Sultane Mly.

Slimane University
Department of English
Beni-Mellal
Reading Comprehension 2 (Groups 1+2)
Prof: A. AGBALOU

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(use whats App if it is possible )
Abdelali Agbalou

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Sultane Mly. Slimane University
Department of English, Beni-Mellal
Reading Comprehension 2 (Groups 1+2)
Prof: A. AGBALOU

It was not long ago that scientists made the remarkable discovery that our brains are divided into two halves
and that each half has separate features and roles. The brain is said to be divided into the left half and the right
half. For ease of reference, they are called the left brain and the right brain.

The left brain is said to be the logical brain. It is the left brain that we use to solve mathematical problems and
to think logically. For example, if you were asked how to make coffee, this is what happens, Your left brain
begins to work; it searches its files for information on coffee making. If it finds the files, it begins relating what
to do step by step. If it does not find any record, it says it does not know.

The right brain is often called the creative brain. It has the function of thinking creatively. This includes all the
artistic functions, including art and music appreciation. When you want to draw a picture or compose a piece of
music or write poetry, it is the right brain that is in operation. When you come across a new situation in your
life, your right brain gives ideas on how to tackle it.

To some people, the left brain is dominant and to others, the right brain is. Of people who are good in
mathematics and language expression - that is, putting into practice what they have learnt, we say that they are
more left-brained. They are not very sensitive and believe in doing everything only after reasoning. They are
very sharp at arguments. They are the type who will not believe in anything until they see it. Right brained
people are more artistic and have a good sense of music appreciation. They are also more sensitive and tend to
be emotional. They are more open to new ideas and are willing to accept radical positions.

Is the left brain better or the right brain? Both sides of the brain are equally important. In an ideal situation, a
person should be exactly equal in both sides of the brain. However, as in most things, the ideal never happens.
People are dominated by one or the other side of their brains.

In order to function effectively in the world, we must learn to use both sides of the brain. In many situations that
we meet in the world, there will be requirements for both sides of the brain to work together as partners. For
example, when you want to write a story, which brain do you use? The answer is both brains. You need the right
brain to think of the ideas and you need the left side to arrange everything in a logical sequence. You cannot go
through life with only one side functioning.

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One last thing: In a left-handed person, the brain will be in reverse. For him or her, the right brain will be the
logical brain and the left brain will be the creative brain. Also, it has been observed that for some unknown
reason, left-handed people tend to be more creative. Hence you will see that most left-handed people are artistic
or at least have a keener sense of art appreciation. It is probable that what causes left and right handedness is
the position of the brain and not vice versa.

Also, it is astounding that many of the greatest persons in History are known to be left-handed. These include
Napoleon, Charlemagne, Picasso, Alexander the Great and Benjamin Franklin. The number of great people who
are left-handed is out of proportion of the total number. Now, we know that what causes left handedness or right
handedness is the position of the brain in the head. So, is there any reason to believe that people whose creative
brain is on the left are at an advantage?

Questions

1. (a) Describe the functions of the left brain.

(b)Describe the functions of the right brain.
(c) How would you decide if a person has a dominant left or right brain?

2. (a) What are the negative aspects of people who are dominated by the left brain?
(b)How would a person dominated by the right brain view a sunset?

3. Give an example of the left brain and right brain co-operating to do a task. (Do not use the example in
the passage. )

4. For each of the following words give one word or a short phrase (not more than seven words) which has
the same meaning as it has in the passage.
i. remarkable v. radical
ii. separate vi. sharp
iii. logical vii. dominated
iv. creative viii. sequence

5. Summarize the second and the third paragraph on the basic differences between the right brain and the
left brain. You should use only material from the passage and the summary should be about 160 words.

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 Sultane Mly. Slimane University
Department of English
Beni-Mellal
Reading Comprehension 2 (Groups 1+2)
Prof: A. AGBALOU

The earth is losing its forests. Presently, trees cover about 30 percent of the earth's surface, but they are being destroyed
at an alarming rate, especially in the tropics. Timber harvesting is a major reason for the destruction of the forests.
Trees are used for building houses, making furniture, and providing pulp for paper products, such as newspapers and
magazines. At least 40 hectares of rainforest are being felled every minute, mostly in order to extract the valuable
timber.

