Active Skills for Reading Intro (Unit 8: Remarkable People)


CHAPTER 1 - A Real Life Superhero

Reading Comprehension - Check Your Understanding

A. Choose the correct answers.

1 What is the main idea of this passage?
a Climbing buildings is easy.
b Robert is afraid of heights.
c You can control your fears.

2 When Robert climbs a building, he usually uses ______
a special tools
b his hands and special shoes
c his hands only

3 Robert climbs for two reasons. What are they?
a for fun and for his health
b for charity and for his job
c for charity and for fun

4 If you feel afraid of doing something, what is Robert's advice?
a Tell yourself: "I can do it."
b Practice doing it alone first.
c Find something else you love to do.

B. Read each pair of sentences. Which event happened first, a or b?

1

  • a Robert looked for his keys.
  • b Robert looked at his apartment.

2

  • a Robert closed his eyes.
  • b Robert saw an open window.

3

  • a Robert's fear of heights was gone.
  • b Robert imagined climbing the building.

4

  • a Robert climbed a building in Dubai.
  • b Robert climbed Taipei 101.

Critical Thinking

  1. What do you think about Robert? Why?
    Answer

    Answers will vary. Encourage students to provide reasons;

  2. At the end of the passage, Robert gives some advice. What is it? Do you agree with this advice?
    Answer

    His message is that you can achieve your dreams if you keep trying and don't give up. Note that some people feel that Alain Robert takes too many risks and that his dream of climbing skyscrapers is not very practical.

A Real Life Superhero


As a child, Alain Robert was afraid of heights. One day, when he was 12, he returned home from school. At the front door of his building, he looked for his keys. He didn't have them. It was 3:30, and his parents worked until 6:00 p.m. Robert looked at his apartment on the eighth floor. He saw an open window. He closed his eyes and pictured himself climbing the building. When he opened his eyes, he told himself, "I can do it." Fifteen minutes later, he was in his house, and his fear of heights was gone.

Today, Robert (a native of France) still climbs buildings. In 2004, he climbed Taipei 101 (the tallest building in the world at the time), and in 2011 he climbed the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai. To reach the top of a building, Robert usually uses only his hands and special shoes. To climb the Burj Khalifa tower, though, he was made to wear safety ropes.

Robert climbs as a hobby. He also does it to make money for charity (for children and the homeless1). When he climbs, he wants to send. a.message to people. If you have a dream-something you really want to do-it can become real. But you must be brave and keep trying. If something bad happens, don't give up. Close your eyes and tell yourself, "I can do it."

1 The homeless are people who don't have homes.

Chapter - 1: Reading Skill - Understanding the Order of Events Chapter - 1: Vocabulary Comprehension - Words in Context

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