UNIVERSITY OF DALAT

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

READING 2
Core Course Material

Selected and compiled by Nguyễn Thị Tường Vy

FOR UDL STUDENTS ONLY, NOT FOR SALE

Dalat, 2017
 Mục Lục

Bài mở đầu - Writing styles 1

- Figurative Language 3
- Summarizing and Paraphrasing 6

Bài 1 I Want a Wife - Judy Brady 12

Bài 2 Reading Question Types & Strategies 16
Bài 3 Practice 1: 34
- Swallow in Migration 34
- Technology Violates the Workplace 37
- Organic Food: Why? 41

Bài 4 Practice 2: 44
- Bride Price 44
- James Fennimore Cooper 47
- Kelp and Its Benefits 50
Bài 5 Give Us a Break from Holiday- Paul Martin 54
Bài 6 Practice 3: 58
- Tata Nono 58
- The Albatross 60
- The Way the Brain Buys 62
Bài 7 Practice 4: 65
- Dying Languages 65
- Ancient Angkor 68
- American Quilts 72
Bài 8 Mother’s Cooking- Maxine Hong Kingston 76
Bài 9 Practice 5: 81
- The Beauty of Cats 81
- Out of Africa: Solar Energy from the Sahara 84
- Why Don’t Babies Talk Like Adults? 87
Bài 10 Practice 6: 91
- The Development of English Textile Industry 91
- Socialization and Media 94
- Pesticides 96
Bài 11 Homemade Education- Malcolm X 98

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Bài 12 Practice 7: 103
- William Kamkwamba 103
- White Mountain, Green Mountain 106
- Reading in a Whole New Way 109
Bài 13 After Twenty Years- O’ Henry 113

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 PRELIMINARY UNIT: WRITING STYLES - FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE-
SUMMARIZING AND PARAPHRASING

A. WRITING STYLES:
I. NON- FICTION: WRITINGS BASED ON FACTS, OPINIONS
AND/OR ACTUAL EXPERIENCES

Expository Essays

Expository essays require that the writer give information, explain the topic or define
something. To accomplish that, they are best developed by the use of facts and statistical
information, cause and effect relationships, examples, or even stories. We will examine
three types of expository essays: (1) definition, (2) compare/contrast, and (3) process
analysis.

The definition essay attempts to define a specific

term or idea. The analysis goes deeper than a simple
dictionary definition; the definition essay explains why
the term is defined the way it is and the causes and
effects of the term. Many examples and illustrations will
be given. In defining the term or idea, the writer can
give straight factual information and statistical data,
or the writer can tell a story that requires the reader to infer the meaning.

The compare/contrast essay discusses the similarities and differences between two things,
people, concepts, places, etc. The essay could be either an unbiased discussion, or an
attempt to convince the reader of something. It could also be written simply to entertain the
reader, or to arrive at an insight into human nature.

A process analysis describes how something is done. It generally explains actions that
should be performed in a series. It can explain in detail how to accomplish a specific task,
or it can show how an individual came to a certain personal awareness. The essay could be

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in the form of step-by-step instructions, or in story form, with the instructions/explanations
subtly given along the way.
Persuasive Essays

The persuasive essay attempts to convince the reader to a particular point of view. The
writer can either be serious or funny while persuading the reader of the validity of a
position. Most importantly, the writer must define and understand who his audience is in
order to anticipate rebuttals and defend his position. The audience will shape the voice and
tone of the essay as the writer tries to influence that group of readers. Persuasive writing is
like a one-sided debate where attempts are made to convince the reader that the point of
view recommended by the writer is the best one. The argument may be either inductive
(moving from the specific to the general) or deductive (moving from the general to the
specific). The argument may be strong or subtle.

Descriptive Essays

The descriptive essay tries to show the readers what the writer sees: objects, scenes,
characters, ideas and even emotions or moods. The description is not limited to people,
places or things, but can illustrate abstract thought and create the power of a feeling. These
essays use a lot of details that appeal to the senses by providing details about how
something looks feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or sounds. It can also describe what
something is, or how something happened. The essay could be a list-like description that
provides point-by-point details. Or, it could function as a story, keeping the reader
interested in the plot and theme of the event described. The impact of the descriptive essay
is its appeal to the reader’s senses and feelings.

Narrative Essays

The narrative essay uses story-telling to develop the writer’s chosen subject. Generally, its
style is conversational, as if the writer were talking to friends and telling them of a personal
experience. It is most commonly written in the first person, “I.” The purpose of the
narrative essay is to communicate a significant experience in order to bring understanding
to and perhaps persuade the reader. The difference between a narrative and a short story
however, is that a narrative develops a main idea or thesis. In contrast, a short story focuses

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mainly on character or plot development. The narrative essay makes a specific point, and
that point is often found in the introductory paragraph.

II. FICTION: WRITINGS BASED ON EXPERIENCES CREATED BY THE WRITER

Short Story

The short story has few characters and aims at creating a unity of effect. The focus lays in
plot or character development. Therefore, the short story is limited either in the number of
characters it has or the complexity of the setting since its main concern is to create a single,
dynamic effect. Its length usually falls between 2,000 and 10,000 words.

B. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:
I. What is figurative language?
Figurative language is language that carries a meaning different from the literal
meaning- The real meaning of words. Figurative language is used for special
effects: to show the sense or feeling of a situation, to add interest, variety, beauty,
humour, and so on…

II. What are some types of figurative language?

Here are some types of figurative language you have seen in your reading course:

1. Idiom: An idiom is an expression that a group of people give a special meaning

to. You can’t understand idioms too well just by looking at the meaning of each
word or its part of speech.
Ex: I take my hat off to you. You handle that extremely well.

2. Simile: A simile is an expression in which two unlike things are compared by the
use of a function word such as like, as.
Ex: She is as beautiful as a rose.

3. Metaphor: In a metaphor, two unlike things are compared, but the words like, as
are not stated.
Ex: She has a heart of stone.

4. Personification: In personification, something that is not human is given human

characteristics.
Ex: I like my Tom dog very much because he is very clever and faithful.

5. Irony: In irony, an expression is used in a funny or sarcastic way to mean exactly

the opposite of what it says.
Ex: What a fine day I’ve had. Everything went wrong.

6. Hyperbole: Hyperbole is overstatement or exaggerated statement.

Ex: I have invited millions of people to my party.

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PRACTICES
I. Practice 1: Understanding idiomatic expressions:
A literal definition and an idiomatic meaning are given for each expression. Read the
expression. Circle the letter of the phrase listed below that is the idiomatic meaning of the
expression.
1. to hit the nail on the head.
a. to pound the nail on its top b. to be right about something.

2. ball of fire.
a. person with great energy b. globe of flame

3. to look on the bright side.

a. to see the side that is bright or lit by the sun
b. to be optimistic

4. to be short.
a. not to have enough b. not to be tall

5. on the side.
a. in addition to a main thing b. beside or next to

6. to be tied up
a. to be busy b. to be secured with a rope

7. on the whole.
a. on top of the entire thing b. in most ways

8. to blow the whistle.

a. To breathe heavily into a whistle until it makes a loud sound.
b. To tell secret information about.

9. can of worms.
a. container full of bugs. b. complex problem
10. to pull someone’s leg.
a. to grab someone’s leg. b. to tease someone.

11. to get off the ground.

a. to make a successful beginning b. to leave the earth.

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II. Practice 2: Idiomatic and literal expressions
Put an I on the line in front of each sentence which uses an expression as an idiom.
Put an L on the line in front of each sentence which uses an expression literally.

1. _______The president hit the nail on the head with his analysis of our budget
problems.
2. _______ Jane always seems happy. She really knows how to look on the bright side
of things.
3. _______ There was a big scratch on the side of his new car.
4. _______ On the whole, Clark has done well in school.
5. _______The young boy gathered up his fishing pole and his can of worms and
headed off to the lake.
6. _______ The airplane couldn’t get off the ground because of the bad weather.
7. _______ Peter is a real ball of fire.
8. _______ The police officer blew the whistle to stop the cars.
9. _______ Grace is short three cups of sugar, so she can’t bake the cake.
10. _______ The horse was tied up at the corral so she wouldn’t run away.
11. _______ I thought Jake was serious, but he was only pulling my leg.

Practice 3: Identify the different figures of speech used in the following sentences. State
whether an example of metaphor, simile, personification, irony or hyperbole is being used.
Account for its use (interpret its meaning)
1. I found the fifty kilos of books you left for me to carry. Your kindness really moves
me.
................................................................................................................................
2. Keep overeating like that and pretty soon you’ll weigh a thousand kilos.
................................................................................................................................
3. The river ate away the bank.
................................................................................................................................
4. Right this minute, I could drink a barrel of water.
................................................................................................................................
5. Alice came in gently, like a May breeze.
................................................................................................................................
6. Susie is a coat-hanger in her new dress.
................................................................................................................................
7. Making contact with officialdom is as easy as making contact with outer space.
................................................................................................................................
8. The machines stood in silent rows- with arms folded and heads bowed.
................................................................................................................................
9. She understood his intention and felt as if a knife had been plunged deep in her
heart.
................................................................................................................................
10. I really wanted to be sort of a carpet- to make myself into a carpet for you to walk
on so that you won’t get hurt by the sharp stone.
................................................................................................................................

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C. SUMMARIZING AND PARAPHRASING

I. Summarizing:

1. What is a summary?

A summary is a brief restatement, in your own words, of the main ideas in a reading
passage. Depending on your purpose, when you write a summary, you will focus only
on the main points in the selection or include several supporting details (examples,
facts, reasons and so on). Your main goal in summarizing a passage is to give your
reader an accurate sense of the content and emphasis of the original.

2. Reasons for summarizing:

 Writing a summary is an excellent way to make sure you fully understand a

reading passage, because it requires you to restate ideas in your own words and to
distinguish between main points and supporting details. Summarizing also focuses
your attention on the organization of the passage and the author’s purpose and
emphasis. This helps you not only to comprehend the writer’s ideas but also to see
their strengths and weaknesses.
 Along with outlines, summaries are a good study tool for examinations; because
they help you understand and remember the most important information in
textbooks and lectures.
 In addition to paraphrase and quotation, summary is a common way of
incorporating sources into an essay, research paper, or oral report.

3. Types of summaries:

There are two basic types of summaries: informative summaries, which directly
restate the main ideas in the original passage without mentioning the author, and
descriptive summaries, which provide an overview of the main ideas in the selection
and mention the author and title. (These latter summaries contain such statements as
“The author states (argues, believes, implies) that…” and “The author begins (goes
on to, concludes)…”
4. Characteristics of a summary:

A summary should be:

 Concise: You should include only one statement of the thesis (main idea), even
if the author repeats it; review only the main points, and, if necessary, include
several major supporting details.
 Accurate: You should include all of the main ideas, express them clearly, and
reflect the author emphasis.
 Objective: You should include only the author’s ideas, not your own opinions,
interpretations, and judgments.

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  Coherent: You should have smooth transitions, or connections, between
sentences.

5. Guidelines for summarizing:

 Reread the essay or article and decide on the main ideas (and supporting details)
you want to include in the summary. Consider writing an outline to help separate the
major and minor points of the passage.
 Write a single sentence that explains the thesis, or main idea, of the whole
reading. Use this as the first sentence of your summary.
 Divide the reading into its major sections, each consisting of one or more
paragraphs. Then write a one-sentence summary of the main idea in each section.
(Depending on the length and complexity of the passage and whether or not you
want to include supporting details, you might need more than one sentence for each
section.)
 Write the first draft of the summary by combining the thesis and section
summaries. (You may rearrange the section summaries if you feel this better reflects
the meaning of the original or combine two summaries that are related.)
 Revise the summary as needed to make it clear, concise, and coherent and to
reflect the author’s emphasis.

Remember that when you write a summary, you don’t just copy statements from the
original and put them together. To summarize effectively, you need to restate the
author’s ideas in your own words and to synthesize the material- to combine
information and group main ideas in a way that shows the relationships among
them.

II. Paraphrasing:

1. What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing a reading passage is similar to summarizing it: both involve restating

someone else’s ideas in your own words. But whereas a summary is a condensed, or
shortened, version of the original, a paraphrase is a complete restatement, including
all of the writer’s main ideas and key supporting details. (In general, a paraphrase is
as long as or longer than the original.) Your main goal in paraphrasing a passage is to
give your reader an accurate sense of the meaning, tone, and emphasis of the original.

2. Reasons for paraphrasing:

 Paraphrasing passages is an excellent way to make sure you fully understand

them, because it requires you to read closely and restate the main ideas and
supporting details in your own words.

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  Paraphrasing key sections of readings can help you study for examinations,
because translating another writer’s language into your own helps you comprehend
and remember what you have read.
 Paraphrasing and summarizing are essential for incorporating information from
sources into your essays and research papers. Paraphrasing allows you to discuss an
author’s ideas without quoting every word and interrupting the flow of your writing.

3. Characteristics of a paraphrase
A paraphrase should be:

 Faithful to the meaning and emphasis of the original passage. (Include all of the
main ideas and key supporting details. Do not discuss your own opinions,
interpretations, and evaluations.)
 Faithful to the tone of the original. (If the tone is ironic, nostalgic, enthusiastic,
playful, and so on, this should be reflected in the paraphrase.)
 Largely reworded. (Use your own words as much as possible. Look for
synonyms of words and phrases in the original. If you wish to retain key terms, place
them in quotation marks.)
 Varied grammatically. (Whenever possible, change the word order and other
grammatical elements. Also consider varying the sentence and structure: you might
make a longer sentence into a shorter one, a shorter one into longer one, two
sentences out of one, or one out of two.)

4. Guidelines for paraphrasing

 First, reread the original passage several times to make sure you understand
everything in it.
 Then without looking at the original, try to restate the general meaning. (If the
passage is too long to remember, restate the meaning sentence by sentence or two
sentences at a time.)
 Next, reread the original passage one more time, making sure you have included
all the important information in the same tone.
 Finally, revise the paraphrase as needed. (For example, you might need to add
transitional words and phrases within and between sentences to make your
paraphrase flow smoothly.)
As an alternative, you may paraphrase a passage in the following manner:
 Go through each sentence of the original passage word by word, substituting a
synonym wherever possible. (Make sure each synonym can be used in the same
context.)
 Change the word order of each sentence.
 Revise the paraphrase as needed.

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EXAMPLES
I. SUMMARIZING:

1. To understand more fully how to write a summary, examine the process by which one
student summarized a passage from a geological textbook. First, the student read the
passage through for overall understanding. She had a pencil in hand to underline parts she
thought were important. As you read the passage, notice the parts she marked.

What causes earthquakes?

People have tried to explain the cause of earthquakes since earliest times. Some
people thought that quakes were sent from heaven to punish the wicked. Others believed
that the earth rested on the back of animals. When these creatures moved the earth would
tremble, causing earthquakes.
We now have more scientific explanations of the causes of these destructive earth
tremors. Earthquakes are evidence that some process is at work below the surface of the
earth. Large bodies of magma may be in motion. These and other internal movements can
result, in a sudden release of energy by breaking the overlying, brittle rocks.
During earthquakes, rocks beneath the surface are clearly bent and broken. In other
cases deformation takes place slowly and without recognizable earthquake shocks. For
example, in a drill hole in the Great Valley of California, earth movements have been
measured for years. The rocks here are moving at a rate of about one meter per century.
Another example of slow earth movements is at a winery in Hollister, California. By
chance it was built on a fault associated with the San Andreas Fault Zone. Over the years
there have been slow; steady movements without accompanying earthquakes. The winery
building, originally a rectangle, has been pulled into a diamond shape. The land at this
particular location moves about one centimeter a year.
In some places pressure slowly builds up until the rocks break and quickly snap
back into position. The fault releases energy that may have built up in the rocks for
hundreds or thousands of years. This sudden burst of energy causes vibrations that travel
through the rocks. These vibrations are an earthquake.
Most earthquakes are so small that they can be detected only by sensitive
instruments. But when violent earthquakes occur in inhabited areas, they can cause great
destruction and human misery.
In large earthquakes most of the stored energy is released in the first movement
along the fault surface. However, energy may continue to trickle off in aftershocks. These
shocks are much less severe than the main shock and may continue for months after the
initial earthquake.
American Geological Institute
The student looked over all the parts she underlined and made sure that she
understood what the whole passage was about.
She noticed that the entire passage answered the question in the title: What causes
earthquakes? She then realized that the main idea of the passage would be the part that
most directly answered the question. She found two related main ideas sentences:
“earthquakes are evidence that some process is at work below the surface of the
earth…These and other internal movement can result in a sudden release of energy by

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breaking the overlying, brittle rocks”. She combined the opening question and these two
sentences into a single main idea sentence. She used that sentence to start her summary:
“Earthquakes occur when internal movements of the earth suddenly release energy by
breaking the overlying brittle rocks on the earth’s surface.”
The passage was mostly about the way scientists explain earthquakes today. The
student felt that all the old explanations in the first paragraph were minor and should be left
out. From the rest of the passage, she kept the major details of the explanation and
eliminated most details of the examples.
Throughout, she combined sentences and eliminated extra words to bring out the
main ideas in as few words as possible. Here is her final summary:

Earthquakes occur when internal movements of the earth suddenly release energy by
breaking the overlying brittle rocks on the earth’s surface. During earthquakes, rocks
are clearly bent and broken. Elsewhere, rocks may be slowly deformed over many years.
Then the pressure may build up until the rocks break and snap back into position. This
break releases the built- up energy in the rocks and causes vibrations to travel through
the rocks. Most earthquakes are so small that they can be barely detected, but large
violent earthquakes can destroy inhabited areas. In large earthquakes, smaller
aftershocks may follow after the first large movement of the rocks.

II. PARAPHRASING:

Following is a sample paraphrase of a passage from Deborah Tannen’s article: “Sex, Sighs,
and Conversation”:

Original:

(1)“These divergent assumptions about the purpose of language persist into adulthood,
where they lie in wait behind cross-gender conversations, ready to leap out and cause
puzzlement or grief. (2) In the case of asking for directions, the same interchange is
experienced differently by women and men. (3) From a woman’s perspective, you ask for
help, you get it, and you get to where you’re going. (4) A fleeting connection is made with
a stranger, which is fundamentally pleasant. (5) But a man is aware that by admitting
ignorance and asking for information, he positions himself one-down to someone else. (6)
Far from pleasant, this is humiliating. (7) So it makes sense for him to preserve his
independence and self-esteem at the cost of a little extra travel time.”

Paraphrase:

(1) These different expectations about the function of language continue into adulthood and
are often an unexpected source of confusion and frustration when women and men talk to
each other. (2) For example, women and men perceive the need to ask for directions
differently. (3) Because women use language to make connections, they don’t hesitate to
ask for help. “In contrast, because men are concerned with maintaining status and

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independence, they are embarrassed to admit they don’t know something. (5) As a result,
they are reluctant to ask for directions, even if it means a longer trip.

Paraphrase Original passage

Sentence 1= Sentence 1
Sentence 2= Sentence 2
Sentence 3= Sentence 3+4
Sentence 4= Elements of Sentences 5, 6+7
Sentence 5= Elements of 5, 6 +7

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UNIT ONE: I Want a Wife (A Definition Essay)
By Judy Brady
Background: Judy Brady (1937–)

Judy Brady was born in San Francisco, California. She became a free-lance writer during
the 1960s. She has written articles on such issues as abortion, education, and the labor and
women’s movements for a variety of magazines. The provocative essay reprinted here first
appeared in Ms. Magazine in 1971 and has become a classic of feminist satire. She is a
wife and mother of two children, and writes in argument for a wife of her own. Notice how
she defines “wife” by giving numerous examples and detailed illustrations.
According to the dictionary, a wife is a “woman married to a man.” But, as many women
know, a wife is much more: cook, housekeeper, nutritionist, chauffeur, friend, sex partner,
valet, nurse, social secretary, ego-builder, and more. Rather than complaining, she explains
why she herself would like to have a wife.
Pre- reading task: Discuss the following questions:

1. What is expected conventionally of a husband? of a wife?

2. Between men and women, who have to perform housework?
3. If you could choose, would you be a husband or a wife? Why?

I Want a Wife
1. I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am a Wife. And, not
altogether incidentally, I am a mother.
2. Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene from the Midwest fresh
from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is
obviously looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one
evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a
wife?
3. I would like to go back to school, so that I can become economically independent,
support myself, and, if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will
work and send me to school. And while I am going to school I want a wife to take care of
my children. I want a wife to keep track of the children’s doctor and dentist appointments
and to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are
kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children’s clothes and keep them mended. I
want a wife who is a good nurturing attendant to my children, arranges for their schooling,
makes sure that they have adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the
zoo, etc. I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who
arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot
miss classes at school. My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It
may mean a small cut in my wife’s income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate
that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my
wife is working.

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4. I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my
house clean, a wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me. I
want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and
who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find
what I need the minute I need it. I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife who is a good
cook. I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare
the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studying. I
want a wife who will care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of
time from school. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that
someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and a change of
scene.
5. I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife's duties. But
I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I
have come across in my course studies. And I want a wife who will type my papers for me
when I have written them.
6. I want a wife who will take care of details of my social life. When my wife and I are
invited out by my friends, I want a wife who will take care of the babysitting arrangements.
When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have
the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt
when I talk about the things that interest me and my friends. I want a wife who will have
arranged that the children are fed and ready for bed before my guests arrive so that the
children do not bother us. I want a wife who takes care of the needs of my guests so that
they feel comfortable, who makes sure that they have an ashtray, that they are passed the
hors d’oeuvres, that they are offered a second helping of the food, that their wine glasses
are replenished when necessary, that their coffee is served to them as they like it. And I
want a wife who knows that sometimes I need a night out by myself.
7. I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately
and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who makes sure that I am satisfied. And, of course, I
want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it. I want
a wife who assumes the complete responsibility for birth control, because I do not want
more children. I want a wife who will remain sexually faithful to me so that I do not have
to clutter up my intellectual life with jealousies. And I want a wife who understands that
my sexual needs may entail more than strict adherence to monogamy. I must, after all, be
able to relate to people as fully as possible.
8. If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have,
I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a
fresh, new life; my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I
am left free.
9. When I am through with school and have acquired a job, I want my wife to quit working
and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of a wife’s
duties.
10. My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?

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I. Vocabulary in context:

Match a word in column A with its suitable definition in column B:

A B
1. ego- builder a. exclusively
2. valet b. nourishing
3. incidentally c. by the way
4. hors d’oeuvres d. a person who helps someone to develop his sense of self
5. nurturant e. servant
6. adherence f. custom of being married to only one person at a time
7. monogamy g. refilled
8. intellectual h. faithfulness
9. solely i. interested in things of the mind rather than practical
matter
10. replenished j. starters

II. Comprehension questions

1. What is Brady’s definition of “wife”?

..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
2. What made her first think about wanting a wife? In what ways could a wife help her?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
3. What is the effect of the repetition “I want a wife who” at the start of so many sentences?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
4. What is the author’s tone? (attitude to the subject, writer’s personal voice)
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
5. Point out the uses of irony (to suggest the opposite of what is stated: to reveal
unpleasant/ troublesome realities that exist in life, to poke fun at human weaknesses and
foolish attitudes)
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
6. How does the fact that Brady is a woman contribute to this sense of irony?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
7. How effective is Brady’s final rhetoric question? Where else in the essay does she use a
rhetorical question?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

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8. What is the author’s purpose?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

III. Paraphrasing: Rewrite the following short paragraphs in your own words, keeping the
same meaning.
1. I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife’s duties.
But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult
point I have come across in my course studies.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
2. If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have,
I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a
fresh, new life; my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that
I am left free.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

IV. Summarizing: Write a short paragraph summary of the essay (about 80- 100 words).
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

15
UNIT TWO: Reading Questions Types and Strategies
There are many types of questions used in the reading Practice. You should be familiar
with these types.

I. Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-Choice Questions are designed to test a wide variety of reading skills. The questions
may require you to have an overall understanding of the main points of the text in which
you will need to be able to read for the gist. Or they may require you to have a detailed
understanding of particular points in which you will need to be able to read for specific
details. Multiple-Choice Questions may also ask you to identify facts or opinion.
There are two types of Multiple-Choice Questions:
-Standard Multiple Choice
-Modified Multiple Choice

I.1. Standard Multiple-Choice Questions

Standard Multiple-Choice Questions are the most typical form of Multiple-Choice

Questions used in the reading test with one question and four possible answers.

I.2. Modified Multiple-Choice Questions

Modified Multiple-Choice Questions are a little different from the Standard Multiple-
Choice Questions. This type of question requires two or more answers for one
question.

Useful Tips
1. Scan the passage and locate where the ideas or choices are stated.
2. Cross out the choices that you have identified as incorrect.
3. Do the easiest items first. Proceed to the next item(s) should you find that you are
unsure of the answer to a particular item.
4. Do not spend too much time on a particular item. Skip but make it a point to go back
to the item(s) that you have not completed if you still have time.

Example:

The main elements required for survival are food, fire, shelter and water. Their
order importance will depend upon where you happen to be. In the desert water will head
the list; in polar regions shelter and fire will be the main concerns. Ordering your
priorities is first step to survival.
It takes a healthy person quite a long time to die of starvation, for the body can use
up stored resources, but exposure to wind, rain and cold can be fatal even in mild
climates and death comes in only minutes in the icy waters of the poles. Food is rarely the
first prior. Even in those places where it is difficult to find, there are usually other problems

16
to face first. Shelter will often be the prime necessity in extremes of climate or
temperatures such as in the frozen polar regions or in the baking deserts. The need for fire
is closely linked.
Water is something that most people in the modern world take for granted. They
are so used to turning on a tap that until an extreme drought causes water rationing they
seldom think about it. Yet the survivor at sea- or after a flood, though surrounded by water,
may be desperate for drinkable water. And there are many places where, unless it rains,
no obvious water is available. Although there could be other survival necessities to deal
with, water is always universally important.

Questions 1-4: Read the passage and answer the following multiple-choice questions by
circling the letter of the correct answer.

1. The factor which decides the order of importance or the main elements required for
survival is
A. your health. C. your job.
B. your location. D. your strength.

2. The basic need that may NOT be equally important as the others in extremely cold
places is
A. water. C. fire.
B. shelter. D. none of above.

3. Fire is described as
A. universally important. C. the prime necessity.
B. being taken for granted. D. closely linked with shelter

4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Exposure to wind is not dangerous in mild climates.
B. People may die quickly in the water of polar regions.
C. Looking for food is the first thing to do most of the time.
D. Survivors after a flood won't need water for drinking.

II. Short-Answer Questions

This question type is more difficult than it appears. In the instructions, you are
asked to write an answer of between one and four words. Most often, you are
instructed to write each answer in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. This is
important because if you write four words (even if it contains the correct answer), it is
marked wrong. The spelling has to be correct, too!

17
 Useful Tips
1. Look for the keywords in the questions to find the corresponding sections in the
passage. Also pay attention to synonyms/ antonyms or the similar or different wording
in the questions and the passage.
2. Focus on the question word to know what to answer; e.g. what or who requires a
noun, when needs a time/time phrase in the answer.
3. Your answer must be within the word limit.
4. Note that the answers are usually found in order of the reading passage, and
remember grammar rules to write correct answers.

Example:
The Peace Corps
On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued an order creating the Peace
Corps. Its mission was to promote world peace and friendship by providing qualified
volunteers to interested countries. Today it sends an-average of 6,000 U.S. citizens abroad
each year.
Volunteers live at a local level in their host countries. They are paid in local
currency. Each month they receive a small sum of money that covers basic living expenses,
and varies with the local economy. For example, volunteers in Micronesia make the
equivalent of $300 per month, while those in Turkmenistan make $75. Most volunteers live
with host families. This is a great chance to learn the language and the culture.
For each month that they spend overseas, volunteers receive a sum of about $200.
This money helps them to get back on their feet in the United States.
Serving countries all over the world, the Peace Corps lives up to its promise as
"the toughest job you'll ever love." Volunteers do everything from teaching English to
sharing tips on growing food to providing preventive health care. However, the application
process to become a Peace Corps volunteer is very competitive. You must be a U.S. citizen,
at least eighteen years old, in good health, and willing to serve for two years. Nearly all
volunteers have a bachelor's degree in their chosen field, and about 18 percent have their
master's or doctorate degrees. Knowing a language, especially French and Spanish, helps.

Questions 1-5: Read the passage The Peace Corps and answer the following questions
with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the passage.

1. What kind of U.S. citizens does the Peace Corps send abroad to fulfill its
mission?
...............................................................................................................................
2. What does the monthly payment in local currency to volunteers cover?
...............................................................................................................................
3. Whom do the volunteers stay within their host countries?
...............................................................................................................................
4. What is the shortest time that volunteers can work for the Peace Corps?
............................................................................................................................

18
 5. Which languages are given as an example of what can benefit volunteers?
...............................................................................................................................

III. Sentence-Completion Questions

Sentence-Completion Questions test your ability to find details to complete sentences.

You will be provided with a number of incomplete sentences which you need to complete,
using the information from a reading passage. Generally, you must complete each
statement in three words or fewer, but confirm this with the instructions.

In doing this task, you need to skim for general information, scan for details, and understand
paraphrases in incomplete sentences.

Useful Tips
1. Read the instructions carefully to make sure you must use the words taken from the
reading passage or you have to use your own words. Also note the number of words
required for each gapped sentence.
2. Briefly read through all the gapped sentences to get an idea of what information you
will have to look for in the passage.
3. Read the first sentence of each reading paragraph carefully. Usually, the answers are
found in order and evenly distributed throughout the passage. You will usually see
synonyms used in the passage in place of the words right before and after the gap in
each question.
4. Once you have found the relevant section of the reading passage, look back at the
gapped sentence and decide what specific information you need to complete it.
5. Read that part of the passage more carefully to find the answer. Remember that the
correct answer you find in the passage should grammatically fit the gapped sentence.
6. Your written words must correctly be spelt, too. If not, they will be marked as wrong
answer.

Example:
Solar Collector
Solar collectors absorb heat from the sun's rays. They can be used to effectively heat
and cool buildings. The most common type of collector for space heating is a flat plate
designed to absorb both radiation falling directly on it, as well as radiation scattered by the
atmosphere.
Collectors are usually panels of aluminum, copper, or steel. The panels are
usually painted black. The black colouring inhibits reflection and encourages
absorption. Insulation is placed behind the collector to prevent heat loss.
The collector is covered with glass or plastic. This layer allows short-wave
radiation or light – to enter the collector. As the radiation passes through the glass or
plastic, it is transformed from short-wave radiation to long-wave radiation – or heat. Long-
wave radiation cannot pass through the glass or plastic back into the atmosphere.
Therefore, the heat is trapped within the collector. Collectors are usually placed at an

19
angle to maximise the amount of radiation falling on them.
A transfer agent (air or water) is circulated through the collector and becomes
heated. It leaves the collector and travels through the heating ducts of a house; it warms
the air inside the house or brings hot water to sinks, tubs, and appliances. With solar
collectors, storage is a Problem: great amounts of heat must be stored for nighttime use
and for use during cloudy days.

Questions 1-5: Refer to the passage Solar Collector and choose from the passage NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS to complete the following sentences.

1. Solar collectors can heat and cool houses with heat absorbed from……………………
2. Collectors are coloured black to prevent……………………………..
3. Glass and plastic are used to cover the collector so that short-wave radiation
can……………………………
4.The glass or plastic cover on the collector helps to trap the…………………………….
5. For nighttime and cloudy days, heat needs to be……………………………..
IV. Note/ Summary/ Diagram /Flow Chart/ Table-Completion Questions

Diagrams, tables and flow charts are drawings or notes about the information in a
reading passage. You should complete them by finding the missing information
(words and/or numbers) from the reading passage.
1. Note/Summary-Completion Questions
Note / Summary-Completion Questions are questions that test your ability to locate
and identify particular details in a reading passage.
There are two types of Note/Summary-Completion Questions:
- Questions with a box of possible answers (i.e. you choose answers from a
box of answers given)
- Questions without a box of possible answers (i.e. you find appropriate words
or expressions from the reading passage)
1.1 Note/ Summary-Completion Questions with a box of possible answers

For the first type of Note/Summary-Completion Questions, you will be given a one-
paragraph summary of either the whole reading passage or a part of the passage.
In the summary, there are a number of blank spaces (blanks) that show where there
are words missing. You will then have to choose from the box given the most
appropriate words or word groups to complete the blank spaces.
1.2 Note/ Summary-Completion Questions without a box of possible answers

The second type of Note/ Summary-Completion Questions is more difficult because it

does not give you a box of possible answers. That means you yourself have to
find an appropriate word or a few words from the reading passage to complete the
summary. The instructions will tell you the word limit – from one to three words.

20
 It is very important that you complete the blank spaces for the summary with the
exact words from a certain reading passage. In other words, you should not
change the words from the passage to fit the note/summary.

2. Diagram / Flow Chart / Table-Completion Questions

A diagram/flow chart/table is used to summarise a process that is explained in a
passage.

Useful Tips
1. Skim through the passage to get its general idea.
2. With flow charts, pay attention to the order in which events happen. With regard
to diagrams, on the other hand, try to understand how the various elements or parts
of the picture relate to what is described in the passage. For table-completion
questions, it is important to look at the headings in the table to guide you in your
reading.
3. For every stage in the flow chart, or for each element of the diagram, locate that
part of the passage which presents the same ideas as those mentioned in the flow
chart/ diagram.
4. Never exceed the word limit.

Example:
How to Borrow Books
Most libraries require you to register before you are allowed to borrow any
of their materials. This means you will probably be asked to fill out and sign a
registration card. When you do this, you are not only giving the library your name and
address for their files, you are also signing an agreement. The agreement says,
basically, that you will obey the rules of the library. A parent or guardian is sometimes
also required to sign the card.
To be entitled to use your school library, you probably must only be enrolled
in that school. Once you are registered, you will be issued a library or borrower's
card. On this card will be your name and a number. Each time you check out, that is,
officially borrow something from the library, you will have to present this card to the
librarian.
If your library is large enough, it may have film equipment that you may borrow.
To do so, however, the library usually requires a separate registration. You may also
have to take and pass a course the library gives on how to operate the different pieces of
equipment.
You usually check out and return borrowed materials at the same desk. The sign
on this desk may read Circulation Desk, Check Out Here, or perhaps Charge Desk.
The library staff member at this desk will take your card and stamp the book
card with a date. This is the date by which you are expected to return the material to the
library, so others can have the chance of borrowing it. Many libraries allow you to
renew the book if it has not been requested by others.

21
 Some libraries charge a fine for each day a library book is overdue, kept out
beyond the date stamped on the book card. There are also often fines for books
returned damaged or written in. Should you lose a library book, you may be required
to pay the library the amount it was worth. Not paying fines could result in your
losing all library privileges.

Questions 1-6: Complete the summary below by choosing NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS from the passage “How to Borrow Books” for each answer.
Most libraries require you to register before you borrow any books. First of all, you
will need to fill out and sign 1……………………………and while doing so, you are also
2..……………………………with the library. Later each time you check out, you will
have to present a library card to the librarian. In some libraries, you will be required to
make a separate registration if you want to borrow 3. …………………………… and at
the same time, you will have to take and 4. ……………………………on how to operate
the equipment. When you borrow library books, the librarian will put a
5……………………………on the book card so that you know when to return them. If
you want to keep the books longer, you can 6………………………it if nobody requests
them.

V. Choosing from a Heading Bank for Identified Paragraphs/ Sections of a Passage

This type of question tests your ability to identify the main ideas of paragraphs. Here
you will be given a list of headings. Your job is to find the most suitable heading for each
of the paragraphs of a reading passage. There will be more headings than paragraphs, and
you should not use any heading more than once unless the instructions tell you that you
can.

Useful Tips
To complete this task well, you need to be able to identify the main focus of each
paragraph. The correct headings usually sum up the main ideas of the corresponding
paragraphs.
1. Read the list of the headings first and underline all keywords.
2. Read the first sentence of each paragraph/section and guess (based on the
information in the first sentence) the best heading choice.
3. Make sure the heading you have chosen sums up the entire paragraph and not just
one specific idea in it.

Example:
The Cancer-Prone Personality
Paragraph A
One of the reasons scientists think that there is a link between stress and cancer is
the idea that there may be a cancer-prone personality. The cancer-prone personality
consists of a set of personality traits that are found more frequently in people who have
cancer than in those who do not.

22
Paragraph B
What personality traits make up the cancer-prone personality? Most often, people
who are polite, unaggressive, and agreeable are said to have this type of personality. They
seem to have trouble showing when they are angry. Even in situations in which they should
be angry, they appear to be calm and happy.

Paragraph C
When faced with a stressful event, people with the cancer-prone personality do not
show stress outwardly. Instead, they keep their emotions bottled inside. They repress, or
hide, their emotions, even from themselves.

Paragraph D
The cancer-prone personality is linked to the likelihood of getting cancer, and the
same personality traits seem to help affect a cancer victim's recovery. For example, some
studies have looked at cancer patients who accept the cancer without getting angry. These
patients get sick faster and they die sooner than people who became angry at their cancer
and fight the disease.

Paragraph E
However, it is important to keep in mind that some scientists interpret these
research findings differently. First of all, not everyone who has a cancer-prone
personality gets cancer. And not everyone who has cancer has a cancer-prone
personality. Even more important, there is no proof that having a cancer-prone
personality causes cancer. In fact, it may be the other way around: getting cancer may
cause people to develop a cancer-prone personality.

Questions 1-5: The reading passage “The Cancer-Prone Personality” has 5

paragraphs A-E. Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of
headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (I- VII). There are more headings than
you can use.

I. Get angry, live longer

II. Nothing to see on the surface
III. Try to overcome anger
IV. Which one causes which?
V. Who is likely to get cancer?
VI. Why join stress and cancer?
VII. Scientists agree

1. Paragraph A________
2. Paragraph B________
3. Paragraph C________
4. Paragraph D________
5. Paragraph E________

23
VI. Identification of Writer’s Viewpoints/ Claims and Information in a Passage —
Yes/No/Not Given; True/False/Not Given
This question type is used to test your ability to recognise the writer's opinion as well as to
distinguish fact from opinion on a topic in a passage.
A fact is a piece of information that has been discovered or proved true.
An opinion is a statement that reflects a person’s individual viewpoint on a topic. Opinions or
viewpoints are often based on facts, which is why some readers find it difficult to
distinguish between fact and opinion. Also, most writers do not put I think in front of every
opinion they give. As a reader, you need to look for other words that help to indicate a
personal opinion.

These tasks ask you to either identity the writer’s viewpoints or claims (Yes/No/Not Given)
or identify information (True/False/Not Given) in the passage.
True/False/Not Given Questions ask you to decide if specific information is:
- true according to the information in the passage
- false according to the information in the passage
- not mentioned in the passage

Useful Tips:
1. Read the instructions carefully.
2. Quickly read all statements to get an idea about the topic.
3. Underline the keywords so that you can understand the main point in each statement.
Usually each question has two or three aspects that must be proven true or false.
4. Search for the section in the text which deals with the idea or fact. Once you have
found the relevant section, read it carefully for the answer to each question.

Example 1:
UN Warns over Impact of Rapidly Ageing Populations
The world needs to do more to prepare for the impact of a rapidly ageing population, the
UN has warned - particularly in developing countries. Within 10 years the number of
people aged over 60 will pass one billion, a report by the UN Population Fund said. The
demographic shift will present huge challenges to countries' welfare, pension and
healthcare systems. The UN agency also said more had to be done to tackle "abuse, neglect
and violence against older persons".

The number of older people worldwide is growing faster than any other age group. The
report, Ageing in the 21st Century: A Celebration and a Challenge, estimates that one in
nine people around the world are older than 60. The elderly population is expected to swell
by 200 million in the next decade to surpass one billion, and reach two billion by 2050.
This rising proportion of older people is a consequence of success - improved nutrition,
sanitation, healthcare, education and economic well-being are contributing factors, the
report says.

But the UN and a charity that also contributed to the report, Help Age International, say

24
the ageing population is being widely mismanaged. “In many developing countries with
large populations of young people, the challenge is that governments have not put policies
and practices in place to support their current older populations or made enough
preparations for 2050,” the agencies said in a joint statement.

The report warns that the skills and experience of older people are being wasted, with
many under-employed and vulnerable to discrimination. HelpAge said more countries
needed to introduce pension schemes to ensure economic independence and reduce poverty
in old age. It stressed that it was not enough to simply pass legislation - the new schemes
needed to be funded properly.

The UN report used India as an example, saying it needed to take urgent steps in this area.
Almost two-thirds of India's population is under 30. But it also has 100 million elderly
people - a figure that is expected to increase threefold by 2050. Traditionally, people in
India live in large, extended families and elderly people have been well looked after. But
the trend now is to have smaller, nuclear families and many of the country's elderly are
finding themselves cast out, says the BBC's Sango Majumder in Delhi.

There are more and more cases of physical and mental abuse, including neglect, suffered
by the elderly at the hands of their families. It is slowly becoming a widespread social
problem, particularly in urban areas, one which India still has not got to grips with, our
correspondent says.

By contrast, the UN report cited the case of Bolivia as an example of good practice in the
developing world. All Bolivians over the age of 60 get a pension that is the equivalent of
about $30 (£19) a month. Bolivia suffers from frequent flooding and landslides, and older
people there have been organised into "Brigadas Blancas" - White Haired Brigades. They
help with preparations for emergencies, and accessing humanitarian aid.

Questions 1-5: Do the following statements agree with the information given in the
reading? Write:
TRUE - if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE - if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN - if there is no information on this

1. ______The growth of the elderly population is going to make it extremely difficult to

provide adequate social service provision.
2. ______Approximately thirty per cent of the population are over 60 years old.
3. ______Developed countries are much better prepared than developing countries for
2050.
4. ______More financing is necessary to ensure new pension schemes are successful.
5. ______Elderly people in India are not always being looked after as well as they were
in the past.

25
Example 2:

Friends of the Earth Trust

Friends of the Earth Trust is an educational charity set up to help people of all ages
become aware of the threats to our environment. Pollution is just one of these. The
destruction of wildlife and wasting our natural resources are others.
In Britain, the countryside is disappearing or being destroyed — modern farming,
mining, motorways and power stations are all adding to this destruction. By the year
2010, about half the world's animal and plant species could be extinct.
Every year a forest the size. of Wales is cut down to make paper for use in Britain. If
more people used recycled paper, fewer trees would be cut down, and there would be less
waste to dispose of. Another important benefit would be the new jobs created in the
collection of waste paper.
New jobs would also be created if there was a large programme to save energy in
buildings. It is cheaper to save energy than to produce electricity, but vast amounts of
money are spent on nuclear power. From the mining of uranium to the disposal of
radioactive waste, there are a number of threats to the environment. In addition, there are
close connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. There are safer sources of
energy.
Energy could also be saved if more short journeys were made by bicycle. This would
reduce pollution and traffic congestion. Cycle ways should be built to make cycling safer.
The threats to our environment are all related. For instance, building cycleways
instead of unnecessary new roads would save energy and reduce pollution and the
destruction of our wildlife.

Questions 1-5: Read the passage Friends of the Earth Trust and look at the following
statements. Write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer.
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer.
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

1. ________Friends of the Earth Trust organises lots of activities to help people

understand the environmental problems.
2. ________The forest cut down every year to make paper in Britain is bigger than the
size of Wales is.
3. ________Using recycled paper and saving energy in buildings can both create new
jobs.
4. ________It is more difficult to save energy than to produce it.
5. ________People can reduce pollution and traffic jams by using more bicycles on
short journeys.

26
VII. Classification

This question type asks you to classify information given in a reading passage.
Classification is often according to the writer's opinion or according to a period of time
or place. Your goal is to find the relevant parts in the passage. Therefore, discover the
most suitable category, and also remember that a particular category could be used more
than once while some categories might not be used at all.

Example:

When you visit a supermarket you probably think you know exactly what you are
going to buy, but the truth is you are very easily persuaded. Over half the decisions you
make are made suddenly, on impulse, while you are inside the store, so it is important
that a product is displayed in an eye-catching position if it is to have any chance of
success.
Today's supermarkets invest millions of pounds in powerful computers which tell
them what product sells best and where. "Space management" is the name given to a
highly complicated way of influencing the way we shop to make sure that stores make the
maximum profit.
You walk into a supermarket. You pull out a trolley and stare up and down row after
row of packed shelves. You step out into the aisles. You are faced with possibly the widest
choice of food and drink in the world. But over the next hour or so, you will shop in a
completely predictable way. This is what the space management teams who work for
supermarkets have found out. They believe that everything depends on the following rules
about our behaviour in supermarkets:
The modern supermarket offers too many images for our brains to absorb so we
switch off and notice only parts of the goods on display. A product will be more
noticeable in some parts of the store than others, so manufacturers and retailers must
work hard to attract our attention.
In general, products sell best when they are placed at eye level.
Products placed at the beginnings of aisles don't sell well. In tests, secret fixed
cameras have filmed shoppers' movements around a store over a seven-day period.
When the film is speeded up, it clearly shows that we walk straight past these areas on
our way to the centre of the aisle. These early shelves are known as "the graveyard".
When we finally stop to consider in the centre of an aisle, we look along the length
of it. And because we read from left to right, we look from left to right too. So, we see
products displayed on the left side of the aisle first. As a result, more products are taken
from those shelves.
Any spot where the supermarket can be sure we are going to stand still and
concentrate for more than a few seconds is good for sales. That is why the shelves at the
check-out have long been a favourite for manufacturers of sweets, perhaps the most
popular "impulse" buy of all.

27
Questions 1-6: Look at the following list of places in supermarkets and use the
information provided in the passage to answer the questions. Write on the line:
A. for places where products tend to sell well;
B. for places which tend to be neglected by the customers;
C. for places not mentioned in the passage.

1. shelves which are at the same level as your eyes________

2. shelves along the left wall of the supermarket________
3. shelves at the beginning of an aisle________
4. left-side shelves in the middle of an aisle________
5. shelves by the cashiers________
6. shelves along the middle aisle________

VIII. Matching Lists/Phrases

With regard to List / Phrase-Matching Questions, this task is similar to Sentence-Comple-

tion Questions. You will be provided with two lists in which your job is to match one half of
a sentence to the other half.

This type of question tests whether you understand the gist and paraphrasing. Also, it
tests your ability of scanning for specific information.

Useful Tips:
1. Read the instructions carefully: Be sure how many times you can use each of the
answers (Is each answer used once only or more than once?)
2. Read the instructions again to know whether you are required to write the letter
representing the answers or the answers themselves.
3. Then, read the items in the questions, highlight the keywords.
4. Next, scan the passage. When finding the keywords that might match what you are
looking for, answer the corresponding question right away.

Example:
Crowding Human Life
In 1950, there were only 2.5 billion people in the world. Now there are 5.3 billion.
Human population may reach 8.5 billion by the year 2025. Experts disagree about how
serious a problem this very fast growth is. And they disagree about what should be done
about it.
It could be said that growth is slowing down. Most industrial countries – Japan,
Canada, the United States, and the nations of Europe – are hardly growing at all. In Asia,
Africa, and Latin America, growth is somewhat slower than it was twenty years ago.
Industrial nations all went through a time of fast growth when their industry was
developing. When they reached the point where most people could live in comfort,
population growth slowed. Many experts believe that today's developing nations will go

28
through a similar change. The best way to control population, they say, is to raise the
standard of living.
Industrial nations are beginning to look for ways to produce goods without the
pollution that is one of the harmful effects of overcrowding. Developing countries will also
use such methods if they are to take care of their people. Educating children everywhere is
expensive, but the cost is worthwhile because children will contribute to their country's
development when they are grown. Perhaps children now in school will invent ways to
help people live at peace with the earth.

