READING EXCERSICE

1. Contoh text Narrative

The Story of Mbok Gendong

One day in a village lived an old grandmother. She was called mbok Gendong. She was a widow. One particular day, she bought a fish net to catch fish. She wanted to replace her husband work. Since that time mbok Gendong always went to the beach to catch the fish. She threw the net and drew it back. Once, when she drew the net back, there was a gold snail hooked in her net. She put that snail in the clean water container, and then she took it home. The day after that, she quit as a fshier and sold a teak leave again. But, it was not saleable. Then, she was back home with a disappointed feeling.

When she got home, she found there was delicious food on the table. She asked around who made it but no one answered. She was puckish and careless, so she ate it. This happened everyday, so she was eager to know who prepared the food. She pretended to leave home. But quickly she returned back again. She peeped through the fence hole. She was very surprised to see the snail princess at her house. The princess was Chandra Kirana, "I was changed by a witch to be a snail, before I met you," said the Princess. Then, mbok Gendong said, "Would you be my foster child?" The princess accepted.

One morning, there was a beggar who asked for food. Chandra Kirana gave him some food. Suddenly, the beggar changed into a handsome man. Actually, he was Morgan Kusuma prince. He was Chandra Kirana’s husband.

Finally, the prince and princess, Morgan Kusuma and Chandra Kirana lived happily and they took mbok Gendong with them.

2. Contoh text narrative

Doctor Knowall

There was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with two oxen and a load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two talers. When the money was being counted out to him, it so happened that the doctor was sitting at table, and when the peasant saw how well he ate and drank, his heart desired what he saw, and would willingly have been a doctor too. So he remained standing a while, and at length inquired if he too could not be a doctor. ‘Oh, yes,’ said the doctor, 'that is easily done.' ''What must I do?" Asked the peasant.

"First buy yourself an A B C book of the kind which has a cock on the frontispiece; second, sell your cart and your two oxen, and get yourself some clothes, and whatsoever else pertains to medicine; third, have a sign painted for yourself with the  words, "I am Doctor Knowall," and have that nailed up above your house-door." The peasant did everything that he had been told to do. After he had treated people a while, a rich and great lord had some money stolen. Then he was told about Doctor Knowall who lived in such and such a village, and must know what had become of the money. So the lord had the horses harnessed to his carriage, drove out to the village, and asked Crabb ifhe was Doctor Knowall. Yes, he was, he said. Then he was to go with him and bring back the stolen money. 'Oh, yes, but Grete, my wife, must go too.' The lord was willing, and let both of them have a seat in the carriage, and they all drove away together.

When they came to the nobleman's castle, the table was spread, and Crabb was told to sit down and eat. 'Yes, but my wife, Grete, too,' he said, and he seated himself with her at the table. And when the first servant came with a dish of delicate fare, the peasant nudged his wife, and said: 'Grete, that was the first,' meaning that was the servant who brought the first dish. The servant, however, thought he meant to say: 'That is the first thief,' and as he actually was so, he was terrified, and said to his comrade outside: 'The doctor knows all: we shall fare ill, he said I was the first.' The second did not want to go in at all, but was forced to. So when he went in with his dish, the peasant nudged his wife, and said: 'Grete, that is the second.'

This servant was equally alarmed, and he got out as fast as he could. The third fared no better, for the peasant again said: 'Grete, that is the third.' The fourth had to carry in a dish that was covered, and the lord told the doctor that he was to show his skill, and guess what was beneath the cover. Actually, there were crabs. The doctor looked at the dish, had no idea what to say, and cried: 'Ah, poor Crabb.' When the lord heard that, he cried: ‘There! He knows it; he must also know who has the money!'

At this the servants looked terribly uneasy, and made a sign to the doctor that they wished him to step outside for a moment. When he went out, all four of them confessed to him that they had stolen the money, and said that they would willingly restore it and give him a heavy sum into the bargain, if he would not denounce them, for if he did they would be hanged. They led him to the spot where the money was concealed. With this the doctor was satisfied, and returned to the hall, sat down to the table, and said: 'My lord, now I will find in my book where the gold is hidden.' The fifth servant, however, crept into the stove to hear if the doctor knew more. But the doctor sat still and opened his A B C book, turned the pages backwards and forwards, and looked for the cock.

