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Paul Sparks, Sino-Canadian International College, Guangxi University, Online English Lesson Plans, Lesson Material and Ideas for Reading Lessons...

 

 

Reading: Various Reading Exercises and Activities


Lesson Objectives: The aim of this lesson is to test how the students can apply theory to various readings. This is practice for the in class test and for the CET4 exams.


The Main Idea: The main idea of a paragraph is what all the sentences are about. Read the paragraph and ask, “What’s your point?” Read each paragraph carefully. Choose the best answer to the questions that follow.



1. Juan loves to play games. His favorite game is chess because it requires a great deal of thought. Juan also likes to play less demanding board games that are based mostly on luck. He prefers Monopoly because it requires luck and skill. If he’s alone, Juan likes to play action video games as long as they aren’t too violent.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

a. Juan dislikes violence.
b. Juan likes to think.
c. Juan enjoys Monopoly.
d. Juan enjoys playing games.

 

2. Maria is watching too much television. A toddler shouldn’t be spending hours staring blankly at a screen. Worse yet, some of her wild behavior has been inspired by those awful cartoons she watches. We need to spend more time reading books with her and pull the plug on the TV!

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

a. Watching a lot of television isn’t good for Maria.
b. Books are good.
c. All cartoons are bad.
d. Some cartoons are bad for Maria.


3. Samantha, I can’t eat or sleep when you are gone. I need to hear your scratchy voice and see your lovely toothless smile. I miss that special way that you eat soup with your fingers. Please come home soon!

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

a. Samantha, you have bad manners.
b. Samantha, you should see a dentist.
c. Samantha, I miss you.
d. Samantha, I have lost my appetite.


4. Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind. Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier.

Which sentence from the paragraph expresses the main idea?

a. Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants.
b. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind.
c. They will look and behave much like real humans.
d. Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

 

Source: www.rhlschool.com/read6n4.htm



Comparing Opinions:

Juan wrote: "I believe that gambling is wrong! It’s shameful behavior for anyone to engage in. Many people become addicted to it; they throw away their money and ruin their lives. All forms of gambling should be against the law."

Trent wrote: "I believe that there’s nothing wrong with gambling. Most people don’t go overboard. It’s just an enjoyable and harmless pastime. The government should allow all kinds of gambling."

Sarah wrote: "I believe that gambling is a foolish waste of time and money. I don’t gamble, and I advise others to avoid it. However, I don’t like the government telling people what they can and can’t do. If some people choose to throw their money away, that’s their business!"

When people concur, they take the same position, even though they may have different reasons for coming to the same conclusion.

1.    Who would probably concur with the following statement?

"It should not be a crime to place bets over the Internet."

a.    Sarah and Trent
b.    Juan and Trent
c.    Juan and Sarah
d.    only Trent
e.    only Sarah
f.     only Juan

2.    Who would probably concur with the following statement?

"You should not try to get rich by buying lottery tickets."

a.    Sarah and Trent
b.    Juan and Trent
c.    Juan and Sarah
d.    only Trent
e.    only Sarah
f.     only Juan


3.    Who would probably concur with the following statement?

"Utah and Hawaii have the right idea. There is no legal gambling in those states."

a.    Sarah and Trent
b.    Juan and Trent
c.    Juan and Sarah
d.    only Trent
e.    only Sarah
f.     only Juan

4.    Which two people have the most opposite views on gambling?

a.    Sarah and Trent
b.    Juan and Trent
c.    Juan and Sarah

 

Source: http://www.rhlschool.com/read4n16.com

 


"The Idea" Read the selection without stopping to choose the correct missing words. Then read it again, pausing to underline the correct words. Finally, read the selection again to see if it makes sense.

Andy Wasnick loved the idea. Mary Arthur __1__ it. Kurt Mendez didn’t think it was any big deal. Mr. El thought it was a brilliant idea. After all, it was __2__ idea.
“It’s only fair,” Mr. El explained to his new fourth graders as they stood in line waiting for the lunch bell to ring, “that we turn things around. Every year you guys line up in alphabetical __3__. Alphabetical order to go to lunch, to go to gym, to go home, and so on. This __4__ we’re using reverse alphabetical order.”
Mindy Vale put her hand down as Mr. El pointed to her. “I’ve always had to stand at the __5__ of the line, ever since __6__! Now I’m near the front. Thank you, thank you!”
The teacher smiled. Then he called on Christopher Cash, a serious and thoughtful young man. “Mr. El, I think you should reconsider this policy. This is very drastic and __7__. This could confuse our fragile young minds!”
“Put a lid on it, Chris!” shouted David Tyler.
“We won’t have any outbursts like that, David!” Mr. El said firmly. He turned toward Christopher. “Don’t __8__, Christopher. We only have strong minds in this class.”
“How many of you think this is a good idea?” Mr. El asked. As you would probably __9__, most of the hands that went up were in the __10__ half of the line.


1.     heard         liked                needed             hated

2.     that            no                   her                   his

3.     letters         soup               order                index

4.     way            year                alphabet           is

5.     back           beginning        center               winner

6.     breakfast     kindergarten    yesterday          tomorrow

7.     useful          thoughtful        unnecessary     smart

8.     move            worry              scream            speak

9.     expect          doubt              forget               review

10.    dumb           bright              angry               front


Source: http://www.rhlschool.com/read5n1.htm


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