MODUL PERKULIAHAN

English for
Computer 1

Reading

Fakultas Program Studi Tatap Muka Kode MK Disusun Oleh

08
Ilmu Komputer Teknik Informatika Subandi, S. Pd, MMSI

Abstract Competency
Reading comprehension is defined as Students able to understand about
the level of understanding of a Reading Comprehension use in
text/message. This understanding sentences.
comes from the interaction between the
words that are written and how they
trigger knowledge outside the
text/message.
Lesson 8 Reading 2
Answer the questions after reading through the passage. Base your answers on
information that is either stated or implied in the passage.

The rich analyses of Fernand Braudel and his fellow Annales historians have made
significant contributions to historical theory and research. In a departure from traditional
historical approaches, the Annales historians assume (as do Marxists) that history cannot be
limited to a simple recounting of conscious human actions, but must be understood in the
context of forces that underlie human behavior. Braudel was the first Annales historian to
gain widespread support for the idea that history should synthesize data from social
sciences, especially economics, to provide a broader historical view of human societies over
time (although Febvre and Bloch, founders of the Annales school, originated this approach).

Braudel conceived of history as the dynamic interaction of three temporalities. The first of
these, the evenementielle, involved short-lived dramatic "events," such as battles,
revolutions, and the actions of great men, which had preoccupied traditional historians like
Carlyle. Conjonctures was Braudel's term for the larger, cyclical processes that might last up
to half a century. The longue duree, a historical wave of great length, was for Braudel the
most fascinating of the three temporalities. Here he focused on those aspects of everyday
life that might remain relatively unchanged for centuries. What people ate, what they wore,
their means and routes of travel—for Braudel these things create "structures" that define the
limits of potential social change for hundreds of years at a time.

Braudel's concept of the longue duree extended the perspective of historical space as well
as time. Until the Annales school, historians had taken the juridicial political unit—the the
nation-state, duchy, or whatever—as their starting point. Yet, when such enormous
timespans are considered, geographical features may have more significance for human
populations than national borders. In his doctoral thesis, a seminal work on the
Mediterranean during the reign of Philip II, Braudel treated the geohistory of the entire region
as a "structure" that exerted myriad influences on human lifeways since the first settlements
on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

And so the reader is given such arcane information as the list of products that came to
Spanish shores from North Africa, the seasonal routes followed by Mediterranean sheep and
their shepherds, and the cities where the best ship timber could be bought.

Braudel has been faulted for the imprecision of his approach. With his Rabelaisian delight in
concrete detail, Braudel vastly extended the realm of relevant phenomena; but this very
achievement made it difficult to delimit the boundaries of observation, a task necessary to

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beginning any social investigation. Further, Braudel and other Annales historians minimize
the differences among the social sciences. Nevertheless, the many similarly designed
studies aimed at both professional and popular audiences indicate that Braudel asked
significant questions which tradional historians had overlooked.

Questions

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

a. Show how Braudel's work changed the conception of Mediterranean life held by
previous historians.

b. Evaluate Braudel's criticisms of traditional and Marxist historiography

c. Contrast the perspective of the longue duree with the actions of major historical
figures

d. Illustrate the relevance of Braudel's concepts to other social sciences

e. Outline some of Braudel's influential conceptions and distinguish them from

conventional approaches

2. The author refers to the work of Febvre and Bloch in order to

a. Illustrate the limitations of the Annales tradition of historical investigation

b. Suggest the relevance of economics to historical investigation

c. Debate the need for combining various sociological approaches

d. Show that previous Annales historians anticipated Braudel's focus on economics

e. Deomonstrate that historical studies provide broad structures necessary for

economic analysis

3. According to the passage, all of the following are aspects of Braudel's approach to
history EXCEPT that he

a. attempted to unify various social sciences

b. studied social and economic activities that occurred across national boundaries

c. pointed out the link between increased economic activity and the rise of
nationalism

d. examined seemingly unexciting aspects of everyday life

e. visualized history as involving several different time frames

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 4. The passage suggests that, compared to traditional historians, Annales historians are

a. more interested in other social sciences than in history

b. more critical of the achievements of famous historical figures

c. more skeptical of the validity of most economic research

d. more interested in the underlying context of human behavior provided by social

structure

e. more inclined to be dogmatic in their approach to history

5. The author is critical of Braudel's perspective for which of the following reasons?

a. It seeks structures that underlie all forms of social activity.

b. It assumes a greater similarity among the social sciences than actually exists.

c. It fails to consider the relationship between short-term events and long-term

social activity.

d. It clearly defines boundaries for social analysis.

e. It attributes too much significance to conscious human actions.