Questions 1-4: Read the passage “Crowding Human Life” and choose, according to the
passage, one phrase (A-F) from the list of phrases to complete each key point below.
There are more phrases than key points, so you will not use them all.

1. By the year of 2025,

2. Experts argue about
3. In industrial countries,
4. It is worth the cost to
A. ways to solve the problem of population
B. educate the new generation
C. effects of fast growth of population
D. the population was once growing fast
E. there may be a lot more people in the world
F. produce better products without pollution

IX. Text Insertion Questions

This question shows you a sentence that could be added to the passage. You must
decide where the sentence would best fit in the passage. For the purposes of this
book, simply choose the letter beside the appropriate square or circle O. This
question tests how well you understand the organization of the passage, as well as
grammatical connections between sentences.

Useful Tips
1. Don’t waste time looking for spots where the sentence will clear up an illogical or
incoherent discussion. Instead, look for places where it simply provides additional
information.
2. See if there are any reference words such as pronouns and pro-forms in the insertion
sentence. Reference words provide hints for the correct location because they refer to
previously mentioned nouns and ideas. Look for referents in surrounding sentences,
and these will indicate where the insertion sentence belongs.
3. See if there are any transitions in the insertion sentence. The transitions indicate the
function of the insertion sentence, like explaining a sequence or providing an example.
Examine the context of the discussion and determine where such transitions logically
fit.

29
Example:
 A) While fungi can be a nuisance due to their destructive
capabilities, the members of the kingdom fungi have many attributes that make
them vital to environments.  B) In fact, ecosystems rely on fungi to remain clean
and healthy.  C) Fungi, such as mushrooms, molds, and yeasts, have two
functions in preserving the health of ecosystems.  D)
Unlike other plants that create their own food through the process of
photosynthesis, fungi obtain nutrients through hosts. Hosts are the p l a nt s o r
a n i mal s on w h i c h t he y l i ve .
O A ) I n t he p r o c e s s o f decomposition, fungi break down organic material
from these hosts into inorganic material. This material can be returned as nutrients
back into the environment. O B) Without these nutrients, the soil would not be
able to support new life, and all life in the environment would eventually die. O C)
Thus, through their destructive capabilities, fungi allow life to persist. O D)

1. Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be added
to the passage.
These roles allow fungi to be put to important and surprising uses.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square
2. Look at the four circles [O ] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
the passage.
For example, fungi can decompose dead leaves, which in turn will return the nutrients
in those leaves to the soil.

Where would the sentence best fit?

A. First circle
B. Second circle
C. Third circle
D. Fourth circle

X. Summary Questions

In this type of question, you will be presented with an introductory sentence for a brief
summary of the passage. You will then find six additional sentences. Three of the
sentences express major ideas in the passage, and the others do not. Incorrect choices
will be either minor ideas or ideas that are not presented in the passage. This question
measures your ability to recognize important ideas from the passage and distinguish
them from minor ideas or ideas that are not in the passage.

30
Useful Tips
1. Make sure you can distinguish between major ideas and minor ideas. Select only the
major ideas for the summary; exclude minor ideas.
2. Before answering the prose summary question, skim the first few sentences of each
paragraph. Relevant major ideas can usually be found at the beginning of each
paragraph. Also, make sure you that you can recognize these major ideas when they are
paraphrased differently.

Example:
San Fermin Festival
The Fiesta of San Fermin in the city of Pamplona in Spain probably is the
most internationally renowned fiesta. It involves running in front of numerous
bulls, which are set free, down a stretch of cobbled alleys in Pamplona. The
festival goes back a long way. It is rooted in the commercial fairs and secular
fiestas that took place in the medieval period. Merchants and shepherds brought
cattle to the fairs, shouting to keep their bulls from wandering. In time, people
began to run with the bulls; hence, it became an event called the running of bulls
and organized as a part of the annual tradition. According to archives from 14th
century, the running of the bulls was also a part of an ancient pre-Christian I even if
it is not assured that the bull was a sacred animal.
The San Fermin Festival is held from noon of July 6th, coinciding with the
inning of summer, to midnight of July 14th. While its most famous event is the
Wing of the bulls, there are other conventional and folkloric events celebrated. By in
the morning of July 6th, people who are dressed in white and holding red scarves
from Pamplona and the nearby villages congregate in the square at the facade of
City Hall, which is offered by the town as an amenity for participants. The people
wait in silence. When the clock strikes noon, a city official lights a rocket, and it
explodes above the crowd, the official shouts, "People of Pamplona! Viva Sann!"
Soon, the town erupts into an enormous party. Tremendous puppets, also known as
carnival giants, parade the streets accompanied by brass bands.
It was thanks to Ernest Hemingway, an American novelist, that the San Fermin
Festival developed its fame. In 1929, the publication of his novel, The Sun Also
Yes, told the events of the festival as a central plot and attracted people all over the
world.

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided

Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express most
important ideas in the passage.

31
The San Fermin Festival is famous for the running of the bulls.

A. The festival has its origin in the commercial fairs and religious fiestas of the
Middle Ages.
B. People who enjoy the festival gather around City Hall on July 6th.
C. A novel by Hemingway brought the festival to the general attention of the world.
D. It was merchants who brought their cattle to the markets.
E. People implore San Fermin to protect them from the bulls.
F. The festival lasts 9 days with traditional and folk events.

XI. Sentence Simplication questions:

Sentence simplication questions provide you a hightlighted sentence from the passage and
ask you to choose the answer that has the same meaning. The answer will best restate or
summarize the information in the original sentence.

Useful Tips

1. Determine the precise meaning of the highlighted sentence. Dividing the sentence
into meaningful parts helps you to grasp its correct meaning.
2. See if the sentence makes a reference to an idea outside of the sentence. If so, you
need to find what this reference word indicates.
3. Identify key ideas and eliminate unimportant information. Information that provides
examples or equivalent ideas, such as appositive phrases, is unimportant information.
4. Decide which answer choice best paraphrases only the key information from the
original sentence. You need to understand how key ideas relate to one another.

Example: Harp Seals

Harp seals are marine mammals belonging to the Suborder Pinnipedia, which is
related to fin-footed animals like walruses and sea lions. The seals' main habitat is
a belt of ice fields stretching from Newfoundland, Canada, to Arctic Norway and
Russia. They are separated into three populations based on where they breed: the
"White Sea", the "West Ice" and the Northwest Atlantic "Front and Gulf". Harp
seals have been hunted for their oil, pelts for fur and flippers for food as far back
as the time of explorer Jacques Cartier who first explored Canada.

32
 Harp seals have their name because of horseshoe-shaped bands that look like
harps on the back of adult males. The color of the pelt is steel blue when wet, and
pale gray when dry. Adult females have irregular dark gray spots and pups are all
white without any markings. They can grow to 1.7 meters long and weigh over
130kilograms. Like dolphins, they swim by flapping their back flippers vertically in
the water. The flippers do not move forward and on land seals crawl clumsily by
moving their front legs and pulling up their back. Harp seals' natural predators
include polar bears, sharks and whales.
The pups of harp seals, which are the main targets of fur hunters, find that they
have an enemy in their beautiful, soft white fur. The fur costs an average price of
$97 per hide, and it is highly prized by makers of fur coats and seal ornaments.
Many animal rights proponents argue that the hunting methods, which include
clubbing the seals to death and skinning them alive for their fur, are unacceptably
cruel. In addition, scientists warn that the seal population is in jeopardy if fur
hunters continue promoting this shameful slaughter because of the fashion industry.
For this reason, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has commenced
regulating harp seal hunting.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave
out essential information.
A. Harp seal pups have commercial fur hunters as their main enemies.
B. The pups’ white fur makes it easy for hunters to find and target them.
C. The pups find that their fur does not offer them enough protection.
D. Having fine fur adversely affects the pups since the hunters prefer it.

33
UNIT THREE: PRACTICE 1
Reading Passage 1:
Swallows in Migration
Every April, along with many other species of birds, the swallow arrives to spend
the summer months in northern Europe, in Russia, Iran, and parts of Siberia. Here it will
breed and raise its young.
The swallow is well known throughout its range for several reasons. Firstly, it is
very distinctive, with its forked tail and characteristic acrobatic swooping flight. Secondly,
it is very common, and, like its near relative the house martin, lives in close proximity to
human habitation, at least in rural areas. It is, however, rarely to be encountered in towns or
cities.
For centuries, people have observed swallows, noted their arrival and their patterns
of feeding. In several countries, these observations have passed into the language as
proverbs or sayings. In England, people comment on unpredictable late spring weather by
saying, ‘one swallow does not make a summer’. Similarly, if ‘the swallows are flying low’,
this was held to predict rainy, even stormy weather. There may be some truth in this
observation, though it is the insects the swallows feed on that seem to be more susceptible
to the fall in barometric pressure that heralds a storm. Insects keep low in these conditions,
and so do the swallows that hunt them. At the end of the summer season, when the
swallows are about to leave, they frequently flock together in large numbers on convenient
high open perches, like roof ridges and telegraph wires. When people remark that ‘the
swallows are gathering’, they mean that autumn has arrived.
At some point in mid-September the swallows leave together, usually all on the
same day. One day there are thousands, the next there are none, and none will be seen
again until the following spring. For centuries, this was a complete mystery to people. The
Hampshire naturalist Gilbert White, writing in the late eighteenth century, believed that the
swallows dived into ponds and rivers in autumn and remained in the bottom mud the whole
winter, re-emerging the following spring. This idea seems extraordinary to us, but White
was not a stupid man: many of his other observations of natural life were informed and
accurate. In this case, however, he simply had no means of determining the truth and was
forced to make a random guess. The idea that swallows migrate to central or southern
Africa would have seemed as fanciful to him as his theory seems to us.
Although we now know that swallows migrate, there are still unanswered questions.
Why do they go so far? Why not stay on the shores of the Mediterranean? The majority
continue to equatorial Africa, and some even further south. Also it appears that populations
of swallows that have bred in different countries also spend the winter in different areas.
Those from France, Germany, and much of western Europe have mostly been traced to
East Africa, Kenya, or Tanzania for example. Above all, how does a bird weighing
approximately twenty grammes find its way across mountain ranges, ocean, and desert to
winter in the south, and then return the following year to the very location it was born, in
some cases to the very same nest?

34
 Birds can navigate by the sun, and are also able to detect the magnetic field of the
earth. Species that migrate at night are also able to navigate by the stars. By these means,
they travel long distances. The close navigation that brings them back to the same field or
nest appears to be related to memory of local landmarks imprinted on the minds of young
birds as they crisscross the area in the weeks before departure.
Nevertheless, the journey is very dangerous. Long sea crossings, where there is little
available food or water, are generally avoided. In western Europe, most swallows cross to
Africa via the Straits of Gibraltar, or fly the length of Italy before tackling the relatively
short crossing to Tunisia in North Africa. However, in storms they may be blown hundreds
of kilometres off course. Exhausted swallows sometimes come to rest on ships way out in
the Atlantic Ocean. They have to cross mountain ranges too, where again the weather may
be unpredictable and food scarce.
Along the coast of North Africa, many young swallows become the prey of
Eleonora’s falcons, which time their breeding to coincide with the migration of young birds
southwards. But the most dangerous part of the journey is the crossing of the Sahara desert.
Here, there is little food or water, sandstorms may delay and exhaust the already weakened
birds, and many die. It is estimated that around 50 per cent of adult birds die, and up to 80
per cent of young birds, but enough survive to ensure the continuation of the species.

Questions 1-6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1.__________ The swallow is the only species of bird that migrates to spend the
summer in northern Europe.
2. __________The swallow is easily noticeable because of its tail and the way it
flies.
3. __________The swallow is frequently seen in cities.
4. __________The insects not the swallows themselves appear to predict stormy
weather.
5. __________ Swallows form larger flocks than other birds when they depart in the
autumn.
6. __________ White's theory seems strange to people now.

Questions 7-12
Complete the sentences.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

7. In the past, the destination of the swallows in the autumn was a

.............................................
8. As White could not verify what happened to the swallows, he made a
.............................................

35
 9. Despite knowing that swallows migrate, we are still left with
.............................................
10. Sometimes, swallows have been known to return not just to the same
area, but even to the .............................................
11. Birds that travel by night can find their way using the..........................................
12. Bird navigation appears to be connected with the memory of
............................................

Question 13: Choose the correct letter, A-E.

Which of the following dangers faced by swallows during migration is mentioned in the
text?
A. The Sahara desert
B. Long sea crossings
C. Lack of nesting places
D. Hungry sailors
E. The crossing to Tunisia

36
Reading Passage 2:
Technology in the Workplace Violates Workers’ Privacy
A. We are living in a world where data, or information, has become a powerful commodity.
Massive advances in computer technology are having a two-pronged effect. They are not
only making it possible to collect information that at one time went largely unrecorded, but
they are also making it relatively easy to store, analyse, and retrieve information in ways
which until quite recently, were impossible. It is perhaps not surprising that computer
technology is being used in government intelligent agencies to monitor people and
practices. However, what is less obvious is the rapid rise in the use of surveillance in
companies.

B. The amount of information already being collected as a matter of routine would surprise
most people. For example, any spending that involves a credit or bank credit card, in fact
most financial transactions, is automatically recorded on computer databases. A telephone
call to any government agency will most likely be monitored. Mobile phone companies
have equipment that allows them to track the location of anyone who has a phone switched
on. Supermarkets, through their checkout processes, electronically record every item being
bought by their customers. Electronic tollbooths and traffic-monitoring systems could
record the movement of individual vehicles. Closed-circuit television cameras now scan
most city centers. The increasing widespread use of surveillance technologies and
techniques has led to fears that soon there will be no personal privacy to protect.

C. These large organizations and companies, however, are not only monitoring their
customers, they are just as interested in their employees. A 1997 survey by the American
Management Association (AMA) of 900 large companies found that nearly two thirds
admitted to some form of electronic surveillance of their workers. Another AMA survey of
526 companies in 2005 found that more than half of the companies surveyed used video
surveillance. 86% of the companies surveyed notified their employees of the practice with
80% notifying the employees of when they are actually being watched. The study found
that the number of companies using video surveillance to monitor employees’ on-the-job
performance is increasing.

D. To employers, video surveillance is a means to expose misconduct, theft, vandalism,

violence, and even sabotage. It is a way to reduce security risks and legal liability. It is also
a cheaper alternative to other forms of security and supervision. However, employees claim
video surveillance has the potential to dehumanise their working environment, denying
them a reasonable expectation of privacy. They also believe it harasses individuals by
putting them under constant view.

E. Another common form of workplace surveillance is to monitor e-mail messages sent or

received by employees. According to the AMA study, the largest increase in workplace
surveillance was in the storage and review of e-mail messages. Businesses argue that by
monitoring e-mails, they will be able to catch employees who send offensive or abusive
e-mail messages. Another assertion commonly used by companies to support the use of

37
e-mail surveillance is that it stops employees from sending confidential files to rival firms.
However, this argument does not mean it can stop company secrets from leaking out by
other means such as printing, photocopying, photographing, or by fax.

F. Powerful new software makes it easy for bosses to monitor and record not only all e-
mail messages, but every keystroke and telephone conversation as well as the exact
whereabouts of employees. Tracking devices through mobile phones and on company
vehicles can monitor employees’ movements outside of the office, while the use of access
cards and ‘active badges’ monitor individual’s movements inside the office. According to
employers, vehicle tracking is used to increase efficiency, to enhance customer service, for
security, and comply with safety requirements. However, employees complain they do not
want their employers to secretly track their movements. Others resent employers tracking
their every movement throughout the day, including during break time. They also fear that
tracking devices will be used to unfairly discipline drivers.

G. The modern workplace is undergoing great changes caused primarily by the information
processing ability of high-powered computers and advanced software. Companies compete
against each other, and there is intense competition in the marketplace. Anything which
might improve a firm's efficiency and productivity could mean the difference between
success and failure. However, the fact remains, if particular systems can be used to monitor
a computer or an individual’s movements without the knowledge of the computer user or
the person concerned, then it is very likely that such systems will be used for purposes
other than their intended purpose.

Questions 14-18

The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G. Choose a correct heading( i-vii) for each
paragraph (A-E). There are more headings than paragraphs.

List of headings
i. Tracking devices
ii. Video surveillance
iii. The usefulness of technology
iv. Statistical support from a survey
v. The likelihood of technology being misused.
vi. E-mail monitoring.
vii. Examples of ways technology used in society.

14. Paragraph A:……………………..

15. Paragraph B: ……………………..
16. Paragraph C: ……………………..
17. Paragraph D: ……………………..
18. Paragraph E: ……………………..

38
Questions 19-23
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

19. Which of the following statements is the writer’s main point of view?
A. Technology can provide employers with useful workplace surveillance.
B. Technology can be used to check on the work efficiency and movements of
employees.
C. Technology has the potential to be used unfairly despite its advantages.
D. Companies need to monitor workplace efficiency and productivity to be
successful.

20. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To describe a process
B. To tell a story about something
C. To compare and contrast two things
D. To discuss an issue and provide an opinion

21. The reading passage describes the advances of computer technology in the modern
society. Which ONE of the following is NOT listed?
A. To collect huge amount of information
B. To help people keep in touch with one another
C. To store, analyse, and retrieve information
D. To monitor people and practices

22. Which of the following activities has the highest possibility of being monitored?
A. Calling a government agency
B. Performing financial transactions
C. Buying stuff in a supermarket
D. Using an individual vehicle

23. The reading passage describes the benefits of using video surveillance to the
employers. Which ONE of the following is NOT listed?
A. To show the misconduct, theft, vandalism, violence and sabotage
B. To decrease security risks and legal liability
C. To have a cheap form of security and supervision
D. To increase employees’ productivity

Questions 24-27
Choose from the passage NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS to complete the following
sentences.

24. Video surveillance, which helps to show misconduct, theft, etc., is a less
expensive ………………………………………… to other forms of security.

39
25. Video surveillance, on the other hand, has the potential to
………………………………………… workplaces, deny right to privacy, and
annoy people by putting them constantly under view.
26. Monitoring e-mails catches people who send offensive or abusive messages and
stops them from sending ………………………………………… to rival firms.
27. Monitoring e-mails, however, does not stop company secrets from
………………………………………… by means such as photocopying or
printing.

40
Reading Passage 3:

Organic Food: Why?

Today, many governments are
promoting organic or natural farming
methods that avoid the use of pesticides
and other artificial products. The aim is
to show that they care about the
environment and about people’s health.
But is this the right approach?

A. Europe is now the biggest market for organic food in the world, expanding by 25
percent a year over the past 10 years. So what is the attraction of organic food for some people?
The really important thing is that organic sounds more ‘natural’. Eating organic is a way of
defining oneself as natural, good, caring, different from the junk-food-scoffing masses. As one
journalist puts it: ‘It feels closer to the source, the beginning, the start of things.’ The real desire is
to be somehow close to the soil, to Mother Nature.
B. Unlike conventional farming, the organic approach means farming with natural, rather
than man-made, fertilisers and pesticides. Techniques such as crop rotation improve soil quality
and help organic farmers compensate for the absence of man-made chemicals. As a method of food
production, organic is, however, inefficient in its use of labour and land; there are severe limits to
how much food can be produced. Also, the environmental benefits of not using artificial fertiliser
are tiny compared with the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by transporting food (a great deal of
Britain’s organic produce is shipped in from other countries and transported from shop to home by
car).
C. Organic farming is often claimed to be safer than conventional farming — for the
environment and for consumers. Yet studies into organic farming worldwide continue to reject this
claim. An extensive review by the UK Food Standards Agency found that there was no statistically
significant difference between organic and conventional crops. Even where results indicated there
was evidence of a difference, the reviewers found no sign that these differences would have any
noticeable effect on health.

D. The simplistic claim that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food was
always likely to be misleading. Food is a natural product, and the health value of different foods
will vary for a number of reasons, including freshness, the way the food is cooked, the type of soil
it is grown in, the amount of sunlight and rain crops have received, and so on. Likewise, the
flavour of a carrot has less to do with whether it was fertilised with manure or something out of a
plastic sack than with the variety of carrot and how long ago it was dug up. The differences created
by these things are likely to be greater than any differences brought about by using an organic or
non-organic system of production. Indeed, even some ‘organic’ farms are quite different from one
another.
E. The notion that organic food is safer than ‘normal’ food is also contradicted by the fact
that many of our most common foods are full of natural toxins. Parsnips cause blisters on the skin

41
of agricultural workers. Toasting bread creates carcinogens. As one research expert says: ‘People
think that the more natural something is, the better it is for them. That is simply not the case. In
fact, it is the opposite that is true: the closer a plant is to its natural state; the more likely it is that it
will poison you. Naturally, many plants do not want to be eaten, so we have spent 10,000 years
developing agriculture and breeding out harmful traits from crops.’
F. Yet educated Europeans are more scared of eating traces of a few, strictly regulated,
man-made chemicals than they are of eating the ones that nature created directly. Surrounded by
plentiful food, it’s not nature they worry about, but technology. Our obsessions with the ethics and
safety of what we eat — concerns about antibiotics in animals, additives in food, GM crops and so
on — are symptomatic of a highly technological society that has little faith in its ability to use this
technology wisely. In this context, the less something is touched by the human hand, the healthier
people assume it must be.
G. Ultimately, the organic farming movement is an expensive luxury for shoppers in
well-manicured Europe. For developing parts of the world, it is irrelevant. To European
environmentalists, the fact that organic methods require more labour and land than conventional
ones to get the same yields is a good thing; to a farmer in rural Africa, it is a disaster. Here, land
tends to be so starved and crop yields so low that there simply is not enough organic matter to put
back into the soil. Perhaps the focus should be on helping these countries to gain access to the most
advanced farming techniques, rather than going back to basics.

Questions 28-34
The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-G
from the list of headings below.

List of Headings
i. Research into whether organic food is better for us
ii. Adding up the cost of organic food
iii. The factors that can affect food quality
iv. The rich and poor see things differently
v. A description of organic farming
vi. Testing the taste of organic food
vii. Fear of science has created the organic trend
viii. The main reason for the popularity of organic food
ix. The need to remove hidden dangers from food

28. Paragraph A ....................

29. Paragraph B ....................
30. Paragraph C ....................
31. Paragraph D ....................
32. Paragraph E ....................
33. Paragraph F ....................
34. Paragraph G ....................

Questions 35-36
Which TWO of the following points does the writer mention in connection with organic farming?

A. the occasional use of pesticides

B. using the same field for different crops
C. testing soil quality

42
 D. reducing the number of farm workers
E. the production of greenhouse gases

Questions 37-38
According to the writer, which TWO factors affect the nutritional content of food?

A. who prepares the food

B. the weather conditions during growth
C. where the food has been stored
D. when the plants were removed from the earth
E. the type of farm the food was grown on

Questions 39-40
Which TWO negative aspects of organic farming does the writer mention?

A. Consumers complain about the extra cost.

B. Organic food may make people ill.
C. Farm workers have to be specially trained.
D. It requires too much technological expertise.
E. It is not possible in some countries.

