Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 1

Reading short texts: notices, messages and signs

Textbook Close-up B1 Student's Book, Second Edition (Form 3), National Geographic Learning / Cengage — 12 units; skills-based chapters for the UASA, pages Close-up B1 (Form 3): Unit 5 reading, pp.58-59; Unit 10 reading, pp.122-123; Unit 7 reading, pp.84-85; Unit 8 reading, pp.96-97 (word focus, Exam Close-ups), with grammar help from pp.61 and 125

What this chapter covers

I can tell what kind of text I am reading (advert, text message, notice, note, email or poster) and where I would find it (1.1)
{'I can use the Exam Close-up "Eliminating answers"': 'read all the texts, underline key words in the options, then cross out options with no support in the text (1.2)'}
{'I can use the Exam Close-up "Checking similar words"': 'read the whole sentence around a repeated word before I trust an option (1.3)'}
I can work out who writes to whom and why, and find details such as times, prices, dates and conditions (1.4)
I can do the small sums that hide in short texts, such as time gaps and ticket prices (1.4)
I can read a longer text for general understanding and fill a gap by reading around it, using the Exam Close-ups of Units 7 and 8 (1.5)
I know the Word Focus words of Units 5, 7, 8 and 10 (urgent, reschedule, enquiry, exhausted, threat ...) and can use them in sentences (1.6)
I can report what a note or message says with said and told, changing tense, pronouns and time words (1.7)

In this unit you will practise the reading tasks of Close-up B1 Form 3 that use short texts: notes, text messages, emails, notices, adverts and posters. Each text has one question with three options (a, b or c). You will also meet two longer texts with four options (a to d). The book gives you four Exam Close-up tips for these tasks. This unit shows how to use each one.

1.1What kind of text is it?

Before you read the options, say what the text is and where you would find it. This is the first step in the Exam Close-up on page 59. The text type tells you what the writer wants.

Five short texts from the textbook: a To Let advert for a flat, a text message from Helen about a sofa, a notice from Joe's Gym about a closed pool, an email from Judy to Dina about Dublin, and a note from Dad to Robby about a plumber — Five different short texts (Unit 5, Reading).

Close-up B1 Student's Book (Form 3), p.59, short texts 1 to 5 and Word Focus.

Text type	Where you see it	What it usually does	Clue words
Advert (To Let, For Sale)	Newspaper, shop window, notice board	Offers something and gives price, place and contact	a week, available from, no pets, phone
Text message	Phone	Asks a quick question or gives news	Is ... OK with you? I'll leave ... See you
Notice	Gym, school, office	Gives information to many people	Important notice, closed, apologise
Email	Computer or phone	Asks or answers; has From and To	Hi ..., Here's the link, Thank you for your enquiry
Note	Kitchen table, fridge, desk	Gives instructions to one person at home	Please ..., don't forget, Dad, Mum
Poster	Street, theatre	Sells tickets for an event	date, time, hall, price, sold out

Short text: a very short text (often under 50 words) with one clear job. Every text has its own question, so each one is a fresh start.

Look at who writes (From, signature) and to whom. Many wrong options give the right words to the wrong person.

1.2Eliminating answers

This is the Exam Close-up of Unit 5 (p.59). The steps are:

Read all the texts first and think about where each one comes from.
Read the answer options and underline the key words.
Look in the text for information like the words you underlined.
If you cannot find anything about an option in the text, eliminate it (cross it out).
Check the options that are left and choose the one that answers the question.

Worked example: a notice

Notice to members

The cafe will be closed on Wednesday for urgent repairs to the roof. The shop and the reading room are open as usual. We apologise for the inconvenience.

What does the notice say?
a Members cannot use the reading room on Wednesday.
b The shop will be open on Wednesday.
c The cafe will be closed for a month.

Answer: b. Key words: reading room, shop, closed for a month. The text says the shop and the reading room are "open as usual", so a is wrong and b is right. The text gives only Wednesday, with nothing about a month, so c has no support and you can eliminate it.

Common mistake: choosing an option because it sounds sensible. An option can be true in real life and still not be in the text. Only choose what the text says or clearly shows.

Look at the To Let advert in the picture above. Which is correct? a The flat is on the ground floor. b You cannot keep pets in the flat. c The flat has a lift.

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b. The text says "No pets". It also says "3rd floor" (so a is wrong) and "No lift" (so c is wrong).

1.3Checking similar words

This is the Exam Close-up of Unit 10 (p.123). Writers of options often copy words from the text but change the meaning. If an option uses the same words as the text, slow down.

Be careful with words that are the same in the options and in the text; they often say something different.
Read the option, then read the complete sentence in the text. Ask: does it mean the same?

A text message from Max to Harry: I'm outside the theatre, I've been here for half an hour, the play starts in five minutes, I'll leave your ticket at the box office — Max's message to Harry (Unit 10).

Close-up B1 Student's Book (Form 3), p.123, text 4.

Worked example: same words, different meaning

What should Harry do?
a Buy tickets for him and Max.
b Collect his ticket himself.
c Meet Max outside the box office.

Answer: b. Option c copies "outside" and "box office" from the message. But Max is outside the theatre, and he will leave the ticket at the box office. Harry must pick it up. Option a has no support: Max already has the ticket and leaves it at the box office, so Harry need not buy any.

Trap	What it looks like
Same words, wrong meaning	The option copies a phrase but joins it to the wrong place or action.
Opposite	The text says "open as usual"; the option says "closed".
Wrong person	"Dad will collect you" becomes "Becky will collect Dad".
Not in the text	A sensible idea with no support in the text.

