S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

Reading 2 :
Bigfoot
/
11
Unit 2
Computers & Technology
Reading 1 :
The History of the Internet
/
17
Reading 2 :
Gamers: Image and Reality
/
23
Unit 3
Health & Medicine
Reading 1 :
Body Mass and Weight
/
29
Reading 2 :
Studying Headaches
/
35
Unit 4
Social Issues
Reading 1 :
High School Dropout Rates on the Rise
/
41
Reading 2 :
Where Are All the Boys?
/
47
Unit 5
Environmental Issues
Reading 1 :
Sixth Extinction
/
53
Reading 2 :
A Plan to Curb Greenhouse Gases
/
59
Unit 6
Law & Crime
Reading 1 :
The History of the Death Penalty
/
65
Reading 2 :
Bounty Hunters
/
71
C o n t e n t s

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Unit 7
Language & Literature
Reading 1 :
King’s March on Washington Address
/
77
Reading 2 :
Desiree’s Baby
By Kate Chopin 
/
83
Unit 8
Space & Exploration
 
Reading 1 :
The Space Race
/
89
Reading 2 :
Asteroid Impacts on Earth
/
95
Unit 9
Sports & Fitness
Reading 1 :
Cheating in Sports
/
101
Reading 2 :
Gi
/
107
Unit 10
People & Opinions
Reading 1 :
Barack Obama’s Keynote Address at the Democratic National
Convention
/
113
Reading 2 :
Anita Roddick
/
119
Unit 11
Cross-Cultural Viewpoints 
Reading 1 :
Ideas About Beauty
/
125
Reading 2 :
Bribery or Business as Usual?
/
131
Unit 12
 
Business & Economics
 
Reading 1 :
Adventure Tours for Charity
/
137
Reading 2 :
Rating Companies
/
143

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Vocabulary Preview
 
Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.
1.
clover 
a.
inclined to believe in chance or magic 
2.
conduct 
b.
a small plant with white berries; a Christmas decoration 
3.
confess 
c.
a small flowering plant, usually with three leaves
4.
optimistically 
d.
to do
5.
mistletoe 
e.
to admit
6.
superstitious 
f.
positively; in a positive way
Pre-Reading Questions
Think about the following questions.
1.
What are some good-luck superstitions?
2. 
What are some bad-luck superstitions?
3. 
Do you follow or believe any of these superstitions? 
American 
Superstitions
 
S t r a n g e & U n u s u a l
1
U N
I
T
1

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6
American Superstitions
5
10
15
20
25
E 
very culture has superstitions. Some people 
believe them more than others. Even in our 
modern technological society, superstitions 
still hold a powerful influence. Most people seem to 
outgrow them. But how many people continue to 
believe (or at least act like they believe) these 
superstitions as adults? 
A survey conducted for the journal 
American Demographics
by the research 
firm Market Facts found some surprising results. In modern America, where 
superstitions are seen as nothing more than the beliefs of a weak mind, 44 
percent of the people surveyed still admitted they were superstitious. The other 
56 percent claimed to be only “optimistically superstitious,” meaning they were 
more willing to believe superstitions relating to good luck over ones related to 
bad luck. For example, 12 percent of those who said they were not really 
superstitious confessed to knocking on wood for good luck. And 9 percent 
confessed they would pick up a penny on the street for good luck. A further 
9 percent of non-believers also said they would pick a four-leaf clover for luck if 
they found one. And some still believed in kissing under the mistletoe for luck.
Of the 44 percent of Americans who admit their superstitious beliefs, 65 
percent said they were “only a little” superstitious, 27 percent were “somewhat” 
superstitious, and 8 percent were “very” superstitious. Among this group of 
believers, some interesting differences appeared when the men and women were 
considered separately. In the survey, women 
comprised
60 percent of the 
entire superstitious group, seeming to 
indicate
that women tend to be more 
superstitious than men. However, more than half (64 percent) of the “very” 
superstitious believers were male. 
Additionally, age also showed 
significant
differences between the believers 
and non-believers. More young people admitted their superstitious nature than 
23
comprise --- to make up
24
indicate --- to show; to suggest
27 
significant --- major; large