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Route to Academic English 1Gonca Gülen

Burçin Hasanbaşoğlu

Elif Şeşen

Gökçe Tokdemir

Gonca Gülen

Burçin Hasanbaşoğlu

Elif Şeşen

Gökçe Tokdemir

This book is designed with the ultimate aim of developing tertiary-level learners into autonomous learners of English

as a foreign language. To achieve this end, this book adopts a constructivist instruction; it integrates the four skills-

reading, writing, listening, and speaking- using a thematic approach.

Throughout the book, a variety of relevant, coherent and thematic tasks build on each other towards higher

competence in using English in an academic context through thematic reading texts. Along with the thematic flow of

the book, each unit presents different language skills and recycles the ones covered in the previous units. The reading

texts are accompanied with thematic listening tasks, speaking tasks, writing tasks, and vocabulary building tasks.

The book aims at developing not only language skills but also cognitive skills through tasks involving higher order

thinking skills such as analysing, synthesizing, and evaluating ideas. The tasks “Making Connections”, “Going One Step

Further”, “Reaction”, and “Your Country under Spotlight” are designed to enhance all these skills by encouraging

students to find relationships and to synthesize information.

In addition to academic and cognitive skills, the book also helps strengthen the learners’ language and vocabulary. To

this end, students practice “dealing with long sentences”, “collocations”, and “vocabulary building and recycling”

throughout the book.

All the texts and tasks in the book revolve around one main theme: Change. The book looks at the theme of “change”

from different views and each unit dwells on one specific aspect of the concept. The book starts with the concept of

“Changing the Self” and gradually moves towards a broader topic: “Changing Generations”. The texts in the book are

carefully selected to appeal to students with different backgrounds and perspectives. With the contemporary and

controversial issues raised, the book aims to address students’ affective domain as well.

The aim of the book

Gonca GülenBurçin HasanbaşoğluElif ŞeşenGökçe Tokdemir

We hope that both students and teachers will enjoy using The Compass: Route to Academic English 1.

READING WRITING LISTENING LANGUAGESPEAKING

Table Of Contents

READING

READING

WRITING

WRITING

LISTENING

LISTENING

LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE

SPEAKING

SPEAKING

“Quotes on Change”

Reading Text 1:

Reading Text 1:

“Your Masterpiece-Yourself”

“Online Identities”

Reading Text 2:

Reading Text 2:

“Transhumanism”

“Social Media: The NewPower of the PublicSphere”

The paragraph

The Reaction Paragraph

“The Morning Show”

“Social Media andChanges inCommunication”

Listening Task 2:“Transhumanism and

the Authentic Self”

Oral Synthesis on GeneticEngineering

INTRODUCTORY UNIT

CHANGING THE SELF

CHANGING COMMUNICATIONS

Finding the relationshipbetween ideas

Previewing

Skimming

Scanning

Guessing Vocabulary

Asking for clarification

Asking questions

Expressing an opinion

Asking for clarification

Asking questions


Giving presentations

Practicing debatelanguage

Practicing debatelanguage

Using comparison andcontrast language

Writing a quote on theconcept of “change”

Identifying explicit /implicit main ideas

Separating major detailsfrom minor details

Outlining

Identifying patterns oforganization

Identifying supportingtechniques

Writing a concludingsentence

Maintaining coherence

Maintaining unity

Listening for specificinformation



Listening for the mainidea



Expressing opinions

Giving a mini-presentation

Understanding longsentences

Dealing with longsentences


Topical vocabulary

Collocations

Collocations

Listening Task 1:

Listening Task 1:

Listening Task 1:

Speaking Task 1:

Speaking Task 1:

Speaking Task 1:

Speaking Task 3:

Presentation on “changesin one’s life”Discussion on plasticsurgery

Discussion on the conceptof “change”

Discussion on plasticsurgery

Presentation on SocialMedia Tools

Debate on Smart Drugs

Debate on Fake Identitiesin the Social Media

“Resistance to Change”

Speaking Task 2:

Speaking Task 2:

Speaking Task 2:

Identifying Points ofReference

Strengthening the useof dictionaries

Unit 1

Unit 2

Page 1

Page 11

Page 59


Unit 4


Unit 3

Reading Text 1:

Reading Text 1:

1. Transitions

2. Prefixes and Suffixes

3. Roots

4. Commonly Made Mistakes to be Avoided

5. A Brief Guide to Punctuation

6. Grammar

“The Future of Readingin Online Revolution”

“Kids Today”

Essay writing

Reading Text 2:

Reading Text 2:

“The Eyes Have It:Guess Who Controlsthe Future of TV”

“Boomerang Kids Rely ontheir Parents: Is it aPositive Trend?”

