2020

ADVANCED READING & WRITING 1

ELENA PILAR CUEVAS BLANCO

ICPNA |TEACHER: Mr. CHRISTIAN VERASTEGUI

SCHEDULE: 21:15 – 22:45
 1. FOCUS ON THE TOPIC

UNIT 1
GENIUS: NATURE OR NURTURE?

1) Why are some people geniuses and others are not? Does the environment a person is
raised in (nurture) create a genius, or is it because the person was simply born that way
(nature)? Which part do you think each of these play in being a genius?
It is difficult to define the main reason but we can say that it influences the reaction of the
human being in front of their environment, in general most geniuses that we know have
gone through obstacles that have led them to challenge themselves and as a result be
considered geniuses. I believe that the attitude towards problems defines us. Geniuses
are the result of both good genes and good surroundings. Genetics play a fundamental
role in this. If a person's parents or grandparents are geniuses, then they have a high
probability of being. However, many times people who are geniuses are limited by their
introverted personality and do not achieve their full potential until they open up to the
world. In short, nature and nurture play an important role in the development of
personality and thus in its intellectual development.

2) What is one special talent or ability that you have? When did you first become aware of
it? Did it come naturally, or did you have to practice a long time to perfect it? Explain.
(You may instead answer these questions about someone you know who has a talent or
ability.)
I have a special skill with math, I love playing with numbers and also allows me to plan
my day to day. I realized I had this skill when I was 7 years old and I improved by
practicing different exercises in my free time. This allowed me to participate in
mathematics competitions and enter a special study group. I have degrees in
mathematics, when I turned 15 I decided I would study a degree in engineering. Finally,
today I am an industrial engineer.

UNIT 2
FACING LIFE’S OBSTACLES

1) There are many different kinds of obstacles: Physical and economic are two examples.
What are some other examples of the kinds of obstacles that people face?
First, social adversity is a good example, anyone who does not have certain social skills
is at a great disadvantage. People on the autism spectrum face significant and
sometimes insurmountable obstacles to being successful in their personal or professional
lives. Second, a challenge we all face is fear, regardless of our achievements, even
successful people must know how to overcome fear. And third, rejection, there are likely
to be times when you will be told that you are not good enough, but the most successful
people can accept this and overcome the challenge that rejection brings. You can learn
from rejection and you can even build character to achieve more success, but for this to
 happen, a person must be able to overcome it and learn to take advantage of its
advantages.

2) What are some ways that people overcome their obstacles?

First, use logic and good judgment to face obstacles, failures, tragedies, and disasters.
Second, stay focused and engaged. Don't let obstacles discourage us, as there will
surely be many setbacks in life. Obstacles help enrich the mental experience and build
resilience, strength, and fortitude. Finally, when you get discouraged, close your eyes and
imagine yourself having overcome the hurdle and reaching your goals.

3) What obstacles have you faced in your life? How have you tried to overcome them?
Since I was born facing obstacles, after a few hours of being born the doctor told my
mom that I had heart disease so I was agitated easily. I took therapy and little by little
when I turned 8 I was able to control this disease. However, at age 3, I was diagnosed
with hyper laxity in my knees and had to wear orthopedic shoes, which kept me from
falling constantly while walking. I remember my mom was very sad and I didn't like these
shoes either. Nevertheless, I was disciplined with the treatment and at the age of 10 I
was able to give up those ugly shoes and replace them with orthopedic insoles. In short, I
believe that being constant in life is important to overcome the obstacles that come our
way.

2. VOCABULARY LOG

UNIT 1
INTERACTION
1. Here we see the interaction of intellectual and emotional capacities.
FLEXIBLE
2. She had a long, flexible white neck, and the pose of her head was charming.
COMPENSATE
3. Nothing can compensate for the loss of hope in a man.
DISABLED
4. Now that he was disabled and could not work, he began to feel the strain .

SAVANTS
5. The professor did not appear like the savant he was said to be.
ESTIMATE
6. He is a soldier, and knows how to estimate the chances of the woods.
RETAIN
7. We should help him to retain their affection and faithfulness.
BENEFITS
8. History has a cavalier way of recording the benefits of conquest.
PREDICTABLE
9. Once we can establish a predictable pattern, we'll have a chance.
ANXIOUS
10. Their interviews were first blissful, then anxious, then sad, then stormy.

UNIT 2
ABANDONMENT
1) I shrugged my shoulders in my abandonment of hope.
MEAGER
2) The help they offered was meager, and slow, but it sufficed.
MISERY
3) What can it give you to compensate for the misery of a union without love?
TORMENTED
4) They were so tormented by this anxiety that they could not sleep.
DILAPIDATED
5) His dress suit of former days he had found much too dilapidated for use.
POVERTY
6) The problem of poverty is particularly acute in rural areas.
HOPELESSNESS
7) His schools had only seen his hopelessness at literacy and missed his outstanding
grasp of the visual.
SHAME
8) The shame of the scandal was so great that he shot himself a few weeks later.
SORDID
9) The sordid condition of many of the city school buildings was shocking.
DEFEATED
10)In fact, any error in measuring the favorability of news coverage would have defeated
the purpose, which was to estimate media effects.
 3. WRITINGS & CORRECTIONS

