Tập bài giảng kỹ năng đọc hiểu 2

Unit 1: Elephants: Gentle Giants of the Earth Elephants are large mammals of the two species which are traditionallyrecognised, the African elephant and the Asian elephant, although some

TẬP BÀI GIẢNG

KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU 2

Phúc Yên, tháng 8 năm 2015

III.1 Questions for scanning III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

1111223366

Unit 2: The extinction of dinosaurs: What happened?

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning

III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

777778991112

Unit 3: The birth of the United States of America

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning

III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

13131313141515151718

Unit 4: Twins - how alike are they?

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning

III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

19191919202121212424

Unit 5: Adoption-the search for happiness

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning

III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

252525252627272731

III.1 Questions for scanning

III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

32323233333434353737

Unit 7: A healthy diet for everyone

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

38383838393940404343

Unit 8: Oil - an important world resource

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning

III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

44444444454546464849

Unit 9: Earthquakes: What are they and how do they happen?

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning

III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

50505050505152525454

Unit 10: Alfred Nobel - a man of peace

I Objectives

II Pre-reading II.1 Questions for preparation

II.2 VocabularyIII Reading Reading text

III.1 Questions for scanning III.2 Comprehension III.3 Reading Analysis III.4 Vocabulary in context

IV Post-reading

55555555555757575960

LỜI NÓI ĐẦU

Đối với Tiếng Anh hay bất cứ một ngôn ngữ nào khác thì các kỹ năng: Nghe,Nói, Đọc, Viết đều rất quan trọng Kỹ năng đọc nói riêng và các kỹ năng khác nóichung đều yêu cầu người học phải thường xuyên luyện tập, trau dồi liên tục để hìnhthành kỹ năng ngôn ngữ cho mỗi cá nhân

Hiện nay, mặc dù có rất nhiều tài liệu giúp người học cải thiện kỹ năng đọc hiểuTiếng Anh, song chúng chỉ có thể đóng vai trò là tài liệu tham khảo trong quá trìnhdạy và học học phần Đọc hiểu 1 của giáo viên và sinh viên trường Cao đẳng VĩnhPhúc vì chúng được biên soạn theo các mục đích sử dụng khác nhau Tập bài giảng

Đọc hiểu 1 (Reading 1) được soạn ra dựa trên việc nghiên cứu, chọn lọc các nội dung

bài học từ các giáo trình, tài liệu tham khảo ở cả trong và ngoài nước để đưa vào sửdụng phù hợp với chương trình khung mà Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo đã qui định nhằmgiúp sinh viên có được giáo trình học tập tốt nhất có thể trong quá trình học tập tạitrường

Tập bài giảng Đọc hiểu 1 (Reading 1) là tài liệu học tập chính thức cho học

phần Đọc hiểu 1 của sinh viên cao đẳng chuyên ngành sư phạm Tiếng Anh ở học kỳ I,năm thứ nhất, với 04 ĐVHT (tương đương với 60 tiết lên lớp)

Tập bài giảng gồm 09 chương (09 chapters), ứng với 18 bài (18 units), mỗichương xoay quanh một chủ đề lớn, mỗi bài là một bài đọc có nội dung thuộc về chủ

đề lớn nêu trên Dựa vào việc khai thác chủ đề ở mỗi bài, tập bài giảng sẽ chú trọngphát triển ngôn ngữ, nâng cao vốn từ vựng, cấu trúc diễn đạt câu; nắm bắt các ý chínhcủa bài đọc ngắn bằng Tiếng Anh Từ đó, sinh viên có thể làm quen với các văn bảndạng đơn giản của người bản ngữ, phát triển và dần cải thiện được khả năng đọc vănbản của mình

Unit 1: Elephants: Gentle Giants of the Earth

Elephants are large mammals of the two species which are traditionallyrecognised, the African elephant and the Asian elephant, although some evidencesuggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species.Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and SoutheastAsia Male African elephants are the largest extant terrestrial animals and can reach aheight of 4 m (13 ft) and weigh 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) All elephants have severaldistinctive features the most notable of which is a long trunk orproboscis, used formany purposes, particularly breathing, lifting water and grasping objects.Their incisors grow into tusks, which can serve as weapons and as tools for movingobjects and digging Elephants' large ear flaps help to control their body temperature.Their pillar-like legs can carry their great weight African elephants have larger earsand concave backs while Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs

Elephants prefer to stay near water They are considered to bekeystonespecies due to their impact on their environments Females ("cows") tend to live infamily groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several relatedfemales with offspring The groups are led by an individual known as the matriarch,often the oldest cow Elephants have a fission-fusion society in which multiple familygroups come together to socialise Males ("bulls") leave their family groups when theyreach puberty, and may live alone or with other males Adult bulls mostly interact withfamily groups when looking for a mate and enter a state of increased testosterone andaggression known as musth, which helps them gain dominance and reproductivesuccess Calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on theirmothers for as long as three years Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild Theycommunicate by touch, sight, smell and sound Elephant intelligence has beencompared with that of primates and cetaceans

African elephants are listed as vulnerable while the Asian elephant is classed

as endangered One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, asthe animals are poached for their ivory tusks Other threats to wild elephantsinclude habitat destruction and conflicts with local people Elephants are used

as working animals in Asia In the past, they were used in war; today, they are oftenput on display in zoos and circuses Elephants are highly recognisable and have beenfeatured in art, folklore, religion, literature and popular culture

Unit 2: The extinction of dinosaurs: What happened?

Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade Dinosauria They firstappeared during the Triassic period, 231.4 million years ago, and were the dominantterrestrial vertebrates for 135 million years, when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinctionevent led to the extinction of most dinosaur groups (and some three-quarters of plantand animal species on Earth) at the close of the Mesozoic Era The fossil recordindicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic Period and,consequently, they are considered to be modern dinosaurs Some birds survived theextinction event that occurred 65 million years ago, and their descendants continue thedinosaur lineage to the present day

Dinosaurs are a varied group of animalsfrom taxonomic, morphological and ecological standpoints Dinosaurs are represented

on every continent by both extant species and fossil remains Evidence suggests thategg laying and nest building are additional traits shared by all dinosaurs Whilemodern dinosaurs (birds) are generally small due to the constraints of flight, manyprehistoric dinosaurs were large-bodied — the largest sauropod dinosaurs may haveachieved lengths of 58 meters (190 feet) and heights of 9.25 meters (30 feet 4 inches).Still, the idea that non-avian dinosaurs were uniformly gigantic is a misconceptionbased on preservation bias, as large, sturdy bones are more likely to last until they arefossilized

Although the word dinosaur means "terrible lizard", the name is somewhatmisleading, as dinosaurs are not lizards Instead, they represent a separate group ofreptiles that, like many extinct forms, did not exhibit characteristics traditionally seen

as reptilian, such as a sprawling limb posture or ectothermy Through the first half ofthe 20th century, before birds were recognized to be dinosaurs, most of the scientificcommunity believed dinosaurs to have been sluggish and cold-blooded Most researchconducted since the 1970s, however, has indicated that all dinosaurs were activeanimals with elevated metabolisms and numerous adaptations for social interaction

Since the first dinosaur fossils were recognized in the early 19th century,mounted fossil dinosaur skeletons have been major attractions at museums around theworld, and dinosaurs have become an enduring part of world culture The large sizes

of some groups, as well as their seemingly monstrous and fantastic nature, haveensured dinosaurs' regular appearance in best-selling books and films, such as JurassicPark Persistent public enthusiasm for the animals has resulted in significant fundingfor dinosaur science, and new discoveries are regularly covered by the media

Unit 3: The birth of the United States of America

The Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the ContinentalCongress meeting at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776, which announcedthat the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regardedthemselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part ofthe British Empire Instead they formed a new nation — the United States ofAmerica John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence, which wasunanimously approved on July 2 A committee of five had already drafted the formaldeclaration, to be ready when Congress voted on independence The term "Declaration

of Independence" is not used in the document itself

The sources and interpretation of the Declaration have been the subject of muchscholarly inquiry The Declaration justified the independence of the United States bylisting colonial grievances against King George III, and by asserting certain naturaland legal rights, including a right of revolution Having served its original purpose inannouncing independence, references to the text of the Declaration were few for thenext four score years Abraham Lincoln made it the centerpiece of his rhetoric (as inthe Gettysburg Address of 1863), and his policies Since then, it has become a well-known statement on human rights, particularly its second sentence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that theyare endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among theseare Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

This has been called "one of the best-known sentences in the English language",containing "the most potent and consequential words in American history" Thepassage came to represent a moral standard to which the United States should strive.This view was notably promoted by Abraham Lincoln, who considered the Declaration

to be the foundation of his political philosophy, and argued that the Declaration is astatement of principles through which the United States Constitution should beinterpreted

It provided inspiration to numerous national declarations ofindependence throughout the world Historian David Armitage, after examining theinfluence of the American "Declaration" on over 100 other declarations ofindependence, says: “The American Revolution was the first outbreak of the contagion

of sovereignty that has swept the world in the centuries since 1776 Its influencespread first to the Low Countries and then to the Caribbean, Spanish America, theBalkans, West Africa, and Central Europe in the decades up to 1848 Declarations ofindependence were among the primary symptoms of this contagion of sovereignty

Unit 4: Twins - how alike are they?

Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy Twins can either

be monozygotic ("identical"), meaning that they can develop from just one zygote thatwill then split and form two embryos, or dizygotic ("fraternal"), meaning that they candevelop from two different eggs, each are fertilized by separate sperm cells

In contrast, a fetus which develops alone in the womb is called a singleton, andthe general term for one offspring of a multiple birth is multiple

The twin birth rate in the United States rose 76% from 1980 through 2009, from18.9 to 33.3 per 1,000 births The Yoruba have the highest rate of twinning in theworld, at 45–50 twin sets (or 90–100 twins) per 1,000 live births, possibly because ofhigh consumption of a specific type of yam containing a natural phytoestrogen whichmay stimulate the ovaries to release an egg from each side

In Central Africa, there are 18–30 twin sets (or 36–60 twins) per 1,000 livebirths.[10]In Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, the lowest rates are found;only 6–9 twin sets per 1,000 live births North America and Europe have intermediaterates of 9–16 twin sets per 1,000 live births

Multiple pregnancies are much less likely to carry to full term than singlebirths, with twin pregnancies lasting only 37 weeks (3 weeks less than full term) onaverage

Women who have a family history of fraternal twins have a higher chance ofproducing fraternal twins themselves, as there is a genetically linked tendency tohyper-ovulate There is no known genetic link for identical twinning Other factors thatincrease the odds of having fraternal twins include maternal age, fertility drugs andother fertility treatments, nutrition, and prior births

Unit 5: Adoption-the search for happiness

Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another,usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents, and, in sodoing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fromthe biological parent or parents Unlike guardianship or other systems designed for thecare of the young, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status and assuch requires societal recognition, either through legal or religious sanction.Historically, some societies have enacted specific laws governing adoption; whereothers have tried to achieve adoption through less formal means, notably via contractsthat specified inheritance rights and parental responsibilities without an accompanyingtransfer of filiation Modern systems of adoption, arising in the 20th century, tend to

be governed by comprehensive statutes and regulations

Unit 6: Secondhand smoke

Passive smoking is the inhalation of smoke, called second-handsmoke or environmental tobacco smoke, by persons other than the intended "active"smoker It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment, causing itsinhalation by people within that environment Exposure to second-hand tobaccosmoke causes disease, disability, and death The health risks of second-hand smoke are

a matter of scientific consensus These risks have been a major motivation for free laws in workplaces and indoor public places, including restaurants, bars and nightclubs as well as some open public spaces

smoke-Concerns around second-hand smoke have played a central role in the debateover the harms and regulation of tobacco products Since the early 1970s, the tobaccoindustryhas viewed public concern over second-hand smoke as a serious threat to itsbusiness interests Harm to bystanders was perceived as a motivator for stricterregulation of tobacco products Despite the industry's awareness of the harms ofsecond-hand smoke as early as the 1980s, the tobacco industry coordinated a scientificcontroversy with the aim of forestalling regulation of their products

