WEEK 2

OVERVIEW

Objectives:
1. To overview reading skills needed in reading comprehension
2. To review some of the English tenses

A. Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension means understanding written materials thoroughly,
i.e. getting the information presented in the written materials. Thus, it could not be
called “reading” when you read but you donot get the information from the things
you are reading.

Now read the following text and discuss it with those sitting next to you to learn
whether you get the same information, including all the details and the implied one,
as they do.

The Mac Arthur prizes, or “genius award”, are grants of money from
$ 128,000 to $ 300,000 given to individuals who show outstanding talents
in their fields. According to a foundation spokesperson, this money frees
geniuses from financial worries and allows them the time to devote
5 themselves to creative thinking. The recipients of the Mac Arthur prizes
are people who have already achieved considerable success. It may be
asked whether they attained success despite the fact that they had to
worry about money or because of it.

There are at least three things which will help you understand and comprehend the
written materials you are reading, namely the reading skills, the vocabulary
mastery, and the grammar mastery.

The skimming skill discussed in WEEK 3, for example, will help you get the general
idea, while thescanning skill presented in WEEK 4 helps you find any specific
information you want to know from a text. Mastering the usage of certain forms
and understanding the meaning of the message in the text will enable you
understand the relationship between ideas, so that you will be able to transfer the
information into other forms. There are still some other skills to learn in the other
units, which will improve your reading ability.

Read the text below and answer the questions which follow to see how good your
existing reading skills are.
Health food addicts have at last gained the support of the National
Academy of Sciences in the argument about the relationship between diet
and cancer. The National Academy has issued a 500-page report called
“Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer” that recommends dietary strategies for
5 protecting yourself from cancer. For example, they advice you to reduce
your consumption of fat, as in pork and butter, and increase your intake
of vitamin C, as in grapefruit and cabbage. More beta-carotene, a type of
vitamin A in yellow and green vegetables, should be added to your diet
as well.

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1. What can you infer from what health food addicts have claimed?
(A) They need confirmation from Academy of Sciences.
(B) People need to eat better.
(C) People should cut down their consumption of fat and vitamin A.
(D) People who eat nutritious food are less likey to get cancer.

2. What foods apparently fight cancer?

(A) Fat and vitamins A and C. (C)Fruits and vegetables.
(B) Bacon, grapefruit, and cabbage. (D)Junk foods.

3. The majority of people reading this passage would infer that the Academy
of Science is __________.
(A) An association of nutrition professors.
(B) A reliable scientific organization.
(C) A company that manufactures health food.
(D) A publisher of scientific journals.

4. You can infer from this passage that __________.

(A) Experiments were performed on groups of people to show the effect
of nutrition on cancer
(B) Health food addicts had already proven that good nutrition prevents
cancer
(C) Nothing has been proven in regard to the effect of diet upon the
development of cancer
(D) There is no way to prevent cancer

One of the units in this book focuses on improving your vocabulary mastery which
is very important indeed as no matter how good your reading skills are, you will
find it difficult to understand and comprehend a written text to get the presented
information when you have a limited vacabulary.

Read the following text and see whether you can guess the meaning of the
underlined words.

Although most honeybees die in the field while gathering pollen,

some bees die in the hives and must be removed in order to prevent the
spread of disease and to keep the nest from filling up with corpses. These
corpses emit a chemical that signals death. Most of the bees either ignore
5 the corpses, poke at them, lick them, or inspect them. Usually within an
hour, the bees that are in charge of removing the dead bees grasp them
in their mandibles, pull them through the hive toward the entrance, then
fly away and drop them as far as 400 feet from the hive.

Your grammar mastery also plays an important role in enabling you to understand
what you read as ideas are presented in sentences, which are not only of a row of
words but also of certain grammatical rules. However, considering that you have
learnt grammar for at least six years when you were in your high schools, there will
be no discussion on it in this unit except a brief review of the English tenses as you
can see in the next few pages.

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B. The English Tenses
There are twelve tenses in English grammar, but only seven of them, the most
commonly found in a written text, will be discussed in this unit. Read the following
and notice that English tenses are expressed in different verb forms.
1. Simple Present Tense 2. Present Progressive* Tense
I write I am writing
You write You are writing
He writes He is writing
We write We are writing
They write They are writing
* also called Continuous
3. Simple Past Tense 4. Past Progressive Tense
I wrote I was writing
You wrote You were writing
He wrote He was writing
We wrote We were writing
They wrote They were writing
5. Future Tense Non-Progressive 6. Future Progressive Tense
I shall write I shall be writing
You will write You will be writing
He will write He will be writing
We shall write We shall be writing
They will write They will be writing
7. Present Perfect Tense Non- 8. Present Perfect Progressive
Progressive Tense
I have written I have been writing
You have written You have been writing
He has written He has been writing
We have written We have been writing
They have written They have been writing
9. Past Perfect Tense Non- 10. Past Perfect ProgressiveTense
Progressive
I had written I had been writing
You had written You had been writing
He had written He had been writing
We had written We had been writing
They had written They had been writing
11. Future Perfect Tense Non- 12. Future Perfect
Progressive ProgressiveTense
I shall have written I shall have been writing
You will have written You will have been writing
He will have written He will have been writing
We shall have written We shall have been writing
They will have written They will have been writing

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These are four principal forms of the English verbs:

Simple Simple Past Past Present

Form Participle Participle

Regular finish finished finished finishing

Verbs stop stopped stopped stopping
hope hoped hoped hoping
wait waited waited waiting
play played played playing
try tried tried trying

Irregular see saw seen seeing

Verbs make made made making
sing sang sung singing
eat ate eaten eating
put put put putting
go went gone going

The Present, Past, and Future Tenses

I. Simple Present, Present Progressive, and Present Perfect
A. The forms

SIMPLE PRESENT PRESENT PROGRESSIVE PRESENT PERFECT

(+) {I-You-We-They} work. I am working. {I-You-We-They} have

{He-She-It} works. {You-We-They} are working. eaten lunch.
{He-She-It} is working {He-She-It} has eaten
lunch.

(–) {I-You-We-They} do not work. I am not working {I-You-We-They} have not

{He-She-It} does not work. {You-We-They} are not working (haven’t) eaten lunch.
{He-She-It} is not working {He-She-It} has not
(hasn’t) eaten lunch.

(?) Do {I-you-we – they} work? Am I working? Have {I-You-We-They}

Does {he-she-it} work? Are {you-we-they} working? eaten lunch?
Is {he-she-it} working? Has {He-She-It} eaten
lunch?

B. The Meaning

SIMPLE PRESENT (a) Ann takes a shower The simple present

every day. expresses daily habits or
(b) I usually eat lunch at the usual activities, as in (a)
cafetaria. and (b).
(c) Babies cry. The simple present
(d) The earth revolves expresses general
around the sun. statements of facts, as in
(e) A square has four equal (c) and (d). In short, the
sides. simple present is used for
(f) The sky is blue. events or situations that
(always, usually, or
habitually) exist in the past,
present, and future.

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 PRESENT PROGRESSIVE (g)Ann can’t come to the The present progressive
phone right now expresses an activity that
because she is taking is in progress (is
a shower. occurring, is happening)
(h)It’s noon. I am eating right now.
lunch at the cafetaria at The event is in progress at
present. the time the speaker is
(i) Jimmy and Susie are saying sentence. The
babies. They are event began in the past, is
crying. Maybe they are in progress now, and will
hungry. probably continue into the
future.

PRESENT PERFECT (j) Jim has already eaten The present perfect
lunch. expresses activities or
(k) Ann hasn’t eaten lunch situations that occurred (or
yet. did not occur) “before now”
(l) Have you ever eaten at at some unspecified time
that restaurant? in the past.
(m) I’ve eaten there.

(n) Pete has eaten at that The present perfect

restaurant many times. expresses activities that
(o) I’ve been to that theater were repeated several
five or six times. times in the pasts. The
(p) I’ve had three tests so exact times are
far this week. unspecified.

(q) Erica has lived in this When the present perfect

city since 1989. is used with since or for, it
(r) I have known Ben for expresses situation that
ten years. began in the past and
(s) We’ve been in class continue to the present.
since ten o’clock this
morning.

II. Simple Past, Past Progressive, and Past Perfect

A. The forms

Simple Past
worked yesterday.
STATEMENT {I–You–She–He–It–We–They}
ate breakfast.
did not (didn’t) work
NEGATIVE {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} yesterday.
did not (didn’t) eat breakfast.
Did {I–You–She–He–It–We– work yesterday?
QUESTION
They} eat breakfast?

Past Progressive
{I–She–He–It} was working.
STATEMENT
{ You–We–They} were working.

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 {I–She–He–It} was not (wasn’t) working.
NEGATIVE
{ You–We–They} were not (weren’t) working.

Was {I–She–He–It}
QUESTION working?
Were { You–We–They}

Past Perfect

STATEMENT {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} had eaten when Nina came.

had not eaten when Nina

NEGATIVE {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} came.

Had{I–You–She–He–It–We–
QUESTION eaten when Nina came?
They}

B. The Meaning

SIMPLE PAST (a) Mary walked The simple past is used to

downtown yesterday. talk about activities or
situation that began and
ended at a particular time
(b) I slept for eight
in the past (e.g.,
hours last night. yesterday, last night, two
days ago, in 1990), as in
(a) and (b).

(c) I sat down at the dinner The past progressive

PAST PROGRESSIVE table at 6:00 P.M. expresses an activitiy that
yesterday. Tom came was in progress (was
to my house at 6:10 occurring, was happening)
P.M. I was eating at a point of time of
dinner when Tome another action (e.g., when
came. Tom came.) In (c): Eating
eationg was in progress at
(d) I went to bed at 10:00. 6:10; eating was in
The phone rang at progress when Tom came.
11:00. I was sleeping
when the phone rang.

PAST PERFECT The past perfect

(e) I was not hungry at
1:00 P.M. I had expresses an
already eaten activitythat occurred
before another time in
the past.
In (e): I ate at noon . I
was not hungry at 1:00
P.M. because I had
alrready eaten before
1:00 P.M.

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III. Simple Future

A. The forms

1. Will
STATEMENT {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} will come tomorrow.
NEGATIVE {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} will not (won’t) come tomorrow.
QUESTION Will{I–You–She–He–It–We–They} come tomorrow?

2. Be going to
I am going to
STATEMENT {She–He–It} is going to
{You–We–They} are going to
am not (‘m not) going come tomorrow.
I
to
NEGATIVE {She–He–It} is not (isn’t) going to
are not (aren’t) going
{You–We–They}
to
Am I going to
QUESTION Is {She–He–It} going to come tomorrow?
Are {You–We–They} going to

B. The Meaning

SIMPLE FUTURE (a) I am going to leave at nine Be going to and will are used to
tomorrow morning. express future time.
(b) I will leave at nine tomorrow (a) and (b) have the same
morning. meaning.
(c) Marie is going to be at the (c) and (d) have the same
meeting tonight. meaning
(d) Marie will be at the meeting NOTE: Going to is sometimes
toninght. pronounced “gonna” in informal
speech. Will is usually contracted
to “’ll” in everyday speech.

Exercise 1 Put the verbs in brackets in their correct forms.

1. Our lecturer told us that he (finish) correcting the forms.

2. He (study) when his parents got home.
3. When I (leave) my office last night, it was still raining very hard.
4. Arif interrupted the teacher while she (explain) the nation condition.
5. The Japanese (develop) a transportation system that doesn’t need human
driver.
6. Some stress (be) good for us.
7. Everything (go) well so far, and we feel relieved.
8. Teachers (use) a conceptual approach in the classroom next year.
9. Food that (be) previously seasonal may now be eaten at any time.
10. All the students (do) their best for the gathering.

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Exercise 2
Choose the correct verb form.

1. They (a. realize b. realized c. are realizing)that they should study hard.
2. Our classmates (a. are b. were c. have been) very helpful yesterday.
3. This university (a. has b. had c. will have) a new faculty next year.
4. The ladies (a. are attending b. have attended c. attend) such kind of
seminars several times.
5. We (a. do not come b. did not come c. had not come) late to the English
class a week ago.
6. When we entered the room, he (a. explains b. has expalined c. was
explaining) Unit 3.
7. These students (a. studied b. were studying c. have studied) at IPB last
month.
8. We (a. have got b. got c. get) the result of the test a week ago.
9. The success of this system (a. depends b. has depended c. is depending)
on many things.
10. She (a. will come b. was coming c. come) when we arrived.

Exercise 3
Complete the following with an appropriate verb from the list. Beware of
tenses.
a. come d. have g. stand i. swim
b. cry e. jog h. study j. walk
c. do f. play

1. The children __________ in the background right now.

2. When I left the house he __________ in his own room.
3. The chief police officer __________ in front of the people that were protesting
against the new traffic regulations.
4. When he __________, please tell him to see me soon.
5. You can __________ whenever you like. I cannot stop you.
6. The little girl __________ because she lost her mother in the crowd.
7. Do not __________ over there. The stream is dangerous.
8. When we __________ in the park, we met our old friend.
9. I am sorry I am late.My car __________ a flat tire on the way here.
10. To keep his body healthy he always __________ every morning.

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 Exercises for Tutorial Classes
(Week 2)

Exercise 1

A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.

