Intermediate English reading and comprehension

222 Pages·2013·2.968 MB·English

by  Engelhardt, Diane

PRACTICE
MAKES
PERFECT®
Intermediate
English Reading
and Comprehension
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Intermediate
English Reading
and Comprehension
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PRACTICE
MAKES
PERFECT®
Intermediate
English Reading
and Comprehension
Diane Engelhardt
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Copyright © 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education, LLC. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication
may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-07-179885-3
MHID: 0-07-179885-4
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Contents
Preface vii
1 Bananas about bananas 1
2 Schloss Neuschwanstein: A king and his castle 12
3 The Three Racketeers:
Wildlife experiences on a small island 22
4 The lure of lost treasure ships 34
5 Terry Fox: A real-life hero 46
6 Storm chasers: Scientists, nature freaks, or daredevils? 58
7 Pixar Studios: Movie magic 72
8 Karaoke: Everyone can be a star 84
9 The flying doctors of Australia:
Reaching “the furthest corner” 96
10 Cirque du Soleil: A dream makes the big time 106
11 The Findhorn Community: A garden of spirits 120
12 Aron Ralston: Surviving the worst 132
13 Harry Potter: More than magic 144
14 The Paralympics: Believe in yourself 158
15 Superman: Everyone’s superhero 172
Answer key 185
v
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Intermediate
English Reading
and Comprehension
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Preface
Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate English Reading and Comprehension contains
15 reading texts about unusual and amazing topics. The book is designed to:
◆ Build your English vocabulary
◆ Develop reading comprehension skills at an intermediate level
◆ Stimulate further investigation into the topics presented
This workbook is directed at the English language learner at the intermediate
level—the student in a classroom looking for extra practice, as well as the indepen-
dent learner practicing at his or her own pace.
Each chapter contains the following sections:
1. Pre-reading As an introduction to the topic, students who are learning in a
classroom setting can answer questions or engage in a short discussion.
2. R eading text Following the theme of “find out about it,” the stories—each
between 1,000 and 1,600 words long—cover a broad range of topics of interna-
tional appeal. They originate in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Aus-
tralia, Germany, Japan, and Australia.
3. Vocabulary Understanding and learning vocabulary can be difficult. You will
find lots of new words in each text, and since not every new word can be
included in a vocabulary list or exercise, you are encouraged to use an English-
language dictionary and to keep an independent vocabulary journal to record
new words. The exercises are broken down as follows.
◆ Organizing vocabulary An effective way to increase vocabulary is to learn
words in association with other words—that is, to organize words according
to subject matter. For example, in the reading about the Findhorn Commu-
nity, there are many words that relate to gardening and spirituality.
◆ Understanding vocabulary Each chapter focuses on 15 words, which are
in bold type in the reading text. You will master not only each word’s
synonyms and/or dictionary definition, but also its part of speech (noun,
adjective, verb, idiom, phrase). Example: competition (n.), competitive (adj.),
compete (v.).
◆ Using vocabulary A variety of exercises help you learn to use the 15 words
in sentences.
4. Reading comprehension Comprehension exercises differ from chapter to
chapter under the following headings:
◆ Reading for main ideas
◆ Reading for details
◆ Reading for facts and figures
◆ Reading for meaning
vii
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5. Reading skills In this section, you will learn to summarize the main ideas in the reading text.
Exercises include outlines, timelines, profiles, charts, diaries, and short summaries in the form
of newspaper articles and interviews.
6. W eb search and writing In this two-page exercise, you can work with a study partner and
further develop your reading skills by searching the Web for information about the topic. A
short writing exercise concludes the web search.
An answer key is provided at the end of the book with answers to the exercises in the Vocab-
ulary and Reading comprehension sections.
◆ ◆ ◆
Reading is a great source of knowledge, but—more than providing facts, figures, and a wealth of
information—reading can take us on journeys to places we might never see and introduce us to
people we could never meet in person. The amazing stories in this book were written not only for
your skill development but also for your pleasure. Read them and enjoy!
Acknowledgments
I thank: Tom Ryan of the Royal Flying Doctors Service; Carin Bolles and Judy McAllister of the
Findhorn Community for their helpful feedback; my editor, Holly McGuire, for her guidance;
and my husband, Erich, for his support.
viii Preface
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PRACTICE
MAKES
PERFECT®
Intermediate
English Reading
and Comprehension
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