fast-reading-2.doc

Module OnePassage One Lets address the question of whether speed reading is even a desirable goal. I am an avid fiction reader. Consciously or unconsciously, readers of fiction appreciate the beauty in good writing. Occasionally I will read a passage or sentence over to be impressed by the opening sentences of Ernest Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea, The Dark, and Herman.If I was a determined speed reader, I would never have the time to appreciate these beautiful passages. And Id never have the time to savor the development of a character like Rhett Butler, the Great Gatsby or Captain Ahab. Good writers must be read carefully and thoughtfully to be fully appreciated. To carry the question of the need for rapid reading a bit further, lets consider the technical or educational material most of us must read for our jobs. If you work in a technical field and most business and professional people do youd better read slowly and carefully. Almost all businesses today are subject to federal regulations to some degree. If you must read the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, the OSHA Handbook or other technical materials related directly to your job, Id urge you to take your time. A misreading could be costly or damaging to your firm. On the other hand, newspapers, news magazines and other publications should be read with some degree of speed. Heres where a general knowledge of speed reading techniques might be useful. Especially since that is the most common type of reading we do. Anyone can improve their reading efficiently. To do so, you must learn some basic techniques and then consciously apply them. Perhaps an expensive course would help you, but an inexpensive paperback and concentrated practice might provide as much long-term benefit. In any case, you lose nothing by trying the self-help approach. ( 306 words ) 1. From the passage we can know that the author is _. (a) an enthusiastic reader of fiction (b) an unenthusiastic reader of fiction (c) a speed reader of fiction(d) an indifferent reader of fiction 2. Hemingways writing is mentioned in the passage to show that _. (a) some writing should be read carefully (b) some writing should be read quickly (c) one has to understand the full meaning of a written piece (d) one doesnt have to understand the full meaning of a written piece 3. Technical materials should be read carefully because _. (a) they are usually difficult to understand (b) they are related to federal regulations(c) they are an uncommon type of reading (d) a misreading may do harm to your work 4.One type of printed material the author thinks can be read quickly is _. (a) a business letter (b) a dictionary(c) a news magazine(d) a poem 5. The author advises people eager to improve their reading speed to _. (a) attend an intensive course (b) read a cheap paperback before enrolling in a course (c) teach themselves by practice with a cheap paperback (d) read books on basic speed reading techniques Passage Two The school is a complex social structure, existing in its own right yet surrounded by other groups which to some extent control and influence it. Individuals in a school are subject to a variety of pressures both within the school and outside it. What are these influences, and where do they originate? There are four major elements which produce and receive influences: the teacher, the child, the school itself and the outer community. These four elements will influence and be influenced by each other at many levels in a variety of ways. The teacher, for example, brings into the school all his own habits of mind, attitudes, beliefs, values, ways of doing things and seeing the world which he has inherited from the society in which he was brought up. These factors will influence the children, the school and the community outside. The child brings into the school everything which he has learned in his family habits, attitudes, beliefs, etc. and the teacher and the school will respond to these. The school itself is a social organization with special requirements of behaviour, influenced by the generally accepted values and traditions of education, built up over the years. Both the child and the teacher must adapt themselves to these. The school influences the wider community around it, both by producing the manpower with the skills needed by society, and by shaping the beliefs and attitudes of the young entering society. As for the community, it influences the actual organization of the school through such groups as governors, parent-teacher associations, administrators, etc., and in a less formal way, it is represented by those working in the school, the children, the teachers and servicing staff. With all these factors in mind, it is obvious that schools may differ greatly according to the nature of the community which they serve. Every area has its own geographical, economic and historical character which may be reflected in the school. For example, a school serving a community which is dominated by one major industry may need to organize itself according to the expectations of job opportunities which will be available to the children as they leave to find work. A school in a remote rural area may be slanted in a different direction. Similarly, the presence in the neighbourhood of one particular social class, race or religion may be reflected in the school. (396 words) 6. By saying “the school is a complex social structure,” the author means that _. (a) the school exists in a complex society (b) the school is organized in much the same way that the society is organized (c) the school is always controlled by influential individuals (d) the school is always influenced by the people within and without 7. According to the author, the teacher _. (a) is the educator and will never be influenced by the children (b) always rejects the generally accepted values and traditions of education(c) influences the children and is influenced by them at the same time(d) should not bring his own habits of mind and values into the school8. The school does all the following except _. (a) helping children form their outlook and values of life (b) teaching children skills needed in society (c) setting special requirements of behavior (d) producing groups of governors 9. The last sentence of the second paragraph implies that the community _. (a) influences the school through social groups. (b) organizes various social groups. (c) represents the people in the school. (d) influences the school through people both inside and outside the school. 