Malaysian University English Test

SKILL : Attempting Reading Comprehension Questions (Expository Texts)

THEME : Technology / Health
TOPIC : Mobile Phones

1 Mobile phones are growing ever more popular. The increase in mobile phones has triggered worries
about their safety. They have been blamed for a wide range of health problems, from cancer headaches,
which has led some people to demand that they carry health warnings, like packs of cigarettes.

2 Mobile phones are a cross between a radio and a telephone. They were invented in the early 1980s. The
handset of a mobile phone is a kind of radio transmitter and receiver. Mobile phones are linked to the 5
national telephone exchange by "base stations" (pylons).When a mobile phone is switched on, it releases a
signal around every 20 seconds saying "I'm here" to the nearest base station, so the location of the phone is
known and it can receive and make calls. With mobile phones, the sound is sent and received as a "micro-
radio wave”.

3 People have voiced their concern regarding the radio waves which are used to transmit and receive
mobile telephone calls. Radio waves can pass through the body and when they do, some of their energy can 1
be absorbed. This movement of energy is known as radiation. All electrical goods (from television to 0
microwave ovens) give off a certain amount of radiation, but this is seen as harmless.

4 However, some radiation is harmful to the body, for example, the radiation given off by a nuclear-
explosion or even from direct sunlight. Harmful radiation such as X-rays and gamma-rays can affect body
tissues to such an extent that they change cells and DNA. These changes can lead to cancer art.: genetic 1
defects. Mobile phones do expose us to radiation but at a very low level. The radiation is not like X-rays or 5
gamma-rays. The micro-radio waves used by mobile phones can be absorbed by tissues (especially watery
tissues such as human flesh) and are heat producing - which is why we use microwave ovens in the kitchen to
cook our food. That is not to say the brain is being cooked, but research has shown they do cause a slight
warming effect on human tissue. In the case of mobile phones, this means the head and neck are warmed
because these are the parts of the body the phone is close to. The question is, could the type of radiation we 2
get from mobile phones "cook" the body enough to cause health problems? 0

5 Most experts say this radiation is not dangerous. Human brains have evolved to cope with temperature
changes - for example, we sweat and cool down after exercise - and most scientists say the low level warming
caused by mobile phones should not cause problems. Some advisory groups recommend limits of exposure to 2
microwave radio radiation. Mobile phones fall within their advised limit which is 0.1 watts of power absorbed 5
in any 10 grams of tissue in the head. 0.1 watts is not very much - your body produces at least 60 watts just to
maintain your normal temperature!

6 Recent research suggested mobile phones could also be addictive. But much of this research has involved
the exposure of mice and rats to high levels of microwave radiation — this does not tell us enough about the 3
effects of using mobile phones in human beings. However, some people are convinced mobile phones are the 0
cause of their health problems, or have caused the death of their 35 loved ones. All have been heavy users of
mobile phones, such as telephone engineers or business people. There have been attempts to sue mobile
phone companies for damages — but so far these have failed.

7 Most experts say that there is no evidence that mobile phones are a health hazard or have side-effects. 3
But others liken the mobile phone issue with the BSE crisis and feel action should be taken 40 now to avoid a 5
disaster. One thing everybody seems to agree on is the need for more research. The World Health
Organisation is taking the issue seriously and is co-ordinating a massive research project into the dangers of
mobile phones which will take around five years to complete.
Malaysian University English Test

(Adapted from http:///www.nrph.org.uk)

1 Which of the following questions sums up the information in paragraph 2?

A What is a mobile phone?

B How do mobile phones work?
C When was the mobile phone invented?
D Why are the base stations linked to the national telephone exchange?

2 People are worried about radio waves transmitted by mobile phones because they

A are cancerous
B can cause explosions
C can damage electrical goods
D can be absorbed by the body

3 These changes ...(line 17) refer to

A DNA and genetic changes

B physical changes in the body
C changes in the cells and DNA
D changes in X-rays and gamma-rays

4 Why is the microwave oven similar to a mobile phone?

I The waves are heat producing.

II The rays can be absorbed by the body.
III The waves can change cells and human DNA.
IV It produces gamma-rays which can cook human tissue.

A I and II
B I and IV
C II and III
D Ill and IV

5 Most scientists say radiation from mobile phones is not harmful because

I the amount of radiation transmitted by the mobile phone is very low

II the human brain has evolved to cope with temperature changes
III the microwaves emitted by mobile phones do not cause cancer
I the human body can absorb at least 60 watts of electricity
V

A I and II
B I and III
C II and IV
D III and IV

6 Attempts to sue mobile phone companies for damages have failed probably because
Malaysian University English Test
A mobile phone companies are too powerful
B the people were heavy users of the mobile phone
C there is no conclusive evidence about the hazards of mobile phones
D the people had already been ill before they began using mobile phones

7 What conclusion can you form about the use of mobile phones from the passage?

A Mobile phones are dangerous to health.

