Sunteți pe pagina 1din 20

KEY READING SKlllS

STUDY SHEET 1
Previewing
Looking quickly before you read

- - movie poster

name of movie

aetors

type of movie

<, when it starts

How to preview
Read the title and headings.
Notiee any names, dates, or numbers.
Study any pietures.
Notiee the type of text (article, poem, ete.).

Think
Where is the text fram?
What is the topie?
What do 1 know about this topie?

Practice
Preview a unit in this book.
What is the unit title?
What pietures are there?
What is the title of the main text?
What is the topie of the main text?

146 Key reading skills - Study sheet 1


KEY READING SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 2

Identifying reference words


Recognizing how pronouns link to a text

Tom's day

It was Saturday morning, and Tom was excited. There was an important soccer match and
~ --'
he was on the tearn! He got dressed and ate breakfast: however, he didn't finish it. He was
~
toa excited. At II :00, he said goodbye to his parents and biked to the match. Tom could see

a lot of people ~ing by car and b~ They were coming to watch the match. Tom saw
his girlfriend, Maria. He smiled as she shouted "Good luck!" Then the match started. Tom
-----------::r ~
hoped it ~ld be good; He wanted to win. _

How to identify reference words


Look for words like he, her, it, them, etc.
Look back in the sentence. Find any nouns.
If necessary, look in previous sentences.

Think
What is the previous subject?
Does this word refer to the previous subject?

Practice
Read this text. Who or what do the words in italics refer to?

Celebrating
Torn's tea m won the match. a They were all very happy. He quickly took a shower
because he wanted to see Maria. He ran to the front of the school. b She was waiting.
"Congratulations, Tom!" Maria said. e They decided to have lunch. They went to an Italian
restaurant. The food was great! What's more, d it was cheap! Then they watched a movie.
The movie was called The Ace. e It was interesting, and there was a lot of action. Finally,
Tom went home and told his parents the good news about his soccer match. f They were
very happy. He went to bed tired but happy.

a d
b e
e f

I<ey reading skills - Study sheet 2 147


I<EY READING SI(ILLS
STUDY SHEET 4

Identifying the topie


Understanding the main subject of the text

1 am a vegetariano That means 1 dori't eat meat. 1 think it's wrong to eat another animal. But
this makes life difficult for me. In school, there is meat in almost everything for lunch. 1 can
only eat salad, soup, and sometimes pizza. It's boring! It's unhealthy, toa. 1 want to eat tasty
food. 1 don't understand why everything has meat in it.

Topic
a The poor quality of food in many schools
b Problems that schoolchildren have if they are vegetarians
e The reasons why some children dori't want to eat meat
d The importance of eating healthy food

How to identify the topic


Read the whole text first.
Try to identify a theme.
Look for important words. Perhaps their meanings are connected.

Think
Are any ideas repeated?
What is the text about?

Praetiee
Read this paragraph and identify the topic.

Some people are sad when they see animals in zoos. They think it is wrong to keep
animals in this way. They think the elephants, lions, and other animal s should be free. For
some animals, however, life in a zoo is the only life possible. In a zoo, they are safe. They
also have a lot of food, and they can get help when they are sick. The zoo is their home.
Perhaps the most important thing is the zoo itself. A good zoo will have happy, healthy
animals. In contrast, animal s in abad zoo will always be unhappy.

a Reasons why zoos are bad


b The advantages of zoos
e Animals in zoos
d Wild animal s

Key reading skills - Study sheet 4 149 S


KEY READI NG SKI LLS
STUDY SHEET 3

Inferring meaning
Understanding something that the writer does not say directly

~ - He's at work.
John carne into the office and sat down. Chris continued
working. He ddn't look up. Finally, John asked, "Where's
John thinks Chris my camera?" Chris stopped working. "What camera?" he
has his camera. asked. "You know what camera 1 mean!" shouted John. John is angry.
~ ~

How to infer meaning


Look for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Try to imagine what is happening.

Think
What do the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs describe?
What ideas do the words give?
What is the writer really trying to say?

Practice
Read this paragraph and underline the words that tell you ...
a Samantha is in the living room.
b Kenji was hot.
e Kenji was very tired.

"My feet!"
Kenji carne into the room. Samantha was sitting on the sofa watching television. She looked
at Kenji. His face was red and he was sweating. Slowly, Kenji sat down in a chair. He took
off his shoes. "Oh!" he said. "My feet!"

