1.

1 Skimming and scanning

For your MUET Reading Paper, you will have to read and
comprehend 6 different types of texts of varying length and complexity. With 90
minutes to complete the test, you must make sure that you use your time wisely. Try not
to worry about having to understand every single detail of the text. There is a way for
you to increase your reading speed. Have you heard of skimming and scanning? Picture
it this way, do you read every single word in the newspaper? There’s a bigger chance that
you might not. What you do when you flip through the pages to look for interesting parts
to read before you decide what you want to read is SKIMMING.
What you do when you just read key words to know about something in a newspaper
article is called SCANNING.

In the context of the MUET, these explanation is much more applicable:

Skimming is reading the text very quickly for the main idea of the
text. Below you will find suggestions for ways to skim.

When you skim, you are looking for the meaning of the text, not for a complete
understanding of the text. This means that you need to look at the topic sentences of
each paragraph, and the subject, verb and object of the sentences.

Scanning is when you look for specific details in the text, without skimming or reading
for the meaning. You use this technique when you are looking for the answer to a
question. You will look for the keyword in the question (or a synonym) so you can locate
the answer.

Now why don’t you try out the exercise below.

On the line, write whether you would most likely skim or scan to do each of
the following:

1. I would __________ through a table of contents to see what information a book

contained.
2. I would __________ through the glossary of a book to look for a certain topic.
3. I would __________ through the headings of a report before I read it to see if
the topic interested me.
4. I would __________ through the first paragraph of a book to see if it was about the
same character as a previous book.

5. I would __________ to find a phone number in the telephone directory.

6. I would __________ to search for an unanswered question on an exam.
7. I would __________ to find a location on a map.
8. I would __________ to find my flight on a schedule at the airport.
9. I would __________ an advert to find out the cost of something.
10. I would __________ to refresh my memory about an article I’d read before.

All done? Check your answers with your teacher or your friends.

1.2 Identifying the main ideas

Read the text “How to Prepare for a Job Interview” before you start with this section.

Congratulations! You have just finished reading the text and now, you have new found
knowledge about the topic “How to Prepare for A Job Interview”. Now, let’s look at
three strategies that can help you comprehend the text better. Don’t worry, you may
have already taken these strategies when you were reading the text just now!

Identifying the main ideas

How Do You Locate the Main Idea?
Once you can find the topic, you are ready to find the main idea. The main idea is the
point of the paragraph. It is the most important thought about the topic.

To figure out the main idea, ask yourself this question: What is being said about the
person, thing, or idea (the topic)?

The author can locate the main idea in different places within a paragraph. The main
idea is usually a sentence, and it is usually the first sentence. The writer then uses the
rest of the paragraph to support the main idea.

Let’s use the paragraph below as an example. First find the topic, then look for the main
idea.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

1. Don’t walk into a job interview with zero knowledge about the business you are
interviewing with. Research the company beforehand — visit its website, follow it
on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and do some simple Google
searches to see what you can find out about its history and its leadership team. Be
sure to showcase your newfound knowledge during your interview. This will boost
your credibility with the interviewer and will help you to formulate intelligent
questions to ask him or her.

The topic is : Preparation.

The main idea is: You must prepare yourself before you go for an interview.
Let’s try again. This time, you try it on your own and discuss your answer later with your
teacher.

6. DRESS THE PART

Your clothing should be neat, pressed, and professional looking. It’s better to dress too
conservatively than too casually. Be well groomed with clean, manicured nails. Keep
tattoos under wraps and remove any facial piercings if you have them. If the work
environment seems casual, you’ll be able to gauge later what’s acceptable — after you
have the job.

The topic is: _______________________________.

The main idea is: ______________________________.

Now, try out your predicting skill on the rest of the text. One important thing to
remember though is that while the main idea is usually in the first sentence, the next
most common placement is in the last sentence of a paragraph. The author gives
supporting information first and then makes the point in the last sentence.

1.3 Making predictions

Predicting

What Is It?

Effective readers use pictures, titles, headings, and text—as well aspersonal
experiences—to make predictions before they begin to read. Predicting involves
thinking ahead while reading and anticipating information and events in the text. After
making predictions, students can read through the text and refine, revise, and verify
their predictions.

The strategy of making predictions actively engages students and connects them to the
text by asking them what they think might occur in the story. Using the text, students
refine, revise, and verify their thinking and predictions.
 Why Is It Important?

Making predictions activates students’ prior knowledge about the text and helps them
make connections between new information and what they already know. By making
predictions about the text before, during, and after reading, students use what they
already know—as well as what they suppose might happen—to make connections to the
text.

How Can You Make It Happen?

Let’s try this out with the text you have read just now.

The”think-aloud” strategy, is particularly helpful.

Think aloud before you read the text. Try doing this before reading: “I came across an
interesting article today and by looking at the pictures, I am guessing or predicting that
it will be about _____ and _______. When we use what we know to make a guess
before we read it is called ‘predicting.'”

