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INTRODUCTION : By raising our student’s awareness of reading as a skill that requires active engagement and by teaching explicable reading strategies, we help our students to develop good pronunciation, articulation, rhythm, fluency and accuracy. GOALS : -
good pronunciation use of appropriate rhythm and stress to achieve well-paced, fluent reading to build important literacy skills such as comprehension
PROCESS : Select topics which are related to students’ interests and experiences or explore universal contemporary themes and issues.
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DURING READING : read with a purpose in mind and give complete attention to the reading task create visual images focus on unity and coherence, articulation, and good pronunciation identify with and develop an understanding of the characters (story)
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AFTER READING : reread important words when necessary paraphrase and summarize major ideas recognize how particular elements create moods or tones seek additional information from other sources as needed or desired ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Honorary Advisor : Bro. Dr. Monthol Prathumarach Committee : Bro.Manit Sakonthawat, M.A. Bro.Pathanant Chaiyara Mr.Tong-In Sawaengsin, M.A. Mr.Pisit Krittayanawach, M.A. Mr.Avirut Wisetchart, M.A. Mr.Yutthachai Ittivorachet, M.M. Ms.Yaowaluck Yaochareon, M.A. Ms.Pornsirin Watthanasathian, M.A. English Teachers Primary 1 - Secondary 3 Editorial Team : Mr.Yutthachai Ittivorachet, M.M. Members of the Foreigen Language Department Design & Layout : Mr.Wutichart Chatarupacheewin, M.FA. Mr.Sarayut Jorjaroenpanich Mr.Peerawit Arjloi Mr.Premsak Rativiriyapong, M.A. Audio Recorders : Mr.Weerawat Chaisuriya Mr.Samroeng Kaewsod Produced by : Saint Gabriel’s College BANGKOK, THAILAND Copyright @ 2018 ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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CONTENTS Earthquakes
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The Loch Ness Monster
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A Murder Suicide
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Nutrition Lesson
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Cloning Pets
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Stonehenge Monument
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Atchoo! is it a Cold or the Flu?
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Love &Time
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Butterfly and Cocoon
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American Flag
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Election Choices
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Testing for Gossip
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Peace of Mind
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Bad by Name; Bad by Nature?
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Earthquakes
Earthquakes are natural disasters that humans cannot control. Sometimes earthquakes can be very dangerous and people need to know more about where earthquakes come from, and how to protect themselves from them and any other natural disasters. Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. They are the Earth’s natural means of releasing pressure. More than a million occur in the world each 4
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year. Earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than a minute. However, earthquakes cannot be predicted although scientists are still working on the problem. There are about 20 plates along the surface of the earth that move continuously and slowly past each other. When the plates squeeze or stretch, huge rocks form at their edges and the rocks shift with great force, causing an earthquake. As the plates move, they put forces on themselves and each other. When the force is large enough, the crust is forced to break. Shaking and ground breaking are the main effects created by earthquakes, principally resulting in more or less severe damage to buildings and other structures. The severity of the effect depends on the complex combination of the earthquake magnitude. Ground break is a major risk for large engineering structures such as dams, bridges and nuclear power stations and requires careful mapping of existing faults to identify any likely to break the ground surface within the life of the structure. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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The Loch Ness Monster
I have lived here beside the Loch Ness since I retired last year. My house has a good clear view of the loch. In fact, it’s only about a hundred metres from the lake, and there is nothing but the road in between. Now I’ve never been interested in the Loch Ness monster, you understand. Until last Tuesday, I thought it was just a good story to 6
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attract tourists. But I’ve had to change my mind after last Tuesday’s experience. I got up as usual at about 7 and went into my garden. Something attracted my attention to the loch. There was almost no mist that morning, and I could see there was something moving quite fast, going north, in the middle of the loch. It looked like a giant snake, with its head and part of its body above water. It was about thirty metres long. I rushed into the house to get my camera, but when I was back it had gone. I waited and it appeared again, this time nearer the road and my house. I could see it clearly. I managed to take several photographs of it. They haven’t come out very well, unfortunately, but one or two of them show the creature quite clearly. At one point it swam straight towards me, but then a lorry passed on the road and perhaps it heard the noise of the engine because it disappeared again. I reckon the whole incident lasted for about fifteen minutes, because I looked at my watch the last time I saw it, and it said a quarter past seven. I’ve never seen anything so strange in my life. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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A Murder -Suicide
A man and a woman died in an apparent murder-suicide last night in Altadena. The man was 74 year old Dominic Vittorio. The woman was his 70 year old wife, Victoria. The couple had been married for 50 years. In fact, their 50th anniversary occurred just a month ago, according to their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Allen. The couple was childless and had no close friends. Mr. Vittorio was a retired carpenter who had cancer and was blind in one eye. His wife was a diabetic who had already had one foot 8