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Reading Text 2

A Profile of Eva from Spain

My name is Eva. I come from Seville in Spain. I am 22 years old. I am now a student.
I finished my studies as a secretary before coming here and when I leave I hope to find
work. My current interest is in studying English. I need to learn everything about the
language since it is very important for my future, especially as I hope to get a good job.
Living in an English family is the best way to get a lot of speaking practice and to have
your mistakes corrected. I came to Brighton because a friend of mine recommended it to
me. She came here last year, had a very nice time and learnt a lot at the school.

At the moment, I have a good impression of both the town and the school. I like the
system of earning and the classes are varied. I think that the school has a lot to offer, for
example there are different excursions, for each day of the week. The social
programmed is important because one of the best ways to learn English is to talk to
students from different countries, to listen to their ideas, to tell them what you think and
to compare your thoughts and feelings. In this way, it is possible to improve your
vocabulary. I am happy in the school, because the students are pleasant and everyone

gets on well together. For example, on Friday, we usually go to the cinema and on
Saturday we either go to London, stay in Brighton or go on some other excursion
together. On weekdays, we do a variety of things in our classes. We learn grammar,
vocabulary and we try to improve our comprehension by listening to cassettes. I like the
teachers because they are methodical and I feel that each day I am making progress. Of
course, I always study and do my homework!

I am very happy in my host family because they are pleasant with me. Their house is
comfortable and I feel at home there. I enjoy the food - the only problem is the different
meal-times, though I expect I'll get used to them. They share part of their time with me
and we talk about my day at the school and the things I do after school.

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 A Profile of Loli from Mexico

I am nineteen years old and come from Mexico City. I am still at Secondary School.
When I return to Mexico, I am planning to study International Relations because I'd like
to work in a Travel Agency or something like that. I came to Brighton because I'd rather
study British English than American English.

In Mexico, I was able to select between Cambridge and Brighton. I preferred Brighton
to Cambridge because it is by the sea and nearer to London. At first, I was studying in
another school but I wasn't making much progress. I then spoke to my landlady and she
recommended the English Language Centre.

I'm so happy in the UK. I love the buildings, the streets, parks and the city of London.
I think everything here is beautiful. The people aren't bad, like the food! I've met some
very kind people at the ELC. In my opinion, the courses are very good and the teachers
also have a lot of experience. I think that my English has got better since I've been here.
I've got to know people from different countries and I like being with them. Sometimes we
go out altogether, but sometimes people just stay with people from their own country.

On weekdays, I go to aerobics and study for about one hour after school. I also go to
have a cup of coffee with some friends and we play pool. In the evenings, I go to the
disco three of four times a week. I like walking around Brighton because I like looking at
the shops and I think there are many strange people. I've been to London, Cambridge,
Oxford and Canterbury. In London, I've visited a lot of museums, the Houses of
Parliament etc. I love London. In my opinion, it's the most exciting place to visit, though
the other places are also beautiful.

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Local Knowledge Test

Test your knowledge of the place where you are staying and your school______

Example: Brighton & Hove / The English Language Centre

Where are these places and what can students do there?

(1) in the city of Brighton & Hove:

1. La Piazza, Otello, Los Amigo's, Topolino's and Forfars.

2. The Brunswick, The Wick, The Cricketers and The King & Queen.

3. The King Alfred, The Prince Regent, Coral and The Goldstone Ground.

4. North Street, Western Road, Churchill Square, George Street and Blatchington
Road.

5. The Lanes, Kensington Gardens, The Open Market, The Sunday Market.

6. Hove Library, Brighton Library & Museum and The Royal Pavilion.

7. The West Pier, Palace Pier and Brighton Marina.

8. The Odeon, The Cannon, The Metro Goldwyn and The Duke of York's.

9. The King's Club, The Gloucester, Paradox, The Reform, The Hungry Years.

10. Hove Park, Saint Anne's Well Gardens, Preston Park, Queen's Park.

(2) in The English Language Centre, 33-35 PALMEIRA MANSIONS:

1. The Language Laboratory, the Multi Media Room and the Video Room.

2. The Course Director's Office and the Students' Common Room.

3. The Snack Bar, the ELC Information Bureau and Bookshop.

4. The Hospitality Department and the Accounts Department.

Speaking and writing about home towns

Interview a friend about their town______

Note the answers and then write a composition on your friend's town.

