Level 1 Unit 1

Unit 1 - Reading Extension
Reading Comprehension Review
The Power to Change

In 2011, Kylie Dunn, a writer from Australia, decided to shake up her life. Every month for a year, she
decided to try two new activities. In February 2012, for example, one of her goals was to eat less meat for
30 days. Later, she wrote a letter to a friend or relative every day for a month. In just 12 months, she
changed her life in more than 20 different ways.
A YEAR OF CHANGE
Dunn was inspired to try her project after watching a TED Talk by Matt Cutts. To get ideas for activities,
she watched hundreds of other TED Talks. Her first activity, in November 2011, was inspired by Jessi
Arrington’s talk “Wear Nothing New.” Dunn tried each activity for 30 days, and then wrote about her
experiences in a blog called “My Year of TED.”
Finally, when her project was over, Dunn talked about her experiences at a TEDx conference in Hobart,
Australia. Dunn’s talk in January 2014 inspired other people to change their attitudes and their lives.
Before her project, Dunn says, she didn’t think she had the courage to change her life. The project showed
her she had more strength than she thought.
A MILLION STORIES
“People who watch TED Talks . . . end up shifting their view of the future,” says Chris Anderson, the
curator of TED. He says that TED’s goal isn’t to make a single big change. TED’s impact is the millions
of stories of small changes. Individual changes like Kylie Dunn’s are happening every day. Together,
these changes have the power to change the future in a positive way. As Anderson explains, “Instead of
thinking of [the future] as an unstoppable force . . . [people can] play a part in shaping it.”
courage: n. a willingness to do something that is difficult or dangerous

shifting: v. moving, changing
view: n. an opinion or way of thinking about something
curator: n. a person who selects and manages a collection of art, videos, etc.
DIRECTIONS: Read each statement and decide if it is True or False according to the
reading passage.
____ 1. Kylie Dunn decided to try one new activity every two months.
____ 2. For one month, on each day, Kylie Dunn wrote a letter to someone she knew.
____ 3. Kylie Dunn’s inspiration to change her life came from reading blogs.
____ 4. Kylie Dunn got the idea for her first activity from Jessi Arrington’s TED Talk.
____ 5. Kylie Dunn is continuing her project today.
____ 6. Kylie Dunn’s talk inspired other people to try new things.
____ 7. Chris Anderson’s view of the future is an optimistic (hopeful) one.
Unit 1 - Reading Extension
Answer Section
1. ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson A

OBJ: Reading TOP: Reading Comprehension Review
2. ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson A
Unit 1 - Reading Review
Reading Comprehension Extension
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and answer the questions.
Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Spurlock is an American film-maker, humorist, and writer, as well as a TED speaker. He is
probably best known for his 2004 documentary film1, Supersize Me. This movie probably changed the
eating habits of millions of people. After seeing this film, I don’t believe anyone could look at fast food in
the same way. In the movie, Spurlock does an experiment: For 30 days, he eats three meals a day from
McDonald’s, and nothing else. His diet caused him shocking physical and emotional problems. He was
healthy and fit when he started his experiment. In 30 days, he gained 11 kg (25 pounds). He also had liver
problems and became depressed. It took him over a year to return to his normal weight of 84 kg (185
pounds) and become healthy again. Spurlock was nominated for an Academy Award2 for best
documentary film that year—an award that he should have won.
A few years later, Spurlock produced a television series called 30 Days. In this series, someone (often
Spurlock himself) lives the life of someone else. For example, in one episode, he stays in a prison for 30
days. In another, he works as a coal miner for 30 days. Not everyone agrees that 30 days is enough to
really know what it was like to be in prison, or to mine coal, or to understand another person’s lifestyle.
However, his shows gave us a glimpse3 into dangerous and unfamiliar ways of living,
1
documentary films: n. factual movies about real people and real events
2
the Academy Awards: n. prizes given every year for the best movie, best director, best actor, etc. (also called “the
Oscars”)
3
glimpse: n. a quick look
____ 1. The author’s attitude towards Morgan Spurlock and his work is generally . . .
a. positive
b. neutral (neither negative nor positive)
c. negative
____ 2. Morgan Spurlock’s experiment was to . . .
a. eat only fast food for 30 days
b. go on a diet to lose some weight
c. try to complete a movie in 30 days
____ 3. After making the movie Supersize Me, . . .
a. Morgan Spurlock’s health was permanently damaged.
b. it took a long time for Morgan Spurlock’s health to recover.
c. Morgan Spurlock’s health immediately returned to normal.
4. DIRECTIONS: Write Fact if the statement is a fact and Opinion if the statement is an opinion.
Morgan Spurlock has more than one job. __________
People changed their opinion of fast food because of Spurlock’s movie. ___________
Supersize Me did not win an Academy Award for the best documentary of 2004. ____________
Thirty days is not enough time to really explore the experience of being in prison or working in a mine.
___________
The show Thirty Days provided a useful view into the lives of other people. __________
Unit 1 - Reading Review
Answer Section
1. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson B

