Casey Malarcher Andrea Janzen

Reading Challenge 3 Second Edition

Casey Malarcher Andrea Janzen

2010 Compass Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission in writing
from the publisher.
Acquisitions Editor: Tamara Gaskill
Content Editor: Tanya Shawlinski
Copy Editor: Joy Campbell
Cover/Interior Design: Design Plus
email: [email protected]
http://www.compasspub.com
The authors of this book would like to acknowledge the following
writers for contributing materials to this series: Paul Edmunds,
Barbara Graeber, Jennifer Janzen, Susan MacRae, Jenna Myers, Kristen Sinats,
Michael Souza, Anne Taylor, Adam Worcester

ISBN: 978-1-59966-531-3
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
14 13 12 11 10

Photo Credits
pp. 18, 30, 47, 48, 65, 66, 80, 83, 84, 101, 116 JupiterImages Corporation
pp. 53, 56, 71, 72, 77, 78, 95, 98, 102, 107, 108, 113, 114 iStock International Inc.
pp. cover, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 23, 24, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 50, 59, 60, 62, 68, 74, 86, 89, 90,
92, 104, 110, 119, 120, 122 Shutterstock, Inc.
pp. 42, 44 Kacie Kinzer www.tweenbots.com
pp. 54, 56 NASA
pp. 96, 114 Casey Malarcher
p. 36 Yonhap News

Every effort has been made to trace all sources of illustrations/photos/information in

this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publisher will be pleased
to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

Contents
Arts and Leisure
1. Read It or See It? / 5

11. A Controversial Restoration / 65

Culture and History

2. Superstitions About Birds / 11

12. The Flood / 71

Environment
3. Alaska Is Melting! / 17

13. Naturally Better Homes / 77

Health
4. Working on Your Workout / 23

14. Eat Better, Look Better / 83

Science Facts
5. Smart Exercise / 29

15. Imagine That! / 89

People Profiles
6. Rescuing Relics / 35

16. Madonnas Downloads / 95

Social Science
7. Tweenbots / 41

17. Remembering Memories / 101

Sports and Hobbies

8. Back to the Future / 47

18. Taking Home the World Cup / 107

Technology
9. A Better Robot / 53

19. No Phishing Allowed / 113

Weird and Bizarre

10. Flower Power / 59

Transcripts

/ 125

20. Take a Ghost Tour / 119

Read It or See It?

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. What book have you read that is also a movie?
2. Which did you do first, read the book or see the movie?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Which did you like better, the book or the movie? Why?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. changed
b. different forms
c. tried

d. all of the creation and production facilities in the field

e. does not give in to; is not affected by
f. people who give their professional opinions

1. ____ He attempted to write a novel, but he never finished it.

2. ____ The heart of the movie industry in the US is Hollywood.
3. ____ There are two famous movie versions of Romeo and Juliet.
4. ____ Not all movie critics agree about the value of certain movies.
5. ____ The writer transformed her short story into a two-hour movie.
6. ____ The author doesnt want Hollywood to make a movie of his book. He resists all of their
offers.
5

Track 1

Read It or See It?

ince the early days of making movies, writers and directors have attempted to
bring popular and classic novels to the big screen. That tradition continues today.
The movie industry seems to believe that if the story made a great book, it should
make a great movie as well. However, that rarely seems to be the case. More often than
not, a great book turns out to be a mediocre movie in the opinion of most viewers.
Perhaps that is because readers of the book have already made their own great movies
in their heads. Then, when they see the studios or the directors version of the story, it
does not quite measure up to their expectations.
Over the past one hundred years of film production, there have only been a handful
of movies that have fulfilled the ambition of turning the great book into a great movie.
Literary critics as well as movie critics applaud both versions of One Flew over the
Cuckoos Nest. The classic childrens story, The Wizard of Oz, was transformed into a
classic movie musical that parents and children still enjoy today. Lovers of the historical
novel, Gone with the Wind, continue to be swept away by the movie adaptation starring
Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. Science fiction readers as well as movie critics both hail
Stanley Kubricks film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was co-written by Kubrick with the
novels author Arthur C. Clarke, as a masterpiece.
On the other hand, there have been instances when not-so-great novels have been
transformed into great movies. Mario Puzos The Godfather was quite popular at the
time of its release as a novel, but critics hailed it more for its entertainment value than
for its value as literature. The film adaptation of this popular novel, however, continues
to be listed among the top ten greatest movies of all time. Likewise, the science fiction
short story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? did not set the science fiction genre
on fire when it came out. The movie version, though, made a much bigger impact in its
medium. Today, Blade Runner continues to top critics lists of great films.
Are there any books that are simply impossible to film? Although film makers
would like to think not, it is a good bet that certain books will never be adapted into
successful films. Books written in unique literary styles such as Ulysses by James Joyce
and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner have resisted film adaptation to rival
30 the greatness of the books. Film makers will no doubt keep trying, of course. Readers
and viewers will have to be the final judges of whether it is better to read the book or
see the movie.

10

15

20

25

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

director: a person who is in charge of making a movie

15

hail: to cheer; to give high approval to

mediocre: average; not very good but not so bad

17

masterpiece: an artists greatest work

fulfill: to meet; to fit

23

genre: a category of books or stories

11

literary: related to books or literature

25

11

applaud: to praise; to show approval of

medium: a type or way of communication or

entertainment

14

adaptation: a form changed to fit a different

medium

10

461 words

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main focus of this reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Books that make more money than movies

Books written about movies
Movie made from books
Movie stars who have written books

2. Which of the following is considered both a great book and a great movie?
a. Gone with the Wind
c. Transformers

b. The Godfather
d. Ulysses

3. What is NOT true about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

a.
b.
c.
d.

It made a very good movie.

It is not a novel.
It was adapted into a movie.
It was not widely hailed by literary critics.

4. What does the word rival mean in this reading?

a. Enemy
c. Fight with

b. Equal
d. Surprise

5. Which of the following statements would the writer of this reading probably agree with?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Almost any book can easily be adapted into a good movie.

Faulkner knows a lot about both books and movies.
The movie Ulysses is better than Joyces novel.
The Sound and the Fury will never be made into a great movie.

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
more often than not

[ usually; in most cases ]

There is a bookstore near my school that, more often than not,
has the books Im looking for.

measure up to

[ to have an equal value; to have the same quality ]

The restaurant did not measure up to all the good things I had
heard about it.

it is a good bet

[ more than likely; probably ]

It is a good bet that Jennifer will be late. She usually is.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. We noticed all the lights were out, so ____________________ nobody was at home.
2. I have to add salt to soups ____________________ because they taste too bland to me.
3. People who try to ____________________ their role models often disappoint themselves.
7

Summary
Fill in the blanks with the correct words or phrases.
attempted
literary

bet
masterpieces

critics
measure up

industry
transformed

Movie makers in Hollywood have 1 ___________________ many times over the years to make
great books into great movies. However, viewers and

___________________ usually agree that

the movie version of a book does not quite 3 ___________________ to the book itself. While
it is true that a few great books have been

___________________ into

great movies, there are only a handful of such cases. On the other
hand, there have been cases when mediocre books and stories became
5

___________________ in the hands of good writers and directors in the

film

___________________. Can all books be made into movies? It is a

good 7 ___________________ such works as Ulysses and The Sound and the
Fury will never become great movies because they are written in
unique 8 ___________________ styles.

Listening
The Best Version
Track 2

Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.

1. What are the speakers comparing?
a. A book and a movie
c. Two books

b. A play and a movie

d. Two movies

2. What can be inferred about the man?

a. He did not see the first movie.
c. He only read the book.

b. He never watched a play in the theater.

d. He rarely goes to the movie theater.

3. According to the speakers, what would younger children probably enjoy?

a. The darker version
c. The recent movie

b. The first movie

d. The short story

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. What is a famous book in your country that has been made into a movie?
2. What is a famous book from another country that has been made into a movie?
3. What is a good book you have read that you would like to see made into a movie?

Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
A verb always agrees with the subject of the clause, so it is important to locate the subject of
the clause where the verb appears.
Are there any books that (is / are) simply impossible to film?
Books written in unique literary styles such as Ulysses and The Sound and the Fury (has resisted
/ have resisted) film adaptation to rival the greatness of the books.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

A Book and a Movie

Example
(1) What is a famous book in your
country that has been made into a
movie? (2) What did literary critics
say about the book? (3) What did
movie critics say about the movie?
(4) Do you agree with the critics?
(5) Why or why not?

A famous book in my country

that has been made into a movie
is Tom Sawyer. Literary critics
hail the book as a masterpiece of
American literature. Movie critics
did not give the movie high praise
at all. I agree with the critics. The
book was great, but the movie
wasnt that good.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. The cat that lives by the river has _______ all of my efforts to make friends with her.
a. hailed

b. resisted

c. swept away

d. transformed

2. If you buy a large drink at the movie theater, it is _______ that you wont finish the whole
thing.
a. a handful of

b. a good bet

c. more often

d. seems to be the case

3. Most people agree that the older _______ of the movie is better than the newer one.
a. masterpiece

b. critic

c. screen

d. version

4. The actors in the movie are famous, but Ive never heard of the _______.
a. adaptation

b. director

c. genre

d. medium

5. Movies have the ability to _______ the way our society thinks about certain issues.
a. impact

b. measure

c. inform

d. continue

6. It was a fun book to read, but I dont think it has much _______ value.
a. impossible

b. literary

c. mediocre

d. perhaps

7. You didnt win the competition, but I _______ your effort.

a. applaud

b. adore

c. fulfill

d. measure up

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. He was surprised when his suggestions to the committee did not meet much _______.
a. resistance

b. resist

c. resistor

9. The books message was very powerful. It has a _______ power for readers.
a. transformation

b. transformed

c. transformative

10. Her co-workers do not appreciate her _______ attitude.

a. criticism

10

b. critic

c. critical

Superstitions About Birds

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. What birds are the most common in your country?
2. Are any birds considered lucky in your country?
Are any considered unlucky?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Where can you go bird watching in your country?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word or phrase.
a. be careful of
b. possibly
c. at first

d. like you want to

e. soon to happen
f. go together with

1. ____ The impending change worried many people.

2. ____ Some people think that black cats accompany witches.
3. ____ Some birds are also thought to potentially bring good luck.
4. ____ I initially thought that black cats were unlucky, but I changed my mind.
5. ____ Beware of that dog. It likes to bite people.
6. ____ Do you feel inclined to go out for dinner tonight?

11

Track 3

Superstitions About Birds

ertain birds are, more often than not, considered bad luck, or even a
sign of impending death. For example, all over the world, both crows and ravens
have some connection to war, and death. In early times, crows and ravens were
thought to accompany the gods of war, or be signs of the gods approaching arrival. This
idea later changed. Crows in particular were thought to be harbingers of ill fortune or,
in some cases, guides to the afterlife. Woe be it to the person who saw a single crow or
raven flying overhead, for this was most certainly a portent of death in the near
future.
Interestingly, though potentially bad luck for people individually, the raven is
considered to be good luck for the crown of England. So much so, in fact, that a raven
master is, even today, an actual government position in London. He takes care of the
ravens there and also clips their wings, ensuring that these birds can never fly far from
the seat of the British government. This way, the kingdom will never fall to ill fortune.
Another bird that is thought to play a part in forecasting the fortunes of people is
the swallow. Depending on how and when it is seen, the swallow can be a harbinger of
either good or ill fortune. Perhaps inspired by the swallows red-brown breast, Christian
people initially related the swallow to the death of Jesus Christ. Thus, people who saw
a swallow fly through their house considered it a portent of death. Later, however,
farmers began to consider swallows signs of good fortune. Any barn that has
20 swallows living in it is sure to be blessed in the following year. Farmers also
have to beware of killing a swallow; that would be certain to end any good
luck they might have had.
Though many people think these superstitions are old wives
tales, there is actually some evidence to support them. For example,
25
crows and ravens, being scavengers, appear at the aftermath of battles.
Thus, large numbers of crows and ravens could be good indications of
war in an area. As well, swallows feed on insects that can cause infections in
cattle. Thus, a farmer who has many swallows in his barn may actually have
healthier animals on his farm. Therefore, the next time you feel inclined to laugh at
an old wives tale, maybe you had better find out if there is any truth to it first!

10

15

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

12

crow: a black bird, often seen in fields

raven: a black bird that looks similar to crows,

but bigger

harbinger: a thing that brings something

afterlife: a place you go after dying

portent: a sign

413 words

10

crown of England: the English monarchy and

government

12

clip: to cut; to trim

15

swallow: a brown and red bird that often

makes a home in barns or outside buildings

20

bless: to give luck or good fortune

25

aftermath: the resulting situation

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Birds bring bad luck.

Dont look a crow in the eye.
There are many superstitions surrounding birds.
Birds are important to English people.

2. Which birds are considered harbingers of bad luck?

a. Crows
c. Ravens

b. Swallows
d. All of the above

3. Which is NOT true, according to the reading?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Some superstitions are based on reality.

Seeing a swallow is a sign of war and death in the future.
Ravens bring good luck for the country of England.
Crows eat dead animals.

4. How might a farmer attempt to prevent bad luck?

a. Catch a raven
c. Follow a crow

b. Keep his windows open

d. Avoid harming a swallow

5. Swallows help keep cattle in barns healthier by ______.

a. eating infected skin
c. singing

b. consuming insects
d. making cows happier

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
woe be it

[ too bad for ]

Woe be it to the person who pets this dog. He bites!

old wives tales [ folk beliefs; superstitions ]

People used to think that seeing a crow was bad luck. Now they know
its an old wives tale.
feed on

[ to eat something ]
The elephants at the zoo feed on peanuts.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. ____________________ to whoever goes in that house. Ghosts live there.
2. Our cat ____________________ the mice in the basement.
3. Dont believe that! Its just a(n) ____________________.
13
1

Summary
Scan the passage and complete the chart with the correct information.

Bird

Crows

Bad Luck

Good Luck

Evidence

Sign of the arrival

of 1 _________________

___________________

A single one flying

These birds are

= 2 __________________

scavengers, so
they appear at
5 ________________.

Sign of the arrival

of the gods of war

___________________

Flying in the

house =
7 _________________

Living near the

seat of the British

government =
4 _________________
Living in a farmers

barn = the farm

will be
8 _________________

These birds feed

on 9 ______________,
so swallows in a
barn 10 ___________.

Listening
The Aviary
Track 4

Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. The man wants to visit the aviary, which is ______________________________________.
2. The woman wants to see ______________________________________.
3. The man says it is bad luck to ______________________________________.

14

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Do you believe that birds can be evil omens? Why or why not?
2. What is the most well-known bird in your country? Is this bird related to good luck or bad
luck in any way?
3. Does your country have a special bird? Describe it.

Grammar
Participle Phrases
A participle phrase can appear in a number of different positions within the sentence. If it
comes before the main clause, the participle phrase always refers to the subject of the main
clause.
Perhaps (inspired by / inspiring) the swallows red-brown breast, Christian people initially
related the swallow to the death of Jesus Christ.
Any barn that has swallows (to live / living) in it is sure to be blessed in the following year.

Writing

Writing
g

Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Our National Bird

Example
(1) What is your national bird? (2)
What does it look like? (3) Where
does it live? (4) Are there many of
them in your country? (5) Have
you seen one?

My countrys national bird is

the bald eagle. It is a big brown
eagle with a white head. The bald
eagle lives all across North America.
There are many of these birds
living in my country today. However,
I have only seen them in zoos.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

15

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Researchers believe this new medicine could ______ save thousands of lives each year.
a. individually

b. traditionally

c. particularly

d. potentially

2. The image of Italians shown in the movie ______ reality.

a. finds out

b. is far from

c. is sure to be

d. woe be it

3. The news broadcast reported on the ______ danger to coastal cities due to the
approaching hurricane.
a. depending

b. thrilling

c. impending

d. migrating

4. Personally, Im not ______ to believe in omens or superstitions.

a. blessed

b. found

c. inclined

d. inspired

5. The sign by the road warned drivers to ______ of falling rocks.

a. accompany

b. beware

c. clip

d. originate

6. He wrote a book comparing ______ about colors between Eastern and Western cultures.
a. indications

b. infections

c. superstitions

d. scavengers

7. A common ______ says that acne is caused by a poor diet. This, however, is far from true.
a. over time

b. ill fortune

c. crown of England

d. old wives tale

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Henry played the ______ for my first violin recital.
a. accompanied

b. accompaniment c. unaccompanied

9. The students ______ the idea that a final project should replace the exam.
a. initiated

b. initial

c. initially

10. He used ______ parts from other old cars to rebuild his 1957 Chevy.
a. scavenger

16

b. scavenging

c. scavenged

Alaska Is Melting!

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Where is Alaska located?
2. What do you think contributes to global warming?

Vocabulary Preview

3. What do you know about glaciers?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. disappearing; lessening
b. mean; (X1+X2+X3)/3
c. have babies

d. guessed by approximation
e. all the time; not temporarily
f. being swept away; being destroyed

1. ____ It is estimated that Alaska is fifteen percent smaller than it used to be.
2. ____ On average, temperatures around the world have increased by 3C.
3. ____ The land in Alaska used to be permanently frozen.
4. ____ Because of the heavy rain this year, the nearby beaches are eroding.
5. ____ That beetle doesnt reproduce every yearonly every two years.
6. ____ The diminishing glaciers are causing problems in Alaska.

17

Alaska Is Melting!

Track 5

laska is disappearing slowly, but surely. It is estimated

that since the 1950s, as much as fifteen percent of
Alaskas land area has disappeared. How can a whole
state be disappearing? The problem is that Alaskas glaciers
are melting. The state has more than 100,000 glaciers. These
glaciers account for about 75,000 square kilometers, or five
percent, of the states area. That is an area of land larger than Ireland!
According to a recent report by the US Geological Survey, ninty-nine percent of
Alaskas glaciers are either retreating or diminishing. This diminishing seems mainly
due to the increase in global temperatures. Since the 1960s, the average year-round
temperature has increased by almost 3C. Additionally, the average winter temperature
has increased by over 6C. Presently, an estimated 100 cubic kilometers of ice is
disappearing from Alaskan glaciers every year. It may be even more in the near future,
as some scientists predict that the average world temperature could go up 4 to 7C by
the year 2100.
Another problem facing Alaska is its thawing permafrost. Much of the land in
Alaska used to be permanently frozen or frozen for most of the year. Now, the thawing
permafrost is causing a number of problems for people living in Alaska. Roads and utility
poles are collapsing as the ground around and under them warms and softens. Also, the
hard permafrost that originally prevented beaches from eroding during violent storms is
now melting. People who live along Alaskas coasts are being forced to relocate. For villages
on small low islands, one terrible storm could wipe out the entire community.
The melting permafrost and increasing temperatures are both affecting the forests
of Alaska. As the permafrost under the forests melts, insects that normally do not turn up
until the warmer seasons are appearing sooner. The spruce-bark beetle, for example, is
increasing in numbers as a result of warmer winter temperatures. It usually takes about
two years for these beetles to grow and reproduce in very cold weather. However, due to
the increase in temperatures, spruce-bark beetles are reproducing faster and damaging
as many trees in one year as they previously damaged in two. If something cannot be done
to change things, Alaskas forests will not survive the turn of the century.
Some scientists believe that human activity is linked to a global increase in weather
temperature. Whatever the cause of rising temperatures may be, the fact remains that
temperatures are warming, affecting Alaska for the worse. Horribly, this could be a
preview of what will happen to the rest of the world in the next century.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

18

438 words

glacier: a huge mass of ice on land

19

collapse: to fall and be destroyed

geological: related to the study of the Earth

and rocks

21

relocate: to move somewhere else

25

16

spruce: a kind of pine tree

thaw: to melt

33

18

horribly: terribly; unfortunately

utility pole: a pole used to hold electrical and

phone wires

34

preview: something that gives an advanced

idea of what is to come.

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Alaskan trees are dying.

Warmer temperatures are affecting Alaska.
Alaska has beautiful glaciers.
Alaskan villages must relocate.

2. What do some scientists predict?

a.
b.
c.
d.

All of Alaskas glaciers will melt and disappear in the next eight years.
Spruce-bark forests will become extinct in Alaska by the year 2100.
Global temperatures will start decreasing by the year 2100.
Most Alaskan villages on the small surrounding islands will be wiped out.

