Academic Reading Passage 1
There’s no need to read everything.
Just use these category ‘types’ to look for ‘types’ of information e.g.
- an account/ a description
- a hypothesis (a theory)
- a demand for something (look for strong language – we MUST, it’s NECESSARY – usually at the end of a Reading)
- a list (look for a list!)
- a proportion (look for numbers or %)
Also look for easy synonyms e.g.
1) something national ( = one country = capital letters New Zealand)
2) something global ( = whole world, international = capital letters = World Health Organisation)
The aim of breaking up the text like this is to help you see things that you may not see in the full text.
Look at each question and read the blue text taken from the original passage. Write down your answer, then check the answers below.
I strongly recommend listening to the podcast for this one (see below)
Matching Information
Questions 1-6
This Reading Passage has nine sections, A-I.
Which section contains the following information?
- an account of a national policy initiative
- a description of a global team effort
- a hypothesis as to one reason behind the growth in classroom noise
- a demand for suitable worldwide regulations
- a list of medical conditions which place some children more at risk from noise than others
- the estimated proportion of children in New Zealand with auditory problems.
Match the statements with these sentences taken from the paragraphs:
A The New Zealand Ministry of Health has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss.
B Modern teaching practices, the organization of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as air-conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teachers voice. Education researchers Nelson and Soli have also suggested that recent trends in learning often involve collaborative interactions of multiple minds and tools as much as individual possession of information.
C The International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE), on the advice of the World Health Organization, has established an international working party, which includes New Zealand, to evaluate noise and reverberation control for school rooms.
D The auditory function deficits in question include hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit disorders MDD/ADHD).
H The New Zealand Government has developed a New Zealand Disability Strategy and has embarked on a wide-ranging consultation process.
I lt is imperative that the needs of these children are taken into account in the setting of appropriate international standards to be promulgated in future.
Open questions
Questions 7-10
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
- For what period of time has hearing loss in schoolchildren been studied in New Zealand?
The New Zealand Ministry of Health has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss.
- In addition to machinery noise, what other type of noise can upset children with autism?
Those experiencing these disorders often find sounds such as crowd noise and the noise generated by machinery painful and distressing.
- What term is used to describe the hearing problems of schoolchildren which have not been diagnosed?
It is probable that many undiagnosed children exist in the education system with ‘invisible’ disabilities.
- What part of the New Zealand Disability Strategy aims to give schoolchildren equal opportunity?
Objective 3 of the New Zealand Disability Strategy is to ’Provide the Best Education for Disabled People’ by improving education so that all children, youth learners and adult learners will have equal opportunities to learn and develop within their already existing local school.
Choose from a list
Questions 11-12
Choose TWO letters, A-E
The list below includes factors contributing to classroom noise.
Which TWO are mentioned by the writer of the passage?
- current teaching methods
- echoing corridors
- cooling systems
- large class sizes
- loud-voiced teachers
- playground games
Modern teaching practices, the organization of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as air-conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teachers voice. Education researchers Nelson and Soli have also suggested that recent trends in learning often involve collaborative interactions of multiple minds and tools as much as individual possession of information. This all amounts to heightened activity and noise levels, which have the potential to be particularly serious for children experiencing auditory function deficit. Noise in classrooms can only exacerbate their difficulty in comprehending and processing verbal communication with other children and instructions from the teacher.
Question 13
Choose the correct letter A, B. C or D.
What is the writer‘s overall purpose in writing this article?
- to compare different methods of dealing with auditory problems
- to provide solutions for overly noisy learning environments
- to increase awareness of the situation of children with auditory problems
- to promote New Zealand as a model for other countries to follow
A number of countries are already in the process of formulating their own standards for the control and reduction of classroom noise. New Zealand will probably follow their example. The literature to date on noise in school rooms appears to focus on the effects on schoolchildren in general, their teachers and the hearing impaired. Only limited attention appears to have been given to those students experiencing the other disabilities involving auditory function deficit. lt is imperative that the needs of these children are taken into account in the setting of appropriate international standards to be promulgated in future.
ANSWERS
- H
- C
- B
- I
- D
- A
- two decades
- crowd (/noise)
- invisible (disability/ disabilities)
- Objective 3
- A (in Either Order)
- C
- C
Listen to the full podcast explanations here:
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