10. From the passage we may draw the conclusion that _. (a) the four elements often influence the social structure (b) the four elements are always inseparable (c) the four elements always affect each other (d) the four elements dominate the major industry in the community Passage Three Young people should have the right to control and direct their own learning, that is, to decide what they want to learn, and when, where, how, how much, how fast, and with what help they want to learn it. To be still more specific, I want them to have the right to decide if, when, how much, and by whom they want to be taught and the right to decide whether they want to learn in a school and if so which one and for how much of the time. No human right, except the right to life itself, is more fundamental than this. A persons freedom of learning is part of his freedom of thought, even more basic than his freedom of speech. If we take from someone his right to decide what he will be curious about, we destroy his freedom of thought. We say, in effect, you must think not about what interests and concerns you, but about what interests and concerns us. This right of each of us to control our own learning is now in danger. When we put into our laws the highly authoritarian notion that someone should and could decide what all young people were to learn and beyond that, could do whatever might seem necessary (which now includes dosing them with drugs) to compel them to learn it, we took a long step down a very steep and dangerous path. The requirement that a child go to school, for about six hours a day, 180 days a year, for about ten years, whether or not he learns anything there, whether or not he already knows it or could learn it faster or better somewhere else, is such a gross violation of civil liberties that few adults would stand for it. But the child who resists is treated as a criminal. With this requirement we created an industry, an army of people whose whole work was to tell young people what they had to learn and to try to make them learn it. Some of these people, wanting to exercise even more power over others, or to be even more “helpful,” are now beginning to say, “If compulsory education is good for children, why wouldnt it be good for everyone? If it is a good thing, how can there be too much of it?” They are beginning to talk, as one man did on a nationwide TV show, about “womb-to-tomb” schooling. If hours of homework every night are good for the young, why wouldnt they be good for us all they would keep us away from the TV set and other frivolous pursuits. Some group of experts, somewhere, would be glad to decide what we all ought to know and then very so often check up on us to make sure we knew it with, of course, appropriate penalties if we did not. (481 words) 11. According to the passage, it is most fundamental that young people should have the freedom of _ . (a) speech (b) thought(c) learning(d) curiosity 12. The passage implies that _. (a) the right of controlling ones own learning is not a human right(b) some people are doing the kind of learning which they do not want (c) interest plays an important role in learning (d) learning is becoming more and more dangerous 13. The current compulsory education system for children _ most adults. (a) works well with (b) is not liked by(c) is accepted by (d) is understood by14. A child who resists the current system is likely _. (a) to be sent to prison (b) to be dismissed from school (c) to be all right (d) to be regarded as a bad child 15. The phrase “womb-to-tomb” schooling probably means that _. (a) learning is from young to old (b) learning is disastrous (c) learning is unnecessary (d) learning is not always helpfulModule TwoPassage One The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means, and the exercise of ordinary qualities. The common life of every day, with its cares, necessities, and duties, affords ample opportunity for acquiring experience of the best kind; and its most beaten paths provide the true worker with abundant scope for effort and room for self-improvement. The road of human welfare lies along the old highway of steadfast well-doing; and they who are the most persistent, and work in the truest spirit, will usually be the most successful. Fortune has often been blamed for her blindness; but fortune is not so blind as men are. Those who look into practical life will find that fortune is usually on the side of the industrious, as the winds and waves are on the side of the best navigators. In the pursuit of even the highest branches of human inquiry, the commoner qualities are found the most useful such as common sense, attention, application, and perseverance. Genius may not be necessary, though even genius of the highest sort does not disdain the use of these ordinary qualities. The very greatest men have been among the least believers in the power of genius, and as worldly wise and persevering as successful men of the commoner sort. Some have even defined genius to be only common sense intensified. A