3. Normally, which is true regarding permafrost?

a. It is frozen by glaciers.
c. It never freezes.

b. It may be frozen all year.

d. It rarely freezes.

4. Why are the forests in Alaska being destroyed?

a.
b.
c.
d.

More insects are attacking them.

There is not enough land to live on.
Spruce trees dont grow well in the warmer weather and are dying.
The water from the melting glaciers is drowning the trees.

5. How could the events in Alaska be a preview for the rest of the world?
a.
b.
c.
d.

They show how a rise in global temperature could affect us negatively.

They show how the environment is important for ecology.
They show how ice is necessary to the Earth.
They show how human activity can negatively affect the Earth.

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
wipe out

[ to destroy; to annihilate ]
The computer virus wiped out all of the files on my hard drive.

turn up

[ to appear; to become visible ]

Why do you always turn up at the most inconvenient times?

turn of the century

[ the beginning of the century ]

At the turn of the century, we celebrated a new millennium.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. I hope we have less pollution at the ____________________.
2. The guest of honor didnt ____________________ at the dinner party.
3. Water pollution could ____________________ all of the fish in the rivers.
19
1

Summary
Read the sentences from the reading passage. Paraphrase the sentences
to create a summary of the passage.
a. The problem is that Alaskas glaciers are melting.
b. This diminishing seems mainly due to the increase in global temperatures.
1. a + b: ___________________________________________________ are causing ______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
c. Another problem facing Alaska is its thawing permafrost.
d. Roads and utility poles are collapsing as the ground around and under them
warms and softens.
2. c + d: ___________________________________________________ is causing ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
e. The melting permafrost and increasing temperatures are both affecting the
forests of Alaska.
f. As the permafrost under the forest melts, insects that normally do not turn up
until the warmer seasons are appearing sooner.
3. e + f: ___________________________________________________ are causing ______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.

Listening
Too Warm in Alaska
Track 6

Listen to the dialog. Check True or False for each sentence.

1. Alaska has about 1,000 glaciers.
2. The man says most of the glaciers have stagnant water on them.
3. One food source for polar bears is cold-water fish.

20

True

False

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. What do you think is the main cause of melting glaciers?
2. How do you think the increasing temperatures in Alaska affect the wildlife and fish there
(e.g., polar bears, salmon)?
3. Was the last summer or winter where you live warmer than usual? What are the usual
temperatures during these seasons?

Grammar
Present Continuous
The present continuous is used in order to talk about actions happening right now.
Non-action verbs that express state, possession, senses, or feelings are not used in the
continuous form.
Presently, an estimated 100 cubic kilometers of ice (is disappearing / is disappeared) from
Alaskan glaciers every year.
Alaskan glaciers (are accounting for / account for) about 75,000 square kilometers, or five
percent of the states area.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Last Summer
Example
(1) Where do you live? (2) What
are the summers usually like? (3)
What was last summer like? (4)
What was the highest temperature?
(5) Was this kind of weather good
or bad? (6) Why?

I live in the northern part

of Texas. Usually, summers in
north Texas are hot and dry.
Last summer was very cool and
wet. The highest temperature
was only about 35 degrees Celsius.
This was unusual, but great for
me and for farmers! I didnt get
too hot, and the farmers crops
grew well.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

21

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. She introduced Sally to me, and then she ______ us on our blind date.
a. accompanied

b. diminished

c. reproduced

d. sealed

2. Doctors say the new vaccine could ______ malaria.

a. be far from

b. put up with

c. turn up

d. wipe out

3. We cant measure the molecules size exactly, but we can ______ it.
a. arise

b. beware

c. estimate

d. thaw

4. Did you know there is a(n) ______ on top of Mount Kilimanjaro?

a. activity

b. dilemma

c. glacier

d. increase

5. It is sometimes difficult for animals to _____ if their homes are destroyed.

a. browse

b. erode

c. maintain

d. relocate

6. Each American eats a(n) ______ of fifty pounds of chocolate per year.
a. average

b. gradual

c. initial

d. proper

7. Both of my grandparents were born at the _____.

a. tried and true

b. old wives tale

c. turn of the century d. gradual

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. The ocean constantly reshapes coastlines by ______ the beaches, cliffs, and land.
a. erosion

b. erode

c. eroding

9. Sea turtles return to the beach where they were born to ______.
a. reproduction

b. reproduce

c. reproductive

10. Foreign students are considered aliens, not ______ residents, of the country where
they study.
a. permanent

22

b. impermanent

c. permanently

Working on Your Workout

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Do you like to exercise? How often do you exercise?
2. Do you think exercising is important? Why or why
not?

Vocabulary Preview

3. What are some different ways to exercise?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. correctly
b. go too fast
c. so; because of that

d. get or reach by effort

e. growth; training
f. suggest; say something is a good idea

1. ____ Dont rush. Take your time.

2. ____ Health experts recommend doing a variety of exercises.
3. ____ She hurt her back during her last workout; therefore, she is not going to the gym this
week.
4. ____ What is the goal that you are trying to achieve?
5. ____ You should work with a trainer to learn how to do the exercise properly.
6. ____ Some people are more interested in losing weight than in muscle development.
23

Track 7

Working on Your Workout

ost people know that a balanced diet and regular exercise are
very important. However, most people do not know how to
exercise properly. Instead of concentrating on how to get the
best results efficiently and effectively, people usually rush through
their workouts, or they make the same common workout mistakes.
Exercising the right way is important for people who are worried about
their health and their appearance. However, if someone is not working
out properly, it is rare that he or she will see the results he or she wants.
Therefore, training experts have devised tips to teach people how to
exercise correctly in order to achieve the greatest health benefits. If you
want to achieve the best workout results, here are a few helpful tips to
bear in mind.
One of the most common workout mistakes is doing the same
routine over and over again. This does not challenge your muscles, and it
can actually prevent muscles from growing and repairing themselves.
Instead of always sticking to the same old workout, it is important to change your routine
every six to eight weeks. It is also important to add a variety of workouts to your routine,
such as swimming, yoga, or biking, to make sure your whole body stays fit. This will help
make your workouts more interesting, and benefit your health and muscle development
as well.
Another mistake people tend to make is to work out too hard, too often. Your body
needs to rest between workouts; otherwise, no progress will be made. It is best to keep
the number of hard workout routines to no more than two per week. Then, for those who
dont want to get off schedule by skipping a day, shorter workouts of about twenty
minutes can be used on other days. For more variety in workouts, you could also plan
an easier routine for forty to sixty minutes between days of shorter, more intense
workouts. Experts recommend, however, taking at least one day off completely each
week, especially after several hard workout days in a row.
In reality, no one is perfect. However, if you want to make a difference in your overall
health, there are some things you can do. Stretch before and after every workout. Do not
rush your routine, and do not work out too little or too much. Remember not to make
these common workout mistakes, and always have fun while exercising!

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

14

routine: a regular course or procedure

18

yoga: a series of postures and breathing exercises

practiced to achieve control of the body and mind

effectively: adequately; as planned

workout: a session of physical exercise or training

24

skip: to avoid; to not do

devise: to plan or invent carefully

26

intense: strong; extreme

24

efficiently: in the best possible manner with the

least waste of time and effort

405 words

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Daily exercise can often be bad for your health.

Working out properly is the only way to gain effective health results.
Most people know how to work out efficiently and effectively.
Adding a variety of workouts to your routine is not important.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Daily intense workouts help one stay healthy.

Ones body needs to rest between workouts.
A variety of exercises is better than doing the same one all the time.
It can be good to take a day off from exercising.

3. Which word is closest in meaning to the word stretch in this reading?

a. Exaggerate
c. Make tight

b. Widen
d. Extend or reach

4. What can be inferred about the mistakes people make when they work out?
a. They are very harmful to the body. b. People who rarely work out make them.
c. People think it is OK to make them. d. Athletes would not make these mistakes.
5. Why should you change your workout routine every six to eight weeks?
a. To challenge your muscles
c. To avoid bone problems

b. To become faster
d. To exercise your brain

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
bear in mind

[ to remember; to keep in mind ]

Bear in mind that not all weight loss is due to losing fat.

stick to

[ to keep to; to persist with ]

I have a hard time sticking to a regular workout schedule because of
my job.

in a row

[ one after the other ]

He did forty-five push-ups in a row.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. Even though he didnt like swimming, he ____________________ it to please his mother.
2. Ive woken up at 4:30 a.m. for three days ____________________, so Im kind of tired right now.
3. You should always ____________________ that too much of a good thing can be bad.
25
2

Summary
Fill in the blanks with the correct words or phrases.
achieve
properly

bear in mind
recommend

development
routine

in a row
rush

In reality, most people do not exercise 1 ___________________. Whether it is always doing the
same 2 ___________________ or working out too hard, too many days 3 ___________________, people do
not realize that they are making these common mistakes. Therefore, experts have come up with
some tips to 4 ___________________ to people. If you just want to 5 ___________________ through your
workout to get it done, you will not make a difference in your overall health. Instead, you may
suffer from injuries, and you will prevent muscle

___________________. Next time you want to

exercise, 7 ___________________ that you need to stretch before and after, concentrate on what you
are doing, and most importantly, have fun! These tips
will allow you to 8 ___________________ the best results
from your workouts.

Listening
The Goal
Track 8

Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.

1. Why wont the woman go to the gym?
a. She is tired.
c. She wants to rest her muscles.

b. She got hurt during her last workout.

d. The equipment needs to be repaired.

2. What does the woman explain?

a. When muscles develop
c. How to recover from an injury

b. Why exercise is important

d. Which kind of exercise is best

3. What will the man probably do?

a. Change the kind of exercise that he does
c. Join the womans exercise class

26

b. Not work out today

d. Rest until he feels better

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. How often do you exercise? Do you think you should exercise more often? Why or why not?
2. Do you make any common workout mistakes? If yes, what are they?
3. What do you do in order to stay healthy?

Grammar
It Is + Adjective + to ~ or It Is + Adjective + that ~
Anticipatory subject it can be followed by a to-infinitive or that-clause as its real subject.
If someone is not working out properly, it is rare (to / that) he or she will see the results he or
she wants.
Instead of always sticking to the same old workout, it is important (that add / to add) a variety
of workouts to your routine.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Staying Healthy
Example
(1) How do you stay healthy?
(2) Why is it important to do
these things? (3) How often do
you do these things? (4) Why do
you think that staying healthy is
important?

I stay healthy by swimming and by

eating foods that are good for me. It
is important to do these things so
that I can keep a healthy body. I go
swimming three times a week, and I
eat healthy food every day. I think
that staying healthy is important
because it makes me feel good, and it
gives me a lot of energy.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
27

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. It is hard to _______ on my homework when people are talking loudly.
a. recommend

b. focus

c. workout

d. benefit

2. If I get a _______ score on my final exam, my mom said she would buy me a new watch.
a. perfect

b. proper

c. balanced

d. short

3. If you want to _______ from regular exercise, you should also eat healthy foods.
a. prevent

b. progress

c. benefit

d. achieve

4. Bens broken leg is _______ him from going on the bicycle trip.
a. rushing

b. preventing

c. eroding

d. reproducing

5. She is a(n) _______ at teaching yoga, and I have learned a lot from her classes.
a. expert

b. development

c. routine

d. exercise

6. It is very important to eat a _______ diet that contains fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains.
a. perfect

b. common

c. balanced

d. rare

7. The plan we made was too difficult, so we could not _______ it.
a. bear in mind

b. wipe out

c. turn up

d. stick to

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. The car could not be _______ after the accident left it destroyed.
a. repairable

b. repaired

c. disrepair

9. How can I _______ that from happening again?

a. prevent

b. prevention

c. preventable

10. Please _______ during the lesson, or you will not remember anything for the test.
a. concentrate

28

b. concentration

c. concentrating

Smart Exercise

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Do you know any smart people? What kinds of things
do they do?
2. What kinds of things can make us smarter?

Vocabulary Preview

3. How do some parents try to make their babies smarter?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word or phrase.
a. connect; link
b. related to the body and exercise
c. actually; in fact

d. become wider or more accessible

e. movement
f. recent past; a time not long ago

1. ____ She is literally the best student in school.

2. ____ I hate sports, but I still have to take a physical education class in school.
3. ____ Your short-term memory can get worse with age.
4. ____ Motion of our bodies can improve how well we think.
5. ____ Some researchers associate exercise with brain development.
6. ____ Exercise causes blood vessels to open up so blood flows more easily.

29

Track 9

Smart Exercise

re you preparing for a big test? If so, you may want to go play some basketball in
between hitting the books. Based on information they have collected over the
years, researchers have seen an apparent connection between exercise and
brain development. Judy Cameron, a researcher at Oregon Health and Science University,
studies brain development. According to her research, it seems that exercise can make
blood vessels, including those in the brain, stronger and more fully developed. Cameron
claims this allows people who exercise to concentrate better. She says, While we
already know that exercise is good for the heart, exercise can literally cause physical
changes in the brain.
The effects of exercise on brain development can even be seen in babies. Babies
who do things that require a lot of movement and physical activity show greater brain
development than babies who are less physically active. With babies, even a little movement
can show big results. Margaret Barnes, a pediatrician, believes in the importance of
exercise. She thinks that many learning disabilities children have in elementary school
or high school can be traced back to a lack of movement as babies. Babies need movement
that stimulates their five senses, says Barnes. They need to establish a connection
between motion and memory. In this way, as they get older, children will begin to
associate physical activity with higher learning.
The benefits of exercise on the brain are not just for babies. Older people can beef
up their brains by working out as well. Researchers at Cornell University studied a group
of seniors ranging in age from seventy to seventy-nine. Their study showed a short-term
memory increase of up to forty percent after exercising just three
hours a week. The exercise does not have to be very difficult, but it
does have to increase the heart rate. Also, just like the motion
25 for infants, exercise for older people should involve some
complexity. Learning some new skills or motions, such as with
yoga or tai-chi, helps open up memory paths in the brain that
may not have been used for a long time.
For most people, any type of physical activity that increases
30 the heart rate is helpful. The main goal is to increase the brains
flow of blood. Your brain can benefit from as little as two to three
hours of exercise a week.

10

15

20

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

14

30

399 words

blood vessel: a thin tube in the body that

carries blood

21

senior: a person over sixty-five years of age

24

heart rate: the speed of the heartbeat

disability: a physical or mental problem due

to irregular development

27

tai-chi: a martial art with powerful, slow

movements

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a. How to exercise
c. How to get good scores on a test

b. How exercise helps the brain

d. How the brain can change

2. According to the reading, what is the connection between exercise and brain
development?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Exercise makes us less intelligent.

The brain needs special mental exercise.
The more exercise, the bigger the brain.
Physical exercise helps us think better.

3. The minimum amount of exercise required to gain any benefit is ______.

a. Three hours per week
c. Three hours per day

b. Forty hours per week

d. Forty hours per month

4. Why is yoga recommended for seniors?

a. It is easy on joints.
c. It can be done in groups.

b. It does not increase the heart rate.

d. It includes learning new motions.

5. What type of patient does a pediatrician probably treat?

a. Poor people
c. Animals

b. Children
d. Old people

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
hit the books

[ to study hard ]
I have a big test tomorrow. I need to hit the books tonight.

be traced back to

[ to be connected to; to be as a result of; originated from ]

Your back problem can be traced back to that car accident you
were in last year.

beef up

[ to strengthen; to improve ]
I added more memory and a faster hard drive to beef up my
computer.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. Your grades are too low! You had better ____________________!
2. All that regular exercise really ____________________ his body.
3. His excellence in school can ____________________ his love of reading.
31
3

Summary
Scan the passage and complete the chart with the correct information.

Who?

Everyone

What?

Exercise
More fully

___________________ blood
vessels

4 ___________________

Movement +

Result?

2 ___________________

development
3 ___________________ better

Better brain development

___________________
activities

Older people

Exercise for

___________________ hours
that increases
7 ___________________
6

Learning new

40 percent increase in

___________________
memory

Opens up memory
10

___________________

___________________ (yoga,
tai-chi)

Listening
Worth a Try?
c k 10
Tra

Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. The woman suggests that he ______________________________________.
2. She says doing ______________________________________ can re-activate old memory pathways.
3. She also suggests that waking up to different smells each day may increase _________________
_____________________ and ______________________________________.
32

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Do you think that exercise affects brain development? Why or why not?
2. Which sports or exercise activities do you think require the most intelligence? Why?
3. What is your favorite sport or exercise? Why?

Grammar
Prepositions + -ing
The -ing form should be used when the verb follows a preposition.
Older people can beef up their brains by (working out / work out) as well.
Their study showed a short-term memory increase of up to forty percent after (exercising / to
exercise) just three hours a week.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

My Favorite Exercise
Example
(1) What is your favorite exercise
or sport? (2) How often do you do
it? (3) How long do you do this
exercise or sport each time? (4)
Where do you do it? (5) Who do
you do it with?

Walking is my favorite exercise.

I walk every day. Each day, I
walk for at least twenty minutes.
I walk to and from school. Usually,
I walk alone, but sometimes my
friend walks with me.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
33

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. The actors last movie ______ his best work.
a. was far from

b. was fun to

c. was traced back

d. was wiped out

2. The committee suggested a ______ plan to deal with the problem, but the plan wont
solve things completely.
a. physical

b. little

c. short-term

d. higher

3. The process is more complicated than I had ______ thought.

a. initially

b. literally

c. permanently

d. physically

4. In the next chapter, we will learn about the ______ of the moon around the Earth.
a. dilemma

b. goal

c. mass

d. motion

5. The survey results showed that ______ who drive have relatively few accidents.
a. abilities

b. babies

c. rhythms

d. seniors

6. The company installed a firewall to ______ its computer security.

a. beef up

b. open up

c. put up with

d. turn up

7. The citys crime ______ has dropped five percent over the last year.
a. goal

b. pressure

c. rate

d. therapy

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Neutral colors like brown and gray are often ______ with casual clothes.
a. association

b. associated

c. associative

9. Being more ______ active is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
a. physique

b. physical

c. physically

10. She was so angry that her hands were ______ shaking with rage.
a. literalist

34

b. literal

c. literally

Rescuing Relics

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Which country is this sculpture probably from?
2. What is this sculpture made from?

Vocabulary Preview

3. On what kind of building would a sculpture like

this be found?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. big; important
d. changed; took away to put something new in
b. collected; gathered
e. related to today
c. showed; put out for viewing f. succeed in doing
1. ____ He visited a museum that displayed postage stamps from around the world.
2. ____ I like ancient sculptures more than modern sculptures.
3. ____ The city replaced the old brick street with a smooth new street.
4. ____ My friend has accumulated more than 2,000 comic books in his collection.
5. ____ The country went through major changes during the 1960s and 1970s.
6. ____ We wont be able to manage to see the whole museum in one day.