Unit 7: A healthy diet for everyone

A healthy diet is one that helps maintain or improve overall health A healthydiet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, adequate essential aminoacids from protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and adequate calories Therequirements for a healthy diet can be met from a variety of plant-based and animal-based foods A healthy diet supports energy needs and provides for humannutritionwithout exposure to toxicity or excessive weight gain from consumingexcessive amounts Where lack of calories is not an issue, a properly balanced diet (inaddition toexercise) is also thought to be important for lowering health risks, such

as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cancer

Various nutrition guides are published by medical and governmentalinstitutions to educate the public on what they should be eating to promotehealth Nutrition facts labels are also mandatory in some countries to allow consumers

to choose between foods based on the components relevant to health

The idea of dietary therapy (using dietary choices to maintain health andimprove poor health) is quite old and thus has both modern scientific forms (medicalnutrition therapy) and prescientific forms (such as dietary therapy in traditionalChinese medicine)

Unit 8: Oil - an important world resource

Petroleum is a naturally occurring, yellow-to-black liquid found in geologicalformations beneath the Earth's surface, which is commonly refined into various types

of fuels

It consists of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other organiccompounds The name petroleum covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crudeoil and petroleum products that are made up of refined crude oil A fossil fuel,petroleum is formed when large quantities of dead organisms,usually zooplankton and algae, are buried underneath sedimentary rock and subjected

to intense heat and pressure

Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling (natural petroleum springsare rare) This comes after the studies of structural geology, sedimentary basinanalysis, reservoir characterization It is refined and separated, most easily

by distillation, into a large number of consumer products, from gasoline (petrol)and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used tomake plastics and pharmaceuticals Petroleum is used in manufacturing a wide variety

of materials, and it is estimated that the world consumes about 90 million barrels eachday

Concern over the depletion of the earth's finite reserves of oil, and the effectthis would have on a society dependent on it, is a concept known as peak oil The use

of fossil fuels, such as petroleum, has a negative impact on Earth's biosphere,damaging ecosystems through events such as oil spills and releasing a range ofpollutants into the air includingground-level ozone and sulfur dioxide from sulfurimpurities in fossil fuels

Unit 9: Earthquakes: What are they and how do they happen?

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the perceptibleshaking of the surface of the Earth, which can be violent enough to destroy majorbuildings and kill thousands of people The severity of the shaking can range frombarely felt to violent enough to toss people around Earthquakes have destroyed wholecities They result from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust thatcreates seismic waves The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers tothe frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time

Earthquakes are measured using observations from seismometers The momentmagnitude is the most common scale on which earthquakes larger than approximately

5 are reported for the entire globe The more numerous earthquakes smaller thanmagnitude 5 reported by national seismological observatories are measured mostly onthe local magnitude scale, also referred to as the Richter magnitude scale These twoscales are numerically similar over their range of validity Magnitude 3 or lowerearthquakes are mostly almost imperceptible or weak and magnitude 7 and overpotentially cause serious damage over larger areas, depending on their depth Thelargest earthquakes in historic times have been of magnitude slightly over 9, althoughthere is no limit to the possible magnitude The most recent large earthquake ofmagnitude 9.0 or larger was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan in 2011 (as of March2014), and it was the largest Japanese earthquake since records began Intensity ofshaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale The shallower an earthquake, themore damage to structures it causes, all else being equal

At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking andsometimes displacement of the ground When the epicenter of a large earthquake islocated offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami.Earthquakes can also trigger landslides, and occasionally volcanic activity

In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismicevent — whether natural or caused by humans — that generates seismic waves.Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by other eventssuch as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests An earthquake'spoint of initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter The epicenter is the point atground level directly above the hypocenter

Unit 10: Alfred Nobel - a man of peace

Alfred Bernhard Nobel (October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedishchemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer

He was the inventor of dynamite Nobel also owned Bofors, which he hadredirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a majormanufacturer of cannon and other armaments Nobel held 350 different patents,dynamite being the most famous His fortune was used posthumously to institutethe Nobel Prizes The synthetic element nobelium was named after him His name alsosurvives in modern-day companies such as Dynamit Nobel and AkzoNobel, which aredescendants of mergers with companies Nobel himself established

Born in Stockholm, Alfred Nobel was the fourth son of ImmanuelNobel (1801–1872), an inventor and engineer, and Carolina Andriette Nobel (1805–1889) The couple married in 1827 and had eight children The family wasimpoverished, and only Alfred and his three brothers survived past childhood AlfredNobel's interest in technology was inherited from his father, an alumnus of RoyalInstitute of Technology in Stockholm

In 1842, the family joined him in the city Now prosperous, his parents wereable to send Nobel to private tutors and the boy excelled in his studies, particularly inchemistry and languages, achieving fluency in English, French, German and Russian

As a young man, Nobel studied with chemist Nikolai Zinin; then, in 1850, went

to Paris to further the work; and, at 18, he went to the United States for four years tostudy chemistry

Nobel was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in

1884, the same institution that would later select laureates for two of the Nobel prizes,and he received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala Universityin 1893

