泛读三Cloze

Cloze1Theabilitytopredictwhatthewriteris1tosaynextisbothanaidtounderstandingandasignofit.Predictionbeginsfromthemomentyoureadthetitleandformexpectationsofwhatthebookislikelytocontain.Evenifthe2arecontradicted.Theyareusefulbecausetheyhavestartedyouthinkingaboutthetopicandmadeyouactivelyinvolved.Ifyouformulateyourpredictionsas3whichyouthinkthetextmayanswer,youarepreparingyourselftoreadforapurpose:toseewhichofyourquestionsareinfactdealtwithandwhat4areoffered.Ifyourreadingismorepurposefulyouarelikelytounderstandbetter.Naturallyyour5willnotalwaysbecorrect.Thisdoesnotmatteratallaslongasyourecognizewhentheyarewrong,andwhy.Infactmistakenpredictionscan6youthesourcesofmisunderstandingandhelpyoutoavoidcertainfalseassumptions.Predictionispossibleatanumberoflevels.Fromthetitleofabookyoucan7thetopicandpossiblysomethingaboutthetreatment.Fromthebeginningofasentence,youcanoftenpredicthowthesentencewill8.Betweentheseextremes,youcanpredictwhatwillhappennextinastory,orhowawriterwill9hisargument,orwhatmethodswillbeusedtotestahypothesis.Becausepredictionensuresthereadersactiveinvolvement,itis10training.Cloze2Humanbeingslearnto1witheachotherwithnonlinguisticmeansaswellaslinguistic2.Allofusarefamiliarwiththesaying“Itwasn’twhathesaid;itwasthewayhesaidit“when,by3theword“way”,wemeansomethingabouttheparticularvoicequalitythatwas4evidence,orthesetofashoulder,ortheobvioustension5severalmuscles.A(n)6mayevenbesentbytheaccompanyingtoneandgestures,sothateachof“I’mready”“Youarebeautiful”,and“Idon’tknowwhereheis”canmeantheoppositeofanysuchinterpretation.Oftenwe7difficultyinfindingexactlywhatinthecommunication8thechangeofmeaning,andanystatementwemakeleadstothesourceofthegapbetweentheliteral9ofthewordsandthetotalmessagethatislikelytobeexpressedinimpressionisticterms.Itislikelytorefer10somethinglikea“glint”inaperson’s11,ora“threatening”gesture,or“provocative”manner.Cloze3Formanypeopletoday,readingisnolongerrelaxation.Tokeepuptheirworktheymustreadletters,reports,tradepublications,interofficecommunications,nottomentionnewspapersandmagazines:anever-endingfloodofwords.Ingettingajoboradvancinginone,theabilitytoreadandcomprehendquicklycanmeanthedifferencebetweensuccessandfailure.Yettheunfortunatefactisthatmostofusare1readers.Mostofusdeveloppoorreading2atanearlyage,andnevergetoverthem.Themaindeficiency3intheactualstuffoflanguageitself-words.Takenindividually,wordshave4meaninguntiltheyarestrungtogetherintophrasessentencesandparagraphs.5,however,theuntrainedreaderdoesnotreadgroupsofwords.Helaboriouslyreadsonewordatatime,oftenregressingtorereadwordsorpassages.Regression,thetendencytolookbackover6youhavejustread,isacommonbadhabitinreading.Anotherhabitwhich7downthespeedofreadingisvocalization-soundingeachwordeitherorallyormentallyas8reads.Toovercomethesebadhabits,somereadingclinicsuseadevicecalledanacceleratorwhichmovesabar(orcurtain)downthepageatapredeterminedspeed.Thebarissetataslightlyfasterrate9thereaderfindscomfortable,inorderto“stretch”him.Theacceleratorforcesthereadertoreadfast,makingword-by-wordreading,regressionandsub-vocalization,practicallyimpossible.Atfirst10issacrificedforspeed.Butwhenyoulearntoreadideasandconcepts,youwillnotonlyreadfaster,butyourcomprehensionwillimprove.Manypeoplehavefoundtheirreadingskilldrasticallyimprovedaftersometraining.TakeCharlesAu,abusinessmanager,forinstance,hisreadingratewasareasonablygood172wordsaminutebeforethetraining,nowitisanexcellent1,378wordsaminute.Heisdelightedthathowhecancoveralotmorereadingmaterialinashortperiodoftime.Cloze4Evidenceofthebenefitsthatvolunteeringcanbringolderpeoplecontinuestorollin.“Volunteershaveimprovedphysicalandsocialfunctioning,”saidFengyanTang,anassistantProfessorattheUniversityofPittsburghSchoolofsocialwork,whohas1oldervolunteers.