ee UNDERSTAND, Shdrvens your redding comorenension anid yocapuleiry stills 2 pas sae ih : Soeteleind conteniorisy ste Anjacccompanying GudIo GD) Gi ei eaee ie sel Gnd Ofalipractice Qeress5 (or yileties ic ‘ = Answerkey providedHM) UNDERSTAND) Sharpens your reading comprehension and vocabulary skills Betty Kirkpatrick Rebecca MokContents UNIT ON AUuUARWN = 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Preface .. iv A Grim Discovery ... 1 A Sales Report. 7 Problems at Work Health Scares Desperate Immigrants.. Miraculous Rescue .....cceseeseseresee fee eOS: Flood Damage . Closure of a Local Bookshop Bills, Bills, Bills Footballers Required ... A Surprise Job Move... Launch of a Lunch Club The Young's View of the Old .. No Food in the Flat Brainstorming Session... A Summons from the Managing Director .. New Competition CV Deceptio Jim in Trouble Controversial Toll Charging.READ AND UNDERSTAND Preface Read and Understand is a series of four workbooks written for secondary or intermediate students who want to improve their reading comprehension skills. The 15 reading texts in each of the two lower-level books deal with social and contemporary issues of interest to teenagers. Each of the two upper-level books contains 20 reading passages covering a range of highly interesting topics written in different types of text, which include formal and informal letters, newspaper reports, speeches, recounts, ‘conversations and information texts. Students can hear the reading of all the passages on an accompanying audio CD. Every unit begins with three or four Pre-Reading Questions to encourage students to think about issues related to the topic. The questions are designed for students to work in pairs or small groups to develop their ability to make predictions and to understand information by drawing on their own knowledge and experience. The Vocabulary Study section makes it convenient for students to look up the ‘meanings of words and phrases highlighted in the passage. ‘The questions and activities in Workbooks 3 and 4 are specially developed to help students sharpen specific reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. They. are organized into the following three categories: Recalling Information ‘The questions in this category test students, at the knowledge level, their ability to pick out from the reading text what happened, to whom, where, when, how or why, it happened. At this level, students will have a chance to: + read and recall information from the text; * note the relevance of dates, events and places; and * trace the development of main ideas or points of view. Students are given ample practice in these skills as they recall information and details in letters, conversations, descriptions, explanations, or give evidences/reasons that support 2 main idea or point of view.© Understanding Information In this category, students are required to practise answering a wide range of questions. They are asked to: + compare and contrast information; + order, group, and infer causes and effects; + understand and organize information; ‘+ grasp meaning; ‘+ perceive thought patterns; ‘+ recognize the features or components of different text types; + generalize from given facts; * use idioms or expressions; * give meanings of words: and + summarize information. ‘The exercises above are designed to help students develop their skills i + inferring and drawing conclusions by using contextual clues and prior knowledge; + organizing, summarizing and synthesizing information using sequence, comparison. contrast and chronology; tziving evidence or reasons to support a response or a point of view; + using knowledge of text organization; * understanding how the purpose of various text types is achieved; ‘+ evaluating information for exaggeration or persuasive language; and * inferring meanings of words in context. * Writing Activity With the aid of given notes, students are set writing tasks which require them to apply what they have learnt about features and organization of different text types. The tasks in each unit are linked to the reading text in its theme or in the text type, or both. For the writing tasks at this level, students will have the opportunity to: + plan and organize information; ‘+ write in a variety of text types to suit different purposes; * support and elaborate on ideas with relevant details: and * use imagination. All the writing activities aim to help students develop specific skills in: + presenting and developing ideas in writing for a variety of purposes and audiences; + exploring possible factors such as causes and effects, and reasons related to a topic or an issue: + giving evidence or reasons to support a response, a point of view: and + solving problems imaginatively and creatively. anjaidREAD AND UNDERSTAND SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO USE WORKBOOKS 3 AND 4 @ Use of Graphic Organizers Graphic organizers provide visual ‘images’ for the organization of information. Where appropriate, graphic organizers are used in the exercises to guide students to a better understanding of the information, for example, by making comparisons and contrasts, showing causes and effects, outlining sequence of events, and so forth. Practice in Summary Writing ‘The skill of summarizing is one of the key skills in reading comprehension. Hence, a summary writing activity is given in every unit, Here are five steps in ensuring effective summary writing: 1. Make sure you understand the requirement of the summary question 2. Mark the parts of the reading text that answer the summary question. 3. Make a draft first, writing out all the main points only. Details and examples need be filled in only if the main points are well within the word length specified for the summary. 4, Check and double check your work, asking yourself: + Have I got all the main points down? + Have I used my own words as much as possible? Have I repeated myself? Have I skipped anything? Are all the important information in the summary? Is the summary within the required word length? 5. Edit or ‘polish’ your work to improve the overall accuracy, style and expressions. Improvements will include insertion of connectors like and and because, and correction of grammar, spelling and punctuation. @ Expression of Opinions ‘Where appropriate, the questions in the workbooks are set to elicit students’ views and comments based on their own experience and cultural setting. One approach is for students to discuss these questions in small groups, confident in the knowledge that there are no right or wrong answers. Each student is encouraged to voice his/her views and to give reasons to support that point of view, which is a valuable life skill We acknowledge that developing language skills is a challenging and ongoing endeavour. It is hoped that this series of Read and Understand 1-4 will serve its purpose in supplementing the materials that students need in order to be better thinkers and readers.A Grim Discovery 1 A report in the local newspaper of the discovery of an unidentified corpse. Pre-Reading Questions 1. From the title and subtitle above, what are your thoughts about what you are about to read? 2. What should a person do when he discovers an unidentified corpse? 3. Do you usually read such similar reports when they appear in the newspapers? Why or why not? (RUE Now read the passage below. You can look up the meanings of the words and idioms in bold in the Vocabulary Study section that follows. The town of Springford woke to some shocking news yesterday. Police revealed that the body of a young woman had been found in a wooded area just outside the town. The person who made the grim discovery was 46-year-old Jim Bradley, who was walking his dog at the time. He told our reporter earlier today, ‘The dog’s very well trained and usually he stays close to me, but on Thursday morning he went off like the clappers into the undergrowth. I could hear him, but I couldn’t see him. I wasn’t best pleased because I had intended staying on the path and wasn’t wearing the right footwear for tramping through the undergrowth. When I eventually reached the dog I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was scrabbling away at something buried in the ground and there was a human arm sticking out. I thought I was seeing things. I moved forward to take a closer look and saw that the dog was in the process of uncovering a dead body. “Lput the dog’s leash on him and pulled him away before calling the police on my mobile. I wanted to get out of there right away, but the Asanoosiq WDpolice asked me to stay where I was until they arrived. I wasn’t at all happy about staying there, I ean tell you, but I had no choice but to sweat it out until the police arrived. The dog had the wind up as well and was whimpering and shivering at my feet. Fortunately, the police were quick off the mark and were with me very quickly. “My heart goes out to the relatives of that poor young woman, but 1 just want to try and put the whole thing to the back of my mind, although I doubt if that will be possible. I'm sure that I'l be having nightmares about this for the rest of my life.” READ AND UNDERSTAND Meanwhile Detective Inspector Tony Miles said that there was very little that he could tell us at this stage. ‘It’s early days in the investigation, but we will be pulling out all the stops to find out who did this terrible thing to the young woman. As yet, we cannot reveal her identity, as her next of kin have not yet been informed. We will keep you informed of developments as they arise. Meanwhile, we would ask the public