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amputated because of this disease. Her eyesight was almost completely gone. “They were such a nice couple,” said Mrs. Allen. “I’ve lived next to them for the last 20 years or so. I’m widowed, and Dom always used to help me with things like changing light bulbs and fixing appliances. They had no kids, but they were always friendly to the neighborhood kids. Every Halloween they handed out tons of candy and fresh fruit. But about eight years ago Vicky came down with diabetes, and things just haven’t been the same for her or Dom. They used to be so friendly and full of life, and then they just seemed to get quieter and quieter. “She used to come over to my place once or twice a week and we would talk about all kinds of things and have the nicest time. But that happened less and less as she got sicker. So I would go over to her house about once a week and we would talk. But the conversations steadily got shorter, and she seemed to lose interest in listening and in talking. She didn’t say it, but you could tell she was in a lot of pain.” ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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Mrs. Allen said she hadn’t even talked to either of the Vittorios in almost a year. They never came out. Even food was delivered to them by a local agency. She said she heard two gunshots last night “It scared me half to death!” She immediately called the police. “Such a sad ending for such nice people,” she said. “Together in sickness, but alone in the world.” 10
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Nutrition Lesson
People say, you need to eat protein, but what is it? Many foods contain protein. The best sources are beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes like black beans and lentils. Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system are made up mostly of protein. Your body uses the protein you eat to make lots of specialized protein molecules that have specific jobs. For instance, your body uses protein to make hemoglobin. That is the part of red blood ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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cells that carries oxygen to every part of your body. Other proteins are used to build cardiac muscle. What’s that? Your heart! In fact, whether you’re running or just hanging out, protein is doing important work like moving your legs, moving your lungs, and protecting you from disease. Food from animals, such as meat and milk, is called complete. Most vegetable protein is incomplete. It does not give you as much protein as the animal foods. People who eat a vegetarian diet can still get what they need, they just need to eat a wide variety of protein-rich vegetable foods. For instance, if you have peanut butter on whole-grain bread you’re set. Likewise, red beans won’t give you everything you need, but red beans and rice will do the trick. The good news is that you don’t have to eat all you need in every meal. As long as you have a variety of protein sources throughout the day, your body will grab what it needs from each meal. You can figure out how much protein you need if you know how much you weigh. Each day, kids need to eat about 0.5 grams of protein 12
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for every pound they weigh. That’s a gram for every 2 pounds you weigh. Your protein needs will grow as you get bigger, but then they will level off when you reach adult size. Adults, for instance, need about 60 grams per day. You can look at a food label to find out how many protein grams are in a serving. But if you’re eating a balanced diet, you don’t need to keep track of it. It’s pretty easy to get enough protein. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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Cloning Pets
A company in Phoenix, Arizona says that it can now clone your cat. “Actually,” said Felix Lee, President of Twice Is Nice, Inc., “you don’t even have to wait until your beloved cat dies. We already have clients whose clone lives with its donor.” The price is steep. A clone of your cat will cost $ 50,000. First, your veterinarian must do a biopsy of your cat. This is sent to TWIN, Inc., where it is cultured to grow fresh new cells. These new cells are stored in liquid nitrogen until you notify TWIN, Inc., that you are ready for 14
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the clone. At this time, you pay half the amount ($25,000). A cultured cell is implanted into a female cat that is in estrus, and if all goes well, a kitten is born about 60 days later. The new kitten is weaned in about eight weeks. TWIN, Inc., delivers the kitten to you after it receives the remaining $25,000. “We are a growing company,” said Lee. “Our facility can handle about a dozen births a year now, but our goal is to produce about 50 kittens and 50 puppies a year.” The company is currently experimenting with stray dogs. Some canine clones seem to be perfect, but some have been bizarre. Nevertheless, Lee believes that they will be successfully cloning dogs in about a year. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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Stonehenge Monument
Stonehenge is an ancient monument situated about ten miles north of Salisbury in England. It was built about 4500 years ago, but by whom and for what purpose remains a mystery. The builders must have known of geometry. They may have been influenced by the Mycenaeans, whose architecture was similar. Some of the stones must have been brought from West Wales, over 16
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135 miles away. These stones weigh more than fifty tons. They may have been brought on rafts and rollers. Experts say that it must have taken 1500 men more than five years to transport them. Stonehenge was probably built in three stages. First, settlers from continental Europe built a temple for sun worship. Later, the “Beaker” people added the stone circles. Finally, people of the Wesse Culture transformed Stonehenge into an observatory. They could calculate the exact time of Midsummer, Midwinter and of equinoxes. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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Atchoo! is it a Cold or the Flu?