distinguished teacher and president of a college spoke of it as the power of making efforts. John Foster held it to be the power of lighting ones own fire. Buffon said of genius, “it is patience”. Newtons was unquestionably a mind of the very highest order, and yet, when asked by what means he had worked out his extraordinary discoveries, he modestly answered, “By always thinking unto them.” At another time he thus expressed his method of study: “I keep the subject continually before me, and wait till the first dawnings open slowly by little and little into a full and clear light.” It was in Newtons case, as in every other, only by diligent application and perseverance that his great reputation was achieved. Even his recreation consisted in change of study, laying down one subject to take up another. To Dr. Bentley he said: “If I have done the public any service, it is due to nothing but industry and patient thought.” ( 388 words )1.According to the author, the most important qualities for success are _. (a) ample opportunities for experiences of daily life (b) effort and room for self-improvement (c) persistence and good work (d) daily cares, necessities and duties 2. The second paragraph mainly tells us that _. (a) fortune is blind (b) men are blind (c) fortune helps the industrious (d) common qualities make people successful 3. Genius is understood by great men as all the following except _. (a) luck (b) the power of making efforts (c) the power of lighting ones own fire (d) patience 4.Newton thought that he had made discoveries by _. (a) waiting patiently (b) constant thinking (c) industry and patient thought (d) change of study5. The passage discusses _. (a) the importance of thinking (b) the existence of genius (c) the value of success (d) the significance of perseverance Passage Two “Dear Abby”. With these two words, millions of letters have begun their outpourings of anxiety and concern, seeking an answer to emotional or family problems. The letters are addressed to Abigail Van Buren, one of the most influential sources of social advice in the United States. The newspaper advice column “Dear Abby” appears in more than 1 000 newspapers, and over the years has tried to give answers to people seeking help with such topics as marriage, troublesome children, sex, work, religion, problems with drugs and so on. There is another “agony aunt” advice columnist in the United States who is equally popular and successful. Her name is Ann Landers, and she is regarded as the most widely syndicated newspaper columnist in the world. The Ann Landers column has an estimated readership of 90 million, and appears in more than 1 200 newspapers. A World Almanac Poll once found that the Chicago-based advice columnist was the most influential woman in the United States. Are these two popular and powerful advice columnists in competition? The ironic and fascinating fact behind their work is that they are twin sisters. “Dear Abby” or Abigail Van Buren is in fact Pauline Esther Friedman. Ann Landers is her twin sister, Esther “Eppie” Friedman.They were born in Sioux City, Iowa on July 4, American Independence Day, in 1918. In 1955, Esther “Eppie” Friedman took over the Ann Landers advice column in the Chicago-Sun newspaper, and kept the columnists name. A year later in San Francisco, and inspired by Eppies example, her twin sister Pauline approached the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and said she felt she could do a better job than the existing advice columnist. The editor said to writer some sample columns and he would look at them. The rest is history. While “Dear Abby” often contains sharper and wittier ripostes to readers, both sisters support basic family values and often refer their readers to psychiatrists, doctors, psychologists or clergymen for further help. Pauline Friedman took the name Abigail from the Christian Bible Old Testament. Abigail was a prophet in the Book of Samuel. It was said of her, “Blessed are thou, and blessed is thy advice, O Abigail.” “Van Buren” comes from the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren. His name was selected because of its aristocratic, old family ring. Pauline Friedman married husband Morton Phillips in 1939 and lives in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, where she is a wife, mother and grandmother.(413 words)6. Both Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers are _. (a) newspaper reporters (b) newspaper advice columnists (c) advice seekers regarding family problems (d) Chicago-based writers 7. According to the passage, Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers _. (a) compete with each other fiercely (b) were born on the same day (c) worked for the same newspapers (d) started as advice columnists the same year8. Which of the following is Not true? (a) Abby is Abigail Van Buren. (b) Abigail Van Buren is Pauline Esther Friedman. (c) Esther “Eppie” Friedman is Ann Landers. (d) Ann Landers works for the Chicago-Sun newspaper.9. Both Ann and Abby support family values that are _. (a) traditional (b) radical (c) conventional (d) conservative 10.The name Abigail Van Buren _. (a) is from a character in the Bible (b) is after a U.S. president (c) is that of a prophet (d) makes use of a Biblical story and a historical personagePassage Three Yhudi Menuhin, who died in Berlin on March 12, 1999, at the age of 82, was a child prodigy who fulfilled his promise to become one of the worlds foremost violinists before extending his range to teaching and conducting. The gently spoken U.S.-born virtuoso became as renowned for his devotion to humane causes as for his mastery of the violin. The spotlight has been on him since his debut at seven in 1924. By the time he was 13, he had performed in Paris, London and New York. In Berlin, his