READING SKILLS We can improve our reading by reading more. We dont need to read and understand all the words in order to understand a passage. Having a good knowledge of western culture may contribute to our reading comprehension. When reading, we can circle or underline some key words and important sentences. Reading strategies Enjoy a video Questions: 1 We can infer from the speech that_____ A One can achieve success as long as he is clever. B Many people involved in TED are successful. C The speaker is rich. D The speaker likes to tease others. 2 What is the purpose of the speech? A to amuse the audience B to show the way to success C to laugh at someone D to tell the audience a story 3 We can learn from the speech that the speaker is ____ A energetic B humorous C ridiculous D pessimistic Four types of questions( Main idea Detail Inference Word guessing Questions: 1 We can infer from the speech that_____ A One can achieve success as long as he is clever. B Many people involved in TED are successful. C The speaker is rich. D The speaker likes to tease others. 2 What is the purpose of the speech? A to amuse the audience B to show the way to success C to laugh at someone D to tell audience a story 3 We can learn from the speech that the speaker is ____ A energetic B humorous C ridiculous D pessimistic Inference ( ) read between the lines ), In 2012 Taobao a major online shopping website set a record of 1 billion yuan in sales on that day alone with a huge 19.1 billion yuan exchanging hands on the website. (2014 A ) 56. According to the passage we can infer____ A.Taobao is a major online shopping website. Types of inference source intended readers opinion/attitude writing purpose implied meaning Passage 1 Four passengers were killed and 39 others injured early Sunday after a bus traveling south on Beijing- Zhuhai Freeway broke through a guardrail and fell off a cliff. Traffic police in Shaoguan City, south China's Guangdong Province, said the bus carried 43 passengers. It set off from Nanyang, a city in central China's Henan Province, at 10 a.m. Saturday headed for Dongguan in Guangdong. All the passengers were residents from Zhenping County in Nanyang City. The accident happened around 3:46 a.m. Sunday when the driver attempted to avoid hitting an unidentified object in front of the bus. You can click the link and watch the video to know more about the accident. Q: Where is this passage taken from? A. Newspaper B. Magazine C. Website D. TV news You can click the link and watch the video to know more about the accident. For more information, you can click here source Question forms 1)The passage is most likely to be taken from_________. 2)Where would this passage most probably appear? 3)The passage is most likely a part of_________. 4) Where can we read this passage? Tips: Pay attention to the content and structure Advertisement: special structure Newspaper headline, date, place, the name of the news agency Internet: click, update, blog, ebooks, download Brainstorm source website/blog/Internet, magazine, advertisement, newspaper, science fiction, a guide book/travel brochure/handbook / , report, biography, textbook, geography book intended readers Question forms 1 The passage is probably written for_________? 2 Who are the intended readers of the passage? 3 The text is written mainly for_________? Passage 2 Sometimes youll hear people say that you cant love others until you love yourself. Sometimes youll hear people say that you cant expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, youve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that were the apple of our parents eyes, and that our Grandmas think were great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. but sometimes its a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself. Who are the intended readers of the passage? A Parents B Adolescents C Educators D People in general Sure we all know that were the apple of our parents eyes, and that our Grandmas think were great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. opinion/attitude Question forms: 1 Whats the writers attitude towards? 2 What does the author think of ? 3 The author seems to be in favor of/against? 4 Which of the following reflects the authors view? Tips Pay attention to adj. adv. verb, and example, which may reveal the feeling of the writer. Passage 3 Mr. Neff is always right. He is never wrong. He usually has good luck. He seldom has problems. He never breaks dishes. He never misses buses or airplanes. Even if he does miss them, it is always the fault of the buses or the airplanes. Which of the following best describes the writer's attitude towards Mr Neff? A. He finds Mr. Neff hard to understand. B. He thinks Mr. Neff wonderful. C. He feels pity for Mr. Neff. D. He does not like Mr. Neff. Passage 4 Why isnt your newspaper reporting any good news? All I read about is murder, bribery( ), and death. Frankly, I am sick of all the bad news. The authors attitude towards the newspaper reporting is to __________ A complain B apologize C amuse D inform I am sick of Brainstorm Attitude /feeling Positive, negative, neutral( ), indifferent( ),objective, subjective, optimistic, pessimistic, admiring, supportive, approval, disapproval, ironic ( ),sarcastic( ),critical, cautious, doubtful, skeptical( writing purpose Question forms: 1) The purpose in writing this text is to __________. 2) The author writes this passage to __________. 3) The author in this passage intends to __________. 4 The author uses the example/the question to show_______ Tips: 1 To sell a product or a service To attract more visitors/readers to buy/take part in To tell an experience To entertain/amuse readers To show/support ones idea/view To argue for/against To inform readers of To show how to 2 Introduce/lead in to the topic Attract readers attention to Passage 5 How should one invest a sum of money in these days of inflation ( ) ? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.. Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit? The purpose of the passage is ________. A. to introduce the culture of antique clocks B. to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks C. to compare different ways to make a future profit D. to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit? Passage 6 2014 Should we allow modern buildings to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. Not all historical buildings are attractive In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style... If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different, even though that might be the more risky choice. What is the main purpose of the passage? A. To explain why people dislike change. B. To warn that we could end up living in caves. C. To admit how new buildings have ruined their surroundings. D. To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas. implied meaning Question forms: It can be inferred from the text that____ /We may infer that ____ We can see/infer/conclude from the passage that____ The story implies/indicates that. From the text we know that _______ The writer suggests that_______ infer, indicate, imply, suggest, conclude, learn from Tips: detail Find out the relevant information Analyze and assess Draw the conclusion Passage 7 Moms are people who listen to you when no one else is interested. And moms dont ever think the small unexciting things you do dont matter. Moms dont laugh at your dreams. Good moms pay attention. Great moms fix you something warm to eat and pay attention. It can be inferred from the text that____ A Good moms repair your daily things B where there is warm acceptance, there is home. C where your fuel tank is filled, there is home. D Great moms provide food and emotional support. Passage 8 Many Chinese cities have been filled with Christmas neon lights Christmas songs Christmas trees and the images ofSanta Clausin recent days As a matter of fact foreign festivals are becoming more popular than certain traditional Chinese festivals among the Chinese people particularly the youth. Certain traditional festivals have died out because people have forgotten their spiritual meanings More and more Chinese people are beginning to exchange gifts on Valentine's Day and Christmas Certain folk customs on the Dragon Boat Festival Tomb Sweeping Day and other traditional festivals have gradually disappeared Under such circumstances even the Chinese Fortune Grandpa is unlikely to defeat Santa Claus The paragraph implies that___ A traditional festivals should co-exist with foreign festivals B all the Chinese festivals are disappearing in the near future C western festivals are constantly impacting on our festivals Dthe Chinese people have the public awareness of traditional festivals Passage 9 From his childhood, Langston Hughes developed a love of reading books, which grew into a desire to write. He wanted to reproduce the powerful effect other writers had made upon him. Among the early influences on his writing were poets Walt Whitman, Carl Sandburg and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. What can we learn about Hughess childhood? A. He had an influence on some writers. B. He had an ambition of being a writer. C. He translated a lot of foreign poems. D. He wrote poems with powerful effect. Dont choose: 1 2 3 4 / 5 6 Passage 10 Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals natural habitats. What does the author try to argue in the passage? A Zoos are not worth the public support. B Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals. C Zoos should treat animals as human beings. D Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment. However, on the contrary, but Similarly, equally, also, besides, furthermore, in other words For example, for instance For one thing, on the one hand In a word, in short Actually, in fact, the point isa study found/showed/proved HOMEWORK Finish the reading exercises about inference questions.