Page 157 - DENG101_Communication Skills-I

Communication Skills-I

Notes

Tasks Write a precis of the following:
1. Rapidity in reading has an obvious bearing on success in college work because of
the large amount of reading which must be covered in nearly all college courses.
But it is probably also a direct measure of the special kind of aptitude which I am
calling bookish because rapidity of reading usually correlates with comprehension
and retention. Generally speaking, the more rapidly a reader reads, the more effectively
he grasps and retains. The medial reading speed of college freshmen is around 250
words per minute on ordinary reading matter, and a student who reads more slowly
than that will certainly have difficulty in completing his college tasks within reasonable

study periods. To be a really good college risk under this criterion, one should readily
and habitually cover not fewer than 300 words a minute on ordinary reading matter.
(From How to Increase Reading Ability by Albert J. Harris and Edward R. Sipay)

2. Americans are immensely concerned with amusement, but their desire is not so much
to amuse themselves as it is to be amused by someone else. Take music, for example,
despite a growth in musical appreciation in this century which has been more than
considerable, though perhaps it has not been so great as is sometimes supposed, we do
not make nearly as much music today as our grandparents. Instead, we are content to sit
back and listen to someone else make music for us. Perhaps we are too lazy to sing and
play instruments. Perhaps we are unwilling to go through the discipline necessary to
acquire musical facility. Perhaps we are overawed by professional expertise, unaware
that much more enjoyment is gained by singing or playing oneself, even though one
does it badly, than from hearing it done, however perfectly. Our musical experience is
largely receptive, not creative.

(From Music in Our Society by Marva S. Thompson, Ph.D.)
3. The use of leaded gasoline in vehicles designed for unleaded can increase tailpipe
emissions 200 to 800 percent, the EPA has determined. More than one million tons of
hydrocarbons and 12 million tons of carbon monoxide were spewed from the tailpipes

of cares with defective emission control systems during fiscal year 1983.
Studies show that most people who engage in fuel switching do so to save money-
-about seven cents a gallon; however, these people are victims of faulty economics,
according to Joe Cannon, EPA’s assistant administrator for Air and Radiation. “In the
long run, the use of leaded gas in the car will more quickly foul the spark plugs, wear
out the exhaust system, degrade the oil, and foul the oxygen sensor in new cars, in
addition to ruining the catalytic converter,” he said.
Cannon estimated that people who substitute leaded for unleaded gasoline will end
up paying twelve cents a gallon in extra maintenance and repairs.

(From “Autos and Air”)
13.8 Summary

z Before you start writing a paragraph, you need to decide two things. What are you writing
about? What do you want to say?

z A precis is a clear, orderly, concise, boiled-down summary which preserves the organization
and principal content of the original.

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