READING HANDOUTS FOR TAB1

READING HANDOUT 2
SKIMMING AND SCANNING
I. BASIC READING SKILLS: SKIMMING vs. SCANNING
1. Skimming
Skimming means quickly reading the text to get only its main idea. To skim effectively, you need
to read only a part of the material.
You have already encountered skimming: when reading a long chapter of a book, or doing research on
a long article. In such case, you would probably read the first sentences of each paragraph, dropping
down to the end of the paragraph.
How to skim?
1. Read the first paragraph attentively to get an idea of what will be discussed in the text.
2. Read the first (and sometimes the second) sentence of each paragraph - they give the main idea
of the paragraph.
3. After you have read the first sentences, your eyes should drop down to the end of the paragraph,
looking for important pieces of information, such as dates and names.
4. Read the last paragraph attentively as it may contain the summary.
The main idea question normally uses three types of distractors in the answer choices:
1) the response is too broad (general);
2) the response is too narrow;
3) the response is false according to the information provided in the passage.

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Figure 1: Skimming process

2. Scanning
Scanning means searching for specific phrases in the text to answer some questions.
How to scan?
1. Underline the important information while reading the text (dates, numbers, names etc.)
2. When you read the question, identify the key word and scan the text for it. This way you’ll find
the answer more quickly.

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Figure 2: Scanning process

II. READING SAMPLES
1. Sample Reading Passage 1
Left-handed people suffer more from stress than their right-handed peers, according to a study of 1,100
adults by University of Michigan researchers. As a result, they smoke and drink more. Fifty-five
percent of the lefties smoked, whereas fewer than half of the righties smoked. Furthermore, the lefties
consumed more alcohol per year than their right-handed counterparts.
The main idea is _________________________________________________________
* Notice: In this paragraph, it was the first sentence that told you the main idea. This sentence, called a
“topic sentence,” usually appears at the beginning. Sometimes, however, the paragraph’s main idea is
expressed in the last sentence, and sometimes readers must determine the main idea of a paragraph by
summarizing the author’s message themselves.

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2. Sample Reading Passage 2

Read the following passage and write in the blanks:
a. The number of countries where ShareDesk offers workplaces: _________
b. The revenues of Regus in 2013: _________
c. The fee that provider of space has to pay ShareDesk (%): _________
d. The name of a university: _________
e. The long form of BBC: _________
f. The year Zipcube hopes to expand to other cities in Britain: _________
Mind if I take this space?
Every morning workers at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Britain's public-service
broadcaster, rush into New Broadcasting House, the company's home in central London. It is not
because they cannot wait to start work. Rather, they are involved in a daily scramble to secure a desk in
the offices: the corporation has committed to “hot-desking", a gauche office trend whereby no one seat
is assigned to a single person. So irksome is the hot-desking problem, it was made fun of in "W1A", the
broadcaster's recent navel-gazing sitcom.
To alleviate the pain, BBC employees could open their web browser—and seek alternative workday
shelter. A growing number of services provide this. ShareDesk, a two-year-old startup, for instance,
offers 2,400 different workplaces in 70 different countries across the globe. It lists workspaces on its
website and provides a booking service for venues and prospective renters. Listings are free, and
customers booking the space pay no booking fee to ShareDesk. Rather, the company takes a 15% cut
from the provider of the space for carrying out the transaction.
Another example following a similar model is Zipcube. Launched earlier this year, the firm helps users
find offices in 180 different locations around London—a number that will double by next month. By
the end of 2014, Zipcube hopes to expand to other cities in Britain and European business hubs. Those
seeking offices pay the same amount for a booking made through Zipcube as they would by contacting
a venue directly. Those offering space can list available venues for no cost, but the company takes 15%
in commission on any booking, an industry-standard cost.
These services are more flexible than established providers of office space, such as Regus, the world's
biggest with revenues of £1.5 billion ($2.5 billion) in 2013, says David Hellard of Zipcube. Finding a
venue for a workday or a business meeting can be tough and time-consuming: many buildings only
offer certain amenities; most don’t offer online booking.
Booking space on sites like Zipcube also beats other alternatives. It may not be cheaper, but certainly
more comfortable than gently nursing a quickly cooling cup of coffee for several hours in order to use a
café’s free Wi-Fi. It is more productive than working from home, according to recent research by
economics professors at Stanford University. And management wages point to an increase in inventive
thinking when people meet in short-term co-working spaces.
There is another potential benefit, too: many workers in traditional offices gripe about the co-workers
with whom they share a space. With one click, you can whisk yourself away from the loud talker in the
next cubicle and into a new, quieter, office.