The Reaction Paragraph

Expository ParagraphWriting

“Radio Poll on ReadingDevices and Books”

“Generations MovingThrough Time”

“Technology, Changing TVHabits, and Content”

“Changing Families”

CHANGING HABITS

CHANGING GENERATIONS

APPENDICES


Practicing debate language




Writing the essay:- Characteristics of formal

and informal writing- Writing the introductionparagraph

- Writing the body ofan essay

Writing the conclusionparagraph

Pre-writing stages:- Writing the thesisstatement

- Outlining





Listening for impliedideas

Listening for impliedideas



Collocations

Collocations

Listening Task 1:

Listening Task 1:

Listening Task 2:

Listening Task 2:

Speaking Task 1:

Speaking Task 1:

Role-play on TraditionalBooks vs. ElectronicBooks/Devices

Role-play on GenerationalDifferences

Presentation onGame-changing Trendsin Different Disciplines

Role-play on the Conceptof Delaying Adulthood

Presentation Reportingthe Results of a MiniSurvey

Speaking Task 2:

Speaking Task 2:

Speaking Task 3:

Understanding figurativespeech

Identifying the writer’stechnique

Distinguishing betweena fact and an opinion

Reading between the lines

Marking inferences

Interpreting graphs

Page 97

Page 167

Page 201

Unity

Coherence

Writing the title

Revising and editing theessay

Writing the final draft

Changing the SelfThis book is on the theme: "change".

The starting point of change is the individual.

Therefore, in Unit 1, you will study the concept of "changing the self".

11

Unit 1

In this unit, you will study the following skills:

READING

- Previewing

- Skimming

- Scanning

- Identifying points of reference

WRITING

- Writing an organized paragraph:

Identifying explicit / implicit main ideas

Separating major details from minor details

Outlining

Identifying patterns of organization

Identifying supporting techniques

Writing a concluding sentence

Maintaining coherence

Maintaining unity

- Using the target vocabulary learnt so far in writing

LISTENING

- Listening for specific information

- Listening for the main idea

SPEAKING

- Expressing an opinion

- Asking for clarification

- Asking questions

- Debating

- Making oral syntheses

LANGUAGE

- Identifying word combinations

- Dealing with long sentences

CRITICAL THINKING

- Making connections between ideas

- Reacting to an idea

- Reflecting on an idea

- Evaluating different viewpoints

- Making predictions

Unit 1

12

FOCUSING ON A SKILL

READING

1.

2.

With your classmate, discuss possible ways as to how people alter their physical appearance.

Make a list of the possible reasons why people might want to change their appearance.

Instead of reading the text straight away, in this exercise you previewed the text; that is, you looked at the ,

, and . PREVIEWING helps readers to predict

the content, the purpose, the level of difficulty, and the organization of a text. Successful readers often preview

the text they are going to read and PREDICT what the writer intends to say. The ability to predict is an important

aid to understanding. Even if the expectations are wrong, predicting helps readers to start thinking about the topic

and get actively involved.

title

the name of author, referential information, length, format illustration

1. Before you start to read the text, “Your Masterpiece – Yourself” on page 18-19, look at the title, the picture, and the

first sentences of the paragraphs. What do you think the text is about? Write down what you think the writer

will discuss without reading the text.

It seems that nowadays people are increasingly interested in changing themselves. Perhaps with the desire to look

younger and more attractive, a great number of people try to modify their physical appearance.

In this exercise, in order to find the reasons for changing self image, you quickly read the text to draw an overall

idea about the content. This is called SKIMMING. While skimming, readers try to get the ( ) of a text,

understand its organization, or get an idea about the tone or intention of the writer. Skimming is an important

reading skill because it is a first glance at a text to see what it presents.

gist main idea

2. Now go through the text in 3 minutes and find the two reasons for changing one’s self-image.

THINK: How do you use this skill in real life? Give examples.

