A Answers will vary.

Lesson 1A Click here to enlarge the passage

Vocabulary Lesson 1A

purpose (n.) a reason for existence, an aim or goal

research (V.) to study something and try to discover facts about it

area (n.) a part of a place, a region

image (v.) to think about something and form an idea in your mind

space (n.) outside the Earth where the stars and planets are

technology (n.) scientific knowledge being used for practical purposes

real (adj.) actually existing, genuine, not fake

design (v.) to plan what something will look like

build (v.) to make by joining parts together

decide (v.) to make up your mind about something

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line 18 line 24

b d c a

build design image decide area purpose real research space technology

greedy wealthy island disappear

The ancient writer Plato; Robert Sarmast, an explorer; and Richard Ellis, an author. The Atlantic Ocean and Cyprus

Lesson 1B Click here to enlarge the passage

Vocabulary Lesson 1B

center (n.) the middle

final (adj.) the last one in a series of events

whole (n.) all of something

history (n.) the record of what happened in the past

report (v.) to tell people that something has happened

natural (adj.) something that exists in nature and is not created by people

simply (adv.) plainly or absolutely

publish (v.) to prepare and print copies of something

piece (n.) a part or amount of something

certain (adj.) sure that something is true

entire passage not given line 8

lines lines 18-19

center natural

certain final report

history piece whole

reported simply

historyreported

certain image published real finally decided build simply

Answers will vary, but many people want to believe in supernatural things. Those that can be explained include Aurora Borealis, some flights at Area 51, crop circles, and the Lake Ness photograph. Things that can’t be explained are whether Atlantis existed and the castle ghosts.

For More Information story/ancient/

Key Words for Internet Research Area51Edinburgn Castle AtlantisLeeds Castle Aurora BorealisLoch Ness monster crop circlesUFOs

Reading Skills

Identifying Details Identifying details in a text to answer specific questions (eg: who, what, when, where, why) is often achieved through a strategy known as ‘Scanning’ for details. This is actually a technique often used in daily life when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. Also when you read a newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text for important information of interest.

Understanding the Main Idea Once we've determined the text type of a passage, and what it's generally about, we usually then read on to understand the main idea of the passage. In other words: What is the writer basically telling us? Or, What is the writer's main message? Understanding the main idea of a text means being able to identify the most important point or information in the passage.

Defining Vocabulary Often a reading passage contains definitions or explanations of new words related to the topic. The definitions in the text may be given through different clues to help you identify how the author has explained its meaning. It is important to understand synonyms or parallel expressions are often used to define target vocabulary items.

Paraphrasing Paraphrasing involves the skill of identifying a restatement of a section in a passage that retains the basic meaning while changing the words, often explained in a more simplified form. A paraphrase often clarifies a more ambiguous original statement in the text by putting it into alternative words that are often more easily understood.

Reading for Gist Reading for gist is reading to get a general sense of what a reading passage is basically about. In other words, we read to understand the main topic, or theme of the passage. For example, a reading passage might basically be about a new type of technology, or a tourist's vacation trip, or a story about a fictional character.