148 Key reading skills - Study sheet 3


I<EYREADING SI<IllS
STUDY SHEET 5

Scanning
Looking through a text quickly to find specifie information

What's en teevision?

times <"00 1:30

3:15
News and weather
The Monday movie:
Distant Mountain
Animals and Us
6:30
6:45
7:30
Local news and weather
Cooking Tonight
Star Movie:
Gadget Woman
day

programs
3:45 Quiz Show 9:25 News
4:15 Homes On Display 9:30 Police Adventures
5:00 Pinky (cartoon) 10:00 Murder Mystery
5:05 Children's TV 11 :30 Farnous for Fifteen Minutes
6:00 News 11 :45 Goodnight, withJack Ross

How to sean
Quickly find the section you need.
Don't read every word. Only look for key words.
When you find what you need, read the sentence.
After you have the information, stop reading.

Think
What information do 1 want to find?
Where is the right place to look?
What words or phrases can help me?

Practice
Look quickly through the TV schedule above to find answers to these questions.
You have two minutes.
a How many movies are there?
b How many news shows are there?
e What time do es the Star Movie begin?
d What is the name of the cartoon?
e When do es Distoru Mountain finish?
f What can you watch at 9:30?
g How long do es Quiz Show last?

1 150 Key reading skills - Study sheet 5


I<EYREADING SI<IllS
STUDY SHEET 6

Identifying time order


Understanding when things happened

My education

In 1991, 1 started elernentary schoo1. 1 was five years old. 1 went to Gorsey Bank Elementary
Schoo1. After seven years, 1 went to Hanover Junior High. 1 stayed there until 1 was 15.
Then 1 went to Marymount High Schoo1. After 1 finished high school, when 1 was 18,
1 studied art for two years at my local community college. Then 1 graduated and got a job.

How to identify text organization


Look for any days, months, and years.
Look for any times.
Check the ages of people.
Look for words like then, before, after, next.

Think
How can 1 find out when this happened?
What happened before and after?

Practice
Look again at the text above. Complete these sentences.
a When the writer was five, she started _
b At 12, she went to _
e She studied there for __ years.
d She went to Marymount High School in 20__ .
e She graduated from community college when she was __ years old and got a job.

Key reading skills - Study sheet 6 1 S1


I<EYREADING SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 7

Understanding the main idea


Identifying the main idea the writer wants to express

Topic: English dictionaries


There are hundreds of English dictionaries. Some are huge. Others are small. Some are for
special areas, like business. Others are for general study. You can get ones at different levels,
for beginning, intermediate, or advanced students. How do you choose? First, think how you
will use it. For example, do you need one with lots of specialized words? Do you want one
that's easy to carry? Then go to a bookstore and ask which dictionary is the best for your
needs. The most important thing is to get the right one.

Main idea
aSome English dictionaries are bigger and better than others .
b Because there are a lot of dictionaries, it's difficult to choose a good one.
e It's important to choose the right dictionary for your needs.

How to understand the main idea


Read everything first.
Look for words that give the writer's opinion.
Check the beginning and the nd - the main idea is often there.

Think
What is the topic?
What is the writers opinion about the topic?

Practice
Read this paragraph and choose the most suitable main idea.

Topic: Learning English


It seems everyone is learning English. We learn it for different reasons, however. Some people
learn English for their job. Many young people learn English in school and have no choice!
Although our reasons for learning English may be different, it's important to remember that
learning should be fun. Dori't worry about your mistakes - enjoy your successes!

Main idea
a There are many different reasons why people want to learn English.
b It's important to enjoy learning English.
e Success is more important than failure.

152 Key reading skills - Study sheet 7


KEY READI NG SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 8

Skirnrning
Reading quickly to get a general idea

1 remember my first job. 1 worked in a sma11 restaurant in my ~ The beginning


hometown. 1 worked there a11summer when 1 was 16 years old. te11syou a 101.
1 started work every evening at 6:00. Xxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
XXXX. Xxxxxxxxxx XXXXXX. Xxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx. Xxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxx. Xxxxxxxxxx
XXXXXX. Xxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Xxxxxxxxxxxxx. The beginning
1 worked until around 2:00 a.m., and then biked home. of eaeh paragraph
often eontains
1 really liked my co-workers. Xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxx.
a topie sentenee.
Xx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxx. Xxxxx xxxxx
xxxxxx xxx xxx. Xx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx XXXX.
I'll never forget Jean or Danny.
For me, that summer was the best in my life. 1 met some great ~ The last paragraph
people. 1 earned a lot of money. 1 also beeame independent for may eontain the
the first time. It was great! main idea.

