(Luận văn thạc sĩ) reading skills for the first year students at vietnam maritime university by implementing task based language teaching

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -  - NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG HẠNH IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS FOR THE FIRST - YEAR STUDENTS AT VIETNAM MARITIME UNIVERSITY BY IMPLEMENTING TASK - BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING NÂNG CAO KĨ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI THÔNG QUA VIỆC ÁP DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP GIAO NHIỆM VỤ M.A MINOR THESIS Field : ELT Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HANOI - 2012 i VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG HẠNH IMPROVING READING SKILLS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT VIETNAM MARITIME UNIVERSITY BY IMPLEMENTING TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING NÂNG CAO KĨ NĂNG ĐỌC CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI VIỆT NAM THÔNG QUA VIỆC ỨNG DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP GIAO NHIỆM VỤ M.A MINOR THESIS Field : ELT Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: TRẦN HIỀN LAN, MA HANOI - 2012 i TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii List of tables, figures and abbreviations iv Table of contents v PART A: INTRODUCTION 01 Rationale 01 Aims of the study 02 Scope of the study 03 Methods of the study 03 Overview of the study 03 PART B: DEVELOPMENT 05 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 05 The nature of reading 05 1.1 Definition of reading 05 1.2 Definition of reading comprehension 05 1.3 Reading models 06 1.3.1 Bottom-up Reading Model 06 1.3.2 Top-down Reading Model 07 1.3.3 Interactive Reading Model 08 Task – based language learning 09 2.1 Definition of task 09 2.2 Types of tasks 11 2.3 Task – based framework 12 2.4 Text – based task 13 iv 2.5 Considerations in task design 14 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16 Background of the study 16 1.1 Current learning and teaching of English in general and English reading in particular in Vietnam Maritime University 16 1.2 Identification of the problem 16 Research questions 17 Participants 17 Implementation of the action research 17 Data collection procedure 18 5.1 Description of the pre-treatment questionnaire 18 5.2 Description of the post-treatment questionnaire 19 5.3 Description of the two tests 19 Data analysis procedure 19 Summary 20 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 21 The results of the pre – treatment questionnaire survey 21 1.1 The students‟ need 21 1.2 The appropriation of texts 22 1.3 Activities in class 22 The results of the pre – treatment test 23 Experimental reading lessons 24 3.1 The first experimental lesson 24 3.2 The second experimental lesson 26 3.3 Summary 29 The results of the post – treatment test 30 The results of the post – treatment questionnaire survey 31 5.1 Students‟ motivation 31 v 5.2 The experimental lessons‟ sequence 31 Summary 35 PART C: CONCLUSION 36 Summary and conclusions 36 Pedagogical implications 37 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study 40 REFERENCES 41 APPENDICES Appendix 1: A sample lesson plan I Appendix 2: Pre – treatment questionnaire survey (English version) VII Appendix 3: Pre – treatment questionnaire survey (Vietnamese version) X Appendix 4: Post – treatment questionnaire survey (English version) XIII Appendix 5: Post – treatment questionnaire survey (Vietnamese version) XVI Appendix 6: Pre – treatment test XIX Appendix 7: Post – treatment test XXIII vi LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND ABBREVIATION TABLES PAGE Table 1: Participants‟ information 18 Table 2: Why the students like the pre-task cycle 33 Table 3: Why the students like the task cycle 34 Table 4: Why the students like the post-task cycle 36 FIGURES Figure 1: Task-based framework by Willis (1996) Figure 2: Components for analyzing tasks by Nunan (1989) Figure 3: How the current English course meets the students‟ need Figure 4: Percentage of students expressing their needs to the teachers Figure 5: Students‟ assessments on the activities in the course book Figure 6: Activities that the teachers often use Figure 7: Classroom management in current reading lessons Figure 8: Students' scores from the pre-treatment test Figure 9: Students' scores from the post - treatment test Figure 10: Students‟ assessments on the trial reading lessons Figure 11: Activities students like doing in pre-task phase Figure 12: Activities students like doing in during-task phase Figure 13: Activities students like doing in post-task phase ABBREVIATIONS GE: General English ESP: English for Specific Purposes EFL: English as a Foreign Language Vimaru: Vietnam Maritime University PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study It goes without