Reading Comprehension Reading comprehension akhir-akhir ini porsinya lebih meningkat dibanding dengan structure. Hal ini dikarenakan mahasiswa perguruan tinggi negeri akan menghadapi buku teks kuliah dengan pengantar bagasa Inggris ( apalagi bukunya rata-rata cukup tebal). Oleh karena itu mahasiswa dituntut untuk menguasai wacana berbahasa Inggris. Ada tipe pertanyaan dalam reading comprehension. Pertama wacana panjang. Kedua tipe wacana pendek (1 atau 2 paragraph). Ketiga, tipe melengkapi kata yang kosong. # (A. Tips Wacana Panjang dan Wacana Pendek Tips-tips menjawab wacana Bahasa Inggris (Reading Comprehension): 1.Dilarang keras membaca wacana secara detail atau perkata. Hal ini mengabiskan waktu dan membuat pusing serta stres. (Ingat waktu Anda terbatas. Perlu cara yang tepat untuk menyiasatinya) 2. Ada baiknya jangan lihat wacana. Lihat pertanyaannya dulu. 3. Kalau sudah lihat pertanyaan, tandai pertanyaan yang paling gampang dahulu. 4.Biasanya reading comprehension memiliki tipe pertanyaan tertentu yang akan kita bahas 5. Biasakan bawa stabilo untuk menandai kata-kata kunci Jenis-jenis pertanyaan pada reading comprehension dan tips cara menjawabnya: 1. Pertanyaan yang berkisar mengenai topik utama (main idea) Misalkan: © What is the tittle of the text? © What is the main idea of paragraph one + The passage above tells us about Langkah-langkah menjawabnya adalah: © Selalu baca kalimat pertama dan kalimat akhir dalam paragraph tersebut. * Biasanya topik utama ada di awal dan di akhir paragraph N .Pertanyaan yang berkisar mengenai mana yang benar dan mana yang salah menurut teks Misalkan: * Which of the following statement is TRUE? * Which statement is suitable with the text? * Which of the following statement is FALSE? Cara menjawab pertanyaan tipe ini adalah Jangan langsung lihat wacana, akan tetapi cek jawabannya (A, B, C-nya) dulu * Kalau ada yang nggak nyambung dengan topik pada wacana bisa jadi itu jawabannya. « Kalau masih belum ketemu, maka harus cek ke wacana dengan menandai kata kunci. Jangan dibaca semua karena ngabisin waktu 230 | Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut Semalam3. Pengertian kata (vocabulary test) Misalkan: The underlined word also means... * Which word of the first paragraph means “embracing”? * The word ‘emancipation’ means Langkah-langkahnya: * Hal ini tergantung dari kosakata bahasa Inggris kamu. Sekali lagi, lihat pilihan jawaban. Pilih pilihan yang mempunyai makna yang sama dengan kosakata yang ditanyakan. Biasanya ada beberapa jawaban yang nggak nyambung dan ini yang harus kamu coret (eliminasi) * Reference suatu kata ganti (pronoun) Contoh: « The word ‘if refers to... ‘* The word ‘this’ here means... * The word ‘they’ refers to... Langkah-langkah menjawab bentuk pertanyaan tersebut adalah... * Temukan kata ganti pronoun tersebut dalam wacana (paragraph berapa, baris berapa) * Carilah kata benda (noun) yang terletak sebelum noun tersebut * Bacalah bagian wacana sebelum pronoun tersebut dengan hati-hati * Tinggalkan pilinan jawaban yang nyata-nyata salah SOAL DAN PEMBAHASAN WACANA PANJANG 1 We often think it very funny if a film shows a woman or a girl screaming and Tunning in fright at the sight of a mouse or a cockroach. But we don't consider our ‘own little, secret fears a laughing matter. Perhaps you shiver at the sight of a snake or an eel, cannot bear to hear the sound of jagged metal rubbing against metal, or feel uneasy in a lift. Fortunately, most of us suffer only a mild form of fright about certain things. According to psychiatrists, this is quite normal. It becomes a problem only when the fear develops into a mental condition that affects all aspects of a person's life. Studies of thousands of people with an abnormal dread show that every time they think about - or come into contact with — the subject of their fear, they show all the physical signs of a person who is facing serious danger: a racing heart, dry mouth, cold sweat and weak knees. Doctors and psychiatrists welcome publicity about phobias, for this helps to convince their patients that their patients that their fears are not unique. It teassures the patients to know that there are other people who are afraid of the same thing, and it makes the patients more willing to try to understand what is causing their fear. Once they realize what in their subconscious is causing their fear, they are half-way to being cured. Psychiatrists believe that these