2. Reading Comprehension

a. General Comprehension

Read the article and say whether these statements are true or false. Give reasons.

T/F

…….. 1. A housewife inherited one of the most important books in English literature from a relative who never existed.

…….. 2. Ann Humphries got the book because there was no will left and she was the next of kin.

…….. 3. The lady took the book to Bloomsbury Auctions in London to be sold.

…….. 4. The book is going to be sold for & 4.1 million.

…….. 5. The First Folio is the only copy that survived in the complete state.

…….. 6. The First Folio was published in the 17^th century by two actors and contained 36 plays.

…….. 7. In the book there were 18 plays that had never been printed before.

2. Detailed Comprehension.

Read the article another time and answer the following questions.

1. Who inherited the First Folio?

2. How did it happen?

3. Did the lady know what kind of book it was and how much it could cost?

4. What did she find out when she took the book to Bloomsbury Auctions?

5. What is known about the First Folio? Why is the book so valuable?

6. How was Mrs. Humphries traced and why?

7. What did the genealogist discover about the former owner of the book?

3. Making up a Summary

Divide the article into 4 logical parts and sum up the contents of each one in 2-3 sentences. Make use of the following key words.

1. a 48-year-old housewife, Stockport, near Manchester, to inherit, one of the most important books, English literature; a distant relative; had never heard of.

2. To be sure, a replica, to take the book, Bloomsbury Auctions in London, to be examined. To turn out, to be a real thing, to cost a lot of money. To hope, the book, to be bought by a museum or a university.

3. To be published in … , to contain 36 plays, to be printed for the first time. About 600 copies, to be printed, to survive in a complete or fragmentary states. To be missing 40 leaves. Six copies, in private hands, all, in institutions.

4. The owner, to leave no will, difficult task, to locate the next of kin, to be given to… , a genealogist, to manage to track down Mrs. Humphries. Her relative, to acquire a First Folio, to remain a mystery.

4. Reviewing the Article.

Now, using the scheme of reviewing newspaper articles (App. 2) useful vocabulary and clichés (App. 1, 2) and the summary you have just made, review the article «A Legacy From Will Shakespeare».

Don’t forget to give your opinion of the material.

Unit 6 highest ice fields will not last 100 years, study finds

1. Before Reading Tasks

1. What kind of newspaper is «The Guardian»?

2. What do you know about global warming? What impact can it have on the ecosystem of our planet?

3. Words in Context

Choose the meaning of the underlined word or expression based on its use in the sentence.

1. China’s glacier research warns of deserts and floods due to warming.

a. iceberg b. icicle c. icefield high in the mountains.

2. Verdant mountain slopes will be turned into deserts.

a. steep b. rocky c. covered with green plants.

3. The Glacier Inventory was approved for publication last week.

a. invention b. list c. innovation.

4. China’s glaciers are said to account for 15% the planet’s ice.

a. form b. melt c. change.

5. In the past 24 years the scientists have measured a 5. 5% shrinkage by volume in China’s glaciers.

a. movement b. loss in size c. increase.

6. The decline of the Himalayan glaciers would be a disaster for the ecosystem of China and neighbouring states.

a. melting b. blowing up c. growth.

7. The water from melting ice has led to flooding which has devastated many of downtown areas of China in recent years.

a. destroyed b. improved c. increased.

8. The end of glaciers will hasten the desertification that threatens Western China.

a. disintegration b. flooding c. turning into desert.

9. Ocean levels would rise, threatening coastal cities.

a. on the sea shore b. at the foot of the mountain c. in a desert.

10. No one can reverse the changes to a glacier.

a. stop b. turn upside down c. direct the opposite way.

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