How to ski m
Read quiekly. Don't read every word, and don't stop!
Read the first paragraph.
Read the first and last sentenees of the other paragraphs.
Read the last paragraph.

Think
Whac is the topie?
What is the subjeet of eaeh paragraph?
What are the important words?

Practice
With a partner, Iook again at the text at the top of this page. Answer the three questions
in Think (above).

Key reading skills - Study sheet 8 1 S3 5


KEY READING SKILLS
STUDY SHEET 9

Separating fact and opinin


Deciding if what you read is true or the writer's personal opinion

Cairo is the capital of Egypt. ~ Fact. No one can say that it is not.

Soccer is the best game in the world. ~ Opinion. Some pea pie may disagree.

How to separate fact and opinion


Don't believe everything you read.
Look for words connected with facts: evidence, research, prove, tacto
Look for words connected with opinions: think, believe, perhaps, possible.

Think
Is this always true?
Could anyone disagree with this staternent?

Practice
Read these statements and write F (fact) or O (opinion).
a The African elephant is the largest animal that lives on land.
b African elephants drink up to 160 liters of water in a day.
e African elephants have bigger ears than Asian elephants.
d The elephant is the most beautiful of all animals.
e An elephant might be a good pet.
f I think some elephants are happier in zoos.
g Elephants can live for up to 70 years.

1 S4 Key reading skills - Study sheet 9


KEY READING SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 10

Identifying cause and effect


Finding the reasons for situations or actions, and their results

1 needed some milk, so 1 went to the store.

cause Because it was raining, 1 toa k my umbrella. effect

1 lost my wallet. Because of this, 1 had no maney.

How to identify cause and effect


Look for words like because, beca use of. These introduce causes.
Look for words like so, therefore. These introduce effects (or results).

Think
Which situation or event happened first?
What words can help me?

Practice
Read these sentences. Write e (cause) or E (effect) for each underlined phrase.
a 1 was hungry, so 1 ate a sandwich.
b Because of the noise from the party next door, 1 couldn't sleep.
c Helen was angry because Tim forgot to do the shopping.
d My printer is very old, so it dcesn't print very quickly.
e 1 couldn't go to work because 1 was sick.

Key reading skills - Study sheet 10 155


KEY VOCABUlARY SKlllS
STU DY SH EET 1

Guessing meaning from context


Thinking about the meanings of words you don't know

./ not expensive
These shoes 1 bought were really cheap. ~
They were only $25! Last week they were
three times
~ $75. I'm pleased because 1 think 1 got
the price
/ a great barga(

~ Guess: Noun meaning "something that


happy costs much less than normal."

worried~
George was very nervous. "We must ~
finish this work today," he said. ~
"E veryone 15... watng for .t. .,.,
iomorrow have to
will be toa late. It's vital."

~ ~ Guess: Adjective meaning


must be today!. "very important."

How to guess meaning rom context


Don't stop reading when you see a difficult word. Finish the sentence.
Identify the part of speech of the new word.
Look at sentences that come before and after.

Think
Do 1 really need to understand this word?
What words or ideas is it connected to?

Practice
Try to guess the meaning o each word in italics.
a The teacher told me 1 passed all my exams. 1 felt fantastic!
b 1 went skiing on my last vacation, but there was no snow! 1 was very frustrated.
e They canceled the baseball game because of a lack of interest. Nobody wanted to play.
d The weather was really cold last winter. The lake near my house [roze - 1played on the ice
for two weeks.

1 S6 Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 1


KEY VOCABULARY SKILLS
STUDY SHEET 2

Using a dictionary
Looking for new words in a dictionary
frequency (the most important and frequently
occurring words are highlighted in red and have
p~artof speech ~l' 2, or 3 star rating [3 stars~= most commonD.

how to pronounce
the word
excellent /'eksalant/ adj *** extremely good: explanation
The food was absolutely exce//ent. -excellentlyadv

example ~ ~ related word

How lo use a dictionary


Read the definition and any examples.
Find the part of speech you want.
Check that the meaning matches the word in the text.