35

Rescuing Relics

c k 11
Tra

ave you ever wondered where museums get the works and
relics that they put on display? If the museum is sponsored by the
government, then the relics were probably collected under special
laws that protect historical treasures related to that country. However, not all
museums are sponsored by the government. Sometimes a private collector
decides to set up a museum so that the public can view the works or relics in
his or her collection. Since the 1990s, more and more of these museums set up by private
collectors have sprung up in China. Typically, these private museums are small, but they
give visitors the chance to see works and relics not found anywhere else.
Songtang Li is one such collector who has put part of his private collection on display
for the public. In 2001, Li opened his museum in an old 18th century house in Beijing. The
museum displays some of the best examples of Chinese folk art he has collected over his
lifetime. Many of the pieces in the collection are actually architectural decorations from
old houses and buildings around Chinas capital. Whenever an old building was being
torn down, Li would visit the site to see if there was anything from the building worth
rescuing. In this way, Li managed to accumulate thousands of folk art pieces, some of
which are over 1,000 years old.
Li began collecting folk art sculptures when he was young. The first pieces in his
collection were two gate piers that stood in front of his house. The stone piers were
carved with historical designs, and Li thought of them as his two friends. During his
childhood, he would sometimes even sit beside them and tell them stories. When Li was
seven, the city told Lis family to get rid of the piers so that the street could be rebuilt.
Rather than throwing them away, Lis father allowed his son to keep them.
Thus began Lis lifetime hobby of visiting demolition sites and collecting pieces of
sculpture or decorative architecture. Anything that he was allowed to take away would
end up in his collection. In the late 1970s, China underwent major economic reforms.
At that time, Beijing started widespread demolition and rebuilding across the city.
According to Li, more than ninety percent of the old houses and temples in Beijing have
since been torn down and replaced with modern buildings.
Luckily, all of old Beijings architectural folk art has not been lost. Visitors to the
Songtangzhai Folk Sculpture Museum can view some of the best relics Li rescued over
the years.
Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds
432 words

10

15

20

25

30

relic: a valuable, ancient artifact or work of art

19

sponsor: to support with money

20

carve: to cut or chip into a certain shape or design

12

folk art: works of art usually made by

non-professional artists for decorative purposes

24

demolition: the act or state of being destroyed or

torn down

13

architectural: related to man-made structures like

buildings

26

economic: related to money or the economy

26

reform: a change that is meant to improve

something

13

14

36

pier: a post or pillar that gates hang on

decoration: a thing used to make something or a

place look nice

28

temple: a building dedicated to religious worship

capital: the city where the government is located

30

luckily: by good fortune

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is another possible title for this reading?
a. A Man and His Museum
c. Changes in Chinese Architecture

b. Beijings Best Museum Designer

d. The Largest Museum in China

2. Where is the Songtangzhai Folk Sculpture Museum?

b. In an 18th century temple
d. In Songtang Lis house

a. In a city near Beijing

c. In Chinas capital city

3. What would a visitor NOT see in the Songtangzhai Folk Sculpture Museum?
a. Carved wood and stone
c. Paintings that Li made in childhood

b. Folk art from 1,000 years ago

d. Pieces of decorative architecture

4. What can be inferred about most of the pieces in Lis collection?

a.
b.
c.
d.

He paid a lot of money for them.

People took them from demolition sites and gave them to Li.
The government was not interested in them.
They came from his childhood home.

5. According to Li, what is true about modern Beijing?

a. Ninety percent of it needs to be torn down. b. Few parts of it are very old.
c. Folk art can be seen in most of it.
d. Not much of it was rebuilt.

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
set up (something)

[ to establish or create something ]

After she moved in, the girl set up her bedroom how she liked it.

take (something) away [ to remove something to some distance away ]

My mother would take my toys away if I left them in the living
room.
tear down

[ to destroy; to break (a building) into pieces ]

My father tore down the old dog house in our backyard and
built a new one for our dog.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. When he finally arrived, he discovered that there was nothing left to ____________________.
2. The teacher needed to ____________________ her classroom for the new school year.
3. The government will not allow anyone to ____________________ the building because it is a
historical treasure.
37

Summary
Read the sentences from the reading passage. Paraphrase the sentences
to create a summary of the passage.
a. Sometimes a private collector decides to set up a museum so that the public
can view the works or relics in his or her collection.
b. Since the 1990s, more and more of these museums set up by private collectors
have sprung up in China.
1. a + b: _______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________, a trend that began in the 1990s in China.
c. In 2001, Li opened his museum in an old 18th century house in Beijing.
d. The museum displays some of the best examples of Chinese folk art he has
collected over his lifetime.
2. c + d: _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________ in an 18th century house in 2001.
e. In the late 1970s, China underwent major economic reforms.
f. According to Li, more than ninety percent of the old houses and temples in
Beijing have since been torn down and replaced with modern buildings.
3. e + f: ______________________________________________________________________________ from the
time that Beijing began undergoing major economic reforms in the late 1970s.

Listening
Lis Museum
c k 12
Tra

Listen to the dialog. Check True or False for each sentence.

1. The speakers talk about an advantage to visiting Lis museum.
2. Li works alone at his museum, explaining things to visitors.
3. Li has another job besides taking care of his museum.

38

True

False

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. What kind of museum do you enjoy visiting the most? The least?
2. What was the smallest museum you have ever visited?
3. Which museum have you visited that you remember well?

Grammar
Present Perfect Passive
Use has been or have been followed by the past participle when the action described by the
verb is more important than the actor who is doing it.
More than ninety percent of the old houses and temples in Beijing (have since been / were
since been) torn down and replaced with modern buildings.
Luckily, all of old Beijings architectural folk art (has not been / was not been) lost.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

My Visit to the Museum

Example
(1) Which museum have you
visited that you remember
well? (2) What do you
remember about this museum?
(3) How long did you spend in
the museum? (4) Would you
like to go back to this museum?
(5) Why or why not?

A museum that I have visited and

remember well is the Museum of Modern
Art. I remember that there were many
famous works of art that I had read
about in books. I spent only two hours in
the museum because I was with a tour
group and our schedule was very busy. I
would like to go back to this museum.
Then I could look at some of the things
that I missed the first time.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
39

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. The towns best Italian restaurant will ______ the high schools fund raising event.
a. associate

b. display

c. replace

d. sponsor

2. City officials plan to ______ the old library in order to build a new one.
a. open up

b. stick to

c. tear down

d. undergo

3. Is the weather usually calm before a big storm, or is that just a(n) ______?
a. heart rate

b. old wives tale

c. routine

d. turn of the century

4. Many people believe the government should ______ the public school system.
a. recommend

b. reform

c. respond

d. reproduce

5. Only a few of the ______ that we visited still had monks living in them.
a. decorations

b. folk art

c. relics

d. temples

6. Someone ______ two names on the largest tree in the park.

a. accumulated

b. achieved

c. carved

d. managed

7. The 110-story skyscraper was a fantastic ______ achievement at the time.

a. architectural

b. economic

c. major

d. modern

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Im worried that something will happen to the portrait. It is quite valuable and ______.
a. replacement

b. replaced

c. irreplaceable

9. The palace garden blended culture and history with a touch of ______.
a. modernity

b. modern

c. modernly

10. Snow has been ______ on the roads all night. It is now about six centimeters deep.
a. accumulation

40

b. accumulating

c. cumulative

Tweenbots

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. What would you do if you saw a robot like this on
the street?
2. What do you think a small robot like this could be
used for?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Do you think that most people are kind and helpful?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. to steer; to travel through
b. help
c. place to which one is going

d. gotten to or reached a destination

e. lack of power or means
f. related to people or society

1. ____ A big social problem these days is that people dont want to help strangers.
2. ____ New York is not my final destination. From New York, Im traveling to Boston.
3. ____ She hasnt arrived yet, so lets wait a little longer.
4. ____ The robots inability to turn or change direction is a problem.
5. ____ It is not easy to find some of the tourist sites. This map can aid you during your visit.
6. ____ The streets are narrow, so it is difficult to navigate a large car on them.

41

Tweenbots

c k 13
Tra

magine the busy streets of New York City, an enormous place with millions of
people. Every day, the streets are congested with people going about their daily
lives. Now imagine a small robot in the middle of all of those people rolling down a
busy sidewalk. Most people would not even notice the ten-inch smiling robot, called a
Tweenbot, rolling along the street. This strange machine may interest some people,
while others would ignore it completely. A researcher interested in studying how
helpful people really are uses such robots in her experiments that take place on the
streets of New York.
The Tweenbots experiment is the idea and creation of Kacie Kinzer. Kinzers idea
was to make a robot that could navigate the city and reach its destination only if it was
aided by pedestrians. Tweenbots rely on the kindness of warm-hearted strangers. Made
simply of cardboard, wheels, and a device to turn the wheels, the Tweenbots face many
dangers on the city streets. They could be run over by cars or smashed by careless kids.
Kinzer thought her little robots might even be seen as some kind of terrorist device. The
only real protection a Tweenbot has is its friendly smile. In addition to that, each of
Kinzers robots is fitted with a flag that displays instructions for the robots destination.
The only way these robots will reach their final point is if someone lends them a hand.
Tweenbots are essentially a social experiment aimed at providing people a chance to
show how caring they are.
On a daily basis, people in New York City are often in a hurry to get around.
However, the Tweenbots, through their inability to look after
themselves, took people out of their normal routines. The people who
noticed the helpless little robots were actually interested in helping the
Tweenbots find their way home. Tweenbots move at a constant speed and
25 can only go in a straight line. If one was to get stuck, or was going in the
wrong direction, it would be up to strangers to free it or turn it in the right
direction. Surprisingly, no Tweenbot was lost or damaged, and each one
arrived at its target in good condition. In fact, most people treated the
robot in a gentle manner, and some even treated it as though it were a
30 small living being.
Even if you were in a rush to go somewhere, would you stop and
help a Tweenbot successfully reach its destination?

10

15

20

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

2
4

42

congest: to block up

13

careless: not careful

sidewalk: a concrete walking path beside a street

14

terrorist: a person who hurts or kills others for

political or religious reasons

22

routine: a usual schedule

29

manner: a way of acting or behaving

11

pedestrian: a person who is walking

12

cardboard: a heavy, thick kind of paper used for

making boxes

13

418 words

smash: to crush; to break into pieces

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is this reading about?
a. A place to buy robots
c. An experiment

b. A new kind of toy

d. An interesting idea for the future

2. What is a Tweenbot?
a. A person from New York City
c. A pedestrian

b. A ten-inch smiling robot

d. A very large machine

3. How did a Tweenbot get to its final destination?

a.
b.
c.
d.

With the help of other Tweenbots

With the help of kind pedestrians on the street
With the help of Kacie Kinzer
With the help of other robots in New York City

4. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Most Tweenbots arrived at their destination damaged or broken.

Most people treated the Tweenbots in a gentle manner.
Tweenbots could not navigate the city on their own.
Tweenbots move at a constant speed and can only go in a straight line.

5. What can be inferred about the Tweenbot?

a. They were useful for research.
c. They were helpful for pedestrians.

b. They were ignored by most people.

d. They did not work as planned.

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
rely on

[ to require; to depend on ]
My friend is relying on me to help her study for the history
exam.

be fitted with

[ to be supplied with; to have ]

All of the rooms at the hotel were fitted with queen-sized
beds and flat screen TVs.

lend (someone) a hand

[ to help someone or something out ]

I have to move some furniture today. Can you lend me a hand?

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. If you see someone who needs help, it is always nice to ____________________.
2. Each jewelry box ____________________ a special gold lock.
3. Our club ____________________ the money we collect from our members each month.
43
4

Summary
Fill in the blanks with the correct words or phrases.
aid
lend a hand

arrive
navigate

destination
rely on

inability
routines

The Tweenbots experiment is the idea of Kacie Kinzer. Tweenbots are small machines
that 1 ___________________ the kindness of strangers to 2 ___________________ and help them reach
their final destination. Surprisingly, some pedestrians took
the time to stop and 3 ___________________ a Tweenbot. Each
robots 4 ___________________ to turn means that it needs the
help of people to 5 ___________________ the sidewalks of New
York. With a persons help, a Tweenbot can continue in the
right direction to
7

___________________ successfully at its

___________________.
This experiment shows that people are quite helpful and dont mind being distracted

from their normal

___________________ to help a small robot in need.

Listening
Robots That Help
c k 14
Tra

Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.

1. What is the man telling the woman about?
a. Building a robot
c. Robots that do the dishes

b. Small robots that help people

d. Cleaning his house

2. According to the man, what do these small robots do?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Help out around someones house if they need it

Help students do their homework at school
Take elderly people for walks
Take elderly people to the doctor

3. Why does the woman want a small robot?

a. To make her bed
c. To clean floors
44

b. To help with the dishes

d. To do the laundry

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. If you saw a small robot on the street that needed to reach a destination, would you help it?
2. What surprised you most about the Tweenbot experiment?
3. When was a time you helped someone? Did you spend a lot of time helping that person?

Grammar
May or Might
May or might can be used to express a possibility due to circumstances.
This strange machine (may / must) interest some people, while others would ignore it completely.
Kinzer thought her little robots (can / might) even be seen as some kind of terrorist device.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Helping Others
Example
(1) Do you like helping people? Why
or why not? (2) If you saw someone
that was lost, would you help that
person? (3) Have you ever been lost
before? When was it? (4) Who helped
you? Did you find your way home
safely? (5) Why do you think it is
important to be kind and helpful to
others?

Yes, I like helping people because

it makes me feel good. If I saw
someone who was lost, I would help
that person. I got lost before in a
park when I was very young. A
police officer helped me get home
safely. I think it is important to be
kind and helpful to others because
one day you may need someone to
be kind and helpful to you.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
45

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. I live in a(n) _______ city that has over five million people living in it.
a. enormous

b. physical

c. social

d. kind

2. Dont _______ just your memory. Write down important appointments.

a. be fitted with

b. rely on

c. run over

d. lend a hand

3. He left this morning, but he never told me what his _______ would be.
a. damage

b. cardboard

c. destination

d. inability

4. There was no one at the information desk who could _______ me.
a. associate

b. estimate

c. aid

d. navigate

5. If you _______ at the festival today, I will buy you an ice cream after it is over.
a. lend a hand

b. are far

c. wipe out

d. beef up

6. I forgot to put the mail out this morning because that is not part of my normal _______.
a. motion

b. glacier

c. superstition

d. routine

7. Someone sat on my lunch bag! Now my sandwich is _______.

a. interested

b. smashed

c. fitted

d. blocked

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. The person who sits in the seat beside the pilot is the _______.
a. navigation

b. navigator

c. navigated

9. You can see a list of all the _______ flights on the screen over there.
a. arrivals

b. arrives

c. arriving

10. The young girl has the amazing _______ to sing and dance like a professional entertainer.
a. ability

46

b. inability

c. unable

Back to the Future

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Look at the title of this story. What do you think it
means?
2. What are some current popular sports? Do you
participate in any of them?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Do you like to skate? If so, where? Can you do any

jumps or spins on your skates?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. for leisure or fun only
b. fascinated; made interested
c. side by side, not touching

d. brothers or sisters
e. enthusiastic; devoted
f. dependable; trustworthy

1. ____ I have two siblings: an older brother and a younger sister.

2. ____ Two parallel lines can never meet.
3. ____ That new equipment intrigued me. I really wanted to try it.
4. ____ He is an avid inline skater. I see him every weekend in the park.
5. ____ Are those skates reliable? The ones I have now dont work well.
6. ____ Im only a recreational skater. I dont like competing against other people.

47

Back to the Future

c k 15
Tra

ometimes the road to the future leads through the past. Such was the case for
Americans Scott and Brennan Olson, who used an old idea to launch a hot new trend
in sports: inline roller skating.
In 1979, these siblings found a pair of antique roller skates while checking out
bargains at a used sporting-goods store. The skates they found had four wheels in a single
row instead of the traditional parallel pairs of wheels in front and back. This single row of
wheels intrigued the Olsons. They were avid hockey players, and they immediately
noticed the similarity between the inline wheels and the long, single blade found on the
bottom of ice skates. Could these unusual skates somehow be used to practice hockey off
the ice?
The Olsons set about trying to modify the design of the antique skates that they had
found. First they tested out the antique skates to see how well they worked. From those
tests, they tried to come up with ways to improve the old design. One improvement
involved using special materials to make the skates stronger and easier to steer. The
Olsons also added reliable brakes to their inline skates. In 1980, the Olsons founded a
company called Rollerblade to make and sell their new invention. Sales skyrocketed,
and soon millions of people worldwide were rollerblading, as inline skating was
mistakenly called.
At first, inline skating was recreational. People enjoyed skating in parks and on
streets, and some even danced on skates at giant roller discos. Today, inline group skates
are popular all over the world. In cities such as San Francisco, Paris, and Berlin, as many as
20,000 skaters might meet on a free day and skate together through the streets.
Many people see inline skating as a great way to exercise and socialize.
By the mid-1990s, inline skating had become more than just a
25 recreational sport. It had developed into several competitive sports. One of
the most popular, even today, is aggressive skating. This involves performing
tricks and jumping over objects such as boxes, ramps, and rails. Other kinds
of competitive skating include speed skating, artistic skating, downhill
racing, and skating marathons.
30
So, what about hockey? Well, the Olsons achieved their goal. Inline
hockey leagues sprang up almost immediately. Then in 1999, inline hockey
joined the lineup at the Pan-American Games. There are rumors that inline
skating may even become part of the Summer Olympics someday.

10

15

20

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

antique: very old; historic

intrigue: to interest; to make curious

14
15
20

48

steer: to control the direction

brake: a device used to stop something
disco: a nightclub for dancing

411 words

29

marathon: a contest to see who can do

something the longest

31

spring up: to grow quickly; to start quickly

32

lineup: a list of activities or competitors

32

rumor: an unofficial but widely spread story

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a. Why inline skating is popular
c. How inline skating developed

b. The history of inline skating competitions

d. The story of Scott and Brennan Olson

2. According to the reading, what is true about the Olsons?

a.
b.
c.
d.

They wanted to make a new invention.

They did not succeed with their original goal.
They were motivated because they loved a sport.
They were not very good businessmen.

3. What was a problem with the early inline skates?

a. They were too heavy.
c. They were not easy to stop.

b. They were uncomfortable.

d. They were made of expensive metal.

4. What is NOT true, according to the passage?

a.
b.
c.
d.

At first, only hockey players were interested in the Olsons skates.

The Olsons started a new company.
In the 1980s, most people called inline skates rollerblades.
Rollerblades became very popular almost from the beginning.

5. What can be inferred about the antique inline skates found by the Olsons?
a. They were not widely sold.
b. They were used mainly by Europeans.
c. They were more popular than bicycles. d. They were used by hockey players in the summer.

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
launch

[ to start something ]
Now that she has her MBA, shes ready to launch a new career.

skyrocket

[ to increase, expand or improve very quickly ]

The singers new song is skyrocketing toward the top of the charts.

spring up

[ to appear suddenly, like a new flower from the ground ]

Since 2000, new highways have sprung up all over the country.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. Coca Cola will ____________________ its new advertising campaign next week.
2. My English marks ____________________ after I got a tutor.
3. McDonalds restaurants seem to ____________________ everywhere.
49

Summary
Scan the passage and complete the timeline with the correct information.

The siblings found a

pair of 1 __________________
roller skates.

Inline skating is
popular as a
8 __________________
sport.

The brothers 5 __________________

a company called
6 __________________ to sell their
new invention.

1980

1984

They tried 2 __________________ the

design by making them
3 __________________, easier to steer,
and by adding 4 __________________
brakes.

1988

1992

People enjoy
7 __________________
skating and dancing
on skates.

1996

Inline
__________________
becomes part of the
10 __________________
Games.
9

Listening
Skating in the Park
c k 16
Tra

Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. The woman paid ____________________________________ for her ____________________________________.
2. The man is part of a ____________________________________.
3. They will skate together ____________________________________ at ____________________________________.

50

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. What are some health benefits of skating?
2. Can you think of an old idea or product that was modified to create something new? Have
you used this product?
3. Inline skaters wear special equipment to protect themselves. What is another sport or
activity that uses special equipment? Have you participated in this sport or activity?

Grammar
Past Perfect
Past perfect tense is used to talk about what happened before a point in the past.
The Olsons set about trying to modify the design of the antique skates that they (have found /
had found).
By the mid-1990s, inline skating (has become / had become) more than just a recreational sport.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Equipment for a Sport

Example
(1) What is a sport or activity that
needs special equipment? (2) What
kind of equipment does it require?
(3) Why do people need this
equipment? (4) How much does
the equipment cost? (5) Do you
have this equipment?

Soccer does not need much

equipment. It only requires special
shoes called cleats and shin guards.
People need cleats to run well and
shin guards to protect their shins.
Good cleats can cost over $70, but
shin guards are not expensive. I
have cleats, but I do not have any
shin guards.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

51

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Did you know that President Kennedy was a(n) ______ baseball fan?
a. avid

b. oral

c. recreational

d. thriving

2. The girls parents often ask her to look after her two younger ______.
a. means

b. rumors

c. sequences

d. siblings

3. Complaints about spam have ______ over the past few years.
a. extended

b. launched

c. skyrocketed

d. steered

4. Two lines that are ______ will never touch or meet.

a. impaired

b. parallel

c. reliable

d. standard

5. I cant ______ a time when I was more embarrassed.

a. accuse

b. buckle

c. recall

d. spring up

6. You should have a mechanic check the ______ on your car.

a. brakes

b. captions

c. opportunities

d. spools

7. I am honored that the committee has ______ me to receive this award.

a. acknowledged

b. crashed

c. intrigued

d. selected

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. The title of the authors latest book is ______ mysterious.
a. intrigue

b. intrigued

c. intriguingly

9. By decreasing our ______ on cars, we can reduce traffic congestion in the city.
a. reliance

b. rely

c. reliable

10. Students are allowed to use any of the ______ equipment for free.
a. recreations

52

b. recreational

c. recreationally

A Better Robot

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. What do you think of when you hear the word
robot?
2. What would be a useful shape for a robot?

