Increasing Reading Comprehension

Let's Increase Your Reading Comprehension Skills

By Ms Intan

Poll

How often do you read a serious English language newspaper or magazine?

• Every day

• Two or three times a week

• Once a week

• Rarely

The 5 Reading Strategies

1. Scanning

2. Skimming

3. Making Inferences

4. Recognizing Author's Purpose and Tone

5. Understanding Analogies

Poll

Have you tried those strategies?

• Only 1 strategy

• 2 strategies

• 3 strategies

• 4 strategies

• All strategies

​Scanning

• What it is: Quickly looking through a text to find specific information (like a name, date, or keyword).

• Example: Searching for a phone number in a directory or finding a definition in a textbook.

• How to do it: Move your eyes fast—don’t read every word—just spot the key detail you need.

Multiple Choice

Each year, the world wastes about one-sixth of the food available to consumers. That's the finding of a new United Nations report. It crunched numbers for 2019, the most recent year for which data are available. The report now estimates global food losses at about 931 million metric tons (1.03 billion U.S. tons). That's an average of 121 kilograms (267 pounds) for each man, woman and child on Earth.

What isn't eaten also wastes all of the resources used to make that food, notes Martina Otto. Based near Paris, France, she works for the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP). Those resources include water, energy, money, human labor and more. Wasted food "does not feed people, but it does feed climate change," added Otto during a March 4 news conference. Some 690 million people go hungry each year. More than 3 billion people can't afford a healthy diet. At the same time, the activities that had produced all of the lost and wasted food spewed 8 to 10 percent of all global greenhouse-gas emissions. Reducing food waste could ease hunger and potentially lower that pollution. That's the conclusion of the Food Waste Index Report 2021. It was produced by UNEP and WRAP, an environmental charity based in the United Kingdom.

The report's authors collected data on food-waste from 54 countries. Most food that goes uneaten 61 percent is thrown out

by home cooks and diners. Food services, such as restaurants, accounted for 26 percent more of the "lost" food. Groceries and other stores were responsible for 13 percent of the wasted food. Going in, Otto says, "We thought waste was predominantly a problem in rich countries." In fact, the new report finds, food waste is a big problem in nations rich and poor.

While the report is the best analysis of the issue to date, several data gaps remain. The countries surveyed are home to just 75 percent of the world's population. What happens in other places remains unknown. And only 23 countries provided waste estimates for food losses by restaurants or retail (grocery) stores. The researchers tried to account for such gaps. To do this, they made estimates based on what they learned in parts of the world that do tally such data. The report also does not exclude data for food-related materials that usually are not eaten. That last group includes eggshells and bones, for instance. Otto recommends that countries begin making more efficient use of food as a part of their climate strategies and their COVID-19 recovery plans. "Food waste has been largely overlooked in national climate strategies," Otto said. "We know what to do. And we can take action quickly."

Regarding food waste in rich countries, Martina Otto says that...

• Food waste will become a bigger issue in these countries.

• These countries are not alone in having a serious food waste problem.

• Rich countries contribute the most food waste in the world.

• People's perceptions of wealthy countries have been incorrect.

• These countries are not the largest producers of food waste.

​Skimming

• What it is: Reading quickly to get the main idea (not all the details).

• Example: Glancing over a news article to see what it’s about before reading deeply.

• How to do it: Read the title, headings, first/last sentences of paragraphs, and any bold or highlighted words.

Multiple Choice

Many people believe sharks are dangerous, but most species are harmless to humans. Only about 12 out of 500 shark species have ever attacked people. Sharks play a key role in keeping ocean ecosystems healthy by controlling fish populations.

What is the main idea?

• Sharks are always deadly.

• Most sharks are not a threat, and they help oceans.

• People should avoid all sharks.

Multiple Choice

Just like tabby cats, “calico” is often mistaken for a type of cat breed. Calico actually refers to the tri-colored fur pattern that some cats exhibit. In its most basic form, this tri-colored pattern refers to patches of white, black, and orange; however, variations with cream, reddish-brown, and grey-blue colors also occur. Both short-haired and long-haired cats can have the calico coloration pattern.

According to Spruce Pets, calico cats are named for their coat color that resembles calico cloth, which was once imported from England to India. The history of calico cats themselves is less clear: According to Sue Hubbel’s Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew About Genes, the proportion of cats having the orange mutant gene found in calicoes was traced to the port cities along the Mediterranean in Greece, France, Spain, and Italy, originating from Egypt.

Of all the calico cat facts on our list, this one sounds the most like a myth—but it isn’t! Almost all calico cats are female. This is because their tri-coloring is related to the X chromosome. Two X chromosomes are needed to create the tri-color coat, and an XX pair also results in the cat being female. If the cat gets one orange-coded X and one black-coded X, she will be calico—with the white patches resulting when she also inherits a gene unrelated to the X and Y chromosomes that codes for white fur. You probably never knew your calico’s beautiful coat was also so complicated.

In very rare cases—about 1 calico cat in every 3,000—cats can have an extra X chromosome, known as XXY Syndrome or Klinefelter’s Syndrome. These cats are male, but are always sterile and unfortunately tend to have a host of health problems due to their genetic abnormalities. According to the ASPCA, problems associated with Klinefelter’s Syndrome include cognitive and developmental issues that can lead to behavioral problems; reduced bone mineral content that increases the risk for broken bones; and increased body fat, which can lead to many obesity-related medical conditions. In even rarer cases, a male calico can be a “feline chimera,” where two embryos merge in utero to form one animal. These males are fertile—which means that even if you have a male calico, he should still be neutered!

What does the passage mainly discuss?

• Physical features of calico cats

• General information about calicos

• Gene components found in calicos

• Similarities of tabby and calico cats

• Explanation why male calicos are fragile

Making Inferences

• What it is: Using clues in the text + your own knowledge to figure out something the author doesn’t say directly.

• Example: If a character sighs and slams a door, you can infer they’re angry.

• How to do it: Ask yourself: What hints does the text give? What do I already know that connects?

Multiple Choice

Lena’s hands shook as she opened the test results. Her face turned pale, and she quickly closed the paper before anyone could see.

What can you infer about Lena?

• She is excited.

• She got bad news.

• She wants to share her results.

Recognizing Author's Purpose and Tone

• Purpose: Why did the author write this? (To inform, persuade, entertain, or explain?)

• Tone: The author’s attitude (serious, sarcastic, excited, etc.).

• Example: A funny story’s purpose is to entertain, and its tone is playful.

• How to do it: Look at word choice—does it feel neutral, emotional, or biased?

Multiple Choice

"Plastic pollution is destroying our oceans! Millions of sea animals die each year because of our waste. We must act now—reduce plastic use before it’s too late!"

What is the author’s purpose?

• Inform

• Persuade

• Entertain

Multiple Choice

"Plastic pollution is destroying our oceans! Millions of sea animals die each year because of our waste. We must act now—reduce plastic use before it’s too late!"

What is the tone?

• Angry

• Humorous

• Neutral

Understanding Analogies

• What it is: Comparing two things to show how they’re alike (often with "like" or "as").

• Example: "Life is like a rollercoaster—full of ups and downs."

• How to do it: Ask: What’s being compared? How are they similar?

Poll

How is it?

• Easy peasy!

• Mediocre

• DIFFICULT!!