1 Section A Reading 1 Skim read the article below. You are lookingto find the section of the text that tells you what the different benefits of using a bench press are. If you want to check that you have found the correct section, then you can read all the text carefully. 2 Once you have found the correct section, take 10 minutes to list the different benefits of using a bench press. Number each of your points. Activity 1 4 My learning This lesson will help you to: find information in a text select material to answer the question. Finding information and selecting material Read and understand texts: finding information Read and understand texts The Assessment Objective you are focusing on in chapters 1 to 4 of this book is ‘Read and understand texts’. Over the four chapters the Assessment Objective has been broken down into four parts. In this chapter you will be learning about finding information. Finding information A lot of texts are designed to give the reader information about something, and almost all texts have information of some kind in them. This chapter is designed to help you to find information and then to be able to write it in such a way that it is clear to the reader. You don’t always have to read every word to find what you are looking for. Skimming and scanning texts is a useful way of finding what you want. If, for example, you are looking at an advert and want to know how much the product costs, you would scan it to look for pound signs. Or if you were looking at a weather map to find out what the weather might be like tomorrow, then you would scan the map to look just at where you live on the map. The Times, 8 December 2008 5 If there is a gym exercise of the moment it is the bench press, which has emerged from the shadows of trendier, flashier workout moves to prove a surprising hit in the quest for a toned upper body. The actress Sarah Jessica Parker is a fan and claims to have got her taut, defined arms for the Sex and the City film thanks to endless bench-pressing, while Barack Obama is able to bench press an impressive 200lb (91kg) – more than Hillary Clinton weighs. The popularity of the exercise boils down to the fact that nothing rivals the bench press in its effectiveness at strengthening the pectoral muscles in the chest, triceps and shoulder muscles. You will also engage your abdominal and buttock muscles. But be warned: it’s not an easy option. If you are a newcomer to weight training, start with some light handweights, progressing to just the bar of the barbell before adding weights to the end. Here’s how to do it: 1 Lie on a bench with your feet flat on the floor and your back flat against the The bench press is a popular exercise that helps you to tone your upper body and strengthen a range of muscles. But it’s not easy, says Peta Bee. 5 Avoid arching your back as you lift but do tighten your gluteal muscles. This stabilises the body and helps to transfer power from the legs and abdominal muscles through to the chest area. Boost your pecs appeal Send your fitness questions to fi[email protected] cushioned surface. Keep the back of your head in contact with the bench. 2 If you are using a barbell, grasp it with your arms extended and slightly wider than shoulder width apart – a narrow grip places the weight load more on the triceps and shoulders than the chest muscles. Hold handweights or dumbbells at arm’s length above the chest, in line with your collarbone. 3 Take a deep breath in and slowly lower the weight until it almost touches your chest. Do not bounce the bar on your chest or let it rest there. 4 Exhale and push the bar back upwards. Breathing in and out at the right times means the chest cavity expands fully so that the bar has less distance to travel. Examiner tips In the exam you are likely to be asked to: ● find specific points in a text ● find, copy and number them ● select the main points ● put the main points in your own words ● show that you can follow the sequence of points being made. GradeStudio Check your answer ● How many different points were you able to make? ● Were you able to separate your points out? ● Did you remember to number them? GradeStudio AQA Eng Lang SB Book C pp4-5.indd 4-5 6/8/09 12:55:55