Skimming

Skimming is a strategy that you can use to quickly identify the mains ideas
of a text. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a
limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article
may be of interest in your own research.
When practicing skimming you might read the title, subtitle, subheading and
illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This
technique is useful when you are seeking information rather that reading for
comprehension. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. If
might be used to review graphs, tables and charts.

A. - Read the following text about climate change. Practice skimming.

Answer the following questions:

1. - What is happening to the world´s climate?

2. - What cause change climate?

3. - Why does the United Nations have international conference

about pollution and climate change?

Most scientists all over the world agree that that one of the biggest problems
in the world right now in the problem of climate changes. All of the
pollution (dirty air that comes from cars, plans, factories) is making the
world´s climate warmer. This warmer weather is in the oceans rise. Also,
when weather changes, plants and animals have to change, too. The only
way to stop this climate change is to make less pollution.

The United Nations had the first international conference, about problem of
pollution and climate in 1996. There have been six conferences since then.
Each conference tries to get all of the countries of the world to agree on how
to make pollution. Each conference has had some success, but there is still a
lot of work to do.
Taken from: Haugnes and Maher (2014, 145)

Inglés Instrumental – Actividad Virtual II

B. – Skin the passage. The read each question and circle the
correct answer.

The northern light, or the aurora borealis, is one of nature´s most dazzling
spectacles. When it appears, there is often a crackling sound coming from
the sky. A Huge luminous arc lights up the night, and the arc in constantly
in motion. Sometimes, the brilliant rays of light spread upward in the shape
of a fan. At other time, they flash here and there like giant searchlights, or
move up and down so suddenly that they that been called “The merry
dancers”. Father North the aurora frequently looks like fiery draperies which
hang from the sky and sway to and fro while flames of red, orange, green
and blue play up and down the moving folds.

According to scientific measurement, the discharge of light takes place from

50 to 100 miles above the earth. But it doesn´t reach its greatest brilliance at
the North Pole. It is seen at its best rounds the Hudson Bay region in
Canada, in Northern Scotland and in Southern Norway and Sweden. It may
sometimes be seen in the United States as it flashes across the northern sky.

Science is still not certain regarding exactly what these lights are and what
cause therm. But it is believed that the rays are due to discharge of
electricity in the rare upper atmosphere, the displays seem to center about
the earth´s magnetic pole and electrical and magnetic disturbance often
occur when the lights are specially brilliant.
Taken from: St. Louis (2005)

According to the passage select the best option:

1. - this passage is about:

a) A scientific phenomenon b) a natural disaster c) An architectural

monument

Inglés Instrumental – Actividad Virtual II

2. - This passage discusses the findings of:

a) Teachers b) scientists c) northerners d) artists

3. - In which part of the passage does the author discuss what the
aurora borealis looks like?

a) Paragraph 1 b) Paragraph 2 c) Paragraph 3 c) whole passage

4. - Paragraph 2 mainly discusses northern lights in relation to their

a) Size b) colors c) location d) cause

5. - From paragraph 3 we learn that the cause of northern lights is

a) Uncertain b) beyond belief c) uninvestigated d) well established

C. – Allow yourself to one minute to do the exercises. Read the

questions bellow about the passage. Then scan the passage to
answer each question.

1. Why have the northern lights been called “the merry dancers”

2. How many miles above the earth does the aurora borealis take
place?

3. In what part of Canada can the northern light best be seen?

4. What do scientists believe is discharged in the earth´s

atmosphere to cause the aurora borealis?

Inglés Instrumental – Actividad Virtual II

D. – Practice skimming and scanning.

It is well known that chemicals aren´t just used to grow produce. They
are also used to keeps foods fresh, give them color, or change the
taste. Natural Food, including organic food, is food that doesn´t have
any chemicals or other artificial ingredients.

Look quickly at the two soups labels bellow. Answer the question:

1. Which soup is natural?

2. Which soup has artificial ingredients?

WHAT´S IN OUR FOOD?

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E. – Now read the labels again and answers the following
questions:
1. - Which soup has more fat per serving?

2. - Which soup has more sodium (salt) per serving?

3. - Which soup has more protein per serving?

4. - Which soup has more vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron)

preserving?

5. - What difference us there between the vegetables in the Gordon´s

Soup and the vegetables in the Health Country Soup?

6. - Spices are natural ingredients added to foods to make them taste

better and more interesting. What spices do you recognize on these
labels? Which soup has this spice?

Practice Skimming and scanning

RAIN FORESTS
Have you ever seen rain forests? Where do rain forests grow? What is unusual or unique about rain
forests? Are they important to the world?
This text is about special forests in tropical areas of the world that are being cut down and about a
special group that is trying to save them.
In many tropical countries, people are cutting down rain forests to make room for farms. They hope
that the farms will make money for them so that they can pay their debts. But a new organization is trying
to help these countries save their forests. The name of this organization is conservation international.
Conservation international pays countries not to cut down their rain forests.
Their first agreement was with Bolivia for a 4.000.000 acre reserve in the Amazon River basin in
northeast Bolivia. The region has savannahs, deep woods and rain forests. It is famous for the different
plants and unusual wildlife that live there. Bolivia and Conservation International will take care of the
reserve together. This idea, of helping countries make rain forests reserve, is so unusual that Brazil and
Ecuador, which are both interested in this program, are already having tall which Conservation
F.International
– Answers the following questions according to the passage.
Taken from: St. Louis, (2005)

Inglés Instrumental – Actividad Virtual II

 1. Why do some tropical countries cut down rain forests?

2. What is the name of the organization that is helping to save rain

forests?

3. What country did they do business with first?

4. How much land did they get for a reserve?

5. Where is the reserve located?

6. Why is this reserve interesting to save?

7. Who will take care of the reserve?

8. What other countries are interested in the program?

G. – Reading for the main idea.

What do you think is the most important idea in this text?

a. Small countries need help to save their rain forests

b. Bolivia Talking care of its rain forests in the Amazon River

Basin
c. Conservation group are trying to help tropical countries save
their rain forests.

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