Reading and Writing in English An Interactive Text for Intermediate ESL Students BOOK 1

Samples

READING 5: A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION

READING 2:  WHAT KINDS OF WORK HAVE YOU DONE?

        Many people have done other kinds of work besides what they are currently doing.  College graduates and other professional people, for example, have often worked at a variety of jobs while they were paying for their education or training for their career.  Many have cooked, washed dishes, or bussed in restaurants.  Others have been typists, clerks in stores, or employees at a car wash.  Still others have worked in a laundromat, done yard work, or cleaned people's houses.  Professional people have often taken advantage of jobs like these to earn money, but by doing other jobs, they have also learned a lot about working with people and gained other useful experience as well.  What kinds of work have you done?

Questions for discussion and writing

1. Are you driving now?  Do you drive?
2. Do you own a vehicle?  Do your parents or any other members of your immediate family own a vehicle?
3. What do some drivers do that is dangerous?
4. What are some of the disadvantages of driving in crowded cities?
5. Do people in your original country usually drive to work?  How do they typically get to work?

WORD FORMS

Compare the words in italics in the following examples.

1. He likes his occupation.
2. An occupant of a first-class seat pays more for the ticket.
3. His job and his family occupy most of his time.
4. The man occupying that seat has a first-class ticket.

1-15.

Add the correct word in the proper form.

celebrate, celebrating, celebration, celebrity

FOCUS ON WORDS

Actually

        The word actually in English means really or in reality.  It does not represent a time idea.  It often shows unexpected reality.  We can express the idea of now with at present, at the present time, or currently.

2-5.	Use actually in the following sentences that bring up a question of reality.  Use currently in the sentences that need to be completed with the idea of the present time.

1. After talking about it for years, they are __________ going to Europe next month.
2. They are __________ involved in an important business deal.
3. The instructor is __________ working in three schools.
4. After years of negotiations, they have __________ started passenger train service in our city.
5. The trial is __________ being followed by many people.

IDIOMS IN ENGLISH

Make

Here are some expressions with the word make and some of their common meanings.

to make believe:  to pretend
to make do with:  to manage on
to make fun of:  to ridicule
to make a mess (of):  to mess up
to make out (something or someone):  to see or identify (something or someone)
to make out a check:  to write a check
to make someone out to be:  to claim that someone is [usually not true]
to make trouble:  to create problems
to make up (a story, an excuse, etc.):  to invent (a story, an excuse, etc.)
to make up for:  to compensate for
to make up one's mind:  to decide
to make use of:  to use

3-13.

Make new sentences by replacing the subject in the following sentence with you, he, she, we, and they.  Make any other changes that are necessary.

I have made up my mind all by myself.

3-14.

Make a new sentence for each of the following by using the corresponding expression with make in place of the word(s) in boldface.  Other changes will also be necessary.

1. He often uses the photocopy machine.
2. Men and women sometimes ridicule each other.
3. They messed up the preparations for the event.
4. Someone else usually decides for her.
5. People who are dishonest create problems for others.
6. The children were pretending that they were cowboys and bandits.
7. She wrote a check for the entire amount.
8. It is hard to see bicycle riders on roads at night.
9. He claims that she is a genius.
10. He invented an excuse for not coming to class, but the instructor did not believe him.
11. They manage on very little money.
12. He compensated for lost time by working extra hours.

3-15.

Sentence writing assignment:  Working alone or with a group of your classmates, write sentences using the preceding expressions with make.  Create some sentences in the past tense and some sentences in the present perfect tense (you may add always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, or never).  Use different subjects for your sentences.

WORD COMBINATIONS

4-10.

Add a word where necessary.

1. Their decision affects __________ everybody.
2. She allows her children __________ stay up late.
3. They will arrive __________ New York at 6 a.m.
4. Someone at the meeting will bring __________ the question of the budget.
5. She is capable __________ finishing the whole job by herself.
6. There has been a change __________ the weather lately.
7. She convinced the jury __________ her innocence.
8. She convinced many people __________ vote for her.
9. The movie was different __________ what we expected.
10. We expect the children __________ finish their tasks.
11. I could not reach __________ the box on the top shelf.
12. She was worried __________ her child.

4-11.