Koalas are the pride of Australia, and __(1)__around USD 1 billion

for the economy of Australia every year. Most of this is from tourists who
__(2)__ in great numbers to see this __(3)__ creature, a national icon in
Australia. However, according to a report by the Australian Koala
5 Foundation, in the last five years, their numbers __(4)__ from around
100,000 to just 40,000. At this rate, they will be completely extinct by the
year 2040.
Recently,
koalas __(5)__ in No. A B C
10 danger. There 1. generate generated are generating
are several 2. come came are coming
reasons why this 3. beauty beautiful beautifully
is happening. 4. dropped are dropping have dropped
Many of them 5. have been are had been
15 have been 6. attacks is attacking will attack
affected by 7. dead death died
Chlamy-dia, a 8. is coming comes came
disease that 9. are were have been
__(6)__ their eyes 10. science scientific scientist
20 and bladder,
which leads to a very slow and painful __(7)__.
Then, there are numerous car hits and to top it all, many are being
affected by some-thing that has no vaccine or cure – Koala AIDS or KIDS
(Koala Immune Deficiency Syndrome). This is similar to the AIDS that
25 affects human, but in koalas the effect is much more severe and death
__(8)__ much faster. Last year, on an average, 2-3 koalas __(9)__
brought in daily for treatment at the Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital. Dr
Jon Hanger, a veterinary __(10)__ says “Extinction is inevitable in some
areas. I certainly hope we don’t see it across Australia, but if we don’t
30 take the decline seriously, it’s a risk”.

B. Use the passage above to answer the questions below by crossing the
letter A, B, or C.

1. The best title of the above passage is __________.

A. Koala’s extinction B. The pride of Australia
C. Thediseaseof Koala

2. The word “this” in line 2 refers to __________.

A. the economy B. pride of Australia C. around USD 1 billion

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3. In which lines does the author mention one reason for the decrease of koalas’
number?
A. Lines 1-3 B. Lines 4-6 C. Lines 16-22

4. The word “they” in line 6 refers to __________.

A. koalas B. years C. numbers

5. The word “extinct” (line 6) can be best replaced by __________.

A. came back B. cut down C. died out

6. The synonym of the word “numerous” in line 22 is __________.

A. severe B. plenty C. serious

7. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Chlamydia which affects bladder may cause the decrease in koalas’
numbers.
B. Koalas hit by cars contributed the biggest cause of death.
C. Unlike human’s AIDS, Koalas’ AIDS can be treated with vaccine.

8. Dr Jon Hanger __________.

A. pays serious attention to the inevitable extinction of koalas.
B. takes a serious risk for the decline of koalas’ numbers.
C. does not hope to see koala across Australia.

9. According to the passage the word “vaccine” line 23can be replaced by

__________.
A. cure B. impact C. disease

Exercise 2
A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.
Giant pandas __(1)__ in the bamboo forests of China for millions
years. In fact, giant pandas __(2)__ in Chinese art for thousands of years.
Because the giant panda is considered a national treasure in China, it is
protected by law so that it __(3)__ extinct. Although giant pandas have
5 long been known to the Chinese, they__(4)__ a recent discovery for
people living outside of China. The first westerner to observe a live giant
panda in the wild__(5)__ a German zoologist named Hugo Weigold. In
1916, he __(6)__ a cub while he was on an expedition.
There is only one place where giant pandas __(7)__ in the wild: high
10 in the mountains of central China. There, they live in cold and rainy
bamboo forests that are often misty and shrouded in heavy clouds. Once
upon a time, giant pandas __(8)__ in lowland areas. However, as people
__(9)__ more and more farms and cities on that land, the giant pandas
were forced up into the mountains.

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 No. A B C
1. live are living have lived
2. appear are appearing have appeared
3. isn’t becoming didn’t become doesn’t become
4. are do have
5. is was had been
6. buys bought has bought
7. were living lived live
8. lived are living have lived
9. are building built build

15 Now, they __(10)__ at elevations of 5,000 to 10,000 feet. The giant

panda has five fingers plus a "thumb," which isn't a real thumb but a
modified bone that __(11)__ the panda to grasp bamboo. Docile or
dangerous? Typically thought of as docile and harmless, the giant panda
can be as dangerous as any other bear when provoked and it __(12)__
20 to attack humans.
In China, people __(13)__ for thousands of years that pandas are
special. It is said that ancient emperors of China __(14)__ pandas as
pets. Chinese books over two thousand years old show giant pandas
with mystical powers. People __(15)__ that they were able to ward off evil
25 spirits and natural disasters. Today, pandas __(16)__ believed to be a
symbol of peace and good fortune.
Nowadays, giant pandas __(17)__ at risk of becoming extinct. Only
about 1,000 giant pandas are left in the wild. All of these __(18)__ a small
area in the bamboo forests of China. About 150 live in captivity. This is
30 why the giant panda __(19)__ as endangered in the World Conservation
Union's Red List of Threatened Animals. It is one of the most
severely __(20)__ species in the world.

No. A B C
10 are living live have lived
11 allows allowed had allowed
12 has been known known was known
13 will believe have believed believe
14 keep have kept kept
15 thought are thinking have thought
16 are were will be
17 were have been will be
18 will inhabit are inhabiting Inhabited
19 listed has listed is listed
20 endangered extinct dangerous

B. Use the passage above to answer the questions below by crossing the
letter A, B, or C

1. According to the passage, where does giant panda live?

A. bamboo forest in China B. lowland areas C. in the mountains

2. The word “it” in line 4 refers to __________.

A. national treasure B.giant panda C. the law

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3. The synonym of the word “docile” in line 17 is __________.
A. harmful B. safe C. tamed

4. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Panda is a really friendly animal.
B. Hugo Weigold once lived with a giant panda
C. In China the panda is protected by the government.

5. All the following statements about pandas are true EXCEPT__________.

A. Pandas spread evil spirit to anyone who keeps them as pets.
B. Ancient Emperors in China took care of the pandas in their castle.
C. Pandas are listed as one of the threatened animals.

Exercise 3

A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.

For quite some time I __(1)__ that mobiles, mobile phone masts and
other similar types of technology are harmful to our health due to the
exposure of radiation. Since many years ago scientists __(2)__ us that
mobile phones should be used as little as possible. They think it is better
5 to be cautious about using mobiles because they can be harmful to our
health.
Mobile phones are particularly bad for children. The phone
companies say that they are safe, but remember they __(3)__ a product
so they won’t discourage us to buy their product by saying it is unsafe.
10 Where there is a lot of money involved, there tends to be corruption. So
don't think that they and the government, who gets taxes from the use of
masts and mobile phones that are put up, have our best interests in mind.
After all, people said that smoking, asbestos, a medication called
Thalidomide, pesticides and so on were either safe or wouldn't cause us
15 serious harm. However, they __(4)__ wrong as they cause cancer,
disability and terrible illnesses.
I think
technology __(5)__ No. A B C
as harmful to the 1 believe believed have believed
20 next generation as 2 warned are warning have warned
drink, smoking and 3 sold are selling had sold
drugs __(6)__ to 4 were Are have been
previous 5 would be has been will be
generations. In fact, 6 have been Are were
25 research claims 7 have used are using will use
mobile phones 8 don’t have haven’t had aren’t having
could kill more 9 won’t do don’t do didn’t do
people than 10 have lost Lost will lose
smoking. Wireless
30 can cause headaches, nausea, tiredness and memory loss in some
people.

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 Technology can be particularly hazardous if you are sensitive to it.
35 Now, because of technology we __(7)__ TV for the whole 24 hours, using
computers, playing video games, and so on. Electrical gadgets in the
bedroom can also cause sleep problems. It is best to have no electronic
items in our bedroom. But if we can't do without them, we can at least
make sure we __(8)__ a computer, cordless phone or mobile in our
40 bedroom. Cordless phones emit a high amount of radiation. This is
because they have to be on all the time for them to be charged up. If you
__(9)__ this, the phone wouldn't work. So keep your technology use to a
limited amount of time each day. Particularly keep your use of mobile
phones to a minimum and use a landline instead, because mobile phones
can cause cancerous brain tumors if they are used for a long period of
time over the years. Always remember that your health is very important
as you might find you are unable to return to good health once you
__(10)__ it.

Exercise 4

A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.

Cows are referred to as the foster mothers of human race because

they __(1)__ most of the milk that people drink. The first cow in America
__(2)__ in Jamestown colony in 1611. Until the 1850’s, nearly every
family had its own cow. In 1856, Gail Borden __(3)__ the condensed milk
5 process, which removed some of the water from milk so it would __(4)__
up less space. Refrigeration __(5)__ into use in 1880, and the first
pasteurizing machine was introduced fifteen years later.
In the past few years, dairying __(6)__. One cow can produce the
milk that once took 10 cows to produce. Today, people in the United
10 States __(7)__ cows on 110.000 farms. More than 99% of all dairy farms
are family owned and operated.
The following
are some facts No. A B C
about cows. First, 1 produce are producing produced
2 arrives has arrived arrived
15 cows are milked for
3 is inventing Invented invents
an average of 3-4
4 take takes took
years. A cow must 5 comes has come came
have a calf in order 6 is improving has improved improved
to __(8)__ milk. 7 are milking milked have milked
20 Calves are fed with 8 produce produced producing
milk until they are 8- 9 is chewing chews has chewed
9 weeks old. A 10 has been is was
young female cow
is called a heifer. Cows are ruminants, or cud chewing, mammals. Sheep
25 and camels are other examples of ruminants. A cow __(9)__ her cud
(regurgitated, partially digested food) for up to 8 hours each day. Contrary
to popular belief, cows do not have four stomachs; they have four
digestive compartments: the rumen, the reticulum (the hardware
stomach), the omasum (functioning as a filter), and the obamasum, which
30 __(10)__ like our stomach.

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 Dairy cows are excellent producers of milk. They provide 90% of the
world’s milk supply. The best cows give over 25 gallons of milk each day;
that’s 400 glasses of milk! US cows give an average of 2000 gallons of
milk per year over 30.000 glasses of milk.
35

B. Choose the best answer

1. The best title of the above passage is __________.

A. Cows’ Producers B. Dairying C. Cows’ milk D. Dairy Cows

2. The word “removed” in line 5 can best be replaced with __________.

A. added B. put in C. reduced D. took away

3. The word “it” in line 5 refers to __________.

A. milk process B. the water C. milk D. space

4. The topic of Paragraph Two is __________.

A. dairying B. cow production
C. milking process D. dairy operation

5. In what lines does the author describe the importance of cows?

A. Lines 1-2 B. Lines 8-9 C. Lines 12-20 D. Lines 26-29

6. Camels are mentioned in the passage because they __________.

A. have for stomach C. milk the calves
B. are similar to cows D. cannot chew their food

7. The word “they” in line 27 refers to __________.

A. belief B. cows C. stomachs D. compartments

C. Indicate whether the following statement is TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)

1. People did not start to raise cows until refrigeration was found.
2. Like the first pasteurizing machine, refrigeration was introduced in 1880.
3. It can be inferred that in the past cows could produce 10 times amount of
milk as much as those of today.
4. The passage states that all cows can produce milk.
5. It can be concluded that not all calves will grow into heifers.
6. It is popularly believed that cows do not have four stomachs.

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 UNIT 2
SKIMMING
Objectives:
1. To find the topic of the passage
2. To find the topic sentences and the controlling ideas
3. To get the main and supporting ideas of the passage
4. To understand Noun Phrases

SKIMMING

It is not always necessary to read every word of a passage. Your purpose

for reading something determines how closely you should read it. Once you know
what your purpose is, skimming is a valuable procedure. Skimming through a
passage involves reading very fast in order to recognize main ideas and supporting
details while skipping (not reading) parts that are not relevant to your reading
purpose. It can save you time in deciding what or what not to read, in getting the
general content of a passage, and in finding the author’s main point without having
to deal with details. The way you read the morning newspaper, for example, is
quite different from the way you read an assignment for a class.

A. Topic of the passage

A topic is the general idea of a paragraph or a passage. It tells the readers

what a paragraph or a passage is about. The topic of a passage is usually stated
in the first sentence, although other positions are also possible. However,
sometimes the topic is not stated in the passage at all, but is implied.

Sample Passages

a. Topic stated at the first sentence:

Veterinary medicine is the branch of science that deals with the

prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in
animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal
species, both domesticated and wild, with a wide range of conditions
which can affect different species.

b. Topic stated at the last sentence:

One technique to help with this is to consciously look into one of

the listener’s eyes and then move to the other eyes. Going back and
forth between the two makes your eyes appear to sparkle. Another
trick is to imagine a letter “T” on the listener’s face, with the cross bar
being an imaginary line across the eye brows and the vertical line
coming down the center of the nose. Keep your eyes scanning that “T”
zone. This is usually called “eye contact”.

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c. Topic implied:

In its broadest, general sense, it is the means through which the aims
and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next.
Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect
on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. In its narrow, technical sense, it is
the formal process by which society deliberately transmits its
accumulated knowledge, skills, customs and values from one
generation to another, e.g., instruction in schools.