Another way that man is destroying the world's forests is by burning them down. In the Amazon, for example,
rainforests are being burnt down at a rate of 20 hectares a minute. The main reason for this is to clear the land for
farming. Farmers in rainforest countries are often poor and cannot afford to buy land. Instead, these farmers clear
rainforest land to raise their animals or grow their crops. Because tropical rainforest soil is so poor in nutrients, framers
cannot reuse the same land year after year. In the following years, farmers just clear more land, destroying the forest
piece by piece. Already more than 30 tropical countries have reached a critical level of forest destruction and one-time
exporters of timber such as Nigeria and Thailand now have to import timber for their domestic needs.

Should we get all excited and worried about the loss of the forests? Yes, we should. Healthy trees are a vital part of
the environment, and keep the entire balance of the atmosphere agreeable to all life forms. Forests are catchment areas
for rainwater, holding the rainwater in the leaves of the trees, so that it will not sink so quickly into the earth's crust.
Furthermore, the forests help maintain the water cycles in the area. The masses of cloud that provide the rain are
formed over the moist forests. Thus, the destruction of forests may also lead to a reduction in rainfall over the area,
resulting in drought.

Forests also protect and feed the earth's fragile mantle of soil. Tees curb soil erosion. Without the tree cover, the land
is totally exposed to the agents of erosion, such as strong winds and heavy rainfall. The strong winds blow away the
top layers of the soil and he flowing water carries it away into the rivers, lakes or sea. Consequently, the once fertile
land is converted into a barren wasteland. In addition, denuded hill slopes are vulnerable to landslides, which can be
catastrophic disasters, resulting in the loss of homes and lives.

Apart from preventing soil erosion and landslides, forests, with their abundant supply of leaves, give compost back to
the land, thus helping it to remain fertile. the leaves of the trees and the droppings of the birds, animals and insects
which live in them, fall to the ground, where they decay and replenish the soil with mulch, minerals and manure.

Forests are rich in flora and fauna. The rainforests are home to over half of the entire species of the world, which are
being destroyed with the rainforests; and some of those species that are killed will never return again. Plants and
creatures are god's gift to us and they serve mankind, each in its own way. For example, plants are the source of our
clothes; and the rubber used for tyres comes from trees. Plants are also the source of sugar, coffee, tea, rice, wheat and
many delicious and nutritious fruit.

In addition, most of the medicines that have been used by men are derived from plants and animals. Most of the
Chinese medicines, for example, such as ginseng and ginkgo, are herb-based. An example from the realm of modern
Western medicine is the drug 'vincristine'. This drug, which is derived from a jungle plant, is used in the treatment of
leukemia. Many of those species that have not yet been discovered may very likely cure cancer, AIDS, and many of
the other diseases and virus-based illnesses of today. In fact, one research scientist in the field of botany has

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concluded that in Costa Rica's forests alone, 15 percent of the plant species may have the potential as a treatment for
cancer. What potential life-saving medicines are we losing each day as the forests are being destroyed?

Apart from all this, let us keep in mind the most basic function of trees, which is that they provide oxygen. All living
creatures need to breathe oxygen in order to stay alive. A treeless planet will be an airless and, therefore, a dead one.
Questions:
From paragraph 1-2:
1.(a) State two main ways that forests are being destroyed.
-……..
(b) What is the main purpose for the burning of the trees in the forests of the Amazon ?
-……..
From paragraph 2:
2.What point is the writer trying to show in mentioning the fact that Nigeria and Thailand have to import timber ?
-…….
From paragraph 3:
3. Find a word in this paragraph which means "very important".
-……….
From paragraph 4:
4.(a) Why is soil erosion a greater problem in areas that have been cleared of forests?
-……………………
………..
(b) Explain the meaning of "... denuded hill slopes ..." without using the italicized word.
-………
From paragraph 7:
5.What is 'vincristine'?
-……………..
6. summary.
in not more than 30 words, explain why the destruction of forests may lead to drought.
-…………………..