WRITING #2
Nicol: The life of my cousin

Nicol Carmona Blanco is a human medicine student who has overcome various obstacles in her
life. She was born on June 11, in 1999, in Pasco. She had some obstacles in his life for three
reasons. First, she was so shy and did not talk much and her classmates were so rude to her,
they used to tell her she was so weird and they never shared time with her. Not to feel
abandoned by his classmates he began to read and showed a great interest in biology books.
Second, when she was 16 years her parents did not have enough money to give her everything
she wanted, which was very difficult for her because her friends at the time were in the mall and
buying clothes that she could not. But his father always said: if they are real friends, they do not
care about money." From that day on, he started saving and enrolled in an injectable application
workshop. After finishing this workshop, he saved again and bought syringes, needles, cotton
and alcohol to generate income by applying injectable. Third, when she was 17 years old she
was diagnosed with an illness that would not allow her to study for a few months. However she
was not discouraged and began to research human medicine, during which time she decided
she wanted to become a great doctor and after finishing her medical treatment she resumed her
studies and was admitted to university in the career of her dreams. In short, even if we
encounter obstacles along the way we must not stop, as we can see she learned to overcome
obstacles and achieve what seemed impossible. In short, even if we encounter obstacles along
the way we must not stop, as we can see she learned to overcome obstacles and achieve what
seemed impossible.
 4. OTHER ASSIGNMENTS

Many people who suffer ASD are not flexible.

According to Gladwell, to transform talent into expertise requires at least

10,000 hours.

A lack of structure makes Daniel Tammet anxious.

For many people with ASD, social interaction is difficult.

Scans of the brains of autistic savants suggest that there might compensate for
being done by the right hemisphere for damage to the left.

To retain large amounts of information is usually not a problem for autistic savants.

Daniel Tammet memorized pi to 22,514 decimal places to show people that, although
he has a disability, it doesn’t stop him from being successful.
I agree with Kim Peek, because I think it is important to accept people for what they are. The
differences are important and must be addressed. We are differentiated by our customs, our
way of dressing, our tastes, our way of speaking, our way of thinking, our religious beliefs, our
age, and even those things in which each of us stands out above the others. And all those
differences make us unique people. For example, many important people throughout history
were considered different, such as Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and Beethoven. They did
great things, despite having some kind of disability. On the other hand, we are all different even
if we do not have some kind of disability because we excel in different skills that differentiate us.
For example, some are good sportsmen and other excellent actors. Drawing can be important
to someone and take a lot of time to become a great artist. Just as someone learned to write
about their personal experiences or let their imagination flow, as is the case with the famous
writer J. K. Rowling. In short, we must value differences rather than judge others and even
ourselves.
Resilience and commitment are two of the most important values and characteristics that
people need to overcome obstacles. First, resilience because it means resisting the difficulties
of life and developing strength and capacity to overcome. Secondly, the commitment as it
materializes the promises or goals. It is important to engage in work, studies, family but above
all with oneself to achieve our dreams. Both characteristics we can apply in our daily lives to
face the obstacles keeping our firm commitments. You can become resilient by understanding
your abilities, building healthy relationships, looking for the bright side, preparing contingency
plans, and learning from every crisis you face. You can become resilient by understanding your
abilities, building healthy relationships, looking for the bright side, preparing contingency plans,
and learning from every crisis you face. Finally, I decided to return the English classes and I
committed to finish this year the advanced level, the pandemic brought many changes but
resilience and commitment to me are my support.
 5. REFLECTION PAPERS
UNIT 1

In the first unit we learned about geniuses, it allowed me to expand my vocabulary,

identify the main ideas, and make inferences, use modals and semi-modals to identify
advice, probabilities, speculations and conclusions. It also allowed me to identify some
weaknesses in pronunciation and writing with respect to structure.

If I had extra time I would work on improving my pronunciation by reading out loud and
practicing English movie phrases. When I wrote the first writing, I was able to apply
grammar and vocabulary. I liked this unit because I find the characteristics of geniuses
interesting. I remember it took me two days to make that assignment.

Finally, I am pleased to have made a significant effort because I managed to get three
points and also did well in the midterm exam where I also got three points. It is gratifying
to see your grades and to know that you are demonstrating everything you have learned
in virtual classes.

UNIT 2

In the second unit we learned about the obstacles we face in life, it allowed me to expand
my vocabulary through reading, better understand the details, improve reading skills and
remember the use of gerunds and infinitives. It also allowed me to identify some
weaknesses in reading comprehension, confusing me on some questions.

If I had extra time I would take additional reading workshops. When I wrote the second
piece I was able to apply grammar and vocabulary. However, because of problems with
my Internet connection I could not hear the details of the assignment and did not include
enough details in my written piece. I liked this unity because in life we will always
encounter different types of obstacles and it is important to find ways to overcome them. I
remember it took me two days to make that allocation and I even modified my draft
completely.

Finally, I like this work because it allows me to practice using many phrases, build better-
elaborated sentences and expand my vocabulary. Although I did not manage to obtain
the three points. I am pleased to have put a significant effort into the written pieces
because it allowed me to apply everything I learned in class.