The topic of the passage is education

B. Topic sentences

A paragraph usually tells about one topic. Often one sentence is the
topic sentence. It tells the topic and the main idea of the paragraph. It sums up the
ideas of the other sentences, which give details about the main idea. However, the
topic sentence may not be stated but implied, so we must draw a conclusion from
the paragraph to obtain its topic sentence.

a. Topic sentence at the beginning:

Rice is the only major grain crop that is grown almost exclusively as
human food. There have been a series of remarkable genetic advances
that have made it possible to cultivate high-yield varieties, which are
resistant to disease and insect pests. Because rice constitutes half the
diet of 1.6 billion people, another 400 million people rely on it between
one-fourth and one-half of their diet, these advances have deterred
disasters which otherwise would have left millions of people severely
underfed.

b. Topic sentence in the middle:

Within the animal world, populations change all the time. Changes in the
animal population depend on many factors. These include the rate of
production of young, and the number of young that survive through the
breeding stage.

c. Topic sentence at the end:

By the year 2009, a vaccine against the common cold will have been
developed. By the same year, the first human will have been successfully
cloned. By the year 2014, parents will be able to create designer children.
Genetic therapy will be able to manipulate genes for abilities, intelligence,
and hair, eye, and skin color. By 2020, most diseases will be able to be
diagnosed and treated at home, and by 2030, cancer and heart disease
will have been wiped out. These are just a few examples of medical
miracles that are expected in the new few decades.

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d. Topic sentence implied

Immunization can significantly reduce the microorganisms thought to

cause cavities. The Federal Drug Administration needs to approve the
vaccine before it can be sold to the public. Consequently, the vaccine
will have to undergo a three-year trial period.

The topic sentence of the paragraph is “A new cavity preventing vaccine may soon
be on the market”.

A topic sentence contains a controlling idea that needs to be explained,

described, illustrated, or developed in the sentences that follow or precede the
topic sentence.

A topic sentence is not a statement of a fact. Therefore, the following

statements of facts cannot be a topic sentence:

• Bogor has Botanical Garden and Safari Garden.

• Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia.
• Indonesia declared its independence on August 17th.

A topic sentence can be a statement of intent or opinion, or both intent

and opinion.

A statement of intent is an objective sentence that tells the reader what

will objectively be explained in the paragraph that follows. The statement can be
expressed with noun phrases, and quantity expressions. Study the following
examples:

• There are many ways of learning English.

• Animals can be divided into three groups according to what they eat.
• One reason for occurrence of floods is deforestation.

A statement of opinion makes a judgment. Words like interesting, bad,

exciting, best, terrifying, etc. give the writer’s subjective opinion (that is, a personal
feeling or belief of the writer) and the paragraph that follows will support the writer’s
opinion in the topic sentence. Study the following examples:

• Growing orchids is not easy.

• Living in Bogor is sometimes frustrating.
• Jogging early in the morning makes you healthy.

A topic sentence can be a statement of intent and opinion. Study the

following examples:

• There are some reasons why learning English is important.

• Mountain climbing is a very hazardous sport with special requirements
and strict climbing rules.

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C. Controlling ideas

A controlling idea is a word or group of words that give the main thought of a
paragraph. These important words make up part or all of a topic sentence. A
controlling idea helps a reader by telling what a paragraph’s main subject will be.
The controlling idea may be written in the forms of quantity expressions (three main
reasons, several ways, etc), a directive expression (the following steps), or
adjectives (interesting, important, etc.).

The controlling ideas of the above sentences are underlined.

D. Main and supporting ideas

The main idea of a passage is the topic of a passage and the writer’s ideas
about the topic. The supporting ideas are the ideas that relate directly to the main
idea or tell more about it.

Sample passage

Plants can be limited in their growth rates by a variety of factors. Mineral

nutrients may diffuse through the soil to the roots, and from there, they must
be carried through the body of the plant. Carbon dioxide must be taken into
the leaves. Sufficient light must fall upon the plant to cause the rate of
photosynthesis greater than the rate of consumption of energy by the plant.

The main idea of the passage above is stated in the first sentence and the rest of
the sentences are the supporting ideas or details. The topic sentence of this
passage is a statement of intent where its controlling idea is a variety of factors.

Grammar points: Noun Phrases

A. Form

A noun phrase is a phrase that consists of a noun plus a modifier; the modifier
can be:

a. Adjective
Examples: a big house, an extremely expensive car, easy tasks,
complicated problems

b. Prepositional phrases
Examples: a new computer in the classroom, the lecturer with glasses,
the shrubs under the rubber trees

c. Relative clauses
Examples: the students who work in the laboratory of a university, which
is 100 years old,the experiment, which I was carrying outthe
university where you study

B. Function

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 A noun phrase usually functions as:
a. Subject:
Examples: French and American managers have different management
styles.
Olympic athletes must be strong both physically and
mentally.
b. Object
Examples: Their teacher was explaining the pronunciation of the
English vowels.
Genetic research has produced both exciting and frightening
possibilities.

Exercise 1
Read the following passage and answer the questions.
(1)
A computer is a general purpose device which can be
programmed to carry out a finite set of arithmetic or logical operations.
Since a sequence of operations can be readily changed, the computer
can solve more than one kind of problem. The essential point of a
5 computer is to implement an idea, the terms of which are satisfied by
Alan Turing's Universal Turing machine.
(2)
Conventionally, a computer consists of at least one processing
element and some form of memory. The processing element carries out
arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control unit that
10 can change the order of operations based on stored information.
Peripheral devices allow information to be retrieved from an external
source, and the result of operations saved.
(3)
A computer's processing unit executes a series of instructions
that make it read, manipulate and then store data. Conditional
15 instructions change the sequence of instructions as a function of the
current state of the machine or its environment.
(4)
In order to interact with such a machine, programmers and
engineers developed the concept of a user interface in order to accept
input from humans and return results for human consumption.
(5)
20 The first electronic digital computers were developed between
1940 and 1945 in the United Kingdom and United States. Originally, they
were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several
hundred modern personal computers (PCs). In this era
mechanicalanalog computers were used for military applications.
(6)
21 Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to
billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a
fraction of the space. Simple computers are small enough to fit into
mobile devices, and mobile computers can be powered by small
batteries. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the
25 Information Age and are what most people think of as "computers".
However, the embedded computers found in many devices from mp3
players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are the most
numerous.

22
A. Match the topics and their paragraphs.

Topics: Paragraphs:
A. CPU ……..………………..
B. User interface …..…………………..
C. Modern computers ……………..………..
D. Definition of computer ..……………..……...
E. Electronic digital computers …….…………………
F. Elements of computers …….…………………

B. Underline the noun phrases in the above passage.

Exercise 2
After 1492 the world's agricultural patterns were shuffled in the
widespread exchange of plants and animals known as the Columbian
Exchange. Crops and animals that were previously only known in the Old
World were now transplanted to the New and vice versa. The history of
5 agriculture in the Age of Discovery and Early modern era was closely tied
to the processes of European exploration and colonization. Perhaps most
notably, the tomato became a favorite in European cuisine, and maize
and potatoes were widely adopted. Other transplanted crops include
pineapple, cocoa, and tobacco. In the other direction, several wheat
10 strains quickly took to western hemisphere soils and became a dietary
staple even for native North, Central and South Americans. Agriculture
was a key element in the Atlantic slave trade, Triangular trade, and the
expansion by European powers into the Americas. In the expanding
Plantation economy, large plantations producing crops including sugar,
15 cotton, and indigo, were heavily dependent upon slave labor.

Choose the best answer.

1. The topic sentence of the above paragraph is …….sentence.

A. the first B. the third C. the last

2. The controlling ideas are………………..

A. heavily dependent upon slave labor
B. transplanted to the New and vice versa
C. closely tied to the processes of European exploration and colonization

3. The topic sentence is a statement of ………

A. intent B. opinion

4. What was the dietary staple of native North, Central and South Americans?
A. wheat B. maize C. potatoes

5. Which were not mentioned as transplanted crops in the passage?

A. pineapple B. potatoes C. coffee

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Exercise 3

It has been about a decade since oil palm trees were first utilized
to make meal boxes and degradable tableware. Today, by integrating
designers’ ingenuity, oil palm waste is made into notebooks and bags
that give a tactile sensation. Besides being an eye-opener, the move
5 helps oil palm-based papers achieve a breakthrough in the paper
industry! Today, on the shelves are various types of notebooks with their
brown covers printed with thought-provoking slogans. They are all oil
palm-based items that ooze creativity. “These products were only
introduced about two months ago but they have been receiving
10 overwhelming responses in the market,” quipped Liu Shiwei. Aeiou
studio, which started out as a manufacturer of gift wraps, was founded by
Liu, along with three other friends. Liu was only 24 at that time. Today,
the company has several paper-based brands and printing facilities under
its belt. Recently, Liu also collaborated with a palm oil chemicals
15 company to upgrade the technology in meal box and tableware
production, signifying a venture into the paper manufacturing industry. By
leveraging on the company’s original expertise in designing, beautiful
stationery is being churned out.

Choose the best answer.

1. What is the topic of the above passage?
A. Timbers B. Oil palm products C. Papers

2. What is the main idea of the above passage?

A. Oil palm trees are planted all over the world.
B. There are many products made from oil palm trees.
C. Paper manufacturing industries are popular.

Exercise 4

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

European agriculture underwent a number of significant changes

during the middle Ages. Tools including the scythe and plow were
improved from classical versions, a three field system of crop rotation was
invented, and the moldboard plow and wheeled plow were increasingly
5 used. Draft horses were bred and increasingly used as a working animal
in many parts of Europe, while oxen continued to be used for this purpose.
Metal horseshoes were widely adopted. Much of Europe had low
population densities during this period, to which extensive farming was
well-suited. In parts of Southern Europe, more intensive farming
10 combined techniques continued from classical Roman agriculture and
those transferred from Islamic regions. In the late middle Ages, the use of
manure as fertilizer increased, which in turn decreased the necessity of
regular fallowing of fields.

24
1. Which is the topic sentence of the above passage?
A. The first sentence B. The third sentence
C. The last sentence

2. What are the controlling ideas?

A. A number of significant changes C. Regular fallowing of fields
B. Many parts of Europe

3. The topic sentence shows a statement of ………….

A. opinion B. intent C. intent and opinion

4. The scythe (line 2) is ……….

A. a change B. a tool C. a version

5. What animals were used as working animals?

A. Horses B. Both horses and oxen C. oxen

6. What was invented during the middle Ages?

A. classical versions B. a 3-field system C. crop rotation

Exercise 5
1
Are there any benefits that genetic engineering could bring to
humankind? 2By performing genetic engineering, scientists can obtain
knowledge about genetic mechanisms. 3For example, they may be able
to uncover some secrets of genetic mapping. 4Genetic mapping is the
5 identification of individual genes for various functions. 5If scientists are
raising restriction enzymes to splice certain genes, they must be able to
identify the genes. 6Thus, genetic engineering helps to identify certain
nucleotide sequences, and to use various restriction enzymes to "read"
the sequences. 7For example, if it appears that a single gene is
10 responsible for a certain function, the recombinant-DNA process may tell
us otherwise that two multiple genes, or even other factors are
responsible for the specific function (Zhu).

a. Read the above passage and underline all the noun phrases in the
passage.

b. Skim the above passage and say whether the following is TRUE or
FALSE.

1. The topic of the above passage is genetic engineering.

2. The topic sentence is the sixth sentence.
3. It is a statement of opinion.

25
 Exercises for Tutorial Classes
(UNIT 2)

Exercise 1
Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph and circle the controlling
idea. Decide whether it is a statement of intent, opinion, or both intent and
opinion.
A. There are many ways of communicating that do not utilize language. Cries
of warning and aggression, of contentment and affection, are forms of
communication not limited to human, Or, on the human level, the dirty look
which may convey meaning, does not involve language. Gestures are also
forms of communication. The nod of the head means ‘yes’ to Americans,
but a single not in the Middle East is a clear “no”.

B. It is difficult to make a distinction between food additives and food

ingredients. Sugar, which is a natural product, is generally considered to
be an ingredient whereas saccharin, an artificial sweetener, is usually
termed an additive. One method to distinguish between additives and
ingredients is to classify them according to function. Additives are used in
food production to enhance flavor and color, to prolong shelf life and to
preserve or enhance nutritional value. These functions are non-essential
and hence it is possible to classify the substances which perform them as
additives rather than ingredients.

C. Improved sanitation is not the only factor which accounted for the decline
in morbidity and mortality rates. In the period following the Second World
War the use of the pesticide DDT had a profound effect on public health.
DDT was used to control the pests which spread diseases such as
sleeping sickness, malaria and typhus. Used throughout the developing
world, over one billion people were liberated from the threat of these
diseases. Following the wide-scale employment of DDT in Sri Lanka in
1947, the number of deaths resulting from the disease fell from over
10,000 a year to zero in the early ‘60s. Ten years later, as a result of a
reduction in the DDT spraying campaign, over two million people were
infected with malaria.

D. Multimedia applications are used in many kinds of fields. For example,

some museum, banks and estate agents have information kiosks that use
multimedia. Companies produce training programs on optical disks, and
marketing managers use presentation packages (e.g. Microsoft Power
Point) to make business presentations. Teachers use multimedia to make
video projects or to teach subjects such as music and languages. They
have all found that moving images, sound and music involve viewers
emotionally as well as inform them, and make their message more
memorable.

E. Water puts out in two ways. When a sufficient amount of water is poured
over a fire, the fire is smothered. It stops burning because it cannot get
enough oxygen. Water also puts out fire by lowering the burning point of
the fire. It does this by taking into itself the heat of the fire and turning into
stems, thus lowering the heat of the burning thing.