43
UNIT FOUR: PRACTICE 2

Reading Passage 1:
Bride Price

1. The custom of paying a bride price before marriage is still a well-established part of many
African cultures. A In paying a bride price, the family of the groom must provide payment to the
family of the bride before the marriage is allowed. B The bride price can vary greatly from culture
to culture in Africa. In the Zulu and Swazi tribes of southern Africa, the bride price often takes the
form of cattle. C In western Africa, kola nuts, blankets, shells, and other goods are often used for
the payment of the bride price. D The actual payment of money sometimes takes place, but the
payment of goods is more frequent. The amount paid in a bride price can also vary. In modern times
the bride price is occasionally quite small and its value is mainly symbolic. However, the bride price
can still be quite high, especially among prominent or highly traditional families.
2. There are a number of justifications used to explain the payment of bride price. The first is
that the bride price represents an acknowledgement of the expense the bride’s family has gone to in
order to raise her and bring her up as a suitable bride for the groom. It also represents payment for the
loss of a family member, since the bride will officially become a member of her husband's family
and will leave her own. On a deeper level the bride price represents payment for the fact that the
bride will bring children into the family of the groom, thereby increasing the wealth of the family.
This concept is reinforced by the fact that the bride price must often be returned if the bride price is
unable to bear children.
3. The payment of bride price has quite a number of effects on African society. First, the
payment of bride price acts to increase the stability of African family structures. Sons are dependent
on their fathers and other relatives to help them pay the bride price of their wives, and this generally
leads to greater levels of obedience and respect. The negotiations between the two families
concerning the bride price allow the parents and other family members to meet and get to know one
another before the marriage. Finally, since the bride price must often be repaid in case of a divorce,
the bride's family often works to make sure that any marital problems are solved quickly. Bride
prices also work as a system of wealth distribution in African cultures. Wealthier families can afford
to support the marriage of their sons, and thus their wealth is transferred to other families.
4. Not all of the effects of bride price are so positive, however. One major disadvantage to the
system of bride price is that women are often married to men much older than themselves. In many
African cultures, the typical age for marriage among women is still quite young, lower than 18 in
many cases. Yet few men at this age would have the ability to raise the bride price to marry. Thus
there is sometimes a significant age gap between husbands and wives. This cuts short the education
of many young women. In addition, the husband, being far older, may die while the wife is still
relatively young, leaving her with the burden of raising the children alone.

1. Based on the information in paragraph 1, the term “bride price” can best be explained as
A. the costs associated with a traditional African wedding
B. the payment of money to a newly married couple
C. money paid to a woman’s family for permission to marry
D. a purely symbolic wedding practice

44
2. According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true of bride price EXCEPT:
A. its amount and form can vary.
B. it is a relatively new practice in Africa.
C. its practice is occasionally only symbolic.
D. it is generally higher among traditional families.

3. Why does the author mention the payment of money?

A. To illustrate how the practice of bride price has changed over time
B. To demonstrate how expensive a bride price can be sometimes
C. To stress that the use of goods in the payment of bride price is most common
D. To demonstrate the differences in how rich and poor families pay the bride price

4. The word “prominent” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

A. conservative B. important C. religious D. educated

5. The phrase “the first” in paragraph 2 refers to

A justification B. bride price C. payment D. marriage

6. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that African families

A. place great importance on childbirth.
B. never see their daughters after marriage.
C. pay the bride price on the day of the wedding.
D. place more value on men than women.

7. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence
in paragraph 3? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential
information.
A. Obedient and respectful sons can rely on their fathers and elders to help them pay
the bride price of their wives.
B. Sons are dependent on their fathers and elders, and this makes them more
obedient and respectful.
C. Young men must obey their fathers and elders because they need their help to pay
the bride price of their wives.
D. Sons respect the fact that their fathers and elders will help them pay the bride
price of their wives.

8. The author uses the word “marital” to indicate that the problems are related to
A. money B. laws C. pregnancy D. marriage

9. According to paragraph 3, the initial negotiations over the bride price help ensure the stability of
the family because
A. they make the distribution of wealth more equal.
B. they lessen the chances for divorce.
C. they provide an opportunity for the families to meet each other.

45
 D. they ensure that the groom's family has the money to pay the bride price.
10. According to paragraph 4, why are women often married to older men?
A. The legal age for marriage is lower for women than for men.
B. Families are eager to gain the bride price from their daughter's marriage.
C. Young men lack the financial ability to marry.
D. Women live longer than men on average.

11. Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
paragraph 1.
Bride price works in an opposite manner from the more widely known practice
of dowries.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square

12. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.
Complete the summary by selecting THREE answer choices that express the most important
ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas
that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in it.

The practice of paying a bride price is widespread in Africa and can take many
forms.

A. Money is almost never used to pay a bride price in the Zulu and Swazi cultures.
B. The bride price is paid in recognition of the fact that the marriage takes away from the
bride’s family and adds to the groom’s family.
C. The fact that the bride price must be repaid if the marriage does not produce any
children illustrates its importance in African culture.
D. The payment of the bride price tends to solidify the ties between the two families and
ensure the stability of the marriage.
E. Because women are forced to marry so early, they have little chance to gain an education.
F. The practice of paying bride prices has led to social problems in Africa, and has
especially caused problems for young brides.

46
Reading Passage 2: James Fennimore Cooper
1. James Fennimore Cooper is often regarded as the "father of the American
novel." Although he was a productive writer and published over thirty works, he is
best known for The Leatherstocking Tales, which he wrote between 1823 and 1841.
The Leatherstocking Tales is a five-book series that tells the life story of Natty
Bumppo, a fictional hero who lives his life on the American frontier. The novels take
place in the 1750s, thirty years before the Revolutionary War. Bumppo is a fiercely
independent and capable man who seeks to escape the pressure of society in the
wilderness of the frontier. However, as the colonies expand, he is pushed deeper and
deeper into the wilderness. In this way, his life closely parallels the fate of the Native
Americans, who are his closest friends in the novels.
2. Although his writing is considered to be of low quality today, Cooper's
novels have an important place in the history of American literature for a number of
reasons. First, his hero, Natty Bumppo, served as a model for later heroes in
American fiction. Even more than 150 years later, one can still see Bumppo's qualities
of rugged individualism mirrored in the modern action heroes of books and films.
Secondly, Cooper's novels awakened a hunger for truly American novels. Before
Cooper's time, American readers had generally looked to European authors as the
source of much of their literature. These novels naturally dealt with European issues
rather than American ones. A After the success of Cooper's novels, however,
Americans were no longer content with this situation. B They began to demand
novels that took place in American settings and dealt with American issues. C
Therefore, Cooper's novels were influential in promoting the growth of American
literature in general. D
3. Perhaps Cooper's most important contribution to American literature is his
introduction of several themes which would be repeatedly discussed by later authors.
The most important of these themes was the concept of “the noble savage” and the
evil of society. Cooper's heroes live apart from society, both physically and morally.
On the frontier, they live physically separated from society. But they also live their
lives according to different moral values than the rest of society. They lead noble,
heroic, and virtuous lives. Set against these noble individuals is the evil of society.
Cooper's novels have no one single villain that his heroes must battle against.
Instead, society itself is the villain. The evil in Cooper's novels comes from the basic
nature of society, not from the actions of any one individual.
4.This viewpoint had important effects on American literature and society.
First, it led to the widespread glorification of Native Americans in American
literature. Native Americans were the ideal models for the concept of the noble
savage. Therefore, American literature is filled with portrayals of noble and heroic
Native Americans, a portrayal that is contrasted with the brutal treatment they
received in reality. Secondly, the concept of the noble savage provided inspiration for
the expansion of the American frontier. Young readers who grew up reading
Cooper's novels and wished to be like Natty Bumppo were inspired to leave the
comforts and safety of society to live a much more difficult and dangerous life on the
frontier by Cooper’s romantic portrayal of that life.

47
1. The word “regarded” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. praised B. assumed C. compared D. viewed

2. According to paragraph 1, Cooper's novels illustrate the situation of Native Americans because
A. they take place before the landing of white settlers in America.
B. his main characters are often Native Americans.
C. his main character is constantly pressured by the advance of white civilization.
D. many of Cooper's closest friends were Native Americans.

3. The word “mirrored” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A. reflected B. observed C. indicated D. exemplified

4. The author mentions “modern action heroes” (P2) in order to

A. discuss necessary elements in popular books and films
B. illustrate Cooper's influence on later American literature
C. better describe the characteristics of Natty Bumppo
D. stress the importance of individualism in American culture

5. The word “their” (P2) refers to

A. European authors B. American readers
C. American novels D. European novels

6. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about Cooper?

A. He lived on the frontier when he wrote his novels.
B. He had a relatively negative view of society.
C. He worked to improve the conditions for Native Americans.
D. He felt that novels should teach readers good moral values.

7. According to paragraph 4, why are Native Americans often glorified in American literature?
A. Because of the influence of Cooper's novels on later writers
B. Because they received brutal treatment in reality.
C. Because Native Americans were ideal models for writers.
D. Because Americans had a strong respect for individuality.

8. According to paragraph 4, how did Cooper's writing help the growth of America?
A. It convinced whites to accept Native Americans into society.
B. Its negative portrayal of society encouraged people to move to the frontier.
C. It inspired a generation of readers to move to the frontier to be like Natty
Bumppo.
D. It misled people about what life on the frontier was like.

9. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence
in paragraph 4? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential
information.

48
 A. Therefore, American literature tried to contrast the brutal treatment of Native
Americans in reality with noble and heroic portrayals.
B. The extremely positive descriptions of Native Americans in American literature
are contradicted by their actual treatment in society.
C. Americans filled their literature with heroic portrayals of Native Americans to
make up for their unjust treatment of Native Americans in reality.
D. The heroic portrayal of Native Americans in literature presents unrealistic
contrasts with the rest of American society.

10. Look at the four squares that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
paragraph 2.
In short, they wanted novels for Americans, written by Americans.

Where would the sentence best fit?

A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square

11. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.
Complete the summary by selecting THREE answer choices that express the most important
ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas
that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in it.

James Fenimore Cooper, one of America’s earliest novelists, helped to shape much
of American literature.

A. Before Cooper started writing novels, Americans were forced to read novels by
European authors.
B. Although his writing isn’t of high quality, Cooper awakened Americans' interest
in novels with American settings and characters.
C. Cooper’s characters displayed many of the defining traits of Americans, and
served as models for later authors.
D. the Leatherstocking Tales were Cooper’s most important novels because they
told the story of Natty Bumppo, an American hero.
E. Cooper focused most of his novels on the problems of the Native Americans.
F. Many of Cooper’s ideas, such as the concept of the noble savage, greatly
influenced later writers and society in general.

49
Reading Passage 3:
Kelp and Its Benefits

1. The ocean is an ecosystem that offers a bounty that humans have found
invaluable for years. Thriving on the ocean floor is a form of seaweed, or alga,
known as kelp. Kelp is a cold-water species, living primarily in the temperate
and Arctic waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Kelp requires clear, shallow waters,
since it relies on light for photosynthesis. In cold, nutrient-rich waters, the alga grows in
underwater masses known as kelp forests, which offer a habitat for some ocean
creatures and a food source for others. In the marine environment, they rank among the
most biologically productive territories. This particular seaweed has a variety of purposes
and has been utilized for centuries in the industrial and household realms. It plays a vital
role in the balance of the ecosystem, affecting ocean life and human existence as well.
2. The appearance of kelp resembles that of a plant, but it is not classified as such.
Kelp belongs to the Protista kingdom. Members of the Protista kingdom resemble fungi,
plants, or animals, but share a relatively simple organization, being either unicellular or
multi-cellular with unspecialized tissues. Kelp is similar to a plant, but has a simple,
multi-cellular development. The structure of the alga consists of the holdfast, the stalk
or stipe, and the fronds made up of long, leaf-like blades. The holdfast roots the
seaweed to the ocean floor. Unlike plant roots that grow into the ground and gain
nutrients from the soil, the holdfast attaches to the top of a rocky surface, anchoring
the seaweed in place. Between the stipe and each blade is a gas bladder that supports
the frond and keeps it afloat.
3. These unusual characteristics of kelp make it a valuable commodity to
harvest. Humans gather the long, flat, broad leaves of the seaweed to use for
production. In the past, harvesters would encircle a stand of kelp with a cable and pull
on the cable to dislodge the alga from the rocky surface of the ocean floor. This
method removed the whole plant, including the holdfast. Modern procedures only cut
off the fronds of the plant, leaving the long-living holdfast intact and able to continue
growing. The process involves barges equipped with blades that float on the ocean's
surface into kelp forests. Their purpose is to gather the top of the alga without damaging
the alga itself.
4. Harvested kelp, once it is processed, has multiple roles in the manufacturing
field. Burning kelp is a common technique to process the alga once it is removed from its
environment, and the product offers manifold functions. This kelp ash, or soda ash, is
primarily sodium carbonate, and it is rich in iodine and alkali. Businesses worldwide reap
the benefits of utilizing seaweed. Uses for iodine span the industrial spectrum,
including pharmaceuticals, antiseptics, catalysts, food supplements, water purifiers,
halogen lights, and photography. An alkali is a basic, ionic salt that dissolves in water and
comes from alkaline earth metals. Components of gunpowder and lye soap are two of the
numerous purposes for the alkali found in kelp.
5. Kelp’s qualities extend beyond the inherent iodine and alkali elements. A kelp
derivative called alginate is a carbohydrate used as a thickening substance in ice

50
cream, jelly, toothpaste, and salad dressing. Another derivative of kelp is applied as
an emulsifier to create a smooth texture in products such as processed foods,
pharmaceuticals, paints, and cosmetics. In Japanese cuisine, an essential ingredient
is kombu, one of several Pacific species of kelp. It is used as a garnish, a vegetable,
and a flavoring for broth or porridge.
6.  A) Scotland, Norway, China, and the US are now the primary producers
of alga products, with smaller amounts contributed by Japan, Chile, France, and
Spain.  B) Centuries ago, Scotland was the leading source of kelp ash production
until the introduction of newer processes, beginning around the 1800s.  C)
Production continues today.  D) However, despite kelp's natural abundance, a
great deal of responsibility is required. Studies have shown that the number of kelp
forests has decreased over the past several decades. After gathering kelp for
centuries, harvesters must notice the effects of their labors on ocean life. Vital to
human manufacturing as kelp has become, its original role in the environment is to
provide essential food and habitat for ocean organisms as well as to keep the balance of
the marine ecosystem it inhabits.
1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following characteristics is unique to a kelp
forest?
A. It grows in all types of ocean water.
B. It requires deep water to reach its growth potential.
C. It needs water with nutrients for food.
D. It grows in clear waters within the reach of light.

2. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about kelp?

A. Kelp forests do not support much marine life.
B. Kelp does not grow in warm equatorial waters.
C. Kelp requires a lot of prey to survive.
D. The waters of Antarctica provide a suitable habitat for kelp.

3. According to paragraph 2, what is true about the individual structure of kelp?

A. The holdfast makes up the leafy, larger portion of the organism.
B. The gas bladders are essential in keeping kelp upright.
C. The root is secured on the ocean floor, allowing the fronds to float freely.
D. The stipe serves as the support for kelp’s structure.

4. The word “encircle” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

A. surround
B. hide
C. capture
D. extract

5. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about harvesting kelp?
A. Kelp can survive if the holdfast is not destroyed.
B. Modern harvesting procedures destroy lots of kelp

51
 C. Harvesters used to gather the holdfasts for use in production.
D. Harvesting kelp is a new process that is still changing.

6. The author discusses harvesting techniques in paragraph 3 in order to

A. offer instructions on how to gather kelp
B. show improvements in gathering methods
C. describe the nature of kelp that is gathered
D. introduce the process of involving barges

7. The word “Their” in paragraph 3 refers to

A. Algae
B. Procedures
C. Barges
D. Rocky surfaces

8. The word “manifold” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

A. extreme
B. limited
C. multiple
D. specific

9. All the following are mentioned in paragraph 4 as uses of kelp-derived iodine EXCEPT:
A. creating weapons
B. purifying water
C. cleaning wounds
D. improving food

10. The word “derivative” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to

A. impact
B. replica
C. product
D. additive

11. According to paragraph 5, alginate serves as

A. a substance used to create paint
B. a popular garnish for certain foods
C. an element used in manufacturing kelp
D. a thickener for gel-like substances

12. Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added
to the passage.
These methods, coupled with the economic collapse of the Scottish kelp industry,
paved the way for other countries to begin producing kelp on a large-scale.

Where would the sentence best fit?

52
 A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square

13. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the
highlighted sentence? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave
out essential information.
A. Kelp plays a major role in the marine environment and industry.
B. Kelp has grown increasingly important in manufacturing.
C. Kelp keeps its ecosystem and the surrounding marine in balance.
D. Kelp is best left in its native environment because of overharvesting.

14. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.
Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most
important ideas in the passage. Some answer choices do not belong in the summary
because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in
the passage.
Ocean kelp has an important place in the ecosystem and offers many benefits to
humans.
+

Answer Choices
A. Kelp is vital to marine life because it offers homes and food to sea dwellers.
B. Soda ash, which is primarily sodium carbonate, yields iodine and alkali.
C. Kelp products are used in a number of manufacturing processes and goods.
D. Groups of kelp exist as kelp forests and require cool, shallow water to
survive.
E. Raw or cooked kelp can be used as either a garnish or a vegetable.
F. Kelp harvesting has continued for centuries as humans realized its many uses.

53
UNIT FIVE: Give us a Break - from Holidays (A Persuasive Essay)
By Paul Martin

Pre- reading task: Discuss the following questions:

1. How do you feel when you are going to take your holidays?
2. Do you think it is the best way to relax yourself by taking holidays after hard
working?
3. Are you often well-prepared for your coming holidays?
4. What makes you most worried when you want to take holidays?
5. Do you feel more energetic for your working after returning from holidays or more
depressed?
Give Us a Break - from Holidays
1. WARNING: Holidays can damage your health. Psychologists believe that many of the
millions of Britons returning to work this week would have been better off staying at the
office instead of taking their annual break.
2. Increasing evidence that holidays can cause harmful stress rather than provide welcome
rest and reinvigoration is to be scientifically tested later this year.
3. Researchers from the University of Manchester’s institute of science and technology
plan to attach telemeters, small instruments that measure stress intake, to a selected sample
of holiday makers before, during and after their yearly break.
4. Kerry Cooper, professor of organizational psychology at the institute, is even more
determined to go ahead with the project after taking his two children to Disneyland on a
study tour in the United States last week.
5. ‘I’m shattered. I’m exhausted,’ he told the Sunday Times from Lost Angeles. ‘It’s been
very stressful indeed; so much so that I’m looking forward to a business breakfast
tomorrow.’
6. Cooper maintains that even the most smooth- running holiday procedures are not unable
to produce stress simply by being a change in routine. Whether the stress builds up to
health- harming levels depends, he says, on your personality, on the relationship within the
family, and on the type of holiday you take.
7. Type A people, the more dynamic, goal- oriented, hard- driving, take far longer to
unwind than the more relaxed less ambitious type B group.
8. A two- week holiday would often not relax a type A person who would spend the time
worrying about work he could have been doing at the office, the cost of the holiday, or
whether their home is being broken into. As one holiday- maker put it: ‘I spent the first part
of my holiday worrying if I locked up the house properly, and the rest of the time worrying
if it’ll still be safe when I come back.’
9. One reason why the hazards of holidays had until recently escaped the attentions of
stress researchers is the bland response most people give when asked how they enjoyed it.

54
10. ‘People have invested so much time and energy into a holiday that if they had a bad
time they won’t admit it, even to themselves,’ said Vanja Orlans, of the stress research and
control centre at London University’s Birkbeck College.
11. Professor Cooper pointed out that family tensions, kept at bay during the rest of the
year often erupt when the family is thrust together incessantly.
12. The vacation itself may cause conflicts through each holiday maker preferring a
different sort of activity, or inactivity, the ‘museums versus sandcastles’ syndrome, added
Vanja Orlans.
13. Even those who said they had a successful holiday came back worried. ‘I was
depressed at the thought of going back to work.’ Said Lynn Hatley, a part- time secretary in
a garage, ‘When I walked in my front door I felt a pain right round my head as all the
pressures piled back on me.’
14. The stress specialists debunk the notion that a good holiday necessarily helps people
start work with renewed enthusiasm.
15. ‘People who come back from a terrific holiday are often disorientated and can’t work
well,’ Orlans said.
16. She added that the fixed yearly holiday period has big drawbacks: people may
postpone dealing with things that are getting them down at work or at home, believing the
holiday will be the cure.
17. Cooper believes new research could help people provide guidelines for people to design
the right sort of holiday for their personality, family structure and work position. Some may
need passive ones, others active, some short, some long. Going on holiday when work
stress is affecting you, or taking several short ones during a year, often meets the
individual’s needs better.
Times newspapers Ltd
I. Vocabulary:
a. Look at the way the following words or phrases are used in the article and suggest
another word or words which could be used instead, to give the same meaning.

1. better off 6. erupt

2. maintains 7. debunk
3. unwind 8. are … disorientated
4. bland 9. drawbacks
5. kept at bay 10. getting them down

b. Compare your answers with another student’s and then match the words or phrases
above with one of the meanings below.

reveal the truth about disadvantages argues

are confused/ lose their sense of direction avoided relax
making them depressed break out/ explode
gentle/ unemotional happier/ in a better state

55
II. Comprehension questions:

1. Rely on the scientific research, can you state the main idea of the article.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
2. What do psychologists believe?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
3. What does Professor Kerry Cooper feel after being on a tour in the United States?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
4. Is the most smooth-running holiday really smooth? Why?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
5. What does a type A person worry about when he takes holidays?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
6. Do people who have invested so much time and energy into a holiday admit they had a
bad time?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
7. Can you explain what “museum versus sandcastles” syndrome is?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
8. What do the stress specialists argue about?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
9. What is the purpose of the research?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
10. Can you interpret the title of the article- “Give us a break- From holidays”?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

III. Paraphrasing:

1. Many of the millions of Britons returning to work this week would have been better off
staying at the office instead of taking their annual break.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

56
2. Type A people, the more dynamic, goal-oriented, hard-driving, take far longer to unwind
than the more relaxed less ambitious type B group.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
3. People who come back from a terrific holiday are often disorientated and can’t work
well.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

IV. Summarizing: Write a summary of the article “Give us a break- from holidays” (80-
100 words)
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

57
UNIT SIX: PRACTICE 3
Reading Passage 1:
Tata Nono

A. The twentieth century, starting with Henry Ford’s Model-T in 1908, saw the start of
man’s love affair with the automobile. Some, however, might view the relationship between the
car and the human race as more of a love-hate relationship. We love and cherish cars because they
are undeniably convenient, have increased our personal mobility, and have permitted industry and
commerce to grow and prosper. However, they unfortunately also have their downsides such as the
increase in pollution and congestion that they cause.
B. The problems caused by cars, however, may only get bigger in the future, because of a
car that is smaller and cheaper. The car in question is the Tata Nono, manufactured in the Indian
state of West Bengal in a purpose-built factory by the entrepreneur Ratan Tata and first launched in
October 2008. Apart from the obvious profit motive, the admirable philosophy behind this venture
is the desire to bring motoring and mobility within the reach of the poor people who up until now
have been unable to afford the price of a car. At around what some have called an ultra-affordable
$2,500, the so-called ‘People’s Car’ is now within easy reach of determined buyers. The Tata
Nono will provide status and a higher degree of comfort and protection than previous vehicles did.
Previously, people had to rely on their two-wheeled scooters or three-wheeled motorised rickshaws
for transport, but now these eight million road users will have another option.
C. So who exactly are the potential owners of these new vehicles? Who will buy them? In
India, the average age is 25, and many of these young people have great dreams for a prosperous
future. There is also a growing middle class with increasing spending power. Combine these facts
with extensive advertising, and there will be a predictable explosion in the number of cars.
D. Another way of looking at this development, though, is that all car owners can sit
alongside each other in the inevitable traffic jams, for this is the downside of allowing everyone to
have access to cars. Increasingly, voices are being raised in India and abroad, questioning the
wisdom and warning of the consequences of sending such a massive number of new cars onto the
roads. Tata alone hopes to sell one million per year, and that does not take into account the existing
car companies who are already in the market. However, what gives anyone the right to tell poor
Indians that they cannot or should not have access to the same modem conveniences that other
countries enjoy? India has only 1% of the world’s cars, and the USA has 40%. Would anyone
dream of even suggesting that the developed world should cut back on the number of cars on its
roads? Yet, there are compelling arguments in favour of controlling the number of new cars on
India’s roads.
E. As was seen during China’s hosting of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, there is
a definite connection between the number of cars on the road and the amount of pollution in the
air, and controlling one reduces the other. Enabling a million new drivers every year to take to the
roads will worsen air quality in India’s megacities, such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkatta, where the
amount of air pollution due to vehicles stands at 64%, 52%, and 30% respectively. Nearly 60% of
Indian cities already have pollution levels that are at the critical level, and the release of the Tata
Nono, in conjunction with all the other new cars, has the potential to dramatically affect those
levels. Traffic congestion, already a major cause for concern, is yet another aspect of transport that
will get further out of control, and instead of driving alongside each other, the poor and the rich
may find themselves stuck alongside each other in massive traffic jams. And as if pollution and
congestion were not enough, there is one more problem to face: fuel supply. India only has an
estimated 0.5% of global oil reserves and imports approximately 70% of its oil needs from the

58
Middle East. Increasing the number of cars will also increase India’s dependence on imported oil
and create unfortunate effects on the domestic economy.
F. The Tata Nono, then, is a uniquely Indian solution to an Indian problem. It will have
benefits and drawbacks. Many people will applaud the freedom of movement that it will give to
the poorer sections of Indian society, while others will fear the environmental consequences. At the
beginning of the next century, assuming that the human race is still here and that the personal car is
still a major mode of transport, will our descendants look back at this development and regard it in
the same favourable way that people looked at Henry Ford’s original invention?

