TASK 1 Find the main idea of the following paragraph

As the canoe sliced through the black water, an alligator slipped from its perch1 atop a submerged log2 and disappeared beneath the surface. Off to the right, a green heron3 stalked its prey from the shore as slivers of sunshine shone through the canopy of Spanish moss4 and cypress. This was a glimpse of what Florida was-before the rise of Mickey, Miami, and millions of tourists.
1 2

A high place used by animals for rest. a thick piece of wood cut from a tree. 3 a large bird with a long neck, long legs, and a long pointed beak that lives near water. 4 a soft green or brown plant that grows in a layer on wet ground, rocks, or trees.

TASK 2 Number the places on the map according to the order in the paragraph

I went out onto the sidewalk and walked down toward the Boulevard St. Michel, passed the tables of the Rotonde, still crowded, looked across the street at the Dome, its tables running out to the edge of the pavement. Someone waved at me from a table, I did not see who it was and went on. I wanted to get home. The Boulevard Monparnasse was deserted. Lavigne's was closed tight, and they were stacking the tables outside the Closerie des Lilas. I passed Ney's statue standing among the new-leaved chestnut-trees in the arc-light. There was a faded purple wreath leaning against the base. I stopped and read the inscription: from the Bonapartist Groups, some date; I forget. He looked very fine, Marshal Ney in his top-boots, gesturing with his sword among the green new horse-chestnut leaves: my flat was just across the street, a little way down the Boulevard St. Michel.

TASK 3 In this paragraph, the writer compares the Second Battle of Bull Run to the first battle. Use a Venn Diagram to keep track of important details in a comparison-contrast paragraph.

In August 1862, Union and Confederate armies converged for a second time on the plains of Manassas. The naive enthusiasm that preceded the earlier encounter was gone. War was not the holiday outing or grand adventure envisioned by the young recruits of 1861. The contending forces, now made up of seasoned veterans, knew well the reality of war. The Second Battle of Bull Run, covering three days, produced far greater carnage3,300 killed and brought the Confederacy to the height of its power. Still the battle did not weaken Northern resolve.

Task 4: The writer uses cause-effect organization to explain her main ideahow she learned to be "invisible."

I started out life as a pretty baby and learned to be a pretty girl from a pretty mother. Then at ten years of age I suffered one of the worst cases of chicken pox I have ever heard of. My entire body, including the inside of my ears and in between my toes, was covered with pustules which in a fit of panic at my appearance I scratched off my face, leaving-permanent scars. A cruel school nurse told me I would always have them- tiny cuts that looked as if a mad cat had plunged its claws deep into my skin. I grew my hair long and hid behind it for the first year of my adolescence. This was when I learned to be Invisible.