Think aloud while reading the article. Predicting what the article is about while
reading. “Hmmm… my prediction that the article would be about ____ was right, but I
did not think that ____ would happen. I’ll make a new prediction that _____ will
happen based on what I read.”

Think aloud after reading, reflect on what you have predicted after reading. “My first
prediction was _____. After reading part of the article I predicted _____. Now that I
am finished reading I think my predictions were close/not close to what it was really
about because_____.”

1.4 Making inferences and

Drawing conclusions
Drawing conclusions refers to information that is implied
or inferred. This means that the information is never
clearly stated.

Writers often tell you more than they say directly. They give you hints or clues that help
you “read between the lines.” Using these clues to give you a deeper understanding of
your reading is called inferring. When you infer, you go beyond the surface details to
see other meanings that the details suggest or imply (not stated). When the meanings of
words are not stated clearly in the context of the text, they may be implied – that is,
suggested or hinted at. When meanings are implied, you may infer them.
Inference is just a big word that means a conclusion or judgement. If you infer that
something has happened, you do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the actual event. But
from what you know, it makes sense to think that it has happened. You make inferences
everyday. Most of the time you do so without thinking about it. Suppose you are sitting
in your car stopped at a red signal light. You hear screeching tires, then a loud crash and
breaking glass. You see nothing, but you infer that there has been a car accident. We all
know the sounds of screeching tires and a crash. We know that these sounds almost
always mean a car accident. But there could be some other reason, and therefore
another explanation, for the sounds. Perhaps it was not an accident involving two
moving vehicles. Maybe an angry driver rammed a parked car. Or maybe someone
played the sound of a car crash from a recording. Making inferences means choosing the
most likely explanation from the facts at hand.

There are several ways to help you draw conclusions from what an author may be
implying. The following are descriptions of the various ways to aid you in reaching a
conclusion.

General Sense
The meaning of a word may be implied by the general sense of its context, as the
meaning of the word incarcerated is implied in the following sentence:

Murderers are usually incarcerated for longer periods of time than robbers.
You may infer the meaning of incarcerated by answering the question “What usually
happens to those found guilty of murder or robbery?” Use the text box below to write
down what you have inferred as the meaning of the word incarcerated.

If you answered that they are locked up in jail, prison, or a penitentiary, you correctly
inferred the meaning of incarcerated.

Examples
When the meaning of the word is not implied by the general sense of its context, it may
be implied by examples. For instance,

Those who enjoy belonging to clubs, going to parties, and inviting friends often to
their homes for dinner are gregarious.
You may infer the meaning of gregarious by answering the question “What word or
words describe people who belong to clubs, go to parties a lot, and often invite friends
over to their homes for dinner?” Use the lines below to write down what you have
inferred as the meaning of the word gregarious.
If you wrote social or something like: “people who enjoy the company of others”, you
correctly inferred the meaning ofgregarious.

Antonyms and Contrasts

When the meaning of a word is not implied by the general sense of its context or by
examples, it may be implied by an antonym or by a contrasting thought in a
context. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings, such as happy and sad. For
instance,
Ben is fearless, but his brother is timorous.

You may infer the meaning of timorous by answering the question “If Ben is fearless
and Jim is very different from Ben with regard to fear, then what word describes Jim?”
Write your answer on the following line.
If you wrote a word such as timid, or afraid, or fearful, you inferred the meaning
of timorous.

A contrast in the following sentence implies the meaning

of credence:

Dad gave credence to my story, but Mom’s reaction was one of total disbelief.
You may infer the meaning of credence by answering the question “If Mom’s reaction
was disbelief and Dad’s reaction was very different from Mom’s, what was Dad’s
reaction?” Write your answer on the following lines.

If you wrote that Dad believed the story, you correctly inferred the meaning of credence;
it means “belief.”
Be Careful of the Meaning You Infer!
When a sentence contains an unfamiliar word, it is sometimes possible to infer the
general meaning of the sentence without inferring the exact meaning of the unknown
word. For instance,

When we invite the Paulsons for dinner, they never invite us to their home for a meal;
however, when we have the Browns to dinner, they always reciprocate.

In reading this sentence some students infer that the Browns are more desirable dinner
guests than the Paulsons without inferring the exact meaning of reciprocate. Other
students conclude that the Browns differ from the Paulsons in that they do something in
return when they are invited for dinner; these students conclude correctly
that reciprocate means “to do something in return.”

In drawing conclusions (making inferences), you are really

getting at the ultimate meaning of things – what is
important, why it is important, how one event influences
another, how one happening leads to another. Simply
getting the facts in reading is not enough – you must think
about what those facts mean to you.

1.5 Identifying facts and opinions

 What is Fact and Opinion?
A FACT is a statement that can be proven true.
It can also be a statement that is common knowledge from life experience.
An OPINION is a statement that is based on someone’s beliefs or feelings.

Why is Fact and Opinion an important reading strategy?