Reason 1:

Reason 2:

Skimming:

Previewing:

A. Discussion

B. Glancing at the Text

REASONS

13

Getting Started

Following evaluations with the surgeon, and after

viewing a computer image of what additional

physical enhancements could produce, Mr. Cole

decided a little may be good, but a lot might be

better. Two phases of surgery over three weeks

included a tummy tuck, a “mini-facelift,” eyelid

surgery, chin augmentation, and rhinoplasty to

shorten his nose and remove a bump. The results

of this extreme makeover? To the at least,

it’s all very natural looking, with no visible signs of

the surgeries involved. Facelift scars, for example,

are near the edges of his earlobes—not the most

visible area. The scar from the tummy tuck is

hidden so successfully that it is almost invisible. All

told, Mr. Cole has been given a different outlook.

layman

Until the 1980s, cosmetic surgery was a luxury

reserved mostly for stars and elite people. However,

there is now democratization: cosmetic surgery is

not only available but also accessible to a wider

distribution of people. The surgery is still expensive,

but many more people are prepared to pay whatever

it costs, which is commonly seen as one of the major

impacts of popular culture.

Year on year, there has been a steady increase in

the number of people both men and women

consulting a specialist for a nip, tuck, or

enhancement of some order. In the USA only,

almost nine million clients have such “work” done

every year. The number of cosmetic procedures

jumped a 393 percent in the last decade. The

British are more about it: 500,000 per

year, but statistics show that the number is

growing dramatically. Only a small group of these

patients are reported to have had a single

procedure. The rest preferred common

combinations such as liposuction and a tummy

tuck, a facelift with an eyelid tuck, and breast

augmentation coupled with a lift (“Health

Statistics”, 2008). But what has given rise to this

interest in modifying ourselves?

reticent

immense

— —

Popular culture has made us obsessed with the

two-dimensional images that are digitally enhanced

or created to the point where we identify ourselves

with them by using two main sources. One of the

sources of these images is the magazine covers we

see in our visit to the supermarket. Nearly all the

magazines have such charming people on their

covers that our subconscious makes us look at

them even if we do not intend to buy those

magazines and makes us idealize the beauty of

these people. Who can say that he or she has never

had a look at the beauty idols on the covers of ,

or even when they drop

by the supermarket to pick up food for dinner? It is

not only these magazines; TV also frequently shows

images of beauty – both male and female. It’s

almost impossible to watch TV for an hour before

someone gorgeous appears, whether in a

commercial or drama, or perhaps reading the news.

“It is no wonder that the identification with the

image of beauty on TV is so compelling,” Blum

remarks (2003, p. 19). But we are not identifying

with actual human beings, rather with their images.

These sources of popular culture often lead to

idealization and exaggeration of the beauty of these

2-D images, making judgments about ourselves by

comparing our bodies against , and modifying

ourselves accordingly.

Elle

Marie Claire, Esquire Stuff

them

1

3

2

4

TEXTRead the text below and do the exercises that follow.

" M YYour asterpiece - ourself"

18

How does the writer start this article? Why do you think she preferred such a starting technique?1.

Working through the text

5. What does the writer mean by the following sentence?

4. Which idea in the paragraph does Blum’s remark support?

6. What conclusion do teenagers draw when they see the effects of plastic surgeries on celebrities?

“But we are not identifying with actual human beings, rather with their images.” (par. 4)

The following words are taken from the text. Look at the text and match the words with their definitions below.

a. layman (par.1) b. reticent (par.2) c. immense (par.2) d. emerge from (par. 7)

1.

2.

3.

4.

distant in manner, reserved, restrained

enormous; massive

to come out; to appear

a person who is not trained, qualified, or experienced in a particular subject or activity

B. Vocabulary

A. Text Comprehension

20

2. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?

3. Plastic surgery is no longer accessible to but

can now undergo this operation because of democratization.

7. Why is there an increasing interest in individualism?

8. According to Lasch, modern people are similar to Narcissus because

9. What does the writer mean by “´buy good looks´” in paragraph 8?

10. What does the writer mean by “Your Masterpiece-Yourself”?

In fact, this is a well-known story:

from ancient Greece.one

“ ” refers toone

such / this + noun

Year on year there has been a steady increase in the

number of people – both men and women - consulting

a specialist for a nip, tuck, or enhancement of some

order. In the USA only, almost nine million clients

have done every year.such “work”

“such ‘ ’” refers towork

so/do so

If stars could have themselves surgically changed

to look beautiful, could fans.so

“ ” refers toso then, there

After the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, … people

saw the same problems again.... Their rebellious

efforts changed hearts and minds, but not the

material facts. From on, they have dedicated

themselves to purely personal preoccupations.

then

“ ” refers tothen

Reference words may refer to a single word, a phrase, a clause, a sentence or sometimes a paragraph, which

generally appear before the reference word. However, sometimes writers use a reference word before writing what

it actually refers to. In other words, structures may come either before or after the reference word. There are also

cases when what the reference word refers to does not exist in the text, but is implied. In this case, readers infer

what it refers to. It is also important that the reference word is parallel to what it refers to in terms of grammar.

