LENG1159 (English9a/b)

English 9 Week 4 Day 3

Introduction to Summarizing
Activity 1. Read the passages below and choose the best summary.

Passage 1. Modifications in Consumer Behavior

In the United States and other industrialized countries, many consumers are making "green" choices in their
behavior and purchases that reflect concern for the environment. In some cases, these choices carry a price
tag, such as paying more for organically grown food or for clothing made from organic cotton. Consumers
are also motivated to make green purchases that save money. For example, after gas prices topped
$4/gallon in 2008, sales of gas guzzling SUVs dropped, and sales of more fuel-efficient cars, such as hybrids,
increased. Consumers often consider their utility bill when they choose energy-efficient appliances and
electrical equipment. (Mooney et al. Understanding Social Problems, 8thed. p.428)
Summary
a. In the United States, growing numbers of people are thinking green, and both their purchases and
actions show their desire to protect the environment.
b. Industrialized countries like the United States have a growing number of people who, in both their
actions and purchases, are concerned about the environment and thinking green. Some consumers, for
instance, are even willing to pay more money for organically grown groceries.
c. More and more people in industrialized countries like the U.S. are thinking green. They are paying
more to buy organic products, saving money by avoiding high-priced gas-guzzlers, and choosing energy-
efficient appliances and equipment.

Passage 2. Not Everyone is Listening to Warnings About the Environment

Scientists seem to think that simply telling people about various threats to the environment will induce
people to change their behavior. But so far at least, that hasn't been the case. Real change hasn't occurred
because people generally have one or all three of these reasons for thinking that future threats to the
environment are over-rated. It's all so far away. Many people believe that the environment may be in
danger, but they are convinced that the threat is a distant one. Their great grandchildren, not their
immediate family, will face it. One person can't do anything. Faced with the enormity of problems like
pollution and global warming, many people feel that one person's refusing to use plastic bottles is just a
drop in the bucket that accomplishes nothing. Technology is going to solve the problem soon. There isn't
much evidence for this belief. But it's comforting. Thus, people repeat it without doing any research to see
if it's true.
Summary
a. Science researchers may believe that warning people about what will happen to the environment
is going to make a difference. But the warnings aren't being listened to. Or if they are, they aren't leading to
action on the part of consumers.
b. There are three reasons why people don't listen to scientists' warnings about threats to the
environment. They consider the threat to be far in the future and believe that even if it were closer, one
person can't do anything. Some people are also convinced that threats to the environment will be solved by
technological means.
c. Many people don't listen to warnings about threats to the environment because they are convinced
that technology can save the environment. They believe this despite all evidence to the contrary, probably
because it helps eliminate any anxiety they might have about the future.

Passage 3. Kevin Carter's Pulitzer Prize

Kevin Carter (1960-1994) was an award-winning photojournalist from South Africa, whose image of a starving
Sudanese toddler stalked by a vulture won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1994. But prestigious as the Pulitzer is, it
did not bring Carter much happiness. What it did bring was a lot of controversy and a host of personal
accusations. Some of Carter's colleagues claimed that Carter had broken the photojournalist's cardinal rule
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of recording the moment as it happens by setting up the shot for maximum shock value. However, it was
newspapers from around the world that really took him to task. An editorial in the St. Petersburg (Florida)
Times said in print what many others were thinking: "The man adjusting his lens to take just the right frame
of her suffering might just as well be a predator, another vulture on the scene." Carter, who had suffered
for years from depression and whose drug use had been increasing in the early nineties, went into an
emotional tailspin following the uproar over his Pulitzer award. On July 27, 1994, Carter committed suicide
by running a garden hose from the exhaust pipe of his red Nissan truck into the passenger side window, and
he died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Summary
a. In 1994, South African photojournalist Kevin Carter won a Pulitzer for his photo of a vulture lurking
nearby as a starving Sudanese child lay hunched over on the ground. The prize though brought him more
misery than happiness. He was criticized from all sides, especially by the press. In one editorial, he was
likened to a vulture for taking the photo rather than helping the child. Suffering from depression and the
effects of long drug use and made miserable by the criticism he received, Carter committed suicide in the
same year that he received the Pulitzer Prize.
b. In 1994, after newspapers called him a "vulture" for exploiting the misery of a starving child, South
African photojournalist Kevin Carter was an emotional wreck. Afflicted by depression and the effects of drug
use, Carter was in no shape to handle the criticism. In July of the same year, he committed suicide by
hooking a garden hose up to the exhaust pipe of his truck and snaking the hose through the passenger seat
window. Inhaling the fumes, Carter died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
c. Kevin Carter was a South African journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize in1994. Unfortunately,
Carter could not handle the fame that came with the prize. The effects of depression and drug use
destroyed his ability to defend himself against attacks by other journalists. Shortly after receiving the
Pulitzer, he committed suicide.

Activity 2. Let's say you have been asked to write a paper that examines the consumption of energy drinks
such as Red Bull. You come across this article and want to use it to support your claim that these drinks are
potentially harmful and should be closely regulated.

Caffeinated Energy Drinks-A Growing Problem

[1] In 2006, annual worldwide energy drink consumption increased 17% from the previous year to 906
million gallons, with Thailand leading the world in energy drink consumption per person, but the U.S.
leading the world in total volume sales (Zenith International, 2007). [2] Although "energy drinks" first
appeared in Europe and Asia in the 1960s, the introduction of "Red Bull" in Austria in 1987 and in the U.S. in
1997 sparked the more recent trend toward aggressive marketing of high caffeine content "energy drinks."
[3] Since its inception, the energy drink market has grown exponentially, with nearly 500 new brands
launched worldwide in 2006 (Johnson, 2006), and 200 new brands launched in the U.S. in the 12-month
period ending July 2007 (Packaged Facts, 2007). [4] "From 2002 to 2006, the average annual growth rate in
energy drink sales was 55% (Packaged Facts, 2007) (Fig. 1). [5] Also, the total U.S. retail market value for
energy drinks (from all sources) was estimated to be $5.4 billion in 2006 and has shown a similar annual
growth rate over this same period (47%) (Packaged Facts, 2007). [6] These drinks vary widely in both
caffeine content (ranging from 50 to 505 mg per can or bottle) and caffeine concentration (ranging from 2.5
to 171 mg per fluid ounce) (Table 1). [7] For comparison, the caffeine content of a 6 oz cup of brewed
coffee varies from 77 to 150 mg (Griffiths et al., 2003). [8] The main active ingredient in energy drinks is
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caffeine, although other substances such as taurine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, nicotinamide, other B vitamins,
and various herbal derivatives are also present (Aranda and Marlock, 2006). [9] The acute and long-term
effects resulting from excessive and chronic consumption of these additives alone and in combination with
caffeine are not fully known. [10] Although the full impact of the rise in popularity of energy drinks has yet
to be realized, the potential for adverse health consequences should be considered and may be cause for
preemptive regulatory action.
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Activity 2. Part 1: Text Analysis

1.) Context (Where would you find this text?):

2.) Audience (Who might read it?):

3.) Purpose (Why was this text written?):

4.) What is the purpose of the figure and table?

5.) Why do you think the author has citations in the paper?

Activity 2. Part 2: Reading and Summarizing

1.) Summary of Section 1:

2.) Summary of Section 2:

3.) Summary of Section 3:

4.) Why did you choose this information to underline and summarize?

Activity 2. Part 3: Language

2.) What is the purpose of each logical connector in the text? (To show addition, compare, contrast,
sequence, examples, consequence, summary, emphasis, reason, condition)