Activity 1: Summary
Remember: Main ideas & important details only!
Man is forever changing the face of nature. He has been doing so since he first appeared on the earth. Yet, all that man has done is not always to the ultimate advantage of the earth or himself. Man has, in fact, destroyed more than necessary.
In his struggle to live and extract the most out of life, man has destroyed many species of wildlife; directly by sheer physical destruction, and indirectly by the destruction or alteration of habitats. Some species may be able to withstand disruptions to their habitat while others may not be able to cope.
Take the simple act of farming. When a farmer tills a rough ground, he makes it unsuitable for the survival of certain species. Every change in land use brings about a change in the types of plant and animals found on that land.
When man builds a new town, this means the total destruction of vast areas of farmland or woodland. Here, you have the complete destruction of entire habitats and it is inevitable.
It follows therefore, that every form of human activity unavoidably upsets or changes the wildlife complex of the area. Man has destroyed many forms of wildlife for no reasonable purpose. They have also made many great blunders in land use, habitat destruction and the extermination of many forms of wildlife.
Man's attitude towards animals depends on the degree to which his own survival is affected. He sets aside protection for animals that he hunts for sport and wages a war on any other creature that may pose a danger or inconvenience to him. This creates many problems and man has made irreversible, serious errors in his destruction of predators. He has destroyed animals and birds which are useful to farmers as pest controllers. The tragedy that emerges is that all the killing of predators did not in any way increase the number of game birds.
Broadly speaking, man wages war against the creatures which he considers harmful, even when his warfare makes little or no difference to the numbers of those he encourages. There is a delicate predator and prey equilibrium involving also the vegetation of any area, which man can upset by thoughtless intervention.
Therefore, there is a need for the implementation of checks and balances. The continued existence of these animals depends entirely on man and his attitude towards his own future.
Summary Tips
Leaving the house today? Think again. You may be walking – or driving through death’s door! Road safety has become something of an antique, a relic of the past, a concept citizens scoff at on the mere mention of the words. Scarcely does a week pass without the newspapers’ headlines screaming: ‘Fatal accident; dead are …’. Rarely are we spared the television images of bloody bodies lying next to the crumpled masses of once sleek driving machines glaring at us on the evening news. Every User – the experienced driver, the learner, the pedestrian and law enforcement officer has a duty to make the road transport system efficient by reversing the incidence of road accidents and fatalities.
Escalating commercialization in automobile trade cannot be exclusively blamed for the butchery on the streets. Motorist and pedestrians who use the road ways are not innocent. Apparently motorists have developed their own driving code; to illustrate, consider their interpretation of the traffic lights: Red means Stop, Green means Go, and Amber means See If You Can Make It! Not surprising pedestrians are consistently more inclined to perish on the roadways, trailed closely by motorist. Naturally, both categories ought to be considerably concerned about this threat to their existence. The prevention of accidents begins with a conservative effort to do what is ‘just’.
Drinking and driving, speeding and the blatant disregard for the law are just some of the plethora of offences responsible for the carnage presently plaguing our roads. It is believed that at the age of seventeen an individual is not mature enough to handle the responsibilities that come with a licence – especially in the light of the youth culture of consuming alcohol and driving. At twenty – one, an individual would be thought to have more experience and better maturity of mind. 30 Thus, priorities dictate that the threat presented by reckless motorist poses too great a risk to submit to the economy of teenage drivers.
Further, pedestrians and drivers should seriously consider forming themselves into pressure group. This would allow them to articulate their concerns with the strength of a collective voice. Therefore, traffic lights, formal bridges, bypasses, and even toll-roads can be carefully contemplated and suggestions put forth to the authorities to ensure swift and effective solutions to potential hazards on the roads
Summary 3
Deceptive Bodies
Some people appear fit because their bodies look muscular and well built, when in reality, they’re quite unfit. They deceive themselves and others. Chances are their muscles are pumped up due to some form of anabolic steroid use. They do not have the kind of bodies you get from eating meat, oatmeal, vegetables and potatoes. It is about gigantic male and female physiques that seem to defy all the laws of nature.
