READING 6 Reading 6 VB1 Thư Viện Tài Liệu Tổng Hợp Com READING 6

Lac Hong University
English Department
READING COMPREHENSION 6
COURSE BOOK: MOSAIC 1 (4th Edition, by Brenda Wegmann &
Miki Knezevic)
COURSE DURATION: 45 Periods (third-year majors in English)
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: NGUYEN TRUONG BINH

Unit 0ne: Chapter 7: Remarkable
Individuals.
Part 1: Confucius 551 – 479 B.C pp 108112 and Leaders Governing Change pp
112-113
At the end of this part, attendees will hopefully be able to:
- remember who Confucius was and understand how / why his thoughts
were influential in people‟s ways of behaving (especially Chinese and
Vietnamese).
- know something about Shih Huang Ti – another well-known character
in Chinese history in particular and in world history in general.
- give their own remarks on different fields of being famous.
1. Questions relating to the article
- What do you remember / know about Confucius?
- Have you ever read a book / watched a film, or accidentally heard of
him?
- Who was Shih Huang Ti? What do you know anything about Great
Wall?
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2. Improving vocabulary ability and applying prefixes and suffixes to
understanding while reading
- Try to write your own definitions for words: childhood, background,

principality, cornerstones, benevolent, outlook, defender, innovator
and commoners.
3. Look for whether there are any Confucian influences on Vietnamese
society.
- Read the article quickly and spend some time on paragraph 4.
- Are there any areas in Vietnam still affected by Confucius‟s teachings?
Urban or rural ones? Why?
- Could you realize those effects in your family life?
- Do these relate to PATRIARCHY in society (ies)?
4. Identifying keys terms
- You have some crucial words in the article. Match them with right
definitions (page 100).
5. Forming related words
- Review your knowledge of establishing related words based on given
ones (page 101).
6. Inferring meaning
- Try to match words on the left with synonyms or definitions. Scan
again if necessary.
7. Supporting general statements
- These are steps which help you understand better the article you have
read. So you should read again carefully to identify specific facts
which support firmly statements in the reading. (four statements on
page 101)
8. Leaders Governing Change (page 112-113)
- Have a quick look at pictures, and read the two passages as soon as
possible.
- Do you know who they are?
- Answer four questions on page 113.
9. Connecting
- In your opinion, whether Confucius‟s teachings or philosophy ( Jen &

li, the Analects, view page 109, paragraph 2, 3) has positive or
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negative impacts on modern life or not. Should these thoughts be
preserved or got rid of?
Note: Words in the identifying key terms task (on page 101) and ones in the
inferring meaning task (on page 111) should be remembered.

Part 2 Beating the Odds
(pp 114 – 119)

Finishing this part, students will expectantly be able to:

1.

2.

3.

4.

- see how a famous person took advantage of her conditions to achieve
success.
- identify how much early background positively and negatively
influences on an adult‟s life.
Questions relating to the article
- What do you know about discrimination and prejudice? (read
introductory passage on page 116)
- Do you know anything about Oprah Winfrey, whose success is very

impressive in the entertainment world? (page 116)
- Do you know anyone who is black gained the great politic success
recently?
Getting meaning by using context and structure and preparing for
reading the article
- Read and select the meanings closest to the words. (page 114-115)
- Read the introductory passage carefully.
- Pay attention to words “segregate, desegregate, desegregation”.
Read the article (page 116-118)
- Underline some words while reading (disciplinarian-line 15,
poignant-line 19, tumultuous-line 23, penchant-line 34, poise-line 36,
reneged-line 53, and acutely-line 77)
- Notice three main parts of the article
Identifying positive and negative points / recalling vocabulary
- Read the article quickly again and look for these points; divide them
into two columns
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- Complete the blanks of this part (page 118-119)
5. Prepare some useful clues for talking in class.
- You have five suggested questions in this part, read them carefully and
bear in mind some facts you consider the best.
- Search on the internet for some more information about Oprah
Winfrey, some necessary knowledge of “the American Dream”.
- Think about prejudice and discrimination.
- Develop ideas about the life of gays and people of color.
Note: Words in the getting meaning and recalling vocabulary parts should be
remembered.