26
Exercise 2
Read the passage and do the exercises that follow.
Memory is a fundamental factor in intelligence. Without it, there could
hardly be any intelligence. If we did not remember any of the words we
heard, the faces we saw, the general information we acquired, the places
we have been, etc., we should be hopeless idiots. We should not remember
5 what food to eat or what clothes to wear, we could learn no lessons, and
consequently, we should be constantly in chaotic state.

a. Choose the best answer.

1. The topic of the paragraph above is a/an __________________.
a. fundamental factor b. intelligence c. memory
2. The topic sentence of the paragraph is stated at ___________ sentence.
a. first b. second c. last
3. The main idea of the paragraph above is _____________.
a. a photographic memory is an advantage for students
b. a necessary condition of intelligence memory
c. a man who suffered from amnesia would probably not very intelligent

b. Underline any noun phrases found in the passage above.

Exercise 3
Read the passage and do the exercises that follow.
The phenomenon that we call light is only a small part of the
spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Living begins utilize only the
intermediate range of these wavelengths. Reaction to light waves is
mediated by pigment called carotenoids. Plants use carotenoids for
5 photosynthesis, and animals use them to activate sensory nerves. It is
not surprising that living creatures on earth are adapted to the middle
range of electromagnetic radiation, as the atmosphere of earth severely
restricts the range of wavelengths, particularly at sea level.

a. Choose the best answer.

1 What is the topic of the passage?
A. Vision B. Radiation C. Light D. Magnetism
2. Which of the following would make the best title for the passage?
A. The Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation
B. The Spectrum of Light on Earth
C. The Use of Light
D. Adapting to Light Sources
3. What is the primary purpose of this passage?
A. To describe the reaction of living creatures to light on earth.
B. To convince the reader of the need for electromagnetism.
C. To describe the physical basis of electromagnetism.
D. To report on the effect of radiation on living creatures.

b. Underline any noun phrases found in the passage above.

27
Exercise 4
Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.
The term weathering refers to all the ways in which rock can be
broken down. It takes place because minerals formed in a particular way
(say at high temperatures, in the case of igneous rocks) are often
unstable when exposed to various conditions. Weathering involves the
5 interaction of the lithosphere (the Earth’s crust) with the atmosphere and
hydrosphere (air and water). It occurs at different rates and in many
different ways, depending on the climatic and environmental conditions.
But all kinds of weathering ultimately produce broken minerals and rock
fragments and other products of the decomposition of stones.
10 Soil is the most obvious, and from the human point of view, the most
important result of weathering process. Soil is the weathered part of the
Earth’s crust that is capable of sustaining plant life. Its character depends
on the nature of the rock from which it is formed. It also depends on the
climate and on the relative “age” of the soil. Immature soils are little more
15 than broken rock fragments. Overtime, immature soil, which contains
quantities of humus, formed from decayed plant matter. Mature soil is
darker, richer in microscopic life, and more conducive to plant growth.

a. Choose the best answer.

1. The first paragraph primarily describes _____________.
A. the process by which rocks are broken down
B. the weathering of igneous rocks
C. gradual changes in the Earth’s weather patterns

2. The main topic of the second paragraph is __________.

A. a description of immature soil
B. the growth of plants
C. the evolution of soil

3. The main idea of the entire passage is that ___________.

A. weathering breaks down rocks and leads to the development of soil
B. soils may be classified as mature or immature
C. the Earth’s crust is constantly changing

b. Underline any noun phrases found in the passage above.

Exercise 5
Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.
Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North
America, Europe, and Asia. In these areas the temperatures are almost
always freezing, and they cause an environment in which plant life is
virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather than water for the majority
5 of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture for
growth to take place. During the short period of time when the
temperature increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a
large volume of water. Too much water and not enough drainage through
the frozen subsoil make it difficult for plants to grow.

28
a. Choose the best answer.

1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Where Desert Tundra Is Found
B. The Weather in the Arctic
C. The Effect of Desert Tundra on Plant Life
D. The Variety of Plant Life in Desert Tundra

2. According to the passage, desert tundra is found ___________.

A. throughout North America, Europe and Asia
B. on the Arctic borders of the northern continents
C. in Antarctica
D. at the North Pole

3. According to the passage, what makes plant life almost impossible in areas
of desert tundra during most of the year?
A. Excessive water on the plane C. The frozen state of the water
B. The increase in temperature D. The lack of ice

4. According to the passage, which of the following does NOT happen when
the weather heats up?
A. Plans grow well C. The ice melts
B. There is not enough drainage D. There is too much water

5. According to the passage, why is it impossible for the water to drain after it
melts?
A. The land beneath the surface is still frozen
B. The temperature is too high
C. The period of time is too short
D. The vegetation is flourishing

b. Underline any noun phrases found in the passage above.

Exercise 6
Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.

Whales are mammals rather than fish, yet they live in the world’s
oceans rather than on land. Because of the fact that they are mammals,
scientists have believed for quite some time that whales are descendants
of land animals.
5 Some interesting evidence to support this theory has recently been
found. In Egypt, fossils have been found of a forty-million-year-old- whale
leg, kneecap, ankle, foot-bones, and toes. It appears from the fossil
evidence that the bones were not very strong and not very large in
comparison to the size of the whale.
10 Based on this fossil evidence, the following evolutionary path has
been hypothesized. As the whale began its evolution toward the water, its
legs weakened and disappeared, leaving only the front flippers today.

29
a. Choose the best answer
1. The main idea of this passage is that ____________.
A. numerous whale fossils have been found in the world’s oceans
B. there is evidence that whales may have descended from land
mammals
C. whales are mammals not fish
D. whales have not evolved very much over the last millions of year

2. All of the following are TRUE about whales, ECXEPT _________.

A. they are mammals C. they are fish
B. they may have come from the land D. they live in the ocean

3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the whale fossils in the
passage?
A. They found in Egypt.
B. They support the theory that whales came from land.
C. They are forty million years old.
D. They showed that ancient whales had flippers

4. Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the list of whale fossils found
in Egypt?
A. A whales’ kneecaps C. A whale’s foot-bones
B. A whales’ ankle D. A whale’s fingers

5. According to the hypothesis in the passage, what happened to whales’ legs?

A. They got stronger over time C. They disappeared quickly
B. They got larger over time D. They became front flippers

b. Underline any noun phrases found in the passage above.

Exercise 7
Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.
NewTech Equipment Company announced that it expects to cut
4,000 jobs within the next six month in Brazil as part of its strategy to
reorganize its money-losing business. NewTech has been struggling to
make a profit after two years of losses worldwide.
5 The reduction in its labor force comes as a surprise to business
analysts, who have been impressed with the performance of the company
in recent months. Although its revenues have not matched those of its
first two years of business, they had been increasing steadily since June.
New competition was blamed for this loss of revenue, but sources
10 close to the company place the blame on the lack of direction from the
chairman of the company, Pierre Reinartz. He has been with the company
for only a year, and he will probably resign soon.
It is expected that Mary Strube will succeed him. She was responsible
for opening the international offices, which have been more profitable
15 than those in Brazil. The international offices will not be affected by the
staff reduction.

a. Choose the best answer.

30
1. What is the topic of the passage above?
A. The resignation of Mr. Pierre Reinartz
B. The reduction of employees in NewTech Equipment Company
C. The appointment of Miss Mary Strube as the new chairman
D. The profits made by NewTech Equipment Company

2. Why will NewTech cut jobs locally?

A. To be more profitable
B. Because it is moving overseas
C. Because labor costs have gone up
D. Because Chairman Reinartz directed it

3. Where will these jobs be cut?

A. Asia B. Brazil C. The United States D. Europe

4. How long has NewTech been losing money?

A. Six months B. One year C.A year and half D. Two years

5. What surprised analysts?

A. The recent growth of income
C. The decision to reduce employees
B. The resignation of the chairman
D. The opening of an international branch

6. What describes the international branches of NewTech?

A. They earn more money that the Brazilian office.
B. They are less cost-effective.
C. They are older than the Brazilian branch.
D. They will be closed within six months

Exercise 8
Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.
While fats have lately acquired a bad image, one should not forget
how essential they are. Fats provide the body’s best means of storing
energy, a far more efficient energy source than either carbohydrates or
proteins. They act as insulation against cold, as cushioning for the internal
5 organs, and as lubricants. Without fats, there would be no way to utilize
fat soluble vitamins. Furthermore, some fats contain fatty acids that
provide necessary growth factors, strengthen the immune system, and
help with the digestion of other foods.
An important consideration of fat intake is the ratio of saturated fats to
10 unsaturated fats. Saturated fats, which are derived from dairy products,
animal fats, and tropical oils, increase the amount of cholesterol in the
blood. Cholesterol may lead to coronary heart disease by building up in
the arteries of the heart. However, unsaturated fats, derived from
vegetable oils, tend to lower serum cholesterol if taken in a proportion
15 twice that of saturated fats.
The consumption of a variety of fats is necessary, but the intake
of too much fat may lead to a variety of health problems. Excessive intake
of fats, like all nutritional excesses, is to be avoided.

a. Choose the best answer.

31
1. The main idea of the first paragraph is that fats ____________.
A. deserve their bad image
B. serve important function in the body
C. can be dangerous if consumed excessively
D. store energy more efficiently than proteins or carbohydrates

2. The main idea of the second paragraph is ______________.

A. unsaturated fats may reduce cholesterol level
B. the consumption of any type of fat leads to heart disease
C. it is important to eat the proper proportion of saturated fats and
unsaturated fats
D. saturated fats are more beneficial than saturated fats

3. The main idea of the third paragraph is ___________.

A. people are eating less and less fat today
B. fat should be gradually eliminated from the diet
C. people should avoid eating fats for health reasons
D. excessive consumption of fats may be dangerous to health

4. A variety of health problems may occur if a person ___________ in his or

her diet.
A. supplies adequate fats
C. combines enough fats with other foods
B. includes sufficient foods
D. consumes excessive fats

Decide whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE.

5. There are four functions of fatty acids mentioned in paragraph 1
6. Unsaturated fats can be obtained from dairy products, animal fats, and
tropical oils.
7. Fatty acids in fats are essential for growth.

32
 WEEK 4: UNIT 3
SCANNING & UNDERSTANDING NOUN CLAUSES

Objectives:
1. to find the specific information
2. to locate the source of information

A. SCANNING TO FIND SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Scanning is another reading skill, besides skimming, that is very important. Unlike skimming,
scanning helps you to find specific pieces of information. It is a skill that you can use when
you want to know what information a text contains and when you want to find answers to
specific questions you have about the subject.

The scanning skill involves questions that refer to detailed information such as who, what,
which, why, etc. Besides the scanning skill, this unit also deals with questions asking for
implied details. This means that the information is not always stated in the text, but it is drawn
from the conclusion.

Sample Passage

Scan the advertisement below and answer the questions that follow.

The Bali administration will introduce a bylaw on land protection in an effort to curb
the disturbing rate of rice field conversion, a senior official said. It is estimated that up to
1,000 hectares of rice fields are converted annually into tourism activities and housing
development on the island.
5 Provincial agricultural agency, Made Putra Suryawan pointed out that the bylaw
would be the local implementation of 2009 Law on rice field protection issued by the
Central Government.

Where would this article probably appear?

1. What will be introduced?
2. Who stated this?
3. How big is the missing rice field every year?
4. Where did the 2009 Law come from?

Grammar Points:
WH-Question is one type of question that mostly needs to be answered by using scanning
skills. Below is the review on WH-Questions

WH-Questions
Wh- Examples Answers Notes
questions
Who Who made that Picasso did. Asking for a subject/person
painting?
Who(m) Who(m) did you I saw Tom. Asking for an object/person
see yesterday?
What What made you The onion. Asking for subjects/things
cry? I wear a or objects/things
What do you wear uniform.
every day?
Whose Whose pen do you Yours. Asking for a possession.
borrow?
 When When did you meet I met him last Asking for time.
him? week.
Where Where will you On Wednesday. Asking for a place.
have the meeting?
Why Why did you go to I wanted to buy Asking for a reason.
Jakarta? a radio.
Which Which do you The red one. Asking for a choice.
want?
How How did she Beautifully. Asking for
dance? Fifty dollars. manner/prices/distance/length/
How much does it Half an hour. quantity/etc.
cost? Ten km.
How long does it Around twenty.
take?
How far is it?
How many people
are there?

B. LOCATING THE SOURCE OF INFORMATION

Sample passage
Art Clokey has been delighting children with his animation techniques since 1953.
He uses a technique called stop-motion in which he films clay figures, stops the filming,
and then repositions the figures to continue the film. When the film is completed, his clay
figures move around to act out his stories. Perhaps the best known of Clokey’s
5 tridimensional animated characters is “Gumby”, a little green slab clay who has been
around since 1956.

