Reading one

FATHERS DAY

My father was 27 when he died. Over the
years, the image I had of him was formed
from all the stories I had heard. I was a few
months old when he died, and a single
photograph of me in his arms is the only
evidence I have that we ever met.
After my fathers death, my mother moved
back to Louisville, Kentucky, where she had grown up. We lived in a small house with her older
sister, Marion, and their mother. This was a time when being a single parent was still considered
unusual.
My aunt was the one who played baseball with me in the early summer evenings, who took me
horseback riding, and who sat by my bed when I was ill. She helped me find my first job and
arranged for her male friends at work to take me to the father-son dinners that marked the end of
every sport season. When the time came, she convinced the elderly man next door to teach me how
to shave. When I was 15, she gave me lessons on how to drive. Believing that anything unusual
was probably good for me, she offered to get a loan so that I could go to Africa to work as a
volunteer. She even paid for my first typewriter.
As a young girl, Aunt Marion always planned to have a large number of children of her own, but
she never got married. This meant that she was free to spend all her time taking care of me. Many
people say we are very much alike: stubborn, determined, soft-hearted, and opinionated. We often
argued. She always expected me to do my best. She never failed to assure me that I could do
anything with my life that I wanted, if I only tried hard enough.
For more than six years, Aunt Marion was never without a job of some kind. In a fairer world, she
would have been the boss. But being Aunt Marion, and still doesnt give herself much credit.
Unless forced to come up to the front, she stands in the back in family photos and doesn`t think that
her efforts have made much difference. So every June for the past 40 years, in growing
appreciation of my Aunt Marion, Ive sent a Fathers Day card.
Source: Adapted from Paper Trail (Strategic READING 2)

Reading Glossary
Word Translation Word Translation
1. death muerte 7. of her own propios de ella
2. still an, todava 8. stubborn testarudo/a
3. horseback riding equitacin 9.soft-hearted bondadoso,compasivo
4. ill enfermo 10. failed equivoc, fall
5. male varn 11. fairer ms justo
6. shave afeitarse 12. unless a no ser que

Reading Comprehension Exercises:
Decide whether the statements are true or false
1. The writers mother died when he was very young. True False
2. The writer lived in Louisville, Kentucky, before his fathers death. True False
3. The writer had a happy childhood. True False
4. Aunt Marion lived with the writer when he was growing up. True False
5. The writer and his aunt have different personalities. True False
Choose the correct answer to complete the sentences
6. The word loan in paragraph 3 is similar in meaning to _________.
a. permission b. credit c. discount d. ticket
7. The word alikein paragraph 4 probably means __________.
a. contrary b. different c. similar d. opposite
8. According to paragraph 4, Aunt Marion always wanted to have many _________.
a. pets b. relatives c. friends d. children
9. The writer has sent _________ to her aunt every June in order to show his gratitude.
a. a present b. a letter c. a card d. a poem
10. According to the reading passage, Aunt Marion always wanted him to __________.
a. make a lot of effort b. do nothing c. do her job d. play baseball


Reading two
WHAT WOULD YOU DO I F YOU LOST YOUR J OB?









After working six years at a company, Bob Congers lost his job. He hadn`t done anything
wrong. On the contrary, he was a good worker, but his company was cutting its workforce.
Workforce cutbacks are common in todays economy. So how can you distinguish yourself and
avoid losing your job? Career experts have developed these strategies for holding on to a job:
- Being a good worker is sometimes less important than making sure that people know
youre a good worker. Volunteer for new responsabilities, push your ideas, and make sure
everyone knows you.
- Learn everything that could help you do your job better. If the company buys computers,
learn how to use them. If learning more about marketing could help you, take a short
course.
- Make sure you know about changes and new directions in the company. If you find out that
sales is becoming the most important department, try making a move to sales.
- People who find things to complain about are a lot less popular than people who find things
to praise. Having a good attitude is important.
- Having good ideas isnt always enough. You need to be able to communicate them. Find
ways to improveyour speaking and writing skills.
- You can make a positive impact on your boss by arriving early and working late. And you
should always dress in a businesslike way, even if others dress casually.
- In the end, it all comes down to one basic strategy: Make yourself so valuable that the
company wont want to lose you.
If I were you, I would follow up these tips to keep my job.