Questions 1-6
Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS or A NUMBER from the
passage for each answer.

Benefits of Tata Nono Drawbacks of Tata Nono

Poor people can afford to buy a car and Air pollution in Mumbai due to cars stands at
motoring and mobility will now be possible for 3. ______________ . Tata Nono will
them. significantly 4. ____________ that figure.
Tata Nono brings status and increased 1. Traffic 5. ____________ will also increase as
____________ the rich and the poor alike are able to afford
cars.
Poor people need no longer depend on 2. More oil will need to be imported as India oil
______________ for transportation. reserves stand at around 6. _______________
.

Questions 7- 13
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage? Write:
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

7. Ratan Tata’s only reason for developing his new car was so he could
make a big profit. ______________
8. The increasing number of new vehicles will have only benefits for
India. ______________
9. It is unfair that people in developing countries should be denied access
to cars. ______________
10. The Indian government should control the number of new cars on its
roads. ______________
11. Controlling the number of cars would help to decrease air pollution.
______________
12. If more cars are allowed on India’s roads, this will lead to problems
for the Indian economy. ______________
13. In the future, people will consider that the development of Tata Nono
was a good thing. ______________

59
 Reading passage 2
The Albatross

A. Albatrosses are the largest seabirds in existence, with wingspans which extend to over
three metres in width. They represent a small subset of the larger group known as tube-nosed
petrels, which have strong, curved sharp beaks which they use for catching fish and squid on the
surface of the ocean. While there is some debate about the exact taxonomy of the species, it is
agreed that there are somewhere between 21 and 24 species of albatrosses.
B. Of these species, approximately half breed in New Zealand and about 80 per cent
breed or fish within New Zealand’s territorial waters. Six species breed only in New Zealand or on
its offshore islands. One of only two mainland nesting sites for these birds in the world, for the
northern royal albatross, is on the Otago Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand; it is a
popular tourist destination. Visitors can view the albatross colony from a special building which
has been established beside the nesting ground and, while the site is closed during breeding season,
at other times, it is often possible to see parents and their chicks living and feeding only metres
away from human observers.
C. Albatrosses spend most of their lives at sea, coming to land only to mate and raise
their chicks. Male and female birds cooperate in raising their offspring. At the Taiaroa nesting site
in New Zealand, eggs are laid in October or November each year. Incubation takes about 11
weeks, and during this time, both parents take turns to sit on the eggs for periods of up to three
weeks, while the other bird goes off to sea to eat. It takes the chicks up to five or six days to hatch
from their tough shell. Once they are hatched, the parents take turns in looking after them for about
five or six weeks. After this time, they are left alone except for regular feeding until they get their
feathers and are ready to fly, at about eight months of age.
D. Once the young birds are ready to fly, they are off to sea. Albatrosses spend about 80
per cent of their lives at sea, soaring over the waves and feeding off surface fish and squid. Some
albatrosses travel long distances over the pelagic or deep ocean, while others find food closer to
land over areas of continental shelf. They can fly at great speed, at bursts of up to l40km/hour, and
they can cover huge distances in one day, even as much as 1,800 km.
E. The royal albatrosses at Taiaroa Head stay at sea for the first three years of their lives,
after which they return to the colony once a year for several years before finding a mate and
beginning to breed at around the age of eight. Albatrosses are faithful birds; they mate for life and
raise one chick every two years on average. They are also long lived, and birds have been recorded

60
still laying eggs into their 50s and even 60s. However, their relatively low reproductive rate is one
of the factors which make them vulnerable to the threat of extinction.
F. There are also risks to albatross chicks on land. Natural predators such as seagulls can
eat eggs and young birds, and in mainland areas, there are also threats from dogs, cats and other
land animals. On some offshore islands, sea lions have been observed raiding nests for eggs. It is
thought that this is a new behaviour.
G. The main threats to the adult albatross occur at sea, and most of these are man-made.
Albatrosses like to travel close to fishing boats to eat the leftover scraps of fish that are dropped
over the side of the boat. Sometimes, however, they also eat the bait and accidentally ingest fish
hooks, or get dragged along on fishing lines and drown. The number of albatrosses that any one
boat catches is small, but because there are so many fishing boats, this may have a long-term
impact on population numbers. It is estimated that at least 100,000 albatrosses die in this way each
year. As for all seabird species, there are other threats, such as drift nets, oil spills, and rubbish
such as plastic in the ocean. While there are international agreements and fishing conventions to
try and protect seabirds, albatrosses are among the million or so seabirds that get caught in drift
nets and die each year.
H. The albatross is a magnificent, beautiful and awe-inspiring creature. We need to work
together to protect this bird and others from threats posed by human activity.

Questions 14-21
The reading passage has eight paragraphs, A – H. Choose a correct heading for each paragraph
from the list of headings below. There are more headings than paragraphs.

i. World Locations for Albatrosses 14. _______ Paragraph A

ii. Predators 15. _______ Paragraph B
iii. Eggs and Chicks 16. _______ Paragraph C
iv. Major Diseases 17. _______ Paragraph D
v. Hazards for Mature Albatrosses 18. _______ Paragraph E
vi. Breeding Patterns 19. _______ Paragraph F
vii. What Is an Albatross? 20. _______ Paragraph G
viii. The Albatross in Flight 21. _______ Paragraph H
ix. Why Albatrosses Matter
x. A Special Breeding Site
xi. Conservation Plans

Questions 22-27
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage? Write:
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

22. _______ Oil spills can endanger albatrosses.

23. _______ Albatrosses do not have many chicks, so this put the species at risk.
24. _______ Cats and dogs kill young albatross chicks on offshore islands.
25. _______ Adult albatrosses are more at risk on the land than at sea.
26. _______ An albatross that swallows a hook is likely to die.
27. _______ Albatrosses that get caught up in drift nets die from drowning.

61
Reading passage 3
The Way the Brain Buys
Supermarkets take great care over the way the goods they sell are arranged. This is because they
know a lot about how to persuade people to buy things.

A. When you enter a supermarket, it takes some time for the mind to get into a shopping
mode. This is why the area immediately inside the entrance of a supermarket is known as the
‘decompression zone’. People need to slow down and take stock of the surroundings, even if they
are regulars. Supermarkets do not expect to sell much here, so it tends to be used more for
promotion. So the large items piled up here are designed to suggest that there are bargains further
inside the store, and shoppers are not necessarily expected to buy them. Walmart, the world’s
biggest retailer, famously employs ‘greeters’ at the entrance to its stores. A friendly welcome is
said to cut shoplifting. It is harder to steal from nice people.
B. Immediately to the left in many supermarkets is a ‘chill zone’, where customers can
enjoy browsing magazines, books and DVDs. This is intended to tempt unplanned purchases and
slow customers down. But people who just want to do their shopping quickly will keep walking
ahead, and the first thing they come to is the fresh fruit and vegetables section. However, for
shoppers, this makes no sense. Fruit and vegetables can be easily damaged, so they should be
bought at the end, not the beginning, of a shopping trip. But psychology is at work here: selecting
these items makes people feel good, so they feel less guilty about reaching for less healthy food
later on.
C. Shoppers already know that everyday items, like milk, are invariably placed towards the
back of a store to provide more opportunity to tempt customers to buy things which are not on their
shopping list. This is why pharmacies are also generally at the back. But supermarkets know
shoppers know this, so they use other tricks, like placing popular items halfway along a section so
that people have to walk all along the aisle looking for them. The idea is to boost ‘dwell time’: the
length of time people spend in a store.
D. Having walked to the end of the fruit-and-vegetable aisle, shoppers arrive at counters of
prepared food, the fishmonger, the butcher and the deli. Then there is the in-store bakery, which
can be smelt before it is seen. Even small supermarkets now use in store bakeries. Mostly these
bake pre-prepared items and frozen ingredients which have been delivered to the supermarket
previously, and their numbers have increased, even though central bakeries that deliver to a
number of stores are much more efficient. They do it for the smell of freshly baked bread, which
arouses people’s appetites and thus encourages them to purchase not just bread but also other food,
including ready meals.

62
 E. Retailers and producers talk a lot about the “moment of truth”. This is not a
philosophical idea, but the point when people standing in the aisle decide to buy something and
reach to get it. At the instant coffee section, for example, branded products from the big producers
are arranged at eye level while cheaper ones are lower down, along with the supermarket’s own
label products.
F. But shelf positioning is fiercely fought over, not just by those trying to sell goods, but
also by those arguing over how best to manipulate shoppers. While many stores reckon eye level is
the top spot, some think a little higher is better. Others think goods displayed at the end of aisles
sell the most because they have the greatest visibility. To be on the right-hand side of an eye-level
selection is often considered the very best place, because most people are right-handed and most
people’s eyes drift rightwards. Some supermarkets reserve that for their most expensive own-label
goods.
G. Scott Bearse, a retail expert with Deloitte Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts, has led
projects observing and questioning tens of thousands of customers about how they feel about
shopping. People say they leave shops empty- handed more often because they are ‘unable to
decide’ than because prices are too high, says Mr. Bearse. Getting customers to try something is
one of the best ways of getting them to buy, adds Mr. Bearse. Deloitte found that customers who
use fitting rooms in order to try on clothes buy the product they are considering at a rate of 85 %
compared with 58 % for those that do not do so.
H. Often a customer struggling to decide which of two items is best ends up not buying
either. In order to avoid a situation where a customer decides not to buy either product, a third
‘decoy’ item, which is not quite as good as the other two, is placed beside them to make the choice
easier and more pleasurable. Happier customers are more likely to buy.

Questions 28-33
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

28. _______ The ‘greeters’ at Walmart increase sales.

29. _______ People feel better about their shopping if they buy fruit and vegetables before
they buy other food.
30. _______ In-store bakeries produce a wider range of products than central bakeries.
31. _______ Supermarkets find right-handed people easier to persuade than left-handed
people.
32. _______ The most frequent reason for leaving shops without buying something is price.
33. _______ ‘Decoy’ items are products which the store expects customers to choose.

Questions 34-37
Label the diagram below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each
answer.

63
 37

36

34
35

Questions 38-40
Complete the flow chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for
each answer.

38

39

40

64
UNIT SEVEN: PRACTICE 4
Reading passage 1:
Dying Languages

1. It is thought that at one point, there were over 200,000 languages in use
around the world. Today, there are approximately 6,800 living or actively spoken
languages in existence. This number includes obscure languages spoken by only a
handful of people in remote parts of the world. Even with the immense number of
languages in active use, researchers in the field of linguistics feel there are literally
hundreds of languages in danger of extinction at a rate faster than that of many
endangered animals. A) In fact, linguists estimate that one language falls out of use
about every two weeks.  B) The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of
languages can be attributed to different causes.  C) Many of these languages also
have no written form, which makes them particularly susceptible to being lost and
forgotten.  D)
2. Several cultures of the world are seeing a decline in their native tongues.
●A) Australia, a very language-rich country, has already lost many Aborigine
languages. Several more have only one or two people still alive who can recall their
specific intonations and word meanings. ●B) A similar situation is seen in North
America; Native Americans in several areas have tribal languages spoken on
reservations that are becoming obsolete. ●C) The absence of those with knowledge
of ancient languages leaves no one who can articulate the words spoken by their
ancestors. ●D)
3. Many other countries are seeing indigenous languages being choked
out by the prevailing languages. The Amazon region in South America has seen the
rise of Spanish and Portuguese as the languages of choice. The languages spoken
by many people in remote regions are no longer being learned by new generations.
The reduction of minority languages in Siberia can be directly attributed to the Russian
national government, which established a policy that forces speakers of minority
languages to use only the declared national and regional languages. This decreases
the use of minority languages in Siberia and will eventually lead to language
extinction.
4. Of the thousands of languages still in existence, only eighty-three are
considered to have global influence. These are used by the vast majority of people in
the world. Though several groups have been working to capture and preserve
endangered languages through written and auditory means, most will be lost to daily
use forever. Their regression is viewed as a great loss of cultural understanding and
heritage from the past.

1. The word “remote” in paragraph 1 is closet in meaning to

A. reserved B. isolated C. available D. dominant

65
2. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in paragraph 1? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important
ways or leave out essential information.
A. As many language are in danger of being lost, so too are many animals at risk
of becoming extinct.
B. Although there are many languages in existence, they are becoming lost more
often than endangered animals.
C. Although many languages are in use, hundred are at risk of being lost faster
than many endangered animals.
D. While many animals face extinction, linguists feel that the danger of dying
language is greater.

3. Look at the four square  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
the passage.
These causes range from the death of the speakers to the more gradual
decrease in use as people learn more widely accepted languages.

Where would the sentence best fit?

A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square

4. Look at the four circles [● ] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
the passage.
This is due to the death of the older members who grew up speaking the
language

Where would the sentence best fit?

A. First circle
B. Second circle
C. Third circle
D. Fourth circle

5. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in paragraph 3? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important
ways or leave out essential information.
A. The Russian government is responsible for a policy under which many people
cannot use their own native language.
B. Minority languages are illegal in Siberia due to the government’s policy that
favors speakers of the national language.
C. Russia’s government introduced a rule favoring the use of local languages in
favor of little-used languages.
D. Speakers of Siberia’s national language are part of a policy made by the
government seeking to reduce minority languages.

66
6. The word “This” in paragraph 3 refers to
A. National government
B. Policy
C. Minority language
D. National language

7. The word “most” in paragraph 4 refer to

A. languages
B. people
C. countries
D. groups

8. The word “regression” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

A. decline
B. slump
C. failure
D. collapse

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Reading Passage 2:
Ancient Angkor

1. In the regions of Southeast Asia dwell the remains of an era that far exceeded its
time in developments and industrialization. This ancient city, which was mysteriously
deserted in the 15th century, is known as Angkor. Located in Cambodia, Angkor was
established in 802 CE as the seat of the Khmer Empire. Khmer was the largest continuous
empire in Southeast Asia. Its main city of Angkor grew and developed until it was
abandoned in the year 1431. Many historians theorize as to why it was abandoned, but the
mystery remains.
2. Angkor was a city of power, industry, architecture, and cultural unity,
which is why speculation surrounds its decline. The ancient Khmer city stretched over an
area of nearly 120 square miles, comparable to present-day Los Angeles. Each
successive ruler to the throne brought significant additions that diversified the territory.
One ruler is known for constructing a baray, a massive water reservoir. Another built the
imposing Angkor Watt, a temple of great proportions that survived the city's demise and
exists today as a Buddhist temple. Along with over seventy other temples in the region,
Angkor was home to an expansive waterworks of marked ingenuity when nothing of its
kind existed in the world. The civilization was structured around the Mekong River.
Intricate and sophisticated irrigation systems were fashioned to transport water to
people and fields in all parts of the city, including those removed from the central water
source. For this, the city became known as the "Hydraulic City." The people of Angkor
were led by an extensive court system, made up of religious and secular nobles as well as
artisans, fishermen, rice farmers, soldiers, and elephant keepers. The civilization was
guarded by an army transported by elephants and ruled by shrewd and powerful kings.
Yet after 600 years of existence, an abandoned shell was all that remained.
3. The land, buildings, and architecture were reclaimed by the surrounding
forest regions until the 19th century, when French archaeologists discovered the
remains and began restoring sites in the great city of Angkor. Since then, theories have
evolved over time relating to the death of Angkor's civilization. The first theory states
that the city fell because of war. The last two centuries of Angkor's existence
showed a decline in the Khmer Empire's population and power. Ongoing wars with
neighboring Thailand had devastated the nation. In 1431, attackers from Thai nations
invaded and looted Angkor, leaving it desolate and vacant. Continuous war with Thailand
culminating in a final attack on the city could have weakened the empire and led to the
city's demise.
4. Another theory states that a change in religion led to the country's downfall.
The Khmer Empire had predominately been a Hindu nation, and the people were unified in
their religion. Jayavarman VII, acclaimed as the greatest of Angkor’s kings, took the
throne in 1181 CE. He instituted a change in religion from Hinduism to Mahayana
Buddhism. This action subsequently could have destroyed the unity of the people and
the overall foundation of the empire.
5.  A) Natural disaster is another feasible possibility for the scattering of
people from the Angkor region.  B) Historians say earthquakes, floods, and drastic

68
climate changes would have been capable of stripping Angkor of its people.  C) One
researcher hypothesized that the city suffered from a lack of water due to the
transition from the medieval warm period to the little ice age. Others dismiss this idea. 
D)
6. However, a recently developed theory built on the work of French
archaeologist Bernard-Philippe Groslier may have shed the most light on Angkor's
demise. The theory suggests that the Angkorian civilization was “defined,
sustained, and ultimately overwhelmed by over-exploitation and the environmental
impacts of a complex water-management network.” Its vast waterworks proved too
great for the city to manage. Also, supplying such a massive empire with water had
adverse effects on the environment. Ecological problems included deforestation,
topsoil degradation, and erosion due in part to clearing vegetation for cropland. Thus,
the city inadvertently brought about its own environmental collapse.
7. With the use of aerial photography and high-resolution, ground-sensing
radar, researchers w e r e a b l e t o s u p p o r t G r o s l i e r ' s t h e o r y w i t h i m a g e s t h a t
c o m p l e t e e x i s t i n g topographical maps. The radar detected surface structures as
well as subtle variances in surface vegetation and soil moisture. This proved that
environmental erosion had occurred. The combined images and ground-based
investigations further revealed that Angkor was a victim of its own industrial
ingenuity, a city ahead of its time and vulnerable to its own power.

1. The author mentions the Khmer Empire in paragraph 1 in order to

A. establish the size and importance of the civilization
B. explain the downfall of the main city in the empire
C. compare the nation’s size to a present-day location
D. demonstrate why people were not loyal to the city

2. The word “speculation” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A. evidence
B. mystery
C. question
D. growth
3. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about the waterworks built
within Angkor?
A. They transported drinking water to Angkor Watt.
B. They were a money-making venture for the city.
C. They were built to extend the water supply.
D. They irrigated fields along the sides of the rivers.

4. All of the following are true about the city of Angkor EXCEPT:
A. It was built around a water source.
B. It has an advanced road system.
C. It surpassed other cities of its time.
D. It is home to a Buddhist shrine.

69
5. The word “its” in paragraph 2 refers to:
A. Angkor’s
B. baray’s
C. waterworks’
D. home’s

6. The word “sophisticated” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A. advanced
B. fantastic
C. educated
D. thorough

7. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in paragraph 3? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important
ways or leave out essential information.
A. Archaeologists built a replica of what Angkor looked like.
B. Archaeologists uncovered the overgrown city and rebuilt its sites.
C. Finding the city, workers cleared the forest and studied the architecture.
D. The city’s architecture was inspired by the forest regions nearby.

8. What can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the people who inhabited Angkor?
A. They worshipped ruler Jayavarman VII.
B. Hinduism was central to their way of life.
C. Religion led to more violence among them.
D. They were unified regardless of national religion.

9. Look at the four square  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
the passage.
These natural catastrophes would have likely resulted in destroyed buildings,
ruined crops, and a decreased water supply that would have forced citizens to
leave.

Where would the sentence best fit?

A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square

10. The word “inadvertently” in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to

A. purposely
B. purposely
C. sadly
D. accidentally

70
11. According to paragraph 7, which of the following did researchers prove about
Groslier’s theory with the use of aerial photography and advanced radar?
A. the surface soil showed evidence of dirt washing away.
B. the waterworks were filled with topsoil.
C. vegetation was thriving where soil was deeper.
D. soil damage was stable throughout the changes.

12. Complete the table below to categorize information about each of the theories discussed
in the passage. Match the appropriate statements to the theory with which they are
associated. TWO of the answer choices will NOT be used.

Theory Statements
War Theory +
+

Religion Theory +
+

Groslier’s theory +
+

Answer Choices
A. The predominant religion was originally Hindu
B. The developments were too vast to manage.
C. Ongoing attacks weakened the city.
D. Powerful rulers made Angkor a prosperous city
E. The irrigation system sapped the city of its resources.
F. Thai soldiers invaded and looted the city
G. The city’s land was eroded and overused.
H. Architectural projects divided the people.
I. The change to Buddihism destroyed the people’s unity.

71
Reading Passage 3:
American Quilts

1. Quilts have many uses; they provide warmth, beauty, and enjoyment from the use
of different colors, fabrics, and textures. Quilting can be traced back to Egypt and China.
The art of quilting began with three layers of fabric sewn together to prevent the middle
layer from slipping. In the eleventh century, quilting was used by men wearing armor in the
battlefield; it held together the layers of padding under the armor.
2. Quilting is stitching together layers of padding and fabric, the quilt top, the
batting in the center, and the fabric backing. Lisa Evans, a historian, wrote “quilted
garments padded Crusader mail, quilted linens adorned Renaissance bedchambers, and
quilted Evangelists were treasured at 15th century monasteries.” This provides some idea
of how far back in history quilting first began.
3. In the 18th century, women wore quilted petticoats and underskirts, whereas the
men wore quilted waistcoats; this was fashionable at the time. Quilted bedding was also
very popular. During this century, quilting was introduced in the American colonies in the
form of whole cloth quilts. These were common trade goods among the wealthy people.
4.Quilting became popular in America in the 19th century when distinctly American
quilts were created. These were produced for pleasure and bedding. Pieced quilts involved
sewing together of fabric to create a quilt top. Pieced quilts were for beginners. Until they
were sure of how to sew, they would practice and gain skills while making pieced quilts.
When a woman was sure of her quilt-making ability, she would begin a ‘masterpiece’ quilt.
These were showcased in country fairs and were symbols of high status.
5.Wealthy women often socialized at quilting bees. They were chances to gossip and
opportunities to meet other women. Most of these women spent time with family or did
chores in the home, so they might have only seen others every few months. Children were
also involved in quilting bees, by ensuring the needles were threaded for the ladies.
6.Winters were cold, and usually only one room in a house would be heated. There
simply was not enough room for a quilting bee. Therefore, women would piece together
tops in the winter and then join them together at social events in the summer. These annual
events were cherished by high society.
7.  (A) Appliqué is used in quilts, where pieces of fabric, embroidery, and other
materials are sewn together onto fabric to create designs.  (B) Some examples of appliqué
include Broderie Perse, Hawaiian quilts and Friendship quilts.  (C) Broderie Perse is a
form of quilt-making referring to the appliqué of cut-out motifs from printed fabric onto a
background.  (D) Fabric was very expensive even for the wealthy; therefore, motifs of
stars, birds, and flowers were cut off and sewn onto a cloth. The popular fabric at the time
was chintz, imported from India. Because of the huge cost, these Broderie Perse were only
used for guests in the home,
8. Hawaiian women made quilts as early as 1820. Missionaries taught them. When
Hawaii became Westernized, cotton, fabric became more readily available, and quilts were
then designed with appliqué. They had a single design that started at the center and radiated

72
outward onto the whole quilt. Friendship quilts are quilts in which all the blocks are the same
pattern. Special meaning was attached to them as they served as reminders of friends and
loved ones. Signatures, poems, and bible verses were also popular additions to these quilts.
9. Crazy quilting was a Victorian pastime. Some have theorized that it started during
colonial times because piecing odd bits of cloth together saved money. However, others say
that it originated in Japan. Crazy quilting required no planned design, shape, or materials.
Rich Americans used fancy fabrics such as silk, velvet, and satin to sew them together.
Wedding gowns, dresses, and souvenirs were all used and decorated with beads and painted
designs. Signatures, birth dates, names, and sometimes even death dates were written on them
if needed. It was not unusual for it to take 10-20 years to make a crazy quilt.
Although quilts are making a comeback now, and have various purposes, it is nothing
compared to the popularity they enjoyed in the Victorian era.
1. Directions: Complete the table below to summarize information about the three types of
pastimes discussed in the passage. Match the details to the types with which they are
associated.