Where in the passage does the author mention the first appearance of the clay figure known
as Gumby?
A. Lines 1-2 B. Lines 2-4 C. lines 3-4 D. Lines 5-7

Exercise 1
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Dissolved oxygen analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O2)

dissolved in an aqueous solution. Oxygen gets into water by diffusion from the
surrounding air, by aeration (rapid movement), and as a waste product of
photosynthesis.
5 Total dissolved gas concentrations in water should not exceed 110 percent.
Concentration above this level can be harmful to aquatic life. Fish in waters containing
excessive dissolved gasses may suffer from “gas bubble disease”; however, this is a
very rare occurrence.
Adequate dissolved oxygen is necessary for good water quality. Oxygen is a
10 necessary element to all forms of life. Natural stream purification processes require
adequate oxygen levels in order to provide for aerobic life forms. As dissolved oxygen
levels in water drop below 5.0 mg/l, aquatic life is put under stress. The lower the
concentration, the greater the stress. Oxygen levels that remain below 1-2 mg/l for a
few hours can result in large fish kills.
Where in the passage does the writer.............?
1. discuss how water gets oxygen
2. mention the negative effect of too much dissolved gasses
3. explain the importance of oxygen in the water
4. mention when aquatic life experiences stress
C. THE NOUN CLAUSES

A clause is a group or words that contain subject predicate. There are two types of clauses:
main clause and sub-clause. A main clause is a clause that can stand by itself, whereas a
sub-clause is a clause that cannot stand by itself.

For example:

1. The book is interesting. (Main clause)

2. The book is expensive because it has hard covers.
main clause sub-clause

There are three types of sub-clause:

1. Noun clause
2. Adjective clause
3. Adverb clause

This unit will only discuss the noun clause. The other sub-clauses will be treated in other
units.

A Noun Clause can function as a subject, object or a complement in a sentence

a. A noun clause that functions as a subject:

E.g. Why he left the country was still a question.
That he accepted the proposal in the first place was a surprise.
What we are going to do next will be considered later.

b. A noun clause that functions as an object:

E.g. I don’t know when the TOEFL score will be announced.
We are wondering what will happen to them afterwards.
Does everybody realize why we have to reduce car emission in our region?

c. A noun clause that functions as a complement:

E.g. My question is when we are going to get the promotion.

The problem is (that) we don’t have enough fund for such an event.

Exercises 2
Indicate whether the underlined words in the following sentences are noun clauses or
not.

1. One of the reasons for seeds not germinating is that badly drained soil may lack
sufficient oxygen.
2. Only a small percentage of the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by the sun is
ultraviolet radiation.
3. When the sand had passed through the hourglass, the speed of the boat was
determined by counting the number of knots that had been let out.
4. It is common knowledge that animals are selective in what they eat – one man’s meat
is another man’s poison.
5. What we are familiar with is only the upper surface of the skin, or crust.
6. With tomatoes, melons, and cucumber, it is the fruit that is eaten.
7. Researchers have proposed that certain synthetic waxes could be prepared based
on knowledge of desert plants.
Exercises 3
Reading 1

Climate is commonly defined as the weather average over a long period of time.
The standard averaging period is 30 years, but other periods may be used depending
on the purpose. Climate also includes statistics other than average, such as the
magnitudes of day-to-day or year-to year variations.
5 The difference between climate and weather is usually summarized by the popular
phrase “Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.” Over historical time
spans there are a number of nearly constant variables that determine climate, including
latitude, altitude, proportion of land to water, and proximity to oceans and mountains.
These change only over periods of millions of years due to processes such as plate
10 tectonics.
Other climate determinations are more dynamic. For example, the thermohaline
circulation of the ocean leads to a 5 °C (9 °F) warming of the northern Atlantic Ocean
compared to other basins. The ocean currents redistribute heat between land and
water on a more regional scale. The density and type of vegetation coverage affects
15 solar heat absorption, water retention, and rainfall on a regional level. Alterations in the
quantity of atmospheric greenhouse gasses determine the amount of solar energy
retained by the planet, leading to global warming or global cooling. The variables which
determine climate are numerous and the interactions are complex, but there is general
agreement that the broad outlines are understood.

Indicate whether each of the following statements is TRUE or FALSE based on the
above passage.

1. The topic of the above passage is climate and weather.

2. In determining the climate, the standard averaging of 30-year period may be used.
3. The controlling idea of paragraph two is popular.
4. In lines 6-8 the author outlines the factors that influence climate.
5. It is just in recent time that both latitude and altitude are used as climate variables.
6. Constant variables are easily changed on a daily basis.
7. Plate tectonics can change in a relatively short time.
8. The topic sentence of paragraph three (lines 12- 23) is a statement of opinion.
9. Global warming and global cooling are due to the amount of greenhouse gasses.
10. “which determine climate” in line 20 is a noun clause.

Reading 2

Research has indicated that dyslexia have biological origins, and most
investigators now suspect that dyslexic children read poorly as a result of
unawareness. Dyslexic children cannot easily learn to read because they have trouble
associating printed letters with the sounds of speech. A similar problem occurs in
5 congenitally deaf people who have mastered the linguistic complexities and subtleties
of sign language but have trouble learning to read.
Evidence also exists suggesting that the root cause for much dyslexia is a
problem with processing very rapidly changing sensory stimuli. For example, studies
have shown that dyslexic children have trouble making accurate decisions between
10 similar auditory signals. They often cannot hear the difference between speech sounds
such as “pah”, “dah”, and “bah”. Recently, differences have been noted between the
visual pathways of dyslexics that suggest a comparable problem with fast-changing
visual stimuli. Researchers have also found several other neuroanatomical
abnormalities in the temporal lobe and in other areas of the brain. All of these studies
15 are extremely valuable in helping researchers understand the mechanisms underlying
reading problems so that dyslexic children can be accurately identified and more
efficiently helped.
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To change current ideas about dyslexia
B. To explore the causes of dyslexia
C. To distinguish between dyslexia and congenital deafness
D. To cite examples of dyslexic behavior

2. According to the passage, “phonological unawareness” means

A. trouble with hearing and sensory stimuli.
B. inability to distinguish between auditory signals.
C. problems associating printed letters and sounds.
D. abnormalities in the temporal lobe.

3. In what lines does the author state where neuroanatomical abnormalities are located?
A. Line 4-7 C. lines 11-13
B. Lines 8-10 D. lines 15-17

4. The author compares the problems of dyslexic children with

A. dyslexic adults
B. the subtleties of sign language
C. the visual pathways of other dyslexics
D. the problems of congenitally deaf people

5. Both dyslexic people and deaf people have a problem with

A. hearing C. reading
B. speaking D. writing

6. How many noun clauses are there in paragraph 1?

A. None B. One C. Two D. More than two

Reading 3

Carbon is the 15th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust and the fourth
most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen.
It is present in all known life forms, and in the human body carbon is the second most
plentiful element by mass (about 18.5%) after oxygen. This abundance, together with
5 the unique diversity of organic compounds and their unusual polymer-forming ability
at the temperatures commonly encountered on Earth, makes this element the
chemical basis of all known life.
There are several allotropes of carbon of which the best known are graphite,
diamond, and amorphous carbon. The physical properties of carbon vary widely with
10 the allotropic form. For instance, diamond is highly transparent, while graphite is
opaque and black. Diamond is among the hardest materials known, whereas
graphite is soft enough to form a streak on paper. Diamond has a very low electrical
conductivity, while graphite is a very good conductor. All the allotropic forms are
solids under normal conditions, but graphite is the most thermodynamically stable.
15 It is widely known that all forms of carbon are highly stable, requiring high
temperature to react even with oxygen – called oxidation. The most common
oxidation state of carbon in inorganic compounds is +4, while +2 is found in carbon
monoxide and other transition metal carbonyl complexes. The largest sources of
inorganic carbon are limestone, dolomites, and carbon dioxide, but significant
20 quantities occur in organic deposits of coal, peat, oil and methane clathrates. Carbon
forms more compounds than any other element, with almost ten million pure organic
compounds described to date.
Choose the best answer. Cross (X) A, B, or C
1. According to the passage, the amount of oxygen in the universe is _____ carbon.
A. the same as B. more than C. not as much as
2. The controlling idea of paragraph two (lines 8-15) is ______
A. several B. carbon C. best
3. Which statement is NOT supported by the above passage?
A. Carbon cannot only be found in human body.
B. Carbon has the ability to form polymer.
C. Carbon’s organic compound is uniquely indifferent.
4. Where in the passage does the author discuss the famous carbon allotropes?
A. Lines 3-5 B. Lines 8-9 C. 17-18
5. According to the passage, graphite is ______
A. not stable under normal condition. C. not as hard as diamond
B. not as good conductor as diamond.
6. The topic sentence of paragraph three is stated in the _______ sentence.
A. first B. third C. last
7. Carbons can _______ . Which statement is WRONG according to the passage?
A. be very stable in their forms
B. reach high but stable temperature
C. react with oxygen when its temperature is high
8. How many noun clauses can be found in paragraph three?
A. None B. One C. Two
9. The topic sentence of paragraph 3 is a statement of__________.
A. intent B. opinion C. intent and opinion

10. The word ‘it’ in line 15 refers to _____________.

A. allotrope B. graphite C. nothing
 Exercises for Tutorial Classes
(WEEK 4: UNIT 3)
Reading 1

Seaweeds, or algae, do not have roots like higher land plants. Some of them
attach themselves to stationary objects such as rocks or piers by the suction of organs
called holdfasts. This keeps them from being swept out to open sea or washed ashore.
Other free-floating algae, such as Sargasso weed or giant brown kelp, live in colonies
5 and travel with the currents and tides.

Exercise 1
Choose the best answer to each question.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
a. Seaweeds and the Land Plants
b. Composition of Seaweeds
c. The Rootless Seaweed
d. Suction and the Seaweeds
2. Another general name for seaweeds is
a. suction weeds
b. sargasso plants
c. kelp
d. algae
3. Many seaweeds attach themselves to objects in order to
a. remain in one place
b. suck food from the water
c. wash themselves
d. form large group
4. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the free-floating algae?
a. They are extremely large
b. They move with the water
c. They are frequent near rocks and piers
d. They resemble higher land plants.

Reading 2
Because a large portion of the land in Hawaii is rugged and mountainous, the
state has little space to grow crops. Some areas are covered with hard, black lava on
which nothing can grow. Even so, Hawaii produces large quantities of farm products.
The volcanic soil in the valleys and lowlands is very fertile, and the warm climate makes
5 it possible to grow crops all year long. Rainfall is plentiful on the northern and eastern
sides of each island. Much of the land on the southern and western sides of each island
receives too little rainfall for most crops to grow well. However, in many places where
rainfall is light, wells and mountain streams supply water for irrigation.

Exercise 2
Choose the best answer to each question.

1. The main purpose of the passage is to describe the Hawaiian_________.

a. Geography
b. market system
c. farming condition
d. settlement pattern
 2. Where is most of the farming done in Hawaii?
a. Along the coast
b. On the mountain slopes
c. On the rich lava beds
d. In the lowlands
3. When is the Hawaiian growing season?
a. Through the entire year
b. During all seasons except winter
c. Mainly in spring and summer
d. Only during the long summer months
4. How do dry areas in Hawaii get their water?
a. It is carefully collected when it rains
b. It is stored in mountain reservoirs
c. It is brought in from other areas
d. It is provided by wells.
5. Where can you find information about the condition of the volcanic soil?
a. Lines 1-2
b. Line 2-3
c. Line 4-6
d. Lines 7-8

Reading 3

Indonesia’s forests represent 10% of the world’s remaining tropical

rainforests. By 2001 Indonesia had lost 99 million acres of forest during the previous
32 years, which is equivalent to the combined size of Germany and the Netherlands.
The current rate of forest loss is accelerating.
5 Indonesia is one of the five most species-diverse countries in the world, home to
12% of all mammal species, 16% of all reptile and amphibian species, and 17% of all
bird species. It also contains 33% of insect species, 24% of fungi species, and 10% of
higher plant species. Tanjung Puting National Park (TPNP), site of Camp Leakey, is
home to more than 230 bird species, at least 17 reptile species, and 29 mammal
10 species.
After Malaysia and the United States, Indonesia has the third highest number of
threatened species with 772 species. However, Indonesia has the absolute highest
number of threatened mammal species with 147 species – an increase of seven
species since the year 2000. According to a recent article in the conservation journal
15 Oryx, 1000 orangutans are lost in Sumatra each year; in Borneo, the number is
probably even higher.

Exercise 3
A. Scan the above passage and answer the questions below briefly.

1. What is the text primarily concerned with?

2. What percentage of the world’s remaining tropical rainforests do Indonesian’s forests
represent?
3. How many bird species can we find in the TPNP?
4. How many threatened species are there in Indonesia?
5. According to the conservation journal Oryx, how many orangutans are lost in Sumatra
each year?
B. Indicate whether each of the following is TRUE or FALSE.

1. The topic of the above passage is the condition of Indonesia’s forests and fauna.
2. By 2001, Indonesia, Germany and the Netherlands had the same amount of forest loss.
3. The topic of the second paragraph is the diversity of Indonesia’s fauna’s species.
4. According to the above passage, the number of forests has decreased slowly.
5. Indonesia has 17% of bird species found in the world.
6. In Tanjung Puting National Park, we can find at least 17 mammal species.
7. Since 2000, there have been seven species of mammal that are threatened.
8. Malaysia has the third highest number of threatened species in the world.
9. The topic of the third paragraph is the highest number of species in the world.
10. The number of orangutans lost in Sumatra is higher than that in Borneo.

