Reading skill 2

UNIT 4
you will be able to

 Predict the meaning of new vocabulary items

 Take part in a debate about consumer society
 Guessing meaning from context
 Identify the main idea
 Read the text how to grow old and stay young
 UNIT 4

 In this unit, you will learn how to identify the topic of a

reading to understand the main idea
Topic sentence in a paragraph

A topic sentence is the most important sentence

in a paragraph. Sometimes referred to as a focus
sentence, the topic sentence helps organize the
paragraph by summarizing the information in the
paragraph. In formal writing, the topic sentence is
usually the first sentence in a paragraph.
Main Ideas of Paragraphs

 Topic sentences and main ideas

 In addition to stating the topic, most topic sentences also tell the writer's main idea, or in
other words, the idea that the writer wants to express about the topic. To explain the idea,
the writer includes several supporting details in the paragraph and these details are more
specific than the main idea.
A topic sentence is the most important
sentence in a paragraph. Sometimes referred to
as a focus sentence, the topic sentence helps
organize the paragraph by summarizing the
information in the paragraph. In formal writing,
the topic sentence is usually the first sentence
in a paragraph.
What is the main idea in the passage?

 Main idea:?????????????
 The main idea is the central, or most important, idea in a passage. It states the purpose
and sets the direction of the passage. ... The main idea may be stated in the first sentence
of a paragraph and then be repeated or restated at the end of the paragraph
 To grasp the main idea , you need to read more carefully to understand what the author
wants to say about the topic . To understand the main idea of the passage , we have to ask
ourselves” what does the author want to tell me from the title .
 You can find the main idea in the last sentence of the introduction
 The main idea is then developed in different ways in each body paragraph with examples
and supporting ideas
 In the conclusion , the main idea is usually summarized or repeated
Before you read the article, preview it.
1. Read the title and say what you think it means

We all know the obvious signs of aging: wrinkles, gray hair, a slightly stooped
posture, perhaps some "senior moments" of forgetfulness. But why do those things
happen? What is aging?

is the process of becoming older. ... In humans, ageing represents the

accumulation of changes in a human being over time and can encompass
physical, psychological, and social changes.
Aging is associated with changes in dynamic biological,
physiological, environmental, psychological, behavioral, and social
processes. Some age-related changes are benign, such as
graying hair. Others result in declines in function of the senses
and activities of daily life and increased susceptibility to and
frequency of disease, frailty, or disability. In fact, advancing age is
the major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases in humans.
 Before you read the article, preview it.
 1. Read the title and say what you think it means
 To understand the main idea of this passage we ask ourselves “what does the author want
to tell me about staying youthful in old age”
 Which best identifies the topic of the reading
 A: the benefits of exercise
 B: staying youthful in old age
 C:aging and its problems
 . Read the first paragraph. Can you tell what the article will be about?
 3. underline the first sentence and the last sentence of the para .
 3. Read the last paragraph on the next page
 Choose the best summary statement : page 54 q. 2
 Now read the article all the way to the end. Noticing how the
main idea from the introduction and supported by examples.
Notice the first sentence of each body paragraph then
summarize the main idea as it expressed in the conclusion.
 As you read, underline any unfamiliar words with a pencil but
do not look them up in a dictionary now. (You can do that
later.)
Words 1-10

 Words tested on this text :

 1-regret  6-to weather
 2-optimistic  7- to trigger
 3-asserting  8-envision
 4-discount  9-distract
 5-amplify  10- tedium
Reading skill practice : guessing the general meaning of unknown words from
the context

 Without a dicitionary , use the context of the sentence to guess the meaning of each underlined
word. Write a synonym or definition for each words . Exercise page 55.
• Word Definition
• 1. ……………………………… ………………………………………………….
• 2. …………………………….
• 3………………… …………………………………
• 4............................... ………………………..
• 5………………………………………………………..
• 6………………………………………………………………….
Scanning for details

Exercise page 57
Talking a closer book