Text 2

Study the following questions. Find the answer by scanning through the menu of Buz.s Crab Restaurant
and Market.
1. How much will you pay if you order Oyster & Chips, Stuffed Tomato (with shrimp), and Peel &
Eat Shrimp Cocktail?
2. Your mother loves salmon very much. How many kind of Salmon cooking you can order for her?
3. What is the cheapest menu for charbroiled Seafood?

4. What are the choices of

sauce available for
charbroiled menu?
5. How many pieces will
you get if you order
jumbo fish and chips?

Text 3
Whats On?

ABN

First read the following

questions and then use the TV
Schedule to find the answers.

CBC

6.00 p.m.: Travel

Abroad - This week we
FNB
travel to sunny
6.00 p.m.: National
California!
News - join Jack Parsons
6.00 p.m.: In-Depth
6.30: The Flintstonesfor your daily news
News - In-depth coverageFred and Barney are at it
roundup.
of the most important
again.
6.30: The Tiddles- Peter
national and international 7.00: Pretty Boy- Tom
joins Mary for a wild
news stories.
Cruise, the prettiest boy
adventure in the park.
7.00: Nature Revealed- of them all, in an action
7.00: Golf ReviewInteresting documentary packed thriller about
Watch highlights from
taking a look at the
Internet espionage.
today's final round of the
microscopic universe in 9.00: Tracking the
Grand Master's.
your average speck of
Beast- The little
8.30: Shock from the
dust. 7.30: Ping - Pong understood wildebeest
Past- This entertaining
Masters- Live coverage filmed in its natural
film by Arthur Schmidt
from Peking. 9.30: It's surroundings with
takes a poke at the wild
Your Money- That's
commentary by Dick
side of gambling.
right and this favorite
Signit.
10.30: Nightly News- A
game show could make 10.00: Pump Those
review of the day's most
or break you depending Weights- A guide to
important events.
on how you place your successfully using
11.00: MOMA: Art for
bets. 10.30: Green Park- weights to develop your
Everyone- A fascinating
Stephen King's latest
physique while getting
documentary that helps
monster madness. 0.30: fit.
you enjoy the difference
Late Night News- Get 11.30: The Three
between pointilism and
the news you need to get Idiots- A fun farce
video installations.
a hard start on the
based on those three
12:00: Hard Day's
upcoming day.
tenors who don't know
Night- Reflections after
when to call it quits.
a long, hard day.
1.00: National AnthemClose the day with this
salute to our country.

1.

Jack has a video - can he

watch both documentaries
without having to make a
video?

2.

Is there a show about

making good investments?

3.

You are thinking about

traveling to the USA for a
vacation. Which show
should you watch?

4.

Your friend doesn't have

a TV, but would like to
watch a film starring Tom
Cruise. Which film should
you record on your video?

5.

Peter is interested in
wild animals which show
should he watch?

6.

Which sport can you

watch that takes place
outside?

7.

Which sport can you

watch that takes place
inside?

8.

You like modern art.

Which documentary should
you watch?

Exercise 2

Puzzle for Nigel as tortoise does a runner

RETIRED
policeman Nigel
Folds is trying to
solve the mystery of
the disappearing
tortoise. For the
leopard tortoise from
South Africa
vanished from his
garden in Maltings
Drive,
Wheathampstead,
between 2pm and
5pm on Friday,
August 15. Nigel,
who has a collection
of more than a dozen
tortoises of different
types, is certain the

female tortoise,
which is between 15
and 18 inches long,
has been taken from
his garden by
children. He said:
"We have a six-foot
panel fence around
the garden to keep
them all in. We live
next to a playground
and I feel some
youngsters simply
couldn't resist the
temptation." The
missing tortoise is
one of a breeding
pair which he had
bought for 500
each just

10 days before it
disappeared and
Nigel is worried that
it will not survive
without special care
once the nights
become cooler.

Bred
Nigel began his
collection of
tortoises around nine
years ago. He said:
"Although it is now
illegal to import the
Mediterranean
variety, there are

many others which

can still be brought
into the country from
other parts of the
world. We have
successfully bred the
Mediterranean
variety in the past
but this year our
mature female has
not laid any eggs."
Anyone with
information should
call Nigel on 01582
833355 or the police
on 01707 638102.

Questions
1. What did Nigel Folds work as?
2. What time did one of his tortoises disappear from Nigels garden?
3. How much did Nigel purchase for a pair of breeding tortoises?
4. If in any case you found the tortoise that you assumed to be Nigels, what number could you
contact him?
5. How long has Nigel kept the tortoise before it was missing?
6. How high is the panel fence built to protect the tortoises?
7. What species of tortoise has Nigel successfully bred?

