7) A noun meaning “a number of copies of a book, newspaper, magazine, etc. that are produced and printed at one time”: (Para. 6) Write down the target word here: edition
a. In his library he keeps some valuable first editions of well-known authors. b. The last edition of the newspaper comes out at midnight.
8) An adjective meaning “having or showing powers of learning, reasoning, or understanding, esp. to a high degree”: (Para. 4) Write down the target word here: intelligent
a. It is such an enjoyable experience to teach those intelligent boys and girls. b. He has read a lot and can ask intelligent questions and put forward
intelligent suggestions.
2 Rewrite each of the following sentences with a phrase that appears in Text B. Focus on the italicized parts. The number of the paragraph in which the target phrase appears is given in bracket.
1) When I started learning English, I had some difficulty in pronouncing such sounds as /?/ and /ai/. (Para. 1)
When I started learning English, I had some trouble with such sounds as /?/ and /ai/.
2) We must protect our environment from pollution(污染)no matter what we have to do. (Para. 1)
We must protect our environment from pollution at all costs.
3) I’m glad that I’ve finally freed myself from that annoying fellow. (Para. 1)
I’m glad to rid myself of that annoying fellow.
4) You’d better do it now, or you will feel sorry. I’m serious about what I say. (Para. 4)
You’d better do it now, or you will feel sorry. I mean every word of it.
5) I’m assuming that the misunderstanding will be settled and an explanation will be given. (Para. 5)
I’m assuming that the misunderstanding will be cleared up.
6) I said that he would be late for class, and as had been exactly expected, he did come to class 10 minutes late. (Para. 6)
I said that he would be late for class, and sure enough he did come to class 10 minutes late.
7) As soon as he got hold of a book about personality development, he started reading it keenly and whole-heartedly. (Para. 7)
As soon as he got hold of a book about personality development, he dived into it.
Checking Your Comprehension
1 Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text B.
1) Which grade were the children in when John Holt was teaching them?
No exact information is given in the text. The children must be at least fourth graders according to the clue in Para. 5 (not a hard book even for most third graders).
2) How many books are mentioned in the text? Arrange all the books mentioned in the text according to their range of difficulty. Start with the easiest one.
Three.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas → National Velvet → Moby Dick
3) Based on the information provided in the text, summarize what the teachers before John Holt might have said and done about reading and what John Holt actually said and did about reading in his class. Write down your answers in the space provided. What other teachers may have
What other teachers may have said and done about reading a. They might have emphasized understanding rather than reading for pleasure.
b. They might have asked students questions to check if they understood the book they were reading or had read the book at all.
c. They might have asked students to dig out every bit of meaning from what they were reading.
d. They might have told students that once they started a book, they should finish reading it.
e. They might have asked parents to check their children’s reading.
f. They might have pushed students to read something equivalent to their level, which the students might find difficult to do. ….
What John Holt said and did about reading
a. He encouraged students to read a lot, and read for pleasure.
b. He said that he would not check to see if the students understood the book they were reading.
c. He said that students could drop whatever they were reading if they were not interested.
d. He allowed students to make a choice as to what they should read. e. He did not ask parents to check their children’s reading.
f. He allowed students to read what they were interested in and skip what they didn’t like.
g. He said that students could start at a lower level and progress to a higher level at their own pace. ….