OBJ: Reading TOP: Reading Comprehension Extension
3. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson B
4. ANS:
Fact
PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson B OBJ: Reading
TOP: Reading Comprehension Extension
5. ANS:
Opinion
6. ANS:
Fact
7. ANS:
Opinion
8. ANS:
Opinion
Unit 1 - Reading Skills
Reading Skills
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage. Select one of the transition words listed below to complete each
sentence.
Traveling Independently
My parents have always loved to travel. About two years ago, they read a book called “The Independent
Traveler.” (A) ___________ that, they had always traveled with large tour groups or else they had gone
on cruise ships. But (B) _____________ reading this book, they started planning a trip to Brazil.
(C) __________, they took a course in conversational Portuguese. (D) ___________, they researched
their destination on the Internet and decided on their own where to go and what to see. (E) __________,
they arranged to stay with Brazilian families rather than at luxury hotels. They had a wonderful trip! And
they are planning to take a trip across Africa. They are going to write a blog describing what they do
every day. (F) _________, when they return, they hope to use those notes to write their own book about
travelling independently.
____ 1. (A)
a. First
b. Before
____ 2. (B)
a. Before
b. After
____ 3. (C)
a. Next
b. First
____ 4. (D)
a. After
b. Then
____ 5. (E)
a. Finally
b. Second
____ 6. (F)
a. Later
b. After
Unit 1 - Reading Skills
Answer Section
1. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson A

OBJ: Reading TOP: Reading Skills: Understanding Sequence Words
5. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson A
6. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson A
Unit 1 - TED Talk
TED Talk Comprehension
DIRECTIONS: Read the excerpt from Matt Cutts’ TED Talk. Then answer the questions.
Matt Cutts—Try Something New for 30 Days
A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I decided to follow in the footsteps of the American film-
maker, Morgan Spurlock, and to try something new for 30 days. The idea is actually pretty simple. Think
about something you’ve always wanted to add to your life. Then try it for the next 30 days. It turns out, 30
days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit from your life.
There are a few things I learned while doing these 30-day challenges. The first thing I learned is that the
months didn’t fly by, forgotten. Instead, the time was much more memorable. One challenge was to take a
picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing each day I took
a photo. I also noticed that, as I started to do harder 30-day challenges, my self-confidence grew. I went
from being a computer nerd1 to the kind of guy who bikes to work—for fun. And last year, I hiked up Mt.
Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have been that adventurous before I started my
30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days. Have
you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their own
50,000-word novel in 30 days. All you have to do is write 1,667 words a day for a month. So I did. By the
way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you’ve written your words for the day. You might not get enough
sleep, but you’ll finish your novel. Now, is my book the next great American novel? No. I wrote it in a
month. It’s awful. But for the rest of my life, I don’t have to say, “I’m a computer scientist” Now, if I
want to, I can say, “I’m a novelist.”
So here’s my question to you: What are you waiting for? I guarantee you the next 30 days are going to
pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try, and give
it a shot for the next 30 days.
____ 1. When Matt Cutts says, “I was stuck in a rut,” he means that he . . .
a. was feeling depressed
b. wasn’t trying anything new
c. had very little money
____ 2. Cutts says that a period of 30 days is . . .

a. long enough to completely change one’s life
b. the right amount of time to try a new activity
c. not enough time to give up a bad habit
____ 3. Why does Cutts mention hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro?
a. It is a challenge he always wanted to experience.
b. It was the subject of an earlier TED Talk that he gave.
c. It indicates that he had more confidence in himself.
____ 4. Which of these is the main idea of paragraph 3?
a. Cutts wishes that he could have written a better novel.
b. Cutts now considers himself a novelist, not a computer scientist.
c. Cutts didn’t write a great novel, but at least he finished it.
____ 5. The phrase “give it a shot” in the last paragraph means . . .
a. attempt something
b. think about something
c. suggest something
Unit 1 - TED Talk
Answer Section

OBJ: Reading TOP: Meaning from Context
3. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson B
4. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson B
Unit 1 - Vocabulary
Vocabulary
DIRECTIONS: Match the first part of each sentence with the second part of the sentence (A-H) to
form logical sentences.
a. . . . when I took a more challenging job.
b. . . . a month to finish this project.
c. . . . to travel to a dozen different countries.
d. . . . despite the problems I have faced.
e. . . . always inspires me.
f. . . . a big impact on my life.
g. . . . they can help shape the future.
h. . . . the experiences I had when I was traveling
____ 1. One individual change may seem unimportant, but taken together . . .
____ 2. I recently changed my diet, and it had . . .
____ 3. One of my goals for the next ten years is . . .
____ 4. My boss gave our team . . .
____ 5. I wrote a blog about . . .
____ 6. My attitude towards work changed . . .
____ 7. I have tried to have a positive outlook . . .
____ 8. Looking at the paintings in the art museum . . .
Unit 1 - Vocabulary
Answer Section
1. ANS: G PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)

OBJ: Vocabulary
2. ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)
OBJ: Vocabulary
3. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)
OBJ: Vocabulary
4. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)
OBJ: Vocabulary
5. ANS: H PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)
OBJ: Vocabulary
6. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)
OBJ: Vocabulary
7. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)
OBJ: Vocabulary
8. ANS: E PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)
OBJ: Vocabulary

Level 1 Unit 1

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Unit 1 - Reading Extension

Reading Comprehension Review

The Power to Change

courage: n. a willingness to do something that is difficult or dangerous

____ 5. Kylie Dunn is continuing her project today.

1. ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson A

Reading Comprehension Extension

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and answer the questions.

Morgan Spurlock has more than one job. __________

1. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson B

1. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson A

TED Talk Comprehension

Matt Cutts—Try Something New for 30 Days

____ 2. Cutts says that a period of 30 days is . . .

1. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Lesson B

1. ANS: G PTS: 1 REF: Unit 1 Vocabulary (Lesson A)

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