Quilting Bee

Appliqué Quilting

Crazy Quilting

Answer Choices
1. These are commonly associated with Hawaii.
2. Silk, velvet, and satins would be used to sew beautiful patterns together.
3. Chintz, an experience commodity from India, would often be used.
4. Piercing odd rags together became fashionable in the late 19th century.
5. Children could join in by helping ladies to thread the needles.
6. Completion could often take up to 15 years or more
7. Poor women often went there to improve their techniques.

2. The author discusses the layers of padding under the armor in paragraph 1 in order to?
A. show that quilted shirts used to stop or slow down the bleeding caused by
arrows
B. provide evidence that standard armor suit consisted of three padded layers of
linen
C. demonstrate the inconvenience of heavy armor with reinforced metal plates
D. illustrate how well quilted shirts and suits served as a protective covering

3. The word “adorned” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. enhanced
B. overestimated
C. embellished

73
 D. admired

4. Which of the following statements about 18th century quilts is supported by paragraph 3?
A. The 18th century initiated petticoats as popular trading goods.
B. Quilts were popular commodities to trade in America going back as far as the
18th century.
C. Upper class men and women could be identified by the higher quality of their
clothing.
D. The shapes of the garments were consistent throughout the classes in the 18th
century.

5. The word “they” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. children
B. beginners
C. experts
D. veterans

6. The word “showcase” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. auctioned
B. advertised
C. displayed
D. looked after

7. The word “gossip” in the passage is closest meaning to:

A. discuss
B. listen
C. learn
D. eat and drink

8. All of the following are mentioned in paragraphs 5 and 6 about women and quilting bees
except:
A. Women brought their children along to help with the quilting.
B. The quilting bee was a popular means of socializing for women.
C. When it was too cold for quilting bees, women pieced together quilt tops.
D. Women had plenty of opportunities to gossip outside of quilting bees.

9. In paragraph 7, what does the author say about Broderie Perse quilts?
A. Common fabrics were printed for this quilt art form.
B. Only the wealthy could afford to buy this fabric.
C. Design elements were cut out singularly, which made the technique more
complex.
D. This technique was developed in India, but it wasn’t long.

74
10. Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence can be added to
the passage.
It is particularly suitable for work that is made to be seen from a distance such as
banners.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square

11. In paragraph 8, the author of the passage implies that friendship quilts were
A. usually large and made from cotton and given to friends during the time of
winter for warmth.
B. made with the same pattern and different pictures that started in the center and
radiated outward on the quilt.
C. made for friends or loved ones and had many different types of patterns and
styles that were popular at the time.
D. made for people who cared about and special meanings were attached.

12. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out
essential information.
A. The inception of Westernization increased the availability of cotton, making
appliqué useful.
B. The easy availability of cotton fabric in Hawaii changed the way quilts were
designed.
C. The use of cotton fabric meant that Hawaii became more Westernized.
D. The appliqué design demanded that more cotton be imported into Hawaii.

75
UNIT EIGHT: Mother’s Cooking (A Descriptive Essay)
By Maxine Hong Kingston
Background: Maxine Hong Kingston (1940–)

Maxine Hong Kingston was born in Stockton, California on October 27, 1940. Her works
have been deeply influenced by her parents and their folklore from native China. Before
coming to America in 1924, Kingston’s father Tom Hong was a scholar and teacher. Her
mother, Ying Lan, worked as a midwife. Though born in the States, Kingston’s first
language was Say Yup, a derivative of Cantonese. She is the oldest of six American-born
children and grew up in a neighborhood filled with immigrants from her father’s village.
“Mother’s cooking,” is taken from her book, The Woman Warrior: Memories of a Girlhood
among Ghosts, which deals with Maxine’s experiences growing up as a Chinese-American
woman. She uses rich details to describe the foods and eating customs of her family’s
culture.

Pre- reading task: Discuss the following questions

1. In your culture, what is considered important in cuisine?
2. In your opinion, how can you make a balance of nutrient in your way of cooking?
3. Do you think the cuisine of a country tell us about the culture of that country? Justify?

Mother’s Cooking
1. My mother has cooked for us: raccoons, skunks, hawks, city pigeons, wild ducks, wild
geese, black skinned bantams, snakes, garden snails, turtles that crawled about the pantry
floor and sometimes escaped under refrigerator or stove, catfish that swam in the bathtub.
“The emperor used to eat the peaked hump of purple dromedaries,” she would say. “They
used chopsticks made from rhinoceros horn, and they ate ducks’ tongues and monkeys’
lips.” She boiled the weeds we pulled up in the yard. There was a tender plant with flowers
like white stars hiding under the leaves, which were like the flower petals but green. I’ve
not been able to find it since growing up. It had no taste. When I was as tall as the washing
machine, I stepped out on the back porch one night, and some heavy, ruffling, windy,
clawed thing dived at me. Even after getting chanted back to sensibility, I shook when I
recalled that perched everywhere, there were owls with great hunched shoulders and
yellow scowls. They were a surprise for my mother from my father. We children used to
hide under the beds with our fingers in our ears to shut out the bird screams and die thud,
thud of the turtles swimming in the boiling water, their shells hitting the sides of the pot.
Once the third aunt who worked at the laundry ran out and bought us bags of candy to hold
over our noses; my mother was dismembering skunk on the chopping block. I would smell
the rubbery odor through the candy.
2. In a glass jar on a shelf my mother kept a big brown hand with pointed claws stewing in
alcohol and herbs. She must have brought it from China because I do not remember a time
when I did not have the hand to look at. She said it was a bear’s claw, and for many years I
thought bears were hairless. My mother used the tobacco, leeks, and grasses swimming
about the hand to rub our sprains and bruises.

76
3. Just as I would climb up to the shelf to take one look after another at the hand, I would
hear my mother’s monkey story. I’d take my fingers out of my ears and let her monkey
words enter my brain. I did not always listen voluntarily, though. She would begin telling
the story, perhaps repeating it to a homesick villager, and I’d overhear before I had a
chance to protect myself. Then the monkey words would unsettle me; a curtain flapped
loose inside my brain. I have wanted to say, “Stop it. Stop it,” but not once did I say, “Stop
it.”
4. “Do you know what people in China eat when they have the money?” my mother began.
“They buy into a monkey feast. The eaters sit around a thick wood table with a hole in the
middle. Boys bring in the monkey at the end of a pole. Its neck is in a collar at the end of
the pole, and it is screaming. Its hands are tied behind it. They clamp the monkey into the
table; the whole table fits like mother collar around its neck. Using a surgeon’s saw, the
cooks cut a clean line in a circle at the top of its head. To loosen the bone, they tap with a
tiny hammer and wedge here and there with a silver pick. Then an old woman reaches out
her hand to the monkey’s face and up to its scalp, where she tufts some hairs and lifts off
the lid of the skull. The eaters spoon out the brains.”
5. Did she say, “You should have seen the faces the monkey made”? Did she say, “The
people laughed at the monkey screaming”? It was alive? The curtain flaps closed like
merciful black wings.
6. “Eat! Eat! “My mother would shout as our heads bent over bowls, the blood pudding
awobble in the middle of the table.
7. She had one rule to keep us safe from toadstools and such: “If it tastes good, it’s bad for
you,” she said. “If it tastes bad, it’s good for you.”
8. We’d have to face four––and five-day old leftovers until we ate it all. The squid eye
would keep appearing at breakfast and dinner until eaten. Sometimes brown masses sat on
every dish. I have seen revulsion on the faces of visitors who’ve caught us at meals.
9. “Have you eaten yet?” the Chinese greet one another.
“Yes, I have,” they answer whether they have or not. “And you?”
I would live on plastic.
A. Vocabulary: Match a word in column A with its suitable definition in column B .
A B
1. weeds a. annoying
2. porch b. awareness
3. ruffling c. hanging, resting
4. chanted d. looks of unhappiness
5. sensibility e. a covered space in the back or front of the
house
6. perched f. spoke formally as in a ritual or a ceremony
7. scowls g. a bad or offensive smell
8. dismembering h. a type of garlic
9. odor i. an elaborate, fancy meal
10. leeks j. shaking unsteadily

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11. awobble k. uneaten food saved for the next meal
12. toadstools l. taking apart limb by limb
13. leftovers m. wild mushrooms
14. revulsion n. unwanted grass
15. feast o. disgust

B. Figures of Speech:

1. Define figures of speech

..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
2. Name at least four types of figures of speech.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
3. “When I was as tall as the washing machine, I stepped out on the back porch one
night, and some heavy, ruffling, windy, clawed thing dived at me.”
a. What figure of speech is this?
........................................................................................................................................
b. What two things are being compared?
.........................................................................................................................................
4. “She would begin telling the story, perhaps repeating it to a homesick villager, and I’d
overhear before I had a chance to protect myself. Then the monkey words would
unsettle me; a curtain flapped loose inside my brain. I have wanted to say, “Stop it.
Stop it,” but not once did I say, “Stop it.”
a. What figure of speech is this?
.............................................................................................................................................
b. What two things are being compared?
.............................................................................................................................................
c. Explain it.
.............................................................................................................................................
5. “The curtain flaps closed like merciful black wings.”
a. What figure of speech is this?
.............................................................................................................................................
b. What two things are being compared?
.............................................................................................................................................
c. What do the “curtains” actually refer to?
.............................................................................................................................................
d. What figure of speech is that?
.............................................................................................................................................
6. Find examples of imagery in the essay that appeal to each of the five senses.
Sight:
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

78
Sound:
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Taste
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Smell
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Touch
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
7. “The squid eye would keep appearing at breakfast and dinner until eaten. Sometimes
brown masses sat on every dish.”
a. What figure of speech is this?
..............................................................................................................................................
b. What are being compared?
..............................................................................................................................................

C. Comprehension questions

1. Where do you think Kingston grew up?

................................................................................................................................................
2. Where do you think her parents grew up?
................................................................................................................................................
3. What is Kingston contrasting by telling us about her family’s strange eating habits?
................................................................................................................................................
4. What attacked and frightened Kingston on the back porch that night? Why were they
there?
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
5. What would Kingston and her siblings do to hide from the smells, sounds and sights of
what her parents cooked?
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
6. Why did her mother keep a bear’s claw in a jar? Where did it come from?
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
7. What are “monkey words?” Summarize them.
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................

79
................................................................................................................................................
8. What does eating “4 and 5-day leftovers” suggest about how Kingston’s mother feels
about food? What does it say about their culture?
................................................................................................................................................
9. Why might visitors feel revulsion when seeing what Kingston eats?
................................................................................................................................................
10. In her last line, what does she mean by, “I would live on plastic”?
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
D. Paraphrasing:

1. When I was as tall as the washing machine, I stepped out on the back porch one night,
and some heavy, ruffling, windy, clawed thing dived at me. Even after getting chanted
back to sensibility, I shook when I recalled that perched everywhere, there were owls
with great hunched shoulders and yellow scowls. They were a surprise for my mother
from my father.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

2. Then the monkey words would unsettle me; a curtain flapped loose inside my brain. I
have wanted to say, “Stop it. Stop it,” but not once did I say, “Stop it.”
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

E. Summarizing: Write a short paragraph summary of the essay. (100-120 words)

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

80
UNIT NINE: PRACTICE 5
Reading Passage 1
The Beauty of Cats
1. For most people, a domestic cat is a more or less beautiful, usually affectionate
but rarely useful member of the family. However, for the people who breed, show, or
simply admire them, the pedigree aristocrats of the cat world can easily become an
obsession. As yet, there is a very much smaller range in the sizes and shapes of cats
compared with dogs, which is not surprising when we consider that dogs have been
selectively bred for hundreds, if not thousands, of years to develop physical and
temperamental characteristics that can be put to work for man as well as admired. By
contrast, all breeding of pedigree cats is for purely aesthetic reasons.
2. Only a few pedigree cat breeds date back beyond the late nineteenth century, and
most have been developed since the 1950s. To achieve acceptance, any new breed must be
officially recognized by the national and international organizations of ‘cat fanciers’ that
regulate the breeding and showing of pedigree cats. To date, official recognition has been
given worldwide to more than 100 different breeds. A fairly small number of these are
what might be called ‘natural’ breeds, with distinctive characteristics that appeared
spontaneously, and then became established in the cat population of a particular country or
region. Examples include what is popularly known as the Persian, with its long-haired coat;
the Russian Blue, with its plush grey ‘double’ coat; the Siamese, with its slender body,
long, narrow face and distinctive colouring; and the Manx cat, with either no tail (a
‘rumpy’) or a small stump of a tail (a ‘stumpy’).
3. More usually, new pedigree cat breeds are the result of meticulously planned
breeding programmes designed to establish or enhance attractive or unusual features
occurring in non-pedigree cats. Without the intervention of the cat breeder, many of these
features would occur only rarely or would have simply disappeared through natural
selection. Even the so-called natural breeds have been considerably modified over the years
by professional cat breeders striving to match or improve on the breed ‘standard’, a
detailed description of the various points (length and colour of coat, body and head shape,
etc.) according to which a particular breed is judged in competition.
4. The majority of cats, both wild and domestic, have fur that is of short or medium
length. Long fur in cats can occur either as the result of a ‘one-off’ genetic mutation, or
through the inheritance of the recessive gene for long hair. Longhaired cats were well-
established in Persia (now Iran) and Turkey long before the ancestors of most modern long-
haired show cats were taken to Europe and America towards the end of the nineteenth
century. Today’s pedigree longhairs of Persian type have a cobby (sturdy and rounded)
body, a very luxuriant long coat, short, thick legs, a round head, round face, very short
nose, and large round, orange or blue eyes. There are separate show classes for Persians of
different colours. Also shown in their own classes are various non-Persian longhairs,
including Chinchillas, Himalayans (also called Colourpoint Longhairs), and the Turkish
Van.
5. Short-haired pedigree cats can be divided into three main categories: the British

81
Shorthair, the American Shorthair, and the Foreign or Oriental Shorthair. To the
uninitiated, British and American Shorthairs appear to be no more than particularly fine
examples of the non-pedigree family cat. The reality is that selective breeding programmes
have achieved a consistency of conformation and coat characteristics in the different
pedigree lines that could never be achieved by chance. Pedigree British Shorthairs have a
cobby body, a dense, plush coat of a specified colour, short legs, round head, a somewhat
short nose, and large round eyes of a designated colour. By comparison, pedigree American
Shorthairs have larger and less rounded bodies, slightly longer legs, and a less round head
with a square muzzle and medium-length nose.
6. The third main group of pedigree cats are the Foreign or Oriental Shorthairs.
Some of these breeds, notably the Siamese, Korat, and Burmese, did indeed originate in the
East, but today these terms are used to describe any breed, of whatever origin, that displays
a range of certain specified physical characteristics. Foreign and Oriental cats have a slim,
supple body, a fine, short coat, long legs, a wedge-shaped head, long nose, large, pointed
ears, and slanting eyes. Finally, also included within the pedigree short-hairs, are various
miscellaneous breeds which have been developed to satisfy a perhaps misplaced delight in
the unusual. Examples include the Scottish Fold, with its forward-folded ears, the
Munchkin, with its short, Dachshund-like legs, and the apparently hairless Sphynx

Questions 1-6
Complete the table below
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the reading passage for each answer.

Features Coat Body Legs Head Nose Eyes

Persian luxuriant cobby 1……….. round very short round

long hairs and long
British dense and 2……….. short round rather short round
short hairs plush
American dense and less slightly less round 3………..
short hairs plush rounded longer
Foreign 4………… slim and Long 5……….. long 6………
Short hairs … supple

82
Questions 7-11
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for
each answer.

7. What name does the writer give to breeds such as Russian blue and
Siamese?
.....................................................
8. What is the name given to the description of physical features by which a
pedigree cat is judged?
....................................................
9. In which century were long-haired cats first exported from Persia?
....................................................
10. What class of cat does the Chinchilla belong to?
....................................................
11. What remarkable characteristic do Scottish Fold cats have?
...................................................

Questions 12 and 13
Choose the correct letters, A, B, C or D.

12. The distinctive features of most pedigree cats are the result of
A. enhancing characteristics that appear naturally in cats from a particular
region.
B. using breeding schemes to promote features which are found in non-pedigree
cats.
C. genetic changes which occurred spontaneously in some cats in the late
nineteenth century.
D. a misplaced pleasure in producing unusual looking cats.

13. The writer’s main purpose in this article is

A. to outline the history of breeding pedigree cats.
B. to criticize the practice of producing odd characteristics in cats.
C. to classify the different breeds of pedigree cats.
D. to compare the respective practices of cat and dog breeders.

83
Reading Passage 2:
Out of Africa: Solar Energy from the Sahara
Vivienne Walt reports on how the Sahara Desert could offer truly
green solution to Europe’s energy problems

A. For years, the Sahara has been regarded by many Europeans as a terra incognita*
of little economic value or importance. But this idea may soon change completely.
Politicians and scientists on both sides of the Mediterranean are beginning to focus on the
Sahara’s potential to provide power for Europe in the future. They believe the desert’s true
value comes from the fact that it is dry and empty. Some areas of the Sahara reach 45
degrees centigrade on many afternoons. It is, in other words, a gigantic natural storehouse
of solar energy.
B. A few years ago, scientists began to calculate just how much energy the Sahara
holds. They were astonished at the answer. In theory, a 90,600 square kilometre chunk of
the Sahara - smaller than Portugal and a little over 1% of its total area - could yield the
same amount of electricity as all the world’s power plants combined. A smaller square of
15,500 square kilometres - about the size of Connecticut - could provide electricity for
Europe’s 500 million people. ‘I admit I was skeptical until I did the calculations myself,’
says Michael Pawlyn, director of Exploration Architecture, one of three British
environmental companies comprising the Sahara Forest Project, which is testing solar
plants in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Pawlyn calls the Sahara’s potential
‘staggering’.
C. At the moment, no one is proposing the creation of a solar power station the size
of a small country. But a relatively well-developed technology exists, which proponents
say could turn the Sahara’s heat and sunlight into a major source of electricity -
Concentrating Solar Power [CSP]. Unlike solar panels, which convert sunlight directly into
electricity, CSP utilises mirrors which focus light on water pipes or boilers to produce very
hot steam to operate the turbines of generators. Small CSP plants have produced power in
California’s Mojave Desert since the 1980s. The Sahara Forest Project proposes building
CSP plants in areas below sea level (the Sahara has several such depressions) so that sea
water can flow into them. This water would then be purified and used for powering
turbines and washing dust off the mirrors. Waste water would then supply irrigation to
areas around the stations, creating lush oases - hence the ‘forest’ in the group’s name.
D. But producing Significant quantities of electricity means building huge arrays of
mirrors and pipes across hundreds of miles of remote desert, which is expensive. Gerry
Wolff, an engineer who heads DESERTEC, an international consortium of solar-power
scientists, says they have estimated it will cost about $59 billion to begin transmitting
power from the Sahara by 2020.
E. Building plants is just part of the challenge. One of the drawbacks to CSP
technology is that it works at maximum efficiency only in sunny, hot climates - and deserts
tend to be distant from population centres. To supply Europe with 20% of its electricity
needs, more than 19,300 kilometres of cables would need to be laid under the
Mediterranean, says Gunnar Asplund, head of HVDC research at ABB Power
Technologies in Ludvika, Sweden. Indeed, to use renewable sources of power, including

84
solar, wind and tidal, Europe will need to build completely new electrical grids. That’s
because existing infrastructures, built largely for the coal- fired plants that supply 80% of
Europe’s power, would not be suitable for carrying the amount of electricity generated by
the Sahara. Germany’s government-run Aerospace Centre, which researches energy,
estimates that replacing those lines could raise the cost of building solar plants in the
Sahara and sending significant amounts of power to Europe to about $485 billion over the
next 40 years. Generous government subsidies will be needed. ‘Of course it costs a lot of
money,’ says Asplund. ‘It’s a lot cheaper to burn coal than to make solar power in the
Sahara.’
F. Meanwhile, some companies are getting started. Seville engineering company
Abengoa is building one solar- thermal plant in Algeria and another in Morocco, while a
third is being built in Egypt by a Spanish-Japanese joint venture. The next step will be to
get cables in place. Although the European Parliament has passed a law that aids investors
who help the continent reach its goal of getting 20% of its power from renewable energy by
2020, it could take years to create the necessary infrastructure.
G. Nicholas Dunlop, secretary-general of the London-based NGO e-Parliament,
thinks companies should begin transmitting small amounts of solar power as soon as the
North African plants begin operating, by linking a few cable lines under the Med. ‘I call it
the Lego method,’ he says. ‘Build it piece by piece:’ If it can be shown that power from the
Sahara can be produced profitably, he says, companies and governments will soon jump in.
If they do, perhaps airplane passengers flying across the Sahara will one day count the
mirrors and patches of green instead of staring at sand.
* terra incognita- Latin, meaning “an unknown land”

Questions 14-18
The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G. Which paragraph contains the following
information? Write the correct letter, A-G. You may use any letter more than once.

14. ________a mention of systems which could not be used

15. ________estimates of the quantity of power the Sahara could produce
16. ________a suggestion for how to convince organisations about the Sahara’s
potential
17. ________a short description of the Sahara at present
18. ________a comparison of the costs of two different energy sources

Questions 19-22
Look at the following statements (Questions 19-22) and the list of organisations below.
Match each statement with the correct organisation, A-G.

19. They have set a time for achieving an objective.

20. They believe that successful small-scale projects will demonstrate that larger
projects are possible.
21. They have a number of renewable energy projects under construction.
22. They are already experimenting with solar- energy installations in other parts of
the world.

85
 List of Organisations
A. Exploration Architecture
B. DESERTEC
C. ABB Power Technologies
D. Aerospace Centre
E. Abengoa
F. The European Parliament
G. e-Parliament

Questions 23-26
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)

Unlike solar panels, CSP concentrates the sun’s rays on boilers by using
23................................The resulting heat produces high-temperature 24. ............................,
which in turn moves the turbines which generate electricity. CSP plants will be situated in
25. ...............................to allow sea water to run in. This, when purified, can be used to
wash the equipment. The resulting dirty water will be used for 26.
...............................around the power plant, and in this way oases will be formed.

86
Reading selection 3

Why Don’t Babies Talk Like Adults?