unreasonable fears are caused by deep-seated reasons, perhaps a terrifying experience during childhood. ‘Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut Semalam | 231One typical case was Mrs. Mary Batchelor, a London housewife, who suffered from agoraphobia (fear of open spaces). For twenty-three years, she remains indoors. Following publicity about other agoraphobia cases, she was persuaded to go out for the first time to watch her son perform with a pop group. Most of use suffer from claustrophobia (fear of being in closed spaces) in a mild way, but the real sufferers go about in great fear of being trapped without escape ina lift, in a packed train or in an aircraft. Altogether, there are a hundred and thirty phobias listed in the medical dictionary, ranging from acrophobia (fear of heights) to xenophobia (morbid dislike of foreigners). Some phobias are very odd indeed. There are cases of people who turn cold with terror at the sight of a cabbage leaf, run away in fright at the sight of a bird or faint when they hear a dog bark. There was even a man who refused to eat anything that he knew had been touched by someone who had handled matches. Soalt ‘deep-seated reasons’ (bold text) most likely means reasons that are _ A. long forgotten C. not easy to handle E. flexible to change B. difficult to choose D. difficult to realize S_Jawab: Lihat paragraph 3 kalimat ketiga ... Once they realize what in their subconscious is causing their fear, they are half-way to being cured ... Jawab : D Soal 2 Fear of certain things will become a problem when the fear__ A. disturbs all aspects of the sufferer’s life B. is influenced by a person's personality C. develops mentally or physically D. is reflected in a person's daily life E. makes the sufferer unfriendly to others. S_Jawab: Ketakutan pada suatu hal menjadi masalah ketika mengganggu selurun aspek kehidupan penderita. Lihat juga pernyataan pada paragraph 2. It becomes a problem only when the fear develops into a mental condition that affects all aspects of a person’s life. Jawab : A Soal 3 The following statements may be the purposes of the writer in writing the text, EXCEPT __ A. to explain the causes of different kinds of phobias B. to convince people about the importence of publicity about phobias C. to inform people how to overcome their abnormal fears. D. to persuade people with abnormal fears to talk to psychiatrists E. to inform people about different kinds of phobias S_Jawab: 232 | Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut SemalamSangat jelas bahwa wacana di atas tidak menjelaskan bagaimana cara mengatasi (overcome) ketakutan yang tidak normal (abnormal fears) Jawab :C Soal 4 To cure their phobias, patients __ A. should take their unusual fear seriously B. may have to consider publicity of their fears C. determine the dangers caused by their phobias D. try to convince their doctors of their secret fears E. try to understand the real cause of their phobias 2S_Jawab: Lihat paragraph 3 ... and it makes the patients more willing to try to understand what is causing their fear ... Jawab : E Soal 5 In which of the following combined courses would this passage probably be used as assigned reading? A. psychology/sociology D. psychology/medicine B. medicine/biology E. sociology/biology C. philosophy/medicine a_Jawab: Paragraph 1,2,3 terkait dengan ilmu psikologi (psychology) dan 4,5 terkait dengan ilmu sosiologi (sociology). Jawab: A SOAL DAN PEMBAHASAN WACANA PANJANG 2 We all know that mobile phones, cell phones, hand-phones, whatever we want to call them (and shouldn't we all be calling them the same thing?) are changing our lives. But it takes a good old-fashioned survey to wake us up to the glaring reality: they have changed who we are. The mobile phone has indeed changed the way we behave. But perhaps we don't realize how much we have become its ‘slave. Consider other elements of the Siemens Mobile Survey. With the exception of Australia, in every country surveyed the majority polled said they would go back for their phone if they left it at home (in Australia, it was a respectable 39%). If you've endured the traffic in Indonesia the Philippines and India, you'll know what kind of sacrifice some two-thirds of those surveyed are making. | can't think of anything | would go back for - except my wallet, maybe, or my clothes. And even if we remember to bring it, we're still not happy. Many of us get anxious if it hasn't