READING COMPREHENSION: MA

MATCHING
TCHING

Match the subtitles with the right paragraphs. Number 0 is an example.

A. Newspapers
Newspapers have been around
around for a long time
B. Balancin
Balancing
g subjec
subjective
tive and objective
objective
C. How
How are they
they distr
distribu
ibuted
ted?
?
D. Exactl
Exactly
y as
as itit used
used to be
be
E. Newsp
Newspapeapers
rs and thethe compet
competiti
ition
on
F. Newsp
Newspapeapers
rs are more
more than
than just
just new
news
s
G. The golden
golden age age of
of newspa
newspapers
pers
H. Adve
Advert
rtis
isem
emen ents
ts
I. The
The pr
prin
inti
ting
ng pr proc
oces
esss

How do newspapers work?

adapted and taken from http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/how56.html

0 _A_
It may seem normal to you to get the daily newspaper in your mailbox. Newspapers are one
of the earliest forms of mass communication
communication.. However, with the emergence of the Internet
things are changing.

1 ___
The Internet has undoubtedly caused many newspaper offices to fear that they will soon be a
thing of the past but the Internet is not the first form of media that seems to rival newspapers
– television was
was actually the first.
first. But neither of these has the portability
portability and mobility
mobility of a
newspaper. Newspapers are the only form of media that still gets the news to the public but
can be taken out of a bag on the subway, or held while standing in line at the grocery store.

2 ___
Although newspapers
newspapers came before
before television,
television, radio, or even telegraphs,
telegraphs, they ha
have
ve the same
typical format today as they did when the first one was published. Newspapers
Newspapers follow easy-
to-read formats. This means that you can find a newspaper from 1775 and still read it the
same way you would read a newspaper today.

3 ___
It was shortly after the Civil War that newspapers truly had their glory days in America. This
was a time when the public were starving for knowledge about what was happening and
when political activity was high. Not only were there many, many newspapers created and
distributed during this time but it’s also the time in history when newspapers were a very
lucrative business.

4 ___
Of course, the essence of newspapers is to print news, but the news division isn’t the only
part of a newspaper otherwise you would only have news stories from front to back. Open up
any paper and you’ll find classifieds, editorial pages, advertisements, letters to
t o the editor,
editor,
leisure pages with crosswords and much more.

5 ___
Since editorial pages are opinion, the editors must be very careful in making sure that
t hat the
line is not crossed between opinion and fact. Once this is done, the newspaper loses all

credibility. The objective

cloud the issue so much is to raise
with issues
opinion and
that it awareness,
becomes lost. not to simply make things up or
6 ___
Without them no newspaper could survive as they are the ones that bring in direct money.
Very often they make up as much as 60% of the newspapers. Display ads, classified ads,
and inserts are the most common forms in today’s newspapers.

7 ___
The reporters, the editors, and all the other divisions of a newspaper
newspaper contribute to the making
of a newspaper’s content but how is it physically made? In the 14th century they were made
by ‘hot type’ machines, where the print was etched into the paper, whereas the presses that
are used to print and assemble newspapers today are massive machines that use streaming
sheets of paper. And even though the process inside a web press is extensive and
complicated, the process all happens extremely quickly and one of today’s presses can
create 70,000 copies of one newspaper in an hour.

8 ___
Most people are familiar with what newspaper carriers do, as this is often many people’s
people’s first
job. These carriers
carriers buy large
large quantities of the newspaper a
and
nd sell them to individual
individual
customers. These customers will then pay on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis, for
receiving the daily newspaper delivered to them every day.

KEY:
1. E Newsp
Newspap apers
ers andand the
the compe
competit
titio
ion
n
2. D - Exa
Exactl
ctly
y as
as iitt used
used to be be
3. G - The
The gold
golden
en ageage of of newspa
newspape
persrs
4. F -News
-Newspap
papers
ers areare more
more than
than just
just news
news
5. B - Balanci
Balancing
ng objec
objectivetive and subjecti
subjective
ve
6. H -A
-Adv
dver
erti
tise
seme
ment nts
s
7. I - The
The pri
print
ntin
ing
g proc
procesess s
8. C - How
How are
are they
they distr
distrib
ibute
uted?
d?
READING COMPREHENSION: SHORT ANSWERS

Answer the questions in note form! Number 0 is an example.