Kids go from ‘goo-goo’ to talkative one step at a time
By Joshua Hartshorne
A recent e-trade advertisement shows a baby speaking directly to the camera: ‘Look
at this,’ he says, ‘I'm a free man. I go anywhere I want now.’ He describes his stock-buying
activities, and then his phone rings. This advertisement proves what comedians have
known for years: few things are as funny as a baby who talks like an adult. But it also
raises an important question: Why don’t young children express themselves clearly like
adults?
Many people assume children learn to talk by copying what they hear. In other
words, they listen to the words adults use and the situations in which they use them and
imitate accordingly. Behaviourism, the scientific approach that dominated American
cognitive science for the first half of the 20th century, made exactly this argument.
However, this ‘copycat’ theory can’t explain why toddlers aren’t as conversational
as adults. After all, you never hear literate adults express themselves in one-word sentences
like ‘bottle’ or ‘doggie’. In fact, it’s easy for scientists to show that a copycat theory of
language acquisition can’t explain children’s first words. What is hard for them to do is to
explain these first words, and how they fit into the language acquisition pattern.
Over the past half-century, scientists have settled on two reasonable possibilities.
The first of these is called the ‘mental-developmental hypothesis’. It states that one-year-
olds speak in baby talk because their immature brains can’t handle adult speech. Children
don't learn to walk until their bodies are ready. Likewise, they don’t speak multi-word
sentences or use word endings and function words (‘Mummy opened the boxes’) before
their brains are ready.
The second is called the ‘stages-of-language hypothesis’, which states that the stages
of progress in child speech are necessary stages in language development. A basketball
player can't perfect his or her jump shot before learning to (1) jump and (2) shoot.
Similarly, children learn to multiply after they have learned to add. This is the order in
which children are taught - not the reverse. There’s evidence, for instance, that children
don't usually begin speaking in two-word sentences until they’ve learned a certain number
of single words. In other words, until they’ve crossed that linguistic threshold, the word-
combination process doesn’t get going.
The difference between these theories is this: under the mental-development
hypothesis, language learning should depend on the child’s age and level of mental
development when he or she starts learning a language. Under the stages-of-language
hypothesis, however, it shouldn’t depend on such patterns, but only on the completion of
previous stages.
In 2007, researchers at Harvard University, who were studying the two theories,
found a clever way to test them. More than 20,000 internationally adopted children enter
the US each year. Many of them no longer hear their birth language after they arrive, and
they must learn English more or less the same way infants do - that is, by listening and by
trial and error. International adoptees don’t take classes or use a dictionary when they are

87
learning their new tongue and most of them don’t have a well-developed first language. All
of these factors make them an ideal population in which to test these competing hypotheses
about how language is learned.
Neuroscientists Jesse Snedeker, Joy Geren and Carissa Shafto studied the language
development of 27 children adopted from China between the ages of two and five years.
These children began learning English at an older age than US natives and had more
mature brains with which to tackle the task. Even so, just as with American-born infants,
their first English sentences consisted of single words and were largely bereft of function
words, word endings and verbs. The adoptees then went through the same stages as typical
American- born children, albeit at a faster clip. The adoptees and native children started
combining words in sentences when their vocabulary reached the same sizes, further
suggesting that what matters is not how old you are or how mature your brain is, but the
number of words you know.
This finding - that having more mature brains did not help the adoptees avoid the
toddler-talk stage - suggests that babies speak in babytalk not because they have baby
brains, but because they have only just started learning and need time to gain enough
vocabulary to be able to expand their conversations. Before long, the one-word stage will
give way to the two-word stage and so on. Learning how to chat like an adult is a gradual
process.
But this potential answer also raises an even older and more difficult question. Adult
immigrants who learn a second language rarely achieve the same proficiency in a foreign
language as the average child raised as a native speaker. Researchers have long suspected
there is a ‘critical period’ for language development, after which it cannot proceed with full
success to fluency. Yet we still do not understand this critical period or know why it ends.

Questions 27-30
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage?
Write:
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

27. People are extremely amused when they see a baby talk like an adult.
28. Behaviourists of the early 20th century argued that children learn to speak by
copying adults.
29. Children have more conversations with adults than with other children.
30. Scientists have found it easy to work out why babies use one-word sentences.

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Questions 31-35
Complete the summary using the list of words and phrases, A-H, below.

Two theories about babytalk

According to the writer, there are two main theories related to babytalk. One states that a
young child’s brain needs 31.......................... to master language, in the same way that it
does to master other abilities such as 32..........................

The second theory states that a child’s 33..........................is the key factor. According to
this theory, some key steps have to occur in a logical sequence before 34..........................
occurs. Children's 35..........................develops in the same way.

A. vocabulary level E. mathematical knowledge

B. physical movement F. sentence formation
C. time G. learning
D. attention H. teaching

Questions 36-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

36. What is the writer’s main purpose in the seventh paragraph?

A. to give reasons why adopted children were used in the study
B. to reject the view that adopted children need two languages
C. to argue that culture affects the way children learn a language
D. to justify a particular approach to language learning

37. Snedeker, Geren and Shafto based their study on children who
A. were finding it difficult to learn English.
B. had come from a number of language backgrounds.
C. were learning English at a later age than US children.
D. had taken English lessons in China.

38.What aspect of the adopted children's language development differed from that of US-
born children?
A. their first words
B. the way they learnt English
C. the rate at which they acquired language
D. the point at which they started producing sentences

39. What did the Harvard finding show?

A. Not all toddlers use babytalk.
B. Language learning takes place in ordered steps.
C. Some children need more conversation than others.

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 D. Not all brains work in the same way.

40. When the writer says ‘critical period’, he means a period when
A. studies produce useful results.
B. adults need to be taught like children.
C. immigrants want to learn another language.
D. language learning takes place effectively.

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UNIT TEN: PRACTICE 6
Reading Passage 1
The Development of the English Textile Industry
1.The early English textile industry started out as a part-time job for women
who worked in their own homes, using English wool, silk from China or cotton from
North America, India or Africa. It was the women and children in the home that did
everything that needed to be done to turn the raw material into the finished cloth. A
As industry began to advance, technology like the flying shuttle allowed one person to
weave as much cloth as two people using traditional methods. B Further
developments brought textile manufacture out of the home and into the factory. C
The spinning jenny, which required water power and allowed a single person to spin
dozens of spools of thread at one time, spelled the end of a person working at home. D
2.The new factories that were appearing across the country to replace the old
system of working at home were difficult places to work. The factories were large,
unlike the small, cramped homes the women and children used to work in, but they
were also dusty and dangerous, and since the electric light hadn't been invented, they
were poorly lit. The new factories were hot in the summer as there weren't any fans to
move the hot, dusty air, and in the winter, they were cold. These working conditions
led to diseases which, if they didn't kill a person immediately, definitely led to a
shorter lifespan.
3.The cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney as the 18th century was coming to a
dose caused another major leap forward as it allowed the textile mills in England to
have a plentiful supply of cotton. When this supply of cotton was combined with large
numbers of water-powered machines like the spinning jenny, the productivity of the
textile mills allowed the price of cotton fabric to drop considerably.
4.The steam engine that was produced at the turn of the century allowed more
textile factories to be built because factories no longer needed to be built near a river.
The steam engine also had another side-effect. It helped turn England from a rural
society into an urban society, since the textile mills were built close to the major
urban areas, with their ready access to the railroads. Since more and more people were
needed to work in the mills, people, especially young people, moved from the
countryside to the cities to find jobs.
5.In the 1850s, the sewing machine was invented, and this largely brought an
end to people sewing their own clothes at home. Department stores, with clothing
that was produced in a factory, began to replace the smaller tailor's shops where
everything had to be sewn by hand. The readily available store-bought clothing allowed
women to spend time doing other things because before, they would have had to
spend this time making clothing for themselves and their family. When people have
more free time, they are more likely to voice their opinions, and some of these
opinions led to laws regulating the working conditions not only in the textile mills, but
also in other manufacturing facilities.

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1. According to paragraph 1, all of the following were true of the British textile industry EXCEPT:
A. It was originally an individual effort.
B. It used materials from around the world.
C. It was originally unprofitable.
D. It was aided by advances in technology.

2. The word “spelled” paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

A. signaled
B. speeded
C. caused
D. hindered

3. According to paragraph 2, what effect did the poor conditions of the factories have on the textile
industry?
A. They made it difficult to keep workers for a long time.
B. They reduced productivity during the winter and summer.
C. They made the work too difficult for women and children.
D. They lowered the life expectancies of the workers.

4. The word “cramps” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A. dirty B. crowded C. cheap D. safe

5. How did the “cotton gin” (paragraph 3) improve the textile industry?
A. it ensured an abundance of raw materials.
B. It greatly increased productivity.
C. It allowed for more textile factories in England.
D. It made the textile industry more profitable.

6. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence
in paragraph? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential
information.
A. In conjunction with advances in textile machinery, the increased supply of
cotton caused a drop in fabric prices by increasing productivity.
B. When this supply of cotton was combined with large numbers of water-
powered machines, the price of fabric began to drop.
C. The price of fabric started to drop because of the increased supply of cotton
and better productivity.
D. Machines like the spinning jenny allowed for an increased supply of cotton
and greater productivity that caused the price of fabric to drop.

7. The word “mills” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

A. stores B. machines C. factories D. engines

8. In paragraph 4, how does the author discuss the steam engine?

A. By explaining its construction

92
 B. By explaining where it was built
C. By explaining its technical requirements
D. By explaining its effects on society

9. According to paragraph 5, how did the rise of department stores affect society?
A. They encouraged people to spend more money.
B. They brought an end to small business.
C. They increased the influence of women by giving them more free time.
D. They brought an end to the practice of people working for themselves.

10. Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
paragraph 1.
The weaving of cloth by hand, however, was a long and difficult process.

Where would the sentence best fit?

A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square

11. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.
Complete the summary by selecting THREE answer choices that express the most important
ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express
ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in it.

The British textile industry began to advance as a result of improvements in

technology.
A. The manufacture of textiles was originally the work of women, but that
changed as factories began to be built.
B. Advances in factory machinery improved the speed and efficiency with which
textiles could be produced.
C. The supply problems of the textile industry were solved by Eli Whitney's
invention of the cotton gin in the late 18th century.
D. Advances in technology allowed for a new power source for factories, which
allowed them to be built in more locations and multiply.
E. The advances in the textile industry gave rise to new businesses and caused a
number of important changes in society.
F. Ultimately, women benefited greatly from the rise of the British textile industry.

93
 Reading Passage 2:

Socialization and Media

1. The debate surrounding media's role in socialization intensified after the

television was first made commercially available in the 1930s. Today, the role of television
is even stronger. According to a leading polling firm, ninety-nine percent of American
households own at least one television. The people in those households watch an
average of seven hours of television each day. Thus, television is undeniably an
important part of modern culture. The benefits of media such as television, however, are
debated. Many believe that media provide many social benefits. Others feel that their
effect on socialization is entirely negative.
2. Those in support of media as socializers cite their educational and interactional
benefits. Especially for children just learning to socialize, many popular educational
programs can help teach valuable life lessons. For example, Sesame Street, a
popular American television show, focuses on teaching children academic
information such as mathematics and valuable social skills like sharing. Various studies
have indicated the benefits of this program. One study in particular showed that
children who regularly watched Sesame Street consistently received higher grades in
school than those who did not. Moreover, media can provide people of all ages with
topics that allow them to socialize more effectively. For example, television provides a
number of popular programs—from news to comedy—that children and adults alike
can discuss. A person in a social situation can certainly find a shared topic to discuss from
one of the many television programs being broadcast daily.
3. Those against the media as a socializer find grounds for contention in these same
areas. They claim that the education and interaction offered by the media are often
negative rather than positive. Programs on television are often not educationally
based. This is true even among those designed for children. Many animated children's
shows are based on violence. In addition, acts of violence can be witnessed on any local
news program. Statistics suggest that the average American will view over 200,000
acts of violence on television by the age of eighteen. These statistics suggest that
television teaches violence rather than academics or social skills. Critics of television
as a socializer also suggest that, rather than giving people a common ground to
discuss topics, it implants often unrealistic stereotypes. These stereotypes can then be
perpetuated by those who watch them. For example, a violent television show may be set
in a city that, in real life, is very peaceful. However, viewers may develop a bias
toward that city due to its representation on the show.

1. The Role of Media in Socialization

Advantage 1 Disadvantage1

94
Advantage 2 Disadvantage2

2. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.

Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most
important ideas in the passage. Some answer choices do not belong in the summary
because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the
passage.

This passage discusses some of the ways in which media act as a socializer.

+
+
+

Answer choices
A. Many believe that children should not watch television due to the violence it
portrays.
B. Television viewers often have stereotypes about cities due to negative depictions.
C. Many television programs benefit children by teaching school subjects and social
skills.
D. Televisions contains many stereotypes that can be learned and spread by viewers.
E. Many children’s programs contain violence and can teach children the wrong
lessons.
F. While some feel media have a role in socialization, others argue they have no role at
all.

3. Fill in the blank to complete the summary.

The passage discusses the media’s role in socialization, which has

only…………………….as television’s role has grown in society. Television is
…………………….an important part of modern culture. The media have educational
and …………………….advantages and disadvantages. Many people believe that the
media help educate children and give people common topics to discuss in social
settings. However, others believe that the media promote violence and
…………………….often unrealistic……………………..

95
Reading Passage 3:

Pesticides

1. A pesticide is a substance that is used to kill or repel pests including insects,

plants, and fungi. It can be either a chemical substance or a biological agent used to protect
food, buildings, or to keep an organism from becoming a pest. One of the best known
pesticides is Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane or DDT. It was originally developed in
the 19th century; however, it was not used for controlling insects until World War II. Then,
it was used to protect crops from pests and also prevent the spread of diseases such as
malaria and yellow fever. Despite the benefits of DDT, we no longer use it on crops to
protect food from vermin. In 1972, it was discovered that the use of DDT was having
detrimental effects on the environment and people’s health.
2. (Q1) Although pesticides can be very effective in controlling plant and animal
pests, it is possible for organisms to build a resistance, preventing the desired effect which
is the total control of the pest infestation. This can make it very difficult to control some
pests. One method used by scientists to combat this is breeding plants that are biologically
resistant to certain pests to hinder them from being attacked during growth.
3. Resistance to pesticides can develop for a number of reason including genetic
mutation or changes in the way vermin behave. Therefore, pests that have adapted to
overcome the pesticides will survive and pass on their new characteristics to their
offspring. This means that a whole species of organisms can become resistant to pesticides.
This makes them extremely difficult to control.
4. Another problem that can arise is the development of secondary pests, which can
often be more difficult to obtain than the original. (Q2) Secondary pests are those that
acquire resistance very quickly or only become pests in the wake of pesticide usage,
making them much harder to control. As a result, their population tends to be larger than
primary pests. Unlike other pests, they are able to survive and flourish in the absence of
organisms that once preyed on them. In such cases, the best way to control pests is to limit
the use of pesticides to times when it is strictly necessary. Different substances and agents
should be rotated at intervals so that there is no time for resistance to develop. Biological
control is also considered a better and safer way of controlling vermin. In order to control
pests in the future, a better understanding of the ecological and agricultural world is
needed.

1. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in the passage? In correct answer choices change the meaning in important
ways or leave out essential information.
A. Most plants and animals are immune to the effects of pesticides.
B. Plants and animals are generally killed when they come in contact with
pesticides.
C. Pesticide use in the United States has led to a high rate of cancer among
young adults.

96
 D. Even though pesticides usually kill pests, sometimes pests become immune to
the effects of pesticides.

2. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in the passage? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important
ways or leave out essential information.
A. Secondary pests cannot function in the presence of pesticides, but their
offspring can.
B. The common household roach is an example of a particularly troublesome
secondary pest.
C. The immune system of certain secondary pests helps them survive when faced
with new pesticides.
D. Pests that have developed immunity to pesticides and are especially difficult
to contain are called secondary pests.

3. The word “It” in the passage refers to

A. pesticide
B. a pest
C. DDT
D. an organism

4. In paragraph 3, the author states that vermin

A. have small populations because they are preyed upon by larger insects.
B. were nearly wiped out by DDT.
C. do not negatively affect crops as much as insecticides do.
D. develop resistance to chemicals which results in stronger or more.

5. All of the following are true of pesticides EXCEPT

A. They are used to control pests on food crops.
B. They are not used for plant protection.
C. They can be chemical or biological agents.
D. They can be very effective.

6. The word “flourish” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. thrive B. yield C. exterminate D. perish

97
UNIT ELEVEN: A Homemade Education (A Narrative Essay)
By Malcolm X

Background: Malcolm X (1925–1965)

Writer, lecturer, and political activist, Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha,
Nebraska. He was an important leader in the 20th-century movement for black liberation in
the United States. His father was a Baptist minister and supported the back-to-Africa
movement of the 1920s. Because of these activities the family was threatened by the Ku
Klux Klan and forced to move several times. Eventfully, his father was murdered, and his
mother was committed to a mental institution. Malcolm X quit high school, preferring the
street world of criminals and drug addicts. While he served time in prison from 1946 to
1952, he read books and studied the Black Muslim religion, later becoming an advocate of
black separatism. The significance of his public life—his politics and ideology—is
questioned partly because his entire body of work consists of a few dozen speeches and an
autobiography written with Alex Haley. Malcolm X was assassinated three months before
his 40th birthday. “A Homemade Education” is excerpted from his autobiography. This
essay narrates his struggle in learning to read as well as the joy and power he felt when he
won that struggle.

Pre reading task: Discuss the following questions

1. Do you remember the first time you learnt how to read and to write? What difficulties
did you have when you began learning these skills?
2. In your opinion, what are the effective methods to enrich your vocabulary?
3. Do you think you can learn a lot from the other people’s ideas? Justify for your answer.

A Homemade Education
1. It was because of my letters that I happened to stumble upon starting to acquire some
kind of a homemade education.
2. Many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read
something I’ve said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade. This
impression is due entirely to my prison studies.
3. It had really begun back in the Charlestown Prison, when Bimbi first made me feel envy
of his stock of knowledge. Bimbi had always taken charge of any conversations he was in,
and I had tried to emulate him. But every book I picked up had few sentences which didn’t
contain anywhere from one to nearly all of the words that might as well have been in
Chinese. When I just skipped those words, of course, I really ended up with little idea of
what the book said. So I had come to the Norfolk Prison Colony still going through only
book-reading motions. Pretty soon, I would have quit even these motions, unless I had
received the motivation that I did.
4. I saw that the best thing I could do was get hold of a dictionary––to study, to learn some
words. I was lucky enough to reason also that I should try to improve my penmanship. It

98
was sad. I couldn’t even write in a straight line. It was both ideas together that moved me to
request a dictionary along with some tablets and pencils from the Norfolk Prison colony
school.
5. I spent two days just rifling uncertainly though the dictionary’s pages. I’d never realized
so many words existed! I didn’t know which words I needed to learn. Finally, just to start
some kind of action, I began copying.
6. In my slow, painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my tablet everything printed
on that first page, down to the punctuation marks.
7. I believe it took me a day. Then, aloud, I read back to myself, everything I’d written on
the tablet. Over and over, aloud, to myself, I read my own handwriting.
8. I woke up the next morning, thinking about those words––immensely proud to realize
that not only had I written so much at one time, but I’d written words, that I never knew
were in the world. Moreover, with a little effort, I also could remember what many of these
words meant. I reviewed the words whose meanings I didn’t remember. Funny thing, from
the dictionary first page right now, that “aardvark” springs to my mind. The dictionary had
a picture of it, a long-tallied, long-eared, burrowing African mammal, which lives off
termites caught by sticking out its tongue as an anteater does for ants.
9. I was so fascinated that I went on––I copied the dictionary’s next page. And the same
experience came when I studied that. With every succeeding page, I also learned of people
and places and events from history. Actually the dictionary is like a miniature
encyclopedia. Finally the dictionary’s A section had filled a whole tablet––and I went on
into the B’s. That was the way I started copying what eventually became the entire
dictionary. I went a lot faster after so much practice helped me to pick up handwriting
speed. Between what I wrote in my tablet, and writing letters, during the rest of my time in
prison I would guess I wrote a million words.
10. I suppose it was inevitable that as my word-base broadened, I could for the first time
pick up a book and read and now begin to understand what the book was saying. Anyone
who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened. Let me tell you
something, from then until I left that prison, in every free moment I had, if I was not
reading in the library, I was reading on my bunk. You couldn’t have gotten me out of
books with a wedge. Between Mr. Muhammad’s teachings, my correspondence, my
visitors––usually Ella and Reginald––and my reading of books, months passed without my
even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in
my life.
11. I read more in my room than in the library itself. An inmate who was known to read a
lot could check out more than the permitted maximum number of books. I preferred
reading in the total isolation of my own room.
12. When I had progressed to really serious reading, every night at about ten pm, I would
be outraged with the “lights out.” It always seemed to catch me right in the middle of
something engrossing.

99
13. Fortunately, right outside my door was a corridor light that cast a glow into my room.
The glow was enough to read by, once my eyes adjusted to it. So when “lights out” came, I
would sit on the floor where I could continue reading in that glow.
14. At one-hour intervals the night guards paced past every room. Each time I heard the
approaching footsteps, I jumped into bed and feigned sleep. And as soon as the guard
passed, I got back out of bed onto the floor area of that light-glow, where I would read for
another fifty-eight minutes––until the guard approached again. That went on until three or
four every morning. Three or four hours of sleep a night was enough for me. Often in the
years in the streets I had slept less than that.
15. I never will forget how shocked I was when I began reading about slavery’s total
horror. It made such an impact upon me that it later became one of my favorite subjects
when I became a minister of Mr. Muhammad’s. The world’s most monstrous crime, the sin
and the blood on the white man’s hands are almost impossible to believe.
16. I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading opened to me. I knew right there
in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the
ability to read awakes inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive. I
certainly wasn’t seeking any degree, the way a college confers a status symbol upon its
students. My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little
bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black
race in America. Not long ago, an English writer telephoned me form London, asking
questions. One was, “What’s your alma mater?” I told him, “Books.” You will never catch
me with a free fifteen minutes in which I’m not studying something I feel might be able to
help the black man.
17. But I’m digressing; I told the Englishman that my alma mater was books, a good
library. Every time I catch a plane, I have with me a book that I want to read––and that’s a
lot of books these days. If I weren’t out here every day battling the white man, I could
spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity––because you can hardly
mention anything I’m not curious about. I don’t think anybody ever got more out of going
to prison that I did. In fact, prison enabled me to study far more intensively than I would
have if my life had gone differently and I had attended some college. Where else but in a
person could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as
much as fifteen hours a day?
B. Vocabulary in context : Explain the underlined words, relying on the context.

1. “I was lucky enough to reason also that I should try to improve my penmanship. It was
sad. I couldn’t even write in a straight line.”
..................................................................................................................................................
2. “I spent two days just rifling uncertainly though the dictionary’s pages. I’d never
realized so many words existed! I didn’t know which words I needed to learn.”
..................................................................................................................................................
3. “I woke up the next morning, thinking about those words – immensely proud to realize
that not only had I written so much at one time, but I’d written words, that I never knew

100
 were in the world. Moreover, with a little effort, I also could remember what many of
these words meant.”
..................................................................................................................................................
4. “. . . from the dictionary first page right now, that “aardvark” springs to my mind. The
dictionary had a picture of it, a long-tallied, long-eared, burrowing African mammal,
which lives off termites caught by sticking out its tongue as an anteater does for ants.”
..................................................................................................................................................
5. “When I had progressed to really serous reading, every night at about ten P.M. I would
be outraged with the “lights out.” It always seemed to catch me right in the middle of
something engrossing.”
..................................................................................................................................................
6. “At one-hour intervals the night guards paced past every room. Each time I heard the
approaching footsteps, I jumped into bed and feigned sleep. And as soon as the guard
passed, I got back out of bed onto the floor area of that light-glow, where I would read
for another fifty-eight minutes- until the guard approached again.”
..................................................................................................................................................
7. “The world’s most monstrous crime, the sin and the blood on the white man’s hands are
almost impossible to believe.”
..................................................................................................................................................
8. “I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I
see it today, the ability to read awakened inside me some long dormant craving to be
mentally alive.”
..................................................................................................................................................
9. “I don’t think anybody ever got more out of going to prison that I did. In fact, prison
enabled me to study far more intensively than I would have if my life had gone
differently and I had attended some college.”