It is important to be able to identify facts from opinions so that we are able to
understand what is real
from what is someone’s point of view or thought.
How do we identify Facts and Opinions to help us understand what we are
reading?
Facts are true statements that give us information about the topic or main idea.
Opinions will have clue words or phrases that will tell us that the statement is
someone’s feeling or
belief.
More explanations…
To sum up, facts
 can be verified in reference books, official records, and so forth.

 are expressed in concrete language or specific numbers.

 once verified, are generally agreed upon by people.

Determining An Opinion
Opinions are based on subjective judgment and personal values rather than on
information that can be verified. An opinion is a belief that someone holds without
complete proof or positive knowledge that it is correct. Even experts who have studied
the same issue carefully often have very different opinions about that issue.

Opinions are often disputed, and many times involve abstract concepts and complex
moral issues such as right or wrong, fairness and loyalty.

Look for opinion words such as “think” or “thought”

Look for words that describe a feeling or belief such as

pretty, difficult, confusing, exciting, the best, and the worst

Look for opinion comparison words such as better than, smarter than…
  Opinions are often introduced by verbs and adverbs
that suggest some doubt in the writer’s mind:
 It appears she was confused.

 She seems to have the qualifications for the position.

 They probably used dirty tricks to win.

Become an alert and critical reader. Understand the differences between facts and
opinions, and interpret and apply both into your critical thinking.

2.1 Scanning for answers.

Scan the following advertisement and answer the questions that follows.
1. How many years of working experience must the job applicant have to apply for the
job?

2. What is the post advertised?

3. True or False? The walk-in interview is held over 2 days.

4. Can a man apply for the job?

5. Where will the interview be held?

6. Can someone who is 30 years old apply for the job?

7. True or False? The salary offered can be more than RM3000 per month.

8. True or False? Once employed, the new staff will be expected to work from 10am to
6pm.

9. What languages must the applicants be proficient in?

10. What must the applicant bring to the interview?

Check your answers. Go back to the advertisement if you need to scan for the
answer again.

2.2 Skimming for answers

The following three short texts are broadly about the subject of Facebook.
Two of them however, are concerned specifically with the topic at hand – The
advantages of Facebook.

Skim read the texts and identify as quickly as you can the two texts. Think about the
words or phrases in these texts that help you to make your judgements.

TEXT 1

“It is a great, modern way of communicating with real world friends and the ‘friends’
that you think you must know because you have a bunch of mutual friends with that
person. Other than that, it is a great way of putting everything about your life on the
web.”

TEXT 2

“I think facebook is too overrated and they are indeed making too many changes. I don’t
like the new chat and I think facebook was fine before they changed it. It’s just not the
same anymore and I know my privacy isn’t really private anymore because everything
now is becoming more public and it’s been kinda frustrating lately.”

TEXT 3
“Facebook has its advantages and disadvantages. I like facebook because you can find
people on it. Like I found some of my dads family on it so that got me in touch with him
and I found some old friends that I havnt seen in years on it. It helps you stay in touch
with people and you get all the gossip too. I love facebook :)”.

Having skimmed the 3 texts, which ‘two’ texts do you think explains about the
advantages of Facebook’?

A) Text 1 and 2 B) Text 2 and 3 C) Text 1 and 3

2.3 Identifying main ideas

Identify the sentence that best sums up the main idea of the paragraphs.

Text 1

In parts of Uganda, they have raided villages, demolished huts and destroyed plots, not
in an effort to get at food but to scare the people living there. Such attacks have become
more frequent in Bunyaruguru, Western Uganda, where only two years ago, villagers
would think nothing of cycling to the nearby township of Katwe to meet firends and do
business. But they have to be more careful now because elephants regularly block the
roads, and villagers are too afraid to cycle past.

The main idea in the paragraph is that

A villagers are avoiding the elephants

B elephants have changed their behaviour

C elephants are finding it difficult to get food

D villagers are afraid to cycle to town for business

Text 2

This article touches on a subject that’s quite sensitive to many people: body odor. Here,
we explore the link between the foods you choose to consume and the odor produced by
your body (there is a direct correlation). With all the hundreds of millions of dollars
spent each year on personal care products and deodorants, I’m amazed there’s almost
no discussion about reducing body odor by changing your diet. In fact, when I’ve
mentioned this subject to some people, they look at me in bewilderment. They ask
questions like “What do you mean, your foods control your body odor? Body odor is
genetic!” — or some other nonsense. What they need is a crash course in the
underlying causes of body odor. We’ll call it The Fundamentals of Offensive Personal
Odors, or just Body Odor 101, for short.
Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com
The main idea of the above paragraph is that:

A Many don’t believe that food controls their body odor

B You can reduce your body odor by changing our diet

C Body odor is genetic

Text 3

When, in the year 2000, the Germans finally began to actually perform a substantial
number of tests on thier own herds of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the
disease was found, and the public was caught totally by surprisse. Ministers were forced
to resign, beef prices toppled, and other countries banned German beef. The
government finally admitted that it had clung too long to the illusion that German cattle
were entirely free of the disease.

