E n g L i s h jenni Currie Santamaria

Contents
Preface
xi
How to Use This Book
xiii
1. Nature in the United States
Yellowstone Park rules 
1
grand Canyon national Park 
8
saving trees 
11
An outdoor survival school 
15
Excerpt from 
Hatchet
 by gary Paulsen 
19
2. he 20th Century
Technology time line 
24
Bill gates at college 
29
Rock against the Berlin Wall 
33
JFK’s inaugural speech 
37
Facing tanks in north Africa 
41
3. San Francisco
City travel tips 
45
A guide to city neighborhoods 
50
A new gold rush 
54
Caught up in the 1906 earthquake 
59
The development of Alcatraz 
63

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Contents
4. he Early United States
Civil War reenactment 
67
“Paul Revere’s Ride” 
71
The Declaration of independence 
76
Christopher Columbus’ Journal 
80
5. Entertainment
The main movie genres 
85
Reviews for 
Titanic
 
90
From norma Jeane to Marilyn Monroe 
94
All the world’s a stage 
98
6. Eating In, Eating Out
Restaurant reviews 
103
Choices on a Denny’s
®
 menu 
107
Trends in supermarket foods 
112
hunting for dinner 
116
Christmas morning breakfast 
120
7. Playing the Game
The rules for checkers 
124
“Take Me Out to the Ball game” 
129

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Contents
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ix
The attraction of golf 
133
The invention of basketball 
136
Toward the inishing line 
140
8. Sickness and Health
Rules for healthful eating 
145
happiness boosters 
151
Mental gremlins 
156
symptoms of depression 
161
9. Children and Parents
Positive parenting 
167
The power of early experience 
171
household chores 
176
Establishing yourself as coach 
180
10. Free Time, Fun Time
Visiting thrift stores 
186
spirituality and meditation 
190
success at suring 
195
Backpacking into the wilderness 
199
Answer Key
207

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xi
Preface
Better Reading English 
has been developed for English speakers who 
have a basic to intermediate knowledge of English, and is designed to 
help them read English better and to encourage them to read more.
To read better, we must read more. As an encouragement for 
beginning readers, I have organized this book according to 10 areas of 
interest: nature, the 20th century, San Francisco, early U.S. history, 
entertainment, eating and food choices, popular games, health, family, 
and leisure time. At least one of these areas should interest the reader 
immediately, and after that subject is explored, interest in another will 
follow.
The selections include material that has appeared in magazines and 
books, as well as on the Internet. Some of the online selections have 
been abridged and edited for accuracy. Selections not otherwise credited 
were compiled, adapted, or created by the author. While each section’s 
material relates to a topic in American culture, the section as a whole is 
not intended to be an overview or summary of the topic. Instead, the 
selections have been chosen for their broad appeal, their variety, and 
their likelihood to inspire readers to explore new horizons and to feel 
conident as they encounter the written word in English in its myriad 
forms.
Each section begins with the selections that are easiest to read, 
although none of the material has been simpliied. The selections 
become progressively more dificult within each section. All reading 
selections are followed by one or more exercises designed to help read-
ers develop skills in understanding what they are reading. The overall 
goal is to help readers develop reading strategies that will help them 
understand and beneit from future reading material. If we can read bet-
ter, we will read more.

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xiii