Ⅰ. Reading Str ategy: Context Clues
Efficient reading requires the use of various problem-solving skills. For example,it is impossible for you to know the exact meaning of every word you read，but bydeveloping your guessing ability，you will often be able to understand enough to arriveat the meaning of a sentence，paragraph，or essay. Context clues exercises aredesigned to help you improve your ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words byusing context clues. ( Context refers to the sentence and paragraph in which a newword occurs. ) In using the context to decide the meaning of a word you have to useyour knowledge of grammar and your understanding of the author??s ideas. Althoughthere is no formula that you can memorize to improve you ability to guess the meaningof unfamiliar words，you should keep the following points in mind:
1. Use the meaning of the other words in the sentence or paragraph and the meaningof the sentence as a whole to reduce the number of possible meanings.
2. Use grammar and punctuation clues that point to the relationships among thevarious parts of the sentence.
3. Be content with a general idea about the unfamiliar word; the exact definition orsynonym is not always necessary.
4. Learn to recognize situations in which it is not necessary to know the meaning ofthe word.
Ⅱ. Applying the Read ing Str ategy
In the following exercise，do NOT try to learn the italicized words. Concentrateon developing your ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words using contextclues. Read each sentence carefully，and write a definition，synonym，or descriptionof the italicized word on the line provided.
1. When you have different opinions about something，you each give way a little.You take the middle course. That is compromise.
2. There??s a tra dition in his family. The eldest son is always Robert or Edward. Hisfather was Robert，his grandfather Edward，his great-grandfather Robert，and soon.
3. The snake slithered through the grass.
4. I began carrying a notebook in my pocket. When my husband，Dan，asked aquestion，I jotted down my answer and showed it to him.
5. Unlike her grega rious sister ，Jane is a shy，unsociable person who does not like togo to parties or to make new friends.
Ⅲ. Reading Task
A. Pr e-r eading act ivity
Marriages between people of different countries are very common in the world,and many Chinese girls like to marry foreigners. What you think of it? Is it good orbad? Are there any problems appearing in intermarriage? Read the following article tolearn something about intermarriage in foreign countries.
B. Reading
Inter -r acial Mar r iages
In Washington D. C. ，a couple like Pakistani-born Jerry Sequeira and hisSpanish-born wife Pilar do not turn any heads. In terms of race，Mr. Sequeira isidentified as Asian-American while his wife is white of European ancestry. But hesays culture was more of a factor than race in their decision to marry.
“ It turns out that culturally we are more similar than different in the emphasis onthe family and get-together and big meals and doing family things and all of yourrelatives and your extended family. And for instance，her family was just visiting forChristmas and we got along great. And last Christmas we were in Spain and I fit r ightin. So there are actually fewer differences culturally than we would have thought. ”Marriages between people of European and Asian descent are very common in theUnited States. But the most common inter-racial marriages in this country are betweenHispanics and whites. According to the 1990 census，almost one-third of AmericanbornHispanics aged 25 to 34 are married to non-Hispanics whites. In addition to that,many immigrants also marry people from different races.
Mexican-born Carmen Carrera is married to an American of Italian descent，EmilAbate. She says her mother was very happy to hear she was not marrying a LatinAmerican.
“Because she knew that I didn??t like to cook and clean for someone else besidesme - and I don??t even like to cook for me - so she just knew that it wasn??t going towork out，that kind of arrangement. A Mexican husband or Latino husband wouldexpect me to cook and clean and keep house and have children. And so that??s why shesaid to me: do not marry a Mexican. ”
But Carmen Carrera admits that her family would not be equally happy if she hadchosen to marry an African-American.
“Well，I??ll be very candid. My mom would not have been happy. She justwouldn??t have been. I think she is racist，even though she says she is not，but itwould have been trouble and we would have attracted a lot of attention in Mexico. ”Her husband Emil Abate says his family in California would not have objected tohis marrying a woman of any race.
“ If I told my family，they would be accepting that. My family is that way -lucky for me. ”
While marriages between white people and Asians，Hispanics and even nativeAmericans flourish，not all American are equally open to the ideal of a black andwhite marriage. Indeed，in this picture of racial and ethnic melding，AfricanAmericans are noticeably under -represented. According to the 1990 census，fewerthan one in 10 black men and one in 25 black women，aged 25 to 34，take whitespouses. But although the rates of inter -racial marriages with blacks are lower thanwith other racial minorities，they are also increasing. Yugoslav-born NatashaNenadovic is married to African-American Clarence Simmons. They have a four-yearold son Marcus. Natasha says it??s the first marriage for both and she is very happy.
“He is a nice guy. He is very devoted to his family，which I really，reallyappreciate. He is a hard worker . . . What else could I tell you? I mean，he makes usall really，really happy. ”