Reading 4

Indonesia is planning to produce more than 50,000 units of bird flu vaccine to
ensure that it is well prepared in case a pandemic occurs and to assist foreign countries
as well.
Indonesian Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said that the country is attempting to
5 produce sufficient bird flu vaccine although the H5N1 virus attacks had eased recently.
She added that the country needs to remain alert to possible risk as the virus has killed
seven people in the country in 2012. "The process of production has been done in
Bandung. We must be ready when pandemic take place. We need over 50,000 units
vaccines for it and to assist foreign countries," she said.
10 More than 6,000 chickens at a farm in a village in Luyang, a town in Jingtai County,
showed symptoms of suspected avian flu and 260 of them have died, according to the
Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory
confirmed the epidemic was H5N1 bird flu after testing samples collected at the farm,
the MOA said. Local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where
15 a total of 18,460 chickens have been culled and safely disposed of in order to prevent
the disease from spreading. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of
animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly,
pigs. It can be fatal to humans.
The watering system in your poultry house and how you manage it are central to
20 the quality of environment in which you raise your flock. This is especially true during
the critical first 24 hours of a chick’s life and the following two weeks. Poor conditions
during brooding will damage the flock’s performance and negatively impact results at
the end of the grow-out. It is vital that new chicks have immediate access to fresh,
hygienic water and that their environment is as clean as possible.

Exercise 4
A. Underline each noun clause in the passage above.

Choose the best answer to each question.

1. The topic of the passage is ___________.

A. Avian influenza B. The Ministry of health C. Bird flu vaccine

2. How many units of bird vaccine is Indonesia going to produce?

A. 5,000 B. 50,000 C. Unknown

3. Which is NOT the reason for producing the bird vaccine?

A. A pandemic B. Helping other countries C. Assistants
 4. H5N1 is _________.
A. a virus B. an attack C. a vaccine

5. The vaccine is produced__________.

A. In 2011 B. in Bandung C. significantly

6. How many chickens died in Luyang?

A. 260 B. 6,000 C. 9

7. Where can you find information about the place where the vaccine is produced?
A. Lines 4-7 B. Lines 8-10 C. Line 16-18

8. Bird flu is also called…………..

A. an outbreak B. a contagious disease C. avian influenza

9. Which can cause bird flu?

A. Hygienic water B. Poor brooding conditions C. Clean environment

10. The last paragraph discusses…………..

A. effects of bird flu B. preventive actions C. clean environment

Reading 5

Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively. In Factual Information

questions you are asked what information an author has presented. In Rhetorical
Purpose questions you are asked why the author has presented a particular piece of
information in a particular place or manner. Rhetorical Purpose questions ask you to
5 show that you understand the rhetorical function of a statement or paragraph as it
relates to the rest of the passage.

Exercise 5
A. Underline the noun clauses in the above passage.
B. Identify whether the noun clause is subject, object or subject complement.

Reading 6

The wrasse is a small, brightly colored fish that has the habit of picking parasites.
As it swims toward such large fish as groups or moray eels, it is recognized as a friend
and is allowed to come close. The wrasse then begins to gorge itself on parasites that
it picks from the bodies of the large fish. The association for mutual benefit goes so far
5 that when a wrasse nudges at a group’s gull covers, the grouper obliges by extending
them to give the picker access to the delicate breathing organs underneath.
Barracudas even permit the spaces between their razor-sharp teeth to be cleaned
without harm to the dental assistants. Some other small fish have color patterns and
swimming habits that make them indistinguishable from the wrasse. The imposters do
10 not pick parasites; instead, they take bites from the soft tissue of the unsuspecting
fish.
Exercise 6
1. What would be the most appropriate title for this passage?
A. Large fish and eels
B. Feeding habits of Barracudas
C. Parasite infestation of fish
D. Parasite pickers and imitators
 2. Because of their size and appearance, one might expect that wrasses could be
___________.
A. mistaken for parasites
B. eaten immediately by large fish
C. hidden by their protective coloring
D. known as slow swimmers
3. According to the passage, what benefit do larger fish gain by their association with
wrasses?
A. Removal of parasitic organism
B. A stable food supply
C. Protection from barracudas
D. Camouflage from enemies
4. According to the passage, larger fish may respond to the wrasse by ___.
A. eating the parasites
B. retreating rapidly
C. opening vulnerable organs
D. breathing more quickly
5. By referring to “dental assistants” in the passage, the author is suggesting that
_________.
A. wrasses can clean teeth
B. barracudas have to keep their teeth very sharp
C. parasites can clean teeth
D. wrasses like to have their teeth picked by parasites
6. According to the passage, the imposters resemble the real wrasses because they
_________.
A. have the same diet
B. have the same coloration
C. are from the same family
D. share a common enemy

Exercise 7
Indicate whether the following sentences containing noun clauses are correct or
incorrect. Correct them.

1. Whatever she does it is not important.

2. We have to do what the teacher told us last week.
3. The girls were interested in whom made the speech.
4. It has not been announced who will get the scholarships.
5. Maybe we should find out who has donated such a big amount of money.
6. The man said that his wallet was lost on that street.
7. When will they have the meeting is not known yet.
8. Most students worried about whether they passed the test or not.
9. The scientist did not tell us how did he do the experiment.
10. Which movie they watched did not interest me.
 WEEK 6
GUESSING MEANINGS OF UNKNOWN WORDS

Objectives:
1. to guess the meaning of unknown words from context
2. to find the meaning of a word by using a dictionary

1. Guessing meaning from context / context clues

1a. Guessing meaning from context clues / structural clues

When you read a scientific or technical text in English, you will probably
encounter many words you do not know. Searching for them in a bilingual
dictionary is time consuming and tiring. Sometimes the procedure takes so long
that you become discouraged and close the book. It may be possible to guess the
meaning of a word from the context.

A context is a sentence, paragraph, or longer unit of writing that surrounds

a word. The context sometimes provides structural clues, which include:

3. a definition ( by using verb “be”, that is, etc.)e.g. Graphology isthe study
and analysis of handwriting for the purpose of interpreting character
and personality.

4. punctuations; e.g. commas ( , ), dashes ( – ), brackets, quotation

marks (“…”)
e.g. Natural medicine became hugely popular, especially acupuncture
(an ancient Chinese method of anaesthetizing patients by sticking pins
into points in the nervous system)

5. words showing similarities (e.g. or, in other words, for example, etc)
e.g. Many prominent universities, such as IPB and ITB can produce
qualified human resources.

6. appositives, or more explanation, examples, etc.

e.g. In a remarkable documentary,Wings of Hope, German Director
Werner Herzog recounts the true story of an eighteen year old girl.

7. synonym and antonym

e.g. Everybody knows where the Reynold Building is, but only a few
can have an exhibition in that Grey Building.

8. prefixes / suffixes, etc.

e.g. Alan Macfarlane thinks he could rewrite the story.

57
Sample passage

Two Italian psychologists, Vincenzo Marte and Giovanni

Notarnicola, describe the traditional spontaneous practice of sport by
children – climbing trees, riding a bicycle along quiet roads, racing their
friends across the field – as an activity of freedom, a special activity of
5 discovery and learning. In the case of free sporting activity, the child’s
time is given up entirely to the activity, as can be seen in the endless
games of football young children play, which may then be followed by
bicycle races and/or a swim in the river, for example.
(Source: IELTS on Track, 2003:88)

After reading the above passage, we can make a conclusion that:

a. Vincenzo Marte (line 1) is an Italian psychologists.
b. climbing trees (line 2) is one of the traditional spontaneous practice of sport
by children.
c. an activity of freedom (line 3)means a special activity of discovery and
learning, etc.

Exercise 1
Find the meaning of the underlined words in the following passage

Uncontrolled blazes fueled by weather, wind, and dry underbrush;

wildfires can burn acres of land and consume everything in their paths
in mere minutes. On average, more than 100,000 wildfires, also called
wildland fires or forest fires, clear 4 million to 5 million acres in the U.S.
5 every year.
There are three conditions that need to be present in order for a
wildfire to burn, which firefighters refer to as the fire triangle: fuel, oxygen,
and a heat source. Fuel is any flammable material surrounding fire, and
heat sources help spark the wildfire and bring fuel to temperatures hot
10 enough to ignite.
Although four out of five wildfires are started by people, nature is
more than happy to help fan the flames. Dry weather and drought convert
vegetation into bone-dry, flammable fuel; strong winds spread fire quickly
over land; and warm temperature encourage combustion, the wildfire.

1. The word wildfires in line 2 is _______________________________

2. The words forest fires in line 4 mean ____________________________
3. What is a heat source in line 8? _______________________________
4. The word “fuel” in line 8 means __________________________________
5. The word drought in line 12 probably means _______________________
6. What is wildfire in line 14? _____________________________________

1. b. Guessing meaning from synonyms / antonyms

A synonym means a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as
another in the language, e.g. joyful, elated, glad. The use of synonyms increases
variety and interest by avoiding needless repetition of the same word. An antonym,

58
on the other hand, is a word opposed in meaning to another. For instance, “good”
is the antonym of “bad”. The synonym or/and antonym of specific word with its
specific meaning can be found in the dictionary.

Sample Passage
A first possible reason for the imbalance in the practice of sport by
children is therefore, linked to the urban society we live in today. We need
not regret the past; it is rather a question of knowing how to recreate this
freedom in our towns and in the country, where sport is increasingly
5 based on organized leisure activities. Doing one sport is now the rule in
clubs. Sports grounds are often on the outskirts of cities, and are
overcrowded and invariably enclosed, while recreational areas, such as
parks or hard-parked surfaces, are very few and far between. How can
we find the balance of a varied and spontaneous relationship to sport
under such conditions?
(Source: IELTS on Track, 2003:88)
The passage above includes a number of words with their synonym or/and
antonym.
Words which have similar meaning to the following are:
a. town : urban
b. hard-parked surfaces : park

While the antonym of the following words are:

c. town : country
d. today : past
e. overcrowded : few
f. balance : imbalance

Exercise 2
Read the following passage and then answer the questions.
Sea has a very important role in controlling Earth’s climate by
transferring heat from the equator toward the poles. Without the role of the
ocean, then almost the entire planet Earth would be too cold for humans to
live. Sea is also a source of food, energy (both renewable an
5 nonrenewable), and drugs. The coastal area is also a very large role in
human life. Nearly 50% of the inhabitants of Earth live in the area around
the beach. As we know, more than 70% of the planet Earth is covered by
water (which is mostly ocean).
Oceans also play capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
10 in very large quantities. About a quarter of the CO2 produced by man from
burning of fossil fuels is absorbed and stored in the oceans. In some parts
of the ocean, CO2 can be stored up to be centuries old and very large role
in reducing global warming. Because the ocean is crucial to human life
meaning, then it is the duty of man to keep guard. Ability of the ocean to
15 absorb CO2 is reduced if there is a damage in marine ecosystems such as
the destruction of coral reefs and mangrove forests.

A. Answer the following questions briefly.

1. Find one word in paragraph two which has similar meaning to the word
“important” in line 1.

59
2. Mention the synonym of the word “transferring” in line 2.
3. What is the antonym of the “covered” in line 7?
4. Find one word in paragraph one which can be used as the synonym of “a
half”,

B. Indicate whether the following statement is TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)

5. The word “nearly” in line 6 is the synonym as “more than” in line 7.
6. The word “a quarter” can be best replaced by “one-third”
7. The word “absorbed” and “stored” in line 11 are antonym.
8. The word “damage” in line 15 is the antonym of the word “destruction” in
line16.

Below are some examples of synonym and antonym from a dictionary.

Please fill in the blank provided.
No Words Parts of Synonym Antonym
speech
1. abrupt adjective ------------------------------ gradual
2. bulky adjective massive ------------------------
3. clever adjective quick-witted, skillful ------------------------
4. --------------------- adjective chill, freezing hot, warm
5. colloquial adjective conversational, ------------------------
informal
6. combine verb amalgamate, merger ------------------------
7. come verb arrive ------------------------
8. common adjective universal, popular ------------------------

I. c. Guessing meaning from prefixes, suffixes, word stems

Using context clues is a way to discover the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

Another way is word analysis, that is looking at the meanings of parts of words.
Many English words have been formed by combining parts of older English, Greek
and Latin words. If you know the meanings of some of these parts, you can often
guess the meaning of unfamiliar English word.

For example, report is formed from re, which means back, and port which
means carry. Scientist is derived from sci, which means know, and ist, which
means one who. Port and sci are called stems. A stem is the basic part on which
groups of related words are built. Re and ist are called affixes, that is word parts
which are attached to stems. Affixes like re, which are attached to the beginning of
stems are called prefixes. Affixes attached to the end, like ist, are called suffixes.