In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, writers use reference words while writing their texts. Identifying points

of reference is also an important reading skill as readers need to understand what these words refer to so as to fully

grasp the text. Following are the most common reference words:

Third-person pronouns such as:

Fans said learnt about how the fabulous looks

of the stars they saw on screens and magazines

were not as special or as God-given as they might

have supposed.

they

“ ” refers tothey

this, these, that, those

Of the youngsters Green interviewed, there were

who had undergone a couple of surgeries

to give their buttocks the J.Lo look, or devotees of

Keanu Reeves who had paid thousands of dollars

for rhinoplasties and an implant to fill out their chins.

those

“ ” refers tothoseone/ones

FOCUSING ON A SKILL

Identifying Points of Reference:

e.g.

e.g.

e.g.

e.g.

e.g.

e.g.

C. Reference Words

Determine what the following words / phrases from the text refer to.

1.

2.

3.

them (par. 4):

their (par. 5):

this trend (par. 6) :

21

it, they, he/she

Margaret Eisen made a plastic surgery reality show because

How did her friend help Margaret Eisen decide on such a format for her program?

According to Margaret Eisen, these programs are beneficial because:

1.

2.

3.

Do you think that there is an increasing interest in plastic surgery in your country? If yes, what role do the media

in your country have in this growing trend?

Now listen to the radio program and do the exercises that follow.

Part 1: Margaret Eisen

Part 2: Anthony James

1.

2.

What is Anthony James’ attitude towards ? Circle the correct answer.

a. He is totally against plastic surgery because of its potential health risks.

b. He is supportive of any kind of plastic surgery.

c. He is supportive of plastic surgery when it is not an obsession with a celebrity.

Anthony James believes should be banned because of the following three reasons:

a. They do not reflect reality because

b.

c.

plastic surgery

plastic surgery reality shows

a.

b.

c. they are informative. They inform viewers of:

i.

ii.

22

While-listening : The Morning Show

LISTENING

Getting Started

Having some insight on the hot topic, plastic surgery, now, you are ready to perform a discussion activity. For this task,

you will take part in a TV program on plastic surgery craze. Below you will find a number of role cards:

- Read the role card assigned to you by your teacher and get ready to support your view by brainstormingon the given prompts.

InterviewerYou are an internationally renowned movie

star but last year – as you approached your

45th birthday – you started to feel that you

were losing the best roles to younger

actors/actresses. This made you feel desperate

and you faced a big decision: you’d either

retire or do something! You decided to consult

a plastic surgeon and undergo extensive

plastic surgery. You are 90% pleased with

the result: the media coverage you had after

the procedure boosted your business and

now you feel younger and more energetic.

Answer the questions that the interviewer

will pose and use your creativity.

Movie Star

HousewifeUniversity StudentYou are a 40-year-old housewife who

underwent plastic surgery 2 years ago.

Back then you were feeling depressed: your

marriage was not perfect, you had put on

20 kilos after giving birth to 3 children – you

felt as if everyone looked more beautiful than

you did. Then, one day on TV you came

across with the program “Extreme Makeover”

and wanted to give it a shot. Being separated

from your family for a month, you had a

painful recovery period but you feel that it

was all worth it. Answer the questions that

the interviewer will pose and use your

creativity.

You are a 20-year-old university student.

You underwent plastic surgery 2 years ago

when you were an 18-year-old high school

student because you were not happy with

your looks: you thought you were fat, your

eyes were too small, and your nose was not

straight enough.You had the procedures

but now you regret it. You had many

complications after the surgery and had

a very long and painful recovery process.

Plus, now you see that you were attractive

just the way you were. Answer the

questions that the interviewer will pose

and use your creativity.

Going one step further by speaking

24

- Get together with the students who hold the same position with you (i.e. university students will get together)and share opinions.

- Share your views with the other groups in a whole-class debate.

You are the host of the radio program “Let’s

Talk”. Today your guests are a group of people

who are affected by plastic surgery craze.

Briefly introduce the show and your guests.

Then ask your guests about the following:

At the end of the interview, thank your

guests and wrap up the program.

