Drafts of narrative sentences for Academic Passages, Society
Level 2 (one easier and two more difficult versions are available)
1.2 Child Development 69
1. Infants gain knowledge about movement and objects, and the ways actions can
cause effects.
2. From 2 to 7 children develop memory and imagination, understand the difference
between past and future, and play pretend games.
3. From 7 to 12, children develop concrete, logical reasoning and start to feel empathy.
4. Teenagers can consider abstract ideas and gain a deeper understanding of math and
science. They also develop a sense of justice.
2.2 World History 67
1. Mongol armies attacked Japan in 1274 and 1281, but a typhoon saved them both
times.
2. During the Renaissance people’s knowledge started coming from science instead of
religion.
3. After the Prince of Hungary was killed, World War 1 started. Ten million soldiers and 7
million civilians were killed.
4. World powers were divided between two economic systems. The fall of the Berlin Wall
in 1989 ended the Cold War.
3.2 The Environment 79
1. There are 1,556 endangered or nearly extinct species such as gorilla, sea turtles and
the Siberian tiger.
2. Desertification is the loss of topsoil because of over-farming or loss of trees.
3. Almost a billion people do not have safe drinking water, a child dies every 20 seconds
due to a water-related illness, and women spend 200 million hours a day collecting
water.
4. Dead zones are areas of rivers, lakes or oceans that do not have enough oxygen to
support life.
4.2 64
1. Music might have started when people imitated the sounds of nature by singing and
making instruments.
2. The traditional Japanese instrument the koto evolved from a Chinese stringed
instrument.
3. Violins are used to teach music because they have only four strings and children can
learn music symbols.
4. Music has many wonderful effects including therapy for pain and depression, reducing
blood pressure, and improving athletic performance.
5.2 Native People 79
1. The Awa tribe still lives like stone age people picking fruit, hunting pigs and monkeys,
and migrating by season.
2. Australian Aborigines can survive in the wild by starting fire with sticks, removing
poison from nuts, and cooking in underground ovens.
3. Ainu probably descended from Jōmon people. One legend tells, “Ainu lived in this
place 100,000 years before the Children of the Sun came.”
4. Navaho made sand paintings on floors that were believed to heal sick or injured
people.
6.2
67
1. At the elementary level, PE activities encourage kids to have a positive experience
without worrying about winning or losing.
2. Students do physical activities to improve muscle tone, gain speed and endurance,
learn to work with teammates, and reduce stress.
3. Stretching remains important for improving flexibility, circulation, and balance.
4. Students can learn concentration and coordination by practicing non-competitive
activities such as kyudo, Japanese archery and kendo, fencing with sticks.
7.2 72
1. Chinese writing appeared thousands of years ago on bones, then later on wood and
bamboo.
2. Japanese school children learn 2,136 general use kanji by drilling and memorization but
need to know thousands more to read literature and magazines.
3. Honorific language is used when speaking to high status people like company presidents
and the elderly.
4. Besides Japan’s standard Tokyo dialect, speakers in Kansai and the northeast have
distinctive speaking styles as well.
8.2 73
1. English is based on German and later borrowed many words from French, Latin and
Greek.
2. While Old English is not understandable to modern speakers, writers of Middle
English, like the great poet Chaucer, can still be read today.
3. After recording every English word by himself for nine years, Samuel Johnson
completed A Dictionary of the English Language.
4. One reason that English is the lingua franca is imperialism; a second reason is
Hollywood movies.
9.2 66
1. Around 10,000 years ago people began domesticating foods such as barley and
beans.
2. People domesticated animals such as wolves, goats and pigs looking for protection, milk,
material for clothing and meat.
3. The world’s first civilization in Iraq practiced farming, had classes, and had public buildings like
libraries.
4. Farms have become factories where animals live in crowded conditions. Huge machines plant,
harvest and kill animals for meat.
10.2 70
1. In the Middle Ages* workers transferred their skills to the next generation by teaching
apprentices who would work for no pay.
2. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain in the late 1700s when self-employed
farmers worked in factories to mass produce goods.
3. Improved steam engines that used one-tenth as much fuel brought advances in both
transportation and industry.
4. Machines started making cotton 1000 times more efficiently than workers could by
hand.
11.2 World War 2 62
1. After Hitler attacked Poland in September 1939, Britain and France declared war on
Germany.
2. By 1941 Italy’s army was defeated but Germany attacked Russia.
3. The turning point of the Pacific War was the “Battle of Midway” during which
thousands of soldiers died and left Japan’s navy badly damaged.
4. The largest conflict in history cost over 85 million lives and caused great destruction.
12.2 World Religion 62
1. Islam has five basic teachings: faith, praying five times a day, giving money to charity,
fasting and pilgrimage to Mecca.
2. Jesus taught followers to love enemies, feed the poor, and never judge others.
3. Buddha taught the four noble truths which explain that life is suffering because of
desire.
4. Humanists are guided by reason, ethics and justice while rejecting supernatural and
religious ideas.
13.2 Foreign Language Acquisition
64
1. Instructors give commands to students, and students respond with actions, like with
the game Simon Sez.
2. Learners listen to explanations of grammar made in their native language.
3. This method emphasizes communication through interaction in the target language.
4. This approach to language learning focuses on a particular theme. Thus, students
use English as a tool to learn another subject.
14.2 Math Education (74) (picture of girls studying in India?)
1.Arithmetic is more than learning to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Students
learn word problems so they can develop thinking skills.
2. During the Industrial Revolution counting and telling time became essential skills
so children started learning math at public schools.
3. The Khan Academy contains explanations of mathematical ideas and practice
pages so learners can learn at their own pace.
4. Mathematics has become important to fields like engineering and finance and
new fields like statistics.
15.2 68
1. Art education aims to inspire youth and improve their talents and creativity.
2. Drama helps people have more confidence and improves their public speaking and
listening skills.
3. A key to calligraphy is to hold the brush firmly while leaving empty space inside the
palm.
4. Some literature classics that students read are 1984 about freedom, and The Call of
the Wild about the love between a man and his dog.
16.2 (Bonus) Home Economics 65
1. Housework includes removing garbage, keeping things organized, dusting and
vacuuming, polishing furniture and washing clothes.
2. Individuals and families can save money by making a budget, using money wisely and
borrowing only when necessary.
3. Nutritious food has various vitamins, minerals and other health benefits. To stay
healthy we should avoid overeating.
4. Consumers should have awareness of the ways advertisers exaggerate or lie to sell
their products.
17.2 (Bonus) Alternative Education 75
1. Friere criticized traditional education which fills a student’s head with knowledge and
makes him obedient.
2. Kids at the Albany Free School have freedom to hang out, create or study whatever
and whenever they like.
3. The walls of Waldorf schools are painted in lively colors and decorated with student
artwork to educate a child’s mind, body and spirit.
4. Homeschoolers believe it takes too many years for schooled kids to learn reading,
writing, basic grammar, and math.
18.2 Development of Writing 69
1. From the 13th century, storytellers would bicycle around Japan’s towns and tell stories
with illustrated boards to children who would gather to listen.
2. Before the printing press every book and document was written by hand.
3. The pencil was invented in 1564 when a huge mine was discovered in England.
4. The first typewriter broke easily and made mistakes but set up the ordering of letters
that is still used today.