Learning to read in the two
following ways is important. Here are some hints and tips to help you succeed
when you face reading comprehension exercises to be done with a time limit.
Time yourself in every step
and keep a record of your marks, so you notice your progress.
The more times you read a
text, the more you understand. Just think of your Spanish while reading
difficult texts. The Onion Approach is fundamental. You need to read your text
a minimum of three times, and in different ways, focusing on different things,
as explained below.
There are two types of
questions in Reading Comprehension exercises: one type are the Skimming
Questions. They test your general understanding of the text, e.g. what the
topic is, what the main ideas are, what the point is in this or that part or
the whole text... You cannot answer these questions correctly if you skip Steps
1 and 2 below, unless the text is really easy for you. The other type are the
Scanning Questions. These don't require general understanding. They require
that you find the specific information you are asked about, e.g. a specific
amount, a specific word...
Although in the exam you may
decide to skip some parts of this technique, please follow all the steps for
the time being, till you get enough practice, till you are good at this
technique. The more difficult the text is, the more useful the technique is.
But to master the technique, you need to use it also with texts you find easy
to understand.
Step
1: Where we are
Skim (read fast)
the title, the instructions and the
comprehension questions trying to underline (really
fast) key words. You'll finish this underlining/comprehension activity in
Step 3.
Step
2: Skimming
Skim the text (for, say, 750
words, it should take you about 3 minutes - you can only achieve this mark if
you practice a lot, so remember it is a process, and write down your marks so
you can notice your progress). In your skimming you should identify:
·
the kind of text (different texts organize
information differently, e.g. a news item has the important information at the
beginning, in an essay you can find it in every topic sentence at the beginning
of paragraphs, and if we know about that, we can be quicker finding the info we
need)
·
the topic
·
and the approach or the main thesis.
If you can identify other
things, ie understand more, great. But remember to notice what is mentioned
above.
Some
Tips to Skim Well!
Skimming
the written text is like jumping from stepping stone to stepping stone! You
don’t have to read all the words, for instance, in examples or the chunks you
know are developing ideas which have been mentioned in the topic sentence. You
should pay more attention to the initial and ending sentences in the text and
in the paragraphs, because those sentences usually tell you what the topic in
the paragraph is. You should pay more attention to what look like key words,
e.g. words that belong to the same world (semantic field) as the topic. The
title and the intro will be important to notice because they give you the topic
and the tone. They are relevant to get the general idea. The ending too, but
the text might not be complete, so we cannot always count on this (notice it!).
Then if it’s a kind of essay or article, there will be topic
sentences (what the paragraph is about) at the beginning of paragraphs and
at the end a kind of concluding sentence or introduction to the next point in
the next paragraph. (For more on opening sentences, topic sentences and closing
sentences, check out the Writing section at Talking People).
Step
3: the Questions
Have another quick look at
your questions. A quick and careful look, and if they are difficult to
understand, take your time, make it less quick, but as careful! Underline key
words, so that when your eyes jump from the text to the questions, it'll be
easier for them to find the place they need to stop at! If you have questions
with options and the options seem to be all true, work out where the contrast
is, because you need to chose the most appropriate option.
Step
4: First Scanning – To work!
Read slowly, carefully. Take
your time. With practice, you'll gain speed even if you don't intend too.
(Remember to jot down the time each process takes you). Be aware of which chunks
you understand well and which seem to be difficult. Read them all carefully,
trying to understand, but don’t spend your whole life on the difficult ones,
because you’ll go back to them in your second scanning. (That’s why we do a
second scanning.) Answer the easy questions. Re-read carefully the others,
thinking about the whole text if necessary (sometimes going back to the whole
picture helps us realize what we need to look for).
Some
Tips!
Underline
with short lines, or if you are not too sure, just mark with a dot on the
margin, the area where you think some answers might be (First Scanning). You
can also write the number of whichever question on the margin in the area you
think the answer may be, before underlining the answer in the text. This "light
highlighting" will save you time later on. You can also underline key
words/points, but not complete sentences, in case that is not the answer and
later you get all mixed up about it!
Step
5: Second Scanning – Think over the parts you didn’t understand
In the second scanning (and
third, fourth… if you’re practicing), you should try to solve the hardest parts
and answer those questions. Keep in mind something: re-reading the easy parts
(much more quickly than the hard parts) may be necessary because those ideas
may help us to understand the difficult parts. Trust me on this!
Step
6: Check Your Answers (and copy them on the appropriate space, if
appropriate)
You have to be quick. Read
again your answers, including the easy ones, to check everything is OK. In our
tests, you usually get 1 minute to copy your answers in the appropriate space
for answers.
And remember, you
cannot be good at something without training (practice). It's not enough
to understand things, or to "know them". You have to be good at
putting them into practice!
Example
:
Lichens, of which more than
twenty thousand species have been named, are complex associations between
certain algae. The lichen itself is not an organism: rather it is the
morphological and biochemical product of the association. Neither a fungus nor
an alga alone can produce lichen.