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3. Sample Reading Passage 3

You ought to know what to do to help a person who is choking. First, you stand behind the choking
victim and put your arms around his or her waist. Second, you make a fist and place the thumb side
against the person’s stomach just above the navel, but below the ribs. Third, grasp your fist with your
other hand and press into the victim’s abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Repeat this action if
necessary.
Main idea: ________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Supporting details:
A. _______________________________________________________________
B. _______________________________________________________________
C. _______________________________________________________________
D. _______________________________________________________________

4. Sample Reading Passage 4

What’s the best way for you, as an employer, to deliver bad news to an employee? First of all, you have
to break the news yourself, face to face with the recipient. You can’t write memos to tell people they
will not get raises this year or that they have made an error or are not performing as well as expected.
You have to show them how you feel about the matter and that you are personally sorry and
sympathize with them. If you indicate that you are ready to listen to their reactions to your bad news,
you will undoubtedly save yourself from their wrath. Above all, you must be ready for an emotional
reaction from the recipient of bad news. Give people time to digest your news and to control the
emotion they invariably feel. Although it is never easy to break bad news, if you follow these steps,
you will at least soften the blow.
1. The author’s main idea is that
A. bad news is hard to impart
B. all employers have to criticize their employees
C. there are ways of softening the impact of bad news
D. people respond emotionally to bad news
2. Where is the main idea expressed?
A. In the first sentence
B. In the last sentence
C. In the middle of the paragraph
D. Nowhere
3. The main idea is supported by
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A. examples of employers giving bad news

B. a list of reasons for having to break bad news
C. sympathy for both the employer and employee
D. instructions on how to soften the blow of bad news

5. Sample Reading Passage 5

The Commodities Futures Trading Commission today designated four commodities exchanges to trade
options on futures contracts, as part of a three-year pilot program beginning October 1.
Who _____________________.
What _____________________.
Where _________________.
When______________________.
Why ______________________.

III. READING SKILL PRACTICE

QUESTIONS 1–5
The business of tennis clothes has grown astoundingly in the past few years. Over $250 million is spent
annually on the trappings of tennis. Apparently, everyone wants to look like a pro, even though 20% of
the clientele has never even played the game.
Manufacturers pay the stars lucrative fees for wearing their brands of clothes and wielding their
racquets on center court. Chris Evert-Lloyd, for example, was rumored to have signed a five-year
contract for $5 million with Ellesse, a producer of fancy, expensive tennis wear. John McEnroe
received a reported $600,000 for playing with a Dunlop racquet, $330,000 for sporting Tacchini
clothes, and $100,000 for tying his Nike tennis shoes. Obviously, in a bad year, these stars would have
made more as fashion models than as athletes.
Not only tennis players get free clothing, but also all the people involved in the game—the referees,
lines people, ball boys and girls—are living advertisements for tennis wear producers. Where,
traditionally, conservative white clothing was required for the entire tennis coterie, changing times have
seen a new vogue in tennis outfits. Flamboyant colors, designers’ nameplates, geometric figures, and
bold lines distinguish the new tennis togs from their predecessors.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that____.
(A) tennis clothing appeals to the wealthy
(B) tennis stars get huge sums for endorsements

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(C) the price of tennis racquets has remained stable