0. Where
Where are
are reali
reality
ty show
shows
s popul
popular?
ar?
Around the world.
world.

1. Why are
are some
some parts
parts of reality
reality TV
TV shows
shows manipu
manipulate
lated?
d?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
2. Why dodo so many people
people watch
watch reali
reality
ty TV
TV shows?
shows?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
3. Name thethe main reason
reason the makers
makers of such shows
shows allow
allow sufferin
suffering
g of contestants
contestants?
?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
4. What are
are the three
three things
things that
that reality
reality TV
TV makes
makes money
money off?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
5. Why are
are the participa
participants’
nts’ character
characters s controll
controlled?
ed?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
6. What
What do parti
partici
cipan
pants ts want
want to achie
achieve?
ve?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
7. Is the purpose
purpose ofof the shows
shows to present
present real
real life?
life?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
8. What dodo people
people sign
sign before
before they
they start
start participa
participating
ting in a show?
show?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
9. Did Vaugh
Vaughnn Alaine-
Alaine-Marsh
Marshall
all partici
participate
pate in a reality
reality show?
show?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______
10. What kind of a book did
did he write?
write?
__________________
_________ ___________________
_____________________
____________________
___________________
________________
______

Is Reality TV Ethical?
by Vaughn Alaine-Marshall http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Is-Reality-Tv-Ethical-/916469

Reality TV shows are a big hit around the world. Viewers are attracted to the dramas that
take place on reality TV sets, while producers and advertisers are pleased with the significant
revenues that reality TV generates. In order to create the dramatic scenes that characterize
reality TV shows, however, the producers often have to stage and heavily edit scenes.
The only reason why reality TV shows continue to air is because many people watch them.
Many people are attracted to reality TV because they find it entertaining, while others simply
find it hard to turn away because it is so shocking. Basically, reality TV is humiliation as
entertainment. Sadly, many people feel entertained while watching others suffer, and the
producers of reality TV shows just care about making money without being really concerned
with how the contestants feel. Their primary goals are commercial and financial success,
even if that means humiliating fellow human beings. These producers see humiliation, injury,
and suffering as consequences of doing business. And what is worse is that so-called reality
TV isn't even real. Many of the scenes you see on reality TV are heavily edited and
contrived. Most of the contestants’ ima
images
ges on reality TV are manipulate
manipulated d so that they
represent different stereotypes in society. For example, many reality TV shows perpetuate
harmful racial stereotypes.
Not only are the producers responsible for creating harmful stereotypes and humiliating
others, the contestants themselves also resort to exaggerated behav
behaviour
iour in order to get more
air time. Many contestants are willing to go as far as to talk badly about other contestants
and tease them on air in order to get more attention. TV show contestants will often do

whatever
Reality TVitshows
takes to achieve
are fame,
far from even
being if it meanss.defaming
documentaries.
documentarie others to
Large amounts of get there.
footage are edited in
order to create false scenes. Furthermore, producers alter many of the scenes in order to
make them more interesting for viewers. True reality TV would be incredibly boring for
viewers. Producers
Producers know that conflict is entertaining so they go out of their way to create
conflict and capture it on camera.
Many contestants go into reality TV without realizing the grave consequence
consequences s of doing so.
The releases that contestants sign for reality TV shows don’t really explain everything that
will happen to them on the show. And mid-way through the season, the producers get the
contestants to sign another release. This second release is supposed to convince
contestants that they should continue enduring all of the humiliation
humiliation in order to have a
chance at winning the prize at the end of the show. Sadly, some people are so desperate for
fame and money that they are willing to experience humiliation in exchange for it.
To learn more about the truth of reality TV’s cruelty, read the new novel by Australian author
Vaughn Alaine-Marshall. Alaine-Marshall had the opportunity to speak with several
contestants and behind-the-scenes participants
participants of reality TV shows around the world,
including
includin g Australian Idol, American Idol, X-Factor,
X-Factor, and Indian Idol.
I dol.
Rather than writing an expose revealing the truths about reality TV, Alaine-Marshall chose to
keep everything confidential
confidential and write a fictional story based on true accounts. The result is a
page turner that will give you insight on everything from the effects of reality TV shows on
youth to the terrible
t errible way that contestants are treated on reality TV shows. Whether you like
reality TV or not, you will be shocked by what you discover through reading this novel.