saying that English is by far the most popular language of all Nowadays, English language plays an important role in the increasing development of science, technology, politics, culture and international relations in Vietnam As a result, there is a great demand for teaching and learning English throughout the country for different purposes Learners of English all keep in touch with the four skills in order to acquire the English proficiency In Vietnam, reading is perhaps the most important skills that Vietnamese learners of English will be working with as one of the major focuses of teaching English as a second language is providing the students with the abilities to understand written materials With strengthened reading skills, EFL readers will make greater progress and attain greater development not only in English but also in all academic areas Therefore, “reading is the most heavily researched single area of the whole curriculum, and yet, paradoxically, it remains a field in which a good deal of fundamental work has yet to be approached, and one in which a great many teachers would claim to be almost wholly ignorant” and secondary teachers “who have generally had no training at all related to reading but nevertheless feel conscious that the ability to read fluently is the basis for most school learning, and one of the surest predictors of academic attainment” (Harrison and Gardner, 1977) Traditionally, attempts to improve the comprehension of texts for EFL students have focused on familiarizing the students with vocabulary needed to comprehend the passage However, within the last 15 years, much of the research has been conducted in the field of reading comprehension with focus on the use of tasks, especially tasks which involve interaction between learners in developing the learners‟ knowledge and reading skills Several studies have revealed that the use of appropriate tasks in reading lessons is an effective way to improve students‟ reading comprehension, motivating them and help them obtain better reading achievement Vietnam Maritime University is a place where English teaching and learning are considered one of the major focuses Unfortunately, teaching and learning reading skills is still far from satisfactory for various reasons The students, especially the first –year ones, seem to have limited background knowledge, poor vocabulary and often find it difficult to concentrate on the reading process or deal with uncountable new vocabulary, etc After several years of learning English, they are still word-by-word readers; they tend to read very slowly to understand the meaning of every single word When they encounter unfamiliar words or unfamiliar concepts, they feel discouraged and resort to wild guessing to construct the text meaning Some students not understand the main idea of a text even when they have translated every word into their mother tongue Very few students deliberately look at the title of a text to think about its topic before reading Fewer students use their background knowledge to facilitate their comprehension They are completely dependent on the decoded messages from the text, so once their decoding mechanisms fail due to their deficient language proficiency, comprehension breaks down One more problem is that the tasks provided in the course book are rather challenging and repetitive, mostly are question- and - answers tasks As a result, many reading lessons makes the learners bored while taking part in the reading process and their reading skills still keep stable For all the above reasons, the researcher wishes to implement task – based language teaching, a new and effective approach, in improving the students‟ reading skills through the research work entitled: “Improving reading skills for the first – year students at Vietnam Maritime University by implementing task – based language teaching” Aims of the study The research is conducted to: • examine the impact of task-based language teaching and learning on reading comprehension of the first-year students at Vietnam Maritime University • suggest effective ways to design different tasks based on the available texts in the course book to meet students‟ demand, help them improve their reading skills and helping teachers select, adapt or create their own design of effective communicative tasks 3 Scope of the study As the title of the study implies, this research focuses on reading skills and the participants of the study are the first - year students at Vietnam Maritime University The author tried to conduct two surveys and two tests in order to analyze the expectation and achievement of the experimental lessons The information obtained from this study is to help to improve teaching and learning English in general and teaching and learning English reading comprehension in particular at Vietnam Maritime University Methods of the study Action