Example questions and answers

Type of town or city and population

1) How big is your town? It is smaller than Brighton.

2) How many people are there? There are 200,000 people.

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 3) What are the people like? They are hard-working and friendly.

Geographical location

4) Where is your town situated? It is in South East Spain just north of Alicante.

Climate

5) What's the weather like? It is very hot in the summer and quite mild in the winter.

Main attractions, sports facilities and night life

6) What are the main attractions?

The beauty of the landscape and the sea. Are there any sports facilities? There are
water sports and tennis courts.

7) What is the night life like? There are bars and discos.

Shopping facilities, transport and communication

1. Are there many shops? There are hypermarkets and small boutiques.

2. Are there buses and trains? No, there aren't many but there are good roads.

3. Is your town easy to get to? Yes, if you have a car.

Main areas of work / Job opportunities

1. What are the main areas of employment? There are many jobs in the service
industries.

2. Is it easy to find work? There is more work in the summer than in the other parts of
the year.

Your own thoughts and feelings

1. Do you like your town? I quite like it.

2. Is your town a good place (a) to live (b) to spend a holiday?

3. It's OK as a place to grow up in, but it is not a tourist resort.

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What Is an Indirect Object? (with Examples)

The indirect object of a sentence is the recipient of the direct object. Every sentence must
contain a verb. Most verbs have a direct object (the thing being acted upon). For example:

Paula passed the parcel.

The direct object is the parcel. There is no recipient in this sentence. Therefore, there is no
indirect object.)

Some sentences tell us about the recipient. That's the indirect object. For example:

Paula passed her father the parcel.

(The indirect object (i.e., the recipient) is her father.)

Examples of Indirect Objects

Here are some examples of indirect objects (shaded):

Simon gave his uncle a dirty look.

(his uncle - indirect object)

Paula passed the money to her father.

(her father - indirect object)

(Note: Sometimes, the indirect object will follow a preposition like to or for.)

Let him have it.

(him - indirect object)

(Note: When the indirect object is a pronoun, the pronoun must be in the objective case.)

Shall I tell the children our ghost story tonight?

(the children - indirect object)

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How to Find the Indirect Object

Before you can find the indirect object, you have to find the direct object. You can find the
direct object by finding the verb and asking what?. Once you've found the direct object, ask
who or what received it? For example:

She gave the beggar a gold coin.

(Step 1. Find the verb = gave)

(Step 2. Ask What? = a gold coin)

(Therefore, the direct object is a gold coin.)

(Step 3. Ask Who (or what) received it? = the beggar)

(Therefore, the indirect object is the beggar.)

Remember, once you have found the direct object, you have to ask who (or what) received it
to find the indirect object.

Only Transitive Verbs Have Direct Objects and Indirect Objects

A verb that takes a direct object is called a transitive verb. A few verbs do not have a direct
object. They are known as intransitive verbs. For example:

Jonathan skidded on the ice.

(Step 1. Find the verb = skidded)

(Step 2. Ask What? = Nothing. You can't skid something.)

(Therefore, there is no direct object. The verb to skid is intransitive.)

Lee is snoring heavily.

(Step 1. Find the verb = is snoring)

(Step 2. Ask What? = Nothing. You can't snore something.)

(Therefore, there is no direct object. The verb to snore is intransitive.)

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Do Not Confuse Complements with Direct Objects

If you ask what? with a linking verb, you will find a verb complement not a direct object. For
example:

Johnathan was angry.

(Step 1. Find the verb = was)

(Step 2. Ask What? = angry.)

(However, on this occasion, angry is not the direct object. This is because was (i.e., the verb
to be) is a linking verb.)

Johnathan seemed uncomfortable.

(Step 1. Find the verb = seemed)

(Step 2. Ask What? = uncomfortable.)

(However, uncomfortable is not the direct object. This is because to seem is a linking verb.)

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Daftar Pustaka
1. Understanding English Grammar by Martha Kolln. 4rth Edition.
2. MacMillan Publishing Company: New York. 1994. **The section on uses of “To be” in
passive constructions is based on information in Grammar Dimensions: Form,
Meaning, and Use, #3 2nd Ed. by Jan Frodesen and Janet Eyring. Heinle & Heinle:
Boston. 1997. Examples are our own.
3. Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition
4. Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition
5. http://www.theguardian.com/money/work-blog/2012/jun/26/problem-open-plan-offices

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