Nobel's brothers Ludvig and Robert exploited oilfields along the CaspianSea and became hugely rich in their own right Nobel invested in these and amassedgreat wealth through the development of these new oil regions During his life Nobelissued 350 patents internationally and by his death had established 90 armamentsfactories, despite his belief in pacifism

In 1888, the death of his brother Ludvig caused several newspapers to publishobituaries of Alfred in error A French obituary stated "Le marchand de la mort estmort" ("The merchant of death is dead")

In 1891, following the death of his mother and his brother Ludvig and the end

of a longstanding relationship, Nobel moved from Paris to Sanremo, Italy Sufferingfrom angina, Nobel died at home, of a cerebral haemorrhage in 1896 Unbeknownst tohis family, friends or colleagues, he had left most of his wealth in trust, in order tofund the awards that would become known as the Nobel Prizes He is buried in Norrabegravningsplatsen in Stockholm

1 Nhiều tác giả Reading focus, ĐHNN-ĐHQGHN, 2009

2 Jacobs, R.A English syntax: A grammar for English Language Professionals,Oxford University Press, New York, 1995

3 Lorraine C Smith and Nancy Nici Mare Insights for today, Heinle & HeinlePublishers, 1993

4 Nguyễn Thị Thanh Yến Bạch Thanh Minh Bồi Dưỡng Kỹ Năng Đọc Hiểu TiếngAnh, Nxb Tổng hợp TP.HCM, 2008

1 Arline Burgmeier Inside Reading: The Academic Word List in Context, CambridgeUniversity Press, 2005

2 Blundell J., Higgens J & Middlemiss N Function in English, Oxford University

6 Patricia Ackert Concepts and Comments, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1985

7 Patricia Ackert Facts & Figures, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1985

8 http://www.englishpage.com/vocabulary/vocabulary.html

9 http://englishwilleasy.com

10 http://www.tienganh123.com/hoc-doc-tieng-anh

Unit 1:

Elephants: Gentle Giants of the Earth

I/ Objectives

After studying this unit, students shall be able to

+ improve their vocabulary about animals especially elephants, its descriptionand habits

+ improve their knowledge about elephants - one of the biggest animals in theworld

+ have many chances to practise and improve their English skills, especiallyreading comprehension and expressing ideas about elephants in specific and animals ingeneral

II Pre-reading

II.1 Questions for preparation

1 Look at the photograph Where do

these elephants live?

2 Discuss what you know about

elephants For example, what do they

eat? How many babies do they have?

How long do they live?

3 What do they use their trunks for?

4 What do they use their tusks for?

5 Some people kill them Do you

know why?

6 Read the title of this unit What do

you think it means?

Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth An adult male Africanelephant can weigh six tons and be 12 feet tall Females weigh about half as much

as males, and are about four feet shorter than males A newborn elephant, called acalf, weighs about 260 pounds (260lb) and stands about three feet tall Elephantsusually have two tusks These are long, pointed teeth that extend from theelephant’s mouth An elephant’s tusks grow all through its life, and an elephantmay live 60 years or more The tusks of an old male may reach nine feet in length.Elephants only use their tusks for protection They do not use them to kill,because elephants are vegetarians; that is, they do not eat any meat They only eatplants

Elephants are the giants of the animal kingdom, but their size is not theironly uncommon feature The most unusual characteristic of an elephant is itstrunk An elephant uses it to smell, wash, eat, drink, "talk," and hug However,elephant babies do not know how to use their trunks, just as human babies are notborn with the ability to walk Learning to walk is not easy, and it takes a lot ofpractice In the same way, baby elephants also learn how to use their trunks well

Over the last 20 years, people have studied elephants and how they live.Consequently, we are beginning to understand these fascinating giant creatures.Unfortunately, their numbers are quickly decreasing People are killing elephants

to make money by selling their tusks An elephant’s tusks are made of ivory.People use ivory to make bracelets, rings, and other ornaments Illegal hunters arekilling many elephants for their valuable ivory In 1975, there were about 1.5million African elephants Now there are fewer than 600,000 As a result, peopleare worried that they may become extinct Some countries are trying to stop thekilling of so many elephants They are making laws to protect elephants

Many people travel to Africa to see its beautiful countryside and itsunusual animals In fact, tourism is important to the economy of many Africancountries Elephants are a part of the tourist attraction With cooperation amongcountries around the world, elephants may continue to live, so that everyone cansee these fascinating giants of the Earth

III.1 Questions for scanning

Read the passage Then try to answer the following questions Compare their answerswith their partner's answers

1 How are elephants similar to people? Please explain the answers

………

2 a Describe a full - grown male elephant

Read the passage Then read the following statements Check whether they are true (T)

or false (F) If a statement is false, change the statement so that it is true Then go back

to the passage and find the line that supports their answers

_ 1 An elephant's tusks are long

_ 2 Female elephants weigh about six tons

_ 3 Elephants eat only meat

_ 4 The number of elephants in Africa is increasing

_ 5 Some people kill elephants for their tusks

III.3 Reading Analysis

Read each question carefully Either circle the letter of the correct answer or write theanswer in the space provided

1 What is the main idea of this passage?

a Elephants, the largest land animals on Earth, are very unusual

b Many people kill elephants for their tusks

c Elephants are very large animals that live in Africa

2 Elephants show emotions such as joy, sorrow, anger, patience and friendliness.

a What are emotions?

i ideas

ii characteristicsiii feelings

b What does such as mean?

i for example

ii exceptiii and also

3 An adult male African elephant can weigh six tons Females weigh about half asmuch as males How much do females usually weigh?