When your nose is blocked, your eyes are watery, your throat is sore, you are coughing and sneezing constantly, and you are shivering, then you most likely have influenza, or the flu. Or, is it just a common cold? The symptoms of both the cold and the flu are very similar, and very often the two illnesses are confused. People get both illnesses in more or less the same way. A person sneezing or coughing transmits the infection through the air. Sometimes, people with the virus wipe their noses or eyes 18
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with their fingers. Then they touch objects around them, such as a doorknob, a telephone, a keyboard, or any other everyday object. Other people come into contact with these items carrying the virus and pick up the virus that way. Colds usually last for five to seven days and are caused by viruses. The body’s own defense mechanisms need to fight the viruses. Unfortunately, there are more than 80 different constantly mutating rhinoviruses. So, vaccination against colds is impossible. Medicines provide temporary relief from symptoms, but they cannot cure the cold. The flu has the same symptoms as the traditional cold. Additional symptoms are a high fever and severe muscle aches and pains. The effects of the flu can also be far more serious. It can cause pneumonia and kill its victims. In the past, the flu killed more people than any other viral disease. For example, 20 million people of all ages died in the 1919 flu epidemic. It actually affected younger people more than the older because their bodies didn’t have defenses against the virus. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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Love & Time Once upon a time, in an island there lived all the feelings and emotions: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to them that the island would sink! So all constructed boats and left. Except for Love. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “Sorry Love, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat and so there is no place here for you.” Love next asked Vanity who was also sailing 20
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by. Vanity was also ready with the same answer. “I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Vanity answered. Sadness was close by, so Love asked, “Sadness, take me along with you.” “Oh…Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself”, sadness said in a sullen voice. Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so preoccupied with her happiness that she did not even hear when Love called her. Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. An overjoyed Love jumped up into the boat and in the process forgot to ask where they were going. When they arrived at a dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed to the elder, Love asked Knowledge another elder, “Who Helped me? “It was Time,” Knowledge answered. “Time?” thought Love. Then, as if reading the face of Love, Knowledge smiled and answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is.” ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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Butterfly and Cocoon A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the 22
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wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! in fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. What this man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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American Flag
The American flag is red, white, and blue. It has 13 stripes and 50 stars. The stars are white and are located in a field of blue. The stripes are horizontal and are red and white. Seven of them are red and six of them are white. The flag is displayed daily from sunrise to sunset in front of schools and government buildings like post offices and libraries. It is displayed with the blue field of stars nearest the staff. The staff is the pole that the flag hangs on. When the flag is displayed on a pole, it should be raised quickly and lowered slowly. 24
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On special holidays and occasions the flag is flown at half staff. Half staff means the flag is halfway up the pole. When the flag is flown half staff, it is first raised quickly to the top of the pole and then slowly lowered to the halfway mark. At the end of the day, it is raised all the way to the top of the pole and then lowered slowly. The American flag was adopted in 1777 during the American War of Independence. The American War of Independence was from 1775 - 1783. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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Election Choices
A convention is a very big meeting. Many organizations have conventions. Every four years there is a national election in the United States. The summer before the election, there are two conventions. One convention is for the Democrats. The other is for the Republicans. They choose leaders for the next four years. They hope the people they choose will win the election. At the 2008 Democratic convention, there was 26