The main idea of the paragraph above is that

A the many tests carried out on cattle

B the banning of German beef by other countries

C the consequences when an illusion is proven wrong

D the German government’s response to the confirmation of BSE

All done? Good work. Now discuss your answers with your teacher or your friends.

2.4 Predicting outcomes

Read the story below and answer the question that follows.
One day a friend of mine who was driving home late at night saw a young woman
standing by the side of the road. My friend stopped and gave her a lift. The young
woman got into the car and and closed the door. She told my friend she lived in 26th
North Street which was just near my friend’s house.

The young woman takled happily as they drove along but after ten minutes she fell
silent. My friend looked round to see if she was all right. To his astonishment the young
woman has vanished. At first my friend did not know what to do. Finally he decided to
go to North Street to see if anyone there knows the the young woman.

He went up to a house and knocked on the door. It was opened by a middle-aged woman.
My friend explained how he has met the young woman and given her a lift. He told the
woman that the young woman had said she lived in 26th North Street.

After reading the story above, try out these questions

1. Who do you think is the woman who answered the door?

2. What do you think happened to the young woman?

3. What do you think the middle-aged woman who opened the door would say to the
man?

4. What do you think actually happened that night?

After you have answered the questions above, can you come up with a
suitable ending to the story above? Try it out. How the story turns out is all up to you
now!
2.5 Making Inferences and
Drawing Conclusions
What inferences can you make?

1. Bill was reading about the sun, the moon,

and Mars. It was a book about …

2. At recess the students got their gloves, bats and balls.

What were they likely to do?

3. During a very severe storm, the electricity went off. Dad

lit a match. What did he probably want to find?

4. Jesse and his father went walking on a warm spring day.

There was a nice breeze in the air. What might Jesse and his
father do to have fun? Rake leaves, fly a kite or watch TV?
2.6 Identifying Facts or Opinions
Fact or Opinion?

Task One
Copy each of the sentences below into your books and
write (in brackets) whether you think each one is
presented as fact or opinion.

1. Parents do not spend enough time on their children.

2. Most children are inquisitive and playful.
3. Manchester United is the best football club in the world
4. It’s not a very good television programme.
5. Children learn from adults.
6. I believe that he can win.
7. Today’s society is generally more materialistic.
8. We think Mark stole the car.
9. Video games have more negative than positive effects on children.
10. The world’s tallest structure is the 829.84 m tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates

Task Two
1. Write two facts about a pop group.
2. Write two opinions about a pop group.
3. Write two facts about school.
4. Write two opinions about school
5. Write two facts about food.
6. Write two opinions about food.
When you are done, exchange your responses with your partner. Do you
agree with what he/she has written about the five topics? Are they facts or
opinions?
 Task Three
Copy each of these passages into your
book. Underline sentences you think present facts in one
colour and sentences you think present opinions in
another.
“This has to be the most exciting game of football that
I’ve seen so far. David Beckham is easily the best player
on the pitch. He has scored five goals so far this season. I
think he’ll score a lot more!”
Buy the new Superclean bathroom cleaner. It’ll leave
your bathroom sparkling clean! Superclean uses a
mixture of soap and bleach which attacks dust and
grime. You won’t be able to believe your eyes when you
see what Superclean can do for you. Only RM 12.90 a
bottle.
Tomorrow is an important day for the pop group
BoysRUs. They release their third single tomorrow. Their
last two singles have gone straight into the charts at
number 1. This new single, however, is an awful mix of
pop and blues music. It’s not as good as the previous two
hits. It certainly looks to me like BoysRUs should ask for
their day jobs at the toyshop back!
All done? What do you think of these tasks? To challenge
yourself further, why don’t you try the following activity in
the following website?
http://www.writesite.org

3.0 Reading Text 1

Read the passage below. Then answer the questions in the Exercises (Set 1).

Passage 1

A LITTLE PREPARATION GOES A LONG WAY

So you’ve landed a job interview? Congratulations! Now it’s time to prepare. With so
much competition for jobs today, the interview is more important than ever. This
crucial face-to-face meeting is your chance to “sell” a prospective employer on hiring
you. Here are 10 steps to acing your next interview. Good luck!

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

1. Don’t walk into a job interview with zero knowledge about the business you are
interviewing with. Research the company beforehand — visit its website, follow it
on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and do some simple Google
searches to see what you can find out about its history and its leadership team. Be
sure to showcase your newfound knowledge during your interview. This will boost
your credibility with the interviewer and will help you to formulate intelligent
questions to ask him or her.

2. PLAN YOUR ROUTE

Don’t sabotage your chances before you even arrive by getting lost on your way to the
interview or getting stuck in traffic. Arriving late to a job interview leaves a very bad
impression on the interviewer.

