Reading for academic purpos
Text Reading for academic purpos,Text1a(Reading texts pp.133-136)
Text1a contains information on how to read for academic purpos more effectively.
Task1Reading for general understanding
The exerci below will give you practice in reading for general understanding.It is therefore important that you do not stop to look up any of the unknown words(you will get a fuller understanding of difficult vocabulary after completing some of the later tasks).The text in the part of Reading texts consists of six ctions.The table on the next page contains ven headings that are possible summaries of the content for each ction.
1.1Read the instructions below.
a Read the summary headings and underline the most important word or words in each one.If
necessary,your teacher will explain the meaning of the language ud.
b Read Section I.of the text and label the appropriate summary heading in the table.
c Discuss your answer with other students and/or your teacher.
Study tip:Reading for general meaning is a very important skill that will help you deal with the amount of reading at university.See Skimming in the Introduction on page IX.
美国肯塔基大学Summary headings Sections
Linking effective reading to vocabulary acquisition
Reading widely and critically
Good reasons for reading
The difficulties of reading academic texts
The motivation behind reading
Acquiring good reading habits
The EAP reading syllabus
1.2Now read and match Sections2}-6to the appropriate summary headings in the table.One
of the summary headings does not need to be ud.
Task2Reading for specific details
2.1Read Text1a again and find the answers to the following questions.You will u some of
your answers to complete another task later in the unit.
1.What type of reading material is Bastt(2010)concerned with?
2.Bastt believes the key to the best understanding of a text is…
3.The greater the reader's reading ability,the greater their…
4.What are the two main criteria for text lection for an EAP cour?
割断
Study tip:Being able to read for specific detail is another important skill.See Scanning,Search reading and Careful reading in the Introduction on page X.
5.When are EAP students more likely to read subjected-related material?rai是什么意思>associated
shine是什么意思6.What does a critical reader u to asss the value of a text?
7.What is Kurland's main idea?
8.What helps to determine how a text should be read?
9.What reason for reading is suggested for students in higher education?
10.How much daily reading is recommended?
12.what are postgraduates often given before starting their studies?
13.How much exposure to a word is needed before its u becomes automatic?
Task3Paragraph reorganisation
The cond paragraph of Section6has been removed from the original text in Reading texts.The ntences from the removed paragraph are listed below,but they are in the wrong order.
3.1Read the ntences1-6and arrange them in the appropriate order to form a paragraph.
a.Read ntences2and3that have been identified as the first and final
ntences.
b.Read ntences1,4,5and6and identify the correct order.
c.Complete the remaining boxes with the appropriate number.
1.This is one of the reasons why most reached university level in their home countries.□
2.Fluency in both written and spoken language will only develop with practice.□
3.Thus,the more students work on developing good reading habits,the more fluent they should
become and the more successful they are likely to be in their academic studies.□
4.Nonetheless,university students are expected to read a considerable amount during a typical
week.□
5.In fact,international students studying through English are normally already fluent readers in
their own languages.□
6.International ,students,have to do this in a foreign language-English.□
Task4Inferring meaning from context
医学论文翻译Not knowing the meaning of words is one of the main difficulties faced by language learners reading in a foreign language.When you come across a word which is unfamiliar,try to avoid automatically reaching for a dictionary or tapping the word into your electronic translator;
develop the habit of reading on in the text to e if this helps your understanding.lf, however this does not help,experiment with the following advice.
4.1Look at the ntence from Text1a and discuss the meaning of the underlined word with
another student.If this word was new to you,what helped you infer its meaning? Bastt's focus is on graded readers,but arguably the type of text should suit the needs and interests of individuals.(Lines15-16)
Key reading skills:Inferring meaning
One way of identifying the meaning of the word is to look at it in context-the way it is ud within the ntence.For example,in the ntence above,the word bur is ud to indicate
a contrast or difference.Thus,although Bastt is interested in graded readers,the writer
is saying there is arguably more to reading than just readers.In other words,there is some sort of argument or disagreement involved.
Another way is to think of the"root"word,which in this ca is argue-which means"to not agree about something".
You might also think about words with a similar sound or spelling which may help you.The key thing is that the more you think about a word,the more likely it is to become part of your active lexicon.
Study tip:The more you read,the wider your vocabulary will become and the easier it will be to identify synonyms.
It is also uful to recogni and understand the way that language varies within a text.One way of varying language is through the u of synonyms.
A synonym is a word or phra that has the same meaning,or almost the same meaning,as
another word or phra.
4.2Read Section1again from Text1a and find synonyms for the words or expressions in the
left-hand column.
养护车Defining words synonym Line number
proof/confirmation evidence7
a wide range of
cloly connected/significant
get something back
help/make easier
without being aware of or without thinking about
something
ability/skill
Something which is aimed at or is the main focus
Task5Identifying word class
5.1Read the following definitions of word class and match them to the correct words in the
box.
Study tip:Identifying the word class of a word or phra often helps you to work out the meaning of a word you don't know.
Conjunction,preposition,noun,adverb,verb,adjective,pronoun
1.a word referring to a person,a place or a thing()
2.an action or doing word()
3.a word that describes what a person,a place or a thing is Like()
4.a word ud to describe a verb,an adjective or another adverb()
5.a word which comes before a noun or a pronoun and show its relation to another part of
ntence()
principle是什么意思6.a word that is ud to replace a person,a place or a thing()
7.a word that is ud to join other words,phras,claus or ntences()
5.2Read Sections2-5again from Text1a and find the words in the table.Complete the table by
writing the line number where each word occurs in the text and the word class of each word.
word Line number Word class Topics31noun
Typically
This
blends
Consideration
Simply
Through
Embark
Their
only
5.3Look at the words from Ex5.2and choo which ones you want to record.
You should record words if:
personalcomputer°you don't know their meaning or how they are ud,and/or
°you think they might be uful words to know either now or for future academic purpos Key reading skills:Choosing and recording new words from a text
One way of deciding which words to record is to check how frequently the word is ud by native speakers.You can do this by visiting the compIeat Lexical Tutor,which can be found at www.lextutor.ca/vp/bnc;here you will find that,for example,the adverb arguably is a K1 word-in other words,it is among the1,000most commonly ud words.Considering this information,you may decide that it is a word you would want to u in future and,therefore, keep a record of.
Study tip:In your own language,you naturally make u of word class to read effectively with speed and understanding.This will develop in English over time.
Task6Reading for a purpo
At various stages in Units1-8,you will be given a Focus task.This is an essay question,or similar academic task,that is linked to a read will help direct your reading and the u you ing text or texts in Reading texts.The Focus task make of the text(s)to synthesi ideas.
Focus task:Summari the main points of the text"Reading for academic purpos".
6.1Re-read Text1a and then write a short one-paragraph summary of the main ideas.You can
u some of the answers in Task2to help you.
parent trapKey reading slcil.ls:Reading lectively
At university level,you may be given extensive reading lists.It can be a daunting prospect to read all the texts and sources and to understand them at the same time.It is therefore important to read lectively.This means thinking carefully about your reading purpo and concentrating only-or mainly-on texts,or parts of texts,which are relevant to that reading purpo.
