Reading_for_the_Real_World_1_2nd_Ed

Summary

Fill in the blanks in the table with the sentences below according to the category they belong to. Use each sentence only once.

Low Enrollment of Male Students in University

Causes	Effects

1.There is a higher number of males who leave or are kicked out of high school compared to females.

2.Some researchers attribute the decline to discrimination against boys in high school.

3.The growing number of women has led to more diverse courses at university.

4.Other researchers believe that the drop in enrollment is because more men are pursuing jobs with a high salary that don’t require a university degree.

5.University administrators have instituted policies that encourage more men to enroll.

6.Universities now face the dilemma of how to recruit more boys while at the same time ensuring equal opportunity to girls at universities.

Vocabulary Extension

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading. Fill in each blank with the best word from the list. Use each word only once.

dorm

elective

major

semester

transcript

tuition

1.He took four required courses and one __________ last semester.

2.Her parents pushed her to __________ in medicine and become a doctor.

3.Many students work while in university to help cover the cost of their

__________.

4.She wanted to take a(n) __________ off from school to travel in Europe.

5.The company requested a copy of his final __________ proving he finished his degree.

6.When I lived in the __________ on campus, I shared a room with another student.

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Supplemental Reading

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TOEIC or Not TOEIC? Track 16

Students all over the world want to attend university in America. When students apply, universities need a reliable way to assess their English skills. Most universities use a test called

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language. Businesses use a test called TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication. Today, however, many universities are also using TOEIC. This test measures English listening, reading, writing, and speaking. But is it a true indicator of English ability? Many people do not think it is.

Students know they must get a high score on the TOEIC to attend university or get a good job. They often spend several years and lots of money studying

for it. Several students achieve very high TOEIC scores. When universities and employers see those scores, they think the applicants must have very good English skills. As soon as the high scorers begin studying or working, however, it quickly becomes apparent that they do not. They have learned how to pass English tests but do not know how to use English in everyday life. This causes frustration for both the English learners and the teachers or bosses who must work with them.

In Korea, major companies have started to use a new test to measure employees’ English, called the Oral Proficiency Interview Computer system, or OPlC. They have not completely abandoned the TOEIC, however. Even though it may be imperfect, the TOEIC remains the best path to success for English learners.

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1.Should all students be required to take English test preparation classes or should it be the student and the parents’ choice? Why?

2.What are the advantages and disadvantages of English being the dominant global language?

U N I T 5 Environmental Issues 1

Sixth Extinction

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1.In what ways do humans cause damage to the planet?

2.Do you think that humans are in danger of becoming extinct? Why or why not?

3.What are some things we can do to help prevent the extinction of a species?

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1.	alien	a. specific kinds of plants or animals
2.	extinct	b. no longer existing
3.	grim	c. from another place
4.	habitat	d. belonging to a particular place
5.	native	e. gloomy; somber
6.	species	f. an environment where something lives and grows

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Sixth Extinction		Track 17
	ost species of plants and animals that have ever lived on Earth are
	now extinct. Though most have become extinct slowly, some have
	Mbeen almost completely wiped out in a sudden, massive,
	catastrophic event. These mass extinctions have happened at least five times
5	in the history of the Earth. The first mass extinction occurred about 450 million
	years ago, when sudden changes in sea level, caused by melting glaciers, killed
	most marine species. The most recent mass extinction was 65 million years
	ago, when most scientists believe an asteroid struck the Earth in Mexico and
	extinguished the dinosaurs.
10	Now scientists claim a “Sixth Extinction” is underway. This extinction is not
	caused by one big event but by a series of human actions that disrupt the
	environment. Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard University scientist, estimates that
	human harm will cause half of all species of life to be extinct by 2100. Scientists
	say that human activities are causing biological extinction at a rate hundreds of
15	times faster than ever before.
	Humans cause damage to the Earth in three primary
	ways. The first is exploitation. Humans hunt animals
	for food, clothing, and sometimes just for fun. They also
	collect plants and insects---such as butterflies---for

20recreation. The second way humans impact the Earth is by putting alien plant or animal species in new environments. In Africa, for example, some fisherman put perch from Egypt’s Nile River into Lake Victoria. Nile perch like to eat other fish. Since they came, more than

25200 native species of fish have disappeared from the lake. The third way humans cause damage is by destroying

4 catastrophic --- violent and destructive

6glacier --- a large body of ice

7marine --- relating to the sea

8asteroid --- a large rock floating in space

17 exploitation --- using something for your own purposes

30 tropical --- relating to warm climates

36 status --- state or condition

38verge --- brink or threshold

39amphibian --- an animal with characteristics of fish and reptiles

40coniferous --- cone-bearing

natural habitats. They clear trees from forests to build houses, farms, cities, and roads. One of the most terrible instances of habitat destructions is the cutting

30down of the tropical rainforests. It is estimated that these rainforests, which cover less than 10 percent of the Earth, contain almost half of all the world’s plant and animal species.

Human activity has had a devastating effect on the natural environment.

35Each year, an international organization of scientists releases a special “red list” that updates the status of more than 44,000 animal and plant species. In 2008, the organization reported that 25 percent of our planet’s 5,487 mammals are on

the verge of extinction. It also claimed that almost 40 percent of all species are “threatened” with extinction, including 33 percent of all amphibians, a quarter of

40the Earth’s coniferous trees, and about 12 percent of all birds. Of all threatened species on the red list, about 3,000 are “critically endangered,” which means they could disappear soon.