………

4 Elephants usually have two tusks There are long, pointed teeth that extend from the

elephant's mouth

a Tusks are

i lips ii teeth iii tongues

b The elephant's tusks

i are inside the elephant's mouth

ii are outside the elephant's mouth

c Extend means

i spread out in length

ii hang downiii are heavy

5 An elephant's tusks grow all through its life & an elephant may live 60 years ormore

a Can an elephant live to be 65 years old?

b That is introduces

i an explanation of the word in front of it

ii an example of the word in front of it

iii an opposite of the word in front of it

7 Elephants are the giants of the animal kingdom, but their size is not their only

uncommon feature The most unusual characteristic of an elephant is its trunk.

a In these sentences, which word is a synonym of uncommon?

8 An elephant uses its trunk to smell, wash, eat, drink, "talk" and hug

Why is the word talk in quotation marks ("")?

a because it is unusual for animals to talk.

b because people can not understand animal speech

c because elephants can not really talk

9 "Elephant babies do not know how to use their trunks, just as human babies are notborn with the ability to walk As human babies grow, they try to crawl, then to stand,

and finally to walk In the same way, baby elephants also learn how to use their

a Over the last 20 years means

i from 20 years ago until now

ii from now until 20 years in the future

iii from ten years ago until ten years in the future

b In this paragraph, which word or phrase is a synonym of consequently?

………

c Complete the following sentence with the appropriate choice

“Lisa didn't study for her history test As a result, ………”

i she didn't know any answers

ii she knew all the answers

d Unfortunately refers something

i good

ii bad

e Complete the following sentence correctly

"Eileen wanted to go on a picnic Unfortunately, ……… "

i it began to rain

ii the weather was nice

iii she invited her friends

f People are worried that elephants may become extinct.

People are worried that

i all the elephants will only be in the zoos

ii the number of elephants will be very small

iii all the elephants will die

11 "Many people travel to Africa to see its beautiful countryside and its unusual

animals In fact, tourism is important to the economy of many African countries." What is tourism?

a when people travel to different places

b when people see unusual animals

c when people work in another country

III.4 Vocabulary in context

Read each sentence below Fill in each space with the correct word from the listbelow Use each word only once

features fascinating unusualprotect unfortunately headscooperation as a result abilityextinct

1 Parents always their children from getting hurt

2 Many animals on exhibition in museums are _, for example, all dinosaurs

3 My new car has several extra _: air conditioning, a radio and a cassette players

4 Kings, emperors and presidents are of their countries

5 Roberta needed the help and of their friends last week because shemoved to a new apartment She was not able to move by herself

6 Snow in July is It almost never happened

7 Many people believe that travel to other planets will be possible in the 21st century.This is a idea!

8 Michael wanted to go to the movies last night , he had a lot ofhomework to do, so he stayed at home

9 Allen studied very hard for his English exam , the test was easy forhim, and he did very well

10 Susan has the to learn other languages very quickly

IV Post-reading

Topics for Discussion and Writing

1 Elephants are very social animals Do you know of any other animal that is social,too? Describe it?

2 Do you think it is right for people to kill elephants for their tusks? Why or why not?State your opinion Give reasons and examples

3 Are there sometimes good reasons to kill animals? Work with a partner Make achart List good and bad reasons Compare your chart with your other classmates'charts

Unit 2:

The extinction of the Dinosaur: What happened?

I/ Objectives

After studying this unit, students shall be able to

+ improve their knowledge about dinosaurs and theories about their extinction.+ improve their vocabulary about animals especially dinosaurs and the reasonsfor their extinction

+ have many chances to practise and improve their English skills, especiallyreading comprehension and espressing ideas about dinosaurs in specific and animals ingeneral

II Pre-reading

II.1 Questions for preparation

l Look at the photograph What is this

a picture of? Where is this?

2 Are dinosaurs alive today?

3 When did dinosaurs live? What did

they eat?

4 What happened to them?

5 How do you think they became

extinct?

II.2 Vocabulary

Find out the meanings, functions in each of the following words

fascinationdinosaurmuseumskeletonancientwonderhappenincredibletheorygradually

uncertaindiscusscometasteroidholeentireplanetlayersignificantlyprove

to these incredible animals Why did dinosaurs become extinct?

Then, in the 1980s, scientists began to discuss a new theory Their theory isthat 65 million years ago, a large comet or asteroid struck the Earth near Mexico.

It struck at incredibly high speed - as high as 15,000 miles per hour It was verydamaging In fact, it created a hole 25 miles deep and 100 miles in diameter Thedirt and ash blew high up into the sky They covered the entire planet with a thinlayer of dust, which blocked the sun for many months The temperature decreasedsignificantly all around the Earth for a long time, perhaps years Plants diedrapidly because there was not enough sunlight Animals also died quickly becausethey had nothing to eat and because the climate was too cold

Right now, this new theory explains the extinction of many kinds of life 65million years ago However, scientists need to find the exact place where theasteroid or comet struck the Earth When they find the location, they will be able

to prove that their theory is correct

III.1 Questions for scanning

Read the passage Then try to answer the following questions Compare their answerswith their partner's answers

1 a Why do some people visit museums?

d What happened to the Earth’s temperature afterward?

Read the passage Then read the following statements Check whether they are true (T)

or false (F) If a statement is false, change the statement so that it is true Then go back

to the passage and find the line that supports their answers

_ 1 Dinosaurs were the largest land animals on Earth

_ 2 There are many different theories about the dinosaurs

_ 3 All dinosaurs were vegetarians

_ 4 Some scientists think a large comet or asteroid struck the Earth 65million years ago

_ 5 The comet or asteroid’s dirt increased the Earth’s temperature

_ 6 Scientists know exactly where the comet struck

III.3 Reading Analysis

Read each question carefully Either circle the letter of the correct answer or write theanswer in the space provided

1 What is the main idea of this passage?

a The asteroid or comet created a hole 25 miles deep and 100 miles in diameter

b Dinosaurs were the largest animals that ever lived on Earth

c Scientists have a new theory to explain how dinosaurs became extinct

2 Dinosaurs are the largest land animals that ever lived People young and old visitmuseums to learn about these giant creatures from the past

a In these sentences, which word is a synonym of large?

iv young people or old people

c In these sentences, which word is a synonym for creatures?