Vocabulary Preview

3. How can robots help science?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. a part or unit with a specific job d. ability to do different things well
b. jobs; chores
e. a blank or empty area
c. looking around
f. low price
1. ____ Robots are useful for exploring places where people cant go.
2. ____ It takes a long time to travel through space from Earth to Mars.
3. ____ I dont have time to complete all of these tasks.
4. ____ You need to attach three small modules to the machines main body.
5. ____ Everyone agreed that the new design gave the robot more versatility.
6. ____ The affordability of the new machine made it attractive to our manager.

53

A Better Robot

c k 17
Tra

obots are useful for exploring and working in space. In particular, many robots
have been sent to explore Mars. Such robots have usually looked like a box with
wheels. Though these robots are useful, by their very nature they are unreliable,
extremely expensive, and they break easily. Also, they cannot do very many tasks. Because
of these problems, scientists have been developing a new and unusual kind of robot.
These new robots move like snakes, so they have been given the name snakebots.
The way a snake is shaped lets it get into very small spaces, like cracks in rocks.
It can also push its way below the ground or climb up different kinds of objects, like
high rocks and trees. Such abilities account for the usefulness of a robot designed like
a snake. A snakebot would be able to do these things, too, making it much more effective
than regular robots with wheels, which easily get stuck or fall over. Since they can carry
tools, snakebots would be able to work in space, as well. They could, for example, help
repair the International Space Station.
But how can such a robot shape be made? A snakebot is built like a chain made of
about thirty parts, or modules. Each module is basically the same in that they all have a
small computer and a wheel to aid movement. The large computer in the head of the
snake makes all of the modules in a snakebot work together.
The modular design of the snakebot has many advantages. If one module fails,
another can be added easily. Snakebot modules can also carry different kinds of tools,
as well as cameras. Since each module is actually a robot in itself, one module can work
apart from the rest if necessary. That is, all the modules can separate and move on their
own, and then later, reconnect back into a larger robot. Researchers are also trying to
develop snakebots made of a special kind of plastic that can change its shape using
electricity, almost like animal muscles. Snakebots
25 made with this plastic will be very strong and
hard to break.
Overall, the snakebot design is much
simpler than that of common robots. Thus,
snakebots will be much less expensive to build.
30 For example, a robot recently sent to Mars cost
over a hundred million dollars, whereas snakebots
can cost as little as a few hundred dollars. With their versatility and affordability,
snakebots seem to be the wave of the future, at least as far as space robots are concerned.

10

15

20

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

shape: to form; to make to look like

18

fail: to not work

crack: a broken place; an opening

21

apart: separate; not attached to

account for: to explain; to be the reason for

30

recently: during a short time in the past

11

54

428 words

stuck: unable to move

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the focus of this reading?
a. How snakebots were invented
b. Similarities between snakes and robots
c. The mission of the first working snakebot d. What a snakebot looks like and can do
2. Why are snakebots useful for exploring other planets?
a. They will be made of plastic.
c. They can fly.

b. They can move freely.

d. They have many modules.

3. How many robots make a snakebot?

a. There can be any amount.
c. About thirty

b. One
d. The reading doesnt say.

4. What could cause a snakebot to fail?

a. If all its modules were broken
c. If its head came off

b. If it fell into a hole

d. If its tail were broken

5. What is the purpose of the second paragraph?

a.
b.
c.
d.

To describe the problems with robots that have wheels

To explain the versatility and usefulness of snakebots
To give details of the first successful snakebot
To list places where snakebots have already gone

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
by its very nature

[ because it is a certain way ]

By its very nature, a tiger is a dangerous animal.

wave of the future

[ a recent invention that appears to have many future applications ]

Will fashionable or wearable technology be the wave of the future?

as far as

[ to the extent or degree that ]

I dont know about other classes, but as far as our class is
concerned, the test will be on Friday.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. ____________________ I know, she didnt ask for any help with her homework.
2. Christmas is, ____________________, a happy time.
3. My father thinks that solar-powered cars are the ____________________.
55
5

Summary
Read the sentences from the reading passage. Paraphrase the sentences
to create a summary of the passage.
a. These new robots move like snakes, so they have been given the name snakebots.
b. The way a snake is shaped lets it get into very small spaces, like cracks in rocks.
1. a + b: Snakebots are _________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
c. A snakebot is built like a chain made of about thirty parts, or modules.
d. Since each module is actually a robot in itself, each module can work apart from
the rest if necessary.
2. c + d: Snakebots are _________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
e. Thus, snakebots will be much less expensive to build.
f. For example, a robot recently sent to Mars cost over a hundred million dollars,
whereas snakebots can cost as little as a few hundred dollars.
3. e + f: Snakebots are __________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Listening
Mr. Yims Idea
c k 18
Tra

Listen to the dialog. Check True or False for each sentence.

1. The idea for the snakebot came from Mark Yim.
2. Yim designed a robot called a polybot.
3. These robots have many shapes, but they are all made of snakebots.

56

True

False

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Is space exploration too dangerous for humans? Should only robots go into space?
2. How could snakebots be useful on Earth, even if we dont use them in space?
3. What is a story or movie you know of in which a robot had an important part? Briefly tell
the story.

Grammar
Much, Even, Still, Far + Comparatives
Intensifying adverbs like much, even, still, or far are followed by comparatives of
adjectives or adverbs.
A snakebot would be able to do these things, too, making it (much more effective / much effective)
than regular robots with wheels.
Snakebots will be (very less expensive / much less expensive) to build.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

A Movie with Robots

Example
(1) What is a story or movie in
which a robot played a big part? (2)
What is the basic story? (3) When
did you read or see this? (4) What is
your opinion of the story? (5) Would
you recommend this book or movie?

A movie in which robots played a

big part was Heart Beeps. It was
about a male and female robot
falling in love. I saw this movie
when I was in high school. It was
terrible! I would not recommend
that anyone see this movie.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
57

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Each of the computers ______ is sold separately.
a. means

b. missions

c. modules

d. muscles

2. In this class, we will explore the creative ______ of watercolors.

a. integrity

b. affordability

c. reliability

d. versatility

3. Please do not put heavy ______ on this shelf.

a. approaches

b. designs

c. grounds

d. objects

4. The ______ was very easy. Even a child could do it.

a. crack

b. sibling

c. task

d. tool

5. The old woman had difficulty ______ her great-grandchildrens names.

a. exploring

b. failing

c. recalling

d. thriving

6. We wont know the effects on people living in ______ for a long time.
a. brake

b. planet

c. sequence

d. space

7. What kind of ______ sports did you play in high school?

a. effective

b. necessary

c. recent

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. New homes in this area are very ______ right now.
a. affordability

b. afford

c. affordable

9. We had to write an essay about the life of a famous ______.

a. explorer

b. exploration

c. exploring

10. What is the most ______ way to clean a cars engine?

a. effect

58

b. effective

c. effectively

d. recreational

Flower Power

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Are there many flowers or plants around your
apartment building or house?
2. Why do people like to plant flowers around the
places where they live?

Vocabulary Preview

3. What kinds of things do people have to do to take

care of flowers?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. nice; enjoyable
b. times; countable events
c. robber; criminal

d. person who officially lives in a place

e. put in; put up
f. get people to join a group

1. ____ A thief entered our house through the back door and took our TV.
2. ____ The incidents of students getting hurt at school is lower this year than last year.
3. ____ If you are a resident of the city, you can go to school in the city for free.
4. ____ The police want to recruit volunteers to watch for crime in the neighborhood.
5. ____ My father installed a new light above our door because the front of our house was too
dark at night.
6. ____ The weather is pleasant in the spring. Its a good season for walking outdoors.
59

Flower Power

c k 19
Tra

he city of Tokyo, Japan is divided up into

special areas. Many people are familiar
with famous wards such as Shibuya and
Shinjuku. However, those are just two out of
twenty-three wards that make up the whole city
of Tokyo. One ward on the west side of Tokyo is
named Suginami City. Visitors to Japan probably
would not put Suginami very high on their list of
places to see. This is mostly a residential area,
although there are some nice clothing and antique stores there. Suginami boasts more
than 300 city parks, in addition to three metropolitan parks, and even the name of the
city comes from the Japanese word for cedar tree. Certainly the city is a pleasant place
to live for its half a million residents.
However, in 2002, Suginami City had a big problem. Thieves were breaking into
houses all over the city and stealing things! In fact, in that year alone, more than 1,700
houses were broken into across Suginami. That is a huge number of break-ins for a city
of this size. The police and officials in Suginami knew that something had to be done to
curb all of the crime in their area.
Finally, they came up with the idea of using flowers to curb crime in Suginami.
City officials encouraged residents across the city to plant flowers around their houses
and along streets, especially in places where thefts frequently occurred. The idea was
that if people were outdoors taking care of the flowers, they would be watching people
come and go at the same time. Thieves would be less likely to strike in areas where
people were outdoors watching things closely.
Over the next few years, Operation Flower seemed to work surprisingly well. Just
two years after residents of Suginami began planting flowers on streets and in front of
their homes, crime in the city dropped eighty percent! Of course, the flowers cant take
all the credit for the huge reduction in crime. The city also installed 200 security cameras
around areas with high incidents of crime. In addition, Suginami was able to recruit more
than 9,000 volunteers to serve as crime-watchers across the city. Maybe one thing that
helped them recruit so many volunteers in the end was Operation Flower. Many of the
volunteers probably enjoy walking around their neighborhoods, admiring the flowers
that have been planted while they do their duty as crime-watchers.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

60

ward: a part of a city or town, named as such for

political reasons or administration

410 words

27

drop: to go down quickly

30

volunteer: a person who agrees to serve as a

helper for free

11

metropolitan: related to a large city

12

cedar: a kind of evergreen tree with red-brown

bark and dark-blue berries

32

neighborhood: a limited residential area that

includes only a few streets

18

curb: to control; to bring down

33

duty: an assigned job

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What question does this reading answer?
a. How did flowers curb crime?
c. Who were the thieves in Suginami?

b. What kinds of flowers are popular there?

d. Why was the crime rate in the city so high?

2. What can be assumed about Suginami City?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Many of the people living there work in other parts of Tokyo.

Not many of the parks in Suginami had flowers in them.
Suginami is a poor part of Tokyo.
There are only a few people on the police force in Suginami.

3. On average, how many break-ins occurred each month in Suginami in 2002?

a. About one per day
c. More than 1,700

b. Around a dozen
d. Over 100

4. What was probably true about Operation Flower?

a.
b.
c.
d.

The city paid for all of the flowers.

The flowers came from other wards in Tokyo.
The residents thought it was a good idea.
The thieves did not know about the plan.

5. Which of the following was NOT a method used by Suginami City to curb crime?
a. Crime-watch volunteers
c. Security cameras

b. More police officers

d. Street gardens

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
divide up (into)

[ to split or cut into pieces ]

The children divided up the candy in order to share it.

break into

[ to enter illegally; to use criminal methods to get into ]

I had to break into my own car after I locked my keys inside of it.

take the credit (for)

[ to be known as the reason (for) ]

It is not fair that the manager always takes the credit for the
work of other employees.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. All of our data can be ____________________ four categories.
2. The detective ____________________ for catching the gang of thieves.
3. They thought nobody could ____________________ the banks safe, but someone did.
61
6

Summary
Fill in the blanks with the correct words.
dropped
planting

incidents
stealing

installed
volunteers

likely
ward

A few years ago, the 1 ___________________ of Suginami City in Tokyo had a big problem.
Thieves were breakings into houses and

___________________ things. In order to curb the

3 ___________________ of robbery in their city, the residents of Suginami began 4 ___________________

flowers in front of their houses and along streets. City officials thought thieves were less
5

___________________ to try and steal things from houses or streets where people were often

outside taking care of plants. The city also

___________________ video cameras along streets

and recruited 7 ___________________ to watch for crime on their streets.

In just a few years, the crime rates in Suginami City
8

___________________ 80 percent!

Listening
My Neighborhood
c k 20
Tra

Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.

1. What surprised the woman about Operation Flower?
a. That it worked
c. That the city suggested it

b. That so many volunteers were recruited

d. That the flowers could grow

2. What is true about the womans neighborhood?

a. Not many people live there.
c. The crime rate is rather high.

b. People arent seen outdoors much.

d. There arent many flowers there.

3. What does the man think about the situation in her neighborhood?
a. He wants to visit during the weekend.
c. She should recruit more volunteers.

62

b. It is not a good place for her to live.

d. Coming out just on the weekends works.

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Have you or your family tried to grow plants? If so, what was your experience?
2. What kinds of plants can you see along the streets in your neighborhood?
3. Which are more effective in your opinion: security cameras or crime-watch volunteers?
Why?

Grammar
Relative Adverbs
Relative adverbs such as where, when, how, or why introduce a subordinate adjective clause
which modifies an antecedent noun or pronoun in the main clause.
City officials encouraged residents across the city to plant flowers around their houses and
along streets, especially in places (which / where) thefts frequently occurred.
Thieves would be less likely to strike in areas (where / when) people were outdoors watching
things closely.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

My Familys Garden
Example
(1) When did you or your
family have an experience
growing plants? (2) What
was the most difficult thing
about caring for the plant(s)?
(3) What was the end result
of experience? (4) What,
if anything, would you do
differently next time?

My family experienced growing a garden

two summers ago when we planted
some corn and watermelon seeds in our
communitys gardening space. The most
difficult thing about caring for the plants
was pulling out all of the weeds that kept
growing in our garden. In the end, all of
our corn plants died, but we did grow a
few small watermelons. The next time we
plant a garden, I want to grow flowers
instead of fruits or vegetables.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
63

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. There are many _______ growing near the top of the mountain.
a. cedars

b. spaces

c. thieves

d. wards

2. He could not _______ his bicycle well, so he hit his neighbors mailbox.
a. estimate

b. recruit

c. steal

d. steer

3. In art class, we each have to paint a different _______.

a. duty

b. neighborhood

c. object

d. resident

4. My best friend does not have any _______. She is an only child.
a. incidents

b. siblings

c. tasks

d. volunteers

5. These flowers will not _______, so we will have to buy new seeds every year.
a. curb

b. drop

c. install

d. reproduce

6. I spent a(n) _______ afternoon just talking with my friend in a coffee shop.
a. effective

b. metropolitan

c. pleasant

d. reliable

7. This is too much work for one person. Lets _______ the work to make it easier.
a. break into

b. divide up

c. take credit for

d. wipe out

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Although some people _______ eat bugs, I never would.
a. volunteer

b. voluntary

c. voluntarily

9. The _______ that you will ever win the lottery is very small.
a. likelihood

b. likely

c. unlikely

10. We didnt think the concert would be very good, but we were _______ surprised by the
performers.
a. pleasant

64

b. pleasantly

c. unpleasant

A Controversial Restoration

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. What are some famous historical places?
2. Why are they important?

Vocabulary Preview

3. What do people do to protect these places?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. big; impressive
b. fix or repair to be like new
c. showed; exposed

d. continue to say
e. small or minor defects
f. stop

1. ____ The city government plans to restore the oldest building downtown.
2. ____ The art expert demanded that the museum halt its plan to clean the painting.
3. ____ After several months, the museum finally revealed the results.
4. ____ The piece of marble is not pure white. It has some irregularities in it.
5. ____ The critics have not changed their minds. They maintain that the restoration project is
a bad idea.
6. ____ The front of the building used to be very ugly. Repainting it has made a dramatic
difference in the buildings appearance.
65

A Controversial Restoration

c k 21
Tra

ertain masterpieces are recognized worldwide as outstanding achievements in

human creativity and ingenuity. Three good examples of such works are the Taj
Mahal, the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture of David. All of these works are
hundreds of years old, and like everything that ages, some parts of them need to be
restored from time to time. However, not everyone agrees on how and when certain
works should be restored.
In some cases, there is a pressing need for something to be done in order to save a
historical treasure. For example, through careful study of the building, experts found
that the Taj Mahal was sliding toward the river beside it! Restoration efforts then began
to repair cracks in the building and halt its slide. However, such works as the Sistine
Chapel and the statue of David are not under any threat of serious damage or loss. Rather,
restorations are planned to clean or touch up the works so that they look better.
David is a perfect case in point of just such a touch-up project. For the statues 500th
birthday, the museum in Italy where David stands today planned to restore the statues
appearance. In reality, David was just dirty. That should not have surprised anyone. For
more than 300 years, the statue stood outdoors in a square in Florence. When he carved
the sculpture, Michelangelo planned for it to stand outside and naturally accumulate the
marks of weathering. Therefore, critics of Davids restoration claimed that cleaning the
statue would alter its intended appearance by the artist.
Ignoring these cries of protest, the museum went ahead with the restoration. After
nine months of careful cleaning, the restored David was revealed to the public. So, how
was the statue different? For one thing, Davids hair was no longer blackened with grime.
Also, the stains on his hands were gone, and the dirty streaks on his left shin had been
erased. As one art expert remarked, Only someone with expert knowledge and long
familiarity with the skin of the statue will be aware that certain unattractive irregularities
are no longer there. Even critics of the project agreed that the touch-ups to David were
very moderate.
On the other hand, the restoration of the Sistine Chapel resulted in
a dramatic difference in the works appearance. Through painstaking
efforts, the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel were beautifully restored by
erasing years of dirt and grime from the ceiling and walls. Although a
few critics maintain that Michelangelos work has been ruined, most
view its restoration as a marvelous success.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

ingenuity: imagination; cleverness

23

streak: a long irregular mark on some surface

age: to become older

23

shin: the front part of the leg below the knee

pressing: urgent

29

painstaking: thorough and very careful

grime: thick dirt or black dust from pollution

30

frescoe: a picture painted on a wall, usually

done over wet plaster

22

66

431 words

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of the reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

People sometimes disagree about restoring historical treasures.

The statue of David is a famous masterpiece.
Restoring works of art is expensive.
The Taj Mahal needs to be repaired.

2. What kind of restoration was planned for the Taj Mahal?

a. Pressing critics to see it
c. Sliding it into the river

b. Repairing it
d. Touching up the art inside it

3. What can be assumed about Michelangelos vision of David in the future?

a. David would be destroyed.
c. David would get dirty.

b. David would be well protected.

d. David would stand in a fountain.

4. What was the result of the restoration project of David?

a. The statues hair looked darker.
c. The statue was damaged.

b. Only experts could notice the difference.

d. The marble was thoroughly cleaned.

5. How many people probably think the Sistine Chapel looks better since it was
restored?
a. None
c. About half of the people

b. Few people
d. Most people

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
touch up

[ to fix or make look nicer, usually by coloring or painting ]

I used a black marker to touch up the chipped paint on the tables leg.

case in point

[ a specific example showing something is true ]

What you plan may lead to different results than your intentions.
Censorship laws are a good case in point.

no longer

[ not anymore; not now ]

The website you are trying to access is no longer available.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. It will cost about $100 to ____________________ the scratch marks on my car.
2. Our store ____________________ carries that brands products.
3. The editors of the newspaper are not doing their job well. Let me refer you to
yesterdays front page article as my ____________________.
67

Summary
Scan the passage and complete the chart with the correct information.

Work

Why It Needed Restoring

What Was Done

2 ___________________

Taj Mahal

1 ___________________ toward

river

in the building were repaired

The slide was
3

___________________

Hair was no longer

David

Dirty (from standing

outdoors for
4 ___________________ years)

___________________ with grime

6 ___________________ on his hands

were gone
Streaks on his left
7

___________________ were erased

Years of dirt and

Sistine Chapel

___________________

___________________ were
painstakingly 10 ___________________

Listening
For Its Protection
c k 22
Tra

Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. The man saw ______________________________________ in ______________________________________.
2. The work was behind ______________________________________.
3. The painting had to be restored after someone ______________________________________.

68

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. What historical sites have you visited? Which one was the most impressive?
2. What kinds of things should we try to preserve for future generations? Why?
3. Which do you think are more important: old buildings or old works of art? Why?

