BÀI GIẢNG DẠNG VĂN BẢN (SCRIPT)

Môn học: Đọc hiểu 4

Unit 8 – Part 1
SLIDE SCRIPT
1 INTRODUCTION
Hi everyone,
Today we are going to read the article with the title “Set in Our Ways: Why Change
is So Hard?” by Nicolas Westerhoff.
This article begins with a short synopsis of the life of Christopher McCandless as
an example of someone who changed his life, albeit with fatal consequences.
On the subject of change, McCandless is quoted in the book Into the Wild by Jon
Krakauer as writing, “so many people live with unhappy circumstances and yet will
not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life
of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace
of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a
man than a secure future.
2 PRE-READING
Before you read this article, please think of the answers to questions in part A
on page 193 in five minutes.

The first question is: If you could change any aspect of your personality, what
would it be? How would this improve your life?
Of course, your answers will vary. Different students give different answers
3 The second question is: Have you ever changed or wanted to change your
physical appearance? What did you change or want to change?
Your answers may vary. Different students give different answers
4 The third question: You are asked to look at the photos (on pages 193 and 194)
and answer these questions. What is the man changing? Why do you think he
wants to change?
 The possible answer is: The man might want a facelift to look younger. Maybe he
is job hunting, and he thinks he needs to look more youthful to compete with younger
candidates.
5 WHILE-READING
Now we do exercise on vocabulary on pages 195 and 196 (10 minutes).
Here are some words and phrases from Reading 1. Read their definitions. Then
complete each sentence. You may need to change the form of the word or phrase to
make the sentence grammatically correct.
6 In sentence number one, the adjective “personal” goes before the blank, and the
context clue is the clause “they are not happy with their lives”, so to complete this
sentence, we should use the noun “transformation” which means “a complete
change in somebody or something”. The complete sentence is “Some people read
self-help books because they are not happy with their lives and are looking for
personal transformation.”
7 In sentence number two, the missing word is the main verb in the second clause.
The first clause of this sentence says about responsibility of “researchers” and the
second one, of course, tells us about what their “assistants” do; therefore, to
complete this sentence, we should use the verb “conduct” which means “organize
or do a particular activity”. The complete sentence is: “The researchers are
responsible for organizing the experiments, but their assistants actually conduct
them.”
8 In sentence number three, the preposition “of” goes before the blank, and the context
clues are the phrase “not like too much change” and the clause “familiar experiences give
them a feeling of”; therefore, to complete this sentence, we should use the noun
“consistency” which means “the quality of always behaving in the same way”
The complete sentence is: “People don’t like too much change because familiar
experiences give them a feeling of consistency and control over their lives.”
9 In sentence number four, the phrase “the best” goes before the blank, and two
context clue is the phrase “achieving a healthy diet”, so to complete this sentence,
we should use the noun “intention” which means “what you intend or plan to do”.
 The complete sentence is “Many people start a diet with the best intention of
achieving a healthy weight, but they find it difficult to change their behavior”
10 In item number five, the context clue is the clause “because no research has
proved this to be true”, so we can infer that the idea that “personality characteristics
are genetic” is not certain, we should use the phrase “the jury is still out”. The
complete sentence is: “Some scientists believe personality characteristics are
genetic, but the jury is still out on this issue because no research has proved this
to be true”
11 In item number six, the verb “start to” goes before the blank, and the context clue
is the phrase “instead preferring to be comfortable and safe”, so to complete this
sentence, we should use the verb phrase “lose his appetite” which means “lose
interests”. The complete sentence is “As a person gets older, he may start to lose
his appetite for change and adventure, instead preferring to be comfortable and
safe”
12 In item number seven, the context clue is the phrase “always try to do a good job”
and verb “are” goes before the blank, so to modify noun “workers”, we should use
the adjective “conscientious” which means “taking care to do things carefully and
correctly”. The complete sentence is : “Some people and conscientious workers and
always try to do a good job.”
13 In item number eight, the context clue is the phrase “make quick decisions that
are not based on a lot of thought” and the verb “are” goes before the blank, so we
should use the adjective “impulsive” which means “likely to act suddenly without
thinking carefully about what might happen”. The complete sentence is: “Many
young people are impulsive and make quick decisions that are not based on a lot
of thought.”
14 In item number nine, the context clue is the phrase “needs to look different” and the
word “every” goes before the blank, so in order to modify the noun “way” after the
blank, we should use the adjective “conceivable” which means “that you can
imagine or believe”. The complete sentence is: “Some people think that their hair
needs to look different, so that style it in every conceivable way.”
15 In item number ten, the context clue is the phrase “responsible for making a long
tern change”, and the subject “you” goes before the blank; therefore, we should use
the verb “undertake” which means “make yourself responsible for something and
start doing it”. The complete sentence is: “When you undertake a diet or exercise
program, you are also responsible for making a long-term change in behavior.”
16 In item number eleven, the context clue is the phrase “a person’s ability to
communicate information and ideas in a foreign language”, so to complete this
sentence, we should use the noun “competence” which means “ability to do
something well”. The complete sentence is: “A person’s ability to communicate
information and ideas in a foreign language is called communicative competence.”
17 In item number twelve, the context clues are the phrase “experiencing a lot of new
things” and the word “exciting” and the article “the” goes before the blank, so to
complete this sentence, we should use the noun “novelty” which means “the quality
of being new, different and interesting”. The complete sentence is “The novelty of
visiting a foreign country and experiencing a lot of new things can be very exciting.”
18 WHILE-READING

