UNIT 1

OVERVIEW

Objectives:
1. To overview reading skills needed in reading comprehension
2. To review some of the English tenses

A. Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension means understanding written materials thoroughly,
i.e. getting the information presented in the written materials. Thus, it could not be
called “reading” when you read but you do not get the information from the things
you are reading.

Now read the following text and discuss it with those sitting next to you to learn
whether you get the same information, including all the details and the implied
one, as they do.

The Mac Arthur prizes, or “genius award”, are grants of money from $
128,000 to $ 300,000 given to individuals who show outstanding talents in
their fields. According to a foundation spokesperson, this money frees
geniuses from financial worries and allows them the time to devote
5 themselves to creative thinking. The recipients of the Mac Arthur prizes
are people who have already achieved considerable success. It may be
asked whether they attained success despite the fact that they had to
worry about money or because of it.

There are at least three things which will help you understand and comprehend
the written materials you are reading, namely the reading skills, the vocabulary
mastery, and the grammar mastery.

The skimming skill discussed in UNIT 2, for example, will help you get the general
idea, while the scanning skill presented in UNIT 3 helps you find any specific
information you want to know from a text. Mastering the usage of certain forms
and understanding the meaning of the message in the text will enable you
understand the relationship between ideas, so that you will be able to transfer the
information into other forms. There are still some other skills to learn in the other
units, which will improve your reading ability.

Read the text below and answer the questions which follow to see how good your
existing reading skills are.
Health food addicts have at last gained the support of the National
Academy of Sciences in the argument about the relationship between diet
and cancer. The National Academy has issued a 500-page report called
“Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer” that recommends dietary strategies for
5 protecting yourself from cancer. For example, they advice you to reduce
your consumption of fat, as in pork and butter, and increase your intake of
vitamin C, as in grapefruit and cabbage. More beta-carotene, a type of
vitamin A in yellow and green vegetables, should be added to your diet as
well.

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1. What can you infer from what health food addicts have claimed?
(A) They need confirmation from Academy of Sciences.
(B) People need to eat better.
(C) People should cut down their consumption of fat and vitamin A.
(D) People who eat nutritious food are less likey to get cancer.

2. What foods apparently fight cancer?

(A) Fat and vitamins A and C. (C) Fruits and vegetables.
(B) Bacon, grapefruit, and cabbage. (D) Junk foods.

3. The majority of people reading this passage would infer that the Academy
of Science is __________.
(A) An association of nutrition professors.
(B) A reliable scientific organization.
(C) A company that manufactures health food.
(D) A publisher of scientific journals.

4. You can infer from this passage that __________.

(A) Experiments were performed on groups of people to show the effect
of nutrition on cancer
(B) Health food addicts had already proven that good nutrition prevents
cancer
(C) Nothing has been proven in regard to the effect of diet upon the
development of cancer
(D) There is no way to prevent cancer

One of the units in this book focuses on improving your vocabulary mastery
which is very important indeed as no matter how good your reading skills are, you
will find it difficult to understand and comprehend a written text to get the
presented information when you have a limited vacabulary.

Read the following text and see whether you can guess the meaning of the
underlined words.

Although most honeybees die in the field while gathering pollen,

some bees die in the hives and must be removed in order to prevent the
spread of disease and to keep the nest from filling up with corpses. These
corpses emit a chemical that signals death. Most of the bees either ignore
5 the corpses, poke at them, lick them, or inspect them. Usually within an
hour, the bees that are in charge of removing the dead bees grasp them
in their mandibles, pull them through the hive toward the entrance, then fly
away and drop them as far as 400 feet from the hive.

Your grammar mastery also plays an important role in enabling you to

understand what you read as ideas are presented in sentences, which are not
only of a row of words but also of certain grammatical rules. However,
considering that you have learnt grammar for at least six years when you were in
your high schools, there will be no discussion on it in this unit except a brief
review of the English tenses as you can see in the next few pages.