As he could not find it immediately he said: 'I know you are there, so you had better come out!' Then the fellow in the stove thought that the doctor meant him, and full of terror, sprang out, crying: 'That man knows everything!' Then Doctor Knowall showed the lord where the money was, but did not say that had stolen it, and received from both sides much money in reward, and became a renowned man.

3. Contoh text Discussion

Birth Control

Most people agree that some form of family limitation or spacing is desirable for the good of the family and society. But individuals and groups– especially religious groups–differ sharply on the methods of birth control that they consider moral and acceptable.

Couples that practice birth control do so for various reasons. They may want to limit or space their children, or to have no children at all. Young couples often postpone having children so that both partners can work full-time. Other couples space their children so they can give each child as much attention as possible. Some women are advised by their doctors to avoid pregnancy for health reasons. In many countries with rapidly growing populations, the government encourages couples to limit the size of their families.

Even though birth control has gained in acceptance, opposition to the practice is continuous. Some people fear that birth control encourages sexual relations outside marriage or that government might impose birth control. Some religious groups oppose birth control on moral grounds.

Some religious groups teach that artificial methods of birth control are immoral because they separate the two purposes of intercourse in marriage–conjugal love and the procreation of children. Although they oppose all artificial birth control, they consider natural family planning acceptable.

4. Contoh Explanation text

Acid Rain

Acid rain is rain that is highly acidic because of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and other air pollutants dissolved in it. Normal rain is slightly acidic, with a pH of 6. Acid rain may have a pH value as low as 2.8.

Acid rain can severely damage both plant and animal life. Certain lakes, for example, have lost all fish and plant life because of acid rain.

Acid rain comes from sulphur in coal and oil. When they burn, they make sulphur dioxide (SO2). Most sulphur leaves factory chimneys as the gaseous sulphur dioxide (SO2) and most nitrogen is also emitted as one of the nitrogen oxides (NO or NO2), both of which are gases. The gases may be drying deposited–absorbed directly by the land, by lakes or by the surface vegetation. If they are in the atmosphere for any time, the gases will oxidise (gain an oxygen atom) and go into solution as acids. Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and the nitrogen oxides will become nitric acid (HNO3). The acids usually dissolve in cloud droplets and may travel great distances before being precipitated as acid rain. Catalysts such as hydrogen peroxide, ozone and ammonium help promote the formation of acids in clouds. More ammonium (NH4) can be formed when some of the acids are partially neutralised by airborne ammonia (NH3). Acidification increases with the number of active hydrogen (H+) ions dissolved in acid. Hydrocarbons emitted by for example, car exhausts will react in sunlight with nitrogen oxides to produce ozone. Although it is invaluable in the atmosphere, low level ozone causes respiratory problems and also hastens the formation of acid rain. When acid rain falls on the ground it dissolves and liberates heavy metals and aluminium (Al). When it is washed into lakes, aluminium irritates the outer surfaces of many 􀃀 sh. As acid rain falls or drains into the lake the pH of the lake falls. Forests suffer the effect of acid rain through damage to leaves, through the loss of vital nutrients, and through the increased amounts of toxic metals liberated by acid, which damage roots and soil micro organisms.

5. Contoh text Book review

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Warner Books

Reviewed by Rodman Philbrick

I’ve never been to Alabama, but novelist Harper Lee made me feel as if I had been there in the long, hot summer of 1935, when a lawyer named Atticus Finch decided to defend an innocent black man accused of a horrible crime. The story of how the whole town reacted to the trial is told by the lawyer’s daughter, Scout, who remembers exactly what it was like to be eight years old in 1935, in Maycomb, Alabama.

Scout is the reason I loved this book, because her voice rings so clear and true. Not only does she make me see the things she sees, she makes me feel the things she feels. There’s a lot more going on than just the trial, and Scout tells you all about it.

A man called Boo Radley lives next door. Very few people have ever seen Boo, and Scout and her friends have a lot of fun telling scary stories about him. The mystery about Boo Radley is just one of the reasons you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens in To Kill a Mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with interesting characters like Dill, and Scout makes them all seem just as real as the people in your own hometown. Here’s how Scout describes Miss Caroline, who wore a red–striped dress: “She looked and smelled like a peppermint drop.”