Most folk who are into fitness do not necessarily aspire to become competitive body builders. However, men do generally tend to want bigger muscles and a six-pack of abdominals. Unfortunately, some of us just are not patient enough to put in the years of hard work and commitment that are required to have such a body. Building a great physique is desirable, and anyone who has been able to do so can testify about the trials and errors that build character and show respect for the discipline. Muscles should be allowed time to grow and mature, and as body builders expand their knowledge base, they will come across ways to improve workouts and keep motivated for life.
Using steroids gets results faster, but the athlete has to maintain a very expensive habit, and runs the risk of becoming addicted. An article from steroidstoday.com offers the following: “...the first harmfulside effect of anabolic steroidsisincreased blood pressure, and harmfulswings in your cholesterol levels. Anabolic steroids will increase bad cholesterol, and decrease the good cholesterol. Users can, because of this instability, drastically increase their risk of heart disease and heart attacks. Those with hypertension issues face an even bigger risk.”
The article continues that since anabolic steroids alter the body’s hormonal balance, there are other side effects: development of acne, testosterone conversion which can cause premature baldness, fatty breast tissue in men, temporary or permanent infertility, and for women, deepening of the voice.
Beyond the physical effects, there are many psychological side effects associated with anabolic steroid use. The first of these is rage and aggression. Due to increased testosterone levels, users suffer from uncontrollable bouts of rage which can be harmful to themselves and others, and are more likely to be involved in violent fights and crimes. Depression and thoughts of suicide are other side effects.
Persons interested in bodybuilding have to ask themselves if taking the steroids are worth the risk, and more importantly, who is being deceived. Most people can tell real muscles from unnatural ones. It is better to stay natural and maintain a healthy approach to living.
Adapted from “Deceptive Bodies”, Newsday MENTALITY,
Newsday, 23 October 2011, p. 17.
New Summary Added!! (May 6)
Summarize in your own words, the advantages and disadvantages of owning a television.
Your account should not be more than 120 words.
With the invention of televisions, many forms of entertainments have been replaced. Lively programs like television serials and world news, have removed from us the need to read books or papers, to listen to radios or even to watch movies. In fact, during the 1970s, when televisions were first introduced, cinema theatres suffered great losses as many people chose to stay in the comforts of their homes to watch their favorite programs.
Indeed, the television brings the world into our house. Hence, by staying at home and pressing some buttons world happenings are immediately presented before us. Children nowadays develop faster in language, owing to the early exposure to television programs. At such tender age, it would be difficult for them to read books or papers. Thus, television programs are a good source of learning for them. Furthermore, pronunciations by the newscasters, actors or actresses are usually standardized, hence young children watching these programs will learn the 'right' pronunciations too.
Owning a television is also extremely beneficial to working parents who are usually too busy or tired to take their kids out for entertainments. Surrounded by the comforts of their home, the family can have a chance to get together and watch their favorite television programs.
Of course, we should not be too carried away by the advantages of the television and overlook its negative points. Watching television programs takes away our need to read. Why bother to read the papers when we can hear them from the television news reports? Why read books when exciting movies are screened? The lack of reading is unhealthy especially to younger children as they will grow up only with the ability to speak but not write. I have a neighbor whose six-yearold child can say complete sentences like "I like cats," but when told to write out the sentence, is unable to do so. Not only are the writing skills of children affected, their thinking capacities are also handicapped. Television programs remove the need to think. The stories, ideas and facts are woven in the way television planners wanted. Exposure to such opinions and the lack of thinking opportunities will hinder the children's analyzing ability.
Despite the disadvantages of watching television programs, personally, I think that choosing the 'middle path', which is to do selective television viewing and not over indulging in the habit should be the best solution to reconcile both the merits and demerits of owning a television.
Total 30 marks
Statistical Reports
The Argument
Options
1. " The death penalty is inhumane and should be abolished. Write your views on this statement.
2.
3.
4.
Multiple Choice
The press must be, in any democratic society, a dedicated Opposition.