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B. The English Tenses
There are twelve tenses in English grammar, but only seven of them, the most
commonly found in a written text, will be discussed in this unit. Read the following
and notice that English tenses are expressed in different verb forms.
1. Simple Present Tense 2. Present Progressive* Tense
I write I am writing
You write You are writing
He writes He is writing
We write We are writing
They write They are writing
* also called Continuous
3. Simple Past Tense 4. Past Progressive Tense
I wrote I was writing
You wrote You were writing
He wrote He was writing
We wrote We were writing
They wrote They were writing
5. Future Tense Non-Progressive 6. Future Progressive Tense
I shall write I shall be writing
You will write You will be writing
He will write He will be writing
We shall write We shall be writing
They will write They will be writing
7. Present Perfect Tense Non- 8. Present Perfect Progressive
Progressive Tense
I have written I have been writing
You have written You have been writing
He has written He has been writing
We have written We have been writing
They have written They have been writing
9. Past Perfect Tense Non- 10. Past Perfect ProgressiveTense
Progressive
I had written I had been writing
You had written You had been writing
He had written He had been writing
We had written We had been writing
They had written They had been writing
11. Future Perfect Tense Non- 12. Future Perfect ProgressiveTense
Progressive
I shall have written I shall have been writing
You will have written You will have been writing
He will have written He will have been writing
We shall have written We shall have been writing
They will have written They will have been writing

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These are four principal forms of the English verbs:

Simple Form Simple Past Past Participle Present Participle

Regular finish finished finished finishing

Verbs stop stopped stopped stopping
hope hoped hoped hoping
wait waited waited waiting
play played played playing
try tried tried trying

Irregular see saw seen seeing

Verbs make made made making
sing sang sung singing
eat ate eaten eating
put put put putting
go went gone going

The Present, Past, and Future Tenses

I. Simple Present, Present Progressive, and Present Perfect
A. The forms

SIMPLE PRESENT PRESENT PROGRESSIVE PRESENT PERFECT

(+) {I-You-We-They} work. I am working. {I-You-We-They} have

{He-She-It} works. {You-We-They} are working. eaten lunch.
{He-She-It} is working {He-She-It} has eaten
lunch.

(–) {I-You-We-They} do not work. I am not working {I-You-We-They} have not

{He-She-It} does not work. {You-We-They} are not working (haven’t) eaten lunch.
{He-She-It} is not working {He-She-It} has not
(hasn’t) eaten lunch.

(?) Do {I-you-we – they} work? Am I working? Have {I-You-We-They}

Does {he-she-it} work? Are {you-we-they} working? eaten lunch?
Is {he-she-it} working? Has {He-She-It} eaten
lunch?

B. The Meaning

SIMPLE PRESENT (a) Ann takes a shower The simple present

every day. expresses daily habits or
(b) I usually eat lunch at the usual activities, as in (a)
cafetaria. and (b).
(c) Babies cry. The simple present
(d) The earth revolves expresses general
around the sun. statements of facts, as in
(e) A square has four equal (c) and (d). In short, the
sides. simple present is used for
(f) The sky is blue. events or situations that
(always, usually, or
habitually) exist in the past,
present, and future.

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 PRESENT PROGRESSIVE (g) Ann can’t come to the The present progressive
phone right now expresses an activity that is
because she is taking a in progress (is occurring, is
shower. happening) right now.
(h) It’s noon. I am eating The event is in progress at
lunch at the cafetaria at the time the speaker is
present. saying sentence. The event
(i) Jimmy and Susie are began in the past, is in
babies. They are crying. progress now, and will
Maybe they are hungry. probably continue into the
future.

PRESENT PERFECT (j) Jim has already eaten
lunch.
(k) Ann hasn’t eaten lunch
yet.
(l) Have you ever eaten at
that restaurant?
(m) I’ve eaten there.
The present perfect
expresses activities or
situations that occurred (or
did not occur) “before now”
at some unspecified time in
the past.

(n) Pete has eaten at that The present perfect

restaurant many times.
(o) I’ve been to that theater
five or six times.
(p) I’ve had three tests so
far this week.
expresses activities that
were repeated several times
in the pasts. The exact times
are unspecified.

(q) Erica has lived in this When the present perfect is

city since 1989.
(r) I have known Ben for
ten years.
(s) We’ve been in class
since ten o’clock this
morning.
used with since or for, it
expresses situation that
began in the past and
continue to the present.