The following are some other examples of Prefixes, Suffixes and Stem words and
their meanings:

60
I. c. 1. PREFIXES

Prefix Meaning Examples

un- not unfortunate, unattractive
dis- not disuse, distrust, disappear, ________, _________
in- (im-, inactive, immature, injustice, imbalance,
ir-, il- not __________,________, _________, ___________
non- nonalcoholic, nonpolitical, _________ , ________
mis- wrongly misfortune, misconduct, __________ , _________

ante- before, preceding antecedent, antedate, _________, _________,

anti- against antigovernment, _____ , ______, _______, _______
co- together, joint co-author, coeducation, _____ , _______,
________
contra- against contradict, ______, _________, __________
Inter- between, among international, ______, ______, ______,
_________
intra- within intrastate, ______, ______, _______, _________
mal- bad, wrong malfunction, _____ , _______, _________,
_______
multi - many multicolored, ______, _____, _________,
________
post- after, later, postwar, _____, ________, __________,
________
pre- before, earlier prewar, ______, _______, ________,
___________
re- again readmit, refill, _______, _______, ________
sub- under, below subnormal, ________, ________, _________
super- above, over superhuman, ________, ________, ________

I. c. 2. SUFFIXES
Suffix Meaning Examples
-full full of
successful, careful, ________, _________
-less without
useless, careless, _________, _________

61
 -able capable of /able to
usable, understandable, _________, __________
-ous of the nature of /
dangerous, mountainous, ________, __________
full of
-er/or the one who …./
reader, speaker, mixer, _________, __________
something which ..
-ist
expert in / having a scientist, dentist, typist, _________, _________
duty as
-ness state of being
happiness, carelessness, _________, _________
-ize to make
minimize, stabilize, ___________, ___________

I. c. 3. STEMS
Stems Meanings Examples

-audi, audit - Hear

-chron Time
-dic, -dict say, speak
-log, -ology speech, study
-scope instrument for seeing or
observing
-phon- Sound
-spir- Breathe
-tele- Far
-anthro-, Man
anthropo-
-onym- Name

Sample passage
The hemp plant, one of the world’s oldest industrial resources, is
back. The rediscovery of this renewable resource is making the fiber of
choice for future textiles, personal care products, building materials, paper
and fuel.
5 Hemp has been grown for paper, textiles, food and medicine
throughout human history. The earliest known woven fabric, made of
hemp, dates back to the eight millennium (8,000-7,000 BC). Hemp seeds
were regularly used as a source of food and protein.
(Source: IELTS on Track, 2003:76)
After reading the above passage, we can guess the meaning of the following:

a. a hem plant is one of the world’s oldest industrial resources

b. rediscovery means the discovery but NOT for the first time, it was discovered
before
c. renewable means can be made into new again, etc.

62
Exercise 3
Explain the meaning of each italicized word below by analyzing its prefix,
suffix and/or word stem.
Today there is much concern with the earth’s dwindling resources. Most of
our energy sources, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, are
nonrenewable resources. If the consumption of these energy sources continues
at the present rate, we can foresee their being used up. For this reason,
5 scientists are taking a closer look at alternate sources of power: nuclear,
geothermal, hydroelectric, wind and solar. Scientists are now looking into
photovoltaics as a growing solar technology that will be one of the most
valuable sources power in the future.
A photovoltaic cell is also known as a solar cell. At present, photovoltaic
10 cells are used to power everything from watches and calculators to telephone
and orbiting satellites.
Many believers in photovoltaics are excited about plans for a new solar-
powered satellite. It will be launched in the mid-1980s. The satellite will be placed
in such an orbit that it will remain in total sunlight close to 100 percent of the time
15 (unlike earth-bound solar cells that spend part of their time under clouds).

Words Line Prefixes Word Stem Suffix Meaning

nonrenewable 2
foresee 4
scientist 4
geothermal 5
hydroelectric 5
photovoltaics 5
valuable 6
calculators 10
believers 12
Unlike 15

2. Finding the meaning of a word by using a dictionary

2.1. The part of Speech

Knowing “part of speech” is very important in guessing meaning. Read the

following examples:

1. He tried to answer the question.

(in the above sentence, “answer” is a VERB, it is part of the infinitive “to
answer”.
2. It is difficult to find an answer to the problem.
(“answer” is the object of the sentence; therefore, it is a NOUN.)

Thus, in some cases, different parts of speech can have the same spelling. Some
of these words are:

63
 VERB NOUN
cause cause
change change
dream dream
drink drink
edge edge
glow glow
mark mark
watch watch
water water

Other words are related to one another as word families. Although it is

usually very easy to identify the part of speech, word families can be confusing.
Each word in the family is a different part of speech. For example, agreement is a
noun; agreeable is an adjective; to agree is a verb.

Looking at the endings of a word may help you identify the part of speech
of that particular word. For instance:
Nouns derived from Verbs:
Verb Ending Noun
store -age Storage
accept -ance Acceptance
insist -ence Insistence
agree -ment Agreement
authorize -sion/-tion Authorization

Nouns derived from Adjectives:

Adjective Ending Noun
convenient -ce Convenience
redundant -cy Redundancy
opposite -tion Opposition
soft -ness Softness
durable -ty Durability
Adjectives derived from Nouns:
Noun Ending Adjective
possibility -able/-ible Possible
intention -al Intentional
distance -ant Distant
frequency -ent Frequent
juice -y Juicy

Adverbs derived from Adjectives:

Adjective Ending Adverb
efficient -ly Efficiently

64
Exercise 4.

Identify the part of speech of each underlined word, and then write the related
words.
Plant breeding is the purposeful manipulation of plant species in order to
create desired genotypes for specific purposes. This manipulation
involves either controlled pollination, genetic engineering, or both, followed
by artificial selection of progeny.
5 Plant breeding often, but not always, leads to plant domestication.
Plant breeding has been practiced for thousands of years, since near the
beginning of human civilization. It is now practiced worldwide by
government institutions and commercial enterprises. Classical plant
breeding uses deliberate interbreeding of closely or distantly related
10 individuals to produce new crop varieties.

Words/Lines Verb Noun Adjective Adverb

purposeful (1)
create (2)
desired (2)
involves (3)
selection (4)
lead (5)
government (8)
commercial (8)
closely (9)
produce (10)

2. 2. Using a Dictionary

You know that you don’t need to look up every new word in a dictionary
because you can often guess the meanings from the context. Sometimes,
however, you may want to use a dictionary for other purposes-for instance, to find
out the part of speech of a word or to learn related words.
A dictionary will tell you the part of speech a word can be, usually with
these abbreviation: n.= noun, v.= verb, adj. = adjective, adv. = adverb, pre. =
preposition, conj. = conjunction. The abbreviation appears before the meanings
of the word with that part of speech.

Some words have only one meaning. You can find the meaning in a dictionary entry
which sometimes includes an example.
A. Read these dictionary entries and answer the questions about them.

sight-see-ing / ‘sait si’ing/ n visiting places of interest

usu. while on a vacation: We often go sightseeing. –see
also SIGHT' -sightseer /sait si'є/ n

65
1. What part of speech is sightseeing? ______________________________
2. What is the dictionary definition of the word? ________________________
3. What word is related to it? ______________________________________

B. Answer the following questions based on the dictionary entry below.

coach /kəutƒ/ n 1 teacher esp one who gives private lessons to

prepare students for a public examination; 2 person who trains
athletes for contests: a baseball ~. vt, vi teach or train: ~ sb for
an exam; ~ the crew for the boat race.

1. How many parts of speech does the word ‘coach’ have?

2. Which definition (noun or verb) of ‘coach’ means ‘a person who trains
athletes’?
3. As a noun how many meanings does the word ‘coach’ have?
4. What is the other definition of the word?
5. The coach was unhealthy when his players won in the biggest game.
What is the part of speech of the word “coach” in the above sentence
6. What is its meaning?

C. Read the following dictionary entries, and answer the following

questions.
continue /k∂ntInju/ v 1. (cause something to) go or move further. How far does
the road continue? 2. stay, remain. He is to continue as manager. 3. start
again after stopping. The story is continued in the next issue. 4. speak or say
(sth) again after stopping. “And what’s more”, he continued, “they wouldn’t let
me in!” 5. (with sth) (cause sth to) go on existing or happening.
continued adj going on without stopping: continued opposition.
paper /╵peip ∂ (r)/ n 1. [U] substance made in thin sheets from wood pulp
used for writing, printing, etc. a piece of paper; writing paper 2. [C] newspaper:
The Sunday Morning paper has arrived. 3. [C, U] wallpaper: a pretty paper for
the bedroom. 4. [C] a set of examination questions on a particular subject. The
French paper was set by our teacher. 5. article or essay, (esp one read to an
audience of academics or specialists). He read a paper at that conference.
paper v 1. put wallpaper on (the walls of a room): We are papering the
bathroom. 2. (phrase verb) paper something over: cover with wallpaper. We
papered over the stains on the wall.
papery / ╵peip∂ri/ adj like paper in texture.

Answer the questions below based on the above dictionary entries. Choose the
best choice.
1. As a verb, how many meanings does the word “continue” have?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
They continued to rehearse after a small break.
2. What is the part of speech of the word continued in the above sentence?
A. verb B. noun C. adjective D. adverb

66
3. Based on the above dictionary, what is its meaning?
A. going on without stopping C. start again after stopping
B. stay, remain D. speak or say something after stopping
Wet weather may continue for a few more months.
4. What is the part of speech of the word continue in the above sentence?
A. verb B. noun C. adjective D. adverb
5. Based on the above dictionary, what is its meaning?
A. going on without stopping C. start again after stopping
B. stay , remain D. go or move further
This will need continued efforts from all the committee.
6. What is the part of speech of the word continued in the above sentence?
A. verb B. noun C. adjective D. adverb
7. How many parts of speech does the word “paper” have?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
8. What is its related word?
A. paper B. papery C. substance D. wallpaper
9. Which of the following is NOT the meaning of paper?
A. a substance B. wallpaper C. test paper D. writing paper
Where is today’s paper?
10. What is the part of speech of the word “paper” in the above sentence?
A. verb B. noun C. adjective D. adverb
11. According to the dictionary entry, what is the meaning of that word?
A. put wallpaper B. article C. newspaper D. substance
You need to paper the kitchen now.
12. According to the dictionary entry, what is the meaning of that word?
A. put wallpaper B. article C. newspaper D. substance

13. Which of the following is both noun and verb?

A. papery B. paper C. continue D. continued

67
 Exercises for Tutorial Classes
(Week 6)
Exercise 1
Use the context to help you choose the best meaning or synonym for each
underlined word.

Example: The snake slithered through the grass. He was hunting.

The word ‘slithered’ most probably means _______________.

(a) stopped moving (c) ate something
(b) slept in the grass (d)moved or traveled

You must discover what slithered means by using logic. Here are the analyses.
(a) is incorrect because the sentence says “through the grass”. “Through” means
there is some movement.
(b) is incorrect because the sentence says “he is hunting”. Snakes don’t sleep
when they hunt.
(c) is incorrect because the sentence says “he is hunting”. Snakes don’t eat
when they are hunting. They eat after they hunt.
(d) is correct because the sentence says “through the grass”. “Through” means
there is movement.

1. The news story was based on a letter that was a fabrication. Now the reporter
who wrote the story is in big trouble. Will anyone believe him again?
A fabrication is _______________.
(a) made of cloth (b) full of long words (c) funny (d) fake
2. The reporter insisted that the letter he used was authentic. He said that he
had shown it to many experts before he used it in his story.
When something is authentic, it is _______________.
(a) real (b) very old (c) very small (d) tasty
3. The tiger’s roar could be heard in villages far away.
The word ‘roar’ probably means _______________.
(a) food (b) dream (c) ear (d) sound
4. The thought of eating a rat is abhorrent to most people.
The word ‘abhorrent’ probably means _______________.
(a) fun (b) horrible (c) delicious (d) sweet
5. You can trust the salesmen at the store because they always conduct
business in an aboveboard manner.
The word ‘aboveboard’ probably means _______________.
(a) honest (b) dishonest (c) horrible (d) strange
6. Petra has so many friends because she is a gregarious person.
The word ‘gregarious’ probably means _______________.
(a) introvert (b) shy (c) friendly (d) rude
7. After the harvest, we had an abundant amount of apples. We made apple
pie, apple sauce, and apple juice because we had so many apples.

68
 The word ‘abundant’ probably means _______________.
(a) shortage (b) inadequate (c) reddish (d) plentiful

8. When Sara was sick, her voice was almost inaudible. We couldn’t hear what
she was trying to say clearly.
The word ‘inaudible’ probably means _______________.
(a) very loud (b) very soft (c) very strange (d) very shy

9. Hurricanes and tornadoes are treacherous. Only a very foolish person would
go out during that kind of weather.
The word ‘treacherous’ probably means _______________.
(a) exciting (b) dangerous (c) delirious (d) safe

10. Many ships have vanished during hurricanes. No survivors from the lost
ships have ever been found.
The word ‘vanished’ probably means _______________.
(a) arrived (b) departed (c) returned (d) disappeared

Exercise 2
Read the sentences and try to guess the meaning of the underlined words from
the context. Match them with their definitions on the right.
1. Food comes in many different kinds of containers, a) for example
such as bottles, bags, cans, and packages. b) to use again
2. The car was out of gas, so he filled up the gas tank. c) to make
Then, the car was full of gas. something full
3. We use many kinds of paper every day, such as d) many different
paper bags, newspapers, and notebook paper. types
4. We put most of our garbage in landfills, which are e) something
big holes in the ground that hold the garbage. used to hold
5. A department store sells miscellaneous items. It something
sells many different types of things, such as f) to find the
clothing, radios and televisions, and furniture. answer to a
6. Plastic is not a natural material because it is made problem
by people. Wood is a natural material because it g) coming from
comes from trees, which are a part of nature. nature or the
7. We can recycle old cans. We can use the metal earth
from the old cans to make new cans. h) to make
8. If you’re too fat, you can eat less and reduce your smaller
weight. i) a place that
9. “Please throw away your garbage. There is a holds a lot of
garbage can over there.” garbage
10. She couldn’t solve the problem in her homework, so j) to put into the
she asked the teacher to help her find the answer garbage can
to the problem.

