eng5-R2· Reading· ~15 min

Reading: Unusual homes (My Home is a Cave)

Extra Reading 2, p101 — the coursebook's own text, read closely.

This topic works on ONE text, and it is your coursebook's own: READING 2, ACROSS THE WORLD — UNUSUAL HOMES, on page 101. Here it is, exactly as the book prints it.

Where is your home? My home is a cave! There are beautiful cave homes around the world. Look!

Look at this hotel in the Cederberg Mountains in South Africa, 240 km from Cape Town. The cave is old, but the windows are very modern!

The Stadsaal caves in South Africa are not homes, but there are paintings here! There are some very old paintings of elephants on the walls. The paintings are over 1,000 years old.

These cave homes in Matmata, Tunisia, are very old. There are about 2,000 people in this community and the caves are perfect for families!

What part of the home is this? Correct! It’s the kitchen! Cool, isn’t it? There are no windows, but there are plates on the walls. These homes are great! What’s your favorite cave home?

Three things are worth noticing before you answer any question about it. First, its PURPOSE. The writer is not describing his own home, and he is not selling a hotel — he shows a hotel, some caves with paintings, and a village of cave homes, so his purpose is to talk about types of homes. Second, the word BUT. It appears three times, and each time it joins two facts that pull against each other: the cave is old, but the windows are modern; the Stadsaal caves are not homes, but there are paintings; there are no windows, but there are plates on the walls. A question about this text will often turn on one of those pairs. Third, the grammar: almost every sentence uses there is or there are, because the whole text is about what EXISTS in each place. That is the Unit 3 grammar, met here in a real text.

Key terms

cave — A large natural hole in rock or under the ground. In this text, some caves are homes and some are not.
community — A group of people living in the same place. About 2,000 people live in the Matmata community.
the author's purpose — The reason someone writes a text: to inform, to describe, to persuade. Here it is to talk about types of homes.
but — A joining word that puts two contrasting facts side by side.
modern — New, of today. The windows of the Cederberg hotel are modern although the cave is old.
perfect for — Very well suited to. The Matmata caves are perfect for families.
The three places in the text
PlaceCountryHome or not?What is special
the Cederberg MountainsSouth Africaa hotelold cave, very modern windows
the Stadsaal cavesSouth Africanot homespaintings of elephants, over 1,000 years old
MatmataTunisiahomesabout 2,000 people; perfect for families

Two of the three are in South Africa, and only one of those two is a place to stay.

The numbers in the text
NumberWhat it belongs to
240 kmthe distance of the Cederberg hotel from Cape Town
over 1,000 yearsthe age of the paintings in the Stadsaal caves
about 2,000the people in the Matmata community

Scanning for a number is quick — but check which place it belongs to.

Every 'but' in the text
First factbutSecond fact
The cave is oldbutthe windows are very modern
The Stadsaal caves are not homesbutthere are paintings here
There are no windowsbutthere are plates on the walls

Each pair is a small surprise. That is why the writer uses but.

✎Working out the author's purpose
  1. 1Step 1: what does he actually show?: a hotel, some caves with paintings, and a village of cave homes.
  2. 2Step 2: is it all about his own home?: No — he mentions his own home only in the first line, to get your attention.
  3. 3Step 3: is it all about the hotel?: No — the hotel is only one of three places.
  4. 4Step 4: what covers all three?: They are all types of homes, or places like homes. That is the purpose.
✎Answering with the text, not with what you expect
  1. 1The question: Are the Stadsaal caves homes?
  2. 2Step 1: find the sentence: "The Stadsaal caves in South Africa are not homes, but there are paintings here!"
  3. 3Step 2: read past the "but": The paintings are interesting, but they do not make the caves homes.
  4. 4Step 3: answer: No, they are not homes — and the text says so directly.
🚫Common mistake

Do not assume every cave in the text is a home. The Cederberg one is a hotel and the Stadsaal caves are not homes at all.

⚠️Caution

Check which place a number belongs to. 240 km is the distance to Cape Town, over 1,000 years is the age of the paintings, and about 2,000 is a number of people.

💡Note

The word 'but' is a signal. When you see it, the second half of the sentence will contradict what the first half made you expect — and that is usually what a question asks about.

💡Note

Notice how much of this text is 'there is' and 'there are'. It is the Unit 3 grammar doing real work: the text is a list of what exists in each place.

💡Note

The kitchen in the Tunisian cave home has no windows. If a question asks about windows, check WHICH building it means — the Cederberg hotel has very modern ones.

Rules

  1. 1The text's purpose is to talk about TYPES of homes, not about the writer's own home.
  2. 2'But' joins two facts that contrast: old cave, modern windows.
  3. 3The Cederberg Mountains cave in South Africa is a HOTEL, not a home.
  4. 4The Stadsaal caves are NOT homes — they hold paintings over 1,000 years old.
  5. 5The cave homes in Matmata, Tunisia, are old, and about 2,000 people live in that community.
  6. 6The kitchen in the Tunisian cave home has no windows, but it has plates on the walls.

Practice

4 easy · 4 medium · 4 hard

Up to 10 random questions per test

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