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 Sultane Mly. Slimane University
Department of English, Beni-Mellal
Reading Comprehension 2 (Groups 1+2)
Prof: A.GBALOU

I am not usually superstitious but then she was may first car and I was not about to take any chances. It being Friday,
I decided to drive her home on Saturday. So I had the car delivered to my office car park and took the bus home as
usual. She was not much of a car to be proud of, just a simple second-hand Nissan Sunny costing a little more than
twenty thousand. But one thing made me proud - she was mine, all mine.

Next day, I told my wife and two children that I wanted to take them to meet a friend. My children jumped for joy
but not so my wife. She had to be persuaded and persuaded and finally I had to spoil the surprise and tell her the
truth. Well, she was curious now and agreed to go to my office. I could not wait to go by bus and so hailed a taxi. I
could see the look of excitement in my wife's eyes.

As usual the taxi journey was fast and we were at my office by 9:00 am. I took them all to my Sunny and introduced
them to her. I told them that she was the new family member. My children gave loud whoops of joy and almost
immediately tried to open the door, though I had the key. This was followed by a fight as to who was to have the
honor of sitting in front. My wife settled the argument by getting into the front seat herself. I got into the driver's
seat and started the car. I felt a thrill run right through me as she sprang to life. Slowly, I backed her out of the lot
and turned her and drove out of the car park.

As I turned into the main road, I became nervous. I had never driven without my driving instructor before. I decided
to be careful and kept to the left all the way. The day was hot and I turned on the air-conditioner. Then
I fiddled around with the switches to see which was which. Suddenly the wiper came on. I could not remember
which switched turned that on and started to fiddle around again. It is difficult to fiddle around while you are driving
and I could not see very well. The reason, I could not concentrate on the switches - I had to concentrate on the road
too. Behold me then, inexperienced driver driving along on the extreme left of a busy road, fiddling around trying to
turn off the wiper while both eyes had to be concentrating on where I was going. I must have touched something
right, because the wipers began to move faster.

There was only one thing left to do, I signaled and stopped at the side of the road. Everyone in the car, and on the
road, stared at me curiously. There was no reason to stop where I did. There were no shops, or houses or anything.
They must also have wondered why I was driving with the wipers on when it was not raining. I took a deep breath
and calmed myself. Then I looked around at the various switches in front of me. Finally, I found the switch which
worked the wiper and turned if off. Everyone in the car breathed a sigh of relief.

I smiled sheepishly and then signaled to the right and drove out again. Without any further mishap, I managed to
drive to the temple. The car needed to be blessed. The priest was happy to perform the blessing ritual for eleven
dollars. He went around and applied vermilion on parts of the car and then chanted prayers. I understood that the
essence of the prayers was to ensure that the car was safe for those traveling in it and for those on the road. I was
happy that I was going to have some divine protection.

After that we went home. In spite of the assured assistance of divinity, I decided on one thing: I would never drive
with anyone in my car again until I was thoroughly familiar with the car and all those switches. The next day being
Sunday, I would spend the whole day on that. I believed that I could learn everything about the car in one day. I did.

Soon the car became a routine part of our lives. We grew to love her and my daughter even gave her a name - a
female name of course. To Indians, a car or any vehicle is female.

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Questions

1. (a) The writer contradicts himself twice in paragraph 1. Write down the contradictions in your own words.
(b)Why did the writer lie to his wife and children?
(c) Did he have any trouble persuading them to go with him? Why?
(d)What was the argument that ensued after the writer introduced the car to his family?

2. (a) What problem did the writer encounter on the road and why?
(b)How did he overcome the problems?
(c) Was the writer embarrassed? Why?

3. (a) In your own words, describe the ritual in the temple. Why was it done?
(b)What did the writer do to ensure that he would drive safely?

4. For each of the following words give one word or a short phrase which has the same meaning as it has in the
passage.
i. delivered v. settled
ii. persuaded vi. fiddled
iii. curious vii. wondered
iv. excitement viii. sheepishly

5. Imagine that you are the writer's wife. Briefly describe the adventures that Saturday morning. You should not use
more than 160 words.