- the reason why they were not happy with

their appearance

- how friends and family responded when

they heard about the decision to have

plastic surgery

- what kind of operations they had

- whether they are happy with the results

- how life has changed after the surgery

- what advice they would like to give to

the listeners who may consider a similar

procedure

LISTENINGL

Both texts you read in this unit are related to changing the “self”. However, in the text, “Your Masterpiece-Yourself”,

people try to change themselves through and their aim is to

whereas in “Transhumanism”, it is done through and the aim is to .

1. Transhumanism means human beings can use , reason and

to improve the human condition.

2. Transhumanism can be applied to , and the human experience.

3. Name two fields where transhumanist ideas are applied.

and .

4. Write of the bio-utopian ideas mentioned by the speaker.two

5. Some people object to the idea of transhumanism because they believe human beings will be become

.

6. Although transhumanism’s ultimate aim is to have an unlimited life expectancy, ,

for example, can prevent people from living forever.

7. What are the radical future aims of transhumanists? Write example.one

Collocations

Making Connections

The following are some verbs used in the reading texts, “Your Masterpiece – Yourself” and “Transhumanism”.

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate prepositions that are used together with these verbs.

Listen to the radio programme on Transhumanism and do the exercises that follow.

Check your answers by looking at the texts.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

to be obsessed

to be different

to allow

to submit oneself

to be familiar

to identify

to dedicate oneself

to emerge

to remind someone

something /somebody

something/somebody

something

something

something

something /somebody

something /somebody

something

something

something

While-Listening: Transhumanism And The Authentic Self

34

10. to be engaged

1.

2.

While the text titled “Transhumanism” mentioned

as disciplines which contribute to transhumanist movement, the speaker in the

radio program mentioned as disciplines used by transhumanists.

The text titled “Transhumanism” asserts that there are some people who object to transhumanism because

. Likewise, the speaker mentions that some people are against

transhumanism because .

Making Connections

Smart Drugs: Friend or Foe?

Now that you have read and listened to views on transhumanism, it is time for you to participate in a debate

on a TV show. The dilemma you will be discussing in the debate is:

Below you will find an excerpt and role cards on the debate topic, smart drugs.

- Read the following text on the Ethics of Smart Drugs to familiarize yourself with the topic.

- Read the role card assigned to you by your teacher and get ready to support your view by answering

the given discussion questions.

- Do research to better support your view.

- Get together with the students who hold the same position with you

(i.e. doctors who are against smart drugs will get together) and share opinions.

- Share your views with the other groups in a whole-class debate.

Is it acceptable to use drugs developed for the treatment of some specific illnesses as smart drugs

to enhance the human’s cognitive potential?

Growing numbers of healthy people are reported to use the cognitive enhancing drugs (smart drugs) in recent years. In certain

professions such as the military and doctors, where it is of utmost importance to stay awake and alert for longer periods to

ensure the safety of oneself and others, these drugs are regarded as the means to realize one’s full potential, fight fatigue and

concentrate. However, the common use of such drugs brings to mind a variety of questions: Do these drugs actually make

people smarter? Do they help them realize their potential or is it just a craze which threatens the users’ health?

We have always known that caffeine, the most widely used stimulant, has cognitive enhancing effects and millions consume

it to wake up and stay up. However, the reinforcing stimulus functions of caffeine are limited to low or moderate doses, while

high doses should be avoided. Therefore, scientists examine more effective cognitive enhancers with fewer side effects.

In a recent study conducted by the collaboration of the University of Cambridge and the Imperial College London, it was found

that a vigilance promoting drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of sleep

disorders may act as a “smart drug”. It is reported to help improve cognitive flexibility of the users by treating fatigue and

sleepiness.

Despite its potential risks, these drugs are still widely used. Overworking doctors performing serious surgical operations and

soldiers who need to stay awake for the safety of the military arena are just some of the professions showing interest in these

drugs. Even some students are also taking the medication during the exam week hoping that they will be much smarter.

Although these drugs have been commonly used by many, the use of such drugs by healthy people is now under discussion

and a variety of views have emerged.

Going one step further by speaking

35

While presenting your arguments, you may use the following expressions:

Excuse me for interrupting but…

That’s true, but …

Yes, but …

Sorry to interrupt but I would like to make a point.

I would like to make a point here.

I’d like to ask a question.

I have a question for…

I would like to comment on that.

Useful Expressions: Debate Language

To express an opinion

In my opinion,…

I think/believe/feel that…

It seems to me that…

As far as I’m concerned…

Not everyone will agree with me, but…

For me…

(Un)Like X, I believe…

While it may be true that…, I still think it is…

I absolutely believe that…

Without a doubt,… is

I’m quite convinced that…

To express total disagreement

I don’t agree.

I disagree with…

I don’t see it that way.

I’m afraid I have to disagree with you.

On the contrary,…

To express partial agreement/disagreement

Yes, but…

Yes, but on the other hand…

You may have a point but…

You’re right to some extent but…

Well, I’m not so sure about that…

That may be true but…To argue against something

That may be true but …

Maybe but …

Yes, but don’t forget …

But don’t you think …

To express total agreement

I totally agree with you.

That makes sense to me.

That’s what I think about it, too.

I can’t agree with you more.

To interrupt

Read the on your card and then get prepared by taking notes in the box. You may refer to your notes during

the discussion. You represent the community of bioethicists who are AGAINST the idea of using smart drugs to

questions

enhance the human’s cognitive potential.

• Note: You may come up with additional ideas; do not feel limited by the questions above.

YOUR NOTES

- How would the use of such drugs change the society?

- Why isn’t it ethical for healthy people to use such drugs?

- What are the effects of using such drugs on one’s personal satisfaction and sense of identity?

- Under what circumstances these drugs could be used?

- Why do such drugs lead to inequality at school and in business life by privileging some

over others?

The Bioethicist ( )AGAINST

38

D

E

No one says that the road to genetic engineering mastery will be short and easy. There will be many problems

and many mistakes along the way. Over the coming decades, humans will have to make some very tough

choices about genetic engineering. But the history of human race has always involved the search for new

knowledge, new understanding, and new ways of doing things. We simply can’t turn our back on the vast

knowledge and vast benefits that await us in the genetic future.

Thanks to the continuously developing cloning technology, in the future, scientists will be able to remove bad

genes from the parents and replace them with good ones, which will eventually result in generations free of

genetic diseases. For example, if one of the parents has a hereditary disease, the genes for this illness will be

removed from the embryo and replaced with another clean gene. Another significant contribution of cloning will

be to those in need of new organs. If the patient needs a vital organ like a heart, transplantation is only upon the

death of a donor. However, cloning may become the only “painless” way of supplying organs to the patients in

need. Also, by means of cloning, old organs may be replaced by new ones, which makes it possible to extend

our natural life span.

Contrast Similarity

however

nonetheless

nevertheless

although

on the other hand

yet

even so

even though

conversely

in spite of

despite

as opposed to

in contrast

while

whereas

still

on the contrary

See Appendix 1 for the use of transitions.

- Below are the new words you learnt in Unit 1.

- Pair up with another student.

- Ask the questions below to each other.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

What could be the major character

in a person's behaviour?

Is being excellence disadvantageous?

Who do you in your family?

Why?

At difficult times who do you ? Why?

Can people openly express their feelings?

Why/Why not?

What happens if people

the orders of another?

flaws

in pursuit of

identify yourself with

rely on

reticent

submit themselves to

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

What could be your excuse for

not doing your homework?

How can you your immune system?

If medicine helps human beings their life,

what could be the consequences of this on the world?

What makes you feel a sudden ?

What are the reasons for the between

public schools and private schools?

What could be a topic to discuss?

Give an example.

legitimate

boost

extend

euphoria

disparities

controversial

likewisecorrespondinglyin the same waysimilarlyby the same token

STUDENT A STUDENT B

- Use the underlined words in bold while answering

questions to revise the target vocabulary.

40

Below are some of the transitions that you might find useful while doing the task above.

Recycling Vocabulary through speaking

A pen is the tongue

of the mind.

Anonymous

THE PARAGRAPH

Popular culture has made us obsessed with the two-dimensional images that are digitally enhanced or created to the point where

we identify ourselves with them by using two main sources. One of the sources of these images is the magazine covers we see in

our visit to the supermarket. Nearly all the magazines have such charming people on their covers that our subconscious makes us

look at them even if we do not intend to buy those magazines and makes us idealize the beauty of these people. Who can say that

he or she has never had a look at the beauty idols on the covers of or even when they drop by the

supermarket to pick up food for dinner? It is not only these magazines; TV also frequently shows images of beauty – both male and

female. It’s almost impossible to watch TV for an hour before someone gorgeous appears, whether in a commercial or drama, or

perhaps reading the news. “It is no wonder that the identification with the image of beauty on TV is so compelling,” Blum remarks

(2003, p. 19). But we are not identifying with actual human beings, rather with their images. These sources of popular culture

often lead to idealization and exaggeration of the beauty of these 2-D images, making judgments about ourselves by comparing

our bodies against them, and modifying ourselves accordingly.

Elle, Marie Claire, Esquire Stuff

The desire for perfection sometimes reaches so deep into the core of a person that it becomes a kind of madness. We all

know about people who have had 20 or 30 surgeries because of their wish to look more attractive. Certainly people have

their own reasons for this craze: Some still see imperfections after the surgeries and want to get it fixed while some are

never satisfied and seek further perfection. In addition, there are also people who become murderers due to the unwanted

results of the surgeries. Last year alone two plastic surgeons were reported to have been killed because of this craze. One

of them was killed by a man who said he was upset that his surgeon was not able to change him to look like George

Clooney, who was chosen as the most attractive person of the year 2006. The other surgeon was killed by a woman who

was displeased with her face-lift.

A paragraph is a group of sentences that develop one central idea in an organized way.All the ideas in a paragraph directly support the central idea, in other words, the “main idea”.

Like in the paragraph above, the main idea of a paragraph is usually introduced explicitly.

The sentence which gives the explicit main idea is called the “topic sentence”. Generally,

the topic sentence introduces the topic, so it is a good idea to place it at the beginning of

the paragraph. However, depending on the kind of the paragraph, the topic sentence may

be placed in the middle or even at the end of the paragraph.

TASK 1

Concentrate on theessentials ... you willthen accomplish thegreatest resultwith the effortexpended.

Explicit Main Idea / Topic Sentence

Underline the sentence that gives the explicit main idea in the following paragraphs.

1.

2.

41

R. Alec MacKenzie

The following paragraph is taken from the text, “Your Masterpiece – Yourself”.Read it to identify the main idea that the paragraph revolves around. Underline the main idea.

One of the most influential ancient civilizations on world culture is surely the Egyptians. Not only have humans been

inspired by their social structure, governmental policies or art, but also by their techniques to achieve a stylized

appearance. Among these techniques, green or black eye make-up stands out as one of the most commonly used

beautification rituals. Egyptians paid extra attention to eye makeup and they usually lined their eyes with a black kohl

(black eyeliner), that was placed in small kohl containers and applied with a wooden stick, creating an almond-shaped

eye. Moreover, ancient Egyptians, especially royalty, used oils such as castor oil or sesame oil in their daily skin care

regimen to fight wrinkles as they wished to preserve their youthfulness and be always depicted in an ideal state as part of

their divine nature. Oils were part of their daily care also because they protected Egyptians’ skin against the sun. Another

practice in pursuit of beauty in ancient Egypt was styling the hair. Short haircuts, chin length bobs, elaborate wigs or hair

extensions were popular. More often; however, hair was braided, cut or dyed in a way that expresses individuality and

fashion. Thus, Egyptians were obsessed with good looks and used an array of techniques to achieve beauty, which they

thought to be a sign of holiness.

Popular culture has made us obsessed with the two-dimensional images that are digitally enhanced or created to the point

where we identify ourselves with them by using two main sources. One of the sources of these images is the magazine covers

we see in our visit to the supermarket. Nearly all the magazines have such charming people on their covers that our

subconscious makes us look at them even if we do not intend to buy those magazines and makes us idealize the beauty of

these people. Who can say that he or she has never had a look at the beauty idols on the covers of or

even when they drop by the supermarket to pick up food for dinner? It is not only these magazines; TV also frequently

shows images of beauty – both male and female. It’s almost impossible to watch TV for an hour before someone gorgeous

appears, whether in a commercial or drama, or perhaps reading the news. “It is no wonder that the identification with the

image of beauty on TV is so compelling,” Blum remarks (2003, p. 19). But we are not identifying with actual human beings,

rather with their images. These sources of popular culture often lead to idealization and exaggeration of the beauty of these 2-

D images, making judgments about ourselves by comparing our bodies against them, and modifying ourselves accordingly.

Elle, Marie Claire, Esquire

Stuff

TASK 3

Supporting Ideas

Examine the paragraph below again to identify the ideas that support the main idea and fill in the chart below.

In a paragraph, ideas that support the main idea are called . Major supports can be further explained

through . All details in a paragraph- both the major and the minor supports-must ultimately be related

to and support the main idea.

major supports

minor supports

In a well-written paragraph, writers generally follow the following pattern. Note that there must be at least

two major supports and that each major support must have two minor supports but there may be times when

there is a need to further develop minor supports.

TOPIC SENTENCE:

Keep in mind that it is usually a good idea to write the main idea explicitly, not only to becertain that the idea is clear but also to help control the development of the paragraph.In academic contexts, it is suggested to be precise and direct in order to help the readerbetter understand the text.