to try and stay calm.’ clapper, like the clappers eye, cannot believe your _seems fo have a similar (cliché) eyes (cliché) ‘meaning, but in fact itis used extremely quickly; used in very used to indicate that you have ironically to indicate that you informal contexts. in origin, the seen something extremely do not feel any sympathy . expression may refer fo the surprising or shocking. The towards someone because clapper of a bell which moves cliché cannot believe your you do not fee! that they are very fast when the bellis being ears is used fo indicate tha! ino poriculorly bad situation, rung you have heard something extremely surprising or mark, be quick off the mark early, it's early days (cliché) shocking (ldioméctiché) : Used to indicate that itis to be quick to take action. " too soon to inow how a heart, my heart goes out to 7 ind, put something to the : situation or project will develop Someone (cliche) bak al iad es : orhow sucess i's gong °S20 10 indicate thal you feel back of your mind (cliché) 7 ete ‘a great deal of sympathy or to try to forget about : pity for someone. The dich something or not to think cbout : my heart bleeds for you somethingpleased, not to be best playing. When all the stops of thing, seeing things (lich) pleased (cliché) ‘an organ are pulled out, the to imagine that you are seeing Used to indicate that someone instrument is being ployed as something hat isnot there. Ssomayedor upset about ud as posse ‘wind, have for yet) the wind | ai ‘sweat it out (cliché) up (idiom/ctiché) > to have to endure a dificult or to be nervous or aaid; used 2 Seer eut atthe St0PS pleasant sion until? ininfrmal contents. The cché 3 todo everingyoupessbly Ss ued formal caren, put he wind up someone 2 conin order to achieve fall, can fell you (cliche tid edn 8 something. In origin, the used to emphasize what has Wena onion 3 expression refers to organ _Just been said, in = (iri 1. What shocking news was reported in the town of Springford? 2. What led Jim Bradley to the discovery? 3. What action did Jim Bradley take when he made the discovery? 4. Describe Jim Bradley's feelings when he made the discovery. 5. What stopped the police from revealing the identity of the dead woman?READ AND UNDERSTAND derstanding Information 1. Jim Bradley said he was not wearing suitable footwear for tramping through the undergrowth. Suggest what footwear would be suitable. 2. Why do you think Jim Bradley put the dog’s leash on him? 3. Detective Inspector Tony Miles said, ‘Meanwhile, we would ask the public to try and stay calm.’ Suggest reasons why people would be alarmed by the news. 4. Match each of the situations stated in column A with the appropriate feeling given in column B, Write the letter of the feeling in the box that corresponds with the situation. Column A Column B 1, That tough-looking young man A. He was determined. had the wind up and was shaking at the knees. | 2, He couldn’t believe his eyes when B. He was sympathetic. he saw what had happened to his. -——— car. es 3. When he heard the tragic news, = > _C. He was anxious. his heart went out to the family. 4, With the delay in getting the D. He was shocked. results, he would have to sweat it -——) out another day. ua 5. To make this the best concert ever, -—)_E. He was frightened. he was pulling out all the stops.5. In 80 words, write a summary of Jim Bradley's discovery, the action he took and what he felt. Use the information in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4. Menorsia Wd YL Read the passage below and the instructions that follow it carefully. ‘You were at the airport to sce a relative off. There you noticed beside the waste bin a large brown parcel. You were alarmed as there were many : announcements made at the airport that luggage should not be left unattended and there had been recent bomb scares. You alerted the airport official. In about 200 words, explain in detail: ° * what happened after you informed the airport official, * what was in the parcel; and why was it left there (Use your own words and do not copy from the passage.)GNVIS¥3GNN ONY avaaA Sales Report Information sent by a sales director to his staff. (errs 1. What kinds of report are you familiar with? 2, What do you think is the purpose of a report? 