B The safety of mobile phones is still unknown.
C Mobile phones are as safe to use as microwave ovens.
D Human beings can withstand the radiation from mobile phones.
Malaysian University English Test

- this section, the text used to teach reading skills is an expository text.The following wading comprehension skills will be
taught using this text: • Skim • Scan and extract specific information • Identify main ideas and supporting details •
Summarise and appraise information • Understand relationships within a sentence and between sentences • Distinguish
the relevant from the irrelevant • Make inferences • Draw conclusions • Make judgements • Recognise and interpret
writer's views, attitudes and intentions
mead the following text to obtain a general understanding of it. Do not answer the :;...estions that follow just yet as you
will do this a little later. r 45 tt)t)t) r r 1

.
us now look at the reading skills which will help us understand the passage better *if :i answer the questions that follow
correctly.
'ate: Most of the examples given to explain each of the reading skills below are taken from the reading passage above
and the questions that follow.
meok Skim
ilefore you read a text in detail, it is good to skim or read the text quickly to familiarise rself with the text and be
comfortable with it. For this kind of reading, you usually do want to know and remember everything.
141crev do you do this?
-ere are the steps on how to skim a text to get the general idea of the text: • Read the title or any other headings that are
provided. Then, go on to read the introduction of the text or the opening paragraph. Ask yourself what this paragraph is
about.You will now have a general idea of the text. • Read the first sentence of each paragraph as it usually contains the
main idea of the paragraph. • Read only a few words in each paragraph after that. You should look for words that tell you
more about the general idea of the text. • Work quickly. Remember that details are not important at this stage.

• passage,the writer begins by outlining some of the concerns voiced by people on dangerous effects of mobile phones
on their users. He then explains how mobile :1—_-.nes work, gives a brief explanation of radio waves (radiation) emitted
by these ',:a-d-held devices and how high amounts of these waves can affect the body. He ends passage with some views
raised by experts.
des skimming to get the general idea of the text, you can also skim: • To get the point of view of the writer • To identify
the pattern of organisation of the text
_se two functions of skimming will be dealt with later in the chapter.
Malaysian University English Test

VIEEK Scan and Extract Specific Information

When you are looking for specific information in a text in the shortest time possible, you are using a reading skill called
scanning. When you scan: • You must know what you are looking for and be focussed on your task • Items not in the
scope of your search are ignored • Make use of the titles, headings and subheadings given in the text to help you find
the information quickly
For example,you have a shopping list and you want to check to see if you have includec the item 'cheese'. As you quickly
run down the list, you only look for a word that starts with the letterse and from there, you check to see if the word is
indeed/cheese:The other items on your list are not important.
Other examples of scanning tasks include looking up the meaning of a particular worc in a dictionary, specific information
in linear reading texts, charts and graphs etc.
-0 In Question 26, the key words in the stem are 'microwave oven, 'similar' and 'mobile phones' The term /microwave
oven' appears twice in the text. In paragraph 3, it is mentioned together with the names of other appliances. In the
second instance, paragraph 4 below, it is mentioned again but this time, in conjunction with mobile phones only. It is,
therefore, very likely that the answer for question 26 is located here.
However, some radiation is harmful to the body, for example, the radiation given off by a nuclear explosion or even from
direct sunlight. Harmful radiation such as X-rays and gamma-rays can affect body tissues to such an extent that they
change cells and DNA. These changes can lead to cancer and genetic defects. Mobile phones do expose us to radiation
but at a very low level.The radiation is not like X-rays or gamma-rays. The micro-radio waves used by mobile phones can
be absorbed by tissues (especially watery tissues such as human flesh) and are heat producing — which is why we use
microwave ovens in the kitchen to cook our food. That is not to say the brain is being cooked, but research has shown
they do cause a slight warming effect on human tissue. In the case of mobile phones,this means the head and neck are
warmed because these are the parts of the body the phone is close to. The question is, could the type of radiation we
get from mobile phones "cook" the body enough to cause health problems?
WEL Identify Main Ideas and Supporting Details
The main idea of a paragraph or text tells you the general idea of that paragraph or text.To identify the main idea, you
need to find the topic sentence first. Once you have done that, look for information that tells you about the topic.

paragraph 1 of the passage.Can you identify the main idea?