The poster says "The Smash. Playing hits from their album London Falling. Saturday 14th June, 8pm, Festival Hall. £50.00 / Students £30.00. Sorry, SOLD OUT!" Why can an adult not see the band live? a Only students may go. b The album is sold at Festival Hall. c There are no more tickets.

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c. "Sold out" means there are no tickets left. Option a copies "Students" but the poster also gives an adult price. Option b copies "album" and "Festival Hall" but the poster does not say the album is sold there.

1.4Purpose, details and small sums

A question stem tells you what to look for. Read it before you read the text.

Stem	It asks for	Look for
Why has Judy written the email? Why has ... been written?	Purpose	The sentence with a question, request or news
What must Robby do? What should Harry do?	An instruction	Please ..., make sure ..., don't forget ...
The advert says the guitar ...	A fact	Numbers, conditions, adjectives

Purpose words

Purpose	Clues in the text
to ask someone to do something	Please ...; Can you ...?; make sure ...
to check / ask for information	Are you still interested ...? Is brown OK with you?
to give information	Thank you for your enquiry. The next series will be ...
to change a plan	rang to reschedule; she can see you at 5
to remind	don't forget ...

Worked example: purpose

From: Judy To: Dina
Hi. Are you still interested in going to Dublin with us? I need to book the rooms tomorrow. We're staying in this beautiful historic building.

Why has Judy written the email? a to get Dina's opinion about the hotel b to check if Dina is going to Dublin c to ask Dina to book rooms for them

Answer: b. The question "Are you still interested in going ...?" is the main point; she needs to know before she books. The hotel is only a detail (so a is wrong). Judy books the rooms herself (so c is wrong).

Small sums

Some questions need a small calculation. Write the numbers down.

Worked example: time gap

Mum's note to Becky says: "She says she can see you at 5. Dad will collect you at 4.30." How long is it from the time Dad collects her to the lesson?

4.30 to 5.00 is 30 minutes.

Worked example: ticket prices

An adult ticket for The Smash costs £50 and a student ticket costs £30. Two adults and one student: 2 × £50 + £30 = £130.

Look for words that change a number: half price, not ... but, instead, from ... until. Underline them.

1.5Longer texts: general understanding and gaps

Unit 7 and Unit 8 use longer articles with four options (a to d). Each unit gives one Exam Close-up.

Task	Exam Close-up (book)	What you do
Questions on a whole article (Survival in the Andes, p.85)	Reading for general understanding	Read it all the way through without stopping at new words. Make a note of the main idea of each paragraph. Then answer.
Choose the word for each gap (Deep into Darkness, p.97)	Reading around the gap	Read the text quickly. Think of a word that could fit before you look at the options. Cross out the clearly wrong ones. Read around the gap because two options can look possible.

Worked example: reading around the gap

Sentence: "Polluted water from farms can ___ into a cave and kill the animals that live there."

Options: a crawl b capture c flow d surround.

First think of your own word: water moves into the cave. Crawl is for people or animals moving on hands and knees, and capture means to catch someone or something. Surround means to be all around something, so it does not fit "into". The answer is c, flow (to move easily in one direction).

For "What is the writer doing?" questions, think about the whole text: explaining events, giving advice, comparing, or telling a story. Do not pick one detail.

In Survival in the Andes, three young men left the plane to look for help. They expected a valley on the other side of the mountain but saw more peaks. Why were they disappointed? a The view was not good. b They had more problems than before. c They had lost their warm clothes.

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b. Instead of the valley that would take them out of the mountains, they saw more snowy peaks, so the journey was longer and harder than they thought. They still had their warm clothes (c).

1.6Word Focus: words in the reading boxes

Word	Meaning	Example
urgent	needs attention very soon, before anything else	The pool is closed for urgent repairs.
inconvenience	a situation that causes problems or a delay	We apologise for any inconvenience.
historic	important in history	We are staying in a historic building.
reschedule	change the time of a planned event	Mrs Potts rang to reschedule the lesson.
enquiry	an act of asking for information	Thank you for your enquiry.
attach	join something to something else	Fill in the attached form.
purchase	to buy	The guitar was purchased new two years ago.
exhausted	very tired	The exhausted men reached the town.
valley	an area of low land between mountains, often with a river	They hoped to find a valley.
threat	something that can cause damage or danger	Pollution is a threat to caves.

Other words from the exam tasks: audition (a try-out for a part), sheet music (printed musical notes), scratch (a thin mark on a surface), box office (where tickets are sold), drum kit (a set of drums).

1.7Language help: what messages say

Notes and messages often talk about the future and often report what someone said.

Form	Use	Example in a text
will + verb	arrangements, promises, offers	The plumber will be there at four. Dad will collect you at 4.30.
be going to + verb	plans and predictions with evidence	We're going to repaint the lab next week.
said / told + (that) clause	reporting what someone said	Mrs Potts said (that) she could see Becky at 5.

In reported speech (p.125) the main verb usually moves back one tense (can becomes could, am becomes was), pronouns change, and time words change (tomorrow becomes the next day). Use told + person (told me), but said without an object.

Common mistake: "She said me that ..." is wrong. Write "She told me that ..." or "She said that ...".

Report: "I'm at the furniture shop," Helen said to Tim.

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Helen told Tim that she was at the furniture shop. (I changes to she; am changes to was; told is followed by the person.)

1.8A step-by-step method

Question first. Read the stem: purpose, instruction or fact?
Name the text. Advert, message, note, notice, email or poster? Who writes to whom?
Underline key words in the options.
Find and compare. Match each option with the text. Check similar words with care.
Eliminate options with no support or the opposite meaning, then choose the best one. Check any numbers once more.