PRE-READING:

Look at the title, photograph and first paragraph and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.

Ex: What views do Americans have on romantic love?

WHILE READING:

Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress.

SKIMMING:

Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs in your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.

AMERICANS FALL IN LOVE SLOWER THAN EUROPEANS, STUDY FINDS

Americans take longer to fall in love than their Eastern European counterparts, according to a new study. The findings also showed that Americans frequently cited friendship as a key part of romantic love, while Russians and Lithuanians rarely mentioned it.

The study found that about 90 percent of Lithuanians reported falling in love within a month of meeting one another, with 39 percent falling in love within a matter of days. By comparison, 58 percent of American participants indicated they fell in love within two months to a year.

To see how different cultures view and practice romantic love, the researchers surveyed 1,157 adults from the United States, Russia and Lithuania. Participants were given a 14-item questionnaire meant to gauge how they perceived romantic love, and also asked to write a free-list answering the question, "What do you associate with romantic love?" Group interviews were also conducted.

The list responses showed that most of the Eastern European participants viewed romantic love as fleeting, but this was not the case for Americans.

"The idea that romantic love was temporary and inconsequential was frequently cited by Lithuanian and Russian informants, but not by U.S. informants," the researchers write in the journal Cross-Cultural Research. The Eastern Europe participants also referred to romantic love as "a stage," "unreal" and a "fairytale."

Furthermore, while Americans frequently cited "friendship" and "comfort/love" as requirements for romantic love other participants either seldom or never mentioned these requirements. In fact, the word "friendship" is absent from the more than 500 terms elicited from the Eastern European samples.

"Friendship speaks of a real and substantive relationship; friends are not temporary," the researchers write. "Friendship seems to come with other qualities that are missing or infrequently cited in the Eastern European sample, but are frequently cited in the U.S. sample — 'honesty,' 'content' and 'comfort.'"

There were some similarities among the American, Russian and Lithuanian responses. All three groups rated "being together," "sexual passion" and "a state of emotional arousal-happiness/joy" as features of romantic love. "Equality" and "sex" were also two main features mentioned by the groups.

The study was carried out by scientists at the State University of New York at New Paltz and Russia's Moscow State University for the Humanities.

Word count: 379 words

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44220736/ns/health-behavior/

SCANNING:

Use your notes to identify where you can find the answers to the questions you made in the pre-reading stage.

POST-READING:

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• Counterpart (n.): one that has the same functions and characteristics as another; a corresponding person or thing (Bên tương ứng)

• To cite (v.): to mention (Đề cập)

• To gauge (v.): to measure (Đánh giá)

• A fleeting love = love that does not last (Tình yêu thoáng qua)

• Inconsequential love = unimportant, illogical and insignificant love (Tình yêu vụn vặt, không đáng gì)

• Informant (n.): someone who gives information about something (Người tham gia cuộc khảo sát)

• A fairytale (n.): a type of fantasy story usually told to children (Chuyện thần tiên, cổ tích)

• A substantive relationship = a meaningful interaction between two or more people (Mối quan hệ hiện hữu, có thật)

• Emotional arousal = feelings of excitement (Cảm giác hứng khởi)

• Equality (n.): fair treatment; lack of discrimination or prejudice (Sự bình đẳng)

Grammar:

Below are words from the text. Complete the table with the right form of the word. You can use the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary search box to help you accomplish this task.

Discussion: Ask and answer these questions with a study partner. Share your opinions about:

1. Do you believe in ‘love at first sight’? Why or why not?

2. Do you believe in the results of the research? Why or why not?

3. What do you think are the ‘real requirements’ of real love?

4. How would you rate the ‘falling in love’ factor of people in your country?

ANSWERS:

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).