UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA

DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS

CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

LEARNING GUIDE N° 1

Teacher Angélica C Morales Orozco

To identify main ideas and supporting details in a paragraph
Objective
To use cognates as a vocabulary strategy
Time 3 hours

Hello, Students! This is our first learning guide. Read it, watch the
videos and answer the exercises. This document is going to help you
understand and practice the two strategies of the first week.

Hello, Students! Esta es nuestra primera guía de aprendizaje. Léela, mira los videos
y responde los ejercicios. Este documento te ayudará a entender y practicar las dos
estrategias para la primera semana.

¿Sabes qué son los cognados? Esta es una estrategia que te

ayudará a identificar y entender gran parte del vocabulario del
inglés. Revisa el video a continuación para saber más sobre esto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntIuv-S5jp8

PRACTICE TIME!!
 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

Exercise 1

Reed the following paragraph and underline the words that you think are cognates.

Leer el siguiente texto, y subraya los cognates que el encuentres.

My name is Adrian Garcia. I had born in September 4, 2005.

My family is from Puerto Rico. I am seven years old. I like go
to the supermarket with my mother. I like to eat bananas.

This week I celebrate my birthday. My favorite color is blue.

My party is decorated with blue balloons.

Exercise 2

Choose the correct word cognate to each sentence.

En el siguiente ejercicio encontrarás una lectura que tiene unas líneas, seguido de las líneas encontrarás dos palabras
entre los paréntesis, debes escoger cuál de las dos es la que mejor encaja, para darle sentido al texto.

Did you know that Chrissie got ________________

PREGNANT (embarrassed/pregnant) 1
on holiday in Ibiza? The ________________
SUBJECT (signature/subject) 2 I hate most is
maths. Begonia is a very ________________
SYMPATHETIC (kind /sympathetic)3 person. Keep

________________
REMOVING (removing/stirring)4 the soup the whole time.5. I couldn't
agree more. That's a very ________________
SENSITIVE (sensible/sensitive) 5 idea. The
film
The Quiet American was a box-office ________________
EXIT (exit/success)6. How
ACTUALLY
many ________________
LANGUAGES (idioms/languages)7 can you speak? ________________
(Actually/Nowadays)8. I'm living with my parents again. The poor live in
the ________________
SUBURBS (slums/suburbs)9. The police came to my ________________
ASSISTANCE
(assistance/attendance)10.
 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

Exercise 3

Identify the True Cognates in each sentence; there are more than one in some sentence.
En las siguientes oraciones, deberás escribir sobre las líneas los cognates que encuentres en cada frase, vas a
encontrar más de un COGNATE.

DOCTOR
1. The doctor told me that she is ok. ______________________________________
2. This is an important hospital IMPORTANT HOSPITAL
______________________________________
3. The Imperial Hotel is good. IMPERIAL HOTEL
______________________________________
4. The travel was perfect. ______________________________________
PERFECT

5. My mother is very popular. ______________________________________

POPULAR

MUSIC INVENTION
6. Music is the best invention of the world. ______________________________________
7. Jupiter is the biggest planet of the Universe. _________________________________
JUPITER , PLANET, UNIVERSE

8. Miss Universe is so beautiful. ______________________________________

UNIVERSE

9. I don't like Chinese restaurants. ______________________________________

CHINESE RESTAURANTS

10. Venezuela is a great nation. ______________________________________

VENEZUELA NATION

Wonderful job!!
Thanks for working so hard!
 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

Ahora es momento de estudiar nuestra primera estrategia de

lectura. ¿Cómo identificar la idea principal de un texto? Revisa los
videos a continuación para encontrar información las respecto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCz7b7ZlClM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOYtzoiI2XI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- M51l41qRws

Could you understand the purpose of the videos? What are the
videos about? Could you do the exercise?

¿Pudiste entender los videos? Reflexiona, ¿de qué se trataron?

¿Pudiste hacer los ejercicios?

PRACTICE TIME!!
 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

Exercise 4

Each paragraph is followed by four statements. Select the statement that best expresses the
main idea. Circle the letter of that statement.

Elije la idea principal de cada párrafo. Selecciona la opción que mejor la exprese.

A. People often refer to taxes in terms of their being much too high. In reality, they
are probably even higher than you think, because in addition to the federal income
tax we are now studying, there are many other Federal, State, and local taxes,
including sales taxes, inheritance taxes, state income taxes, personal property
taxes, real estate taxes, and others. These are just some of the most obvious ones.

a. Taxes are much too high.

b. We pay more taxes than we may realize.

c. Inheritance taxes and real estate taxes are unfair.

d. Some taxes are hidden.

B. The fact that electronic computers are now used for data processing has led the
general public to believe that it is a mysterious, complicated science and that the
computers are giant brains. Both of these ideas are false. A computer is basically
just a high-speed adding machine that performs the functions it is told to. If the
input data are varied even a little, the computer is unable to operate until it is
programmed to accept the variations. The business operations it performs are
impressive only because of the extremely high speed of manipulation, but most of
these operations have been used for decades. Unlike man, the computer performs
repetitive calculations without getting tired or bored.

a. A computer is a high-speed adding machine.

b. A computer is a mysterious giant brain.

c. A computer is impressive because of its high speed.

d. A computer is superior to man in many ways.

 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

C. The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts in the
entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of the country
and provided territory from which fourteen new states were created either wholly
or in part. It also gave us control over the mouth of the Mississippi River and
opened up the way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the waterway had been
blocked by the Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that was
bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds. Finally,
the cost of the transaction was unbelievably low; the total of $15 million amounted
to about four cents an acre.

a. The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.

b. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was rich in minerals.

c. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was very cheap.

d. Most Americans were very pleased with the purchase.