Any Government – to a good Press – is a suspect instrument. Any Opposition, to a good Press, is opposing ineptly. The good Press represents nobody but itself. It is the last stronghold of totally aristocratic privilege. It speaks for the people because it depends on the people who buy it because they like it; and because it has an unwritten contract between it and the people, who would otherwise know about the Government of the day only what the Government wanted the people to know. But this allegiance to, and contract with, the people do not bind the Press to any commitment except telling the truth. The Press elects itself, and can be removed from office only by a legitimate revolution of the people that stop buying it, or by an illegitimate coup mounted by the elected estates of the Government.
Every Government is, potentially, a ravager; every people, potentially, a victim. Every good Press is an individualistic, opinionated knight who simply declares that between ravager and victim there is a force which will not be frightened by the ravager, and which will not be influenced by those to whom it sells its opinions. A good Press speaks for the people who vote a government out of power …. But the day after such a Government takes power, the Press must be ready to rebuke the people for shouting “Hurrah!” for a patently incompetent Government. A good Press, in short, is the product of 500 years of technological development between Caxton and Baird and we make history as well as record it …. The politician never knows which one editorial, one story, one commentary; one pictorial feature might destroy him or create him. There is nothing that the politician can do about us in the free Press …. We do not seek office, influence or advantage from the Party in power. We simply reserve the right to be a part of the governing process, with or without the approval of the elected Government or its elected Opposition. Our consistency does not depend on those who say “I agree or disagree” with what you had to say, but on those who say “I read you! I listened to you! I saw you last night on TV!”
(Source unknown)
1. The function of the second and third sentences in the extract is to
(A)give specific examples of “a dedicated Opposition” (line 1)
(B) explain the statement made in the first sentence
(C)show that the Press is only good when it acts as an opposition
(D) arouse the reader’s concern about the role of the Press
2. why does the writer repeat the phrase “good Press” at the beginning of paragraph three,
five and six (lines 4, 16 and 19)?
(A)To emphasize the ideal characteristics of the “good Press”
(B) To indicate contempt for the Press which is not an opposition
(C) To stimulate greater identification of a “good Press”
(D)To emphasize that he is a member of a “good Press”
3. According to the writer, the MOST important function of the good Press is to
(A)present the truth
(B) oppose the Government
(C) represent the views of the people
(D)increase the number of its subscribers
4. According to the writer, a legitimate revolution against the Press occurs by
(A)the government closing it down
(B) the Press being denied its freedom
(C)someone establishing a rival press
(D)people refusing to purchase its product
5. By describing the good Press as “an individualistic, opinionated Knight” (line 12) the
writer is emphasizing
(A)strength
(B) wisdom
(C) Honesty
(D)Independence
6. The writer states that the good Press “… depends on the people who buy it because they
like it” (line 5) and that it “…will not be influenced by those to whom it sells its
opinions” (lines 14-15). These two statements taken together
(A) argue that the Press creates popular opinions
(B) repeat that the good Press owes its allegiance only to its subscribers
(C) appear contradictory but support the argument that a good Press should be
independent
(D)show that the power of the Press depends upon the number of its subscribers.
7. According to the write, the good Press should regard Government with
(A)fear
(B) mistrust
(C) resentment
(D)disrespect
8. In paragraph 5 (lines15-17) the writer implies that a good Press
(A)may be deceptive
(B) is sometimes consistent
(C)should be open-minded
(D) cannot always be reliable
9. The examples of the possible effects of the press on the politicians
(A)drive fear into the politicians
(B)show how the Press records history
(C) illustrate how powerful the Press really is
(D)demonstrate how uncertain the career of a politician is
10. Which of the following BEST describes the manner in which the writer presents his
views in this extract?
(A)Forceful
(B) Objective
(C) Detached
(D)Emotional
READ THE PASSAGE CAREFULLY BEFORE ANSWERING QUESTIONS 9-18
Last March
Early one evening last March, a 73-year-old Jewish grandmother heard a strange noise in the hallway outside her apartment in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood of Pittsburgh. Straightening her housecoat, she opened the door. No one there. She went to the rear stairwell, pushed open the fire door, and came face-to-face with two burglars. They were carrying a 300-pound safe. For an instant the three stared at one another. ‘then the woman, rising as tall as her five feet five inches would allow, broke the silence.