Grammar
Expressing Purpose
Use in order to or so that to express purpose of an action.
There is a pressing need for something to be done (for / in order to) save a historical treasure.
Restorations are planned to clean or touch up the works (so that / so as to) they look better.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

An Impressive Place
Example
(1) What was the most impressive
historical site you have seen?
(2) Where is it? (3) Why was it
impressive? (4) How old is this
site? (5) Why is it important to
see sites like this one?

The most impressive historical site I

have visited is the Forbidden Palace.
This palace is in Beijing, China. The
palace grounds are huge, and the
buildings all have unique and ancient
designs. The Forbidden Palace is almost
600 years old. It is important to see
sites like the Forbidden Palace so that
we can learn about history.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
69

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Im a(n) ______ basketball player. I only play on weekends in the park.
a. painstaking

b. recreational

c. professional

d. avid

2. In order to ______ the damage to the mountain, the government prevented people from
hiking there.
a. steer

b. touch up

c. brakes

d. halt

3. There is ______ damage to this painting. It cannot be restored.

a. no longer

b. pressing

c. irregular

d. extensive

4. This project is ______. It must be done as soon as possible.

a. pressing

b. careful

c. effective

d. accumulated

5. Look at the ______ on your window. Wash it right away!

a. fresco

b. oral

c. grime

d. approach

c. sequences

d. stimulates

6. Dirt ______ if you dont clean very often.

a. accumulates

b. maintains

7. Researchers ______ that coffee is not harmful to your health.

a. maintain

b. associate

c. summarize

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. He is a good actor. He speaks very ______.
a. drama

b. dramatic

c. dramatically

9. Her ______ surprised everyone. No one was expecting that news.

a. revealed

b. revelation

c. revealing

10. Which work of art will the museum ______ next?

a. restore

70

b. restoration

c. restoring

d. persuade

The Flood

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Have you heard any stories of a great flood in the
past?
2. Where did you hear this story? Who told it to you?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Is this story true, or is it just a legend?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. built
b. made guesses
c. run away from; avoid

d. are not similar

e. parts
f. story

1. ____ In the legend of the great flood, water covered all the land.
2. ____ Noah constructed a big boat to save his family and many animals.
3. ____ A big storm is coming! We should leave now to escape any danger.
4. ____ Some parts of the legends differ between cultures.
5. ____ Scientists have speculated about where all the water from the flood went.
6. ____ Some elements that are the same in each story include a man, a boat, a flood, and a
mountain.
71

The Flood

c k 23
Tra

ave you heard about the great flood? Perhaps you have heard about a man
named Noah, who built a huge boat to escape the flood. In this legend of the
great flood, water covered all the land, killing most of the people and animals on
Earth. Only Noahs immediate family, including his wife, three sons, and the sons
wives, survived the flood, along with all of the animals on his boat. After the flood
waters receded, the people and animals on Noahs boat set about repopulating the
Earth. This legend of Noah and his family is familiar to many people. However, it is not
the only legend about a great flood. Actually, many cultures have similar stories about a
great flood that wiped out almost everyone on Earth.
In the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian legends of the flood, Noah was warned by
God that a great flood would kill every human and animal on land. God told Noah to
construct a boat that would save his family and two of every animal. In a Hindu legend
of the flood, a fish warned a man about the flood, and only the man was saved. Then the
gods made a woman for the man, and the man and woman had many children. The
Greek, Roman, and Chinese legends of the flood say that only people on the highest
mountain survived the flood. In Scandinavian and Celtic legends, the water of the flood
was actually the blood of a giant. When the giant was killed, its body became the Earth,
and its blood covered all the land. There are also Incan, Mayan, and Native American
legends about a great flood. In each of these legends, a few people live through the flood
by climbing mountains or by constructing boats.
Many people today believe that the great flood is only a legend. However, other
people say that the striking similarities among all of the flood legends suggest that a
real flood covered the Earth at some point long ago. In fact, some scientists speculate
that the ancient flood waters are now frozen in glaciers at the poles of the Earth. But
why do the legends disagree with each other? The flood happened long before humans
could write, so the story of the flood could only be passed
down through generations by oral retellings. As the story was
passed by word of mouth, it may have changed as various
cultures learned the story. This may explain why some parts of
30 the legend differ. Through careful examination of similar
elements in these legends, however, certain facts about an
ancient catastrophic flood may be revealed.

10

15

20

25

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

flood: an overflow of water that destroys

things

immediate: next in line; direct

along with: together with; including

6
6

72

recede: to go down; to diminish

repopulate: to increase the number of
people again

439 words

16

Celtic: of ancient people from Europe whose

modern relatives now live in Ireland, Scotland,
and Wales

22

striking: surprising and very easy to notice

30

examination: study

32

catastrophic: terrible, like a great disaster

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of the reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Many cultures have stories about a flood.

A flood killed many people.
The legend of the flood is not true.
Floods can be very dangerous.

2. Which is true about the oldest legend of the flood?

a. Boats were not described in it.
c. It was written in stone.

b. It came from South America.

d. People learned it by listening.

3. What is similar about the Roman legend and some American Indian legends?
a. Fish spoke to people.
c. People climbed mountains.

b. Only one person survived.

d. The flood lasted one year.

4. What does the large number of flood legends seem to indicate?

a. People traveled around the world.
c. The legend was popular.

b. The flood really happened.

d. Long ago, everyone spoke one language.

5. What does the phrase passed by word of mouth mean?

a. Said with careful thought
c. Taught through speaking

b. Spoken very loudly

d. Told for entertainment

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
set about

[ to start to do ]
The teacher set about cleaning the room after the students left.

at some point

[ at or during some unspecified time ]

We dont have to go now, but at some point we should go to the store.

pass down

[ to give to a younger generation ]

Legends say the king passed down a magic sword to his eldest son.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. First, you should establish a clear goal and then ____________________ trying to reach it.
2. My great-grandmothers recipes have been ____________________ for generations.
3. Youll have to learn how to use the new computer program ____________________.
73

Summary
Read the sentences from the reading passage. Paraphrase the sentences
to create a summary of the passage.
a. Perhaps you have heard about a man named Noah, who built a huge boat to escape
the flood.
b. Only Noahs immediate family, including his wife, three sons, and his sons wives,
survived the flood, along with all of the animals on his boat.
1. a + b: In the legend of Noah, ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
c. In a Hindu legend of the flood, a fish warned a man about the flood, and only the
man was saved.
d. Then the gods made a woman for the man, and the man and woman had many
children.
2. c + d: In a Hindu legend, _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
e. There are also Incan, Mayan, and Native American legends about a great flood.
f. In each of these legends, a few people live through the flood by climbing
mountains or by constructing boats.
3. e + f: In Incan, Mayan, and Native American legends of the flood, ____________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

Listening
Recalling the Details
c k 24
Tra

Listen to the dialog. Check True or False for each sentence.

1. The man remembers how many days it rained.
2. The man could not remember what kind of bird brought
the branch to Noah.
3. The woman remembered the meaning of the rainbow.
74

True

False

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. What legend of a great flood have you heard? Tell the story briefly.
2. Do you know other legends that also appear in other cultures? If yes, which ones?
3. Where do you think these legends originally came from?

Grammar
As, Before, After, or Until
Conjunctions like as, before, after, or until are used to introduce an adverbial clause of time.
The flood happened long (before / ago) humans could write, so the story of the flood could
only be passed down through generations by oral retellings.
As the story was passed by word of mouth, it may have changed (as / according to) various
cultures learned the story.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

A Famous Legend
Example
(1) What is the title of a famous
legend? (2) Who are the main
characters in the legend? (3) What
happens in the legend? (4) How
does the legend end? (5) What can
people learn from this legend?

A famous legend in my country

is the legend of Sleepy Hollow. It is
about a schoolteacher and a ghost.
The schoolteacher does not believe
the legend of the ghost until he
meets the ghost. In the end, the
teacher mysteriously disappears.
The lesson people can learn from
this story is to believe in legends.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

75

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. There is ______ on your hand! Are you hurt?
a. blood

b. culture

c. Earth

d. human

2. Have you heard the ______ about the monster living in these woods?
a. boat

b. glacier

c. legend

d. mountain

3. My grandmother ______ two wars and a terrible earthquake.

a. died of

b. disagreed with

c. lived through

d. was made from

4. Some plants and animals are able to ______ even in the hottest desert.
a. construct

b. kill

c. pass

d. survive

5. She ______ at school to ask her teacher about her homework.

a. believed

b. climbed

c. happened

d. remained

6. All of the facts seem to ______ his brother as the robber.

a. differ on

b. hear about

c. point to

d. save from

7. Every year, there is a ______ in this valley from the snow melting in the mountains.
a. body

b. flood

c. giant

d. mouth

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. She asked about the ______ between the two cameras.
a. difference

b. differ

c. different

9. It took the company only three weeks to ______ the house.

a. construction

b. construct

c. constructed

10. The actual results of the experiment did not match the ______ results.
a. speculation

76

b. speculate

c. speculated

Naturally Better Homes

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Describe a traditional home in your country.
2. What type of home do you live in?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Whats special about your home?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word or phrase.
a. aspect; characteristic
b. make; produce
c. put into an ordered pile

d. electrical equipment in a house

e. is in the direction of; looks toward
f. things like wood, water, minerals, etc.

1. ____ Please stack those old newspapers over there next to the door.
2. ____ People in Europe quickly realized that the Americas were rich in natural resources.
3. ____ The large window in our living room faces the backyard.
4. ____ The newly married couple needs many appliances for their new house.
5. ____ Special panels on the roof collect heat from the sun to generate electricity.
6. ____ One nice feature of this house is the high ceiling in the living room.

77

Naturally Better Homes

c k 25
Tra

n the 1970s, many people became concerned about energy. People had to face up to
the fact that they used too much energy, and energy sources were not going to last
forever. One architect, Michael Reynolds, decided to do something. He set out to
design homes that were cheaper to build and more energy efficient. In addition, he
wanted to do something about all the garbage. Finally, he came up with the idea of
earthships.
Although it sounds like a boat, an earthship is a house. However, unlike regular
houses, earthships are constructed from garbage and are built using only ten percent of
the energy needed to build a typical house. Moreover, after they are built, earthships use
only ten percent of the energy required to heat, light, and cool a regular home. Although
earthships sound unique, they can actually be built to look just like any other house.
One of the big benefits of earthships is that they are made from recycled materials.
The main construction material of an earthship is used tires that are filled with dirt. The
dirt-filled tires are then laid flat and stacked like bricks. Because the tires are round,
there is lots of extra space between the columns of tires. These spaces are filled with
used cardboard. The tires and cardboard form the outside walls of an earthship. The
inside walls between rooms in the earthship do not need to be as strong as the outside
walls; therefore, the inside walls are made with old cans, bottles, and cement that are
eventually covered and painted to look just like walls in a typical home.
Another benefit of an earthship is that it saves energy and natural resources. For
example, an earthship uses less water. Rain water, which is collected on the roof, is used
for drinking and bathing. Furthermore, earthships need much less energy for heating
and cooling because they are built into the ground, which keeps the temperature inside
the house from getting too hot or too cold. In the long run, this helps
25 earthship owners lower their utility bills. As well, one wall of an
earthship usually faces south. Therefore, solar heat helps to warm
the house, and solar panels built on the roof generate electricity to
run appliances in the house.
All of these features make earthships very environmentally
30 friendly. Thats one of the reasons they have become popular
throughout the world. Earthships have been built in Bolivia, Australia,
Mexico, Japan, Canada, England, Scotland, and all over the US. Maybe
in the near future, an earthship will be landing near you!

10

15

20

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

78

architect: a person who designs buildings

13

tire: a rubber wheel

15

column: a tall, thick support post

433 words

25

utility bill: a statement for the monthly cost of

electricity, gas, water, etc.

26

solar: of or from the sun

27

panel: a rectangular board or section

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Environmentalists are concerned about energy.

Earthships are in many different countries.
Earthships look like typical houses.
Earthships are environmentally friendly homes.

2. What is the main building material of earthships?

a. Used tires
c. Old cans and bottles

b. Used cardboard
d. Cement

3. Why do earthships need less energy to heat and cool them?

a. They are more energy efficient.
c. They are built into the ground.

b. They recycle water.

d. They are typically very small.

4. In an earthship, old boxes would be used to ______.

a. recycle water
c. create fertilizer

b. build inside walls

d. fill outside walls

5. What does environmentally friendly mean?

a. Good for the environment
c. Made from natural products

b. Bad for the environment

d. Found throughout the environment

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
face up to

[ to acknowledge; to admit that something exists or is true ]

He had to face up to the fact that he was going to fail.

come up with

[ to produce or create ]
Julia came up with a great solution to the problem.

in the long run

[ finally; in the end ]

Fast food may be cheap and taste good, but it is very bad for
you in the long run.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. As the old saying goes, it is better, ____________________, to be safe than sorry.
2. You have to ____________________ your problems now so that they wont get worse.
3. We have to ____________________ some ideas for the party.
79

Summary
Fill in the blanks with the correct words.
collect
resources
A man who was

concerned
stacking
1

environmentally
tires

generate
typical

___________________ about the environment came up with the idea of

earthships. An earthship is a special kind of house that is 2 ___________________ friendly. On the

outside, an earthship looks like a(n)

___________________ house. However, the outside walls

are made by 4 ___________________ old tires and putting cardboard between the 5 ___________________.
Other nice features of an earthship include solar panels that
and tanks that

___________________ electricity

___________________ rain water on the roof. Earthships

p not

only help us recycle waste, but they help save natural

8

___________________ in the long run.

Listening
Lots of Advantages
c k 26
Tra

Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.

1. Where is the woman going?
a. Bulgaria
c. Namibia

b. Belgium
d. Bolivia

2. What is probably true about the place where she is going?

a. It doesnt have utility services.
c. It is in a jungle.

b. It has beautiful scenery.

d. It is a rich area.

3. What other point does the woman mention about earthships?

a. Famous people who own them
c. Styles they are built in

80

b. The number of rooms they have

d. Things that cant destroy them

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Would you like to live in an earthship?
2. Are there any earthships in your country? Do you think they could become popular?
3. What do you do to be environmentally friendly?

Grammar
Relative Clauses: Defining or Non-Defining?
A defining relative clause comes immediately after what is defined, while a non-defining
relative clause is separated from the main clause by a comma. That is not used as a nondefining relative pronoun.
Michael Reynolds set out to design homes (who / that) were cheaper to build and more energy
efficient.
Earthships need much less energy for heating and cooling because they are built into the
ground, (that / which) keeps the temperature inside the house from getting too hot or too cold.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Helping the Environment

Example
(1) What do you do to be
environmentally friendly?
(2) When or how often do you do
this? (3) How long have you been
doing this? (4) Why did you start
doing this? (5) How does this help
the environment?

To be environmentally friendly,
I turn off the water while I am
brushing my teeth. I do this every
morning and every evening when
I brush my teeth. I have been
doing this since high school. I
started doing this because someone
suggested that I do it. This saves
water.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
81

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. It is important to try to conserve natural _______ like water.
a. energy

b. concerns

c. features

d. resources

2. The children _______ a long wall on the beach out of sand.

a. generated

b. constructed

c. stacked

d. warned

3. The window next to my office _______ the parking lot.

a. faces

b. features

c. faces up to

d. lasts

4. I know you are _______, but there is really nothing to worry about.
a. generated

b. concerned

c. typical

d. striking

5. He needs to _______ the fact that he is not doing well in school.

a. concern

b. face up to

c. pass down

d. come up with

6. Including the stove, she has five _______ in her kitchen.

a. boxes

b. panels

c. utilities

d. appliances

7. Because we live in a cold country, our _______ bills are higher in winter.
a. solar

b. appliance

c. speculated

d. utility

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Solar panels can _______ a lot of power.
a. generator

b. generate

c. generation

9. _______, you can save up to ninety percent of your energy costs.

a. Typical

b. Typically

c. Atypical

10. This is the report _______ the new house design.

a. concern

82

b. concerned

c. concerning

Eat Better, Look Better

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Which kinds of food are good for our skin?
2. How do these kinds of food help our skin?

Vocabulary Preview

3. How often do you eat these kinds of food?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. a thick, milky product
b. careful
c. received; suffered

d. ability; potential
e. characteristics; features
f. small folds in the skin

1. ____ She uses lots of creams and lotions on her skin.

2. ____ He looks very old. He has lots of wrinkles.
3. ____ Sunlight has the capability to damage your skin.
4. ____ The doctor was cautious about giving new medicines to his patients.
5. ____ Many people say garlic has lots of healthy properties.
6. ____ The boy sustained several injuries from his fall.

83

Eat Better, Look Better

c k 27
Tra

ould you believe that your diet can make a big difference
in keeping a youthful appearance? It seems strange to
think that the food we take in could result in fewer wrinkles.
Wouldnt it be better to put things on our skin rather than in our mouths?
Well, according to one scientific theory, our bodies start aging because of oxidation.
This is caused by certain oxygen-containing molecules in our cells, called free radicals.
Free radicals have the capability to attach to and damage parts of our cells, including our
DNA. Our bodies have the ability to repair this damage. However, as we get older, these
repair mechanisms start to break down, resulting in signs of aging, such as wrinkles. Free
radicals are actually produced by our bodies, but their numbers can also increase because
of the food we eat.
Besides avoiding foods that could potentially produce more free radicals, eating
foods that contain certain vitamins and micro-nutrients can also keep us looking young.
These vitamins help produce molecules called antioxidants, which actually help reduce
the production of free radicals. Even better, foods containing antioxidants are not rare.
Common antioxidants, like vitamins A and E, can be found in many dark-colored vegetables.
For example, carrots, seaweed, spinach, and broccoli are all excellent sources of these
helpful vitamins. Also, you can eat orange-colored fruits like apricots and peaches.
Vitamins A and E are particularly good for helping your skin remain young-looking.
These nutrients strengthen your skin and make it soft. However, if you really want to
stock up quickly on nutrients that benefit your skin, you should eat cows liver. One
small piece of cooked cows liver contains twice as much vitamin A as half a cup of
cooked carrots.
More recently, green tea has also been tentatively added to the list of youthpromoting substances. Research on green teas effects on our bodies is still in the early
stages. Scientists certainly believe that it is good for us, but they are cautious about
predicting its ability to keep us looking youthful. However, recent experiments seem to
show that green teas antioxidant properties can repair cell damage already sustained
as well as prevent damage in the future. In fact, green tea works even better if you apply
it directly to your skin as an ingredient in facial cream.
You are what you eat. The more we find out about how our bodies work, the more
this old proverb seems to be true. Think about that the next time you sit down at the table.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

oxidation: the process of combining with

oxygen

17

seaweed: a plant that grows underwater

18

apricot: a small yellow-orange fruit

cell: the basic unit of a living thing

21

stock up: to keep extra; to get a lot of

mechanism: the fundamental physical or

chemical processes of an organism to a given
stimulus

24

tentatively: cautiously; for now but not finally

32

proverb: a saying that gives advice or

expresses some truth

14

84

429 words

antioxidant: a substance found in vitamins

that protects body cells from oxidation damage

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of the reading?
a. Our bodies are aging.
c. Food affects aging.

b. Carrots are good for us.

d. We should use facial cream.

2. Which is probably true about people who look younger than their age?
a. They eat a lot.
c. They eat food that helps their skin.

b. They drink green tea every day.

d. They only eat vegetables.

3. What kinds of vegetables contain a lot of vitamin A?

a. Tasty ones
c. Green ones

b. Vegetables dark in color

d. All of them

4. Which of the following is true, according to the reading?

a. Drinking alcohol helps your skin.
c. Cows liver has a lot of vitamin A.

b. Facial cream with vitamin C is bad for you.

d. We age because we eat vitamins.

5. Which word is closest in meaning to the word apply in this reading?

a. Ask for
c. Spread on

b. Be related to
d. Use well

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
take in

[ to eat; to consume ]
Research shows that if you dont take in enough vitamin D, you will
develop health problems.

stock up on

[ to keep a lot of something for later use ]

I stocked up on bread today while I was shopping.

even better

[ in addition to the previous good thing ]

My grandmothers delicious apple pie tastes even better with a scoop
of vanilla ice cream.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. People who ____________________ small amounts of caffeine say that they feel more awake.
2. The package will be delivered right to your door. ____________________, you can return it for
free if there is a problem!
3. Winter is coming. We need to ____________________ wood for the fire.