The larger theme of the story is about racial intolerance, but Scout never tries to make it a “lesson,” it’s simply part of the world she describes. That’s why To Kill a Mockingbird rings true, and why it all seems so real.

                Even though the story took place many years ago, you get the idea that parts of it could happen today, in any town where people distrust and fear each other’s differences.

                In a just world an innocent man should be found not guilty. But if you want to know what this particular jury finally decides and what happens to Scout and Jem and Dill and Boo Radley and the rest of the people who live and breathe in To Kill a Mockingbird, you’ll have t read the book

6. Contoh Report text

A Kangaroo

A kangaroo is an animal found only in Australia, although it has a smaller relative, called a wallaby, which lives on the Australian island of Tasmania and also in New Guinea.

Kangaroos eat grass and plants. They have short front legs, but very long, and very strong back legs and a tail. These are used for sitting up and for jumping.

Kangaroos have been known to make forward jumps of over eight meters, and leap across fences more than three meters high. They can also run at speeds of over 45 kilometers per hour. The largest kangaroos are the Great Grey Kangaroo and the Red Kangaroo. Adult grow to a length of 1.60 meters and weigh over 90 kilos.

Kangaroos are marsupials. This means that the female kangaroo has an external pouch on the front of her body. A baby kangaroo is very tiny when it is born, and it crawls at once into this pouch where it spends its first five months of life.

7. Contoh Report text

What Is Thunder and Lightning?

Lightning is a sudden, violent flash of electricity between a cloud and the ground, or from cloud to cloud. A lightning fl ash, or bolt, can be several miles long. It is so hot, with an average temperature of 34,000° Centigrade that the air around it suddenly expands with a loud blast. This is the thunder we hear.

Lightning occurs in hot, wet storms. Moist air is driven up to a great height. IIt forms a type of cloud called cumulonimbus. When the cloud rises high enough, the moisture freezes and ice crystals and snowflakes are formed.

These begin to fall, turning to rain on the way down. This rain meets more moist air rising, and it is the friction between them which produces static electricity.

When a cloud is fully charged with this electricity, it discharges it as a lightning flash.

8. Contoh text analytical Exposition

Access to Clean Water:

A Problem for Indonesia

Access to clean water is one of Indonesia's biggest problems. According to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report 2007, published by the National Development Planning Board, piped water is accessible to 30.8 per cent of households in the country's cities and 9 per cent in its villages. Such figures show the limitations of the municipality's water service provider, PDAM.

Lack of investment in clean water is one reason PDAM gives for its limited outreach. Based on a government statement, to meet the MDGs target by 2015, Indonesia needs Rp43 trillion (US$4.6 billion) in clean water funding. The government currently provides Rp500 billion.

In order to close the funding gap, the government expects private investment in drinking water infrastructure.

The need for clean water funding is something that cannot be covered by private investment. In Indonesia, most PDAM utilities have small scales of economy and are therefore unattractive to investors.

There is no evidence to suggest private investors will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of water services, whereas the government has a duty to do so.

Increasing public funding for clean water infrastructure is the most rational approach for Indonesia. This effort should begin with an analysis of the needs of locals. This should be done through a democratic and participatory process.

There are resources and mechanisms the government could employ to increase clean water funding, such as state and local budgets, grants, government bonds and community-public partnership.

In order to use a grant system, the government should improve its proposal management and clearly focus on real needs in order to widen clean water services.

PDAM could use existing funds more efficiently. Ifit could reduce leakages from 40 per cent to 20 per cent, it would have more disposable funds to invest in infrastructure. PDAM should use cost recovery principles, as long as costs are not passed on to consumers. Cost recovery principles should also be supported by a proper subsidy mechanism.

Bond investing is a traditional lending instrument for public services. The mechanism needs conditions, such as strong capital structure at local level.

A few of mechanisms in place now do help the poor access clean water at affordable prices. The most important thing is to make sure the mechanisms run properly and that the needs of people at the local level are met through appropriate funding.