rung or a text massage hasn't appeared for a while (a while 1g about an hour). Once again of those surveyed, Indonesians (65%) and Filipinos (77%) get particularly jittery. Australians are more laid back about this (20%), but every other user in Asia seems to be glancing at the phone every few ‘Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut Semalam | 233second. This statistic, | have to say, is highly believable, and the instinct highly annoying. There’s nothing worse than chatting to someone who constantly checks his or her hand-phone. Then there's the fact that mobile phones are not only enslaving the user, they're trampling the rights of everyone else. Around a third of folk surveyed acknowledge they get so engrossed in mobile conversations that they're often unaware of speaking loudly while discussing their private lives in public. At least most of us agree on one thing ; with the exception of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the increasing use of mobile phones has led to a decline in courtesy and considerate behavior. The bottom line here is that we are more than a little bit out of control. Mobile phones are great: But if we allow them to dominate our lives to this extent — interrupting conversations with those around us to take a call, staring at our phones rather than relating to the world and people around us, sending flirty text massages to random numbers — then | can only assume that in another 10 years, society as we know it will no longer exist. All we'll see is a blur of digital data going out and giving all the fun, socializing, falling in love and taking sneaky pictures of each other. Soal4 Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about cell phones? A. By using cell phones people can change their lives. B. People become upset when they forget to bring their cell phone. C. Cell phones have made users quite enslaved D. The writer is not one who is enslaved by cell phones E. The change in people’s behaviour may be caused by cell phoning. S_Jawab: Penulis menganggap dirinya termasuk korban diperbudak telepon seluler karena menggunakan pronoun ‘WE’ (kita) pada paragraf 1. Jawab:D Soal 2 The main purpose of the writer is to inform the readers about__ A. the popularity of communication technology B. the effects of cell phones on the behavior of users C. the various kinds of hand-phones available in the market D. the advantages of using cell phones in many Asian countries E. the percentage of cell phone users in Asia ‘%S_Jawab: Penulis menjelaskan efek dari telepon seluler pada perilaku pengguna_ telepon seluler. Hal ini dijelaskan oleh penulis pada paragraf 2,3, dan 4 Jawab :B Soal3 Cell phones have not only enslaved the users but have also. A. disturbed other people's conversation in public 234 | Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut SemalamB. eliminated the existence of social life C. made the users behave impolitely D. prevented people from socializing with each other E. caused the user to become quite considerate a._Jaw: Coba linat pada kalimat di paragraf 3 ... the increasing use of mobile phones has Jed to a decline in courtesy and considerate behavior. Peningkatan penggunaan telepon genggam telah mendorong turunnya kesopanan (courtesy) dan budi pekerti (considerate behavior). Hal ini selaras dengan pilihan C: made the users behave impolitely (telah membuat orang berperilaku tidak sopan). Soal4 What makes Asian users of cell phones different from Australian ones? A. They mostly use their cell phones from chatting B. The number of users in Asia is greater than in Australia C. They become angry when nobody calls or sends message D. Their cell phones ring every hour throughout the day E. They are much more dependent on their cell phones S_Jawab: Perbedaan utama pengguna telepon seluler di Asia dan Australia adalah: (a) orang Asia merasa risau jika ponsel mereka tertinggal, sementara di Australia hanya 39%. (lb) Orang Asia merasa risau jika ponsel mereka tidak berdering atau menerima SMS selama satu jam. Sementara di Australia hanya 20%. Jadi bisa disimpulkan orang Asia lebih ketergantungan dengan ponsel dibanding dengan orang Australia. Jawab : C Jawab :E in joal 5 The phrase ‘trampling the right of everyone else’ in lines 18 means __ A. Interfering with somebody else's affairs B. Prohibiting somebody else's right to walk C. Rejecting to acknowledge one’s ownership D. Ignoring the rights of other people E. Making use of other people's property Pembahasan : Trampling = menginjak = mengabaikan = ignore. Trampling the right of everyone else (menginjak-injak/mengabaikan hak orang lain) Jawab:D ‘Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut Semalam | 235.