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MODULE 1.

GRAMMAR: VERB TENSES


VOCABULARY (ENGLISH 12)
READING 1

Passage 1.
A child is an individual and different from all others. The way a child learns best depends on many factors: age, learning style and
personality. A baby or infant learns about the wor1d through the senses. From about two until seven years old a child starts to develop
the ability to reason and think, but is still self-centred. After the age of about seven a child usually becomes less self-centred and can
look outside themselves. By the age of 12 most children can reason and test out their ideas about the wor1d. So with younger children
we need to personalise and give examples which relate to themselves, whereas older children need help to make sense of the world
around them. Besides, children must be at the right stage of learning. For example, younger children are ready to learn about numbers,
colours and shapes but are not ready for abstract grammatical rules.
Children are also different in their favorite types of interaction. Some children are outgoing and sociable and can learn a language quickly
because they want to communicate. They are not worried about making mistakes. Other children are quieter and more reflective. They
learn by listening and observing what is happening. They don't like to make mistakes and will wait until they are sure. If a child is outgoing
they may prefer learning in groups with other children, whereas a quieter child may need more private, quiet time to feel more secure
about learning a language. A bedtime story in English could be an opportunity to provide this quiet time.
For a child to be motivated, learning needs to be fun and stress-free. Encourage them to follow their own interests and personal likes.
For example, if a child likes football, he or she will probably like to read a story about football even if the level is a little difficult. Interest
and motivation often allow children to cope with more difficult languages. Try to provide them with as many fun activities as you can for
learning English. Songs and music, videos and DVDs, and all sorts of games are motivating children.
Question 1: What is the main topic of this passage?
A. What parents should do to help their children?
B. How children learn English as a foreign language?
C. The importance of age, interaction and motivation
D. Child differences and how to motivate them to learn
Question 2: According to the passage, why should we teach young children numbers not grammar?
A. Because they can cannot understand abstract rules.
B. To suit their different learning styles and personalities.
C. As they are ready to learn about colours and shapes.
D. For the sake of the teacher and young learners.
Question 3: According to the passage, at what age can most children have their own viewpoints?
A. 1-2 B. 3-6 C. 7-11 D. 12-14
Question 4: According to the passage, in comparison with quiet learners, outgoing learners ________.
A. can learn a language more quickly B. make much more mistakes
C. prefer speaking to reading D. are not sure of their talks
Question 5: According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about reflective leaners?
A. They are unfriendly. B. They are good listeners.
C. They don't make mistakes. D. Pair-work may not suit them.
Question 6: What can be inferred about children's motivation?
A. It helps them overcome difficulty. B. It is interesting and personal.
C. It is related to sports and books. D. It makes a difficult language easy.
Question 7: What does the author imply about children's interests?
A. They are fun and stress-free. B. They include songs, videos and games.
C. They help to motivate children. D. They provide fun activities for learning.

Passage 2.
A pilot cannot fly a plane by sight alone. In many conditions, such as flying at night and landing in dense fog, a pilot must use radar, an
alternative way of navigating. Since human eyes are not very good at determining speeds of approaching objects, radar can show a pilot
5 how fast nearby planes are moving. The basic principle of radar is exemplified by what happens when one shouts in a cave. The echo
of the sounds against the walls helps a person determine the size of the cave. With radar, however, the 10 waves are radio waves instead
of sound waves. Radio waves travel at the speed of light, about 300,000 kilometers in one second. A radar set sends out a short burst
of radiation waves. Then it receives the echoes produced when the waves bounce off objects. By determining the time it takes for the
echoes to return to the radar set, a trained 15 technician can determine the distance between the radar set and other objects. The word
"radar," in fact, gets its name from the term "radio detection and ranging." "Ranging" is the term for detection of the distance between an
object and the radar set. Besides being of critical importance to pilots, radar is essential for air traffic control, 20 tracking ships at sea,
and for tracking weather systems and storms.
Question 1: What is the main topic of this passage?
A. The nature of radar
B. Types of ranging
C. Alternatives to radar
D. History of radar
Question 2: In line 1, the word dense could be replaced by ________.
A. cold B. wet C. dark D. thick
Question 3: According to the passage, what can radar detect besides location of objects?
A. size B. weight C. speed D. shape
Question 4: Which of the following words best describes the tone of this passage?
A. argumentative . B. imaginative C. explanatory D. humorous
Question 5: The word it in line 7 refers to which of the following?
A. A radar set . B. A short burst C. A radiation wave D. Light
Question 6: Which type of waves does radar use?
A. sound B. heat C. radio D. light
Question 7: What might be inferred about radar?
A. It takes the place of a radio.
B. It gave birth to the invention of the airplane.
C. It developed from a study of sound waves.
D. It has improved navigational safety.
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