(D) bright colors entice people to buy tennis wear
2. The author’s intention is to____.
(A) explain why the cost of tennis clothes has risen
(B) defend tennis wear manufacturers from complaints about their high prices
(C) describe the means of advertising ex- pensive tennis clothes
(D) describe the new tennis clothing
3. A good title for this passage would be____.
(A) The Stars at Play
(B) Big Business in Tennis Wear
(C) The High Cost of Playing Tennis
(D) Tennis Stars’ Flamboyant Clothes
4. It is stated that John McEnroe____.
(A) wore flamboyant clothing on the court
(B) must have earned over $1 million for endorsing tennis products
(C) was a fashion model more than he was a tennis player
(D) had had a bad year in tennis competition
5. It is implied that____.
(A) tennis clothing is bought by the well- to-do
(B) everyone who wears expensive tennis wear plays tennis
(C) tennis officials would prefer to wear
(D) fashion models wear tennis clothing

QUESTIONS 6-13
The oil embargoes of 1973–1975 caused vast chagrin among the manufacturers of automobiles around
the world. In particular, American companies were costs of maintenance in the buyer’s purchase price.
New car advertisers now claim that all the buyer has to pay for is gas. To fight corrosion, new coatings
have been developed that protect against the havoc caused by road salts, gravel, and other materials.
Hence, when car obliged to create innovations in producing small cars that would compete in the
market with those flowing into the American market from Japan and Europe. No longer could
Americans afford ostentatious, gas-guzzling vehicles.
Of paramount importance to today’s car owner is the cost of gasoline. Ameri-can manufacturers have

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collaborated to supply their clientele with small cars that provide the amenities of the stereo- typed
large American car, yet get better mileage than any other car in the his- tory of American car
production. It has become a question of ardently competing with foreign car manufacturers or
succumbing to the intense competition and losing a lucrative business through apathy. The American
car industry has been rejuvenated. The fuel consumption of the new cars has decreased by 49% since
1977; mileage has risen from an average 17.2 miles per gallon to 25.6 miles per gallon. These figures
are indicative of a major turnaround in engineering, manufacturing, and design. The industry has made
pertinent use of the computer by installing a microprocessor, a thin piece of silicon about the size of an
aspirin, in new cars. This miniature computer measures engine speed, engine load, and other functions,
and sends messages to the fuel system and other parts of the car’s mechanism, thus producing lower gas
consumption and cleaner exhaust.
By designing sleek, roomy, beautiful, sporty models, the automobile industry has enticed both the
average-income and the affluent car buyer into purchasing small cars. In addition to saving on gas,
today’s car is built to save on maintenance and repair expenses. Furthermore, the manufacturer is
including the owners are ready to turn in last year’s car for a new one, they will find that their well-
preserved used cars will have an unusually high trade-in value.
Fuel efficient, safe, emission free, economical, and beautiful, today’s cars are better bargains than any
ever produced before.
6. What significance did oil embargoes have in the automobile industry?
(A) Car manufacturers worldwide had to produce fuel-efficient automobiles.
(B) Automobile manufacturers had to make smaller cars.
(C) The Japanese exported cars to America.
(D) Americans continued to drive American cars.
7. In the second paragraph, there is a statement that implies that____.
(A) Americans love large cars.
(B) American auto manufacturers had been indifferent to the need for smaller cars.
(C) Americans will not buy uncomfortable small cars.
(D) All of the above.
8. The microprocessor is____.
(A) responsible for the American car industry’s rejuvenation
(B) a major turnaround in American car manufacturing
(C) a computer that saves gas and helps create cleaner emission

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(D) a pertinent use of fuel consumption

9. According to the passage, small American cars are being bought____.
(A) by middle-class and rich clientele
(B) because they save fuel
(C) because of inflation
(D) by Americans who want to help American business
10. According to the passage, new cars are a better bargain than those manufactured in years
past because they____.
(A) cost less to run and are built to last longer
(B) have a built-in computer
(C) save fuel, have more safety features, cost less to maintain, and have a higher trade-in value
(D) are a lot smaller and don’t rust be- cause of better coatings
11. From the information given in the reading, you can infer that anticorrosive coatings will
not only protect a new car’s body, but also____.
(A) make the car run better
(B) increase the trade-in value of the car
(C) increase the car’s mileage
(D) make the car safer to drive
12. From the passage you can infer that _____ .
(A) new cars are fuel efficient, sleek, and beautiful
(B) Americans want their cars to be both beautiful and practical in terms of comfort and cost
(C) Americans will continue to buy European and Japanese cars because they are cheaper
(D) if oil becomes plentiful and cheap again, Americans will not return to buying large cars
13. Another inference from the article is that _____ .
(A) the most important consideration in buying a car is the cost of gas
(B) gas shortages caused American manufacturers to change their production methods
(C) today’s cars are more sensible buys than those in the past
(D) large cars are more comfortable than small cars