CHAPTER 8: CREATIVITY
PART 1: Guggenheim Museum U.S.A (pp 130-135)
At the end of this part, students are supposed to
- perceive unique ways of designing Guggenheim by Solomon R.
- understand how much one‟s characteristic affects his or her design.
1. Questions relating to the article
- Are you interested in architecture?
- If so, old or modern ones you pay more attention to?
- Which one in Vietnam attracts you most? / Why?
- Which one in the world draws the most attention of visitors? In what
way(s)?
2. Learning vocabulary of shapes and forms
- Look at the frame covering shapes carefully (page 130).
- Complete sentences 1 – 6 appropriately
3. Read the article
- Pay attention to lines 5-7 (page 131)
- What is the meaning of the word “expressionism” (line 13, page 132)?
- How do you understand the sentence: “To Wright, the artistic integrity
of his work was far more important than its practical function”. Notice
the word “integrity”.
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- Read the fourth paragraph, from line 30-39 on page 132 carefully.
What are you able to realize in this part?
- Read the conclusion of the article, what is the author‟s point of view
on the museum?
4. Making inferences and conclusions
- Write down inferences (2 &3) page 134
- Find out words which are asked to, using the clues given

5. Prepare for discussion
- Choose two out of six questions suggested on page 135 and prepare for
talking in class. (You can seek for some useful information on the
internet or from any sources available to you).
Note: Vocabulary of shapes and forms should be remembered.

Part 2: If You Invent the Story, You‟re the
First to See How It Ends (page 137-142)
When finishing this part, students are hopefully supposed to:

1.

2.

3.

4.

- perceive a writer – Roxana Robinson‟s ways of thinking and then
writing (short stories) down.
- understand main components in a short story (characters, focused
actions, conflict and solution).
Questions relating to the text.
- Do you like reading? Especially short fictions?
- If so, which writer do you like most? Why
- Which factor do you consider the most attractive in a short story?
Getting the meaning of words in context
- Underline the word or phrase closest to the meaning of each word
(page 137-138).
Finding the basis for inferences

- Basis for inferences should be expressed by your own language. Scan
the inferences and the reading to find the basis (138-139).
Read the story and find out:
- Which paragraph do you like most? Why?
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- Where is the climax?
- How did the author explain the mystery?
- Reasons for her to write (three last paragraphs).
5. Building suspense and identifying synonyms
- Read the text again and complete blanks on page 140-141
6. Prepare for talking
- Choose one of five questions on page 142 and try to get some ideas for
discussing in class.
Note: ways of narrating or writing short stories and reasons for writing should
be paid attention to.

Part 3: We can‟t Just Sit Back and Hope
At the end of this part, students would hopefully be able to:

1.

2.

3.
4.

- Realize how much family and traditional values influence “person‟s
manner and career (page 143-144; paragraphs 2, 3 and 4)

- Realize one‟s point of view thanks to his or her opinion about sensitive
issues in entertainment world (page 144-145; the last two paragraphs).
Questions relating to the interview
- Ask yourself that if you were an interviewer, what type(s) of questions
(close, open or alternative ones) would you choose (in this situation)?
- If you were an interviewee, how should your attitude be in an
interview?
- Practise a brief interview with a partner.
Improving your vocabulary (consider these words or phrases).
- Be drawn to sth (lines 2, 12)
- Catch the eye of somebody (lines 43-44)
Finding synonyms
- Read the article and fill in the blanks on page 145.
Paraphrase (rewrite and use your own words)
- Write down your own explanations to five suggestions on page 145.

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5. Read “Are men more creative than women?”. Do you agree with Mead‟s
saying “the more a woman achieves publicity, the less desirable she seems
as a wife”. Why or why not?
Are there any relationships between the idea to patriarchal lifestyle?
Read questions 2, 3 and 4 on page 147 to prepare for talking in class later.

Chapter 9: Human Behavior
(page 149 -169)
Part 1: Ethnocentrism
When finish this part, students are supposed to:
- Understand the meaning(s) of the word “Ethnocentrism”

- See relationships of this word to „cultural shock‟ (line 2), „group or
people‟ (line 5) and „lifestyle‟.
1. Questions relating to the article
- In your opinion, why do majority of people have certain difficulties
communicating with others coming from different culture?
- If you are going to study abroad, what will you first prepare to cope
with? And in that situation, how should you behave to balance your
own traditional culture with the new culture?
- “Anthropology”, have you ever been interested in this subject? It itself
has a very crucial role in science to take, do you think it is useful for
other studies?
2. Skimming for the main idea
- Find the author‟s definitions of the word „ethnocentrism‟ and write
down (in the first paragraph and the first sentence of the 2nd
paragraph).
- Think of any example to describe for it (cultural shock, different
lifestyle…).
- How popular this phenomenon is in our society (Vietnam).
3. Read the article
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- In this article, the writer states that „ethnocentrism‟ can be realized in
some cultural aspects (paragraph 3, line 23-24) such as “myths,
folktales, proverbs, and even language”. Think about this statement
and give some examples which are popular in Vietnam.
4. After reading
- Do the exercise on page 153 in order to improve your vocabulary.
- Find support for ethnocentrism presented in language, myths and food
preferences both in the article and in any materials you can search for

(on the internet, books…)
Note: ‘Ethnocentrism’, definitions for it and relating aspects should be noticed.