research, which “allows us to build records of our improvements” (Kemmis and Me Taggart, 1982, p34), is chosen as the research method for the current study The author specially prefers action research to other more conventional or traditional types of research by the fact that "it is very focused on individual or small group professional practice and it is not so concerned with making general statement The main function of action research is to facilitate the reflective cycle and in this way provide an effective method for improving professional action” (Wallace, 1997, p 16) Firstly, the researcher used two survey questionnaires which have always been considered as a representative of quantitative method to collect primary data When designing the questionnaires, the researcher used the questions of both types: open type and closed ended questions Closed form or restricted types of questions offer the respondent a choice of alternatives The open form (unrestricted) type of questions, calling for a free response, provides greater depth of response Secondly, the researcher tried to evaluate student‟s progress through two tests, one before and one after the intervention The results from these two tests are reliable data to measure the effectiveness of the experimental lessons Besides, during the experimental lessons, the researcher also observed and took note on the progress of the lessons, the students‟ response on the task, some changes should be made on the lessons, etc Overview of the study This research is composed of three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion In the first part - Introduction, the author presents the rationale and the aims of the study followed by the scope and the methods of study The second part - Development is the backbone of the thesis which starts by recalling a brief account of reading comprehension, task-based language learning and teaching such as the task definitions, task types, task-based framework and pointing out the key issues in designing communicative tasks Then the author provides the methodology of the study which consists of the background of the study, the statement of the problem, the research questions, the participants and the implementation of action research These are followed by the instruments of data collection, data collection and analysis procedure This part is ended with the result and discussions of the research In the end of the study, the author presents her major findings before drawing final conclusions She also suggests pedagogical implications and points out the limitations of the study and suggestions for further research …………………………………………………………………… ❼ Viết số tương ứng vào bảng: Trong buổi học Tiếng Anh, Không em có thường ln làm việc:  Một  Theo cặp  Theo nhóm Hầu khơng Thỉnh thoảng XII Khá thường xuyên Rất thường xuyên Luôn POST-TREATMENT QUESTIONAIRE Dear first – year students, So far, I have been experimenting the new method for six weeks We have tried out new ways of approaching texts in your English course book (New Headway) I highly appreciated your active participation and cooperation during the time we work together I now would like to collect your opinions and assessments on what we have done so that more effective tasks for the texts in your English course book can be designed in the coming time, thus improving the quality of teaching English at our university Once again, your information will be kept strictly confidential As you will remain anonymous, please provide me with the truthful information I am much obliged for your help ❶ What you think about the trial lessons compared to your previous ones? Tick (√) the answer  More motivating  The same  Less motivating Your own ideas: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ❷ Tick (√) the answer When taking part into these lessons, you feel it is?  an obligation to take part in them  a pleasure to take part in them ❸ Circle the answer If you choose a, continue with questions and If you choose b, skip questions and 5, move to question What you think about the pre-task activities? a I think they are very useful b I think they are a waste of time ❹ Tick (√) all that applies If your answer is not specific here, write in “Others” row The pre-task phase is useful because:  The teacher sets the scene for the text in interesting ways  The teacher highlights useful words and phrases in the upcoming text so we feel more confident XIII  The teacher helps us understand task instructions more thoroughly  We have more exposure to different kinds of materials such as recordings, articles, nautical publications, etc Others: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ❺ What activities you like doing in pre-task stage? Tick (√) all that apply If your answer is not specified here, write in ‘Others’ row  Classifying words and phrases  Odd one out  Matching phrases to pictures  Memory challenge  Brainstorming and mind-maps  Thinking of questions to ask  Predicting  Listening Others: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ❻ Do you think that the activities in task-cycle are useful? Tick (√) the answer  Yes  No If Yes, go on the questions and If No, skip questions and and please clarify your reasons in the box beside () ❼ Why you like the during-task stage? Tick (√) all that apply I don‟t like the during – task phase because: ……………………………… …………….