Think
Does this word have more than one meaning?
Which meaning do 1 need?

Practice
Study the example. Complete the information below.

1 walked into the room and saw


stare /stea/ verb ** to look at someone or Amy. We talked for a few minutes.
something very directly for a long time: Suddenly, she stopped. She seemed
lt's rude to sta re. -stare noun to stare at the window, and her
face slowly turned white.

Part of speech: _
Pronunciatian: _
Examplesentence: _

Meaning:

Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 2 157


KEY VOCABULARY SKILLS
STU DY SH EET 3

Recognizing parts of speech


Identifying words as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, etc.

verb~ ~adjective

Ling sat guietly on the 01 cnair.

adverb~ ~noun

How to recognize parts of speech


Noun (noun) - a word referring to a person, thing, place, or quality
ttiother. game, Tokyo, peace
Adjective (adj) - a word describing something or someone
big, old, expensive
Verb (verb) - an action word
sing, walk, speak
Adverb (adv) - a word to describe a verb or an adjective
He ran quickly. / I was very .happy.

Think
What is the ending of the word?
Does the word describe anything?
How does the word relate to the sentence?

Practice
Write the part of speech for each word. Then use the words to complete these sentences.

a enjoy _ enjoyable _ enjoyment _


1 1 went to the movies last night with Chang-Ho. It was very _
2 Please your meal.
3 1 am not getting any from this.
b hope _ hopeful _ hopefully _
1 _______ we win the soccer match this afternoon.
2 I'll finish this work soon - , before lunch time.
3 Haruo is very that he'Il win the contest.

158 Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 3

b
KEY VOCABUlARY SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 4

Word groups
Words that are related to the same theme or idea
the therne

How to understand word groups


Look for words that may be connected.
Underline words you think relate to the same theme.
Try to identify the theme.

Think
Which words are connected?
What is the theme?
What other words may be connected?

Practice
What group do each set of words belong to?
a car truck plane bus train
b golf baseball soccer basketball tennis
e London Seoul Taipei Tokyo Moscow
d mouse keyboard disk monitor screen
e orange juice milk coffee soda water

Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 4 1 S9


KEY VOCABUlARY SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 5

Synonyrns
Words that have similar meanings

~ large pizza last night. It was tlelicious! ~


My friend Wei said it was too ig for one persono
These are similar. H dt h it t 1 t These are similar.
e wante o ave some, 1 was so as y, L ale /
itall! ~

How to understand synonyms


Underline words you think are synonyms.
Check that the words are the same part of speech.
Swap the synonyms in a sentence. Check that the meaning is the same.

Think
Is there a difference in meaning?
Why has the writer used this particular word?

Practice
Find two pairs oi synonyms in each texto
a 1 watched a movie on TV last night. It had some famous actors, but it was terrible. 1 was
surprised to see so many stars in such an awful film.
b When Jake plays tennis, he wants to win every match. Whenever he loses, he gets angry.
His brother Craig is different. He doesn't get mad when someone else succeeds. I'd rather
play tennis with Craig!
e 1 believe you dori't have to be rich to be happy. 1 have a very wealthy friendo 1 think he may
be a millionaire, but he complains al! the time!
d Young-Joo bought a new cel! phone last week. At first, she found that the instructions were
not easy to understand; however, she discovered it's very simple to use. She's happy with it
because it's better than her old one.

160 Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 5


KEY VOCABUlARY SKlllS
STU DY SH EET 6

Suffixes
Added to the end of words to make new words

The instructon was very kind and very helpul


instruct (verb) - instructor (noun) help (verb) - helpful (adjective)

Recendy, 1 bought a new TV. It was a great improvement on the old one.
recent (adjective) - recently (adverb) improve (verb) - improvement (noun)

How to understand suffixes


Verbs -eti to become lengthen

Nouns -et / -ot / -ist a person who dancer / actor / specialist


-tiess condition happiness
-ttiet changes a verb to a no un arrangement

Adjectives -ful full of hopeful


-less without hopeless
-able able to reasonable
-ive / -y having the quality of supportive / healthy
-ous containing dangerous

Adverbs -ly in the manner of quickly

Think
How do es the suffix change the part of speech?
What meaning does the suffix give the word?

