Unseen Practise

Master Grade 8 reading comprehension! Analyze diverse passages, identify key details, and enhance text analysis skills.

Name: _ Reading Comprehension Your Hidden Gardenby Kevin Palmer Pine Books,2004 230 pages,$14.00Reviewed by Barbara HarrisWhen I was asked to write a review of Kevin Palmer's new book Your Hidden Garden, I wasn't very happy about it. I have a large garden, and have read so many books on gardening that I expected to be thoroughly (very) bored. Well, I was wrong.Like most amateur (חובבני) gardeners, I just like to work in my garden and watch the plants grow. Palmer, on the other hand, is a naturalist, and he wants his readers to see things in their garden that they have never seen before. In Your Hidden Garden he explains what creatures live in the garden, and how and when to find them. With his guidance (הדרכה), I noticed for the first time the hundreds of insects crawling and flying around. I even managed to identify four different types of spiders while I was watering the plants. Suddenly, working in the garden became an adventure.Your Hidden Garden contains a wonderful chapter which Palmer wrote with the help of teachers at a local elementary school. Here he offers many suggestions on how to stimulate(לגרות) a young person's interest in nature, and provides (gives) answers to questions that students ask. In this chapter he also explains how to build expensive educational ponds in parks and other public places. This idea should interest anyone involved in planning children's parks.I have only one complaint about the book: there are too many graphs for my taste. Fortunately, however, the text itself is written in a clear and logical way, so that you can easily find specific information. But if you're like me, you'll want to do more – you'll also want to read the whole book and enjoy Palmer's humorous style of writing. So, if you're an amateur gardener, you should definitely get yourself a copy of Your Hidden Garden. I guarantee (promise) you'll find it both useful and entertaining.(Adapted from NewScientist.com, The Natural History of a Garden by Colin Spedding, reviewed by Julia Durbin) What does the reviewer explain in the first paragraph? Why she doesn't like gardening. Why she doesn't like writing reviews. Why she didn't like Palmer's book. Why she didn't want to review Palmer's book. What is the purpose of Palmer's book?COMPLETE THE ANSWER ACCORDING TO PARARAPH 2.To help people _. What did the reviewer learn from the book?Give TWO specific examples according to the review. The 3rd chapter is different from the rest of the book. How is it different? PUT AN X BY THE TWO CORRECT ANSWERS. It is not very interesting. It focuses on children It is only for teachers. It relates to (מתייחס ל...) public areas. It wasn't written by Palmer. It is about the cost of gardening. What does the reviewer mention in the last paragraph? The different types of graphs. A problem with the book. Some facts given in the book. Palmer's complaints about the book. The reviewer says Palmer's book is "useful and entertaining" (last line).According to the last paragraph, what makes it useful? According to the last paragraph, what makes it entertaining? Reading Comprehension #2RACHEL CARSON, ENVIRONMENTALIST RACHEL CARSON, ENVIRONMENTALISTIn 1999, Time magazine named Rachel Carson one of the most influential (משפיעים) people of the 20th century (מאה שנה). This was no surprise for the many Americans who had read her famous book The Silent Spring (מעין). Published in 1962, it was the first book to warn the world of the dangers of environmental pollution.Carson had always dreamed of becoming a writer, until she took a biology course at university and decided to become a zoologist instead. Yet she continued to write in her spare time, publishing her first book, called Under the Sea-Wind, in 1941. It did not arouse (לעורר) much interest, making it hard for Carson to find a publisher for her second book, The Sea Around Us. However, when it was finally published in 1951 this book became an instant success.Carson's new fame gave her the opportunity to speak out on issues (נושאים)that concerned (worried) her. As early as 1945 she had become alarmed by the use of new chemical pesticides (חומרי הדברה), which were endangering the environment. At first she seemed to be alone in her battle. In fact, an article she wrote on the subject was rejected (נדחה) by several magazines due to a "lack (חוסר)of public interest." This situation changed in 1957, however, when American newspapers reported that large numbers of plants and animals were dying from pesticide poisoning. So when Carson's book The Silent Spring arrived, people were ready for it, and it soon became a bestseller.While she was writing The Silent Spring, Carson expressed doubt that one book could "bring a complete change." Still, she felt an obligation to do what she could. "The beauty of the natural world I was trying to save," she wrote to a friend, "has always been uppermost in my mind. If I didn't at least try, I could never be happy again in nature." Carson's efforts have inspired generations of activists to continue her struggle. (Adapted from "Environmentalist: Rachel Carson", Time, March 29, 1999 In the first two paragraphs, we are told about (—).PUT AN X BY THE TWO CORRECT ANSWERS. Carson's childhood the importance of The Silent Spring Carson's work as a zoologist the experiences Carson had at sea the influence of Time magazine Carson's writing career Give TWO difficulties that Carson faced in the course of her career. Base one answer on the 2nd paragraph and the other on the 3rd paragraph. We can understand that The Silent Spring deals with (— ). Carson's life as a zoologist people's attitude towards nature the dangers of pesticides (חומרי הדברה) the importance of pesticides (חומרי הדברה) "Time magazine named Rachel Carson one of the most influential people of the 20th century" (line 1). Give one fact from the article that shows Carson influenced other people. Take your answer from another paragraph. What does the writer explain about Carson in lines 19-23? What caused a change in her attitude. Why she wrote The Silent Spring. Why she was optimistic about the future. What changes she expected.