“Where ya going?” She demanded. The pair didn’t wait to answer. They dropped the safe and ran. It was just like an Abbott and Costello movie,” the woman recalled later from the front seat of her chauffeur-driven car. “Their mouths literally fell open when they saw me.” And why not? Of the 370,000 people in Pittsburgh the last one the crooks expected to meet in the stairwell was the mayor, Sophie Masloff, Crime-fighter.
In her no-nonsense way, the mayor was demonstrating the tough, taking-care-of-business attitude for which Pittsburghers’ are famous- the same attitude with which they confronted their city’s fearful economic problems during the past decade. Shaken by the collapse of the steel industry, which had provided them with an unshakeable case of identity for more than a century. Pittsburghers’ hunkered down and built a new economy based on services, medicine, education, and technology. In the process, they transformed their community from one driven by quantity of production into one devoted to quality of life.
Extract from “Pittsburgh-Stronger than steel”
Peter Miller from National Geographic, Dec ‘91
9. The atmosphere created by the writer in paragraph 1 is one of
(a) fear
(b) suspense
(c) anxiety
(d) excitement
10. The phrase, “straightening her housecoat” suggest that:
a. the lady was expecting guest.
b. the lady was meticulous about the dress
c. the lady wanted to appear neatly dressed in the event that she had visitors
d. the lady was getting ready to go out.
11. The burglars’ reaction to the lady was one of
a. horror
b. amazement
c. surprise
d. shock
12. The phrase, “it was just like an Abbott and Costello movie” implies that:
a. the burglars behaved like clowns
b. the entire incident was comical
c. the burglars were humorous
d. the incident was awkward
13. What does the writer use the rhetorical question, “And why not?” to suggest?
a. That the mayor was not seen often.
b. That the mayor was least expected to be there.
c. That the mayor could have identified with the burglars’ reaction.
d. That no one knew where the mayor lived.
14. In the passage, the mayor recaps her encounter with the burglars to
a. describe a humorous encounter
b. point out a particular attitude to life
c. show how foolish burglars’ are
d. show that the burglars were typical of the people in Pittsburg
15. According to the writer, Pittsburghers’ confront their economic problems:
a. in a no-nonsense way
b. with a tough, businesslike attitude
c. in a fearful way
d. in the same attitude of the burglars
16. The phrase, “an unshakeable sense of identity for more than a century” suggest:
a. that the Pittsburghers were quite aware of their identity
b. that the Pittsburghers had firmly established their identity
c. that the Pittsburghers were absorbed in the activities of the steel industry
d. that the steel industry determined the Pittsburghers identity
17. According to the passage, how did Pittsburgh transform itself?
a. By producing more quantity than quality steel.
b. By linking the service sector with the steel industry.
c. By moving from production of steel to social services.
d. By moving away from an economy concerned with quantity of production to
quality of life.
18. The style of this passage can be described as:
a. conversational
b. argumentative
c. factual
d. descriptive
Comprehension Skills - Factual & Implied Meanings
(A) The ravages [of the storm] were terrible in America, Europe, and Asia. Towns were overthrown,
forests uprooted, coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them, vessels
cast on the shore, whole districts leveled by waterspouts, several thousand people crushed on land or
drowned at sea; such were the traces of its (3) ________, left by this devastating tempest.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
1. What is the meaning of the word overthrown in the context of this passage?
A. surrendered B. devastated C. capitulated D. yielded
2. What is the meaning of the word leveled as it is used in the passage?
A. razed B. marked C. spread D. raised
3. Which word, if inserted in the blank, makes the most sense in the context of the passage?
A. velocity B. fury C. reward D. benevolence
One summer, while visiting the little village among the Green Mountains where her ancestors had dwelt for (1) ________, my Aunt Georgiana kindled the callow fancy of my uncle, Howard Carpenter, then an idle, shiftless boy of twenty-one.