II. Simple Past, Past Progressive, and Past Perfect

A. The forms

Simple Past
worked yesterday.
STATEMENT {I–You–She–He–It–We–They}
ate breakfast.
did not (didn’t) work yesterday.
NEGATIVE {I–You–She–He–It–We–They}
did not (didn’t) eat breakfast.
work yesterday?
QUESTION Did {I–You–She–He–It–We–They}
eat breakfast?

Past Progressive
{I–She–He–It} was working.
STATEMENT
{ You–We–They} were working.

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 {I–She–He–It} was not (wasn’t) working.
NEGATIVE
{ You–We–They} were not (weren’t) working.

Was {I–She–He–It}
QUESTION working?
Were { You–We–They}

Past Perfect

STATEMENT {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} had eaten when Nina came.

NEGATIVE {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} had not eaten when Nina came.

Had {I–You–She–He–It–We–
QUESTION eaten when Nina came?
They}

B. The Meaning

SIMPLE PAST (a) Mary walked The simple past is used to

downtown talk about activities or
yesterday. situation that began and
ended at a particular time in
the past (e.g., yesterday, last
(b) I slept for eight hours night, two days ago, in
last night. 1990), as in (a) and (b).

(c) I sat down at the dinner The past progressive

PAST PROGRESSIVE table at 6:00 P.M. expresses an activitiy that
yesterday. Tom came to was in progress (was
my house at 6:10 P.M. I occurring, was happening) at
was eating dinner when a point of time of another
Tome came. action (e.g., when Tom
came.) In (c): Eating eationg
(d) I went to bed at 10:00. was in progress at 6:10;
The phone rang at eating was in progress
11:00. I was sleeping when Tom came.
when the phone rang.

PAST PERFECT The past perfect

(e) I was not hungry at
1:00 P.M. I had expresses an activitythat
already eaten occurred before another
time in the past.
In (e): I ate at noon . I was
not hungry at 1:00 P.M.
because I had alrready
eaten before 1:00 P.M.

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III. Simple Future

A. The forms

1. Will
STATEMENT {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} will come tomorrow.
NEGATIVE {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} will not (won’t) come tomorrow.
QUESTION Will {I–You–She–He–It–We–They} come tomorrow?

2. Be going to
I am going to
STATEMENT {She–He–It} is going to
{You–We–They} are going to
come tomorrow.
I am not (‘m not) going to
NEGATIVE {She–He–It} is not (isn’t) going to
{You–We–They} are not (aren’t) going to
Am I going to
QUESTION Is {She–He–It} going to come tomorrow?
Are {You–We–They} going to

B. The Meaning

SIMPLE FUTURE (a) I am going to leave at nine Be going to and will are used to
tomorrow morning. express future time.
(b) I will leave at nine tomorrow (a) and (b) have the same
morning. meaning.
(c) Marie is going to be at the (c) and (d) have the same
meeting tonight. meaning
(d) Marie will be at the meeting NOTE: Going to is sometimes
toninght. pronounced “gonna” in informal
speech. Will is usually contracted
to “’ll” in everyday speech.

Exercise 1 Put the verbs in brackets in their correct forms.

1. Our lecturer told us that he (finish) correcting the forms.

2. He (study) when his parents got home.
3. When I (leave) my office last night, it was still raining very hard.
4. Arif interrupted the teacher while she (explain) the nation condition.
5. The Japanese (develop) a transportation system that doesn’t need human
driver.
6. Some stress (be) good for us.
7. Everything (go) well so far, and we feel relieved.
8. Teachers (use) a conceptual approach in the classroom next year.
9. Food that (be) previously seasonal may now be eaten at any time.
10. All the students (do) their best for the gathering.

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Exercise 2 Choose the correct verb form.

1. They (a. realize b. realized c. are realizing) that they should study hard.
2. Our classmates (a. are b. were c. have been) very helpful yesterday.
3. This university (a. has b. had c. will have) a new faculty next year.
4. The ladies (a. are attending b. have attended c. attend) such kind of
seminars several times.
5. We (a. do not come b. did not come c. had not come) late to the English
class a week ago.
6. When we entered the room, he (a. explains b. has expalined c. was
explaining) Unit 3.
7. These students (a. studied b. were studying c. have studied) at IPB last
month.
8. We (a. have got b. got c. get) the result of the test a week ago.
9. The success of this system (a. depends b. has depended c. is
depending) on many things.
10. She (a. will come b. was coming c. come) when we arrived.