………

3 People wonder what happened to these incredible animals Why did dinosaursbecome extinct?

a The word wonder means

i know ii think about iii ask

b The question Why did dinosaurs become extinct? means

i Why did all the dinosaurs die?

ii Why are dinosaurs in museums?

iii Why were dinosaurs so big?

4 Scientists had many theories to explain the dinosaur extinction They said that theclimate of the Earth slowly changed As it gradually became colder, plants died Somedinosaurs were vegetarians, so they died, too

a Theories are

i scientific ideas

ii extinctionsiii scientific example

b Climate refer to the Earth’s

i land

ii oceans

ii weather

c Why did the vegetarian dinosaurs die?

i It was too cold

ii There were no plants to eat

iii The Earth changed

d In these sentences, which word is a synonym of gradually?

………

5 One theory is that dinosaurs simply became too big to live After all, some dinosaursweighed as much as 77 tons

The information that follows after all

a gives details to support the sentence before it

b gives new information about another idea

c give some kind of numbers

6 People were still uncertain because none of the theories explained these extinctions

7 The new theory is that 65 million years ago, a large comet or asteroid struck theEarth near Mexico It struck at incredibly high speed - as high as 15,000 miles perhour It was very damaging In fact, it created a hole 25 miles deep and 100 miles indiameter

a What follow the dash (-)?

i an example ii a contrast iii an explanation

b What is the purpose of in fact?

i It gives true information

ii It introduces details to support informationiii It introduces different information

b Diameter describes

i height

ii widthiii depth

8 The temperature decreased significantly all around the Earth for a long time,perhaps years Plants died rapidly because there was not enough sunlight Animals alsodied quickly because they had nothing to eat and because the climate was too cold

a Decreased means

i became higher

ii became lower

b In these sentences, which word is a synonym of rapidly?

………

c Not enough means

i too little

ii too much

9 The new theory explains the extinction of many kinds of life 65 million years ago.However, scientists need to find the exact place where the asteroid or comet struck theEarth When they find the location, they will be able to prove that their theory iscorrect

a However means

b What does exact mean?

i specific ii best iii damaged

c In these sentences, which word is a synonym of location?

………

d Correct means

i extinct ii comet iii true

III.4 Vocabulary in context

Read each sentence below Fill in each space with the correct word from the listbelow Use each word only once

creature incredibly theorydiscuss prove uncertain giant

1 Joann plans to come into town today, but I am whether her train arrives

4 Diplodocus was a vegetarian dinosaur This ancient was 88 feet long

5 During the dinosaur age, the Earth’s was very warm, even in areas thatare very cold today

6 Many scientists agree with the that dinosaurs were very social animals,but they need more evidence to support their idea

7 Some dinosaurs, such as Compsognathus, were very small , thisdinosaur was only 28 inches long

8 Margaret and Andres need a new car They will probably the type ofcar they need before they buy one

9 The hottest place on Earth has a temperature of 135oF, but the planet Venus is hot 890oF!

10 It is very easy to cook eggs You put them in boiling water for threeminutes

IV Post-reading

Topics for Discussion and Writing

1 Do you think it is important to know what happened to dinosaurs? Why or why not?

2 It is possible for a large comet or asteroid to strike the Earth again If it does, what

do you think will happen? Work with a classmate to make a list of things that willhappen Compare your list with your classmates’ lists

3 Imagine that an asteroid has just struck the Earth Describe what you see, hear andfeel

Unit 3:

The birth of the United States of America

I/ Objectives

After studying this unit, students shall be able to

+ improve their knowledge about the United States, especially the first days ofthe United States of America, the first president, the U.S history, etc

+ improve their vocabulary about history of forming a country

+ have many chances to practise and improve their English skills, especiallyreading comprehension and espressing ideas about the early history of the UnitedStates of America

authorityunanimouslyelect

democracy

1 Look at the photograph This is a photo of

the Declaration of Independence What is the

Declaration of Independence?

2 When did the United States become

independent?

3 Where is the United States of America?

4 Where did people in the United States first

come from?

5 Why did these people come to the United

States?

6 Who was the first president of the United

States? How did he become president?

England had 13 colonies in North America in the 18th century The peoplewho lived there were called colonists Naturally, the colonists were English TheBritish government made the colonists pay taxes, but they had no one to representthem in the government The colonists felt that this practice was unfair.

The colonists wanted representation, so they decided to create a congress Acongress is a group of representatives who discuss problems The ContinentalCongress had its first meeting in secret on September 5, 1774 The congress didnot decide to fight for independence at this time, but war seemed unavoidable.George III, the King of England, wanted the colonists to obey him, but thecolonists refused The King did not listen to the colonists' complaints Finally,many people felt that their only choice was to become independent In June 1776,the Continental Congress organized the colonies into states Each state had itsown government A group of men from each state met to write a public statement.Thomas Jefferson was a member of this committee and was chiefly responsiblefor writing this famous paper It is called American government On July 4, 1776,the colonists accepted the Declaration This date marked the beginning of theAmerican Revolution The American Revolution was the war between theAmerican colonists and England The colonists fought for their independencefrom England

When the war began, George Washington was already an experienced militaryofficer People respected and admired him He was the commander-in-chief ofthe American army during the American Revolution During the war, theAmericans had few arms and clothes, and very little money The war was longand difficult, but finally the British signed a peace treaty on September 3, 1783

A new nation was born

The new country did not have a government It only had the ContinentalCongress, but the congress had no authority For example, it could not make laws

or collect taxes to raise money Each state was very worried about keeping itsown independence The states did not want a powerful central government Theyears 1783 to 1787 were very difficult ones for the new nation During these fouryears, the states made many compromise, and finally, on December 7, 1787, thestates began to accept the new Constitution and the new central government.The Constitution created a formal Congress and a president The Congressunanimously elected George Washington the first president of the United States