………………… ……………………………… …… …… If your answer is not specified here, write in “Others” row  I can work in pairs and groups so I feel more confident than when working alone  Though the teacher is not much involved in this phase, she is ready to help any time  I can learn from other friends when they report their task  The class atmosphere is more exciting  The types of activities are of great variety, making the lessons refresh day after day  I have chances to cooperate with different friends in different groups Others: ………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ❽ What activities you like doing in during – task stage? Tick (√) all that apply If your answer is not specified here, write in “Others” row  Predicting (from headlines/selected text/pictures) XIV  Jumbling (sections of text/key points of a summary/pictures from a series)  Restoration (identifying words/phrases/sentences omitted from or added to the text)  Splitting information task  Comparing (a picture/diagram with a written description)  Memory challenging Others: ❾ Circle the answer If you choose a, continue with questions 10 and 11 If you choose b, skip questions 10 and 11 and you are done with the questionnaire What you think about the post – task activities? a I think they are very useful b I think they are a waste of time ❿ Tick (√) all that apply If your answer is not specified here, write in “Others” row The post – task stage is useful because:  The teacher analyzes specific language features from the text used earlier in the task cycle  I have the chances to practice words/phrases/patterns and sentences from the analysis activities, thus it is useful for consolidation and revision  I can systematize my knowledge and broaden my understanding Others: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ⓫ What activities you like doing in post – task phase? Tick (√) all that apply If your answer is not specified here, write in “Others” row  Repeating useful words/phrases  Text reading  Dictionary exercises (matching words to definitions, exploring collocations, generating your own examples, etc.)  Playing consolidation games Others: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… XV PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT LẦN HAI Các em sinh viên năm đầu thân mến, Như có sáu tuần trải qua học thử nghiệm Chúng ta thử phương pháp để tiếp cận khóa giáo trình Tơi đánh giá cao tham gia đóng góp nhiệt tình em suốt thời gian qua Tôi muốn thu thập ý kiến đánh giá em học thử nghiệm vừa qua để tơi thiết kế nhiệm vụ học tập hiệu cho khóa giáo trình tiếng Anh em Tồn thơng tin cá nhân em bảo mật Vì vậy, em đóng góp ý kiến chân thực để khảo sát thành cơng Chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! ❶ Em đánh giá học thử nghiệm so với học Tiếng Anh trước đây? Đánh dấu (√) vào câu trả lời  Thúc đẩy trình học tập  Vẫn cũ  Ít thúc đẩy trình học tập Ý kiến em: ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ❷ Đánh dấu (√) vào câu trả lời Khi tham gia vào học này, em cảm thấy:  Đó nghĩa vụ phải tham gia  Một niềm vui tham gia ❸ Khoanh tròn câu trả lời Nếu chon a, tiếp tục với câu Nếu chọn b, bỏ qua câu 5, tiếp tục với câu Em nghĩ hoạt động giai đoạn tiền nhiệm vụ?  Em nghĩ chúng hữu ích  Em nghĩ chúng phí thời gian ❹ Đánh dấu (√) vào hay nhiều câu trả lời Nếu câu trả lời em khơng liệt kê đây, viết vào dịng “Những điều khác” Các hoạt động giai đoạn tiền nhiệm vụ hữu ích vì:  Giáo viên thiết lập bối cảnh cho khóa hay  Giáo viên nêu rõ từ cụm từ quan trọng xuất khóa  Giáo viên giúp hiểu dẫn cho nhiệm vụ kỹ  Chúng tiếp xúc với nhiều loại tài liệu hơn, ví dụ: băng đĩa, báo, ấn phẩm, XVI Những điều khác: ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ❺ Hoạt động bạn thích làm giai đoạn tiền nhiệm vụ? Đánh dấu (√) vào một/nhiều câu trả lời Nếu câu trả lời em không liệt kê đây, em viết vào dòng “ Những điều khác”  Phân loại từ cụm từ  Chọn từ khơng thuộc nhóm  Ghép từ với tranh  Thử thách trí nhớ  Động não sơ đồ hóa  Nghĩ câu hỏi  Đoán  Nghe Những điều khác: ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………… ❻ Em có nghĩ hoạt động giai đoạn nhiệm vụ có hữu ích? Đánh dấu (√) vào câu trả lời Tôi không thích hoạt động giai đoạn nhiệm vụ vì: Nếu chọn Có, tiếp tục với câu Nếu chọn Không, em bỏ ………………………………… qua câu và giải thích lý ô bên cạnh () …………………… …………… ………………………………… ❼ Tại em thích hoạt động giai đoạn nhiệm vụ chính? Đánh dấu (√) vào ……… một/nhiều câu trả lời Nếu câu trả lời em không liệt kê đây, viết vào dịng “Những điều khác”  Có  Khơng  Em làm việc theo cặp nhóm, em thấy tự tin  Mặc dù giáo viên không trực tiếp tham gia vào giai đoạn này, sẵn sàng giúp đỡ  Em học từ người khác họ báo cáo kết nhiệm vụ  Khơng khí lớp học sôi  Các hoạt động đa dạng, làm học đổi  Em có hội hợp tác với người bạn khác nhóm khác Những điều khác: ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………… ❽ Trong giai đoạn nhiệm vụ em thích hoạt động nào? Đánh dấu (√) vào một/nhiều câu trả lời Nếu câu trả lời em không liệt kê đây, viết vào dòng “Những điều khác” XVII  Đoán (từ tiêu đề/văn chọn/ tranh)  Xáo trộn (các phần văn bản/ điểm tóm tắt/ tranh theo series)  Hồi phục (xác định từ/cụm từ/câu bị cắt thêm vào văn bản)  Phân chia thông tin  So sánh (tranh/sơ đồ/ miêu tả)  Thử thách trí nhớ Những điều khác: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………… ❾ Khoanh tròn câu trả lời Nếu chọn a, em tiếp tục với câu 10 11 Nếu chọn b, bỏ qua câu 10, 11 em hoàn thành khảo sát Em đánh hoạt động giai đoạn hậu nhiệm vụ? a Em nghĩ chúng hữu ích b Em nghĩ chúng phí thời gian ❿ Đánh dấu (√) vào một/nhiều câu trả lời Nếu câu trả lời em không liệt kê đây, viết vào dòng “những điều khác” Giai đoạn hậu nhiệm vụ hữu ích vì:  Giáo viên phân tích đặc điểm ngữ pháp bật từ khóa  Tơi có hội thực hành từ/cụm từ/mẫu câu, có ích việc ôn tập củng cố ngữ pháp  Tôi hệ thống hóa kiến thức mở rộng hiểu biết Những điều khác: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ⓫ Em thích hoạt động giai đoạn sau nhiệm vụ chính? Đánh dấu (√) vào một/nhiều câu trả lời Nếu câu trả lời em không liệt kê đây, viết vào dòng “những điều khác”  Nhắc lại theo giáo viên từ/cụm từ quan trọng  Đọc khóa Các tập sử dụng từ điển (ghép từ với định nghĩa, tìm kết hợp, tự tạo ví dụ)  Chơi games củng cố kiến thức Những điều khác: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………… XVIII PRE – TREATMENT TEST Time allowance: 45 minutes Name: Class: CHEWING GUM Why people like to chew gum? Some people say they like the taste Other says they can think better when they chew gum Some people chew it when they have some boring work to Others chew gum when they are nervous Gum is a mixture of several things For many years gum companies made gum from chicle Chicle is a natural gum from a tree in Mexico and Central America Now companies use plastic and rubber made from petroleum instead of chicle Gum must be soft so you can chew it A softener keeps it soft The gum company makes the softener from vegetable oil A sweetener makes gum sweet This sweetener is usually sugar Then the company adds the flavor Thomas Adams made the first gum from chicle in 1836 However, chewing gum was not new The Greeks chewed gum from a tre over 2000 years ago Mayan Indians in Mexico chewed chicle Indians in the northeastern United States taught Europeans to chew gum from a tree there People first made bubble gum in 1928 Children like to blow bubbles with bubble gum Some university students too I Vocabulary Use the words provided to complete the sentences chew blow Mayan bubble sweetener taste companies gum softener flavor plastic boring chicle nervous mixture soft People first made _ gum in 1928 Gum must be _ so you can chew it Why people like to _? A _ makes the gum sweet Some people chew it when they have some _ work to XIX Then the company adds the _ Gum is a of several things A keeps the gum soft Others chew gum when they are _ 10 For many years gum made gum from 11 Children like to _ bubbles with bubble gum II Vocabulary (new context) Use the words provided to complete the sentences sweeten bubbles chew mixture chicle taste plastic Mayan soft flavor gum boring company blows nervous soften Hot chocolate is a of chocolate, sugar, and milk Chocolate is one of ice cream Dolores works for a large _ in Mexico City Children like to blow soap _ When you eat food, you it When you drink something, you don‟t chew it We put sugar in coffee to it It is _ to memorize vocabulary A cat has _ hair on its body comes from different kinds of trees 10 Students are usually _ before a big test 11 Dried fruit is hard Put it in water to it 12 The wind _ a lot in the spring III Vocabulary Review Match the words that mean the opposite Column A war thin holiday raw during store west all over spend Column B a east b earn c century d peace e fat f work day g throw away h after i nowhere XX 10 soon 11 somebody IV j, win k cooked l late m popular n nobody 10 11 Answer the following questions Why people like to chew gum? Give four reasons Does gum help you think better? What is chicle? Do companies make gum from chicle now? What they use instead of chicle? What does a softener to the gum? What does a sweetener do? What are the four things in the gum mixture? Name three groups of people who chewed gum 10 Who likes to blow bubbles with bubble gum? 11 Is gum good for your