Exercise 3 Complete the following with an appropriate verb from the list.
Beware of tenses.
a. come d. have g. stand i. swim
b. cry e. jog h. study j. walk
c. do f. play

1. The children __________ in the background right now.

2. When I left the house he __________ in his own room.
3. The chief police officer __________ in front of the people that were
protesting against the new traffic regulations.
4. When he __________, please tell him to see me soon.
5. You can __________ whenever you like. I cannot stop you.
6. The little girl __________ because she lost her mother in the crowd.
7. Do not __________ over there. The stream is dangerous.
8. When we __________ in the park, we met our old friend.
9. I am sorry I am late. My car __________ a flat tire on the way here.
10. To keep his body healthy he always __________ every morning.

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 Exercises for Tutorial Classes
(Unit 1)

Exercise 1

A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.

Koalas are the pride of Australia, and __(1)__around USD 1 billion

for the economy of Australia every year. Most of this is from tourists who
__(2)__ in great numbers to see this __(3)__ creature, a national icon in
Australia. However, according to a report by the Australian Koala
5 Foundation, in the last five years, their numbers __(4)__ from around
100,000 to just 40,000. At this rate, they will be completely extinct by the
year 2040.
Recently,
koalas __(5)__ in No. A B C
10 danger. There 1. generate generated are generating
are several 2. come came are coming
reasons why this 3. beauty beautiful beautifully
is happening. 4. dropped are dropping have dropped
Many of them 5. have been are had been
15 have been 6. attacks is attacking will attack
affected by 7. dead death died
Chlamy-dia, a 8. is coming comes came
disease that 9. are were have been
__(6)__ their 10. science scientific scientist
20 eyes and
bladder, which leads to a very slow and painful __(7)__.
Then, there are numerous car hits and to top it all, many are being
affected by some-thing that has no vaccine or cure – Koala AIDS or KIDS
(Koala Immune Deficiency Syndrome). This is similar to the AIDS that
25 affects human, but in koalas the effect is much more severe and death
__(8)__ much faster. Last year, on an average, 2-3 koalas __(9)__
brought in daily for treatment at the Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital. Dr
Jon Hanger, a veterinary __(10)__ says “Extinction is inevitable in some
areas. I certainly hope we don’t see it across Australia, but if we don’t take
30 the decline seriously, it’s a risk”.

B. Use the passage above to answer the questions below by crossing

the letter A, B, or C.

1. The best title of the above passage is __________.

A. Koala’s extinction B. The pride of Australia
C. The disease of Koala

2. The word “this” in line 2 refers to __________.

A. the economy B. pride of Australia C. around USD 1 billion

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3. In which lines does the author mention one reason for the decrease of
koalas’ number?
A. Lines 1-3 B. Lines 4-6 C. Lines 16-22

4. The word “they” in line 6 refers to __________.

A. koalas B. years C. numbers

5. The word “extinct” (line 6) can be best replaced by __________.

A. came back B. cut down C. died out

6. The synonym of the word “numerous” in line 22 is __________.

A. severe B. plenty C. serious

7. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Chlamydia which affects bladder may cause the decrease in koalas’
numbers.
B. Koalas hit by cars contributed the biggest cause of death.
C. Unlike human’s AIDS, Koalas’ AIDS can be treated with vaccine.

8. Dr Jon Hanger __________.

A. pays serious attention to the inevitable extinction of koalas.
B. takes a serious risk for the decline of koalas’ numbers.
C. does not hope to see koala across Australia.