69
Exercise 3
Read the following passage and try to guess the meanings of the underlined words.
Make your own guesses based on the context. Then, check the guided questions
and answer them.
When we hear the word shark, we probably 1. ‘Shark’ is a _________.
think of a big dangerous fish that kills and eats people,
2. We can say that an
like the shark in the movie Jaws. This is a very popular
animal is dangerous
movie about a dangerous shark that attacked and
when it _____________
killed many people. The shark in the movie was a
people.
Great White shark. This species of sharks is the most
dangerous to people. Great White sharks can 3. Jaws is a __________.
sometimes grow to be 40 feet long. 4. When a shark grows, it
Most people are afraid of sharks because they gets __________.
sometimes attack swimmers and surfers, but in reality, 5. Surfers do their
only some species of sharks are dangerous to people. activities at _________.
There are about 350 species of sharks that live in 6. When sharks are huge,
oceans all over the world, but most of these species they are very ________.
don’t attack people. For example, some sharks are
very small – the smallest shark is only about 6 inches 7. When we weigh
long and they only eat small fish. The largest species something, the unit is
of sharks are huge – they may be 60 feet long and measured in ________.
weigh 15 tons, but these large sharks do not eat 8. The opposite of ‘large’
people, either. They eat small animals and sea plants is __________.
that live in the ocean. Most other species of sharks eat 9. Seals live in ________.
fish, seals, and sometimes even garbage in the ocean.

Exercise 4
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
1)
Scientists are reporting for the first time that the use of weed killers
in farmers' fields boosts the nutritional value of an important food crop.
Application of two common herbicides to several varieties of sweet corn
significantly increased the amount of key nutrients termed carotenoids
5 in the corn kernels, according to a new study.
2)
In the new study, Dean Kopsell and colleagues note that farmers
grow about 240,000 acres of sweet corn in the United States each year,
making it an important food crop. Corn is among only a few vegetable
crops that are good sources of zeaxanthin carotenoids. Consuming
10 carotenoid-rich vegetables may reduce the risk of age-related macular
degeneration (a leading cause of vision loss among older people), heart
disease, and cancer, the study notes.
3)
The scientists exposed several varieties of sweet corn plants to
the herbicide mesotrione or a combination of mesotrione and atrazine,
15 another commonly used weed killer, and harvested mature corn 45 days
later. Herbicide applications made the corn an even-better source of
carotenoids, boosting levels in the mature kernels of some varieties by up
to 15 percent. It specifically increased levels of lutein and zeaxanthin,
the major carotenoids in sweet corn kernels, which studies have linked to
20 a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration.

70
Answer the following questions
1. Read Paragraph 1 & 3 and find the synonyms of the following words in the
same paragraphs
a. herbicides (line 3) d. atrazine (line 14)
b. increased (line 4) e. lutein and zeaxanthin (line 18)
c. carotenoids (line 4)
2. The following words are taken from the passage. Can you fill in the other
parts of speech of the same root? You may consult your dictionary.

Line Noun Verb Adjective Adverb

4 significantly
10 related
13 scientist
14 combination
16 application

3. Find the following pairs of words in the passage. Can you identify their
parts of speech as they appear in the passage? Give your reason for your
decision.
a. use (line 1) vs. used (line 15)
b. increased (line 4) vs. increased (line 18)
c. study (line 6) vs. studies (line 19)
d. note (line 6) vs. notes (line 12)
e. reduce (line 10) vs. reduced (line 20)

4. Find the following words in the passage and identify what they refer to.
a. it (line 8) c. It (line 18)
b. that (line 9) d. which (line 19)
5. What is the topic of the passage above?
6. In which paragraph does the writer state the names of two common
herbicides stated in line 3? What are they?
7. The writer mentions several diseases whose risk can be reduced with the
consumption of carotenoid-rich vegetables. What diseases are they?
8. How soon after the exposure of herbicide can you harvest the corn?
9. By reading Paragraph 3 we can conclude that kernels are parts of ____
10. Why does the writer think that ‘corn’ is an important food crop?
11. There are four different tenses used in the passage above. What are they?
Write down one example of each tense that you can find in the passage.
12. Find examples of the following forms of noun phrases in the passage.
a. Noun of Noun c. Quantity + Noun
b. Adjective + Noun d. Noun Modifier + Noun
13. Find two examples of noun clauses in the passage.

71
Exercise 5
Use the dictionary entries below to answer the questions that follow.

agriculture /æg.rɪ.kʌl.tʃə r / US /-tʃɚ/ noun[U]farming: Agriculture is still largely based

on traditional methods in some countries. The area depends on agriculture for
most of its income. Seventy percent of the country's population practices
subsistence agriculture. Compare horticulture.
agricultural /æg.rɪkʌl.tʃ ə r. ə l/ US /-tʃɚ. ə l/ adjective The world's supply of agricultural
land is shrinking fast. She's studying agricultural science. The country's
economy is mainly agricultural (= based on farming) and depends on crops like
coffee.
agrochemical /æg.rə ʊ kem.ɪ.k ə l/ US /-roʊ-/ noun[C] a chemical that is used in farming
to help grow crops or kill insects
ecology /ɪkɒl.ə.dʒi/ US /-kɑ.lə-/ noun[U]the relationships between the air, land, water,
animals, plants, etc., usually of a particular area, or the scientific study of this:
The oil spill caused terrible damage to the fragile ecology of the coast. She
hopes to study ecology at college.
ecological /i.kəlɒdʒ.ɪ.kəl/ US /-lɑ.dʒɪ-/ adjective relating to ecology or the environment:
The destruction of the rain forests is an ecological disaster that threatens the
future of life on Earth.
ecologically /i.kəlɒdʒ.ɪ.kli/ US /-lɑ.dʒɪ-/ adverb It's an ecologically friendly/sound
(=not harmful) means of transportation.
ecologist /ɪkɒl.ə.dʒɪst/ US /-kɑ.lə-/ noun[C] a person who studies the natural
relationships between the air, land, water, animals, plants, etc.

1. What is the part of speech of ‘agriculture’?

2. Are both ‘agricultural’ and ‘agrochemical’ adjectives?
3. Can we have the word ‘ecology’ in a plural form? Why?
4. What do you call someone who studies ecology?
5. Complete the following sentences with the suitable word from the dictionary
entries above.
a. Not all students in this university are studying __________ sciences.
b. People are now turning to use ‘bio-fuel’ because it is __________
friendly.
c. Some farmers in this country are still practicing traditional ways in
__________.
d. If we do not take care of our environment well, we will disturb the
balance of our __________.
e. The researchers used __________ in their research to help them
grow crops better.

72
Exercise 6
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
1)
Finding renewable and economic sources of energy is one of the
most important concerns for the continuation of the human species. New
research, published in BioMed Central's open access journal
Biotechnology for Biofuels, has produced a novelstrain of yeast with
5 improved xylose tolerance and metabolism, and consequently improved
ethanol production.
2)
Bioethanol is considered one of cleanest renewable
replacements for fossil fuel. However, using glucose from crops, such as
sugar cane or starch crops, uses up resources which could otherwise be
10 used to produce food. Xylose is the second most abundant sugar in plants
(after glucose) and is plentiful in agricultural and wood waste. However,
the yeast which is most efficient at producing ethanol cannot ferment
pentose sugars, such as xylose, and yeast which can ferment xylose is
not very good at producing ethanol.
3)
15 Researchers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, used the
process of gene shuffling to integrate the genomes of xylose tolerant P.
Stipitis and the glucose loving, ethanol tolerant (but xylose intolerant) S.
Cerevisiae. In the first round of shuffling the P. Stipitis genome was
transferred into S. Cerevisiae. Recombinant strains were selected for
20 their ability to grow on xylose and then for their ability to produce ethanol.
In the second round of gene shuffling the S. Cerevisiae genome was
transferred into the best of these strains and the resulting strains were
tested for ethanol tolerance. Anli Geng, who led this study, explained that
they produced hybrid yeast, capable of producing bioethanol from xylose,
25 which was also able to survive in high concentrations of ethanol. The main
by-product of xylose fermentation was xylitol and by measuring this, along
with ethanol production, they found that their hybrid was more efficient at
using xylose and in producing ethanol than either of the parent strains.
This yeast is only a prototype and further improvement is possible.
30 However, their results show that there is a future in recycling waste
vegetation into bioethanol.

A. Write T if the following statement is TRUE, and F if it is FALSE based

on the passage above.

1. The passage above mainly talks about the importance of finding alternative
sources of energy.
2. The word ‘concerns’ in line 2 is a verb.
3. Paragraph One implies that xylose can be used to produce ethanol.
4. According to the passage bioethanol is the cleanest source of energy.
5. From Paragraph Two we know that both glucose and xylose are sugars.
6. The word ‘plentiful’ is line 11 is opposite to ‘abundant’ (line 10).
7. Both agricultural waste and wood waste contain a lot of sugar.
8. The word ‘ferment’ in line 12 is an adjective.
9. Xylose is one example of pentose sugars.

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10. S. Cerevisiae is as tolerant to xylose as P. Stipitis.
11. The word ‘round’ line 18 means ‘circular’.
12. The word ‘their’ in line 20 refers to ‘xylose’.
13. ‘These strains’ in line 22 refers to ‘recombinant strains’.
14. The word ‘they’ in line 23 refers to ‘the resulting strains’.
15. The yeast that the researchers produced is used to produce bioethanol.
16. The word ‘this’ in line 26 refers to xylitol.
17. “The parent strains’ in lines 28-29 refers to ‘both recombinant strains and
the resulting strains’.
18. ‘This yeast’ in line 29 refers to ‘hybrid yeast’.

B. Find the meanings of the following words taken from the passage by
referring to the dictionary entries below.
1. concerns (line 2)
2. novel (line 4)
3. strain (line 4)
4. shuffling (line 16)

concern(INVOLVE)USverb1 [T] to be important to someone or to involve

someone directly: Matters of pollution and the environment concern us all. What I have
to say to Amy doesn't concern you.2 [T] FORMAL If a story, film or article concerns a
particular subject, person, etc., it is about that person or subject: The film concerns a
woman who goes to China as a missionary.3 [R] to become involved with something, or
worried about something: There's no need for you to concern yourself with what
happened. Don't concern yourself. She'll be home soon. To whom it may concern
something you write at the start of a formal letter or notice when you do not know
exactly who it should be addressed to
concernUSnoun [C or U] something that involves or affects you or is
important to you: What were the major concerns of the writers from this period? I don't
want to hear about it - it's no concern of mine!"What's happening?" "That's none of/not
any of your concern ."be of concern to be important: The results of the election are of
concern to us all.
concernedUSadjective [after verb] involved in something or affected by
it: I'd like to thank everyone concerned for making the occasion run so smoothly. It was
quite a shock for all/everyone concerned. Her job is something concerned with
computers. I'm not very good where money is concerned (= when dealing with
money).be concerned with sth/sb to be about a particular thing or person: Today's
lesson is concerned with punctuation. as far as sb is concerned in a particular person's
opinion: As far as I'm concerned, feng shui is a load of rubbish. as far as sth is
concerned if we are discussing or thinking about a particular thing: As far as
unemployment's concerned, a change of government would be a good idea.
concerningUSpreposition SLIGHTLY FORMAL about: I've had a letter
from the tax authorities concerning my tax payments.
novel(BOOK)USnoun [C] a long printed story about imaginary characters
and events: a paperback novel historical/romantic novels. Have you read any of Jane
Austen's novels? His latest novel is selling really well
.novelistUSnoun [C] a person who writes novels

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 novel(NEW)USadjective new and original, not like anything seen before:
a novel idea/suggestion Keeping a sheep in the garden is a novel way of keeping the
grass short!
shuffle(MOVE AROUND)verb [T] to move similar things from one position or place
to another, often to give an appearance of activity when nothing useful is being done:
She shuffled her papers nervously on her desk. Many prisoners have to be shuffled
around police stations because of prison overcrowding.
shufflenoun [C] 1 when things are moved around from one position to another: She
gave her papers a quick shuffle.2 MAINLY US a reshuffle
strain(TYPE)noun [C] 1 a particular type or quality: A strain of puritanism runs
through all her work.2 an animal or plant from a particular group whose characteristics
are different in some way from others of the same group: Scientists have discovered a
new strain of the virus which is much more dangerous.

C. Many words in different languages are formed by adding affixes to base

words. Write down the root of the following words taken from the passage
and fill in the prefix or suffix when there is one.

Line Word Prefix Base (Root) Suffix

1 renewable re~ new ~able
7 replacements
15 researchers
19 recombinant

D. Some affixes add meanings to the base words, and some others signal a
change in parts of speech. Identify the prefix/suffix of the following words
taken from the passage and write down the meanings or the parts of
speech.

Line Word Prefix/Suffix Meaning Part of Speech

1 renewable re~ again
~able can be Adjective
1 economic
5 tolerance
5 consequently
6 production
11 plentiful
11 agricultural
12 efficient
15 researchers
17 tolerant
20 ability
29 improvement

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