Now read the article and do exercise on main ideas on pages 199 and 200 (15
minutes).
In this exercise, you are asked to match each section of the article with its main
ideas.
19 We match item a to item number 3: The main idea of paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
is statement number 3: While young people are usually open to new experiences,
older people are less interested in new experiences and are more unwilling to
change.
We found the answer in paragraph 3 from line 3 to line 13 “but studies conducted
since the 1970s by personality research Paul Costa and Robert R.Mc Crae of the
National Institutes of Health confirm that people tend to be open to new experiences
during their teens and early 20s. Young people fantasize about becoming an
adventurer like McCandless rather than following in the footsteps of a grandparent
 who spent decades working for the same company. But after a person’s early 20s,
the fascination with novelty declines, and resistance to change increases.”
20 We match item b to item number 2: The main idea of paragraphs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
and 12 is statement number 2: As people become older, they are less open to
change. This is true around the world and in all cultures, suggesting that
resistance to change has a genetic basis. However, it may also indicate that
people all over the world simply have similar life demands and societal
expectations.
We found the answer in paragraph 7 from line 1 to line 15 “The fact that an age-
dependent pattern of decreasing openness appears around the globe and in all
cultures suggests, according to bio-psychologists, a genetic basis. But the jury is
still out. As psychologist and personality researcher Rainer Riemann of Bielefeld
University in Germany points out, it is conceivable that people all over the globe
are simply confronted with similar life demands and societal expectations. Young
men and women everywhere have to go out into the world and find a partner and a
livelihood. Later, they have to care for their children and grandchildren. These life
tasks require commitment and consistency and may serve as a catalyst for
personality change”
21 Item c is matched to item number 4: The main idea of paragraphs 12, 13 and 14 is
statement number 4: People who try to make big changes in their lives often end
up failing to make even small changes. Their hopes are too high. Their desire
for change is unrealistic.
We get information from paragraph 12, in line 1: “Even after age 60 it is difficult to
completely reframe your life. In fact, those who seek to make large changes often
end up failing even to make the most minor corrections.”
We also get information from paragraph 13 in line 4: “Over and over, they say,
people undertake both small and large changes in their lives. Most of these attempts
never get anywhere, thanks to overblown expectations.”
22 Item d is matched to item number 1: The main idea of paragraphs 15 and 16 is
statement number 1: People need to set reasonable goals, as even small changes
are difficult. It is more important to be happy with who you are.
We get information in the first sentence from paragraph 15, and in the last sentence:
“The cure for false hope is to set more reasonable goals and recognize that
achieving even modest change will be difficult”, “perhaps most important of all, try
to appreciate the person that you already are.”
23 The main idea of the whole reading is that: The older people get, the more
difficult it is for them to change.
24 Now, please do exercise on details on pages 200 and 201 (15 minutes)
In this exercise, you are asked to give the answers to questions.
25 Question 1: What did Christopher McCandless do that is an extreme example of the
impulsiveness and restlessness of youth?
The answer to this question: Christopher McCandless left his family and friends,
gave up his career plans, gave away all his money, hitchhiked around the U.S.,
and ended up in Alaska, where he lived for about four months in the wilderness
before dying of starvation.
We get information in paragraph 2, from line 1 to line 10.
26 Question 2: How do the examples of voters, dieters, and consumers show that
people continue to claim a passion for novelty as they get older?
The answer to this question: Voters, dieters, and consumers all like things that
promise change (politicians, nutritional programs, or self-help books).
We get information in paragraph four, from line 1 to line 7.
27 Question 3: What evidence is there for a genetic basis to declining openness in
adulthood?
The answer to this question: There is an age-dependent pattern of decreasing
openness that appears all around the world and in all cultures.
We get information in paragraph 6 from line 1 to line 5.
28 Question 4: What is the argument that there isn’t a genetic basis to declining
openness in adulthood?
 The answer to this question: People around the world face similar life demands
and societal expectations, such as finding a partner, earning a living , and
caring for children and grandchildren. Because these tasks require
commitment and consistency, they may cause personality change.
We get information in paragraph 7 from line 5 to line 15
29 Question 5: According to the article, when are people able to become open to new
experiences again?
The answer to this question: According to the article, people are able to become
open to new experiences again after age 60, when they have fulfilled their life
obligations (when they have retired and their children have grown up and left
home)
We get information in paragraph 11, from line 7 to line 12.
30 Question 6: What is false hope syndrome?
The answer to this question: False hope syndrome is the idea that most of the
changes, big and small, that people try to make in their lives will fail because
their expectations are too high.
We get information in paragraph 12 from line 2 to line 4 and paragraph 13 from line
4 to line 7
31 Question 7: Why will the woman who believes that if she loses 20 pounds, she’ll
meet the man of her dreams and be happy probably not succeed?
The answer to this question is that she probably won’t succeed because it is hard
to keep the weight off in long term and finding a partner often depends on
luck. Even if she loses weight, the other goals may not be achieved.
We get information in paragraph 14 from line 6 to line 9.
32 Question 8: What advice does the article give to people over the age of 30 who
might want to change?
The answer to this question: The article advises people over age 30 who might
want to change to start right away because they are becoming less open to
new experiences. They should also appreciate who they already are and the
things they already have.
 We get information in paragraph 15 from line 4 to line 6
33 POST - READING
You have just read the article with the tile “Set in Our Ways: Why Change is
So Hard?”, and now you are asked to express your opinions about the topic.
In this part, there are three items on page 201. Choose one item and give
answers to those questions. write freely for five to ten minutes in response.
34 Question 1: How open to new experiences are you? What are some examples of new
experiences you have had?
35 Question 2: Do you agree that the older people become the harder it is for them to
change? How does this idea compare with the experiences of people you know?
36 Question 3: Based on what you have read and your own experiences, do you feel
that the global pattern of being less open to change is genetic or because of the
societal pressures everyone faces?