—Willa Cather
1. Which word, if inserted in the blank, makes the most sense in the context of the passage?
A. days B .seasons C. infinity D. generations
2. What is the meaning of the word shiftless as it is used in the passage?
A. amiable B. ruthless C. lazy D. carefree
Analysing a Persuasive Speech
Read the persuasive piece and answer the questions.
And so I say to you today that I still stand by non- violence. And I am still convinced that it is the most potent weapon available in the struggle for justice. And the other thing I am concerned about is a better world. I’m concerned about justice. I’m concerned about brotherhood. I’m concerned about the truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer but can’t murder murder. Through violence, you may murder a liar but you can’t establish truth. Through violence, you may murder a hater but you can’t murder hate.
Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.
Questions
1. What significant point does the writer make?
2. Examine the techniques used to persuade and convince the reader of the point?
3. Note how the writer uses repetition throughout the piece and examine the effect it has on the reader
Without warning, a family member or their friend collapses, twitches and gasps a few times, then lies deathly still. What do you do? After calling for help - exactly the right first move - most people do nothing during the agonizing wait for an ambulance to arrive. Starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation, even if you've never taken a CPR class, can make the difference between life and death. Here's all you need to know. Put your hands on the middle of the person's chest, push hard, and relax. Repeat the push-relax cycle twice a second. Don't stop. "A bystander who witnesses someone collapse and who is ready, willing and able to act doubles or triples that person's chances of surviving," says Mary Fran Hazinski, lead author of streamlined CPR guidelines from the American Heart Association. The guidelines represent a back-to-basics approach aimed at making CPR less intimidating and more effective. Previous guidelines were so detailed that performing CPR not only seemed like a daunting task but was tough to do properly. A rescuer was supposed to check the airway, give two breaths for every 15 chest pushes and look for a pulse or heartbeat every so often, all while pressing on the chest 100 times a minutes. The updated guidelines underscore the importance of maintaining a steady flow of blood through the heart, brain and other vital organs by emphasizing chest compressions over everything else. They call for two breaths every 30 compressions and, in some cases, no breaths at all. Keep in mind that the guidelines are meant to cover virtually all emergency situations, from drowning and drug overdose to cardiac arrest, for children and adults. One goal was to set up of recommendations for CPR so that professional and lay rescuers wouldn't need to learn different strategies for different situations. In reality, though, what is needed for someone whose heart suddenly stops beating (a cardiac arrest) is different from what's needed for someone whose heart isn't beating due to drowning. Every day, thousands of people have a sudden cardiac arrest. Their hearts start beating so wildly that they can no longer pump blood. Most such events happen at home. Only about 5% of people now survive a cardiac arrest. Wider use of CPR and faster access to heart-shocking defibrillators could increase survival rates to 50% or more. Sudden cardiac arrest sometimes strikes people with seemingly healthy hearts. Other times it is triggered by the painful slower-developing kind of heart attack caused by a blocked coronary artery. Either way, it occurs when the heart's powerful lower chambers, the ventricles veer away from a normal, steady rhythm and start beating very fast or fast and chaotically. Surviving a cardiac arrest depends on what has been called the chain of survival. Quick action is vital. Call the ambulance. This essential first step summons experienced health care professionals and their equipment. The dispatcher on the other end of the line can help you do what needs to be done. Start CPR. For a sudden cardiac arrest, the most important part of CPR is pressing on the chest; breathing is secondary. If you start immediately after someone collapses, you can give up to 50 or 100 compressions between breaths. Each time you stop to deliver a breath, get back to doing compressions as fast as you can. If there are two of you doing CPR, have the larger or stronger one do the chest compressions and the other do the breathing. Switch when the person doing the compressions starts to tire out. Restart the heart. CPR by itself won't transform a lethal heart rhythm into a regular tick, tick, tick of a healthy heart. That takes a shock from a defibrillator. Advanced life support. The fourth link involves medications and other techniques such as cooling the body and brain that can improve survival from a sudden cardiac arrest. Multiple Choice |
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