9. Contoh spoof

Because my husband, John, tends to snore, I rarely get more than a couple of hours sleep each night. When he awakens refreshed in the morning, he's always astonished to find that he has been the cause of another sleepless night for me.

One night John had severe allergy symptoms, so he took some medication before he went to bed. To my surprise, he fell into a deep sleep, allowing me to nod off comfortably too.

I awoke to find him shaking me. "What's the matter?" I asked, trying not to sound irritable. "Are you in pain?"

"No," he said, "but the drugs have worn off, and I can't sleep." I stared at him in exhausted disbelief. "What do you want me to do about it?" I said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "I just wanted you to know."

On a recent vacation at a resort with my in-laws, we planned to spend an afternoon at the pool with our kids. We wanted to bring our own drinks, but were unsure of the hotel's policy. My brother-in-law called the front desk, and assuming everyone was familiar with the brand of ice chest he had, asked if it was all right if he brought a Playmate to the pool. After a pause the clerk asked, "Does she have her own towel?”

A husband and wife went to the fairgrounds. The wife wanted to go on the Ferris wheel, but the husband wasn't comfortable with that. So the wife went on the ride by herself.

The wheel went round and round and suddenly the wife was thrown out and landed in a heap at her husband's feet.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Of course I'm hurt!" she replied.

"Three times around and you didn't wave once!"

10. Contoh Hortatory Exposition

Helping Children Discover Their Own Identity

Thesis

Children of today's advanced world are different from those in the past. With easy access to modern technology, children of today are able to learn everything they encounter in their life, including world-class information. In terms of knowledge of the world, one must admit, they seem to surpass children brought up in the era when techno logical equipment was still traditional.

The rapid growth of children's cognitive, physical and social adaptations is an indication of how they can be easily shaped by the modern vicinity. This is a critical period when children are begin ning to try to discover their own true identity.

Parental guidance is necessary to assist them in leading to the correct path. To do this, intervention, however, is not always mandatory if parents are upbeat that their offspring can handle the conundrum they are facing on their own. Self-reliance, in any occasion, needs to be stressed.

Argument

What parents need to do is to respect the changes going on within their child's world, and respond appropriately to their changing needs. Here a close monitoring rather than control taking is essential.

This may sound like ideal advice; yet not all parents may agree with this. A parent who was raised in a democratic family atmosphere will certainly pass down the freedom he/she had enjoyed during childhood to his/her offspring. On the other hand, those who were brought up in a conservative and authoritative family will inculcate traditional values to their children, restricting them by tightly abiding to what the parents believe to be the correct norms.

Clearly, a parent's family back-ground will, exert a considerable influence in helping his/her children to learn both formally and informally. It is more likely that parents will consistently follow the mind-set they adopted from their father or mother if they think that it is beneficial. Today's parents, how ever, need to be aware that not all values and norms that their parents implanted in them during their childhood are compatible with modern reality. Things have changed consider ably, and parents should take this into account.

It might, for example, be felt less relevant to impose traditional control over their children's conduct about what they need to do to attain academic achievement.

However, most parents still cling to this, acting as if they are omni science and know perfectly what is best for their children.

In guiding children in search of true identity, it is important for today's parents to listen and accommodate all feedback from their children. Though it seems too difficult for some conservative parents to implement this, it is essential to a child's development into an emotionally mature adult.

Parents also should not exercise too much authority so as to overprotect their children to develop their potential to the fullest. Parental intervention, if it is done in an improper manner, can do more harm than good.

If not in accord with children's interests, parents' excessive intervention is seen by children as something that inhibits rather than facilitates their academic excursions. Parents may probably not realize that their children simply want them to stay in the background and to provide whatever support and resources they need to venture out into the world.

This does not imply that intervention is not necessary. At the very young age when the influence of a peer group is extremely powerful, parents need to intervene by setting a strong measure to help their children resist the pressure to behave in ways that do not meet family standards.

The best way parents can aid their children is by successfully discovering their true identity and growing up to be an emotionally mature adult is to take a flexible approach. Parents need not always rigidly follow and impose certain norms and values, which are imbued with their family tradition during their childhood, on their children. Understanding children from the way they see the reality is surely a far more rewarding experience.