cause death.A. nice B. delicious C. beneficial D. poisonous

(2) Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know. His brother, in contrast, is quite humble and modest.A. superior B. proud C. modest D. particular

(3) Doctors recommended that everyone exercise every day, particularly those who spend many hours doing sedentary activities like reading, typing or sewing. A. secondary B. slow C. sitting D. busy

(4) Peter was not frugal since he spent money so freely.A. luxurious B. generous C. economical D. pessimistic

Explanation\ Definition

Comparison\ Contrast

Example

Cause and effect

General strategy: Make full use of the context cluesPossible clues:Explanation\ DefinitionComparison\ Contrast

Example

Cause and effect

……

Text-based Inferential Comprehension

Question forms: It can be inferred/ learned/ concluded from the

passage that _________. The passage implies that _________. What can be inferred/ learned /concluded from the

passage?General strategy: ???Text-basedInferential

1. Your inference should be based on the passage.

2. The information should be inferred, instead of being directly stated or wrongly stated or unmentioned.

General strategy: Exclude what is stated directly or wrongly

stated or not mentioned and put yourself into the writer’s shoes. The situation in which grown-up children live far away

from their aged parents has been described as “distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”.

From the paragraph, we can infer that ______________A. the situations in the developed and developing countries are

differentB. children will become independent as soon as they go abroadC. the aged parents are not fully prepared for “ Empty Nest

Syndrome”D. “Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in the

writer’s society.

Directly stated

Not mentioned

Wrongly stated

Common question forms and reading strategies

A: Main Idea/Best Title

B: Facts and Details

C: Literal Comprehension

D: Text-based Inferential Comprehension

Find the topic sentence

Find relevant sentences in the passage and compare them with the statements in the question.

Make full use of the context clues

Exclude what is stated directly or wrongly stated or not mentioned and put yourself into the writer’s shoes

1. We can infer form the first paragraph that________________________

In recent years, more and more people have been paying for things with credit cards. There are now 565 million credit cards worldwide, but it doesn’t stop there.

A. More and more people are using credit cards to pay for things.

B. Cards are popular now.

C. Most cards are made of paper.

D. More credit cards will be produced.

Directly stated

Wrongly stated

Not mentioned

Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

Debit cards ( 借记卡 )are being issued by banks, and store cards are being offered by many department stores and supermarkets. Bills and coins are gradually being replaced by “plastic money”. In many countries, phone cards have been introduced for people to use in paying phones. In addition, cards made of paper are being replaced by plastic ones by many organizations and clubs. For example, if you belong to a sports club, your membership card may well be made of plastic.

How safe is the plastic used to make these cards, though? Until now, most cards have been made from a plastic called PVC. While PVC is being produced, harmful chemicals are released onto the atmosphere. One of the most dangerous chemicals that is released is dioxin, which is known to cause cancer in humans.

The underlined word “biodegradable” means ___________________________.

A further problem is that, when a PVC card is thrown away, it is not biodegradable, which means that it does not “break down” and cannot be recycled. Obviously, recycling reduces pollution of the environment.A. able to be changed back to a harmless

natural stateB. not able to be broken downC. not able to be producedD. able to be released

Which of the following best expresses the main idea?

A. Credit cards: popular and convenient.B. Plastic: useful but harmful.C. Plastic cards: popular but harmful.D. Cards: popular and convenient.

STRUCTURE:Paragraph 1-2 the popularity of plastic cardsParagraph 3-4 the harm of plastic in plastic cardsParagraph 5 a possible solution

Assignment1. Review the strategies learned in class.2. Read two passages (exercise book: p96

17\18)and consolidate the strategies.Requirements:1. Analyze the question forms in the passages.2. Try to apply the strategies learned in class.