"Mobile phones are growing ever popular. The increase in mobile phones has triggered worries about their safety. They
have been blamed for a wide range health problems, from cancer to headaches, which has led some people to remand
that they carry health warnings, like packs of cigarettes.
--,:-- topic is 'mobile phones' and the information about the topic is 'the concern about te- safety of mobile phones.
Malaysian University English Test
ilezre we go any further, we need to know that main ideas can be classified as those *at are: • Stated In paragraph 1
above, the main idea is clearly stated in the second sentence.This is, therefore, the topic sentence of the paragraph.
Main idea Supporting details (underlined words)

o_ • Implied When a main idea is not stated clearly in one sentence in a paragraph, then it is implied. It is more difficult
to identify the main idea when it is implied. First, the reader has to identify the details or hints given by the writer about
the topic. After that, he has to come up with a general sentence or phrase that encompasses or takes into account the
details given by the writer.
t4' atare supporting details? • They are phrases or sentences that support the main idea of a paragraph. • The
supporting details explain the main idea by answering questions such as why, where, how, what, who and which about
the main idea. • Supporting details also include examples.
r zaragraph 1, the main idea/concern about the safety of mobile phones', is explained Cher with supporting details about
the type of health problems that are linked to imc bile phone usage.
stem of question 27 (Most scientists say radiation from mobile phones is not *tia-mful ...) is the main idea of paragraph
5. The answers required are the supporting t€-.ails in the paragraph, which are the reasons why radiation is not harmful.
'roost experts say this radiation is not dangerous. Human brains have evolved to tope with large temperature changes -
for example, we sweat and cool down after exercise - and most scientists say the low level warming caused by mobile
phones should not cause problems. Some advisory groups recommend limits of exposure to microwave radio radiation.
Mobile phones fall within their advised :imit which is 0.1 watts of power absorbed in any 10 grams of tissue in the head.
11 watts is not very much your body produces at least 60 watts just to maintain your normal temperature!

3.3.4
Summarise and Appraise Information
To be able to recognise that a given statement is actually a summary of a pa rag rap passage, you must first read and
understand the paragraph, then look for the tz sentence. Just to remind you, the topic sentence is the general statement
in a g. paragraph that tells you what the paragraph is about. It carries the main idea of: pa rag ra ph.The summary
statement will carry the main idea of the paragraph wi:-.11r it.This statement will not include any supporting details like
illustrations, examples a-c, restatements.
E.041 L In question 23, you are required to select the question that best summa7 paragraph 2.
Mobile phones are a cross between a radio and a telephone. They were invented in the early 1980s. The handset of a
mobile phone is a kind of radic transmitter and receiver. Mobile phones are linked to the national telephone exchange by
"base stations" (pylons). When a mobile phone is switched on, releases a signal around every 20 seconds saying "I'm
here" to the nearest base station, so the location of the phone is known and it can receive and make calls. With mobile
phones, the sound is sent and received as a "micro-radio wave':

Using the introductory statement, 'Mobile phones are a cross between a radio and telephone, the writer goes on to
explain in the next five statements how a mobile ph works by comparing the process to specific aspects of the radio and
the telepho These are the supporting details. Therefore, (B) 'How do mobile phones work?' best summarises the whole
paragraph. lg.
Understand Relationships Within a Sentence and Between Sentences
Malaysian University English Test
While you are reading a passage, you must not only pay attention to the writer's ideas,, but also how the writer links his
ideas.This will help you understand the passage moil, thoroughly.
Writers use pronouns, synonyms and summary words to link ideas together. As reader, you need to know which words
these short words and expressions are replac:-; A cataphoric reference refers to words stated before the reference
words, while a-- anaphoric reference refers to words that are stated after the reference words.
Writers use pronouns so as to avoid repeating the same word or name many time:, Examples of pronouns are he, she, it,
we, you, they, me, him, her, us, them, my, your, his, c_. their, myself, herself, himself, yourself, ourselves, this, these and
those.

Read the following sentence.

The increase in mobile phones has triggered worries about their safety. (lines 1 and 2).
The pronoun 'their' refers to 'mobile phones. In using the pronoun 'their', the write avoids repeating 'mobile phones' in
the same sentence.

..c--etimes, to make their writing more interesting and to add variety to the sentence zture, writers use a synonym (a
word with a similar meaning) to refer to a word re-zioned earlier.
the following sentences.
-armful radiation such as X-rays and gamma-rays can cause damage to body Issues. However, such destruction is unlikely
to occur because the amount of adiation emitted by mobile phones is quite negligible.
writer has used the word 'destruction' in place of 'damage' to create a more rir..a-esting sentence.
%es des using pronouns and synonyms, writers also use summary words or phrases to -nere- to a general idea that has
examples or parts.
ilead the following sentence.
The World Health Organisation is taking the issue seriously and is co-ordinating a massive research project into the
dangers of mobile phones which will take around five years to complete. (lines 41 - 43)
--E. phrase 'the issue' summarises the preceding sentences in the final paragraph in :h the writer mentions the possibility
that the use of mobile phones may pose a 71E3 th hazard or have side effects.
\ Distinguish the Relevant from the Irrelevant
information given in a passage is relevant to the topic. However, you must be able t 2 fferentiate information that is
relevant to a particular question. voMPLE ;e3:2 question 26.
Why is the microwave oven similar to a mobile phone? I The waves are heat producing. II The rays can be absorbed by
the body. Ill The waves can change cells and human DNA. IV It produces gamma-rays which can cook human tissue.