85

Summary
Scan the passage and complete the notes with the correct information.
I.

Free radicals
A. Definition: molecules containing 1 ___________________ that attach to and
damage cells
B. Cause 2 ___________________ J aging

II. Antioxidants
A. Definition: molecules (produced by vitamins A and E) that
3

___________________ the bodys production of

___________________

B. Sources
i.

___________________ vegetables: carrots, seaweed, spinach, and

___________________

ii. Orange-colored fruits: 7 ___________________ and peaches

iii. Best source of vitamin A is cows 8 ___________________
iv. Possible good source is 9 ___________________
----- Works better if applied to skin in a 10 ___________________

Listening
Whats That for?
c k 28
Tra

Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. The woman is making a ______________________________________.
2. She will put ______________________________________ into a ______________________________________ and
then tie it closed.
3. She not only puts it in her bath, she also ______________________________________.

86

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Which foods have you heard have lots of antioxidants in them?
2. Do you think you have a healthy or unhealthy diet? Why?
3. What are some ways that people in your country take care of their skin?

Grammar
Help + (Object) + Infinitive
Help is followed by an infinitive with or without to. Sometimes, help is followed by an object
+ infinitive with or without to.
These vitamins help (produce / production) molecules called antioxidants, which actually help
(reduce / reduction) the production of free radicals.
Vitamin A and E are particularly good for helping your skin (remain / remaining) young-looking.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Good Skin Care

Example
(1) What do you do to take care of
your skin? (2) How do you do this?
(3) How often do you do this? (4)
When did you start doing this? (5)
Who taught you to do this?

I use aloe vera to take care of

my skin. I put aloe vera on my
face after I shave. I do this every
morning. I started doing this last
year. Nobody taught me to do it.
I just started doing it.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
87

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. All of these paintings represent ______ examples of classical realism.
a. cautious

b. facial

c. tentative

d. typical

2. I need a new sheet of paper. This sheet has a ______ in it.

a. damage

b. molecule

c. source

d. wrinkle

3. Our deluxe chairs have the special ______ that they can turn and recline.
a. element

b. production

c. property

d. theory

4. The beauty shop sells many different types of masks, soaps, and ______.
a. creams

b. proverbs

c. substances

d. vitamins

5. The skaters who wore wrist guards did not ______ any wrist or hand injuries.
a. contain

b. predict

c. repair

d. sustain

6. The store is having a big sale on socks. Lets ______ them.

a. argue with

b. attach to

c. stock up on

d. take in

7. What kind of household ______ should we buy for him?

a. appliance

b. capability

c. cell

d. stage

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Be careful. That virus is ______ of doing a lot of damage to your computer.
a. capability

b. capable

c. incapable

9. She drove her car ______ over the icy bridge.

a. caution

b. cautious

c. cautiously

10. The scientist is doing ______ research for the government.

a. molecule

88

b. molecular

c. molecularly

Imagine That!

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Where do you like to sit and do nothing but think
or daydream?
2. When was the last time you went there and did this?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Which of your chores or routine duties require

little or no attention when you do them?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word or phrase.
a. boring and seeming without end
b. doing; in the process of
c. near; close

d. different; unique
e. good; right
f. words or language

1. ____ There are many different terms used for the word snow in other cultures.
2. ____ I dont like washing the dishes. It is such a tedious chore.
3. ____ If you listen carefully, you can hear the distinct songs of different kinds of birds.
4. ____ She is working on a difficult math problem. She is engaged in deep thought.
5. ____ There are no coffee shops in our immediate area. Well have to walk a few streets over
to find one.
6. ____ When someone greets you, the appropriate thing to do is greet them in return.
89

Imagine That!

c k 29
Tra

eople who daydream are often thought of in negative terms, such as being lazy
or not doing what they should be doing. However, scientists who study the brain
have learned many interesting things, especially from studying the brains of
daydreamers. In fact, far from being a waste of time, some scientists believe that
daydreaming is a healthy and useful activity for all of our brains.
In order to study the brain, scientists use special devices that scan the brain and
show pictures of which parts of the brain are active at certain times. When a person is
daydreaming, the device will show a distinct pattern of activity in the brain called the
default mode of thinking. In the default mode, the top or outside part of the brain is very
active. Actually, several regions of the brain are interacting in this mode. Some scientists
describe this mode as a time when the brain focuses on itself rather than focusing on the
environment around the person. Typically, this occurs when a person is doing simple,
tedious work or performing routine actions that dont need much attention, like walking
to school or cooking simple foods. People tend to daydream during such activities.
The importance of daydreaming lies in developing both creative and social skills.
When the mind is not engaged in dealing with ones immediate situation or problem,
then it is free to wander. A time of wandering allows the mind to create things. New
inventions may be imagined, or possible solutions to a problem can be planned. For
example, solutions for problems in relationships with other people may come to mind.
In fact, most daydreams involve situations with others. Perhaps these are daydreams
based on memories of the past, or daydreams of what might be in the future. In either case,
daydreams help us develop the appropriate skills we can use in real
interactions with others.
As neurologist Dr. Marcus Raichle of Washington University
explains: When you dont use a muscle, that muscle really isnt
doing much. But when your brain is supposedly doing nothing and
daydreaming, its really doing a tremendous amount. During
the so-called resting state the brain isnt resting at all!

10

15

20

25

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

daydream: to think or imagine with ones eyes

open

19

relationship: a connection as friends or family

members

pattern: a design of natural or accidental origin

24

default: the action or way of working when no

specific choices or options are set

neurologist: a doctor who studies the brain

and nerves

26

supposedly: apparently; probably

27

tremendous: great; huge

9
17

90

366 words

mode: a state; a way

wander: to go off or travel without a planned
end destination

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What question is the main focus of this reading?
a. Can daydreams reduce the hours we sleep? b. How is daydreaming different from sleeping?
c. Who daydreams more, men or women? d. Why is daydreaming good for people?
2. Which of the following is NOT involved in daydreaming?
a. Ones immediate environment
c. The default mode of thinking

b. Several regions of the brain

d. The outside part of the brain

3. What does the brain focus on in the default mode?

a. A persons immediate situation
c. Itself

b. Appropriate relationships
d. Routine actions

4. According to the reading, which of the following would NOT be a result of letting the mind
wander?
a. A job that needs close attention
c. A solution to a problem

b. A new invention
d. A way to act in a relationship

5. What does Raichle mean by the quote used in the reading?

a. The brain develops ones muscles.
c. The brain is a lot like a muscle.

b. The brain and our muscles both need rest.

d. The brain is different than a muscle.

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
be thought of

[ to be considered; to be seen as ]
When computers first came out, they were thought of as just
machines for scientists to use.

tend to

[ to usually appear to; to be more likely to ]

During the 1940s, American movies tended to have more plots
related to World War II.

come to mind

[ to think of; to have the idea or inspiration ]

I tried to remember what we needed from the store, but nothing
came to mind.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. Teenagers are not yet adults, so they should not ____________________ as such in terms of
the law.
2. We need a good topic for our project. If anything ____________________, let me know.
3. At the gym, Ive noticed that younger people ____________________ use the exercise bikes
more than older people.
91

Summary
Read the sentences from the reading passage. Paraphrase the sentences
to create a summary of the passage.
a. When a person is daydreaming, the device will show a distinct pattern of activity in
the brain called the default mode of thinking.
b. In the default mode, the top or outside part of the brain is very active. Actually,
several regions of the brain are interacting in this mode.
1. a + b: In the default mode, ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
c. Some scientists describe this mode as a time when the brain focuses on itself
rather than focusing on the environment around the person.
d. Typically this occurs when a person is doing simple, tedious work or performing
routine actions that dont need much attention, like walking to school or cooking
simple foods.
2. c + d: In the default mode, ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
e. When the mind is not engaged in dealing with ones immediate situation or
problems, then it is free to wander.
f. A time of wandering allows the mind to create things.
3. e + f: In the default mode, ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.

Listening
A Great Idea
c k 30
Tra

Listen to the dialog. Check True or False for each sentence.

True

1. The people are talking about something that has not been invented yet.
2. The man read about a person who got in trouble for daydreaming at work.
3. The idea for this invention came from a problem at church.

92

False

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. What is a past event that you sometimes imagine could have happened differently?
2. What do you imagine your life will be like in five years from now?
3. What is a problem that you are still trying to solve?

Grammar
What as a Relative Pronoun
What can be used as a relative pronoun. It is used without its antecedents and has the
meaning of the thing which or anything that.
People who daydream are often thought of in negative terms, such as being lazy or not doing
(that / what) they should be doing.
Perhaps these are daydreams based on memories of the past, or daydreams of (what / which)
might be in the future.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

Solving a Problem
Example
(1) What is a problem that
you are still trying to
solve? (2) When did this
problem first occur? (3)
Why do you need to solve
this problem? (4) What
makes it difficult to solve
this problem?

A problem that I am still trying to solve

is my slow computer. The slowness of my
computer first occurred after I updated
my computers operating system. I need to
solve this problem because it takes too
long for my computer to open programs.
The fact that I dont have the money to
buy more memory for my computer makes
it difficult to solve this problem.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
93

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Before he ______ researching his essay, he listed some questions he needed to answer.
a. engaged in

b. passed down

c. set about

d. tended to

2. Does the company have any ______ plans to hire new people?
a. cautious

b. default

c. distinct

d. immediate

3. If you ask that question in class, Im sure it will ______ a lot of discussion.
a. daydream

b. generate

c. speculate

d. wander

4. Making a dress with all of those beads must be a very ______ job.
a. appropriate

b. striking

c. tedious

d. tremendous

5. People who often have strange feelings in their hands or feet may need to see a ______.
a. molecule

b. neurologist

c. property

d. routine

6. The singers last album ______ as the best work of his career.
a. is thought of

b. comes to mind

c. faces up to

d. stocks up on

7. When I am in my study ______, I can sit at my desk studying for hours.

a. mode

b. pattern

c. relationship

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Be sure to ______ change the water in the fish tank.
a. routines

b. routine

c. routinely

9. I cant see a big ______ between the two brands of inline skates.
a. distinction

b. distinct

c. distinctively

10. This will be a formal dinner, so please dress ______.

a. appropriate

94

b. appropriately

c. inappropriate

d. terms

Madonnas Downloads

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Can you name any sites for downloading music?
2. Have you ever downloaded music?

Vocabulary Preview

3. What do you know about Madonna?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. got revenge
b. prevent; oppose
c. parts

d. trick; fake
e. trying to succeed in
f. criticize strongly; reject

1. ____ Certain aspects of the entertainers life have caused controversy.

2. ____ She began pursuing her career in music when she was in her twenties.
3. ____ Many people condemn countries that mistreat their citizens.
4. ____ Some hunters use decoy ducks to get closer to real ducks.
5. ____ The record companies want to discourage file sharing.
6. ____ He retaliated by hacking into the site.

95

Madonnas Downloads

c k 31
Tra

adonna Louise Veronica Ciccone left home at the age of twenty to pursue her
dreams of fame. Her early days in the entertainment industry were tough.
However, her determination eventually brought her mainstream pop success
with the hit Holiday in 1984. Along with performing as a singer, Madonna has expanded
her talents in different areas, such as acting and writing. Over her career, she has released
eighteen albums, including three collections of greatest hits. Madonna has continued to
work hard for her success, redefining herself and her music with every album. As
Madonna says, Every time I reach a new peak, I see a new one I want to climb.
Madonna is recognized as a strong businesswoman who likes to control all
aspects of her career. Throughout her climb to the top, Madonna has not been afraid of
controversy. She has strong opinions and is known as a woman who does not mince her
words, no matter what the response. In recent years, Madonna has used her outspoken
manner to try to curb online piracy. Albums by famous artists often show up on the
Internet weeks before their official release date. Of course, both the record industry and
artists condemn this piracy of their work. Madonna herself has not been immune to
online piracy. Mixes of the title track of her 2000 album, Music, appeared on several
file-sharing sites before the album was launched.
Then in 2003, Madonna was set to release her new album,
American Life. However, in an effort to prevent further piracy,
Madonna and her record company decided to try a new approach.
Decoy MP3 tracks from American Life were uploaded on file-sharing
sites. These decoys were meant to discourage illegal downloading.
People downloading the files thought they were getting tracks from
American Life for free. However, when the files were played, all that
people could hear was Madonna swearing. Instead of a song, listeners
heard the artist shouting, What the **** do you think you are doing?
This strong approach of Madonnas definitely made a statement. It also provoked an
immediate response. Soon after the decoy tracks were discovered, hackers retaliated by
hijacking the madonna.com website. They used the website to distribute free MP3 copies
of her new album. Perhaps this artists plan did not work quite as expected. However, as
Madonna knows well, controversy draws attention to her material. Whether or not such
controversy has had any impact over the years, one thing is for sure: Madonna continues
to have something to say.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

96

424 words

redefine: to change the idea of

16

track: a selection; a song

12

outspoken: open with strong opinions

21

upload: to transfer to a website

16

mix: an alternative version of a song with new

material included in it

25

swear: to use bad or offensive language

29

hijack: to take control of illegally

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. Which question does this passage focus on answering?
a.
b.
c.
d.

How does Madonna control the distribution of her music?

What are Madonnas most popular songs?
How did Madonna deal with the problem of music piracy?
Why does Madonna give away her music?

2. Why did Madonna put fake files on the Internet?

a. To advertise her new CD
c. To pursue her dreams of fame

b. To take action against piracy

d. To make a new album

3. What can be said about the files Madonna uploaded?

a. They had no effect.
c. They were criticized by the press.

b. They were mixes of her title track.

d. They were offensive to some people.

4. Which of the following is NOT true, according to the reading?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Madonnas material has been stolen through online piracy.

Madonna prevented American Life from being downloaded.
Hackers were able to change Madonnas official website.
Online file sharing is a controversial issue.

5. Which word is closest in meaning to the word approach in this reading?

a. Coming near a place
c. Way to deal with a problem

b. Coming near in time

d. First contact to make a business offer

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
climb to the top

[ the path to success; ones increasing success ]

His climb to the top was slow. It took him years to become
a manager.

(not) mince (ones) words

[ to say what you mean clearly and directly ]

She does not mince words. She always says exactly what
she thinks.

make a statement

[ to do something strongly or in a slightly shocking way ]

The bold, new ads really make a statement.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. Do ____________________. Just tell me your opinion.
2. She had to work hard during her ________________________________.
3. Her bright orange pants really ________________________________.
97

Summary
Fill in the blanks with the correct words or phrases.
decoy
retaliate

definitely
sharing

discourage
swearing

piracy
to the top

Over her career, Madonna has 1 ___________________ done things to catch peoples attention.
She has worked hard and climbed 2 ___________________ of the music industry. But since people
began

___________________ music files online, Madonna and many other artists have been

robbed through the 4 ___________________ of their songs. Madonna tried to 5 ___________________

by uploading fake music files. People who downloaded these 6 ___________________ tracks didnt
hear music. They heard Madonna

___________________
__!

This didnt seem to 8 ___________________ hackers. They

found other ways to steal and share her music.

Listening
The Latest Album
c k 32
Tra

Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.

1. What is the man thinking of doing?
a. Downloading music
c. Becoming a musician

b. Buying the new Madonna CD

d. Stopping singers from getting paid

2. Why does the woman download music?

a. Because it is free
c. Because she doesnt like CDs

b. Because she doesnt have a CD player

d. Because the new album is good

3. What can be said about the man and woman?

a. Neither liked the album.
c. They agree.

98

b. Both will download the album.

d. They disagree.

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Do you think that downloading songs from the Internet is wrong? Why or why not?
2. Do you know any sites that charge a fee to download music? How much is the fee?
3. Who is an artist with strong opinions? What did this artist say?

Grammar
Present Perfect
We can use present perfect tense to express several different actions that have occurred in
the past. It is usually combined with relevant time expressions.
Over her career, she (has released / was released) eighteen albums, including three collections
of greatest hits.
Throughout her climb to the top, Madonna (was not been / has not been) afraid of controversy.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

An Artist with Strong Opinions

Example
(1) Who is an artist with
strong opinions? (2) What
did this artist say? (3)
Why did the artist say
this? (4) Do you agree or
disagree? (5) Why?

The director Michael Moore is an artist

with strong opinions. When George Bush
was the president of the US, Moore often
said the president was wrong about things.
The president sent soldiers to fight in the
Middle East, but Moore thought this was a
bad idea. I agree with Moore. I think the
problems in the Middle East should be
solved without more fighting.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
99

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Although the robot was not very ______, it was remarkably reliable.
a. expanding

b. illegal

c. outspoken

d. sophisticated

2. He always agrees with his wife. He tries to avoid ______.

a. attitude

b. controversy

c. manners

d. vitamins

3. Lets not ______ about the movie. Both the acting and directing were terrible.
a. back up

b. take in

c. mince words

d. make a statement

4. The government passed a new law against software ______.

a. aspects

b. decoys

c. piracy

d. swearing

5. The test results ______ that you are in perfect health.

a. condemn

b. discourage

c. indicate

d. retaliate

6. This is not the stars ______ website. This is a fans homepage.

a. internal

b. mental

c. natural

d. official

7. We should ______ see the pyramids when we go to Egypt.

a. definitely

b. eventually

c. freely

d. tentatively

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Both the bully and the ______ student were sent to the principals office.
a. retaliation

b. retaliate

c. retaliating

9. Edison tried to cheer up his ______ assistant after the experiment failed.
a. discouragement

b. discourage

c. discouraged

10. The ______ prisoner did not look at the judge.

a. condemnation

100

b. condemn

c. condemned

Remembering Memories

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Do you think you have a good memory or a bad
memory?
2. What is your earliest childhood memory?

Vocabulary Preview

3. How can people improve their memories?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. keep; maintain
b. kinds
c. obtained; gained

d. get worse; diminish

e. far; distant
f. bad; unreliable

1. ____ There are five different categories of memory.

2. ____ Remote memories are from years ago.
3. ____ When you review your notes, you reinforce your acquired knowledge.
4. ____ I have a faulty memory when it comes to peoples names. I never remember them.
5. ____ Our memories can degrade over time.
6. ____ Is there a way to preserve our memories?

101

Remembering Memories

c k 33
Tra

10

15

20

ost people wish they had better memories. They also worry about forgetting
things as they get older. But did you know that we have different kinds of
memory? When one or more of these kinds of memories start to fail, there are
a few simple things that everyone can do to improve their memories.
What most people think of as memory is, in fact, five different categories of
memory. Our capability to remember things from the past, that is, years or days ago,
depends on two categories of memory. They are remote memory and recent memory,
respectively. Think back to last years birthday. What did you do? If you cant remember
that, you are having a problem with your remote memory. On the other hand, if you
cant remember what you ate for lunch yesterday, that is a problem with your recent
memory.
Remembering past events is only one way we use memories. When taking a test, we
need to draw on our semantic memories. That is the sum of our acquired knowledge. Or
maybe we want to remember to do or use something in the future, either minutes or days
from now. These cases use our immediate and prospective memories, respectively.
Have you ever thought to yourself, I need to remember to turn off the light, but then
promptly forgot it? That would be a faulty immediate memory. On the other hand, maybe
you can easily remember to meet your friend for lunch next week. That means that at
least your prospective memory is in good working order.
Many people think that developing a bad memory is unavoidable as we get older,
but this is actually not the case. Of our five kinds of memory, immediate, remote, and
prospective (if aided with cues like memos) do not degrade with age. But how can we
prevent a diminishing of our semantic and unaided prospective memories? The secret
seems to be activity. Studies have shown that a little mental activity, like learning
25 new things or even doing crossword puzzles, goes a long way in
positively affecting our memories. Regular physical activity appears
to be able to make our memories better as well. This is possibly due
to having a better blood supply to the brain. The one thing to avoid at
all costs, though, is stress. When we are stressed, our bodies release
30 a hormone called cortisol, which is harmful to our brain cells and
thus our memories. Reducing stress through meditation, exercise,
or other activities can help to preserve our mental abilities.
Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

102

424 words

13

draw on: to access; to use

22

aide: to help

13

semantic: related to meaning and language

22

cue: a hint; a memo

13

sum: the total

25

crossword puzzle: a word game

15

prospective: potential; future

31

15

respectively: in that order

meditation: the act of thinking deeply and

calmly

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main focus of this reading?
a. Types of human memory
c. Tricks for remembering things

b. Functions of brain chemicals

d. How to stay active

2. Which category of memory would you use to remember where your car keys are?
a. Immediate memory
c. Remote memory

b. Recent memory
d. Semantic memory

3. Which of the following would positively affect your memory?

a. Watching TV
c. Working a lot

b. Stretching
d. Producing cortisol

4. Which of the following is NOT true, according to the reading?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Some kinds of memory are not affected by age.