He was a good general during the war, but most important, he was honest andfair, and people trusted him George Washington became president on April 30,

1789, and the United States of America became the first democracy in the world

III.1 Questions for scanning

Read the passage Then try to answer the following questions Do not look back at thepassage Work in pairs to compare their answers with their partner's answers

1 Why did the colonists decide to become independent from England?

go back to the passage and find the line that supports their answers

1 The United States is the largest country in the world

2 The people who lived in the 13 colonies came from England

3 King of England wanted the colonists in North America to pay taxes to England. 4 Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence alone

5 George Washington fought in the American Revolution

6 George Washington became the first president of the United States in 1776

III.3 Reading Analysis

Read each question carefully Either circle the letter of the correct answer or write theanswer in the space provided

1 What is the main idea of this passage?

a The United States had a revolution against England over 200 years ago

b The United States became a democratic country after a fight for independence

c The United States is the fourth largest country in the world

2 "The United States is a big country In fact, it is the fourth largest country in the

world However, the U.S wasn't always so big It began as a very small nation."

a How many countries are bigger than the United States?

………

b In this paragraph, which word is a synonym of country?

………

c In this paragraph, what is the purpose of in fact?

i It means the writer is telling the truth

ii The second sentence gives more specific information than the firstsentence about the actual size of The United States

iii The second sentence gives different information from the firstsentence

d Complete the following sentence correctly.

"My grandmother is a very old woman In fact, ……… "

i she has white hair and walks very slowly

ii she is 93 years old

iii she has ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren

3 "England had 13 colonies in North America in the 18th century The British

government made the English colonists pay taxes, but they had no one to represent

them in the government."

a In this paragraph, which word is a synonym of English?

………

b England had 13 colonies in North America This means that England had 13

i communities of people

ii businessesiii factories

4 The Continental Congress had its first meeting in secret on September 5, 1774

a Was the first meeting of the C.C probably legal or illegal?

ii not possible

b Which of the following are unavoidable?

i becoming older

ii becoming hungryiii dying

iv getting married

6 "A group of men from each state met to write a public statement Thomas Jefferson

was a member of this committee."

In this paragraph, committee means ………

a several states that fight together

b several people who get together to make decisions

7 "Thomas Jefferson was chiefly responsible for writing the Declaration of

Independence That is the reason why most people say he is the author of theDeclaration."

a These sentences mean that ……….

i many people helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence

ii Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence with very little help

b In these sentences, chiefly means ……….

8 "The declaration of Independence is the basis of the American government."

In this sentence, basis means

a reason; foundation b written part c best part

9 "Americans had few arms and clothes, and very little money"

a i Americans did not have many arms

ii Americans had a lot of arms

b In this sentence, arms means ……….

i the part of the body between the shoulder and the hand

ii weapons; for example, guns and cannons

10 The states made many compromises between 1783 and 1787.

Read the following sentences

"Walter wanted to go to an Italian restaurant Effie wanted to go to a Chineserestaurant They had an argument and stopped talking to each other."

"Joyce wants to stay out until 1 a.m tonight Her mother wants her to come home at 11p.m Joyce and her mother finally agree that Joyce can come home at midnight."

a Who made a compromise: Walter and Effie, or Joyce and her mother?

………

b People make compromises when they make ………

i choices ii agreements iii decisions

III.4 Vocabulary in context

Read each sentence below Fill in each space with the correct word from the listbelow Use each word only once

authority complaint committee

unavoidable unanimously honest

1 Bernice is a member of the that organizes the yearly office party

2 No one likes to pay taxes, but we all have to pay them Paying taxes is .

3 Janet moved to Chicago from Florida two weeks ago She has friends

6 A police officer has the to arrest you if you break the law

7 The teacher asked the students if they wanted to go home early They answered , "Yes!" No one wanted to stay in school

8 Tom the traffic light He stopped on the read signal

9 In England, police officers do not carry any , but in the United States,police officers always carry guns

10 Sherwin is a very person You can trust him to tell you the truth

IV Post-reading

Topics for Discussion and Writing

1 Get into groups Choose one important event Write about this event

2 Today there are 50 states in the United States Give requirements

a In class, look at the map of the United States

b Choose a state that Ss are interested in Check their selection to make surethat each student in the class chooses a different state

c Together as a class, or in small groups, decide what information Ss want tolearn about their states, for example, the population, the capital, the location,the date it become state

d Prepare an oral preparation to tell the class about their state

e Prepare a written description of their state

3 Find out the exact size and population of our country Prepare a chart with a partner

to list all the countries in order of size, then list all of them in order of population.Compare two lists

Unit 4:

Twins - How alike are they?

I/ Objectives

After studying this unit, students shall be able to

+ improve their knowledge about twins and some typical examples - their reallife with good and bad things caused from the similar appearance and personality

+ improve their vocabulary about twins and people description

+ have many chances to practise and improve their English skills, especiallyreading comprehension and espressing ideas about retelling twins’/ family’s stories ordescribing twins

II Pre-reading

II.1 Questions for preparation

1 Look at the photographs Describe

the two boys and the two girls

2 How are you and your brothers or

sisters alike? Do you look alike? Do

you like the same things? Do you

have similar personalities?

3 How are you and your brothers or

sisters different? Do you look

different? Do you like different

things? Do you have different

personalities?

4 What are twins? Are they common?

Do you know any twins? Are there

twins in your family?

5 How are twins similar? Do they

look alike? Are there different kinds

of twins?

6 Do twins have the same

personalities? Why or why not?

7 Do you want to have twins? Why or

79-he is Buell, and sometimes Buell tells people 79-he is John.