Source: Taken from Interchange 3 Third Edition3 Students book

Reading Glossary
Word Translation Word Translation
1. wrong mal 5. less menos
2. workforce mano de obra 6. praise elogiar
3. cutback recorte 7. to be able to ser capaz de
4. avoid evitar 8. businesslike formal,serio

Reading Comprehension Exercises:
1. Select the most appropriate title for this article.
a. Take classes
b. Strategies for keeping your job
c. Bobs problems at work
Choose the correct answer to complete the sentences.
2. According to the reading passage, the synonym of improveis____________.
a. lose b. deteriorate c. decline d. develop
3. The word skills in the passage is similar in meaning to _________.
a. difficulty b. competence c. inability d. ignorance
4. Its important to be a good worker, but its ________ important to show it.
a. less b. any c. more d. no
5. We can understand from the reading passage that _______________.
a. Your company would admire you if you complained about everything.
b. The company wont want to lose you if you dress casually.
c. You wouldnt lose your job if you showed you are important for them.
Decide whether the statements are true or false
6. Bob lost his job because he had done something bad. True False
7. You should develop some skills. True False
8. Its important to communicate your innovative ideas. True False
9. You shouldnt arrive late to work. True False
10. If you arent helpful, the company wont want to lose you. True False
Reading three
GETTING RID OF CLUTTER
We all live with some clutter, but getting rid of it can change your life. Youll feel more in control,
youll waste less time looking for things in your life. But where do you start? Try this idea.
THE FOUR BOX METHOD
Decide on an area you want to clean up. Then get three
boxes and a large trash can. Label the boxes Put Away,
Give away / Sell, and Store. The trash can is for the
things you decide to throw away.
Take the four containers to the cleanup area. Pick up
each piece of clutter, and ask yourself, Do I want to put
this away where I usually keep it, donate it or sell it,
store it, or put it in the trash can? Do not put the item
down until you have made a decision!
When you have organized all the clutter, empty the three boxes. Put back the items in the Put Away box
where they usually go. Load the Give Away / Sell box in your car so you can drop it off at a friends
house or a charity donation center. List the contents of the Store box, and put it in your storage area.
Finally, empty the trash can. As long as you do it immediately, you wont be able to change your mind!
YOUR CLUTTER QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q: I have an old personal CD player that I dont use, but I cant bear to throw it out.
A: Unless its a collectors item or a museum piece, its just taking up space. Lets face it -
youre never going to use it, and it shows your age! Giveit away.
Q: What should I do with all my boxes of old photos? They take up so much space.
A: You probably never look at them. Here is what you should do. Sort them into three piles. Put the
fabulous photos into photo albums, and display them on your coffee table. Put the unclear, torn,
and unrecognizable ones in the trash. Send the rest to friends and relatives.
Q: I have hundreds of books that Ive saved through the years. How can I separate from them?
A: Unless the books are favorites that you want to read again someday, theyre junk. Take them to
a used bookstore. And make yourself a little money. After all, one persons trash is another
persons treasure.
Q: I inherited a lot of costume jewelry from my great-grandmother. What should I do with it?
A: Wear it! Or pass it on to your kids to use for playing dress-up. Theyll love it.
Source: Adapted from Touchstone 3 Students book


Reading Glossary
Word Translation Word Translation
1. get rid of deshacerse de 6. cant bear no poder soportar
2. clutter desorden 7. torn roto, rasgado
3. trash can contenedor de basura 8. junk basura
4. put away guardar en su sitio 9. throw away tirar, botar
5. storage almacenamiento 10. inherited hered

Reading Comprehension Exercises:
Choose the correct answer to complete the sentences.
1. The phrasal verb drop off in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.
a. leave b. receive c. increase d. develop
2. According to paragraph 1, you should get ___________ to start to clean up.
a. four boxes b two trash cans c. four containers d. three containers
3. According to the reading passage, all the statements are true EXCEPT
a. If the item is a museum piece, you shouldnt throw it away.
b. If you inherit valuable things, keep them for life.
c. Maybe people dont look at old photos very often.
d. If you love your old books, its a good idea not to sell them.
4. The phrasal verb give away in paragraph 5 probably means ______
a. keep b. donate c. destroy d. save
5. What is the meaning of the saying one persons trash is another persons treasure ?
a. Two people agree on the value of something.
b. Some people think that trash isnt valuable.
c. Some people recognize great value on things that other people ignore.
d. Some people think that other people possession is a treasure.
6. The word sort in paragraph 6, is closest in meaning to ________
a. classify b. disorganize c. change d. disappear