Map out where you’re going and prepare alternate routes. Figure out how long the trip
will take, where to park, and anything else you need to know to arrive on time. Be sure
you have the name and phone number of the person you’ll be meeting with.

3. REHEARSE BEFOREHAND

Every once in a while an interviewer will ask an unexpected question, but for the most
part, many interviews play out the same way.

Prepare intelligent answers to common questions the interviewer is likely to ask, such
as “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”; “Why do you want to work here?”; “Why
should we hire you?”; and “Tell me about yourself.” Conduct a mock interview with a
trusted friend as practice.

4. GET SOLID REFERENCES

Find at least three key people — former supervisors, colleagues, or instructors — who
will serve as your professional references. Ask their permission beforehand, as well as
the best way for them to be contacted.

You may be asked to send these references at a later time, but you should arrive at the
interview with this information in hand just in case it is asked for.
5. BRING NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION

Make a checklist of documents that you will need for the interview, and make sure that
you have them with you. These may include copies of your résumé, a passport, driver’s
license, Social Security card, or portfolio of work.

If the interviewer asks for something that you did not know to bring, be sure to get it to
them as soon as possible.

6. DRESS THE PART

Your clothing should be neat, pressed, and professional looking. It’s better to dress too
conservatively than too casually. Be well groomed with clean, manicured nails. Keep
tattoos under wraps and remove any facial piercings if you have them. If the work
environment seems casual, you’ll be able to gauge later what’s acceptable — after you
have the job.

7. ARRIVE EARLY

Arrive at least 15 minutes before the interview. Visit the restroom and check your
appearance. Turn your cell phone off so it doesn’t ring during your meeting.
However, be sure not to announce your arrival too early or you might annoy the
interviewer, who may be meeting with another candidate or simply isn’t ready to meet
with you yet.

8. SELL YOURSELF

Now is not the time to be humble. Develop a 25-second sales pitch that sings your
praises. In business this is called an “elevator speech,” a compelling overview of “why
you?” that can be recited in the time it takes to ride an elevator. It should include your
strengths, your experience, and what sets you apart from other applicants.

9. ASK QUESTIONS

Nobody is very impressed by a candidate who sits in silence, or exhibits little knowledge
about the position he or she is applying for.

Based on your research about the company, ask questions that show your knowledge of
the business and industry. Don’t barrage the interviewer with difficult or sensitive
questions, but make sure your questions aren’t generic either. This is your time to prove
that you are knowledgeable about the company you want to be a part of.
10. FOLLOW UP

After the interview, send a handwritten note or friendly email thanking the interviewer
for his or her time and consideration, as well as restating your interest in the position. If
you don’t hear anything after one week, call to politely ask when they will be making a
decision.

Every interview is a learning experience. Even if you don’t get this job, when the next
interview rolls around, you’ll be better prepared and more at ease, which will improve
your chances of being offered the next job.

A. Set 1
Now that you have been exposed to the reading skills, you can try out these
exercises. You will have to read Reading Text 1 to be able to do these exercises.
While attempting these exercises, you will find yourself practicing the skills you
have learned earlier. Good luck!

Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a
free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. You can also click on the "[?]" button to get a
clue. Note that you will lose points if you ask for hints or clues!
better devote find have disliked have taken have worked part-time
salary schedules thrive
How to Find a Job (after College)

You've got the degree in hand, the work experience on your resume, and the motivation to

(1) [?] a post-college job. For the first time, you are ready to take on a career-

building position with respect. You (2) [?] (have worked, has worked, had

worked) the silly jobs part time, (3) [?] (has taken, had taken, have taken) the

courses, and have gone on the interviews. Now, you have a suit and are on the cusp of

entering "the real world."

While you may have looked forward to this point in your life for years, it will be a culture
shock. You are used to school, free time, setting your own (4) [?], and relaxing

at your (5) [?] jobs. Now, you must (6) [?] most of your day to a

job. Many post-college grads find difficulty in the transition from school-life to work-life. Your

time is not always your own anymore. Many people (7) [?] in the professional

environment, as they (8) [?] (has disliked, have disliked, had disliked) school

for the (9) [?] portion of their lives. Now, they are in their prime, working daily,

taking orders, giving orders, and climbing up the corporate ladder of whatever company they

work for.

Without additional schooling or training, many post-college graduates are disappointed with

their jobs. They think that with a college diploma, they will find the perfect job with the perfect

(10) [?] and perfect hours. Unfortunately, reality kicks in and they realize that

they will have to start from the bottom of the corporate totem pole. All jobs in corporations will

be entry level positions. When you look for jobs, always look under the entry-level categories.

No matter how qualified you may be, you are entry-level because of your age, your work

experience, and your recent graduate status. Fear not, however, because these entry-level

positions are simply starting points for large growth within a company.

4.1 Vocabulary Building for Reading

Text 1
 Recognizing words associated with job
interviews. Use the information here to answer questions in
Set 1 of the exercises given.