Identical twins like the Fullers are very unusual in the United States Out ofevery one thousand births, there are only four pairs of identical twins Naturally,most people are very curious about them Scientists want to know about twins,too Do twins feel the same pain? Do they think the same thoughts? Do they sharethese thoughts?

Scientists understand how twins are born Now, though, they are trying toexplain how being half of a biological pair influences a twin’s identity Theywant to know why many identical twins make similar choices even when theydon't live near each other For example, Jim Springer and Jim Lewis areidentical twins They were separated when they were only four months old Thetwo Jims grew up in different families and did not meet for 39 years When theyfinally met, they discovered some surprising similarities between them Bothmen were married twice Their first wives were both named Linda, and theirsecond wives were both named Betty! Both twins named their first sons JamesAllan, drove blue Chevrolets, and had dogs named Toy Are all these factscoincidences, or are they biological?

Scientists want to know what influences personality They study pairs ofidentical twins who grew up in different surroundings, like Jim Springer and JimLewis These twins help scientists understand the connection betweenenvironment and biology Researchers at the University of Minnesota studied

350 sets of identical twins who did not grow up together They discovered manysimilarities in their personalities Scientists believe that personalitycharacteristics such as friendliness, shyness, and fears are not a result ofenvironment These characteristics are inherited

Some pairs of identical twins say that they have ESP (ExtrasensoryPerception) experiences For instance, some twins say that they can feel whentheir twin is in pain or in trouble Twins also seem to be closer and more open to

each other's thoughts and feelings than other brothers and sisters For example,Donald and Louis Keith are close in this way The Keiths are identical twins.Donald says that by concentrating very hard, he can make Louis telephone him.Scientists continue to study identical twins because they are uncertain aboutthem and have many questions However, most twins are sure about one fact:being a twin is wonderful because you are never alone and you always have abest friend!

III.1 Questions for scanning

Read the passage Then try to answer the following questions Do not look back at thepassage Work in pairs to compare their answers with their partner's answers

1 How are Jim Springer and Jim Lewis similar?

Read the passage Then read the following statements Check whether they are true (T)

or false (F) If a statement is false, change the statement so that it is true Then go back

to the passage and find the line that supports their answers

1 Scientists want to know about identical twins

2 Jim Springer and Jim Lewis always lived together

3 Identical twins who grow up together help scientists understand them better. 4 John and Buell Fuller were separated at birth and did not grow up together. 5 Some identical twins have ESP experiences about each other

6 Friendliness, shyness, and fears are inherited

III.3 Reading Analysis

Read each question carefully Either circle the letter of the correct answer or write theanswer in the space provided

1 What is the main idea of this passage?

a John and Buell Fuller, typical identical twins, grew up together

b Identical twins are very unusual in the United States

c Scientists believe that identical twins are very similar in both their look andtheir personalities

2 "Most twins who grew up together are very close John and Buell Fuller are year-old identical twins They have always lived together, and still do They wear identical clothes and work together, too They think it is amusing that people can't tell them apart."

79-a In this paragraph, close means that they

i live near each other

ii live in the same house

iii are very good friends

b What do John and Buell Fuller still do?

i confuse people

ii live together

iii wear the same clothes

c People can't tell them apart This means that

i they look exactly the same

ii people can’t talk to them alone

iii they never work apart

3 "Out of everyone thousand births, there are only four pairs of identical twins."

This means that

a if one thousand women have babies, four women will have identical twins

b only four pairs of identical twins are born in the United States every year

4 "Most people are very curious about identical twins Scientists want to know about

twins, too Do twins feel the same pain? Do they think the same thoughts? Do theyshare these thoughts? "

In these sentences, which word or phrase is a synonym of are very curious?

a feel b want to know c think

5 "Scientists understand how twins are born Now, though, they are trying to explain

how being half of a biological pair influences a twin's identity."

Being half of a biological pair means being

a a scientist b a twin c alone

6 "Jim Springer and Jim Lewis are famous identical twins They were separated when

they were only four months old The two Jims grew up in different families and did not meet for 39 years Both men were married twice Their first wives were both

named Linda, and their second wives were both named Betty!"

a Who are The two Jims?

………

b How many is both?

i two

ii fouriii six

7 "Both Jim Springer and Jim Lewis named their first sons James Allan Both Jimsdrove blue Chevrolets They both had dogs named Toy Are all these facts simply

coincidences?"

Read the following sentences:

1/ Dean telephoned Jenny and invited her to have lunch with him They decided to

meet at 1 o'clock on the corner of first Avenue and Main Street At 1 o'clock, Jennywas on the corner, and Dean walked up to her They said hello and went into therestaurant

2/ Dean and Jenny sat at a table in the restaurant Jenny looked around the restaurant.

Her sister, Christine, was at the next table, Jenny and Christine greeted each other, andthey all had lunch together at the same table

a Which situation was a coincidence: Dean and Jenny met on the corner at 1o'clock, or Jenny met her sister in the restaurant?

………

b A coincidence is something that happens

i by plan or arrangement

ii by accident or chance

iii on the street or in the restaurant

8 "Scientists want to know what influences personality Pairs of identical twins who grew up in different surroundings, like Jim Springer and Jim Lewis, help scientists

understand the connection between environment and biology Researchers at theUniversity of Minnesota studied 350 sets of identical twins who did not grow uptogether."

a In this paragraph, which word is a synonym of pair?

………

b In this paragraph, which word is a synonym of surroundings?

………

c What do these two words mean?

i the house you live in iii the people you live with

ii the place you live in iv all of the above

9 "Scientists believe that personality characteristics such as friendliness, shyness and

fears are not a result of environment They are inherited."

a What are some examples of personality characteristics?

………

b How do you know?

………

c What does they refer to?

i scientists ii personality characteristics iii.fears

10 "Other pairs of identical twins say that they have ESP experiences."