Decide whether the statements are true or false
7. Getting rid of clutter will be positive for you. True False
8. The trash can is for the things you want to keep. True False
9. Send the fantastic photos to your friend and relatives. True False
10. You should give some jewelry to your kids to be worn in
formal parties. True False
Reading Four
THE PRINTING PRESS
If you asked a large number of people what the most important invention has been, many would
say the wheel. But many others would say the printing press. Its debatable which altered history
more. But without a doubt, the printing press ranks within the top two or three inventions in
history.
Long before the telephone, the television, the
radio, and the computer, the written word was the
only way to communicate ideas to people too far
away to talk with. Until the sixth or seventh
century, all books were written by hand. For that
reason, very few books existed and, therefore,
very few people read them.
In the sixth and seventh centuries, the Japanese
and Chinese invented a way to print pages by
carving characters and pictures on wooden,
ivory, or clay blocks. They used to put ink on a
block and then press paper onto the ink, printing
a page from the block. This process was called letterpress printing. The invention of letterpress
printing was a great advance in communication because each block could be inked many times and
many copies of each page could be made. Many books could now be made. Therefore, many
people could read the same book.
Later, in the eleventh century, another great advance occurred. The Chinese invented movable
type. Each character was made as a separate block which could be used many times in many texts.
This meant that pages could be created by putting together these individual characters. Movable
type was much more efficient than the earlier Japanese and Chinese print blocks because books
could be created much more quickly by people
with less skills.
In Europe, movable type was used for the first
time in the fifteenth century. And there,
Johannes Gutenberg invented typecasting, a
way to make movable type much more quickly,
by melting metal and pouring it into the forms
of the letters. This greatly increased the speed
of printing because letters could now be used
more than one time on a page. Eventually,
movable type made books available to many
more people.
Adapted fromTop Notch 3 2
nd
Edition
Information source: EyewitnessBooks: Invention. By Lionel Bender, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1991

Reading Glossary
Word Translation Word Translation
1. printing press imprenta 6. carve esculpir, tallar
2. wheel rueda 7. ink tinta
3. without doubt sin duda 8. melting fundir,derretir
4. rank clasifica 9. pouring verter, chorrear
5. therefore por lo tanto 10. increase aumentar

Reading Comprehension Exercises:
Choose the correct answer to complete the sentences
1. According to the reading passage, there were very few books before the invention of printing
because__________
a. Nobody liked to read books.
b. Books had to be written by hand.
c. The television and the radio were invented first.
d. The written word wasnt the only way to communicate
2. The word speed in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ________.
a. delay b. rest c. velocity d. retard
3. Thanks to letterpress printing process, many people could ______________.
a. have a printing press
b. write books by hand
c. travel to Europe
d. read the same book
4. The Chinese invented movable type in the ____________.
a. sixth century
c. eleventh century
b. seventh century
d. fifteenth century
5. The word availablein paragraph 5 is similar in meaning to _________.
a. accessible b. impossible c. limited d. useless

Decide whether the statements are true or false
6. The printing press is one of the most important inventions in history. True False
7. The Japanese and Chinese invented type casting in the sixth century. True False
8. The wheel is the most significant invention in history. True False
9. Books became accessible to many more people thanks to typecasting. True False
10. Johannes Gutenbergs invention multiplied the velocity of printing. True False

ANSWER SHEET
Reading one: Fathers day
1. False 6. b
2. False 7. c
3. True 8. d
4. True 9. c
5. False 10. a

Reading two: What would you do if you lost your job?
1. b 6. False
2. d 7. True
3. b 8. True
4. c 9. True
5. c 10. False

Reading three: Getting rid of clutter
1. a 6. a
2. c 7. True
3. b 8. False
4. b 9. False
5. c 10. False

Reading four: The Printing press
1. b 6. True
2. c 7. False
3. d 8. False
4. c 9. True
5. a 10. True