Chapter 10: Crime and Punishment
(pages 171 – 187)
Part 1: Soap Smith
At the end of this chapter, students are supposed to:
-

have an interesting, deep and relative sight / view on crime.
understand how complex criminal(s)‟s lifestyles are.
think why some of them were sometimes called heroes.
getting familiar with some „interesting words‟ which only appear in
specific situations.
1. Questions relating to the article
- Do you know anything about outlaws‟ world?
- Do you like watching „cowboy‟ films?
- Think about criminal situations in Vietnam. If you had enough power,
what would you do first to reduce/control/ these situations?
- What should be used for dangerous criminals? Penalties or life
sentences in jail? What impact(s) might these solutions cause? Positive
or negative are they?
2. Getting meaning from context and skimming for structure of the text.
- Do the exercise on page 172-173.
3. Read the text
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- The introductory should also be read carefully in order to help you
understand the article better.

- Improve your vocabulary by paying more attention to such words (or
phrases): outlaws, con men, heartless murderers, brave heroes,
swindlers…
- Make some sentences with these words.
- Think about implications in the last paragraph. What inferences are
you able to give when finish reading the last paragraph? (why were
they buried near each other?, May each of them have been represented
for different viewpoints? Honor – hero; good luck – money….
4. Scanning for compound-word synonyms
- Reread and fill the blanks from 1 – 8 on page 175.
5. Preparing for talking
- You have five topics to choose on page 176, take one and prepare for
discussing in class later.
- Look for one or two stories you like from any resources you have
(internet, films, books etc…) to present in class later. (give reasons
why you are interested in it / them)
- You can provide some points which are / were prominent in our
society now.
Note: learn by heart words in part one (getting meaning from context) and four
(scanning for compound-word synonyms) on page 172 and 175, respectively.

Part 3: Born Bad?
(page: 182 – 188)
At the end of this part, students would hopefully be able to:
- understand how Nature (genetics, biology) and Nurture (environment,
influence) impact on one‟s characteristics.
- reason by themselves why the rate of crime has increased recently,
especially in our society.
- have their own view on social situations.
1. Questions relating to the text.

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- What do you think has the greatest influence on a person‟s behaviors /
actions / ways of thinking?
- Think about yourself, which event / who / what in your life so far has
had the most important impact on your lifestyle?
2. Before you read
- Decide which organization the text follows (page 182).
- Find the main point in long, complex sentences by analyzing long
sentences for main idea. Solve exercises on page 183 – 184.
3. Read the article
- This is a long and difficult one to understand fully. Mark which
paragraph you have difficulty understanding to ask for your teacher‟s
help later.
- Enjoy paragraphs you understand well. And try to think deeply
whether you agree with what introduced in the article: the crucially
biological role in criminality.
- Look for some points in the article to show the author‟s arguments.
4. Prepare for discussing
- Choose one of five topics given on page 188 and have some
preparation for talking in class later (mind map should advisedly use).

Chapter 11: The Physical World
(page 194 – 204)
When finishing this part, students are supposed to:
- know how scientists designed special experiments to discover
distinguishing abilities of some animals in migrating and homing.
1. Questions relating to the text
- Have you ever heard of / read / paid attention to immigrating and

homing abilities in animals? What special species do you know?
- Are you able to name some animals with special ability which does not
exist in human beings?
- What is called instinctive abilities?
- Do you have any instinctive knowledge / ability?
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2. Before reading
- Scan for important details and do exercise on page 199 – 201.
- Look at the title, the pictures and the layout of the article.
- Think why these pictures chosen to describe the text.
- Think what pictures imply.
3. Read the text
- Pay more attention to the last paragraph.
- Try to find out the meaning „control group‟ phrase (it would be useful
for your research project in the future).
- Pick out any unfamiliar words.
4. Prepare for talking
- Four topics given on page 204 are interesting, especially number two.
All of them should be discussed.

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