Stress makes us forget more things.
Too much blood flow can degrade our memory.
Physical activity and having a good memory are connected.

5. Which word is closest in meaning to the word secret in this reading?

a. A hidden thing
c. An unexplainable thing

b. A private thing
d. A successful method

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
in good working order

[ in good condition ]
The boss wants this department to be in good working order
today!

a little (something)
goes a long way

[ something that we do or use now that leads to a big

beneficial result later ]
A little understanding goes a long way when you are
dealing with people.

at all costs

[ no matter what; absolutely ]

At all costs, dont ask the teacher about the homework.
I think shes forgotten.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. ____________________ vitamin C ____________________ when youre fighting a cold.
2. If you are sick, you should avoid becoming overtired ____________________.
3. The car is _________________________________________ for the trip.
103

Summary
Scan the passage and complete the chart with the correct information.
Type of Memory

Definition

___________________ memory

Used to remember things that happened long ago

___________________ memory

Used to remember things that happened a few days ago

___________________ memory

Used to remember the sum of ones acquired knowledge

___________________ memory

Used to remember to do something now or soon

___________________ memory

Used to remember to do something in the future

Types 1, 4, and 5 dont 6 ___________________ with age (if aided with cues like memos)
You can 7 ___________________ degrading of types 2, 3, and unaided 5 by the following

practices:
---- 8 ___________________ activity (learning new things or doing puzzles)
---- physical 9 ___________________
---- avoid 10 ___________________, which produces cortisol that harms brain cells

Listening
Can You Recall?
c k 34
Tra

Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. They are remembering a time when they went _____________________.
2. They could not get back because ______________________________________.
3. The man remembers that __________________________ fell in the water, but the woman
remembers that __________________________ fell in the water.

104

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Who has a better memory in general, men or women? Why do you think so?
2. What kinds of things do you have trouble remembering? Give at least one example.
3. What methods do you use to remember things?

Grammar
Infinitives as Adjectives
An infinitive can function as an adjective modifying a noun that comes immediately before
the infinitive.
Our capability (of remember / to remember) things from the past depends on two categories
of memory.
The one thing (that avoids / to avoid) at all costs is stress.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

How I Remember
Example
(1) What is something you
have trouble remembering?
(2) Why do you need to
remember this? (3) What
method do you use to help
you remember this? (4) Give
an example of your method.
(5) How well does this
method work?

I have trouble remembering the names

of my friends boyfriends. I need to know
their names because I often meet them
when I see my friends. The method I use
to help me remember is to connect their
names to their clothes. For example, Jills
boyfriend is Silk Shirt Sam because he
was wearing a silk shirt when I met him
for the first time. This method works
really well for me.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
105

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Before you put the DVD in, be sure the DVD player is in proper ______.
a. cost

b. memory

c. birthday

d. working order

2. I listed the nouns in three ______: people, places, and things.

a. activities

b. categories

c. cues

d. situations

3. Many of the writers stories ______ her experiences growing up in China.

a. aid

b. acquire

c. draw on

d. fail

4. The problem in our office yesterday was caused by ______ equipment.

a. faulty

b. immediate

c. necessary

d. unavoidable

5. We spent our vacation at a(n) ______ village in the Swiss Alps.

a. degraded

b. internal

c. mental

d. remote

6. You can find ______ questions asked in interviews on many websites.

a. prospective

b. preserve

c. recent

d. typical

7. The program may seem expensive at first, but it will actually save money in ______.
a. a long way

b. the long run

c. the top

d. well above

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Over time, the machines parts will ______ and need to be replaced.
a. degradation

b. degrade

c. degraded

9. The new business model will accelerate the companys ______ of new customers.
a. acquisition

b. acquired

c. reacquire

10. They found the ______ body of a horse in the tomb.

a. preservation

106

b. preserve

c. preserved

Taking Home the World Cup

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. Which sports do you like to watch the most?
Which do you like to play?
2. Do you like soccer? Have you ever been to a World
Cup game?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Have you ever won a trophy or a prize? If so, what

did you do with it?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word or phrase.
a. the state of being
b. wrote by cutting into
c. got back; regained

d. before
e. copy; another that is the same
f. stands for; symbolizes

1. ____ The blue ribbon represents the best player as chosen by the judges.
2. ____ A game like soccer has been in existence for hundreds of years.
3. ____ There was no World Cup tournament prior to 1930.
4. ____ The trophy was stolen, but police found the thief and recovered it.
5. ____ This is not the original document. I made a duplicate using the copy machine.
6. ____ He inscribed his girlfriends initials on the inside of the ring.

107

Taking Home the World Cup

c k 35
Tra

ts only thirty-six centimeters tall, but to fans throughout the world, it represents the
highest achievement in football. Every four years, teams from all over the globe
compete to take home the FIFA World Cup Trophy, yet nobody ever does. Nobody
ever takes it home because the 18-carat gold trophy is kept under lock and key by FIFA
(Fdration Internationale de Football Association). The champions of each World Cup
tournament receive only a replica. This is to protect the valuable prize from thieves, who
have stolen the World Cup trophy twice in its 75-year history.
The little trophy has certainly had a troubled existence. The original trophy was
made by a French sculptor, Abel LaFleur, and was called the Jules Rimet Cup, in honor of
the founder of the World Cup tournament. Sometime during the first three World Cup
events (1930, 1934, and 1938), the name changed to simply the World Cup. Then during
World War II, not much was seen or heard of the trophy. It was being kept hidden in a shoe
box under the bed of Dr. Ottorino Barassi, the Italian vice-president of FIFA, to prevent it
from falling into the hands of the Nazi army.
In 1966, the Cup was stolen during a public showing of the trophy prior to the
World Cup tournament in England. Luckily, it was found a short time later, none the
worse for wear, in a trash container by a little dog named Pickles. Four years later, Brazil
earned permanent possession of the original trophy by winning its third World Cup title.
Unfortunately, the trophy was stolen a second time in 1983 and was never recovered. The
Brazilian Football Association had to have a duplicate trophy made.
After the first trophy became the possession of Brazils football association, a new
World Cup Trophy for FIFA was designed by an Italian artist, Silvio Gazzaniga, in 1974.
This trophy cannot be won outright, but remains in the possession of FIFA, and
rest assured they are watching it very closely. Today, World Cup winners are
awarded a replica of the trophy that is gold-plated, rather than solid gold
like the real one.
Gazzanigas World Cup trophy weighs almost five kilograms.
Its base contains two layers of a semi-precious stone called
malachite, and has room for seventeen small plaques bearing
the names of the winning teams---enough space to honor all the
World Cup champions up to the year 2038. After that, a new trophy
will have to be made.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

108

424 words

football: soccer

25

plate: to cover with metal

trophy: a prize; an award

28

replica: an exact copy, usually of a work of art

semi-precious: less valuable than precious

stones

29

plaque: a rectangular piece of wood or metal

inscribed to honor someone or something

29

bear: to carry; to hold

18

possession: a thing that is owned; property

23

outright: directly

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the reading mainly about?
a. The World Cup tournament
c. The World Cup trophy

b. Thieves
d. World Cup stars

2. Which question is NOT answered in the reading?

a.
b.
c.
d.

How much does the World Cup trophy weigh?

Who made the first trophy?
Where did the police find the stolen trophy?
How much money is the trophy worth?

3. The first trophy was named the Jules Rimet Cup because Rimet ______.
a. made the trophy
c. scored the final goal in 1930

b. was a famous player

d. came up with the idea of the World Cup

4. Which is true about Gazzanigas World Cup trophy?

a. It is made of gold and silver.
c. It is in a museum in Brazil.

b. It is a replica of the first trophy.

d. It will only be used until 2038.

5. In which year did Brazil win the World Cup championship for the third time?
a. 1970
c. 1986

b. 1974
d. 2002

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
under lock and key

[ safe and secure; difficult to access ]

Important files are kept under lock and key in the
managers desk.

none the worse for wear

[ still in good condition ]

The star gave an interview from his hospital bed to show
that he was none the worse for wear after his operation.

rest assured

[ to be certain; to relax because you know ]

On this you can rest assured: There is no one else in the
world exactly like you.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. Dont worry. The diamonds are ______________________________.
2. ____________________ that the police will catch the criminal.
3. Thankfully, my dry-clean-only shirt looked ______________________________ for having gone
through the washing machine.
109
10

Summary
Read the sentences from the reading passage. Paraphrase the sentences
to create a summary of the passage.
a. Nobody ever takes it home because the 18-carat gold trophy is kept under lock and
key by FIFA (Fdration Internationale de Football Association).
b. This is to protect the valuable prize from thieves, who have stolen the World Cup
trophy twice in its 75-year history.
1. a + b: The original World Cup trophy ________________________________________________, so
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
c. This trophy cannot be won outright, but remains in the possession of FIFA, and
rest assured they are watching it very closely.
d. Today, World Cup winners are awarded a replica of the trophy that is gold-plated,
rather than solid gold like the real one.
2. c + d: Now the World Cup trophy ____________________________________________________, so
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
e. Four years later, Brazil earned permanent possession of the original trophy by
winning its third World Cup title.
f. After the first trophy became the possession of Brazils football association, a
new World Cup Trophy for FIFA was designed by an Italian artist, Silvio
Gazzaniga, in 1974.
3. e + f: Brazil won the original trophy _________________________________________________, so
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

Listening
A Sure Winner?
c k 36
Tra

Listen to the dialog. Check True or False for each sentence.

1. The woman watched the US play against North Korea in the World Cup.
2. Every time Brazil made it to the championship match, they won.
3. According to the speakers, the next World Cup tournament is
more than one year away.
110

True

False

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Do you think that teams should be able to take home the real World Cup trophy? Why or
why not?
2. What do you know about trophies for other famous tournaments?
3. Which would you rather win as a prize for a tournament: money or a trophy? Why?

Grammar
Past Passive
The past passive is used to express an action or a situation that began and ended before
now. It is often used with particular words or phrases that emphasize past actions over past
actors.
The original World Cup trophy (was made / has been made) by a French sculptor, and was
called the Jules Rimet Cup, in honor of the founder of the tournament.
In 1966, the Cup (stole / was stolen) during a public showing of the trophy prior to the World
Cup tournament in England.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

The Time I Won

Example
(1) What is something that you have
won? (2) When did you win this?
(3) How did you win this? (4) What
kind of prize did you get? (5) Do you
still have this? If so, where?

When I was in high school, I won

a badminton tournament. My
partner and I beat all the other
players in my school. After the
tournament, we each got a small
trophy. I still have it in my room.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
111

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. Have you ______ your stolen cell phone yet?
a. plated

b. responded

c. backed up

d. recovered

2. I have very few ______. I dont even own a computer.

a. trophies

b. plaques

c. possessions

d. features

3. Dan owns his house ______. He has paid off the bank loan completely.
a. outright

b. saliva

c. replica

d. lock and key

c. indication

d. possession

c. turbulent

d. mental

4. Some believe in the ______ of aliens.

a. duplicate

b. existence

5. Sues brother studies ______ medicine.

a. Brazilian

b. internal

6. ______ the war, gas prices were much lower.

a. Prior to

b. Typically

c. Initially

d. Finally

7. John was born in the US, but he is a(n) ______ resident of Canada. Its his home now.
a. duplicate

b. bearing

c. permanent

d. outright

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. The ______ on the ring is very small. I cant read it.
a. inscribing

b. inscribe

c. inscription

9. ______ of this material is forbidden.

a. Duplicate

b. Duplication

c. Duplicated

10. The award, which ______ the highest level of achievement in our school, was given
to my best friend.
a. representative

112

b. represents

c. representation

No Phishing Allowed

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. What are some different types of computer security
problems?
2. Do you shop or check your bank account online?
Why or why not?

Vocabulary Preview

3. What can we do to protect our computers and our

privacy?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. copy; do the same as
b. suspicious; careful
c. persuade; induce

d. untruthful; criminal
e. needing immediate attention
f. situation; thing

1. ____ Some dishonest people try to steal other peoples credit card numbers.
2. ____ The comedian can change his voice to sound like the president. He can imitate the
president well.
3. ____ What can I do to convince you that Im not lying?
4. ____ Someone is using your card illegally. You should take this matter to the police.
5. ____ Please call as soon as you read this message so we can discuss this urgent problem.
6. ____ You should be wary of any message from a sender you dont recognize.
113

No Phishing Allowed

c k 37
Tra

owadays, most people realize that its risky to use credit

card numbers online. However, from time to time, we all
use passwords and government ID numbers on the Internet.
We think we are safe, but that may not be true! A new kind of
attack is being used by dishonest people to steal IDs and credit
card numbers from innocent websurfers. This new kind of attack is called phishing.
Phishing sounds the same as the word fishing, and it implies that a thief is trying to
lure people into giving away valuable information. Like real fishermen, phishers use bait in
the form of great online deals or services. For example, phishers might use fake emails and
false websites to con people into revealing credit card numbers, account usernames, and
passwords. They imitate well-known banks, online sellers, and credit card companies.
Successful phishers may convince as many as five percent of the people they contact to
respond and give away their personal financial information.
Is this really a big problem? Actually, tricking five percent of the online population
is huge! Currently, more than 350 million people have access to the Internet, and seventyfive percent of those Internet users live in the wealthiest countries on Earth. It has been
estimated that phishers send more than three billion scam messages each year. Even by
tricking only five percent of the people, phishers can make a lot of money.
Since there is so much money to make through this kind of scam, it has
caught the interest of more than just small-time crooks. Recently, police tracked
down members of an organized phishing group in Eastern Europe, who had stolen
hundreds of thousands of dollars from people online. The group created official-looking
email messages requesting people to update their personal information at an international
banks website. However, the link to the bank in the message actually sent people to the
phishers fake website. To make matters worse, further investigation revealed that this
group had connections to a major crime gang in Russia.
How can innocent people protect themselves? Above all, they have to learn to
recognize email that has been sent by a phisher. Always be wary of any email with
urgent requests for personal financial information. Phishers typically write upsetting
or exciting, but fake, statements in their emails so that people will reply right away.
Also, messages from phishers will not address recipients by name because they really
dont know who the recipients are yet. On the other hand, valid messages from your bank
or other companies you normally deal with will typically include your name.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

risky: unsafe; dangerous

17

scam: an illegal trick, usually to steal money

lure: to attract; to tempt

20

small-time: not important; insignificant

bait: a thing used to attract or tempt

20

crook: a thief

fake: not real

26

gang: an organized group of criminals

financial: related to money

29

upsetting: disturbing; causing worry

13

114

439 words

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main purpose of the reading?
a.
b.
c.
d.

To contrast phishers and hackers

To explain what phishing is
To outline three ways to recognize phishing scams
To report a surprising phishing scam

2. To which activity is phishing compared?

a. Catching fish
c. Looking for rare things

b. Collecting things
d. Meeting friends online

3. What is implied about the people who get caught in phishing scams?
a. Few of them have jobs.
c. They are very young.

b. Most live in wealthy countries.

d. They often buy things online.

4. According to the reading, who was behind the Eastern European phishing scam?
a. A gang in Russia
c. Hackers in London

b. A bank employee
d. Small-time crooks

5. Which would probably NOT be found in a phishing email message?

a. A real banks name
c. The receivers name

b. An offer for a low sale price on a product

d. An urgent request for information

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
con (someone) into (doing) [ to trick, usually in order to steal something ]
The thief conned people into giving him money by
telling them that his car had broken down.
track down

[ to use clues in order to find ]

Using an old photo, the journalist tracked down the
singers mother.

right away

[ immediately; without delay ]

If the fish starts to burn, take it out of the oven right
away.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. When the box is delivered, you should open it ____________________.
2. It took the programmer hours to ____________________ the bug in the program.
3. Why would I try to ____________________ you ____________________ doing something wrong?
115

Summary
Fill in the blanks with the correct words.
lure
wary

convince
financial

risky
gangs

crooks
tracked

Giving personal information over the Internet has always been 1 ___________________, but
now its even more so with the new Internet scam, phishing. Phishers first 2 ___________________
innocent people into a scam by making up fake emails. With this bait, they 3 ___________________
some of the people they contact to give away 4 ___________________ information. These Internet
criminals are not just small-time
6

___________________. Police investigations have recently

___________________ down organized phishing groups in Eastern

Europe with connections to crime 7 ___________________

in Russia. People must be 8 ___________________ of any
urgent emails requesting private information.

Listening
Who Would Fall for That?
c k 38
Tra

Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.

1. Why is the woman worried?
a. She hates fishing.
b. She received a strange email.
c. Her grandmother might be fooled. d. Her grandmother sent her a message.
2. What does the man think about phishing victims?
a. Theyre lazy.
c. They deserve to be tricked.

b. Theyre only interested in money.

d. Theyre not very smart.

3. What will the woman do?

a. Contact the police
c. Get rid of her computer

116

b. Delete the message

d. Talk to her grandmother

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Have you received any phishing messages? If so, what did they look like?
2. How do you think the government and the police should deal with phishing?
3. What other kinds of Internet scams have you heard about?

Grammar
Causative Verbs
Certain verbs are used to express a casual relationship between the subject and the object.
Some of these verbs are followed by an object + to-infinitives or into + -ing.
Phishing implies that a thief is trying to lure people (to giving / into giving) away valuable
information.
The group created official-looking email messages requesting people (to update / update)
their personal information at an international banks website.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

An Online Scam
Example
(1) What is another kind of
Internet scam? (2) How does
it work? (3) How do the
crooks lure people? (4) What
happens after that? (5) How
do the crooks avoid being
caught?

Another kind of Internet scam is fake

e-shopping malls. For example, a crook
might set up a fake shopping site in this
scam. He or she will try to lure people
with low prices. People pay for the
products, but the products are never
delivered. When people try to complain,
the website is no longer there.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

117

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. How can I ______ you to buy my products?
a. inscribe

b. convince

c. boost

d. face

c. scam

d. con

c. face up to

d. concerned

2. Fishermen use worms as ______.

a. bait

b. lure

3. You should be ______ of strangers.

a. hinder

b. wary

4. Bill ______ his lost bag at the lost-and-found department.

a. recovered

b. represented

c. referred

d. distracted

5. Contact me if you get any ______ phone calls.

a. permanent

b. fake

c. urgent

d. great

6. It is ______ to cross the street without looking first.

a. safe

b. risky

c. dishonest

d. upsetting

7. That watch is a ______. The brand mark is the wrong shape.

a. statement

b. crook

c. crime

d. fake

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. Bob studied ______ in university.
a. finance

b. financier

c. financial

9. That evidence is ______. I dont believe it.

a. convincing

b. unconvincing

c. convinced

10. The ______ diamond looked exactly like a real diamond.

a. imitator

118

b. imitating

c. imitation

Take a Ghost Tour

Pre-Reading
Think about the following questions.
1. What country do you think this castle is in? Why?
2. Does this castle look scary? Why or why not?

Vocabulary Preview

3. Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the
underlined word.
a. places to stay or sleep
b. place to put dead people
c. feast; big and formal dinner

d. put underground after death

e. visited by ghosts
f. parts of the body that give us shape

1. ____ That old castle is haunted.

2. ____ My grandmother is buried near the sea.
3. ____ There are 206 bones in the human body.
4. ____ My grandmother is buried in a cemetery.
5. ____ The accommodations at the hotel are very comfortable.
6. ____ The king held a big banquet to celebrate the princesss wedding.