The intimate relationship
between these two living components of lichen was once erroneously though to
represent mutualism. In mutual relationships, both participants benefit. With
lichens, however, it appears the fungus actually parasitizes the algae.
This is one of the
conclusions drawn from experiments in which the two components of lichens
were separated and grown apart.
In nature, lichen fungi may
encounter and grow around saveral kinds of algae. Some types of algae the fungi
may kill; other types it may reject. Lichen algae are autotrophic, meaning they
make their own food through photosynthesis. Lichen fungi are heterotrophic,
meaning they depend upon the algae within the lichen to supply their food. Up
to ninety percent of than food made by the green alga cell is transferred to
the fungus. What, if anything, the fungus contributes to the association is not
well understood.
Lichens are hardly. The
grow in many habitats and are often pioneers in hostile environments
where few other organisms can flourish.
They have been known to grow
endolithically, having been discovered thriving inside of rocks in Antartica.
Lichen help reduce erosion by stabilizing soil. Saveral kinds of insects glue
lichens to their exoskeletons for camouflage.
Many species of birds use
lichens as building materials for nests. Human have used lichens for dyes and
antibiotics.
1.
Which of the following best describes lichen
association?
a. Simple
plants made of two different autotrophic organims.
b. A
mutual association between a fungus and an alga
c. A
parasitic association between two fungi, one autotrophic, the second
autotrophic
d. A
union between a parasitic fungus and an autotrophic alga
2.
The word "hardly" in line 26 is
clossest in meaning to
a. Tender
b. Durable
c. Armed
d. Beneficial
3.
In Biology, mutualism occurs when two
different organism live close together and
a. One
organism parasitizes the other
b. Both
organism benefit from the association
c. Both
organism are harmed by the association
d. One
organism benefits while the other does not or is harmed by the association
4.
In line 7, the word "intimate" is
nearest in meaning to
a. Living
b. Extraordinary
c. Biological
d. Close
5.
Lichen serves as camouflage for which of the
following?
a. Insects
b. Birds
c. Reptiles
d. Mammals
The Answer :
1.
B
2.
B
3.
B
4.
D
5.
A
STRUCTURE
Directions: Questions
1-5 are incomplete sentences. Beneath each sentence you will see four words or
phrases marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one word or phrase that best completes
the sentence. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and
fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.
Example
During the early period of ocean navigation, ________ any
need for sophisticated instruments and techniques.
A.
so that hardly
B.
where there hardly
was
C.
hardly was
D.
there was hardly
The sentence should read, "During the early period of
ocean navigation, there was hardly any need for sophisticated instruments and
techniques." Therefore, you should choose answer D.
Now begin work on the questions.
1.
People who reverse
the letters of words ________ to read suffer from dyslexia.
A.
when trying
B.
if they tried
C.
when tried
D.
if he tries
2.
Featured at the
Henry Ford Museum ________ of antique cars dating from 1865.
A.
is an exhibit
B.
an exhibit
C.
an exhibit is
D.
which is an exhibit
3.
Rubber ________
from vulcanized silicones with a high molecular weight is difficult to
distinguish from natural rubber.
A.
is produced
B.
producing
C.
that produces
D.
produced
4.
________ appears
considerably larger at the horizon than it does overhead is merely an optical
illusion.
A.
The Moon
B.
That the Moon
C.
When the Moon
D.
The Moon which
5.
According to the
World Health Organization, ________ there to be an outbreak of any of the six
most dangerous diseases, it could be cause for quarantine.
A.
Were
B.
they were
C.
there were
D.
were they
Directions: In questions 6-10, each sentence has four underlined words
or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked A, B, C and D.
Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for
the sentence to be correct. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the
question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you
have chosen.
Look at the following examples:
Example
Guppies are
sometimes call rainbow fish because of
the males' bright colors
A
B C
D
The sentence should read, "Guppies are sometimes called
rainbow fish because of the males' bright colors." Therefore, you should
choose answer A.
Now begin work on the questions.
6.
On the
floor of the Pacific Ocean is hundreds of flat-topped mountains more
than a
A
B
C
D
mile beneath sea level.
7.
Because of the
flourish with which John Hancock signed the Declaration of
A
Independence, his name become synonymous with
signature.
B
C D
8. Segregation
in public schools was declare unconstitutional by
the Supreme Court
A B C
in
1954.
D
9. Sirius,
the Dog Star, is the most brightest star in the sky with an
absolute magnitude
A B
about twenty-three times that of
the Sun.
C D
10. Killer
whales tend to wander in family clusters that
hunt, play, and resting together.
A
B
C
D
The Answer:
1. A
2. A
3. D
4. B
5. A
6. B
7. C
8. B
9. A
10. C
Sources :
http://www.talkingpeople.net/tp/howtolearn/reading/skimscan01Reading.html
http://www.kursusmudahbahasainggris.com/2013/10/contoh-soal-tes-toefl-reading.html
Richard X Bailey. 2002.
Testbuster For The TOEFL. New jersey : Research & Education Association.
Dhanny R. Cyssco. 2002.
TOEFL Test Preparation Models & Problem Solving. Jakarta: Puspa Swara.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar