Chuyên đề reading FCE

STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR FCE READING I INTRODUCTION II THEORY2 A STRATEGIES Strategies for part Strategies for part Strategies for part B TECHNIQUES Techniques for part Techniques for part Techniques for part C TIPS III IV V VI EXERCISES……………………………………………………………………9 REFLEXION ………………………………………………………………….76 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………… 80 REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………81 STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR FCE READING I INTRODUCTION The First Certificate in English (FCE) is a B2 level exam for those individuals at an upperintermediate proficiency in English The First Certificate in English is the most commonly taken exam of all ESOL tests and is available in computer and paper version Many students take this exam because it conveys a high mastery of English needed to work in a business and educational environment The test consists of four parts: listening, reading, writing and speaking Among those parts, reading is an important one because it accounts for 20% of the total mark of the test Doing reading tests not only helps students to gain more new words and sentence structures but they also acquire more grammar points Therefore, if students can master the reading part, the chance for them to pass the test will be higher Because of those reasons, FCE reading is chosen to be the topic of this self-study material to help us in self-studying as well as to share with other students so that we can score high marks in the FCE examination II THEORY Although word recognition, decoding, and fluency are building blocks of effective reading, the ability to comprehend text is the ultimate goal of reading instruction Comprehension is a prerequisite for acquiring content knowledge and expressing ideas and opinions through discussion and writing Mastering comprehension helps readers to: - Evaluate events, dialogue, ideas, and information - Connect information to what they already know and broaden their knowledge - Have the ability to understand underlying meanings Comprehension strategies work together like a finely tuned machine The reader begins to construct meaning by selecting and previewing the text During reading, comprehension builds through predicting, inferring, synthesizing, and seeking answers to questions that arise After reading, deeper meaning is constructed through reviewing, rereading portions of the text, discussion, and thoughtful reflection Comprehension is powerful because the ability to construct meaning comes from the mind of the reader Therefore, specific comprehension instruction - modeling during read-aloudand shared reading, targeted mini-lessons, and varied opportunities for practice during small-group and independent reading-is crucial to the development of strategic, effective readers A STRATEGIES To prepare for the reading part in the FCE test, students should read as widely as possible Reading can include a range of reading texts from course books and reading-skills books at this level Students should interact fully with each text by focusing on any pre-reading questions These stimulate interest in the topic dealt with by the text and train students in prediction techniques Where possible, students can follow upon their hobbies and interests by reading magazines about sport, computers, fashion, etc in English If these magazines are not readily available locally, they can probably be accessed on the Internet It is important to make sure that students train themselves to read the instructions carefully on the front page of the question paper and at the start of each task The instructions give a brief context for each text and remind students what the task requires them to The structure and tasks of the test PART Task type: Multiple-choice Focus: detail, opinion, gist, deducing meaning Format:multiple-choice questionsfollowed by four options Number of questions: Length: 550-700 words Each correct answer receives marks The text is usually extracts from newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, advertisements correspondence, messages, informational material (brochures, guides, manuals, etc.) PART Task type:Gapped text Focus:text structure,cohesion and coherence Format:a text from which paragraphs or sentences have been removed and placed in jumbled order after the text.Students must decide from where in the text the sentences have been removed Number of questions: Length: 550-700 words Each correct answer receives marks The text is usually extracts from newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, advertisements correspondence, messages, informational material (brochures, guides, manuals, etc.) PART Task type:Multiple matching, multiple-choice Focus:specific information, detail Format: a text or several short texts preceded by multiple matching questions Students must match prompts to elements in the text Number of questions:15 Length: 550-700 words Each correct answer receives marks The text is usually extracts from newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, advertisements correspondence, messages, informational material (brochures, guides, manuals, etc.) STRATEGIES FOR PART This part tests candidates’ detailed understanding of a text, including the opinions and attitudes expressed in it.The multiple-choice questions appear after the text They are presented in the same order as the information in the text so that candidates can follow the development of the text as they work through the questions The final question may require candidates to interpret an aspect of the whole text, e.g the writer’s purpose, attitude or opinion Firstly, make sure that you understand exactly what each question is asking You should stop and take a moment to think about what you will need to look for in the reading passage Sometimes it helps to put the question in your own words or circle key words in the passage, such as not, least, cause, effect, first, last, etc because if youjust read the questions without really thinking about them or taking a moment to circle themost important words in the questions, you will probably forget what the questions areasking before you even finish reading the passage Skim the questions or the passage, not the choices or distracters, to identify the focus of the passage Never choose an answer supported by something in the selection or your own background knowledge If the answer you choose is in the reading passage, make sure that it answers what the question asks This could be a trick – a choice that has information from the passage but does not answer what is being asked So many times, students think that they are choosing the correct answer just because they read this same sentence in the reading passage Just because it is in the passage does not mean that it is the correct answer to the question youare trying to answer Therefore you should always go back to the question when you think you have found the answer! A part of an incorrect answer is often correct, but may not be complete enough to be the best answer Do not confuse a supporting detail with the main idea Remember that a supporting detail just explains or gives more information about the topic For main idea questions, always reread the first and last sentences Also, skim through the reading passage to see how many times each of the answer choices is discussed For vocabulary questions, when you have to choose the correct meaning of a word, , it is helpful to read the following: • The sentence that the word is in • The sentence right before • The sentence right after • The area of the passage surrounding the word is called the context Context cluesare the words, phrases, and sentences that surround the word you not know • Many sentences and paragraphs contain enough information for you to use the clues that the writer has left to figure out the meanings of many words you not know NOTE:Mistake you should avoid:‘The same word’ mistake: an eye-catching word appears both in the question and the text STRATEGIES FOR PART This part tests candidates’ understanding of how texts are structuredand their ability to follow text development.The task requires candidates to select from a number ofoptions the correct extract to fit in each of seven gaps ina text There is only onecorrect answer for each gap - - - First predict from the title or headline what the text might be about.Read the paragraphs or sentences that go in the gaps and identify what the topic of each one is Use this information to work out how they might logically fit into the sequence of the text Think about what the articles, pronouns, conjunctions and time expressions in the paragraphs or sentences might refer to.This will help them to make the logical choice between two extracts which seem rather similar at first sight Closely read the sentences before and after each gap, and work out what function the missing sentence or paragraph must have Make your decisions, not necessarily in order After filling most of the gaps you may be able to work by a process of elimination Finally, when you have made all your decisions, read through your completed text to make sure it makes sense Remember that you should not choose an answer on the basis of similar vocabulary alone STRATEGIES FOR PART The task consists of a series of prompts, followed by a dividedlong text or series of short texts Students have to choose which part of the text each prompt matches Unlike parts and 2, theoptions may be used more than once Sometimes there will betwo or three ‘matches’ for one prompt This will be indicatedwith separate boxes on the same line in the question paper Students will need practice in skimming and scanning texts quickly in order to prepare for part Moreover, students should get into the habit of analyzing why a particular part of the text matches a prompt B TECHNIQUES Along with strategies, techniques are ones of the most important tools for students to wellthe reading part in the FCE examination Strategies are just plans, but techniques are ways of doing the test While Strategieshelp students know what the requirements of the test are, how many steps youneed to find the answers for the questions quickly and effectively, techniques introduce students many useful skills and tips.And the most crucial techniques are skim and scan SKIM AND SCAN - Skimming refers to the process of reading only main ideas within a passage to get an overall impression of the content of a reading selection How to skim: • • • • • • Read the title Read the introduction or the first paragraph Read any headings and sub-headings Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases Read the summary or last paragraph - - Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find specific information quickly In scanning you have a passage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information How to scan: • State the specific information you are looking for • Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you locate the answer For example, if you were looking for a certain date, you would quickly read the paragraph looking only for number • Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information you are looking for • Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage TECHNIQUES FOR PART Quickly familiarize yourself with the main text, the title and headingand how the text is divided up After that, you should read the question carefully and think of an answer before you look at your choices Then read the choices to see if your answer is there If so, it is probably right Read the other answers quickly to be certain If your answer is not one of the choices, then read all the choices carefully and start to eliminate choices Cross out any answers that are obviously wrong When you narrow your choices to two, try each answer with the question to see if they both make sense Sometimes you will find a hidden clue, like a subject/verb agreement that gives it away Prepare to change your first answers, because you may change your mind when you read the text further in search of another piece of information Mark the places in the text where you locate answers so that you can quickly check in the end NOTES: - - - Watch out for negatives in questions Look for 'absolute' words (all, nothing, nobody, always, never ) - these mean 100% of something and are rarely true - check if this is really what has been said in the text Keep in mind that the information may be rephrased Avoid options that use words from the text but convey a different meaning Even if you think you know the correct answer, always check Do not choose options which sound likely but there is no evidence in the text Pace yourself - leave time in the end to go back to any questions you may have New words in a text can make you unnecessarily worried Keep your confidence in the exam by concentrating on what you understand One way to this is to underline the text as you read it Go back and think about the meanings of new words, the ones you did not underline, only when you have finished reading and understanding In order to read accurately, you often need to analyze words like this, that, as, howand pronouns, working out what they refer to Some multiple choice comprehension questions explicitly require you to this You can often guess the meaning of unfamiliar words by looking at the context and by using your own general knowledge This technique is even more effective if you combine it, where possible, with the technique of breaking words down into parts - - - - - Sometimes you can get a good overall picture just by reading the first few lines of a text This is because some writers like to give you an idea from the beginning of how the story might end Very often parts of a text are connected to each other without special linking words like because or so When this happens, think carefully about the logical connection of the ideas and try to put your own linking words into the text If you have a text about something or someone you already know about, take time to think about what you know before starting to read intensively This will help you to get an overall picture While you are reading, it is often helpful to respond to the text by trying to visualize what it describes The mental pictures you create can sometimes help you choose the correct answers in the exam In order to understand the text fully, you need to be able to make logical connections from one part to another The multiple choice comprehension questions often focus on your ability to this TECHNIQUES FOR PART - - - - - - First, students should check the example (0) in or after the first paragraph and read the extract for it (always H or I) Then they should decide which extracts fit the other gaps, writing the appropriate letter in each gap They should remember that each letter may only be used once and that there is one extract that they will not need to use Then predict from the title or headline what the text might be about and quickly read through the text to confirm this as well as think of what kind of information is missing Answer the questions one by one Do not fill in answers to questions you are uncertain about first Cross out those you are sure about as you them, and go back to those you are unsure about later Student should keep an open mind as they work through this task If they stick too rigidly to their first choices they may not recognize why they are having difficulty finding They should be willing to review their earlier choices and use checking strategies to reassure themselves whether the headings fit properly Do not just decide which the right answer is Tell yourself why the others are wrong While reading, you can make notes on what each paragraph is about (mental summary) Try to find key words and underline them Look for such things as: • Subject pronouns e.g he, she, they… • Object pronouns e.g him, her… • Possessives e.g his, her, their… • People’s names, names of places, time indicators (e.g by that time), reference words (e.g this/that, these/those) Do not be discouraged by unknown vocabulary Use highlighting or underlining to mark the relevant sections of the text This will help you to go back over it to check information without wasting time with irrelevant information You can often guess the approximate meaning of new words by “taking them apart” and analyzing the individual parts Sometimes this is not possible, but you can still guess the meaning by looking at the root of the word You can increase your chances of success by checking the context aswell After you have finished, read the whole text with the missing sentence to check your answers and see if it makes sense as a whole TECHNIQUES FOR PART - - - - - This part focuses on reading for specific information Therefore, you should read the questions carefully so that you know what information you are looking for and underline key words Read paragraph by paragraph and try to find as many answers as possible after each one In the end, you will have been left with some ‘spare’ answers and then you can start scanning again Remember that the questions are not in the same order as the information in the text, so not expect to find answers in order NOTE: When you are doing this part, you are required only to extract particular information You can ignore irrelevant information by looking quickly through the text for specific words or expressions which relate to your reading purpose Different techniques suit different students and each can be successful C TIPS Besides those strategies and techniques, there are some tips which can help students have more knowledge and experiences in doing the FCE examination Tip 1: The first thing students should always is cross out the missing sentence that has been given as an example because students sometimes waste time trying to fit this in elsewhere Tip 3: Students should always remember that there is an extra sentence that does not fit anywhere If they have time, the last thing they should is check that the part they have left over really does not fit in any of the gaps Tip 4:As well as the referencing and linking devices mentioned in the lesson plan, it can also be useful for students to look at how the topics change over the length of the text and whether the text follows a chronological order Students should get into the habit of underlining the language that helps them complete the task (e.g expressions like 'after that'), and then underline the language that it refers/links to (e.g 'the birthday party') Tip 5: Remember that it is difficult to read a text if you not first have an overall picture You may understand little and get into a panic! One way to get an overall picture is to look quickly at the texts for words which occur again and again Tip 6: New words in a text can make you unnecessarily worried Keep your confidence in the exam by concentrating on what you understand You can often ignore some words and guess the approximate meaning of other words by gathering information about them This will mean reading the whole text first, before trying to work out the meanings Tip 7: Remember that you must respond to the text in order to read it efficiently When you are reading fiction, you can this by trying to “hear” dialogue Sometimes an interactive technique such as asking questions as you read can help you with the gapped text task If you ask intelligent questions at the numbered gaps, you may find that the lettered sentences of paragraphs are intelligent answers III EXERCISES EXERCISE PART – MULTIPLE CHOICES Extract Six months ago I made a rash promise The leader of the youth club in our village rang me in March saying, “We’re thinking of running a children’s playscheme for a day in October half-term Would you be prepared to help?” My response was “Sure, why not?” In truth I was a little flattered to be asked, even though working as a care assistant with old people hardly qualified me for the role Still, I duly put the date in my diary and of course I forgot all about it I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but time has a habit of speeding along faster than a police car chasing a robber and, before I knew it, the day was dawning I arrived at the youth centre that morning feeling full of trepidation There was a gang of 12 helpers including me and each pair had been allocated a particular age group Mine was the 10 to 11 year olds Even with the planning meeting I had attended the week before, I worried about whether I was up to the task Why hadn’t I read through the copious lesson plans we were given beforehand? And wasn’t the average 10-year-old more interested in the latest Play Station game than making things with paper and glue? All too quickly the children began arriving The look of relief on parents’ faces as they handed their offspring over to us was quite comical A handful of the children were already members of the club but the other forty five or so were from the local primary schools Again I asked myself why I had elected to spend a day with all these ‘little monsters’ especially when I have two all of my own to contend with! I needn’t have worried of course as it turned out to be a marvelous day We watched entertaining dvd clips, learned ‘action’ songs, made clay pyramids, decorated biscuits, played memory games and spent some time in quiet reflection I say ‘we’ because I rediscovered my inner child and joined in all the activities The particular highlight for me was the final rendition of “He’s got the whole world in his hands” in the closing part of the day The children knew the words and actions off by heart and sang so loudly it was almost enough to bring the roof down It’s difficult to explain those moments; only that the body tingles with the pleasure of having witnessed something so magical Of course there were also moments of great poignancy I found it difficult to stop thinking of one little girl, who mentioned oh-so-casually that her mum was in hospital and would be there for a long time It’s easy for us adults to idealise childhood and forget that some children have their own burden of anxieties and concerns When I got home utterly exhausted, still with modelling clay under my fingernails, I reflected on what a privilege it had been There was one disappointment for the children and that was that the playscheme was only running for a day, and not the whole week As I said farewell to my group, one of the children turned and said “Can we it again in the next holiday, Miss?” My response was, “Sure, why not?” When the offer of the job was made the writer A felt she had made a mistake to agree B thought she had appropriate experience for the job C believed she shouldn't have been asked D gave the impression she wasn't sure about accepting the job When the day arrived the writer was surprised that the day had come round so quickly because she'd forgotten to write down the date because she witnessed a car chase on the way that she woke up at dawn When the writer arrived to start her job she put the children into pairs realised she should have done more preparation felt confident she could deal with 10 and 11 year olds saw the children had brought their own electronic games to play with According to the writer, the parents were happy to stay with their children all day worried about children from the other schools nervous that their children might not behave themselves glad to leave their children The writer needn't have worried because the children were quiet during the day the children weren't doing messy activities she had fun herself the time passed quickly The writer's best moment occurred in the middle of the day took her by surprise was hard to put into words was when the day was over According to the writer, adults think that being a child is a privilege sometimes forget that children have worries too are usually exhausted by bringing up their children Do not have a stressful life What is the writer's attitude by the end of the day? A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D She could imagine doing the job again next time She was sad to say good bye to the children She was disappointed with the experience She hopes the playscheme will be longer in future 10 intelligent, probing questions by people who weren't in the profession, from taxi drivers to dinnerparty hosts to people in shopping queues It made me realise that people have an interest in what we which goes beyond show business gossip, she says Other People's Shoes avoids Insider gossip and, mostly, autobiography: 'If events in my life had had a huge direct influence, I would have put them in,but they didn't,' Harriet says, though she does explain how her parents· divorce was a factor in her career But the focus of the book is to share - remarkably openly -the inside experience of the stage and the rehearsal room, aiming to replace the false senseofmystery with a more realistic understanding and respect for the profession 'There's a certain double edge to the publicity an actor can get in the newspapers: it gives you attention but, by giving it to you, simultaneously criticises you,' Harriet says 'People ask you to talk about yourself and then say, "Oh, actors are so self-centred." And the "sound-bite" variety of journalism, which touches on many things but never allows you to go into them in depth, leaves you with a sort of shorthand which reinforces prejudices and myths.' Harriet's career began in the 1970s and has included theatre performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and television and film roles She writes wittily about the embarrassments of the rehearsal room, as actors try out their half-formed ideas And she is at pains to demystify the theatre: the question 'How you the same play every night?' is answered by a simplecomparison with the familiar car journey you take every day, which presents a slightly different challenge each time 'I was trying to get everyone to understand it isn't this extraordinary mystery and you're not visited by some spiritual inspiration every night Harriet's own acting style is to build up a character piece by piece She says that this process is not widely understood: 'There's no intelligent vocabulary out there for discussing the craft of building characters Reviews of an actor's performance which appear in the newspapers are generally based on whether the reviewer likes the actors or not It's not about whether they are being skillful or not, or how intelligent their choices are.' There remains something mysterious about slippinginto'other people's shoes':'It's something like falling in love,' Harriet says 'When you're in Jove with someone, you go in and out of separateness and togetherness It's similar with acting and you can slip in and out of a character Once a character has been built, it remains with you, at the end of a phone line, as it were Waiting for your call.' Harriet includes her early work inOther People's Shoes - wanted to separate myself from those who say, "What an idiot I was, what a load of nonsense we all talked in those days!"; it wasn't all rubbish, and it has affected how I approach my work and my audiences." And she retains from those days her belief in the vital role of the theatre Harriet Walter decided to write her book because she A was tired of answering people's questions about acting B knew people liked to read about show business gossip C wanted to entertain people through her writing D wanted to satisfy people's curiosity about acting in the theatre In paragraph two, we learn that Harriet's book aims to 65 A correct some of the impressions people have of the theatre B relate important details about her own life story C analyse the difficulties of a career in the theatre D tell the truth about some of the actors she has worked with What problem actors have with newspaper publicity? A It never focuses on the actors who deserve it B It often does more harm than good C It never reports what actors have actually said D It often makes mistakes when reporting facts Harriet uses the example of the car journey to show that A acting can be boring as well as rewarding B actors not find it easy to try new ideas C actors not deserve the praise they receive D acting shares characteristics with other repetitive activities What does 'it' refer to in line 50? A facing a different challenge B taking a familiar car journey C acting in the same play every night D working with fellow actors Harriet criticises theatre reviewers because they A not give enough recognition to the art of character acting B not realise that some parts are more difficult to act than others C choose the wrong kinds of plays to review D suggest that certain actors have an easy job Harriet says that after actors have played a particular character, they_ A may be asked to play other similar characters B may become a bit like the character C will never want to play the part again D will never forget how to play the part What does Harriet say about her early work? A It has been a valuable influence on the work she has done since 66 B It was completely different from the kind of work she does now C She finds it embarrassing to recall that period of her life D She is annoyed when people criticise the work she did then PART – GAPPED TEXT Keeping the holiday-makers happy A chalet girl's work is never done, Sarah Sutherland-Pilch tells Veronica Lee - in between making beds and delicious dinners This isthe second year as a chalet girl for Sarah Sutherland-Pilch, a 24-year-old from West Sussex Known by her nickname, Pilch, Sarah works for a company in Val d'lsere, France, cooking and cleaning for visitors who come to ski and stay in the wooden houses, known as chalets that are characteristic of thearea Sarah graduated in French and History of Art from Oxford Brookes University last summer Being a chalet girl isn't a career, she says, but an enjoyable way to spend a year or two before settling down 'It's a good way to make contacts I meetsuccessful people every week.' Sarah does not 'live in' (9) She hasher own breakfast before preparing that of the guests 'They get the works -porridge, eggs, cereals, fruit and croissants.' When the last of the guests has had breakfast, by about 9.30 a.m., Sarah clears up and either makes the afternoon tea, which is left for the guests to help themselves to, or cleans the rooms - 'the worst part of the job,' she says By about 11 a.m she is ready to go on the slopes herself She skis as much as possible (10) Sarah returns to the chalet in time to prepare dinner and takes ashower before doing so, but does not sleep 'It's fatal if you do,' she says Dinner, a three-course affair, is served at p.m and coffee is usually on the table by10 p.m Sarah clears away the dinner things andfillsthedishwasher (11) Sometimes she will stay and chat with the guests, other times they are content to be left alone 'Good guests can make a week brilliant - breakfast this morning was great - but some weeks, for whatever reason, don't go quite so well.' Sarah meets her friends in the chalet where she lives - and they go out at about 11 p.m 'We usually start off in Bananas, might go to G Jay's and perhaps Dick's T-Bar at the end of the evening,' she says But Sarah never stays out too late on Saturday night as Sunday is her busiest time of the week (12) Work begins earlier than usual on Sunday, since breakfast for guests who are leaving has to be on the table by a.m (13) 'We just blitz the place - clear the breakfast, strip the beds, get everything ready.' If she hasn't already done the week's shop on Saturday, Sarah does it now (14) 'They get here at around 4.30 p.m Sometimes they are disorientated and fullofquestions I'm sure it's the mountain air that does something to them.' Between tea and dinner, Sarah takes any guests needing boots or skis down to the ski shop and then gets a lift back to the chalet from one of the ski shop staff (15) 'Sometimes I'm so tired I just have an early night,' she says A At around p.m., the cleaning work done, Sarah then prepares tea for the new guests 67 B Sarahenjoyscookingand,after leavingschool, supported herself during holidays by working as a cook C 'There's nothing worse than coming in to a messy kitchen the next morning.' D As soon as the guests are gone, Sarah starts cleaning madly E 'On a good day we can be up there until 4.30 p.m.' F 'Afrightful day,' she says, 'whenyou certainly don't want to be cooking breakfast feeling exhausted.' G She gets up at a.m to walk the mile or so to the chalet, which sleeps up to 18 guests each week H It is soon time for dinner duty again and perhaps a chat with friends, but not always PART – MULTIPLE MATCHING Which person mentions enjoying their pastime more than the job they used to do? 16 enjoying being in charge of their own life? 17 being surprised by suddenly losing their previous job? 18 not having other people depending on them financially? 19 missing working with other people? 20 undergoing training in order to take up their new job? 21 a contact being useful in promoting their new business? 22 not being interested in possible promotion in their old job? 23 disliking the amount of time they used to have to work? 24 surprising someone else by the decision they made? 25 a prediction that hasn't come true? 26 consulting other people about their businesses? 27 the similarities between their new job and their old one? 28 working to a strict timetable? 29 needing time to choose a new career? 30 A NEW LIFE A The Farmer Matt Froggatt used to be an insurance agent in the City of London but now runs a sheep farm 68 'After 14 years in business, I found that the City had gone from a place which was exciting to work in to a grind - no one was having fun anymore But I hadn't planned to leave for another five or ten years when I was made redundant It came out of the blue I didn't get a particularly good pay-off but it was enough to set up the farm with My break came when I got to know the head chef of a local hotel with one of the top 20 hotel restaurants in the country Through supplying them, my reputation spread and now I also supply meat through mail order I'm glad I'm no longer stuck in the office but it's astonishing how little things have changed for me: the same 80-to 90-hour week and still selling a product.' B The Painter Ron Ablewhite was a manager in advertising but now makes a living as an artist 'My painting began as a hobby but I realised I was getting far more excitement out of it than out of working The decision to take redundancy and to become an artist seemed logical The career counsellor I talked to was very helpful I think I was the first person who had ever told him, "I don't want to go back to where I've been." He was astonished because the majority of people in their mid-forties need to get back to work immediately - they need the money But we had married young and our children didn't need our support It was a leap into the unknown We went to the north of England, where we didn't know a soul It meant leaving all our friends, but we've been lucky in that our friendships have survived the distance - plenty of them come up and visit us now.' C The Hatmaker After working for five years as a company lawyer, Katherine Goodison set up her own business in her London flat, making hats for · private clients 'My job as a lawyer was fun It was stimulating and I earned a lot of money, but the hours were terrible I realised I didn't want to become a senior partner in the company, working more and more hours, so I left A lot of people said I'd get bored, but that has never happened The secret is to have deadlines Since it's a fashion-related business, you have the collections, next year's shapes The season -there's always too much to do, so you have to run a very regimented diary I feel happier now, and definitely less stressed There are things I really long for, though, like the social interaction with colleagues What I love about this job is that I'm totally responsible for the product If I a rubbish job, then I'm the one who takes the blame Of course, you care when you're working for a company, but when your name is all over the promotional material, you care that little bit more.' D The Masseur Paul Drinkwater worked in finance for 16 years before becoming a masseur at the Life Centre in London 'I had been in financial markets from the age of 22, setting up deals I liked the adrenaline but I never found the work rewarding I was nearly made redundant in 1989, but I estaped by resigning and travelling for a year I spent that year trying to work out what I wanted to I was interested in health, so I visited some of the world's best gymnasiums and talked to the owners about how they started up I knew that to change career I had to get qualifications so I did various courses in massage Then I was offered part-time work at the Life Centre I have no regrets I never used to feel in control, but now I have peace of mind and control of my destiny That's best of all.' 69 IV REFERENCES Exercises First certificate in English First certificate in English http://www.flo-joe.co.uk http://www.esbulgaria.com http://www.examenglish.com http://www.esl-lounge.com http://fceilud.orgfree.com V ANSWER KEYS EXERCISE 1: Part 1A A B D C C B A Part B 10 F 11 C 12 A 13 G 14 D 15 E Part 16 C 17 C 18 B 19 D 20 B 21 B 22 A 23 D 24 A 25 A 26 D 27 A 28 B 29 A 30 C EXERCISE 2: Part 70 1A D A D B A D B Part E 10 H 11 A 12 G 13 B 14 D 15 C Part 16 C 17 B 18 B 19 E 20 C 21 A 22 C 23 E 24 A 25 A 26 D 27 B 28 D 29 E 30 D EXERCISE 3: Part 1B C A C B C A D 14 B 15 E Part H 10 F 11 D 12 A 13 G Part 16 G 17 H 18 E 19 F 23 H 24 D 25 A 20 C 21 F 22 B 26 E 27 D 28 B 29 G 30 A EXERCISE 4: Part 1A A B A A D C B Part G 10 D 11 C 12 H 13 E 14 A 15 F Part 16 B 17 D 18 D 19 D 23 C 24 A 25 C 20 A 21 C 22 B 26 B 27 A 28 B 29 A 30 C EXERCISE 5: Part 1B B D A C D B C Part H 10 A 11 C 12 F 13 B 14 D 15 E Part 71 16 A 17 B 18 C 19 D 23 D 24 A 25 D 20 A 21 D 22 C 26 C 27 D 28 A 29 B 30 C EXERCISE 6: Part 1A B D D B B C D Part E 10 H 11 F 12 A 13 C 14 G 15 D Part 16 A 17 B 18 A 19/20 A B (in either order) 21 E 22 B 23/24 D E (in either order) 25/26 B E (in either order) 27/28 AE (in either order) 29/30 C E (in either order) EXERCISE 7: Part 1 B B D C A A D C 13 G 14 D 15 E Part H 10 F 11 A 12 C Part 16 E 17 D 22 B 23 E 18 A 19 D 20/21 CE (in either order) 24/25 AB (in either order) 27/28 BD (in either order) 26 C 29 C 30 D EXERCISE 8: Part 1 C A A B D C A B Part F 10 H 11 E 12 A 13 C 14 G 15 B Part 16 A17 C18 D 19 F 20 B 21/22 CD (in either order) 23 C 24 B 25 E 72 26 A 27 E 28/29 DF (in either order) 30 A EXERCISE Part 1 B C A D A B C C 10 C 11 E 12 H 13 D 14 F 15 A Part B Part 16 B 17 C 18 D 19 B 20 A 21 E 22 A 23 c 24 A 25 D 26 C 27 B 28 E 29 D 30 E EXERCISE 10 Part 1B 2D 3D 4D 5C 6A 7C 8B Part 9C 10A 11F 12D 13H 14B 15G Part 16E 17D 18A 19A 20D 21C 22A 23C 24E 25B 26E 27C 28A 29E 30B EXERCISE 11 Part 1B 2C 3B 4A 5C 6B 7D 8D Part 9E 10C 11D 12A 13G 14F 15B Part 16E 17D 18B 19E 20D 21A 22C 23F 24A 25E 26A 27C 28B 29C 30C 73 EXERCISE 12 Part 1D 2A 3B 4D 5C 6A 7D 8A Part 9G 10E 11C 12F 13D 14A 15H Part 16B 17D 18A 19B 20C 21D 22A 23C 24C 25B 26C 27D 28A 29C 30D 74 Reflexion Three questions were given to 23 students in the class to collect information about participants’ attitudes towards the reading comprehension When they were asked the first question (What difficulties you have when doing the test before you learn our reading material?), each student in the classgave different answers and opinionsto the question Some students said they have limited prior knowledge about the content being read or have limited vocabulary.Hien(pseudo-name) said: “Before I read your material, I usually find vocabulary as the most difficult problem There are lots of new words and phrases in the passages Moreover I don’t know the right technique to guess the meaning of the words so it’s hard for me to finish all the questions.”Another student, Hung said: “Some reading topics are not familiar, they talk about things that I haven’t met or heard about in my life Besides, the ways it leads to the main point is somehow hard to understand,which is difficult to know what the passage is about Sometimes I feel confused when reading.” Minh added: “Some reading passages are long and not attractive, which makes me feel bored and sleepy while doing ” Some students said that many reading excersies are written at a level that is beyond their current independent reading skill level, which makes them unable to Tien admitted:“I’m not an excellent student so the truth is that some materials are too hard for me and also other weak students to do.” A few students said they might have difficulties determining what information is important in written passages Ha stated: “I have difficulty finding the main idea and important thesis of the passage In addition, I also encounter adverity in determind what information is essential for each questionsso it is hard for me to get the point of the passage and also waste a lot of my time.” 75 The second question (What improvement you get after receiving our reading material ?) was used to ask participants about the effect of the reading material With this question, ten interviewees (%) said they could save more time, five interviewees (%) said they learnt how to guess meaning from context, seven interviewees (%) said the material showed them how to skim and scan and one last interviewee (%) said she had no improvement after reading the material They also stated their reasons Mai confirmed her problem again when she said, “ … thanks to your material, now I can save a considerably amount of time while doing the test For example, your material showed me how to read the text more quickly by getting a good overall picture just by reading the first few lines of a text.” Another student - Linh - had the same opinion when stating that “… because the time is limited so your tips and techniques showed me some specific ways to control my time better.” Trung mentioned his problem when he said, “ … When I took the test, there are a lot of new vocabulary which are really difficult to understand Furthermore, wasting time guessing their meanings also affects the process of finding the right answers Fortunately, your material provides me how to guess meaning in context I tried it and the result was much higher than I have ever thought.” In fact, most of the topics in the FCE reading test are very unfamiliar Therefore, students who not have a wide range of vocabulary might find it hard to understand clearly Other seven students also stated their reasons for choosing skim and scan ,Hoa said that “… I think skimming and scanning assisted me in answering the question effectively Learning how to skim helped me to get an overall impression of the content of a reading selection faster and scanning helped me to find specific information more quickly.” However, the other student, Thanh, hesitated when answering the question He said “…I have no ideas about this Maybe yes or no I still find that reading is boring However, I not have to spend as much time on reading as I used to” Tuyet also said that:”…I am accustomed to the older methods so it is hard for me to change ones but I will try to apply your methods so that I can have a comparison “ When being asked about whether finding the material useful or not (question 3:what are the overall impression you get from our material?) 22 out of 23 students answered that they got a lot of advantages as well as built some skills which are not only helpful in doing the fce test but also in a lot of other examinations One student said happily,” I think this material can help me a lot Reading the strategies in the material, I found out and then had 76 a through grasp of the structure and tasks of the test I also got the information about where the extracts in the text come from (such as newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, advertisements, etc so that I can look for many new source to practice my reading Minh(pseudo-name) added,” wow… the strategies listed in the paper are short and very easy to understand and remember I found it the most useful I knew that it would save a lot of time if I read the question before reading the text Moreover I also formed a habit of noticing the key words, the linking words, etc This really helps me a lot.” Two other students said that they like the technique most because it brings them a lot of benefits Firstly they could learn the skimming and scanning techniques After that they could the reading part faster and have enough time to check their answers again, so that their results improve considerably Mentioning the tips written after the techniques part, Hoa complimented, “the tips are the most useful information I usually found that many other fce reading documents always encourage the things you should but rarely list out the things you should not But in this material, you have mentioned the things the students should avoid and also explain the reasons why For example, I am encouraged not to choose an answer supported by something in the selection or my own background knowledge, or not to choose an answer just because part of it sounds correct It helps me overcome the mistake I have almost made in every test I did One student said,” I like your material very much I learn many new tips in it Before reading it, I don’t know how to manage the time to finish my test, but now time is no longer a problem.” However there are some students think that the material is normal as many documents they have read before They said that maybe this paper is not suitable to them They have read and tried to follow the guidance but it not work out because they have been used to their ole studying habits Some others said that the information in the paper is so general that they cannot apply when doing the test Besides, there is one students named Cuong said that,” I think the information in the material is just paper knowledge The only way to improve my reading skill is learning as much new vocabularies as I can So maybe there is no real use in this document The answers to the last question show that if you want to the reading part well then you need clear strategies and techniques as well as some useful tips After learning it 77 carefully, you can both improve your skills and the test faster and easier, so that you can get high score as a result In conclusion, the results from the interview revealed that the participants demonstrated positive perceptions on the reading task in the FCE examination The above interviewees’ answers confirmed that the information in the material (strategies, techniques, tips) are needed in doing the fce reading part Furthermore, to most students, the material has brought them a number of advantages Therefore it is encouraged that the exam-takers should learn the material and apply to them if they are suitable to their habits and studying styles CONCLUSION The First Certificate in English (FCE) is the most commonly taken exam of all ESOL tests Many students take this exam because it conveys a high mastery of English needed to work in a business and educational environment However reality shows that almost 60% of the students had difficulty in the reading part And this is the reason why we write this material and conduct interviews in learners’ perceptions toward the use of this document According to the results of the research, we found that different students have different trouble in solving the reading part Some students have difficulties in understanding the content of the text because of the lack of vocabularies, others find that finishing the test on time is impossible No matter how hard they tried, they can’t manage time The other students are usually tricked by the choices that have information from the passage but not answer what is being asked Because of those problems, the students find it hard to get enough marks to pass the test However, after learning the material, most students exclaim positive perception They grasp the strategies, be familiar with the techniques, and form many essential skills The students no longer waste time reading the unimportant information, they know how to scan the main ideas so that they manage time much better Moreover, they can avoid many tricks with the help of our tips With those achievements in studying the information in our paper, the results in the experimental exercises were good, so that they can be more hopeful about forthcoming examinations 78 Furthermore, with the positive remarks of the students, we are confident in the benefits which our material can bring to the learners Although there are some negative ideas about the usage of the paper, the material can be used in teaching and self-studying In conclusion, this document is useful and the students can take a lot of advantages from it 79 [...]... say 'we was' instead of 'we were' Can you explain this? Would it be impolite of me to correct them? F 22 I am an intermediate student of English (I have been studying it for 3 years) I'm quite good at reading and writing but listening is very difficult for me My teacher suggested that I listen to the BBC World Service every day in order to improve my listening The problem is that it's hard for me to... have been doing self-study using the Internet and books to improve There are lots of materials to choose but I'm not sure what is best for me and how I should use them I really would like to take the FCE examination but don't know how to study on my own Should I take a course in my local school - which is a little expensive for me now - or is it possible to prepare for the exam doing self-study? H ... STRATEGIES To prepare for the reading part in the FCE test, students should read as widely as possible Reading can include a range of reading texts from course books and reading- skills books at this... of four parts: listening, reading, writing and speaking Among those parts, reading is an important one because it accounts for 20% of the total mark of the test Doing reading tests not only helps... grammar points Therefore, if students can master the reading part, the chance for them to pass the test will be higher Because of those reasons, FCE reading is chosen to be the topic of this self-study