( SOAL DAN PEMBAHASAN WACANA PENDEK 1 (1) . (2) That should not be surprising, since the study of music and the study of language have a lot in common. (3) Both require you to have a ‘good ear’ — the ability to hear the difference between various sounds. (4) They also require you to reproduce sounds you have heard. (5) Finally, when you learn music or language, you have to learn complex set of rules. (6) With language, the rules are about grammar and meaning. (7) In fact, grammar is the rules about how words change their form and combine it other words to make sentences. (8) With music, the rules are about sounds and rhythm. (9) Not surprisingly, researchers have discovered a scientific reason why people are good at music and languages. (10) According to a study done in Germany, you use the same part of the brain for both subjects. (11) This part of the brain is called Broca’s area. (12) Scientists have known for some time that it is connected to leaming languages. (13) Now they believe that it is also the part of the brain you use when you are learning music. Soal 1 The sentence which is irrelevant to the text sentence number __ AS B.7 c.8 D.9 E.10 _Jawab: Wacana di atas adalah mengenai bahasa dan musik. Bukan berbicara mengenai grammar. Jawab:B Soal 2 With which of the following, sentences should the text begin? A. We are lucky if we are good at both music and languages. B. Many people who are good at music are good at languages as well. C. Both music and languages are commonly taught at schools. D. Music and languages are two relevant subjects to learn. E. Both music and languages basically apply the same rules. Jawab :B S_Jawab: Lihat kalimat pada nomor 2 ...That should not be surprising, since the study of music and the study of language have a lot in common ...Hal itu bukan merupakan hal yang mengejutkan karena studi mengenai musik dan bahasa telah sering dilakukan). Kalimat nomor 2 merupakan penjelas dari kalimat Many people who are good at music are good at languages as well (Banyak orang yang memiliki kemampuan yang sangat baik pada musik juga memiliki kemampuan yang baik juga pada bahasa). 236 | Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut SemalamSOAL DAN PEMBAHASAN WACANA PENDEK 2 Colours, hair, and jewellery are frequently determined by a person's sex. This is not always true for all cultures, and it is not even true now throughout the United States. In this country, there were protests to bring about a change from these culturally strict norms. The ‘anti-military attitudes of the 1960s and the 1970s sought to break with the military tradition masculine or ‘macho’ position, thus making it more acceptable for men to wear floral designs on their shirts in pinks, purples, violets, and other ‘feminine colours’. For some people, long hair and jewellery on men also became acceptable as a means of expressing this changed way of thinking. More facial hair also became common, precisely because it differed from the military norm. The business world, however, has been slow to change. Soalt What is the topic of the text? A. The change in gender-based attitude in the U.S. B. Jewellery as a means of expressing thoughts. C. Feminine colours versus masculine colours. D. The anti military movement in the U.S. E. Various cultures in the world. S._Jawal Wacana di atas menceritakan kepada kita mengenai perubahan mode berbasis gender di Amerika Serikat dari gaya maskulin atau macho ke gaya anti militer di mana pria bisa memakai mode feminin seperti warna merah jambu, ungu dan Violet. Jawab: A Soal 2 With which of the following sentences should the text end? In most offices today_ A. wearing bright colours, jewellery, and long hair is still not acceptable for men B. men and women have the same right in deciding the color of their rooms C. Men are free to wear bright and colorful shirts D. bright colours are used in the working areas as well as in the common room E. people coming from various cultural backgrounds work hand in hand S_Jawab: Lihat petunjuk pada kalimat terakhir ... has been slow to change... Jawab : A ‘Menguasai Matematika Dasar, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris: Sistem Kebut Semalam | 237