D. There is a common belief that while the dog is man’s best friend, the coyote is
his worst enemy. The bad reputation of the coyote traces back to his fondness for
small animals; he hunts at night and is particularly destructive to sheep, young
pigs, and poultry. Yet it is sometimes wise to encourage coyotes. Provided valuable
farm animals are protected, the coyote will often free the property of other
animals, like rabbits, which are ruinous to crops and certain trees. He is especially
beneficial in keeping down the rodent population. Where coyotes have been
allowed to do their work without molestation, ranchers and fruit growers have
found them so valuable that they would no more shoot them than they would shoot
their dogs.

a. Under certain conditions the coyote is helpful to man.

b. The coyote is feared because of his fondness for small animals

c. Modern ranchers would no sooner shoot coyotes than they would shoot dogs.

d. The coyote usually prefers rabbits and other rodents to sheep and poultry.
 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

E. In earlier days those who had overseas business which they believed should be
discussed personally, took ship and set out across the briny deep. Once aboard they
transacted their affairs, engaging in commercial and social matters or conducting
government business. Today ships and passengers continue to sail the seven seas,
and airplanes soar overhead. But above them all, words speed through the sky –
telephone conversations quickly bring together in the most personal fashion
people who are separated by thousands of miles.

a. Overseas telephone service today is ruling out all need for overseas travel.

b. Nothing can take the place of person-to-person conversation in settling business,

social, and government problems.

c. Many conversations which once required overseas travel can now be conducted
by telephone.

d. Even with modern overseas telephone service people continue to travel abroad
by ship or by plane.

F. The attitudes of Americans toward gambling are amazingly contradictory. You

may find, for example, that horse racing is legal in your state, but that you cannot
legally play poker for money on your front porch; bookies may be prosecuted by
state law, but they are supposed to purchase a federal license nonetheless; one
church condemns gambling, while another raises money by sponsoring Bingo
games. Gambling laws are inconsistent from state to state or even from town to
town and are very difficult to enforce.

a. Americans have negative attitudes toward gambling.

b. Gambling laws are difficult to enforce

c. Gambling laws are inconsistent from community to community.

d. Churches do not have uniform ideas about gambling.

 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

Exercise 5

Read the following paragraphs and identify the sentence that expresses the main idea and the ones
that express the supporting details. Write down the sentences’ numbers where correspond.

Lee los siguientes párrafos e identifica la oración donde se establece la idea principal y las ideas secundarias en cada
uno de ellos. Escribe los números de las oraciones en los espacios correspondientes.

A. (1) Do you know what to do if you are stung by a bee or a hornet? (2) There are a number of
steps to take if this happens to you. (3) The first thing to do is remove the stinger. (4) A stinger
contains venom. (5) It will continue to release venom as long as it is in contact with skin. (6) When
the stinger is removed, put ice on the wound. (7) This will reduce the swelling. (8) Then, apply a
small amount of baking soda. (9) It contains enzymes that will weaken the venom. (10) Finally,
look for signs of an allergic reaction such as difficulty in breathing. (11) People have died from
strong allergic reactions to stings. (12) When such a reaction occurs, the victim should be taken
to the hospital for treatment.
1
Stated main idea sentence_____ 3 4 5 12
Supporting ideas_____,______,______,_______

B. (1) Black ice is an invisible coating of ice that forms on an asphalt road surface. (2) Black ice is
very dangerous. (3) It is caused by drizzle falling on the frozen pavement. (4) Drivers don't know
the roadway is icy. (5) When their cars hit the ice, they skid out of control. (6) Sometimes cars
bounce off of each other like characters in a video game. (7) Sometimes they skid off the roadway
into ditches. (8) Incidences of black ice have caused numerous collisions and deaths in the colder
regions of the country.
8
Stated main idea sentence_____ 3 4 5 6
Supporting ideas_____,______,______,_______

C. (1) Albert Einstein was one. (2) So was artist Pablo Picasso. (3) American writer and humorist
Mark Twain was one, as well. (4) Others include Babe Ruth, General Norman Schwartzkopf,
Johann Sebastian Bach, and Joan of Arc. (5) What do all of these famous people have in common?
(6) All of these people are left-handed.

6 5
Stated main idea sentence_____ Supporting ideas_____,______,______,_______
 UNIVERSIDAD DE CÓRDOBA
DPTO IDIOMAS EXTRANJEROS
CURSO COMPETENCIAS EN INGLÉS PRUEBA SABER PRO

D. (1) A low fat diet may prevent major illnesses, including cancer and heart disease. (2) Because
of this, doctors and nutritionists have suggested many ways for people to lower the fat in their
diets. (3) They recommend using non-fat milk instead of whole milk. (4) Also, they suggest that
people eat little or no meat. (5) For people who eat meat, poultry is recommended. (6) It has less
fat than beef or pork. (7) People should also cut down on the number of eggs they eat. (8)
Additionally, eating non-fat yogurt for dessert instead of ice cream is also recommended.
Stated main idea sentence_____ Supporting ideas_____,______,______,_______

You have finished!!

You are such a hard worker!

Recuerda guardar y subir tu documento a Edmodo.

Asegúrate de enviarlo dentro de las fechas

establecidas. Recuerda que esto es parte de los
requerimientos para aprobar el curso.

Guarda el documento y prepárate para discutir las

respuestas en la sesión sincrónica. Si te quedaron
dudas, apúntalas. Las resolveremos en clase.

¡¡Ya has terminado!! Nos vemos en nuestra próxima sesión y

RECUERDA, ¡USA TU TAPABOCAS AL SALIR! Se acabó la
cuarentena, no el virus, BE SAFE!