119

Take a Ghost Tour

c k 39
Tra

t is late at night. You hear a strange noise and feel a cold rush of air move past you.
Was it a ghost? If you were in Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, England, it
may have been! This is because Chillingham is believed to be one of the most haunted
castles in England.
For almost 800 years, Chillingham Castle has been the home to ghosts of all different
types. In the early 1900s, visitors to the castle reported seeing the ghost of a little boy. They
gave him the name Blue Boy because he was always seen wearing blue clothes and
surrounded by a blue light. Late in the 1920s, workmen fixing a wall in an unused bedroom
had an unpleasant surprise. While working, they discovered the bones of a small child
wearing blue clothes buried within the wall. Interestingly, after these remains were buried
in the local cemetery, the ghost boy was never seen again.
Another ghost that has been seen in the castle is that of Lady Mary Berkeley. She died
alone in the castle after her husband left her for another woman. People have heard the
sound of her dress rustling as she walked by. There is also a painting of Lady Berkeley in
the castle that some people say comes to life. Her ghost has been reported stepping out of
the painting and following children around.
Then, there is also the White Lady. This spirit is supposed to be the ghost of a
woman who was poisoned to death many years ago. She has been known to go up to
people, ask for a drink of water, and then disappear.
With all these reports of ghosts, you might think that people would avoid Chillingham
Castle. After all, most people think of ghosts as scary things. But, in fact, Chillingham has
now turned into a tourist attraction! Thousands of people visit Chillingham each year.
Some just tour the grounds and eat in the castle tea-room, but others actually stay in
the castle itself. A variety of accommodations are available,
from rooms in the tower to suites in the coach house. For
those people who want a more special experience, the
castle hosts weddings, complete with a medieval banquet.
And thats not all. Concerts, operas, and fairs regularly
make Chillingham Castle their home. Chillingham Castle
has also been used as a background location for movies
and TV shows. For a haunted castle, Chillingham certainly
appears to be remarkably popular.

10

15

20

25

30

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds

120

rush: a gust; a blast

14

rustle: to move with soft fluttering sounds

23

grounds: the outside area; a yard

23

tea-room: a place where people can have a

snack

414 words

25

suite: a room that has extra space for

socializing

27

medieval: related to the Middle Ages, 400s to

1400s CE

32

remarkably: amazingly; surprisingly

Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a. Castles usually have ghosts.
c. Many ghosts live in England.

b. Chillingham Castle has a long history.

d. Chillingham Castle is an interesting place.

2. According to the reading, what is NOT true about the ghosts of Chillingham Castle?
a.
b.
c.
d.

There are different types of them.

More of the ghosts are men.
The Blue Boy is no longer seen.
Most of them have been seen over the last 800 years.

3. According to the reading, what does the ghost of the White Lady ask people for?
a. Her painting
c. Water

b. Her husband
d. Poison

4. What can you do at Chillingham Castle?

a. Eat a meal
c. See a ghost

b. Rent a room
d. All of the above

5. The author implies that burying the bones found in the wall ______.
a. put the ghost to rest
c. was scary

b. made no difference
d. was funny

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
left (someone) for another man/woman

[ to break up because of loving another

person ]
His girlfriend left him for another man.

complete with

[ including ]
Every graduation picture we sell comes
complete with a frame.

make (somewhere) (someones) home

[ to stay or live somewhere ]

Weve made LA our home for the last
two years.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. This new knife set comes _____________________________ a cutting board.
2. IBM has __________ the US their __________ for its head office.
3. Mary, dont ever __________ me _____________________________!
121

Summary
Scan the passage and complete the notes with the correct information.
I.

Castle ghosts
A. Blue Boy
i. Wears blue, 1 ___________________ by a blue light
ii.

___________________ of a boy dressed in blue were found within a wall

iii. After the remains were buried in a 3 ___________________, the ghost stopped
appearing
B. Lady Mary Berkely
i. Died alone in the castle after her husband 4 ___________________
ii. Steps out of a 5 ___________________ and follows children
C. The 6 ___________________ Lady
i. Is thought to be a woman who was 7 ___________________ in the castle
ii. Asks people for a drink of water and then 8 ___________________

II. Castle attractions for tourists

A. Facilities: tours of the grounds, meals in the 9 ___________________, and rooms
and suites for guests
B. Events: weddings with medieval 10 ___________________, concerts, operas, and
fairs

Listening
I Didnt Know That!
c k 40
Tra

Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. A ghost haunts ______________________________, but a poltergeist haunts ______________________________.
2. Ghosts are not ______________________________, but poltergeists can be ______________________________.
3. Ghosts are thought to be ______________________________, but poltergeists are thought to be
______________________________.
122

Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1. Would you like to stay in a castle like Chillingham? Why or why not?
2. What are some places believed to be haunted in your country?
3. If ghosts do exist, why do you think they appear in certain places and not others?

Grammar
Verbs of Perception
Verbs of perception like hear, feel, see, watch, or listen to are used with objects followed by the
base form of a verb or a participle. When the verb of perception, however, is put into a passive
voice, it should be followed by a to-infinitive or a participle, but not by the base form of a verb.
You hear a strange noise and feel a cold rush of air (move / to move) past you.
They gave him the name Blue Boy because he was always seen (wear / wearing) blue clothes
and surrounded by a blue light.

Writing
g
Write your own short paragraph by answering the questions below.

A Place with a Ghost

Example
(1) What place have you heard
has a ghost? (2) Who was the
ghost? (3) What do you know
about the place or the ghost?
(4) Have you been to this
place? (5) Do you believe there
really is a ghost there?

I have heard that a house in New

Orleanss French Quarter has a ghost in
it. The ghost was a rich man from the
Middle East. He and the women in his
harem were murdered in the house. I
have seen this house. I dont think there
are any ghosts there. I think they just
want to attract tourists to that place.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

123

Vocabulary and Idiom Review

A. Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank.
1. The rose garden on the castle ______ is magnificent.
a. bones

b. categories

c. grounds

d. remains

2. Hiking trails on the mountain will open after the winter snow ______.
a. recedes

b. recovers

c. represents

d. reveals

3. The workbook comes ______ an audio CD and answer guide.

a. complete with

b. for another

c. my home

d. prior to

4. If you are not planning to attend the ______, you dont need to RSVP.
a. attraction

b. banquet

c. existence

d. trophy

5. There is a small ______ in the yard behind the old church.

a. accommodation b. castle

c. cemetery

d. suite

6. People say the old house on the hill is ______, so they are afraid to go into it.
a. buried

b. haunted

c. official

d. remarkable

7. This message is ______. Please reply immediately.

a. dishonest

b. duplicate

c. rustling

d. urgent

B. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blank.

8. All of the ______ on the tour were top-rated hotels.
a. accommodations

b. accommodate

c. accommodating

9. It is much easier to cook the recipe using ______ chicken, rather than a whole chicken.
a. bone

b. boney

c. boneless

10. She had to ______ the laptop hidden under all the papers on the desk.
a. burial

124

b. buried

c. unbury

Transcripts
Unit 1: Read It or See It?
The Best Version

Unit 3: Alaska Is Melting!

Too Warm in Alaska

Listen to the dialog and choose the

best answer.

Listen to the dialog. Check True or

False for each sentence.

W: Have you read the book Charlie and the

Chocolate Factory?
M: Of course. I think I read it five or six times
when I was a kid. Thats a great book.
W: What about the movies? Have you seen
either of the movie versions of the book?
M: Either of the movie versions? I thought there
was only one movie version of that book.
W: No, there are two famous movie versions.
The first one was a musical version of the
story made in the 1970s.
M: Ive never seen that one. But I did watch the
version directed by Tim Burton. I thought it
did a pretty good job of following the book.
W: Yeah, thats true. It included more parts
from the book than the older movie. But it
seemed like a darker movie, in general,
than the older one.
M: I guess young kids might like the older
movie better than the more recent one.

M: Did you hear that Alaska is melting?

W: Melting? How can an entire state melt?
Thats impossible!
M: Well, maybe not the entire state, but Alaska
does have about 100,000 glaciers.
W: Wow! Thats a lot of glaciers! Are they all
melting?
M: Well, most of them are either melting or
are stagnant because the temperatures are
rising.
W: That must be causing a lot of problems.
M: Yeah. Warm waters mean fewer cold-water
fish, which means less food for some
Alaskan animals like polar bears.
W: Im glad I dont live in Alaska. I like it here
in the south, where it is nice and warm.

Unit 2: Superstitions About Birds

The Aviary
Listen to the dialog and complete each
sentence.
M: Would you like to go to the aviary today?
W: Whats that?
M: Its like a zoo, except its just for birds.
People visit an aviary to see birds from all
over the world.
W: Cool. Do they have peacocks there? I think
they are so beautiful.
M: Indeed they do, but you shouldnt look too
closely at them.
W: Why not?
M: Their beautiful feathers are considered to
bring bad luck if you look at them. They
are thought to look like an evil eye.
W: Come on. You dont believe that old wives
tale, do you?

Unit 4: Working on Your Workout

The Goal
Listen to the dialog and choose the
best answer.
M: Im going to the gym to work out, do you
want to come?
W: No, thanks. I went yesterday. I need to rest
today.
M: Rest? Why? I go to the gym every day. My
goal is to achieve bigger muscles by the
end of the summer.
W: If thats your goal, dont go to the gym every
day. Didnt you know that your muscles
dont grow during exercise?
M: Really? What do you mean?
W: Your muscles grow during rest because
they need time to repair. Your muscles
grow after they repair.
M: So, our bodies get stronger while we rest?
W: Exactly!
M: Hmm. I think Ill go to the gym tomorrow
instead.

Transcripts 125

Unit 5: Smart Exercise

Worth a Try?
Listen to the dialog and complete each
sentence.
M: Lately, Ive been so forgetful. I cant seem
to remember anything!
W: Maybe you should walk to school by a
different street. That might jump-start
your brain.
M: Why would taking different streets to
school help my memory?
W: Sometimes doing regular activities in a
slightly different way can help re-activate
old memory pathways in our brain, or even
build new ones!
M: Oh, yeah. I have heard that exposure to
new sights, sounds, and smells can help
stimulate the brain.
W: Right. So you could even put some herbs
and spices next to your bed so you wake
up to different smells each morning.
M: Do you really think doing these things can
increase my memory?
W: Not just your memory, but your ability to
learn things, too. Give it a try!

Unit 6: Rescuing Relics

Lis Museum
Listen to the dialog. Check True or
False for each sentence.
W: I think it would be interesting to visit the
museum that Songtang Li set up.
M: I dont know. If I traveled all the way to
Beijing, I think Id rather spend my time in
one of the national museums.
W: But those national museums are so big.
There is just too much to see in those big
museums. Id rather visit a smaller museum
and take more time to look at fewer works.
M: I guess that could be one good thing about
visiting a smaller museum. I wonder if Mr.
Li has information about the pieces written
on signs for people to read.

126 Reading Challenge 3

W: Im not sure. The information I read said

that he has someone working there to help
him out. You know, Mr. Li has another
regular job.
M: Oh? You mean his museum doesnt take up
all of his time?
W: I guess not. He also manages a place that
helps care for elderly people.

Unit 7: Tweenbots
Robots That Help
Listen to the dialog and choose the
best answer.
M: Did you know that there are small robots
that help people?
W: Really? What do they do?
M: These robots mostly help out around
someones house if they need it.
W: Do you mean elderly people who cant do a
lot of things on their own anymore? Such as
cleaning and keeping the house in order?
M: Right!
W: Wow, I want to have a small robot! Then I
wouldnt have to do the dishes anymore.
M: Well, I think youd still have to do the
dishes, but maybe you wouldnt have to
make the bed.
W: That sounds good to me!

Unit 8: Back to the Future

Skating in the Park
Listen to the dialog and complete each
sentence.
W: Hi, Mark.
M: Hey, Tracy. I didnt know you had inline
skates.
W: I just got them. They were on sale for $50.
M: How do you like them?
W: Theyre OK. Im still getting used to them.
M: It took me a couple of months to become
comfortable with mine. Now, Im playing
in a roller hockey league.

Transcripts
W: I just skate with friends on weekends.
Want to come with us sometime?
M: Sure. How about next Saturday?
W: That sounds good. Lets meet here at 2
oclock.
M: OK. See you Saturday.
W: See you then.

Unit 9: A Better Robot

Mr. Yims Idea
Listen to the dialog. Check True or
False for each sentence.
M: Where did the idea for snakebots come
from?
W: The main idea probably came from Mark
Yim, of Xerox.
M: What did he do?
W: Mark Yim designed a new kind of robot,
called a polybot.
M: A polybot? Is that like a snakebot?
W: Well, a polybot is made of many small
robots. It can look like a snake, a spider, or
a wheel. Each shape is for a different kind
of task or project.
M: So, a snakebot is a kind of simple polybot.
W: Yes, you could say that.

Unit 10: Flower Power

My Neighborhood
Listen to the dialog and choose the
best answer.
W: Im surprised that Operation Flower
worked so well in Suginami.
M: Why are you so surprised? It seems logical
to me that if people are outdoors all the time,
thieves wont have as many opportunities to
get into houses and steal things.
W: The thing I cant believe is that planting
flowers would actually make people spend
so much time outdoors. There are lots of
trees and flowers planted around the
houses in my neighborhood, but I rarely

see people outdoors taking care of them.

M: How do the plants grow if nobody takes
care of them?
W: People do come out on weekends to take
care of the plants. They just dont come out
every day during the week.
M: Are there many incidents of break-ins
where you live?
W: No, Ive never heard of thieves breaking
into any of the houses where I live.
M: Then maybe its enough for people just to
come out on weekends.

Unit 11: A Controversial Restoration

For Its Protection
Listen to the dialog and complete each
sentence.
M: Guess what I saw during my trip to Paris
last month?
W: I bet you saw the Eiffel Tower.
M: Of course I saw that. But I also saw the
Mona Lisa.
W: The real one? da Vincis Mona Lisa?
M: Thats the one. I saw it at the Louvre. They
keep it behind bullet-proof glass.
W: Are they afraid someone is going to shoot it?
M: No, but you know, someone threw acid on
the painting once. It took the museum
years to restore it.
W: Oh, I didnt know that. I guess shes safe
now.

Unit 12: The Flood

Recalling the Details
Listen to the dialog. Check True or
False for each sentence.
M: I heard the story of Noah and the flood
when I was a child.
W: Me, too. Do you remember the whole story?
M: I remember that he put two of every animal
on his boat.
W: Do you remember how long it rained?

Transcripts 127

M: I think it rained for forty days and forty

nights.
W: Right. Then what happened?
M: Noah sent out a dove, and the dove brought
a branch from a tree back to him.
W: Right. So that was how Noah knew there
was dry land somewhere.
M: I think there was also something about a
rainbow in the story.
W: Oh, yeah. The rainbow meant that there
would never be a flood like that again.

M: Ive heard seaweed is good for your skin,

but shouldnt you just eat it?
W: I do that, too. Seaweed has lots of good
vitamins and nutrients in it.
M: Hmm. Can you make an extra stocking for
me? Id like to take a seaweed bath, too.

Unit 13: Naturally Better Homes

Lots of Advantages

W: Do you have any of those little yellow sticky

notes? I ran out and I need some more.
M: Sure. I have some extra ones in my backpack.
I always carry some with me because theyre
so useful.
W: They certainly are. The person who invented
these things must have been a genius!
M: Actually, I read about that guy. He came up
with the idea for sticky notes like these
when he was daydreaming.
W: No kidding? Was he daydreaming at his
desk at work?
M: No, he was daydreaming at church. He had
a habit of putting little pieces of paper in
his choir book, but the pieces of paper
sometimes fell out. I guess one day at
church, the speaker wasnt that interesting,
so he started daydreaming about a way to
solve the problem of losing those little bits
of paper. Thats when he came up with the
idea of these little yellow sticky notes.

Listen to the dialog and choose the

best answer.
M: What are you going to do this summer?
W: Im going to Bolivia to build earthships.
M: Ive heard of them. Theyre supposed to be
good for the environment, right?
W: Yeah, thats right. But they are also good
for places that dont have any services like
water and electricity.
M: Yeah, I suppose they would be.
W: Another reason they are a great idea in
some areas is that they are earthquakeresistant.
M: Really? Even earthquakes dont destroy
them?
W: Thats right. Theyre fire-proof, too.

Unit 15: Imagine That!

A Great Idea
Listen to the dialog. Check True or
False for each sentence.

Unit 14: Eat Better, Look Better

Whats That for?
Listen to the dialog and complete each
sentence.
M: What are you doing with that stocking?
W: Im using it to make a seaweed bag for my
bath.
M: What?
W: See that dried seaweed on the table? Im
going to put it in this stocking and then tie
the stocking closed. Then Ill put it in my
bath. Its great for my skin.
128 Reading Challenge 3

Unit 16: Madonnas Downloads

The Latest Album
Listen to the dialog and choose the
best answer.
W: Hey, have you heard Madonnas latest
album?
M: Not yet. Lots of people say that its really
good. Im thinking of buying it.
W: Why dont you just download the songs
you like?

Transcripts
M: I cant do that. Its stealing if I do that.
W: Its not stealing. I always download songs
from file-trading sites.
M: But you are stopping the singer or band
from getting paid for their work.
W: I think CDs are too expensive, and I dont
feel bad about getting music for free.
M: Well, I think its wrong, and so do lots of
other people.

Unit 17: Remembering Memories

Can You Recall?
Listen to the dialog and complete each
sentence.
M: Do you remember that time we went sailing?
W: You mean the time we set sail from the
yacht club in that old sailboat?
M: Yeah, thats the time. The wind died down,
and we couldnt sail back.
W: Yes, we had to use the motor instead of the
sails.
M: I remember how embarrassed you were
when you fell overboard!
W: Fell overboard? What are you talking
about?
M: Oh, come on! Your memory cant be that
bad. You tried to jump from the boat to the
shore, and you fell in the water.
W: I certainly did not. My shoe fell in, but
otherwise I jumped safely to the shore.
Your imagination is working overtime!

Unit 18: Taking Home the World

Cup
A Sure Winner?
Listen to the dialog. Check True or
False for each sentence.
W: Who do you think will win the next World
Cup?
M: Brazil, probably. Theyve already won it
several times.

W: Maybe, but you never know. Whats great

about the World Cup is all the upsets! Like
when the United States beat England 1-0
in 1950, and when North Korea beat Italy
1-0 in 1966.
M: Yeah, but has Brazil ever been upset?
W: They sure have. In 1950, they lost the final
2-1 to Uruguay, and on their home field! In
1998, they lost the championship match
3-0 to France.
M: Hmm . . . I didnt know that. Ill have to watch
the tournament for once. When is it?
W: The next tournament will be held two
years from now.
M: Remind me then and well watch it together
. . . but I still think Brazil will win.
W: Dont count on it!

Unit 19: No Phishing Allowed

Who Would Fall for That?
Listen to the dialog and choose the
best answer.
W: Hey, Daniel. Have you heard about phishing?
M: Of course I have! My dad goes fishing
every weekend! We live by a lake.
W: No, I mean p-h-i-s-h-i-n-g. Its a kind of cyber
crime. Dishonest people make websites that
imitate real websites to steal money from
web surfers.
M: Oh! Yes, I think Ive heard a bit about it.
People must be really stupid to be tricked
by it.
W: Well, Im not so sure about that. Now that
I think about it, Im worried about my
grandmother.
M: Oh, really? Why?
W: She uses the Internet sometimes these
days. Unfortunately, her mind isnt as good
as it used to be. She believes everybody!
M: I can see why youre worried, then. You
should warn her about it.
W: I think Ill give her a call tonight.

Transcripts 129

Unit 20: Take a Ghost Tour

I Didnt Know That!
Listen to the dialog and complete the
sentence.
M: Tina, you know a lot about ghosts, dont
you?
W: Sure, Wally. What do you want to know?
M: What is the difference between a poltergeist
and a ghost?
W: Well, some people think that they are the
same, but really they are different. Ghosts
haunt a place, while poltergeists haunt a
person.
M: Really? A ghost can haunt my home, but a
poltergeist can haunt me?
W: Yes. Also, ghosts are not usually harmful to
people. However, poltergeists can sometimes
be very dangerous.
M: Scary! So ghosts are not poltergeists?
W: Right. Ghosts are usually the spirits of
dead people. Poltergeists are not spirits.
Some people believe that poltergeists are
actually strange forms of energy.
M: Thats very interesting.

130 Reading Challenge 3