Practice
Add a suffix to each word. Then write the part of speech.

-ness -or -able -ful -ly -ment

a respect
b visit
e different
d excite
e fashion
f tired

Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 6 161


KEY VOCABULARY SKILLS
STU DY SH EET 7

Collocations
Groups of words that are often used together

1 went shop ing yesterday. In the supermarket, 1 saw an old friend from college.
We hao luncn together and talked for hours. 1 had a great time.

How to understand colIocations


Adjective + noun The party was a great success.
Verb + noun Kelly was 18 when she left home.
Adverb + adjective I'm terribly sorry. 1 won't do that again.
Adverb + verb 1 completely agree with Hana.
Verb + adverb Please listen carefulIy.

Think
Which words go together?
Do they sound natural together?

Practice
1 Use these words to complete the sentences.

I do make miss serious sharp quick

a Don't forget to your homework.


b Joe always takes a shower before bed.
e Crime is a problem in many cities.
d Hurry up or you'Il the bus.
e Do you find it easy to friends?
f 1 cut my finger on a knife.

2 Match each verb with a word or phrase.


a take 1 a party
b break 2 the housework
e go 3 tennis
d have 4 a train
e play 5 home
f do 6 a promise

162 Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 7


KEY VOCABULARY SKILLS
STU DY SH EET 8

Prefixes
Added to the beginnings of words to change their meanings

givest.he~
opposite . ~
meaning 1 was unprepared and failed my exam last means "do again"
week, so 1 have to r ~

How to understand prefixes


Opposite meanings
anti- against anti-smoking
dis- the opposite of disagree
in- not inconvenient
un- not unfit
mis- the opposite of misunderstand
im- not (before words beginning with m or p) impossible
il- not (before words beginning with l) illogical
ir- not (before words beginning with r) irregular
Other meanings
multi- having many mul ti-millio naire
semi- half / in part semi-final
post- after post-war
pre- before pre-2011
co- together with cooperate
re- do again replay

Think
Is the part of speech the same?
What meaning does the prefix give the word?

Practice
Add a prefix to each word.

I dis- im- in- inter- ir- mis- re- semi- un-

a efficient d spell g rational


b like e circle h national
e healthy f perfect place

Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 8 163


KEY VOCABUlARY SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 9

Antonyrns
Words that have opposite meanings

lave ~ hate
come~ go
big ~ small

These mean the opposite.

How to understand antonyms


Underline words you think are antonyms.
Check that the words are the same part of speech.
Swap the antonyms in a sentence. Check that the meaning is the same.

Think
Is there a difference in meaning?
Why has the writer used this particular word?

Practice
1 Read this text. Choose the best antonym for each word in italics.

1 am an athlete. Last week 1 was 1 sick. 1 couldn't run very 2 quickly. 1 also felt very
3 weak. When 1 entered an important competition, 1 4 lost. 1 decided to take some
5 traditional medicine. Now, 1 feel 6 better!

a __ slowly e well e __ strong


b won d worse f modern

2 Match each word with a word that has the opposite meaning.
a cheap 1 sell
b happy 2 easy
e buy 3 different
d difficult 4 miserable
e similar 5 interesting
f boring 6 expensive

164 Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 9


KEY VOCABUlARY SKlllS
STUDY SHEET 10

Words with different meanings


Using a dictionary to look up words that have several meanings
This word has four
different meanings.

crash /kriEJ/ noun *. )


1 an accident that happens when a vehicle hits something
2 a loud noise like the sound ofthings hitting each other and breaking
3 a sudden fall in prices or in the value ofthe stock market
4 an occasion when a computer or a computer program suddenly stops working

How to understand words with dierent meanings


Check the part of speech you need.
Read all the meanings, but remember the most common is first.
Identify the meaning that could be the one you need.
Read any examples and check that the meaning is the same.

Think
How many meanings does this word have?
Which meaning do 1 want?
Does the example show the meaning 1 want?

Practice
Look again at the dictionary definition. Then write the number of the correct meaning of
crash in these sentences.

a There was a loud crash frorn the kitchen.


b The crash in house prices was a complete surprise.
e Every time 1 open a document, it crashes.
d It was the worst train crash in 30 years.

Key vocabulary skills - Study sheet 10 165

S-ar putea să vă placă și