KEY:
1. To create
create dramatic
dramatic scenes/t
scenes/to
o make the
the shows
shows more dramati
dramatic
c
2. Because
Because they find it entert
entertaini
aining/sh
ng/shocki
ocking
ng
3. Money
4. Humiliat
Humiliation,
ion, injury
injury,, and
and suffe
suffering
ring
5. To repre
represent
sent differe
different
nt stere
stereotype
otypess
6. Fame
Fame/a/air
ir time/
time/at
atte
tent
ntio
ion
n
7. No
8. A release
9. No
10. Fictional story based
based on true accounts/novel
accounts/novel
READING COMPREHENSION: TRUE/F
TRUE/FALSE/NOT
ALSE/NOT GIVEN

Tick the correct option T (true), F (false) or NG (not given). Number 0 is an

example.

Statement T F NG
0. Harry Potter and The
The Half-Blood Pr
Prince
ince are two separate
separate 

films.

1. Voldemort
oldemort and his his minion
minions s attack
attack Harry
Harry..
2. Hormo
Hormone ness cause
caused d the
the drago
dragon n pox.
pox.
3. Harry
Harry is showin
showing g the first
first ssigns
igns of
of becoming
becoming an adult.adult.
4. In the last
last scene
scene Harry
Harry flirts
flirts with
with a waitress
waitress inin the coffee
coffee-sho
-shop.
p.
5. Ron and
and Hermi
Hermione
one have
have b been
een a couple
couple since
since the start.
start.
6. The quali
quality
ty of acting
acting is
is better
better than in previo
previous
us films.
films.
7. The actio
actionn scenes
scenes in the the movie
movie areare ext
extreme
remely ly good.
good.
8. Only the first
first part
part of
of the film is funny
funny..
9. All the
the impor
important
tant parts
parts of thethe book
book are
are exclud
excluded.ed.
10. The film is compared to Tour Tour de France.

Growing Pains of the Chosen Boy Wizard

adapted and taken from http://fun.familyeducation.com/harry-potter/resource/63637.html

The latest installment of the cinematic Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince,, leaves fans quite satisfied with its substantial dose of the wizarding world. The movie,
Prince
which moves at pace on par with a golden snitch, mostly remains true to J.K. Rowling's
Rowling's
original plot, but diehard fans are sure to be disappointed by the exclusion of major events
from the book's ending.
Though Voldemort is completely absent from the film, his loyal minions crawl out of the
woodwork to openly attack both wizard and muggle communities. An epic war between good
and evil clearly looms. Indeed, throughout the movie both sides try to gain an edge over the
opposition.. In a symbolically parallel plotline,
opposition plotline, the maturing students at Hogwarts attempt to
make sense of the inner workings of the opposite sex. Hormones have attacked the teenage
cast of characters like a terrible case of dragon pox.
The audience is given a glimpse of the start of Tom Riddle's transformation to Lord
Voldemort, along with a better understanding of Draco Malfoy's precarious fate as a Death
Eater's son. The film concludes with a serious blow to the forces of good and sets the tone
for the next two films.

Maturing on and off screen

Harry Potter is no longer a "boy wizard;" he's more like an almost-an-adult-but-not-quite
almost-an-adult-but-not-quite
wizard, which Dumbledore
Dumbledore playfully points out when ttelling
elling Harry to get a shave. The
audience first sees Harry engaged in a flirtatious exchange with a muggle coffee-shop
waitress, a scene added for the film adaptation that sets the tone. As Ron and Hermione
come to realize their feelings for each other,
other, Harry begins to accept his own feelings for
Ron's sister, Ginny (Bonnie Wright). The awkward tension between the characters is palpable
and subsides only when they confess their feelings
f eelings toward the end of the movie.
The actors themselves have grown up. The once-budding cast of young actors appears more
confident and natural onscreen. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince boasts the most
refined acting thus far in the series, and the special effects are bigger and more spectacular
than ever.

Impending doom with a side of hilarity

Most of the movie is funny; the other half is, well, riddled with threats of fast-approachin
fast-approaching
g
doom. The aforementioned
aforementioned coffee-shop scene comes only after the Death Eater's wreak
havoc on muggle London. The movie follows this pattern to the very end, constructing a
dichotomy between mortal peril and merriment. While the plot holds true to much of the
original content, the flip-flopping proves much too formulaic.
The movie lacks the same climax and anticlimax that made the book such a compelling read.
This is in large part due to the exclusion of two of the most important events in the book.
These omissions are the only glaring fault in the movie. Other than that, Harry Potter and the

Half-Blood Prince is a tour de force.

KEY:
1. F
2. F
3. T
4. F
5. F
6. T
7. NG
8. F
9. F
10. NG
READING COMPREHENSION: MA
MATCHING
TCHING

Match the paragraphs (1-10) with the right headings (A-M). There are two extra
headings! Number 0 is an example.