3. What do you expect would be in the sales report of o company? podey sajos yz (PURE Now read the passage below. You can look up the meanings of the words and idioms in bold in the Vocabulary Study section that follows. The end of the financial year is approaching and, with it, the AGM, when we will have to give an account of the year’s proceedings to our shareholders. As usual, at this time of year, I am sending a copy of this informal end-of-the-year report to all members of the sales force. I hope that you will all find it useful and that you will let me know if you have any comments. I value your input. We started this year with a major new product and we really hit the ground running. Our sales for the first quarter of the year were very impressive and, indeed, broke all records. This was particularly heartening as this occurred at a time when many of our competitors were feeling the pinch. Indeed, there was talk among economic experts of an impending recession and even of economic meltdown. Fortunately, this gloom and doom did not materialize. :READ AND UNDERSTAND It was good that we were able to buck the trend, but as I said, we had a major new product and one, indeed, that is popularly believed to have broken the mould of kitchen equipment. Therefore, it would have been extremely surprising, not to say distressing, if we had not achieved substantial sales with it What is rather distressing is that the rest of the year did not live up to the promise of the first quarter, this despite the fact that the financial state of the country improved in the course of the year. To some extent, of course, it would not have been realistic to expect that peak level sales could be sustained throughout the yea Some falling- off was to be expected after the initial impact of the new product had worn off. However, the falling-off was worse than had been ant pated. This gave us all food for thought and, fortunately, we were able to learn from the experience. Indeed, I think we should regard the introduction of the new product as a useful learning curve from which all departments have benefited. The whole programme of product launching has been assessed and revised where appropriate. We shall all be better prepared next time. On the whole, this was a successful year and we hope to build on that success in the coming year. Thank you all for your contribution to this success. Get ready to do even better next year!‘ocabulary Studi curve, learning curve (jargon) Used to indicate the continuous process of acquiring knowledge or ski, used in rather formal contexts, The expression orignally referred 0.4 groph representing someone's progress in learning something food for thought (cliché) something which needs coreful thought. The cliché something to think about hos the some meaning gloom and doom (clic) Used to indicate a situation which is extremely depressing ‘ond lacking in any hope for the future; often used by Journalists. The fac thatthe words rhyme and have simiiar mesnings make ths @ popular expression ground, hit the ground running (idiomdetche) to begn doing someting as ‘actively and energetically as possible, This expression is Uncertain in origin, although it is thought likely that refers fo members ofthe armed forces being dropped by parachutes or from helicopters into a combat zone. The cliché get off to a flying start, To have a very successful beginning, is sila in meaning input (jargon) © contribution of information, such as comments or suggestions. This word became involved with information because of is connection with computers, the noun ‘input’ meaning a terminal or connection where data is elered into a computer ond the verb meaning to enter dala into a computer. It then began to be used in its present ‘meaning by people who thought # sounded impressive ‘and is now used extremely commonly by a wide range of people so that i is ceasing to be jargon ond becoming ust part ofthe ordinary ionguage meltdown (jargon) « compete colapse, often used in conection vith financial matters; commonly found in press reports. the expression hos its origin in nuclear technology wihere i means the meling ofthe core of aruclear reactor becouse of overheating mould, break the mould (idiomdctiché) todo something ina completely new and original ‘way. The word ‘maul’ here refers fo a container into wiich is poured a liquid, such as melted metal or plaster, so that it sets and becomes the shape of the mould when iis hard, pinch, feel the pinch (idiomictiché) to begin fo have fnancol problems because of having less money thon you used to have; used in informal contexts promise, not to live up to the promise of something {cliche not fo be os good or successful ‘05 something or someone seemed likely to be, judging from the eary stages of something record, break all records (cliché) used to emphasize how good or large someting is in comparison with previous things. say, not to say (cliché) seemingly a controdiction since the expression precedes the ‘word which i claims is not Said, used either for effect or emphasis, meaning that what is beng talked about could ‘almost be described as the word which follows the expression. trend, buck the trend (cliche) not to be offected by a tendency, usually a bad tendency of some kind, which 's affecting others; often used 1m connection with financial matters. uodey sais yz