teeth? V Comprehension Choose the correct answer Some people chew gum when they are A fighting B nervous C lovely D eating Some people chew gum because they like the _ A boring B flavor C mixture D skin Today companies make gum from _ A plastic B rubber from petroleum C chicle D A and B A softener _ something A softens B burns C sweetens D shortens XXI Sugar is a _ A sweetener B mixture C softener D flavor The gum company makes the softener from _ A petroleum B chicle C plastic D vegetable oil Different _ make gum taste different A softeners B flavors C vegetable oils D seeds Chewing gum is _ idea A a new B an old C a wet D a dry Children _ bubbles with bubble gum A flavor B mix C blow D sweeten XXII POST – TREATMENT TEST Time allowance: 45 minutes Name: Class: COLA DRINKS AND ICE CREAM CONES The Coca-Cola company made the first cola drinks more than a hundred years ago Companies now sell millions of bottles and cans of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and other colas every day The cola flavor in the drinks comes from the cola or Kola nut These nuts grow on trees in the tropics Kola nuts have caffeine in them Coffee, tea, and chocolate have caffeine, too Caffeine makes some people feel nervous Now there are cola drinks without caffeine Cola and other soft drinks have carbon dioxide (CO2) in the water This gas makes bubbles There is also a lot of sugar in these drinks Some soft drinks have an artificial sweetener instead of sugar It is impossible that these artificial sweeteners are dangerous to the body The ice cream cone came from the St Louis World‟s Fair in 1904, just like the hamburger You can‟t eat either hamburger meat or ice cream in your hands Someone put hamburger meat in a roll so people could eat it in their hands For several years, people sold ice cream between two thin cookies so people could eat it in their hands It was like a sandwich However, the ice cream always dripped out Someone made the cookie into a cone The ice cream could not drip out and people could eat it easily with their hands I Use the suitable words to describe the following pictures ice cream cone can sandwich nut XXIII cookie bottle hamburger II Use the most suitable words to fill in the gaps artificial bottles either cola caffeine hotel dangerous pieces nut dripped cans carbon dioxide Companies now sell millions of and of colas every day Some soft drinks have an sweetener instead of sugar You can‟t eat hamburger meat or ice cream in your hands The cola flavor in the drinks comes from the cola or kola However, the ice cream always out Kola nuts have in them It is impossible that these artificial sweeteners are _ to the body Cola and other soft drinks have _ (CO2) in the water III Use the words in the new context dangerous bottles gas artificial carbon dioxide bubbles either drips cookies caffeine nuts cans We put in candy, in desserts, and on ice cream XXIV Some people cannot sleep after they drink coffee The keeps them awake It is _ to drive a car on icy roads CO2 means _ Rubber made from petroleum is _ rubber It is not natural rubber from trees You can buy vegetables and soup in You can buy orange juice in cans and _ The water in my shower all the time It makes me nervous You can have _, tea or coffee after dinner You cannot have a soft drink IV V Vocabulary Review Underline the word that does not belong peace soldier army war guayule tree plastic petroleum motorcycle truck automobile airplane add be come eat lamb goat insect dolphin century fair month hour seafood underline sunlight mixture around eastern southern western grass hamburger rice palm Answer the following questions What company made the first cola drinks? Where does the cola flavor come from? Where kola nuts grow? What kola nuts have in them? What does CO2 mean? Are cola drinks good for you? Why? How is an ice cream cone like a hamburger? XXV Why was an ice cream cone better than an ice cream sandwich? VI Comprehension True/ False/ No Information Cans of cola are cheaper than bottles Some cola drinks have caffeine in them Cola drinks have petroleum in them All cola drinks make people nervous Carbon dioxide is a gas Caffeine gives a cola drink flavor Ice cream has a softener in it An ice cream sandwich usually drips Ice cream is not good for you XXVI ... reading skills through the research work entitled: “Improving reading skills for the first – year students at Vietnam Maritime University by implementing task – based language teaching? ?? Aims of the. .. communicative tasks 3 Scope of the study As the title of the study implies, this research focuses on reading skills and the participants of the study are the first - year students at Vietnam Maritime. .. to the others what they contain They then discuss how it all fits together The final product is either the reassembled text or a new piece containing the synthesized information written by the