Skimming
Skimming to get an overall impression.
Skimming is useful when you want to survey a text to get a general idea of what it is about. In skimming
you ignore the details and look for the main ideas. Main ideas are usually found in the first sentences of
each paragraph and in the first and last paragraphs. It is also useful to pay attention to the organization of
the text.
As reading is an interactive process, you have to work at constructing the meaning of the text from the
marks on the paper. You need to be active all the time when you are reading. It is useful, therefore, if you
need to read the text in detail, before you start reading to activate the knowledge you have about the topic
of the text and to formulate questions based on this information. Skimming a text for gist can help you
formulate questions to keep you interacting with the text.
Skimming a text using first lines of paragraphs.
In most academic writing, the paragraph is a coherent unit, about one topic, connected to the previous and
next paragraphs. Paragraphs are organised internally and the first sentence of each paragraph is often a
summary of, or an introduction to, the paragraph. You can therefore get a good idea of the overall content
of a text by reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This should help you get a feeling for the
structure of the text. In many cases that will be enough, but if it isn't, you will now have a good idea of
the structure of the text and you will find it easier to read in detail. Familiar texts are easier to read.
As reading is an interactive process, you have to work at constructing the meaning of the text from the
marks on the paper. You need to be active all the time when you are reading. It is useful, therefore, if you
need to read the text in detail, before you start reading to activate the knowledge you have about the topic
of the text and to formulate questions based on this information. Skimming a text using first lines of
paragraphs can help you formulate questions to keep you interacting with the text.
Skimming a text using first and last paragraphs.
In most academic writing, the text is organised clearly with an introduction and a conclusion. The
introduction gives you an idea of what the text is going to be about and the conclusion shows that this is
what it has been about. You can therefore get a good idea of the overall content of a text by reading the
first and last paragraphs of a text. This should help you get a feeling for the content of the text. In many
cases that will be enough, but if it isn't, you will now have a good idea of the content of the text and you
will find it easier to read in detail. Familiar texts are easier to read.
As reading is an interactive process, you have to work at constructing the meaning of the text from the
marks on the paper. You need to be active all the time when you are reading. It is useful, therefore, if you
need to read the text in detail, before you start reading to activate the knowledge you have about the topic
of the text and to formulate questions based on this information. Skimming a text using first and last
paragraphs can help you formulate questions to keep you interacting with the text.
6

Skimming a text, using section headings.

In some academic writing, the text is organised through the use of headings and sub-headings. You can
therefore get a good idea of the overall content of a text by reading the headings and sub-headings first.
This should help you get a feeling for the content and organisation of the text. In many cases that will be
enough, but if it isn't, you will now have a good idea of the content of the text and you will find it easier
to read in detail. Familiar texts are easier to read.
As reading is an interactive process, you have to work at constructing the meaning of the text from the
marks on the paper. You need to be active all the time when you are reading. It is useful, therefore, before
you start reading to activate the knowledge you have about the topic of the text and to formulate questions
based on this information. The title, sub-titles and section headings can help you formulate questions to
keep you interacting with the text.

Exercise 1
1. The frog sat on the side of the pond. He was very still. His green color made him hard to see. A bug
flew near him. His tongue zipped out, and he gobbled it up. Then the frog was still again. He waited
for the next bug.
The main idea in this passage is:
____________________________________________________________________________
2. My favorite dress is yellow. It has a white ribbon that ties in the middle. It has lace by the neck. It
also has lace at the bottom. I wore it for my aunt's wedding. I was the flower girl. Mom said I looked
as pretty as the bride!
The main idea in this passage is:
____________________________________________________________________________

3. Jon held the ball in his hands. He bounced it slowly on the ground. Once. Twice. He crouched low
and then jumped. The ball flew into the air. Up, up, up, it went. Then down, down, down, into the
basket. "Yes!" he yelled. "Nothing but net!"
The main idea in this passage is:
____________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2
7

1. Animals struggle with each other for food or for leadership, but they do not, like human beings,
struggle with each other for things that stand for food or leadership: such things as our paper
symbols of wealth (money, bonds, titles), badges of rank to wear on our clothes, or low-number
licence plates, supposed by some people to stand for social precedence. For animals, the relationship
in which one thing stands for something else does not appear to exist except in very rudimentary
form.
The main idea in this passage is:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. Most lecturers try to help students develop their understanding. But understanding a foreign
language is not the same as understanding why someone is upset or understanding electromagnetism
or understanding history. It is not to be expected therefore that the same teaching methods will be
appropriate to these different kinds of understanding.
The main idea in this passage is:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 3

Where Are Your Cell Phone Manners?