What would happen to people if the “Sixth Extinction” takes place? Scientists say life on Earth would be grim. There would not be enough food to eat, and water

45would be too polluted to drink. New species of pests and plants would invade the natural areas that remain. These invaders could carry new kinds of germs, causing diseases that human bodies cannot resist. Without plants to help cool the sun, the ice at the North and South Poles could melt, causing sea levels to rise and wash away coastal cities. By wiping out other species, human beings might be paving

50	the way for the greatest extinction of all: their own.
	Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds	547 words

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Reading Comprehension

AMark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1.____ Some scientists estimate that half of all species will be extinct in the next century.

2.____ The Earth is facing its third mass extinction in history.

3.____ A higher percentage of bird species face extinction than coniferous trees.

4.____ Forty percent of all mammals are threatened with extinction.

BChoose the best answer.

1.How many ways does the reading passage indicate that humans harm the environment?

a.One

b.Two

c.Three

d.Four

2.Which is NOT an outcome of mass extinction of life on earth?

a.Rising of sea levels

b.Food shortages

c.Lack of fresh water

d.Natural disasters

3.Which kind of animal is the Nile perch?

a.amphibian

b.fish

c.bird

d.mammal

CFor the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided.

1.Why are rainforests important to the planet?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

2.How can mass extinction of living species lead to the extinction of humans?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Summary

Fill in the blanks with the phrases from the list. Use each phrase only once.

being destroyed	introduce alien plants	kills native species
continues unchecked	numerous species	cutting down forests

Human activity is a primary reason why 1 _________________ are now extinct and many more are endangered. The problem is that habitats are

2 _________________ not by one single event, but by a series of actions. One example is when people 3 _________________ or animals to a new environment where they have no natural predators. This risks disrupting the

ecological balance in the area and 4 _________________. Humans also damage the Earth by 5 _________________ for development and agricultural purposes. If this trend 6 _________________, the future of the planet will be a grim one indeed.

Vocabulary Extension

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading. Fill in each blank with the best word from the list. Use each word only once.

brink

ecosystem

magnitude

deforestation

conserve

wildlife

1.Earthquakes are measured on a scale ranging from minor to great depending on their __________.

2.With a population of less than 350, the California Condors are on the

__________ of extinction.

3.One of the main reasons for the destruction of the rainforest is __________.

4.An __________ is a community of living and non-living things that work together.

5.It is important to __________ water when living in the desert.

6.It is far easier to see __________ in rural areas than in the city.

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Supplemental Reading

Extinction of Dinosaurs

Track 18

Sixty-five million years later, the extinction of the dinosaurs remains a great mystery. Scientists think that dinosaurs existed on Earth for almost 200 million years. How could these great beasts, some of which

weighed thousands of pounds and stood 100 feet tall, suddenly disappear?

5 The most popular theory is that dinosaurs were killed off when an asteroid crashed into southern Mexico. The asteroid’s collision caused earthquakes, fires, and tidal waves. Volcanoes erupted, spewing poisonous gases into the sky and lowering the oxygen level in the oceans. Plants died, removing the food source for plant-eating dinosaurs. As these dinosaurs died, there was no food for

10meat-eating dinosaurs. In a short period of time, the dinosaurs were gone, and the first mammals began to appear.

Many scientists note that, while the asteroid had a major impact, the Earth’s climate had already begun to change. The planet was cooling, and the colder temperatures were likely killing plants. Some scientists claim that mammals already

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on Earth before the asteroid might have facilitated the extinction by eating dinosaur eggs.

We may never know for certain what caused the extinction of dinosaurs. But it was most likely the result of a combination of the asteroid, colder climates, disease, and egg-stealing mammals rather than the single event of the asteroid hitting the Earth.

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1.Scientists generally agree that the Earth is currently in a warming phase. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of global warming?

2.What are some other ways that humans could face extinction? How can these possible extinction scenarios be prevented?

U N I T 5 Environmental Issues 2

A Plan to Curb Greenhouse Gases

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1.What produces greenhouse gases?

2.Why is the greenhouse effect bad?

3.Is the yearly rate of air pollution in your country now better or worse than the rate in 1990?

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1.	consequence	a. a meeting between heads of governments or officials
2.	delegate	b. unlikely; not very possible
3.	improbable	c. something given off or released into the air
4.	emission	d. a person acting as a representative
5.	protocol	e. a result
6.	summit	f. a first draft from which a treaty is prepared

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Track 19

A Plan to Curb Greenhouse Gases

As sunlight shines on the Earth, solar radiation is absorbed and then radiated back into space as thermal radiation (heat). However, some of this heat is trapped by gases in the atmosphere. The trapped heat

increases the temperature of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. The process is

5similar to the way a greenhouse is kept warm. The Earth’s natural levels of water vapor and other gases produce this greenhouse effect, making life on Earth possible. However, some scientists are now predicting that higher levels of certain greenhouse gases are causing temperatures to rise beyond natural limits.

Since the beginning of the industrial age, carbon dioxide (CO2) has been

10building up in the Earth’s atmosphere as a result of the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas). CO2 is considered the major cause of global warming on Earth. Other natural greenhouse gases include water vapor, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3). Additionally, several man-made gases are also thought to contribute to the greenhouse effect, namely chlorofluorocarbons

15(CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). Researchers have estimated that the atmospheric concentration of CO2 has increased by at least 30 percent since the 1800s. Industrial processes have also led to a 145 percent increase in CH4, and 15 percent increase in N2O in the atmosphere.

The buildup of these gases is believed to be the major cause of higher than

20normal average global temperatures in recent years. Consequences of such global warming could include higher sea levels, the spread of deserts in areas around the Earth’s equator, and

the drying up of fresh water sources.

25 In December 1997, at a United Nations summit on global warming in Kyoto, Japan,

2	radiate --- to send out like light
10	fossil fuel --- fuel made from fossil remains of plants and animals
16	concentration --- the amount of a specific thing found in an area
23	equator --- the imaginary line around the Earth at O(zero)º latitude