Know the vocabulary. Here are some words that you might
come across in your quest for a job.

Text 2: Applying for a job.

Learn the vocabulary to talk about getting or changing jobs in English:

If there is ‘a vacancy’, there is a job available because a

new post has been created or a person has left.
Larry’s move to London has created a vacancy in Marketing if you are interested.

We don’t have any vacancies at the moment but we will keep your CV on file.

When a post becomes vacant, the company ‘advertises the post’ in the press.

Although the post was advertised last month, we promoted someone internally.

We advertised the post in the national press last week and have received lots of
applications.

If you ‘apply for a job’, you send in a CV or letter because

you want the job.
Ten people have applied for the job just from advertising it internally.
I’ve applied for that job in Glasgow even though I don’t really have enough experience.

When you want a new job, you send ‘letters of application’ to the company concerned.

I’ve written letters of application for four different jobs but had no reply yet.

We have received letters of application from a wide range of candidates.

The candidates who apply for the job are also known as
the ‘applicants’.
The number of applicants is very high. There are a lot of people with the right
qualifications and experience.

We do a pre-selection of the applicants based on their previous experience.

A company can use a ‘recruitment agency’ to fill their

vacancies
We use a recruitment agency to advertise the post and do a pre-selection.

There are several recruitment agencies that specialize in our sector so we can find
highly qualified candidates quickly.

A ‘job description’ details all the duties, responsibilities

and personal qualities necessary for a specific job.
We have written new job descriptions for all the jobs in our department.

I don’t think making the coffee is in my job description!

Your ‘qualifications’ are your academic or professional

diplomas.
For a post at this level, we consider experience to be more important than academic
qualifications.

For this post, we give full training. The only qualification necessary is a high school
diploma.
 ‘Experience’ is the knowledge acquired through time
already spent in work, in different jobs.
I have a lot of experience managing a small team and would now like to manage a bigger
one.

The best candidates are those who have previous experience in the food industry.

‘Salary and benefits’ are what you are paid and the
extras you receive in return for the work you do.
Although the starting salary is not very high, the benefits include health insurance.

We pay very competitive salaries and provide some of the best benefits in the sector.

Hire and fire

If you ‘hire’ someone, you employ them.

I hear that they are not hiring people at the moment because of budget problems.

If you ‘fire’ somebody, you dismiss them from their job, usually because of something
they did.

I had to fire Sally because she kept on making mistakes.

If you don’t improve, they may decide to fire you.

If you ‘make somebody redundant’, you dismiss them

from their job for economic reasons.
They are closing down the factory and making 500 people redundant.

I was made redundant from my last job.

If you ‘recruit’ people, you persuade them to work for

you.
We need to recruit more young engineers.

It’s difficult to recruit people because our pay is so low.

 If you ‘hand in (or give in) your notice’, you tell your
employer that you are going to leave the company.
She handed in her notice this morning and is leaving at the end of the month.

He gave in his notice and they told him he could leave straight away.

If a company ‘gives someone notice’, they tell them that

they are going to lose their jobs.
The company only gave me three days’ notice that I was being made redundant.

We have to give her two months’ notice that we are letting her go

If an employer ‘sacks’ someone, they fire them.

They sacked me without notice after ten years with the company.

I hear they intend to sack him because of his bullying.

If you ‘get the sack’ or are ‘given the sack’, you are fired.
He was given the sack because he kept arriving late.

If I keep making mistakes, I’m going to get the sack.

If you take legal action against your employer for ‘unfair

dismissal’, you claim that they dismissed you for no good
reason.
He is suing them for unfair dismissal as he says he was only ever late once.

If you take legal action against your employer for ‘constructive dismissal’, you claim that
you were forced to leave your job because of the actions/behaviour of your employer.

B. Reading Text 2
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
Even Jules Verne or Aldous Huxley could not have imagined such a world- a
complete city that could accommodate more than 50000 people totally beneath
the earth’s surface. Science fiction? No, today’s reality. Faced with nowhere to
expand and yet a mushrooming population, Asian cities, such as Hong Kong and
Singapore, have had to squeeze taller and taller buildings into less and less space.
But one Oriental city has been experimenting with a different method and the
result is the largest underground urban complex in the world – Osaka’s Rainbow
Town.

Deep beneath the earth is a completely controlled environment in which

hundreds of thousands of people go about their daily business oblivious to the
world above. Some, like the shop workers and sales personnel, never see the sun
except on weekends. They arrive early each morning by subway and do not surface
until after sunset. Rainbow Town is so complex and huge that one can actually get
lost. For this reason, I was fortunate to have the town’s mayor as my guide. The
subterranean metropolis took eight years to construct, he explained, as we strolled
down the main boulevard which was crowded with shoppers. The project was
designed as a municipal undertaking in the hope of redeveloping the highly
congested and polluted southern district of Osaka by connecting all parts of the
city to it by subway.

