ACA FLEX Reading 30-10

Best known for her depiction of early nineteenth century English upper-class life, Austen has been credited with making major contributions to the development of the modern novel. This article will set out findings from a recent re-examination of Austen’s works which sought to identify the reasons for her enduring appeal. The principal finding was that Austen’s ability to perceive subtle nuances of human psychology is a critical factor in her success. Habits and expectations inevitably change over time, but the essential human character remains constant. Although many of Austen’s characters, such as Mrs Bennett and Mrs Bates, are caricatures, her portrayal of them provides insights into human frailty and its effects

• Athe extent to which Austen combines realism and caricature
• BAusten’s deep understanding of how people feel and react
• C the contemporary perception of key Austen characters
• DAusten’s criticism of certain aspects of human behaviour

Historically, sociologists have presumed that people will attribute certain characteristics to a member of a particular group when it is generally believed that most members of that group possess the characteristics in questions. For sociologists Hepburn and Locksley, such social stereotyping has led to the broader question of whether people are cognizant of their own stereotyping behavior. Seemingly, if one knows that one holds a stereotypical notion such as "all members of a certain ethnic group are natural musicians" then one might also be aware that the notion that "a particular musician" is a corollary of that stereotype. However, people are most aware of their stereotyping when they have no information. When given information that conforms to their beliefs and the individual case observed, people become less aware of their tendency to stereotype and therefore more liked to engage in stereotyping.

• Ainvestigations into stereotyping and an awareness of stereotyping by individuals
• Ban examination of the relative truths behind well known stereotypes
• Can attempt to prove that stereotypes are a result of ignorance
• Da refutation of a broader question surrounding stereotypes

Academic writing addresses complex issues that require high-order thinking skills to comprehend (e.g., critical reflective logical and creative thinking). Think of your writing ________ (3) way: one of the most important attributes of a good teacher is the ability to explain complex ideas in a way that is understandable and relatable to the topic being ________ (4) This is also one of the main functions of academic writing - describing and explaining the significance of complex ideas as clearly as possible. Often ________ (5) to as higher-order thinking skills, these include cognitive processes that are used to comprehend solve problems and express concepts or that describe abstract ideas that cannot be easily acted out pointed to or shown with images. As a writer you must take ________ (6) the role of a good teacher by summarizing a lot of complex information into a well-organized synthesis of ideas concepts and recommendations that ________ (7) to a better understanding of the research problem.

A good story may be given a bad title by its author, and so started toward failure. Novices are peculiarly ________ (8) to this fault, usually through ________ (9) themselves to be too easily satisfied. They go to ________ (10) pains to make the story itself fresh and individual, and then cap it with a ________ (11) phrase that is worse than no title at all. A good title is apt , specific, attractive, new, and short. A title is apt if it is an outgrowth of the plot—a text, as I have said. It stands definitely for that particular story, and gives a suggestion of what is to come—but only a suggestion, lest it should anticipate the denouement and so ________ (12) the curiosity of the reader too soon.

A giant turtle made from discarded plastic trash will greet visitors to the British Science Festival this week. The plastic containers, bottles and cups were collected locally in Hull, where the event is taking place at the city’s university. Standing 3.5m tall (11.5ft), the art installation ________ (13) commissioned by the University of Hull with the aim of raising awareness of plastic waste. Professor Dan Parsons, director of the university’s Energy and Environment Institute, said: “Marine pollution is a mounting global challenge, which is already having ________ (14) consequences. “We have a duty to protect these fragile environments and the marine life and ecosystems which we ________ (15) home. The university has commissioned this installation as a physical ________ (16) of what is ending up in the oceans, but also to ask visitors to campus to stop and think what they could do to try to reduce their own waste.”