9. According to the passage the word “vaccine” line 23 can be replaced by

__________.
A. cure B. impact C. disease

Exercise 2
A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.
Giant pandas __(1)__ in the bamboo forests of China for millions
years. In fact, giant pandas __(2)__ in Chinese art for thousands of years.
Because the giant panda is considered a national treasure in China, it is
protected by law so that it __(3)__ extinct. Although giant pandas have
5 long been known to the Chinese, they__(4)__ a recent discovery for
people living outside of China. The first westerner to observe a live giant
panda in the wild __(5)__ a German zoologist named Hugo Weigold. In
1916, he __(6)__ a cub while he was on an expedition.
There is only one place where giant pandas __(7)__ in the wild: high
10 in the mountains of central China. There, they live in cold and rainy
bamboo forests that are often misty and shrouded in heavy clouds. Once
upon a time, giant pandas __(8)__ in lowland areas. However, as people
__(9)__ more and more farms and cities on that land, the giant pandas
were forced up into the mountains.

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 No. A B C
1. live are living have lived
2. appear are appearing have appeared
3. isn’t becoming didn’t become doesn’t become
4. are do have
5. is was had been
6. buys bought has bought
7. were living lived live
8. lived are living have lived
9. are building built build

15 Now, they __(10)__ at elevations of 5,000 to 10,000 feet. The giant

panda has five fingers plus a "thumb," which isn't a real thumb but a
modified bone that __(11)__ the panda to grasp bamboo. Docile or
dangerous? Typically thought of as docile and harmless, the giant panda
can be as dangerous as any other bear when provoked and it __(12)__ to
20 attack humans.
In China, people __(13)__ for thousands of years that pandas are
special. It is said that ancient emperors of China __(14)__ pandas as pets.
Chinese books over two thousand years old show giant pandas with
mystical powers. People __(15)__ that they were able to ward off evil
25 spirits and natural disasters. Today, pandas __(16)__ believed to be a
symbol of peace and good fortune.
Nowadays, giant pandas __(17)__ at risk of becoming extinct. Only
about 1,000 giant pandas are left in the wild. All of these __(18)__ a small
area in the bamboo forests of China. About 150 live in captivity. This is
30 why the giant panda __(19)__ as endangered in the World Conservation
Union's Red List of Threatened Animals. It is one of the most
severely __(20)__ species in the world.

No. A B C
10 are living live have lived
11 allows allowed had allowed
12 has been known known was known
13 will believe have believed believe
14 keep have kept kept
15 thought are thinking have thought
16 are were will be
17 were have been will be
18 will inhabit are inhabiting inhabited
19 listed has listed is listed
20 endangered extinct dangerous

B. Use the passage above to answer the questions below by crossing

the letter A, B, or C

1. According to the passage, where does giant panda live?

A. bamboo forest in China B. lowland areas C. in the mountains

2. The word “it” in line 4 refers to __________.

A. national treasure B. giant panda C. the law

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3. The synonym of the word “docile” in line 17 is __________.
A. harmful B. safe C. tamed

4. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Panda is a really friendly animal.
B. Hugo Weigold once lived with a giant panda
C. In China the panda is protected by the government.

5. All the following statements about pandas are true EXCEPT __________.
A. Pandas spread evil spirit to anyone who keeps them as pets.
B. Ancient Emperors in China took care of the pandas in their castle.
C. Pandas are listed as one of the threatened animals.

Exercise 3

A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.

For quite some time I __(1)__ that mobiles, mobile phone masts and
other similar types of technology are harmful to our health due to the
exposure of radiation. Since many years ago scientists __(2)__ us that
mobile phones should be used as little as possible. They think it is better to
5 be cautious about using mobiles because they can be harmful to our
health.
Mobile phones are particularly bad for children. The phone
companies say that they are safe, but remember they __(3)__ a product so
they won’t discourage us to buy their product by saying it is unsafe. Where
10 there is a lot of money involved, there tends to be corruption. So don't think
that they and the government, who gets taxes from the use of masts and
mobile phones that are put up, have our best interests in mind. After all,
people said that smoking, asbestos, a medication called Thalidomide,
pesticides and so on were either safe or wouldn't cause us serious harm.
15 However, they __(4)__ wrong as they cause cancer, disability and terrible
illnesses.
I think
technology __(5)__ No. A B C
as harmful to the next 1 believe believed have believed
20 generation as drink, 2 warned are warning have warned
smoking and drugs 3 sold are selling had sold
__(6)__ to previous 4 were are have been
generations. In fact, 5 would be has been will be
research claims 6 have been are were
25 mobile phones could 7 have used are using will use
kill more people than 8 don’t have haven’t had aren’t having
smoking. Wireless 9 won’t do don’t do didn’t do
can cause 10 have lost lost will lose
headaches, nausea,
30 tiredness and memory loss in some people.