C. Comprehension questions:

1. What was the highest level of formal education Malcolm had received? Why would
people be surprised to hear that?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
2. What was his method for learning new words?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
3. Who is Mr. Muhammad and what was his influence on Malcolm?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

101
D. Paraphrasing:

1. I saw that the best thing I could do was get hold of a dictionary––to study, to learn some
words. I was lucky enough to reason also that I should try to improve my penmanship.
It was sad. I couldn’t even write in a straight line.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
2. My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit
more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black
race in America.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
3. Not long ago, an English writer telephoned me form London, asking questions. One was,
“What’s your alma mater?” I told him, “Books.” You will never catch me with a free
fifteen minutes in which I’m not studying something I feel might be able to help the
black man.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

E. Summarizing: Write a short paragraph summary of the essay. (100-120 words)

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

102
UNIT TWELVE: PRACTICE 7
Reading Passage 1

William Kamkwamba
At only 14 years old, William Kamkwamba built a series of windmills that could generate electricity in his
African village, Masitala, in Malawi, south-eastern Africa.

In 2002, William Kamkwamba had to drop out of school, as his father, a maize and
tobacco farmer, could no longer afford his school fees. But despite this setback, William
was determined to get his education. He began visiting a local library that had just opened
in his old primary school, where he discovered a tattered science book. With only a
rudimentary grasp of English, he taught himself basic physics - mainly by studying photos
and diagrams. Another book he found there featured windmills on the cover and inspired
him to try and build his own.
He started by constructing a small model. Then, with the help of a cousin and friend,
he spent many weeks searching scrap yards and found old tractor fans, shock absorbers,
plastic pipe and bicycle parts, which he used to build the real thing.
For windmill blades, William cut some bath pipe in two lengthwise, then heated the
pieces over hot coals to press the curled edges flat. To bore holes into the blades, he stuck a
nail through half a corncob, heated the metal red and twisted it through the blades. It took
three hours to repeatedly heat the nail and bore the holes. He attached the blades to a tractor
fan using proper nuts and bolts and then to the back axle of a bicycle. Electricity was
generated through the bicycle dynamo. When the wind blew the blades, the bike chain spun
the bike wheel, which charged the dynamo and sent a current through wire to his house.
What he had built was a crude machine that produced 12 volts and powered four
lights. When it was all done, the windmill's wingspan measured more than eight feet and
sat on top of a rickety tower 15 feet tall that swayed violently in strong gales. He eventually
replaced the tower with a sturdier one that stands 39 feet, and built a second machine that
watered a family garden.
The windmill brought William Kamkwamba instant local fame, but despite his
accomplishment, he was still unable to return to school. However, news of his magetsi a mphepo -
electric wind- spread beyond Malawi, and eventually things began to change. An education official,
who had heard news of the windmill, came to visit his village and was amazed to learn that William
had been out of school for five years. He arranged for him to attend secondary school at the
government's expense and brought journalists to the farm to see the windmill. Then a story published
in the Malawi Daily Mail caught the attention of bloggers, which in turn caught the attention of
organisers for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference.
In 2007, William spoke at the TED Global conference in Tanzania and got a standing
ovation. Businessmen stepped forward with offers to fund his education and projects, and with
money donated by them, he was able to put his cousin and several friends back into school and pay
for some medical needs of his family. With the donation, he also drilled a borehole for a well and
water pump in his village and installed drip irrigation in his father's fields.
The water pump has allowed his family to expand its crops. They have abandoned tobacco
and now grow maize, beans, soybeans, potatoes and peanuts. The windmills have also brought big
lifestyle and health changes to the other villagers. 'The village has changed a lot/ William says. 'Now,

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the time that they would have spent going to fetch water, they are using for doing other things. And
also the water they are drinking is clean water, so there is less disease.' The villagers have also
stopped using kerosene and can use the money previously spent on fuel to buy other things.
William Kamkwamba's example has inspired other children in the village to pursue science.
William says they now see that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve it. ‘It has
changed the way people think,’ he says.

Questions 1-5
Complete the flow chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Building the Windmill

William learned some 1.................................from a library book.

First, he built a 2.................................of the windmill.

Then he collected materials from 3. .................................with a relative.

He made the windmill blades from pieces of 4. .................................

He fixed the blades to a 5. .................................and then to part of a bicycle.

He raised the blades on a tower.

Questions 6-10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

6. _______ William used the electricity he created for village transport.

7. _______ At first, William’s achievement was ignored by local people.
8. _______ Journalists from other countries visited William’s farm.
9. _______ William used money he received to improve water supplies in his
village.
10. _______ The health of the villagers has improved since the windmill was built.

Questions 11-13
Answer the questions below.
Use NO MORE THAN ONE WORD and/or a NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

11. How tall was the final tower that William built?
.....................................................................................................................

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12. What did the villagers use for fuel before the windmill was built?
.....................................................................................................................
13. What school subject has become more popular in William’s village?
.....................................................................................................................

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Reading Passage 2

White mountain, green tourism

The French Alpine town of Chamonix has been a magnet for tourists since the 18th century. But today,
tourism and climate change are putting pressure on the surrounding environment.
Marc Grainger reports.

A. The town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc sits in a valley at 1,035 metres above sea level in
the Haute-Savoie department in south-eastern France. To the northwest are the red peaks of
the Aiguilles Rouges massif; to the south-east are the permanently white peaks of Mont
Blanc, which at 4,810 metres is the highest mountain in the Alps. It’s a typical Alpine
environment, but one that is under increasing strain from the hustle and bustle of human
activity.

B. Tourism is Chamonix’s lifeblood. Visitors have been encouraged to visit the valley ever
since it was discovered by explorers in 1741. Over 40 years later, in 1786, Mont Blanc’s
summit was finally reached by a French doctor and his guide, and this gave birth to the
sport of alpinism, with Chamonix at its centre. In 1924, it hosted the first Winter
Olympics, and the cable cars and lifts that were built in the years that followed gave
everyone access to the ski slopes.

C. Today, Chamonix is a modern town, connected to the outside world via the Mont Blanc
Road Tunnel and a busy highway network. It receives up to 60,000 visitors at a time
during the ski season, and climbers, hikers and extreme-sports enthusiasts swarm there in
the summer in even greater numbers, swelling the town’s population to 100,000. It is the
third most visited natural site in the world, according to Chamonix’s Tourism Office and,
last year, it had 5.2 million visitor bed nights - all this in a town with fewer than 10,000
permanent inhabitants.

D. This influx of tourists has put the local environment under severe pressure, and the
authorities in the valley have decided to take action. Educating visitors is vital. Tourists are
warned not to drop rubbish, and there are now recycling points dotted all around the valley,
from the town centre to halfway up the mountains. An internet blog reports environmental
news in the town, and the ‘green’ message is delivered with all the tourist office’s
activities.

E. Low-carbon initiatives are also important for the region. France is committed to
reducing its carbon emissions by a factor of four by 2050. Central to achieving this aim is a
strategy that encourages communities to identify their carbon emissions on a local level
and make plans to reduce them. Studies have identified that accommodation accounts for
half of all carbon emissions in the Chamonix valley. Hotels are known to be inefficient
operations, but those around Chamonix are now cleaning up their act. Some are using low-
energy lighting, restricting water use and making recycling bins available for guests; others
have invested in huge projects such as furnishing and decorating using locally sourced
materials, using geothermal energy for heating and installing solar panels.

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F. Chamonix’s council is encouraging the use of renewable energy in private properties
too, by making funds available for green renovations and new constructions. At the same
time, public- sector buildings have also undergone improvements to make them more
energy efficient and less wasteful. For example, the local ice rink has reduced its annual
water consumption from 140,000 cubic metres to 10,000 cubic metres in the space of
three years.

G. Improving public transport is another feature of the new policy, as 80 percent of carbon
emissions from transport used to come from private vehicles. While the Mont Blanc
Express is an ideal way to travel within the valley - and see some incredible scenery along
the route - it is much more difficult to arrive in Chamonix from outside by rail. There is no
direct line from the closest airport in Geneva, so tourists arriving by air normally transfer
by car or bus. However, at a cost of 3.3 million euros a year, Chamonix has introduced a
free shuttle service in order to get people out of their cars and into buses fitted with particle
filters.

H. If the valley’s visitors and residents want to know why they need to reduce their
environmental impact, they just have to look up; the effects of climate change are there for
everyone to see in the melting glaciers that cling to the mountains. The fragility of the
Alpine environment has long been a concern among local people. Today, 70 percent of the
805 square kilometres that comprise Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is protected in some way. But
now, the impact of tourism has led the authorities to recognise that more must be done if
the valley is to remain prosperous: that they must not only protect the natural environment
better, but also manage the numbers of visitors better, so that its residents can happily
remain there.

Questions 14-18
Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information? You may use any letter more than
once.
14. a list of the type of people who enjoy going to Chamonix
15. reference to a system that is changing the way visitors reach Chamonix
16. the geographical location of Chamonix
17. mention of the need to control the large tourist population in Chamonix
18. reference to a national environmental target

Questions 19-20

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

The writer mentions several ways that the authorities aim to educate tourists in Chamonix.
Which TWO of the following ways are mentioned?

A. giving instructions about litter

B. imposing fines on people who drop litter

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 C. handing out leaflets in the town
D. operating a web-based information service
E. having a paper-free tourist office

Questions 21-22
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
The writer mentions several ways that hotels are reducing their carbon emissions.
Which TWO of the following ways are mentioned?

A. using natural cleaning materials

B. recycling water
C. limiting guest numbers
D. providing places for rubbish
E. harnessing energy from the sun

Questions 23-26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

23. The first people to discover the Chamonix valley were................................

24. Chamonix’s busiest tourist season is the ................................
25. Public areas, such as the................................ in Chamonix, are using fewer
resources.
26. The................................ on the mountains around Chamonix provide visual
evidence of global warming.

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Reading Passage 3

Reading in a Whole New Way

As technology improves, how does the act of reading change?

Reading and writing, like all technologies, are constantly changing. In ancient times,
authors often dictated their books. Dictation sounded like an uninterrupted series of words,
so scribes wrote these down in one long continuous string, justastheyoccurinspeech. For
this reason, text was written without spaces between words until the 11th century. This
continuous script made books hard to read, so only a few people were accomplished at
reading them aloud to others. Being able to read silently to yourself was considered an
amazing talent; writing was an even rarer skill. In fact, in 15th-century Europe, only one in
20 adult males could write.
After Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in about 1440, mass-produced
books changed the way people read and wrote. The technology of printing increased the
number of words available, and more types of media, such as newspapers and magazines,
broadened what was written about. Authors no longer had to produce scholarly works, as
was common until then, but could write, for example, inexpensive, heart-rending love
stories or publish autobiographies, even if they were unknown.
In time, the power of the written word gave birth to the idea of authority and
expertise. Laws were compiled into official documents, contracts were written down and
nothing was valid unless it was in this form. Painting, music, architecture, dance were all
important, but the heartbeat of many cultures was the turning pages of a book. By the early
19th century, public libraries had been built in many cities.
Today, words are migrating from paper to computers, phones, laptops and game
consoles. Some 4.5 billion digital screens illuminate our lives. Letters are no longer fixed
in black ink on paper, but flitter on a glass surface in a rainbow of colors as fast as our eyes
can blink. Screens fill our pockets, briefcases, cars, living-room walls and the sides of
buildings. They sit in front of us when we work - regardless of what we do. And of course,
these newly ubiquitous screens have changed how we read and write.
The first screens that overtook culture, several decades ago - the big, fat, warm tubes
of television - reduced the time we spent reading to such an extent that it seemed as if
reading and writing were over. Educators and parents worried deeply that the TV
generation would be unable to write. But the interconnected, cool, thin displays of
computer screens launched an epidemic of writing that continues to swell. As a
consequence, the amount of time people spend reading has almost tripled since 1980. By
2008, the World Wide Web contained more than a trillion pages, and that total grows
rapidly every day.
But it is not book reading or newspaper reading, it is screen reading. Screens are
always on, and, unlike books, we never stop staring at them. This new platform is very
visual, and it is gradually merging words with moving images. You might think of this new
medium as books we watch, or television we read. We also use screens to present data, and
this encourages numeracy: visualising data and reading charts, looking at pictures and
symbols are all part of this new literacy.

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 Screens engage our bodies, too. The most we may do while reading a book is to flip
the pages or turn over a corner, but when we use a screen, we interact with what we see. In
the futuristic movie Minority Report, the main character stands in front of a screen and
hunts through huge amounts of information as if conducting an orchestra. Just as it seemed
strange five centuries ago to see someone read silently, in the future it will seem strange to
read without moving your body.
In addition, screens encourage more utilitarian (practical) thinking. A new idea or
unfamiliar fact will cause a reflex to do something: to research a word, to question your
screen ‘friends’ for their opinions or to find alternative views. Book reading strengthened
our analytical skills, encouraging us to think carefully about how we feel. Screen reading,
on the other hand, encourages quick responses, associating this idea with another,
equipping us to deal with the thousands of new thoughts expressed every day. For example,
we review a movie for our friends while we watch it; we read the owner’s manual of a
device we see in a shop before we purchase it, rather than after we get home and discover
that it can’t do what we need it to do.
Screens provoke action instead of persuasion. Propaganda is less effective, and false
information is hard to deliver in a world of screens because while misinformation travels
fast, corrections do, too. On a screen, it is often easier to correct a falsehood than to tell one
in the first place. Wikipedia works so well because it removes an error in a single click. In
books, we find a revealed truth; on the screen, we assemble our own truth from pieces.
What is more, a screen can reveal the inner nature of things. Waving the camera eye of a
smart phone over the bar code of a manufactured product reveals its price, origins and even
relevant comments by other owners. It is as if the screen displays the object’s intangible
essence. A popular children’s toy (Webkinz) instills stuffed animals with a virtual character
that is ‘hidden’ inside; a screen enables children to play with this inner character online in a
virtual world.
In the near future, screens will be the first place we’ll look for answers, for friends,
for news, for meaning, for our sense of who we are and who we can be.

Questions 27-31
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

27. What does the writer say about dictation?

A. It helped people learn to read.
B. It affected the way people wrote.
C. It was not used until the 11th century.
D. It was used mainly for correspondence.

28. According to the writer, what changed after the invention of the printing press?
A. Romance became more popular than serious fiction.
B. Newspapers became more popular than books.
C. Readers asked for more autobiographies.
D. Authors had a wider choice of topics.

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29. In the third paragraph, the writer focuses on the
A. legal concerns of authors.
B. rapid changes in public libraries.
C. growing status of the written word.
D. recognition of the book as an art form.

30. What does the writer say about screens in the fourth paragraph?
A. They are hard to read.
B. They are bad for our health.
C. They can improve our work.
D. They can be found everywhere.

31. According to the writer, computers differ from television because they
A. encourage more reading.
B. attract more criticism.
C. take up more of our leisure time.
D. include more educational content.

Questions 32-36
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
Write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

32.________ Screen reading has reduced the number of books and newspapers
people read.
33. ________Screen literacy requires a wider range of visual skills than book-based
literacy.
34. ________Screen reading is more active than book reading.
35. ________Screens and books produce similar thought patterns in their readers.
36. ________People are easily persuaded to believe lies on the screen.

Questions 37-40
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.

37. The film Minority Report illustrates

38. Our behaviour when we watch a film shows
39. Wikipedia’s success relies on
40. Webkinz is an example of

A. the accuracy of its information.

B. people’s ability to concentrate.
C. the global use of the Internet.
D. how people behave physically when they read screens.

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E. the screen’s ability to make an object seem real.
F. how rapidly opinions can be communicated.

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 UNIT THIRTEEN: After Twenty Years (The Short Story)
By O. Henry
Background: O. Henry (1862–1910)

O. Henry is the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862–1910), who was born in
Greensboro, North Carolina. His formal education was brief; at fifteen he left school to
work in a drugstore. Five years later he moved to Texas, where he tried a variety of jobs,
including those of bank teller, clerk, draughtsman, and bookkeeper. He founded The
Rolling Stone, a humorous weekly, and then become a columnist and cartoonist for the
Houston Daily Post. In 1896 he was indicted for embezzlement from the bank where he
had worked. Although he was, probably, only technically guilty, he fled to South America.
When he returned to the United States, he was tried and sentenced to five years in the
Columbus, Ohio, Penitentiary. It was there that he began to write short stories. After being
released for good behavior, he moved to New York City, where he became a tremendously
popular short-story writer. He wrote about the life he knew in Texas, about revolution and
adventure in South America, and about the lives of everyday people in New York. His
stories became well-known for their surprise endings. In 1904 he published Cabbages and
Kings, the first of at least ten collections of his stories to appear. He died of tuberculosis
when he was forty eight years old; he had written so prolifically (a story a week) that four
collections of his works were published posthumously.

Pre- reading task: Discuss the following questions:

1. Imagine yourself in twenty years’ time. What do you expect to be then?

2. Have you ever had to choose between friendship and duty? When? What was the conflict
in your mind? What did you decide? Describe the problem and tell how you resolved it.

After Twenty Years

1. The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was
habitual and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely 10 o’clock at
night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the
streets.
2. Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements,
turning now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the pacific thoroughfare, the officer,
with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace.
The vicinity was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of a
cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter; but the majority of the doors belonged to
business places that had long since been closed.
3. When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. In the
doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth.
As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly.
4. “It’s all right, officer,” he said, reassuringly. “I’m just waiting for a friend. It’s an
appointment made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn’t it? Well, I’ll

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explain if you’d like to make certain it’s all straight. About that long ago there used to be a
restaurant where this store stands––‘Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant.”
5. “Until five years ago,” said the policeman. “It was torn down then.”
6. The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar. The light showed a pale,
square-jawed face with keen eyes, and a little white scar near his right eyebrow. His
scarfpin was a large diamond, oddly set.
7. “Twenty years ago to-night,” said the man, “I dined here at ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s with
Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in
New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next
morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn’t have dragged Jimmy
out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that
we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our
conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in
twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made,
whatever they were going to be.”
8. “It sounds pretty interesting,” said the policeman. “Rather a long time between meets,
though, it seems to me. Haven’t you heard from your friend since you left?”
9. “Well, yes, for a time we corresponded,” said the other. “But after a year or two we lost
track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling
around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he
always was the truest, staunchest old chap in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a
thousand miles to stand in this door to-night, and it’s worth it if my old partner turns up.”
10. The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lids of it set with small diamonds.
11. “Three minutes to ten,” he announced. “It was exactly ten o’clock when we parted here
at the restaurant door.”
12. “Did pretty well out West, didn’t you?” asked the policeman.
13. “You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of plodder, though, good
fellow as he was. I’ve had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile.
A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him.”
14. The policeman twirled his club and took a step or two.
15. “I’ll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Going to call time on him
sharp?”
16. “I should say not!” said the other. “I’ll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive
on earth he’ll be here by that time. So long, officer.”
17. “Good-night, sir,” said the policeman, passing on along his beat, trying doors as he
went.
18. There was now a fine, cold drizzle falling, and the wind had risen from its uncertain
puffs into a steady blow. The few foot passengers astir in that quarter hurried dismally and
silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands. And in the door of the

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hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, uncertain
almost to absurdity, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited.
19. About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with collar
turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street. He went directly to
the waiting man.
20. “Is that you, Bob?” he asked, doubtfully.
21. “Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man in the door.
22. “Bless my heart!” exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other’s hands with his
own. “It’s Bob, sure as fate. I was certain I’d find you here if you were still in existence.
Well, well, well!––twenty years is a long time. The old gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted, so
we could have had another dinner there. How has the West treated you, old man?”
23. “Bully; it has given me everything I asked it for. You’ve changed lots, Jimmy. I never
thought you were so tall by two or three inches.”
24. “Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.”
25. “Doing well in New York, Jimmy?”
26. “Moderately. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we’ll go
around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times.”
27. The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West, his egotism
enlarged by success, was beginning to outline the history of his career. The other,
submerged in his overcoat, listened with interest.
28. At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights when they came into this
glare each of them turned simultaneously to gaze upon the other’s face.
29. The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm.
30. “You’re not Jimmy Wells,” he snapped. “Twenty years is a long time, but not long
enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.”
31. “It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one, said the tall man.” You’ve been
under arrest for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our
way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are you? That’s
sensible. Now, before we go on to the station here’s a note I was asked to hand you. You
may read it here at the window. It’s from Patrolman Wells.”
32. The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed him. His hand was
steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished. The note
was rather short.
33. Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your
cigar I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn’t do it myself,
so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job. JIMMY.

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I. Vocabulary in context: Match each underlined word/ phrase with its definition in the
box below:
1- The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively, twirling his club with
many intricate and artful movements.
2- Chilly gusts of wind with taste of rain had well nigh depeopled the street.
3- In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned, ….
4- “I’m just waiting for a friend- an appointment made twenty years ago with my best
chum.”
5- “I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of plodder, though, good fellow as
he was.”
6- “I’ve had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile in the west.
The west is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty well.”
7- “A man gets in a grove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor edge on him.”
8- “You are not Jimmy Wells,” he snapped. “Twenty years’ not long enough to change a
man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.”
9- “Here’s a note. It’s from Patrolman Wells.”
10. “I went around and got a plainclothes-man to do the job.”

a) make fortune
b) short and flattish nose
c) settles in a particular way of life
d) almost deserted
e) spoke in a sharp voice
f) most quick minded people
g) old friend
h) a policeman who wears civilian clothes on duty
i) metal tools and household appliances, e.g: pans, nails, locks,…
j) push into a dangerous situation
k) in the area allocated to him
l) trying to make money by any ways
m) a policeman going around to check that all is secure
o) a heavy stick often used as a weapon by policemen
p) person who works slowly and with determination, but without inspiration

II. Comprehension questions:

1- Name the characters of the story. (Who are the different characters and what are their
relationships?)
...............................................................................................................................................
2- What is the setting?
...............................................................................................................................................
3- How did the man explain to the policeman about his being alone in the doorway?
...............................................................................................................................................
4- Cite one sentence that proves the man’s great affection to his friend Jimmy.
...............................................................................................................................................

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5- What did the man tell the policeman he had done during the last twenty years?
...............................................................................................................................................
6- Who came to the appointment after the policeman had left? Who did he identify himself
as?
...............................................................................................................................................
7- How could Bob recognize that the tall man was not his friend Jimmy?
...............................................................................................................................................
8- Who was the policeman?
...............................................................................................................................................
9- “Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, …” What couldn’t Jimmy do himself? Why not, do
you think?
...............................................................................................................................................
10- What happened to Bob in the end? Why so?
...............................................................................................................................................

III. Discussions:

1. Did you have a hunch that the patrolman was the old friend, Jimmy Wells? What clues
in the story gave you this hunch?
2. Right from the beginning of the story, O. Henry tried to get you interested in the
characters and in what would happen to them.
a. Did anything in the first sentence of the story catch your interest? What?
b. As you were reading the first few paragraphs of the story, did you get the feeling
that something unexpected was going to happen? What was there about the time of
day, the weather, and the street on Jimmy’s beat which gave you this feeling?
c. Were you suspicious of Bob? What details about his appearance, behavior, and
conversation might have made you suspicious?
d. Did you suspect that the plain- clothes man was not the old friend before Bob
realized this? If so, why?
3. Although O. Henry included many details to make you suspicious, he kept the ending of
the story a surprise. How did he do this?
a. Bob considered his old friend to be the “truest, stanchest old chap in the world.” How
do you imagine Bob felt when he learned that Jimmy had had him arrested?
b. Reread the description of Jimmy on his beat. Do any of the details in this description
make the arrest seem like the natural thing for Jimmy to do? How do you suppose
Jimmy felt when he was deciding to have Bob arrested? Why didn’t he identify himself
as soon as he recognized Bob? Why didn’t he make the arrest himself? Why did he
bother to send the note?
c. Jimmy could have warned Bob and let him escape. Do you think he did the right thing
in having Bob arrested? If you had been the friend Bob hadn’t seen for twenty years,
what would you have done?

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IV. Paraphrasing:

1. There was now a fine, cold drizzle falling, and the wind had risen from its uncertain
puffs into a steady blow. The few foot passengers astir in that quarter hurried dismally
and silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
2. “You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of plodder, though, good
fellow as he was. I’ve had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my
pile. A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him.”
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
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V. Summarizing:
Summarize the story with the most important events happening through the story.
Especially, focus on the psychological development of the main characters. (100-120
words)
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