QUESTIONS 14-23
The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City. For a long time, it has been the
newspaper of record in the United States and one of the world’s great newspapers. Its strength is in its

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editorial excellence; it has never been the largest newspaper in terms of circulation. A.
The Times was established in 1851 as a penny paper whose editors wanted to report the news in a
restrained and objective fashion. It enjoyed early success as its editors set a pattern for the future by
appealing to a cultured, intellectual readership instead of a mass audience. However, in the late
nineteenth century, it came into competition with more popular, colorful, if not lurid, newspapers in
New York City. B. Despite price increases, the Times was losing $1,000 a week when Adolph Simon
Ochs bought it in 1896.
Ochs built the Times into an internationally respected daily. He hired Carr Van Anda as editor. Van
Anda placed greater stress than ever on full reporting of the news of the day, and his reporters
maintained and emphasized existing good coverage of international news. The management of the
paper decided to eliminate fiction from the paper, added a Sunday magazine section, and reduced the
paper’s price back to a penny. In April 1912, the paper took many risks to report every aspect of the
sinking of the Titanic. This greatly enhanced its prestige, and in its coverage of two world wars, the
Times continued to enhance its reputation for excellence in world news. C
In 1971, the Times was given a copy of the so-called “Pentagon Papers,” a secret government study of
U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. When it published the report, it became involved in several
lawsuits. D. The U.S. Supreme Court found that the publication was protected by the freedom-of-the-
press clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Later in the 1970s, the paper, under
Adolph Ochs’s grand- son, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, introduced sweeping changes in the organization
of the newspaper and its staff and brought out a national edition transmitted by satellite to regional
printing plants.
14. What is the main idea of the passage?
(A) The New York Times publishes the best fiction by American writers.
(B) The New York Times became highly respected throughout the world.
(C) The New York Times broadcasts its news to TV stations via satellite.
(D) The New York Times lost its prestige after the Vietnam War.
15. It can be inferred from the passage that the circulation of the Times is _____.
(A) not the largest in the world.
(B) not the best in the world.
(C) the smallest in the world.
(D) the worst in the world.
16. Which phrase is closest in meaning to the word “restrained” as it is used in line 11?

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(A) Put in prison

(B) In handcuffs
(C) Without education
(D) With self-control
17. According to the passage, what caused the loss of money at the Times?
(A) Other newspapers were more colorful.
(B) Other newspapers had better reporters.
(C) Other newspapers added a Sunday magazine.
(D) Other newspapers were better managed.
18. What word or phrase does the word “his” as used in line 27 refer to?
(A) Van Anda
(B) Reporters
(C) News of the day
(D) International news
19. Where can the following sentence best be added to the passage?
[Their publishers ran sensational stories, not because they were true, but because they sold
newspapers].
(A) [A]
(B) [B]
(C) [C]
(D) [D]
20. To improve its circulation, the management of the Times did all of the following
EXCEPT:
(A) emphasized good coverage of international news
(B) added a Sunday magazine section
(C) increased the number of lurid stories, even if they were not true
(D) eliminated fiction from the paper
21. The passage implies that the newspaper’s reputation _____ .
(A) decreased when it lowered its price to a penny
(B) grew because Adolph Ochs bought it in 1896
(C) increased because of its coverage of the Titanic’s sinking
(D) decreased because it could not compete with other New York papers

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22. What word or phrase does the word “publication” as used in line 47 refer to?
(A) The Times
(B) “The Pentagon Papers”
(C) The Report
(D) The Constitution
23. According to the passage, the Times has a national edition that is _____ .
(A) protected by the Supreme Court
(B) printed in the form of a Sunday magazine
(C) shipped by train and air transport daily
(D) transmitted by satellite to regional printing plants

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