People love their cell phones. The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association reports
that as of June 2005, over 190 million people in the United States used cell phones compared with 4.3
million in 1990. People use their cell phones many times a day in many different places. They talk in the
car or on a bus. They talk in the store or at the mall. They even talk on their cell phones during movies
and worship services.
The growing use of cell phones has also created a growing culture of rude behavior. People are
becoming so used to seeing and hearing cell phones, that some have forgotten proper cell phone
etiquette. Yes, there are some dos and donts of cell phone use.
One of the worst habits of cell phone users is cell yell, or loud conversations in public places.
Cell phone users need to respect the personal space of those around them. Loud, long rings are annoying.
One should keep the ringer at a low volume or better yet, turn it to vibrate.
An easy adage to remember is, if the lights are off, youre cell phone should be off too. It is rude to those
paying movie-goers sitting next to you to hear your cell phone ring. Its even ruder if you answer your
phone and talk during the movie. The same is true for concerts, plays, musicals, lectures, and worship
services. If the spotlight is not on you, you shouldnt be talking.
Respect the rules of those places that request no cell phone use on their site. When you make or
receive calls, electromagnetic waves are sent through the air. Hospitals and airplanes have many
electronic devices and computers. When electromagnetic waves try to go through them, they sometimes
stop working. A heart monitor could malfunction. A plane could crash.
The next time you turn on your beloved cell phone, think of those around you. Help create a
kinder world, not a ruder one.

1. What does the passage tell you about?

________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

2. What are some good manners of cell phone use? (List at least three.)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

3. Find the main idea of each paragraph.

Par. 1 _______________________________________________________________________
Par 2 _______________________________________________________________________
Par 3 _______________________________________________________________________
Par 4 _______________________________________________________________________
Par 5 _______________________________________________________________________

The Monster in My Bedroom

Augustus Remier
It started a couple of weeks ago. Some nights when I would go to bed, I would hear things. Noises, bumps,
scratching, tapping, whispering. Sometimes it even sounded like it was coming from inside the house. And I would
see shadows across my window. I knew I couldn't tell 'cause no one would believe me and that would just make it
worse.
Then one night, a monster came into my bedroom. It was a Tuesday. I remember the day 'cause it was my
birthday. Mommy gave me a cupcake with a candle in it. Daddy didn't say anything. Sometimes it's better that way.
But that night after I went to bed, the monster came in through the window. He was dressed nice, but was very dirty.
I pretended like I was asleep, but I kept my eyes open a little so I could watch him. I was very scared and tried not to
breathe, or move, or think. He walked over to the crib where my little brother sleeps and bent over it. I couldn't see
what he was doing. He stood there for a minute and then he left, crawling out through the window.
The next morning, my mom came in to get Bobby and started yelling for Dad (he's not really my dad, he's
Bobby's dad. I never knew my real dad). Ambulances came and it was very busy. I tried to tell mom about the
monster, but she said I was just having a bad dream and none of that really happened but every night after that I lock
my window and my door.
A couple of days later we all dressed up nice and went to church for Bobby. Ever since then, Mommy cries
a lot and looks at me sad. Dad spends more time at work which is good 'cause when he's home, he's very angry.
They argued last Saturday and I haven't seen dad since. Dad said it was my fault that Bobby was dead, that I was
jealous of all the attention he was getting. "Bobby wasn't on his stomach when we put him to bed that night, but
that's how you found him wasn't it?" Dad asked. Mom said that wasn't true, that Bobby died because of Sids. I don't
know who that is. I thought maybe that was the monsters name, but Mommy always said there was no monster so I
didn't ask her about it.
Tonight the monster came back.
I tried to be quiet, but he came over and stood at my bed. He said, "I know you're awake. The other night
wasn't the first time I've been here, but tonight will be my last. I know that you're not happy here. Do you want to

10

come with me? I promise no one will hurt you anymore." Before I could think, I nodded my head and everything got
dark. I see myself lying on my bed. I think of visiting my mother before I leave but the night is no longer young and
there are many children on this block.

(511 words)

11

Then, write the main idea of each paragraph in the bubbles below.

Th e M onster in My
Bedroom

8. ..........................................................................

1.

7 . ..........................................................................

6. Tonight the m onster cam e

back.

2.

5. ..........................................................................

3 . ..........................................................................

4. ............................................................................

12

If all bubbles have been filled out, combine those ideas all together and develop them into a good
paragraph of text summary. Use your own words.

..
and so forth

13