“Theyreportbetterwell-beingandgreaterlife2.There’sa3riskofdeathcomparedtonon-volunteers.”Itwas4afewweeksbackonapublicschoolprogram5volunteers,inasmall-scaleinitialstudy,appearedtoreducetheirriskofcognitivedecline.Butwe’realsolearningthatnotallvolunteeringiscreatedequal.InDr.Tang’smostrecentstudy,6inTheGerontologist,shesurveyed207volunteers(averageage:72)whospent7average6hoursaweekonprogramsproviding8servicesaspreparingmealsorteachingcomputerskills.Theresults9howimportanttheprograms’organizationandadministrationcanbe.Volunteersreportedgreater“socio-emotionalbenefits”---asenseofhavingmadeimportant10,feelingsofenhancedwell-being---whentheprogramsprovidedgreater“organizationalsupport.”Cloze5Whohasn'twantedtomasternotjusttwolanguagesbut10?TakeGiuseppeMezzofanti,a19th-centurypriestwhowassaidtobe1inasmanyas50languages.Nativespeakerscamefromallovertheworldtotesthis2,andmanyleftastonished.InBabelNoMore,MichaelErardinvestigatesthelegendofMezzofantiand3linguisticprodigies.EarlyonErardaskswhatit4toreallyknowalanguage.ClaireKramsch,alinguistattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,tellshimthequestionshouldnotbe"Howmanylanguagesdoyouknow?"butrather"Inhowmanylanguagesdoyoulive?"Understandingtheculturalnuancesofa5requiresextensiveongoing6withitsspeakers,andforthat7Kramschdoubtsthatanyonecouldeverliveinmorethanfourorfivelanguages.Fairenough,butwhataboutastonishingfeatsofmemoryandcomputationthatpeopledisplaywhenthey8upanewlanguage,oreight?Erard9outthat,fornogoodreason,thisquestionhasbeenneglectedbyscience.Afterall,westudyextraordinary10inmathematicsandmusic;whynotlinguisticgeniuses?Cloze6Whenshopkeeperswantto1customersintobuyingaparticularproduct,theytypicallyofferitatadiscount.AccordingtoanewstudytobepublishedintheJournalofMarketing,theyare2atrick.Ateamofresearchers,ledbyAkshayRaoofUniversityofMinnesota,lookedatcustomers’3todiscounting.Shoppers,theyfound,much4gettingsomethingextrafreetogettingsomethingcheaper.Themainreasonisthatmostpeopleare5atfractions.Consumersoftenstruggletorealize,for__6__,thata50%increaseinquantityisthesameasa33%discountinprice.Theyimmediatelyassumethattheformerisbettervalue.Inanexperiment,theresearcherssold73%morehandlotionwhenitwas7inabonuspackwhenitcarriedanequivalentdiscount.Thisnumericalblindspotremainsevenwhenthedealclearlyfavorsthediscountedproduct.Inanotherexperiment,thistimeonhisundergraduates,Mr.Raoofferedtwodealsonloosecoffeebeans:33%extrafreeor33%8theprice.Thediscountisby9thebetterproposition,buttheexperimentshowsthesupposedlycleverstudentsviewedthem10equivalent.U7Thereisabelief1manyeducatorsthatstudentattentionpeaksduringthefirst15minutesofclassroominstruction—amisconception,accordingtoarecentstudy2atKennesawStateUniversity.Infact,accordingtothestudy,oneactionthatcan3whetherstudentsmaintaintheirfocusduringthelectureisdependentonwherethey4intheclassroom.Thestudy'sauthors"noticedthatstudentsinthefrontandmiddleoftheclassroom"stayedontask,whilestudentswhosatinthebackoftheclassroomweremoredistracted.Professorsfacemanyissuesto5theirstudents'attentionsintheclassroom—texting,socialmedia,andin-classchatteramongstudents,tonameafew—6therearestepseducatorscantaketorefocustheclassduringalecture,thestudy'sauthorsnote."Whentheprofessorbecameverylively,drewsomethingontheboard,injectedhumororifhewasusinganalogiesthatwerenotlistedinthepowerpointslidesthenthestudentstendedtowatchhim,"theauthorswrite.Accordingtothestudy,studentsalsoappearedtopaymore7whentheprofessorwentoveranswersfromaquiz,introducedanewslideorinformation,orsharedvideoswiththeclassroom.Butone8thatmanyprofessorstake,whichmaybe9amongstudents,couldhaveanimpactonin-classfocus:offeringnotesfromthelecturebeforethestartofclass."Ifstudentsprintedoutnotesavailabletothembeforelecture…theyseemedtopay10attentiontotheboard,"thestudy'sauthorswrite,"andtendedtogetofftaskquickerthanthosestudentswhohadtocopyeverythingdown."Cloze8Withunemploymenttidethroughouttherichworld,moreandmoreyoungpeopleareseekinginternships.Manyfirms,nervousaboutthefuture,are1tohirepermanentstaffuntiltheyhavetestedthem.Intern-recruitmentagenciesarepopping2tohelp.InspiringInterns,aLondonfirm,boaststhatitcan3competentinternswithinthreedays.Itprocesses300applicantsaday,andclaimsthat65%oftheinternsithasplacedhavebeen4.Manyinterncandidateshavenoprevious5experienceandonlyavaguenotionof6workinvolves.InspiringInternsscreensthemwithpersonalitytests,coachesthemoninterviewtechnique.Manyinternshipsareunpaid;thefirmchargesemployers500poundsamonthforeachinternplus10%startingsalaryifaninternishiredpermanently.Somecomplainthatunpaidinternshipsareexploitative.Theyalsoworrythatonlywell-heeledyoungsterscanaffordtowork7nothing.Ifaninternshipisthefirststeponthecareerladder,thelessaffluentwillneverclimbit.Othersdisagree.Theythinkanythingthatgivespeoplean8togainexperienceisagoodthing.Officialstatisticsaboutinternshipsarenotenough,9surveysbytheNationalAssociationofCollegesandEmployerssuggestthattheyworkquitewell.Theaveragehourlywageforaninternstudyingforabachelor’sdegreeinAmericais16.21dollars,thoughartyorganizationstypicallypaynothing.Mostimportant,morethan60%ofinternsinAmericaareeventuallyofferedfull-timejobs.Staffwhofirstworkasinternsarealsomore10tostickaroundthanthosewhodonot.Cloze9Studentshavebecomeobsessed1buildingimpressiveCVs.Butisn'ttheremoretolife2layingthefoundationsforyourfuturecareer?ThispreoccupationwithCV-buildingis3tothepressureonpeopleintoday'ssocietytobeconspicuouslysuccessful.YouhaveonlytoturnontheTVtobereminded4alotofpeoplehaveachievedfarmorethanyouatayoungerage.Thiscreatesafeelingofurgencytodosomethingextraordinaryasquicklyaspossible–oratleasttofindawayof5yourselfasextraordinary.Almostlikeabusiness,wearemanagingourtimeandefforttodevelopabrandthatwepresenttotheworld.OneexampleisourFacebookpage:weconstantlysiftthroughpicturesandinformation,decidingwhattoshareandwhattoleave6.Whenit7toourCVs,wearedeliberatelyhavingexperiencesthatwecanlistas"achievements".Intoday'sjobsmarket,themessageisclear:goodgradesarenolongerenough.Weneedanimpressivelistofextracurricularactivitiesthat8usfromalltheothersmartandmotivatedstudents:weneedsomerelevantwork-experience;weneedtovolunteer;weshouldhavedonesomeworkforacharityor9ourtimetosomeimpressivehobbies.In10,weneedtoprovetoourfutureemployersthatweareunique,andaperfectfitforthejobthey'reoffering.Cloze10Herearethethreemostcommonmistakeslanguagelearnersmake-andhowtocorrectthem.Rigidthinking.Linguistshavefoundthatstudentswithalowtoleranceofambiguitytendtostrugglewithlanguagelearning.Languagelearninginvolvesalotofuncertainty–studentswill1newvocabularydaily,andforeachgrammar2therewillbeadialecticexceptionorirregularverb.Untilnative-likefluencyisachieved,therewillalwaysbesomelevelofambiguity.Thetypeoflearnerwhoseesanewwordandreachesforthedictionaryinsteadofguessingthemeaningfromthe3mayfeeldisorientedinanimmersionclass.Ultimately,theymightquittheirlanguagestudiesoutofsheerfrustration.It’sadifficultmindsettobreak,butsmallexercisescanhelp.Findasongortextinthe4languageandpracticefiguringoutthegist,evenifafewwordsareunknown.ASinglemethodSomelearnersaremostcomfortable5thelisten-and-repeatdrillsofalanguagelaborpodcast.Someneedagrammartextbooktomake6ofaforeigntongue.Eachofthese7isfine,butit’samistaketorely8onlyone.Languagelearnerswhousemultiplemethodsgettopracticedifferentskillsandseeconceptsexplainedindifferentways.What’smore,thevarietycankeepthem9gettingstuckinalearningrut.FearInEasterncultureswheresavingfaceisstrongsocialvalue,EFLteachersoftencomplainthatstudents,10yearsofleaningEnglish,simplywillnotspeakit.They’retooafraidofmakinggrammaticalmistakesormispronouncingwordsinawaythatwouldembarrassthem.U11Didyouknowthatataskthat’sinterruptedtakes50%longerandhas50%moremistakesthananuninterruptedone?Ittakesawhileforourbrainstoget1afocusedstate_2__we’areabletoconcentratefully__3___ataskwithoutfeelingdistracted.Oncewe’reinthatstate,wecanenjoyaveyproductiveflow,aslongaswedon’tgetinterrupted.Afocusedmindisstillsensitivetodisruptionfromexternalinput.Interruptions—i.e.switchingtoadifferent,largelyunrelated___4__setofthoughtpatterns—eraseandscramblemuchofyourpreviouslyloadedandnicelyoptimizedbrainstate.Whenyouinterruptsomeone,on___5____ittakesthem23minutestoget___6____totheoriginaltask,plusupto30minutestoreturntotheflowstate__7______theycanbefullyproductiveagain.Almosthalfofthetimeyouinterruptsomeone,you’llactuallyknockthemofftaskcompletely,suchthattheywon’treturntotheoriginaltaskrightawaywhentheinterruptionends.Youmaythinkyou’reonlyputtingthemonpauseforaminuteortwo,buttheactualbreakfromthetaskthatresults___8____yourinterruptionmaybesignificantly__9.Frequenttaskswitchinghasalsobeenmeasuredtosignificantlyincreasestresslevel.Sointerruptingothersnotonlyhurtstheirproductivity,butitmayalsodamagetheirhealth.Interruptionsareexpensivetoo.Oneestimateputsthe10ofworkplaceinterruptionsat$588billionperyearinlostproductivityfortheU.S.economy.Cloze12Clearlyifwearetoparticipateinthesociety1whichwelive,wemust2withotherpeople.Agreatdealofcommunicatingisperformed3aperson-to-personbasisbythesimplemeans4speech.Ifwetravelinbuses,buythingsinshops,oreatinrestaurants,weare5tohaveconversationswherewegiveinformationoropinions,receivenewsorcomment,andverylikelyhaveourviewschallengedbyother6ofsociety.Face-to-facecontactis7nomeanstheonlyformofcommunicationandduringthelasttwohundredyearstheartof8communicationhasbecomeoneofthedominatingfactorsofcontemporarysociety.Twothings,aboveothers,havecausedtheenormousgrowthofthecommunicationindustry.9,inventivenesshasled10advancesinprinting,telecommunications,photography,radioandtelevision.Secondly,speedhasrevolutionizedthetransmissionandreceptionofcommunicationssothatlocalnewsoftentakesabackseattonationalnews,whichitselfisoftenalmosteclipsedbyinternationalnews.U13Imaginingbeingaskedtospendtwelveorsoyearsofyourlifeinasocietywhichconsistedonly1membersofownsex.Howwouldyoureact?2therewassomethingdefinitelywrongwithyou,youwouldn’tbetoohappyaboutit,tosaytheleast.Itisallthe3surprisingthereforethatsomanyparentsintheworldchooseto4suchabnormalconditionsontheirchildren–conditionswhichtheythemselveswouldn’tputup5foroneminute!Anydiscussionofthistopicisboundtoquestiontheaimsofeducation.Stuffingchildren’sheadsfullofknowledgeisfarfrombeingforemostamongthem.Oneofthechief6ofeducationsistoequipfuturecitizens7alltheyrequiretotaketheirplaceinadultsociety.Nowadultsocietyismadeupofmenandwomen,sohowcanasegregatedschoolpossiblyoffertherightsortofpreparationforit?Anyoneenteringadultsocietyafteryearsofsegregationcanonlybeinforashock.Aco-educationalschool8childrennothinglessthanatrueversionofsocietyinminiature.Boysandgirlsaregiventheopportunitytogettoknoweachother,tolearntolivetogetherfromtheirearliestyears.Theyareputinaposition9theycancomparethemselveswitheachotherin10ofacademicability,athleticachievementandmanyoftheextra-curricularactivitieswhicharepartofschoollife.Whatapracticaladvantageitis(togivejustasmallexample)tobeabletoputonaschoolplayinwhichthemalepartswillbetakenbyboysandthefemalepartsbygirls!Whatnonsenseco-educationmakesoftheargumentthatboysareclevererthangirlorvice-versa.Whensegregated,boysandgirlsaremadetofeelthattheyarearaceapart.Rivalrybetweenthesexesisfostered.Inacoeducationalschool,everythingfallsintoitsproperplace.