Global Reading >> Part Division of the Text

Global Reading >> Further Understanding

I. True or False

1. The phrase “on the latch” means the door is closed and locked. (F)

(=This phrase means the door is closed but unlocked.)

2. Nowadays, doors, not only in cities but also in rural areas, are locked. (T)

3. Urban streets are more dangerous than outskirts and country areas. (F)

(=Suburbs and country areas are more dangerous than urban streets.)

4. In America nowadays, no one leaves his front door on the latch anymore. (t)

II. Supporting Facts for the Central Idea

The author uses lots of facts to support his central point of view: America is deteriorating from “the Land of the Free” into “the Land of the Lock”. Could you find any more supporting facts in addition to those listed below?

1. Doors are not left unlocked either in cities or in rural areas.

2. Dead-bolt locks, security chains, electronic alarm systems and trip wires are widely in use.

3. Suburban families have steel bars built in sliding glass doors.

4. Small notices warning against burglary are commonly seen pasted on the windows of the most pleasant of homes.

5. Access cards are required of those who work with medium- to large-size companies.

6. Airport security uses electronic X-ray equipment to guard against terrorism.

7. Businessmen employ new machines linked up to their telephone to determine whether the caller is telling lies or not. 

8. Suburban housewives wear rape whistles on their key chains.

III. Discussion

In Paragraph 6, the author mentions a public service advertisement by a large insurance company. Discuss the following questions.

1. What does this ad point out?

(=The lock is the new symbol of America.)

2. What is the author’s purpose of using this example?

IV. Sentence Completion

Read Part 2 carefully and supply the missing information.

1. We have become so used to defending ourselves against the new atmosphere of American life and so used to putting up barriers.

2. We are satisfied when we think we are well-protected.

3. With electronic X-ray equipment, we seem finally to have figured out a way to hold the terrorists at bay.

4. We do not want to afford ourselves even so much a luxury as a shadow. 

V. Questions and Answers

1. Under what excuse do people resort to all those means mentioned in Part 2?

(=In the name of “security”.)

2. Does the author think they are justified in doing so?

(=No. Because in the author’s opinion, America becomes the most insecure nation with all these means.)

3. According to the author, what may be the legacy we remember best when we recall this era?

(=We became prisoners of ourselves when we deal with the unseen horrors among us.)

Global Reading >> Word Scanning

1. Scan the text to find all the sentences containing the word “lock” or the word with “lock” as its root.

the word “lock”:

1) … the door was closed but not locked. (Para. 3)

2) It has been replaced by dead-bolt locks, security chains, electronic alarm system … (Para. 12)

3) The lock is a new symbol of America. (Para. 6)

4) … the transformation of America from the Land of the Free to the Land of the Lock. (Para. 7)

5) … we devise ways to lock the fear out. (Para. 16)

6) We may have locked the evils out, but in so doing we have locked ourselves in. (Para. 18)

“lock” as a root:

1) … doors do not stay unlocked (Para. 1)

2) … a picture of a child’s bicycle with the now-usual padlock attached to it. (Para. 4)

2. Based on these sentences, summarize the main idea of this text.