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a big change. Never before had the Democrats chosen an African-American as their candidate for President. They did. It was not a surprise, though Barack Obama had been running for President all year. He had won primaries. A primary is an election in a state. The people of the state vote for the person they want to be President. Then at the convention their representatives vote for that person. At the convention, there was a problem. Many people had voted in primaries for Hillary Clinton. They wanted her to be the first woman President. It was not because she was a woman that people voted for her. They thought she would do a good job. She was a Senator. She had met many world leaders. She was a leader, herself. More Democrats thought that Barack Obama would be a great President. So they chose him. She was disappointed, but Hillary Clinton helped him. She gave many speeches telling people why they should vote for him. She said, “He is the person who can change our country.” “Yes, we can” was their slogan. It meant that ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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people could change what was happening in the United States. At the Republican convention, they had to make a choice. They chose John McCain. Then they surprised everyone. They chose a woman as Vice President. People wondered if they did this to get more votes. The woman was Sarah Palin. She made many speeches. She got some people to vote for the Republican party. Some people thought she was the opposite of Barack Obama. Some people thought it was a good idea for the Republicans to choose her. Other people thought it wasn’t. They said that she would only get votes from one group of people. Barack Obama won the national election. He got votes from many different groups. More people voted than in the last election. It was important to them. After the election, he met with Hillary Clinton. He asked her to be Secretary of State. That is a very important job. The Secretary of State meets with world leaders. The Secretary of State helps solve problems with other countries. 28
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Testing for Gossip
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about you friend?” “Hold on a minute”, Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.” “Triple filter?” “That’s right”. Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?” “No”, the man said, “Actually I just heard about it and…” “All right”, said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?” “No, on the contrary.” “So”, Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?” “No, not really.” “Well”, concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?” 30
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Peace of Mind
Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days. While they were travelling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, I am thirsty. Do get me some water from that lake there. The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water and, right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, how can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink! So he came back and told Buddha, the water in there is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink. ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha. Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, see what you did to make the water clean. You let it be … and the mud settled down on its own and you got clear water … Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless. What did Buddha emphasize here? He said, it is effortless. Having ‘peace of mind’ is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process. When there is peace inside you, that peace permeates to the outside. It spreads around you and in the environment, such that people around start feeling that peace and grace. 32
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Bad by Name; Bad by Nature?
During Nelson Mandela’s 19 years imprisoned on Robben Island, one particular commanding officer was the most brutal of them all: “A few days before Badenhorst’s departure, I was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the island and wanted to know if we had any complaints. Badenhorst was there as I went through a list of demands. When I had finished, Badenhorst spoke to me directly. He told me he would be leaving the island and added: ‘I just want to wish you people good luck’. I do not know if I looked dumbfounded, but I ST. GABRIEL’S COLLEGE
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was amazed. He spoke these words like a human being and showed a side of himself we had never seen before. I thanked him for his good wishes and wished him luck in his endeavors. I thought about this moment for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most callous and barbaric commanding officer we had had on Robben Island. But that day in the office, he had revealed that that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been obscured but still existed. It was a useful reminder that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency and that, if their hearts are touched, they are capable of changing. Ultimately, Badenhorst was not evil; his inhumanity had been foisted upon him by an inhuman system. He behaved like a brute because he was rewarded for brutish behavior.” 34
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Reading aloud has proved its importance as an essential component of our curriculum and education; hence, we need to find ways to promote and enhance it at all levels. Reading aloud is a vital aspect of key competencies and contributes to the personal and social well - being of our students. The importance of reading aloud can’t be underestimated. The more our students practice, the better they become fluent, exquisite readers.
SAINT GABRIEL’S COLLEGE 565 Samsen Rd., Dusit, Bangkok 10300. THAILAND Tel. 0-2243-7002, 0-2243-2153, 0-2243-0065 Fax: 0-2243-2150
http://www.sg.ac.th