This was aimed at solving the traffic problem, overcoming the pollution and
permitting a vast shopping complex which would easily be accessible to millions
of people. It also would provide a vast area on the surface which would be free for
recreational development. The idea paid off, and for more than a decade, between
500,000 and a million people have visited Rainbow Town on weekends. Nearly all
are transported by subway. The city is not only unaffected by surface climatic
changes and temperature, but also temporal ones. Open 365 days a year, it has no
night, being perpetually illuminated. In the winter, the temperature remains
electronically-controlled 25degrees Celsius and in summer, 20 degrees.

Why the name ‘Rainbow’? I asked the mayor. “Rainbows, like towns, were
once found only above the ground,” he answered with a broad smile. “But we
created one here to be a symbol of how man has no limits to his creative powers.
In fact, we have two different kinds of rainbow here.”

The first is immediately visible as one descends into this futuristic world.
The motion of the crowds passing through the entrance tunnel triggers special
photo-electronic cells which activate electronic music and a polychrome, neon
rainbow effect on the ceiling and walls. The second is an equally complex
electronic affair. Located in the heart if the city’s main plaza, it is comprised of
2000 nozzles which project streams of water three meters into the air. This
waterfall-in-reverse is illuminated by means of intricate ‘rainbow’ lenses- a tribute
to man’s genius.

As we continued along the main boulevard, the mayor told me this broad,
car-free street, lined with brightly-lit shops- stretched for 1000 meters and would
be expanded. Off the main street, numerous side lanes, each with a different floral
name, branched out as far as one could see. There were almost 400 stores along
these lanes which catered to man’s every material need. What impressed me was
how so many stores selling identical items were able to successfully compete. Just
in our ten minute walk, we must have passed a dozen shoe stores, a dozen candy
shops and two dozen clothing stores.

“We have a 100% occupancy rate and business is booming,” said the mayor.
“The combined sales from all the different privately owned stores is US$1.6
million a year. Some people warned us that the novelty of the town would wear off
but that was 12 years ago and we are still going strong. We are even expanding.”

Extracted from “City Beneath the Earth” by Earl Vinecour. (Asia

Magazine, Aug 1 1982)
1. What is the main idea in the first paragraph?
A Jules Vern’s version of an underground world

B A city beneath the earth’s surface

C A world faced with mushrooming pupolation

D A city of skyscraper

2. Which of the following statements is true about the Rainbow Town?\

A It is cut off from the world above

B It has its own type of vegetation

C It has its own skyscrapers

D It is not affected by weather

3. The expression ‘subterranean metropolis’ (line 14) means

A extraordinary city

B complex city

C underground city

D artificial city

4. Why does the writer say that Rainbow Town has no night? (line 26)?
A It has rainbows throughout the year

B It is well lit throughout the year

C It is built underground

D It has no sun throughout the year

 5. What do you think makes possible the futuristic world (line 29)?
A The endless crowd

B The waterfall-in-reverse

C The rainbow effect on the ceiling and walls

D The high level of technology

6. What conclusion could you draw from the 6th paragraph?

A Rainbow Town is a haven for shoppers

B Rainbow Town is a complex car-free metropolis

C Rainbow Town is a maze of roads and streets

D Man’s every material need is never adequate

7. In what way is the warning, in the last paragraph, “that the novelty of the
town would wear off” unfounded?
A The total sales reach US$1.6 million a year

B The town is still going strong after 12 years

C Business is booming

D There is a 100% occupancy rate

Links
Below are several useful links for enrichment. Try them out!

A) USEFUL LINKS FOR TEACHERS

A useful site for teachers’ who are looking for fresh ideas to teach:

http://www.lessonplanet.com/
There are more explanations about the skills available in this site:

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/
Want to know why Reading is such an important part of a child’s development?
Find out here:

http://www.ehow.com/ehow-family/
Extensive explanations and also samples of the skills are provided here:

http://academic.cuesta.edu/
Looking for worksheets to try out? Look for them here:

http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/free-reading-worksheets/reading-
comprehension-worksheets/main-idea-worksheets/

B) USEFUL LINKS FOR STUDENTS

Visit this website if you need more explanation about Reading Skills. It also also
offers a wide range of reading tasks for you to try out.

http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studytips/reading_skills.htm
Find out about the many activities that you can try out when you read a text in this
website:

http://www.rhlschool.com/reading.htm
Reading is such a rewarding activity. Find out about it here:

http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/compre.htm
Need more exposure to similar tests like the MUET? Find them here:

https://www.ielts4u.net/reading.php
There’s something for everyone here at BALL. Its actually a collection of Blog-
Assisted Language Learning (BALL) materials, online ESL learning packages. Go
ahead, its just a click away!:

7.0 A Job Interview

 This is a suggested plan for teachers who wish to try out this
interactive learning package. Teachers may want to come up with other lesson
plans when using the tutorials and the practices in this package. After all, its really
up to the teachers’ creativity to make the learning fun and meaningful. Good luck!
Date : 27th January 2012