MAJOR SUPPORT: MAJOR SUPPORT:

MINOR SUPPORT MINOR SUPPORT MINOR SUPPORT MINOR SUPPORT

43

Important

Reminder

TASK 8Identify the main idea of the following paragraphs and find the irrelevant sentence in each.

- transitions (devices that link sentences smoothly to one-another)

- keywords (important words that need to be repeated in the paragraph to keep the focus)

- synonyms (meaning wise equivalent words to avoid unnecessary repetition)

- pronouns (reference words that replace some part of the text to avoid unnecessary repetition)

An effective paragraph has unity. That is, it focuses on a main point. The chief tool for achieving paragraph unity is the

topic sentence. The major ideas must support and explain the main idea. Thus, each sentence in a paragraph should

relate to the topic and develop the main idea. If any sentence does not relate to or develop that idea, it is irrelevant and

it should be omitted. Otherwise, it disrupts the unity of the paragraph.

Coherence means logical “interconnectedness”. When ideas cohere, separate elements hold together and make a

whole. Coherence can be achieved if the ideas hold together logically and flow smoothly. To maintain coherence,

writers use four tools which are:

Most writers use a combination of these tools in their writing.

Unity

Coherence

Unity and Coherence

Our assessment of attractiveness is automatic, and strongly influences how we judge the person on a range of other

traits, including personality so good looks affect people in several ways. First of all, beauty and health are tightly linked.

The closer a face is to the symmetrical proportions of Gwyneth Paltrow or Zac Efron, and to the average face in a

population, the more it advertises developmental stability, meaning that pathogens or genetic mutations have not

adversely affected its owner. Secondly, good looks also confer a well-documented "halo effect": a beautiful man or

woman is consistently evaluated in a positive light. In a research study, each face was exposed for 13 milliseconds, well

below the threshold of conscious awareness and that was enough to judge looks. Therefore, good-looking people are

assumed to be smarter than their homelier peers, although there is no correlation between intelligence and appearance

above a median level of attractiveness. Thirdly, good-looking people are consistently rated higher on positive traits.

When volunteers were asked to evaluate faces in a UK study, the most attractive individuals received the highest

ratings for extraversion and agreeableness. For example, when judges looked at digital composites made from people

who scored at the extremes for extraversion and agreeableness, they gave those faces the highest attractiveness

ratings.

They are mesmerized by magazine covers, fixated on their diets and addicted to working out. The subject of the

discussion is not supermodels - these are men obsessed with bulking up and being too ripped is never enough. There's

even a name for their obsession - it's called "bigorexia or muscle dysmorphia. People with bigorexia are obsessed

with how they look. And they are never satisfied with their appearance. Just like the people who suffer from bigorexia,

anorexics too are never happy with their body image. They often have a distorted body image and believe their muscles

are much smaller than they actually are. Who are prone to this disorder more? It is more common in men than in women,

unlike most other eating disorders. People who take part in sports that emphasize body size are also at greatest risk of

developing bigorexia. This includes bodybuilding, football, wrestling, and boxing. When muscle dysmorphia was first

identified by psychiatrists in America two years ago, it was not so common but now experts here are sounding alarm

bells. "There is a growing insecurity among men about their bodies now," warns Dr John Morgan(2011p.3), a consultant

psychiatrist at St Thomas's Hospital, who is writing a book on the subject. "Body-image disorders like bigorexia are

increasing in prevalence, and we are seeing the tip of an extensive iceberg."

" " "

1.

2.

52

Write a well-organized expository paragraph of 150-200 words discussing one of the topics below.

In your paragraph, use at least 3 of the following words you studied in Unit 1:

Before writing the paragraph, make an outline below:

- What are the factors that shape the concept of “beauty” in your home country?

- What are the reasons for the increasing interest in beauty?

- How do the media affect the concept of beauty?

- What could be the possible effects of enhanced human beings on society?

- What could be the possible effects of people living longer on society?

- What are the common daily practices of transhumanism you observe in society?

controversial

enhancement

to submit oneself to

procedure

in pursuit of

flaw

reticent

immense

to emerge from

to extend

disparity

to be obsessed with

to dedicate oneself to

to rely on

to lead to

OUTLINE

PARAGRAPH

Word count: ................

Going one step further by writing

57

YOUR OUTLINE:

YOUR EXPOSITORY PARAGRAPH:

WORD COUNT:

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