you should only look for information in the passage which compares a mobilt :r :ne to a microwave oven to explain the
characteristics of micro-radio waves. Begin vv..7.71 line 18 and end with line 20. Ignore all other information because it is
not relevant =he four statements given in the question.
Malaysian University English Test

'Mobile phones do expose us to radiation but at a very low level. The radiation is not like X-rays or gamma-rays.'[ which
incidentally can change cells and DNA]. These two sentences are linked to statements III and IV.
'The micro-radio waves used by mobile phones can be absorbed by tissues ... and are hec: producing — which is why we
use microwave ovens in the kitchen to cook our food.' This sentence is linked to statements I and II.
However, the question requires you to identify the similarities between a microwave oven and mobile phones. Therefore,
statements I and II are relevant and statements : and IV are irrelevant.
'Mk Make Inferences
There are times when the writer of a text may not directly state his opinion, the mai-idea of the text etc. Instead, he
expects the reader to infer or guess what is not Clearly c.- explicitly stated in the text. In order to infer what the writer is
trying to say, you must USE the information or evidence that is already given by the writer.
E.0441 L In paragraph 7 of the passage, the writer states:
But others liken the mobile phone issue with the BSE crisis and feel action should be taken now to avoid a disaster. ( lines
40 and 41)
It can be inferred that the mobile phone issue could become another disaster like th,.E BSE crisis if nothing is done about
it.
3.3.8
Draw Conclusions
Sometimes, you may be required to draw conclusions based on a set of informatic-given either within a paragraph or in
the passage. Here, you have to draw ye...- conclusions by analysing the given information and then arriving at a logica'
deduction.
--- Read paragraph 4 of the passage.
However, some radiation is harmful to the body, for example, the radiation given off by a nuclear explosion or even from
direct sunlight. Harmful radiation such as X-rays and gamma-rays can affect body tissues to such an extent that they
change cells and DNA. These changes can lead to cancer and genetic defects. Mobile phones do expose us to radiation
but at a very low level. The radiation is not like X-rays or gamma-rays.The micro-radio waves used by mobile phones can
be absorbed by tissues (especially watery tissues such as human flesh) and are heat producing — which is why we use
microwave ovens in the kitchen to cook our food.That is not to say the brain is being cooked, but research has shown
they do cause a slight warming effect on human tissue. In the case of mobile phones, this means the head and neck are
warmed because these are the parts of the body the phone is close to. The question is, could the type of radiation we
get from the mobile phones"cook" the body enough to cause health problems?
Malaysian University English Test

a fairly long paragraph in which the writer explains the harmful effects of anc...:7.3n from X-rays and gamma-rays. He
also provides an explanation of micro-radio ,es. which are emitted by mobile phones, by using microwaves as an
illustration. - on all the information given, you can draw a conclusion that: Micro-radio waves ..ed by mobile phones are
far less dangerous than radiation from X-rays and rna-rays.
\Make Judgements
you make a judgement, you are making a decision on something based on you have read or heard. Most of the time, you
will be making a decision on a oversial topic. Controversial topics are topics which people may agree with, ,ree with or
remain neutral on. Examples of such topics are 'Should schoolgirls with problems be caned?' and 'Are mobile phones a
health threat?:
—.eke a sound decision or judgement about a topic, you should do the following: • Identify the topic • Examine all
aspects of the topic • Examine the type of evidence provided to support the argument • Check the reasons given to see
if they are relevant, logical and believable
.cu agree with the writer that the health threat posed by mobile phones needs --er research and examination as present
evidence remains inconclusive?
:3.10
Recognise and Interpret Writer's Views, Attitudes and Intentions
4 writer's point of view A 4 riter's point of view is his position or opinion on a topic. if the topic is controversiai, writer
may take a position in favour of the topic or he may take a position against the He may also decide on a third alternative
and that is to adopt a neutral position, No-ere he does not take sides. He presents both sides of the topic objectively.
r he text on mobile phones, is the writer in favour of or against the topic, or is he -tetral?
us look at the text again and examine the information provided: • In paragraph 1, the writer mentions the popularity of
phones but, at the same time, brings up the issue of safety. • In paragraph 3, concern about radio waves is mentioned,
but this concern is dismissed in the last line. • In paragraph 4, the writer gives examples of some harmful types of
radiation but then explains that mobile phones do not fall in this category.The last sentence though, which is a question,
shows that he is not sure whether the radiation from mobile phones can be ignored. • In the rest of the paragraphs, he
continues in the same manner.
sed on these observations, it can be concluded that the writer is neutral about the IC.