Researchers in the fossil fuel industry are endeavouring to produce a new hydrocarbon superfuel which they maintain would lead to a 5% increased efficiency in car engines, resulting in a reduction of 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. They claim this would have a comparable effect to swapping one million new cars for battery operated ones. But while environmentalists are typically sceptical about such claims, electric cars are not yet a panacea. It is naïve to dismiss the scale of the challenges presented by the push to go electric as a mere lack of collective will. Demobilisation of the entire global fleet of some 1.3 billion vehicles would take 15 years according to industry analysts. And the infrastructure to support advanced battery technology would need to be scaled up far beyond current capabilities. And of course, one point that is often overlooked, the environmental gains would only be fully achieved if wind or solar generated electricity was used to power electric vehicles.

• AShe is taken aback by environmentalists who are negative about alternatives to electric cars.
• BShe thinks people are underestimating the difficulties that need to be overcome in order to develop a carbon-neutral car industry.
• CShe is convinced the possibility of developing a new superfuel is doomed to failure.
• DShe is convinced the possibility of developing a new superfuel is doomed to failure.
• EShe rejects the view that the main barrier to producing millions of electric cars worldwide is an absence of resolve.

The Western alphabet, which is used in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand as well as in other countries, originated in the Middle East. The people who gave the world this alphabet were the Phoenicians, a people who established colonies all over the Mediterranean, including Carthage in Africa and Gades in Spain. In their alphabet, the letters were represented by little pictures which represented sounds. The Phoenician A was aleph, which means "bull". and it was made from a little picture of a bull's head. The letter B was beth which meant "house", and showed the round-roofed buildings which you can still see today in Syria. The Phoenicians had contact with another nation of sailors, the Greeks, with whom they fought and traded. The Greeks also started to use the Phoenician alphabet. They changed the names so aleph and beth became alpha and beta. The shapes of the letters are the same but they have been turned sideways. Of course, the first two letters of the alphabet give it its name. Over the years there have been changes. Latin developed an alphabet with some different letters to the Greeks, and other letters have been added since. But really westerners are using the same system of writing which has served them so well for thousands of years.

• AThe Phoenician alphabet was composed of individual signs.
• BThe Greeks turned the letters in a different direction.
• CThe Greeks developed the alphabet from Latin.
• DThere were fewer letters in the original alphabet than there are now.
• EThree letters compose the name of the alphabet.
• FOur modern system of writing is similar to the Phoenician alphabet.

Communication is the sharing of information. It is the power to create in the minds of others, feelings or information that you want them to have. It is the need to communicate that has given rise to speech, language, alphabets, and writing. The same need led to the invention of paper, printing presses, typewriters, and finally computers and the internet. The power to communicate in depth has allowed humans to dominate earth. The fast development of the same power has allowed human technological evolution to overtake biological and social evolution. There are three principal needs of communication. The need to communicate in presence of the receiver gave rise to speech and language. The need to communicate in one’s absence gave rise to alphabet, writing, paper, printing press, all kinds of recording devices, and finally the modern day computer with its features. The need to communicate over a distance included everything that one needed to communicate in one’s absence, but also gave rise to signals, telegraph, telephone, the postal system and the internet.

• AWhy do we communicate?
• BHow do we communicate?
• CWhat do we communicate?
• DWhere do we communicate?
• EWhen do we communicate?

Early Rising - The great advantage of early rising is the head start it gives us in our day's work. The early riser has done a large amount of hard work before other men even get out of bed. In the early morning, the mind is fresh, and there are few sounds or other distractions. In many cases the early riser also finds time to take some exercise in the fresh morning air. By beginning so early, he knows that he has plenty of time to do thoroughly all the work he can be expected to do. All his work having been finished in good time, he has a long interval of rest in the evening before the timely hour when he goes to bed. After a sound night's rest he rises early next morning in good health and spirits for the labours of a new day. Late Rising - The person who lies in bed late, if he wishes to do a full day's work, goes on working to a corresponding late hour and denies himself the hour or two of evening exercise that he ought to take for the benefit of his health. Very late in the night is he ready for sleep.

• AWork done early in the morning is generally well done.
• BEarly riser does not have to hurry over any part of his day's work.
• CSleep is most refreshing before midnight.
• DThe life of an early riser is more conducive to health than that of the man who rises late.
• EThe morning exercise supplies the early riser with a reserve of energy that will last until the evening.