Reading: Reading for Detail
B1 Lesson 1: Main Ideas & Supporting Details
Listen to the full reading passage.
Before You Read 🧠
Key Vocabulary (Click 🔊)
These words will help you understand the text.
Get Ready to Read
Think about this question before you read the text:
- What do you already know about the Tonlé Sap lake in Cambodia?
Reading Passage: A Wonder of Cambodia
Read the text. You can click 🔊 to hear each paragraph.
(1) The Tonlé Sap is one of the most unique and vital bodies of water in the world. Located in the heart of Cambodia, it is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. This lake system is so important that it was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997. Millions of Cambodians depend on the lake for their food and livelihoods, primarily through fishing.
(2) The most amazing feature of the Tonlé Sap is its incredible reversing flow. For most of the year, during the dry season, the lake drains into the Mekong River. However, when the rainy season arrives (from May to October), the Mekong River becomes so full that it reverses direction. This massive pulse of water pushes *back* into the Tonlé Sap, causing the lake to expand to five or six times its normal size.
(3) This seasonal flooding creates an enormous, nutrient-rich area, making the Tonlé Sap a hotspot for biodiversity. It is one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, providing a huge amount of fish that feeds the nation. The lake is also home to many species of water birds. This unique environment allows people to live in "floating villages," with houses, schools, and shops all built on stilts or floating platforms to adapt to the changing water levels.
(4) Despite its importance, the Tonlé Sap faces serious challenges. Climate change can affect the amount of rain, and dams built on the Mekong River can change the water flow. Furthermore, overfishing and pollution threaten the lake's delicate ecosystem. Protecting this vital natural wonder is one of Cambodia's most important tasks for the future.
How to Find the Main Idea
Every paragraph has a Main Idea (the "big picture") and Supporting Details (the facts and examples). To find the main idea, ask yourself: "What is the ONE thing the author wants me to know in this paragraph?"
Practice What You Learned 🎯
Quiz 1: Finding the Main Idea
Read Paragraph 2 from the text again. Which sentence below is the Main Idea of that paragraph?
Quiz 2: Main Idea vs. Supporting Detail
Read these sentences from the text. Decide if each one is a Main Idea (MI) or a Supporting Detail (SD). Click "Check All" when you are finished.
1. "The Tonlé Sap is one of the most unique and vital bodies of water in the world."
2. "This seasonal flooding creates an enormous, nutrient-rich area, making the Tonlé Sap a hotspot for biodiversity."
3. "It is one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world..."
4. "Furthermore, overfishing and pollution threaten the lake's delicate ecosystem."
Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)
- Vital Absolutely necessary or essential for life.
- Unique Being the only one of its kind; special.
- To Reverse To change direction to the opposite.
- To Expand To become larger in size or amount.
- Biodiversity The variety of animal and plant life in the world.
- Challenge A difficult task or problem.
- Livelihood A way of earning money in order to live.
- Ecosystem All the plants and animals in an area, and their relationship.
Your Reading Mission ⭐
Find the Main Idea
- Find a short news article in English (from The Phnom Penh Post, Khmer Times, or BBC News).
- Read one paragraph (3-5 sentences).
- Write down one sentence that describes the main idea of that paragraph.
- Write down two sentences that are supporting details.