A. Capture immediate
immediate attention
B. Don'
Don'tt g
get
et cr
crea
eati
tive
ve
C. Rise
Rise above
above the the compe
competit tition
ion
D. Keep
Keep to th thee poi
pointnt
E. Don't
Don't dupl
duplicaicatete appli
applicat
catio
ions
ns
F. Don'
Don'tt li
list
st eve
every ryth
thin
ingg
G. Use a confident tone and positive language
H. Don't
Don't includ
include e a photo
photo
I. Don'
Don'tt ttal
alk
k in
in clic
cliché
hés s
J. Don’
Don’tt tail
tailoror yo
your
ur CV
CV
K. Concentra
Concentrate te on the quality
quality not quantity
quantity of your
your achieveme
achievements
nts
L. Check
Check,, check
check an andd check
check aga
again
in
M. Don't
Don't expa
expand nd the
the trut
truth
h

The Dos and Don’ts of Writing an Effective CV

taken from http://www.jobsite.co.uk/cgi-bin/bulletin_search.cgi?act=da&aid=3356

Paragraph 0: __G__
Use optimistic words to start each sentence, such as initiated, improved, introduced,
developed,
develope d, negotiated, established,
established, created, pioneered, delivered, increased, reduced,
saved etc. This also helps to ensure that you’re substantiating your skills with hard evidence.

Paragraph 1: _____
Don’t hold anything back but make sure that your achievements are fantastic and not just
that you are a fantastic communicator! Typically a CV should have 10 achievements on it that
cover the main successes in your career to get the reader’s attention.

Paragraph 2: _____
Make sure you include other skills that could set you apart ffrom
rom other candidates, such as
languages and IT skills.

Paragraph 3: _____
Go through your CV thoroughly for correct spelling and grammar – spotting errors is a quick
and easy way of weeding out weaker candidates when faced with a mountain of CVs to read.
Don’t just rely on your computer's spellchecker
spellchecker but get someone else to proof it – you may
have spelt a word correctly but used it in the wrong place.

Paragraph 4: _____
Prioritise the content of your CV and detail the most relevant information first. Start with a
hard-hitting
hard-hittin g personal profile that
t hat avoids clichés such as ‘hard-working, team player with
excellentt communication skills’. Make sure that all your career history is punchy and to the
excellen
point with qualified and quantified successes.

Paragraph 5: _____
It is simply not true that the bigger the lies you put on your CV then the better the job you will
get. Most employers are not fooled by creative embellishments and if you do manage to get

a job based on this you could be let go of pretty quickly which won’t look good on your CV.
Paragraph 6: _____
An employer
employer really doesn’t
doesn’t need or want to know
know all the one-day
one-day training courses
courses you have
ever been on. Keep information relevant and to the point.

Paragraph 7: _____
No matter how attractive you make yourself look, it will not improve your chances. This tends
to be popular in other European countries but isn’t favoured by the majority of UK
businesses.

Paragraph 8: _____ fonts and colours to make your CV stand out. The more gimmicky you
Don’t use elaborate
make your CV using different shapes and pictures, the more off-putting it will be to an
employer.

Paragraph 9: _____
Phrases such as ‘I am a highly motivated individual who works well on my own or in a team,
with exceptional communication
communication skills and the ability to work under pressure to produce
results under tight deadlines’ are dull and the employer has heard them all before. Make
yourself stand out with carefully worded phrasing that is factual and captures the employer’s
attention.

Paragraph 10: _____

Some recruiters have systems that handle multiple applications from the same person, but
for those that don’t, remember it is most off-putting to receive five CVs from the same person
and for the same job application.

KEY:
1 Concentra
Concentrate te on the quality
quality not
not quantity
quantity of yo
your
ur achiev
achievemen
ements
ts
2 RiRise
se ab
abov ove e the
the comp
compet etit
itio
ion
n
3 Chec
Check,k, che
check ck and
and checheck ck agai
againn
4 Capt
Captur
ure e iimm
mmed ediaiate
te atte
attent
ntio
ionn
5 Don'
Don'tt e
expxpanand d the
the trtrut
uthh
6 Don'
Don'tt llis
istt eve
everyryth
thin
ingg
7 Don'
Don'tt iinc
nclulude
de a pho
photo to
8 Don'tn't g
getet cr
creeatitiv
ve
9 Don'
Don'tt ttal
alkk in
in clic
cliché
hés s
10 Don't
Don't duplica
duplicate te applica
applicationtions s
Extra headings:
Don’t tailor your CV
Keep to the point