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 Technology can be particularly hazardous if you are sensitive to it.
Now, because of technology we __(7)__ TV for the whole 24 hours, using
35 computers, playing video games, and so on. Electrical gadgets in the
bedroom can also cause sleep problems. It is best to have no electronic
items in our bedroom. But if we can't do without them, we can at least
make sure we __(8)__ a computer, cordless phone or mobile in our
bedroom. Cordless phones emit a high amount of radiation. This is
40 because they have to be on all the time for them to be charged up. If you
__(9)__ this, the phone wouldn't work. So keep your technology use to a
limited amount of time each day. Particularly keep your use of mobile
phones to a minimum and use a landline instead, because mobile phones
can cause cancerous brain tumors if they are used for a long period of time
over the years. Always remember that your health is very important as you
might find you are unable to return to good health once you __(10)__ it.

Exercise 4

A. Complete each number in the passage below with the best choice (A,
B, C) provided in the table.

Cows are referred to as the foster mothers of human race because

they __(1)__ most of the milk that people drink. The first cow in America
__(2)__ in Jamestown colony in 1611. Until the 1850’s, nearly every family
had its own cow. In 1856, Gail Borden __(3)__ the condensed milk
5 process, which removed some of the water from milk so it would __(4)__
up less space. Refrigeration __(5)__ into use in 1880, and the first
pasteurizing machine was introduced fifteen years later.
In the past few years, dairying __(6)__. One cow can produce the
milk that once took 10 cows to produce. Today, people in the United
10 States __(7)__ cows on 110.000 farms. More than 99% of all dairy farms
are family owned and operated.
The following
are some facts No. A B C
about cows. First, 1 produce are producing produced
15 cows are milked for 2 arrives has arrived arrived
an average of 3-4 3 is inventing invented invents
years. A cow must 4 take takes took
have a calf in order 5 comes has come came
to __(8)__ milk. 6 is improving has improved improved
20 Calves are fed with 7 are milking milked have milked
milk until they are 8 produce produced producing
8-9 weeks old. A 9 is chewing chews has chewed
young female cow 10 has been is was
is called a heifer.
25 Cows are ruminants, or cud chewing, mammals. Sheep and camels are
other examples of ruminants. A cow __(9)__ her cud (regurgitated,
partially digested food) for up to 8 hours each day. Contrary to popular
belief, cows do not have four stomachs; they have four digestive
compartments: the rumen, the reticulum (the hardware stomach), the
30 omasum (functioning as a filter), and the obamasum, which __(10)__ like
our stomach.

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 Dairy cows are excellent producers of milk. They provide 90% of the
world’s milk supply. The best cows give over 25 gallons of milk each day;
that’s 400 glasses of milk! US cows give an average of 2000 gallons of
35 milk per year over 30.000 glasses of milk.

B. Choose the best answer

1. The best title of the above passage is __________.

A. Cows’ Producers B. Dairying C. Cows’ milk D. Dairy Cows

2. The word “removed” in line 5 can best be replaced with __________.

A. added B. put in C. reduced D. took away

3. The word “it” in line 5 refers to __________.

A. milk process B. the water C. milk D. space

4. The topic of Paragraph Two is __________.

A. dairying B. cow production
C. milking process D. dairy operation

5. In what lines does the author describe the importance of cows?

A. Lines 1-2 B. Lines 8-9 C. Lines 12-20 D. Lines 26-29

6. Camels are mentioned in the passage because they __________.

A. have for stomach C. milk the calves
B. are similar to cows D. cannot chew their food

7. The word “they” in line 27 refers to __________.

A. belief B. cows C. stomachs D. compartments

C. Indicate whether the following statement is TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)

1. People did not start to raise cows until refrigeration was found.
2. Like the first pasteurizing machine, refrigeration was introduced in 1880.
3. It can be inferred that in the past cows could produce 10 times amount of
milk as much as those of today.
4. The passage states that all cows can produce milk.
5. It can be concluded that not all calves will grow into heifers.
6. It is popularly believed that cows do not have four stomachs.

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