Duration : 1 Hour 20 Mins

Students’
Background : Form 6 or pre-university level

Topic : A Job Interview (Reading Text 1)

: Vocabulary related to topic, Speaking skills

Sub-topic for Job interviews

: To help students to comprehend texts using

Objective a selection of reading skills

: By the end of the lesson, students should be

able to

a) Skim and scan the text to respond to

questions posed

b) Identify the main ideas of the paragraphs

in the text

Learning c) Draw conclusions about the textd) Make

outcomes inferences about the content of the text

Instructional
Aids
: https://salhamzah.wordpress.com

: Students should have already been exposed

Previous to job interviews via classroom activities for
Knowledge Speaking

http://www.allbusiness.com/tips-
preparing-job-
interview/http://www.lessonplanet.com/
http://academic.cuesta.edu/
References
http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/
Instructional Procedure

Stage Instructional Activity Learning Activity

Warming up(5
minutes)

Rationale:

To draw students’ Reveal the URL and ask

attention and create the students to browse Get a general idea
interest. through it. of the topic

Introduction(20 Teacher will start by Read the text and

minutes) asking the students to list down the
skim and scan the main ideas and
Rationale:
paragraphs and list later compare
To introduce the down the main ideas in them with their
main ideas in the text each of the paragraphs. partners’ list

Developmenti)
Activity 1 (30 Students are asked to
minutes) read the Reading Text
1 from the website and Read the text and
Rationale:
discuss among make inferences
To add on to their themselves. Teachers about what to
current knowledge will assist if the expect in a job
about job interviews students face difficulty. interview

Students will be trying

Test their
out interactive lessons
knowledge by
ii) Activity 2 (40 comprised of multiple
doing the
minutes)Rationale: choice questions and
exercises created
true or false exercise
To ensure students using Hot
based on a passage,
understanding of the Potatoes
matching, cloze test,
text. software.
jumbled-up sentences
 and crossword puzzle.

iii) Activity 3 (15

Students recall
minutes)Rationale:
Students will be giving the skills that
To check and discuss their responses and they used to come
students’ responses then these responses up with the
to the interactive will be discussed in the responses for the
tasks attempted classroom. interactive tasks.

Q & A session where

teacher clarifies the Raising students’
Conclusion(10 Reading Skills that the awareness about
minutes) students have the reading skills
practiced whilst which they need
Rationale:
attempting the tasks in to master in order
To recap the lesson the interactive to understand
of the day. package. texts they read.

LEAVE A COMMENT

by SALHAMZ AH o n JAN UARY 15, 2012 • PERM ALINK

Posted in 7.0 SUG GES TE D LESSON PLANS

7.1 Making Inferences

Here’s another lesson plan that teachers might want to try out…
A) Reading Lesson on Making Inferences

Written by: Jessica Cook • Edited by: Beth Taylor

Updated Dec 13, 2011 • Related Guides: Comprehension Skills | Vocabulary Lists

Students practice the skill of making inferences before beginning to apply this
skill to their reading comprehension activities.

If you want to improve your students’ reading comprehension skills, teach them
some basic reading strategies. Teaching your students to make inferences helps
them think about the texts they read on a deeper level than they have done in the
past. When it comes time to take a state assessment for reading, they will be able
to understand and explain the implied meanings of the text.

In this lesson, students learn about making inferences by practicing with

photographs before trying it with text.

Get a series of creatively cropped photographs online here or at Odessy Magazine

online among other places. Put these photos onto a Power Point presentation, and
show the clues to your students one at a time. Ask them to guess what they think
the photo could be, and why they think that. Get them to identify elements of the
photos that lead them to their answers.

Instructional Time
Explain to the students that they have been making inferences when they looked
at the photos. Tell them that an inference is an educated guess about the hidden
meaning of something. Here is an example I like to use when I explain inferences
to my students:

Me: Ok, class, let’s say ________ (insert name of good-natured student in class)
goes up to a girl and tells her she’s the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen. He
asks her if she will please, please, PLEASE be his girlfriend. The girl says, “Yeah –
right.” (Use your best sarcastic voice here.) Does _____ have a new girlfriend
now?
Class: No! (Much laughter at ____’s expense ensues.)
Me: Why not? She said “yeah,” and “right,” – two words that indicate her
agreement to what he had to say. So why isn’t she his girlfriend?
Class: She didn’t really MEAN it, Mrs. Cook.
Me: How do you know?
Class: (some type of response about her tone of voice, the way she said it, etc.).
Me: Ah, so you made an educated guess about what she really meant, regardless
of the words she used. That’s making an inference.
You may want to ask students to put “making inferences” in their notes or
vocabulary lists at this time.
Independent Practice

Give students a short story to read and a list of questions about the implied
meaning of the story. Have them answer individually on paper or out loud as a
class. You can fit in this activity with any text or theme you are currently studying;
just find a story that has surface-level and implied meanings, and ask away!