Sentence writing assignment: Working alone or with a group of your classmates, make new sentences with the above word combinations. Create some sentences in the negative and in the interrogative. Use both singular and plural subjects.

OTHER WAYS OF SAYING IT

2-21.

Replace the words in boldface in each of the following sentences with the expression on the following page that has the same meaning. Make any other necessary changes.

1. He repeated all of the procedures.
2. Many years ago, he received a lot of money upon the death of a relative.
3. She picked out the yellow one.
4. Last week, she did the night shift.
5. He omitted his middle name on the form.
6. She knows something important concerning the case.
7. When they travel, they often eat at a self-service restaurant.
8. She enjoyed the family reunion.
9. Eventually, they found out where their ancestors had lived.
10. Nobody listened to his commands.
11. They visited the grounds and buildings of the school.
12. She always buys a lot of produce.
13. She finally came to understand that her sister had a drug problem.
14. They often go together to buy food items from the store.
15. They plan to go to a different place this year for their vacation.
16. He avoids problems.
17. She substituted a bag for the box.
18. They learned about three continents in their geography class.
19. He keeps a journal.
20. He found the information in the National Archives.
21. He does not have many friends because he constantly makes fun of people.
22. The logistics of enrolling in college can be complicated.
23. He is kind of tall.
24. The clerk rang up the customer's purchases.
25. The errand took his entire lunch break.
26. People watch sitcoms on television to have fun.

to discover to do over in the end somewhere else diary major land masses gathering to stay away from to ridicule activities involved in the process to inherit orders to realize

groceries to choose fruit and vegetables in the store turn at work to replace with cafeteria campus regarding to skip short trip to take care of something to record on a cash register situation comedy somewhat

A comparison between the present perfect and the simple past

Notice the difference in meaning in the following examples.

He wrote two checks a few minutes ago.
He has written two checks during the past few minutes.

Why do we need "wrote" in the first example and "has written" in the second?
        The difference in the two examples comes from the time period represented. "A few minutes ago" indicates finished time, so the past tense form, wrote, is appropriate. In the second example, "during the past few minutes" indicates time that continues up to the present moment, in other words, time not finished. In this case, the present perfect form, has written, is the proper one to use.

3-3.	Add the correct present perfect or past tense form of the verb in parentheses.

1. We __________ breakfast at 6 o'clock this morning. (eat)
2. We __________ breakfast at 6 o'clock in the morning all this week. (eat)
3. I __________ to work at 7 o'clock this morning. (drive)
4. The weather __________ good last week. (be)
5. The weather __________ good all this week. (be)
6. He __________ two letters in today's mail. (receive)
7. He __________ three letters so far this week. (receive)
8. She __________ to class fifteen minutes ago. (come)
9. I __________ a lot of work yesterday. (do)
10. I __________ a shower this morning. (take)

READING 7: A COLLEGE PARAGRAPH

        Many people do not like to give personal information on forms for several reasons. First, they are sometimes afraid that the data may be used against them. Negative information such as a poor work record or health problems can make it very difficult for a person to get hired somewhere. Certain answers on a form can also lead employers to discriminate against the applicant. For example, if a person has always been a homemaker, then employers may think that the person does not have any skills and does not know how to work with other people. Someone in this situation may find it difficult to get hired. Another reason applicants do not like to answer personal questions is that they feel embarrassed about certain items on a questionnaire. They may not want people to know about divorces, poor school records, or past jobs they are not proud of. A final reason is that people feel that some personal information is not anyone else's business. If they want to borrow money from a bank, it is obviously the bank's right to know about other loans they have. But applicants for jobs should not have to put down how much money they made on previous jobs. And people applying to rent apartments should not have to tell landlords exactly who is going to live in the place as long as they are quiet, courteous residents who take proper care of the place. Filling out a form can be a truly frustrating task.

        What is the writer talking about in the above paragraph? What point is the writer making?
        The paragraph above is an example of a typical college paragraph. It is about giving personal information on forms. The writer is making the point that many people do not like to give such information. Some reasons are given to show why people do not like to provide personal information on forms:

1. they are afraid that the data may be used against them
2. they feel embarrassed about certain items on a questionnaire
3. they feel that some personal information is not anyone else's business

The writer brings up each reason in the paragraph and explains it with details and examples before going on to the next reason. The entire paragraph ends with a concluding statement.

 

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