Pulp Friction: Timed Skimming Exercise

Source: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/570/pulp/hemp1.htm

This exercise practises skimming — that means reading very fast to find
only the main ideas of a text. You have a very short time to read the text
and identify the main ideas.

0:01
Your score is: 59%.
You have completed the exercise.

Pulp Friction

Every second, one hectare of the world's rainforest is destroyed. That's equivalent to
two football fields. An area the size of New York City is lost every day. In a year, that
adds up to 31 million hectares -- more than the land area of Poland. This alarming
rate of destruction has serious consequences for the environment; scientists estimate,
for example, that 137 species of plant, insect or animal become extinct every day due
to logging. In British Columbia, where, since 1990, thirteen rainforest valleys have
been clearcut, 142 species of salmon have already become extinct, and the habitats of
grizzly bears, wolves and many other creatures are threatened. Logging, however,
provides jobs, profits, taxes for the govenment and cheap products of all kinds for
consumers, so the government is reluctant to restrict or control it.

Much of Canada's forestry production goes towards making pulp and paper. According
to the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, Canada supplies 34% of the world's wood
pulp and 49% of its newsprint paper. If these paper products could be produced in
some other way, Canadian forests could be preserved. Recently, a possible alternative
way of producing paper has been suggested by agriculturalists and environmentalists:
a plant called hemp.

Hemp has been cultivated by many cultures for thousands of years. It produces fibre
which can be made into paper, fuel, oils, textiles, food, and rope. For centuries, it was
essential to the economies of many countries because it was used to make the ropes
and cables used on sailing ships; colonial expansion and the establishment of a world-
wide trading network would not have been feasible without hemp. Nowadays, ships'
cables are usually made from wire or synthetic fibres, but scientists are now
suggesting that the cultivation of hemp should be revived for the production of paper
and pulp. According to its proponents, four times as much paper can be produced
from land using hemp rather than trees, and many environmentalists believe that the
large-scale cultivation of hemp could reduce the pressure on Canada's forests.

However, there is a problem: hemp is illegal in many countries of the world. This plant,
so useful for fibre, rope, oil, fuel and textiles, is a species of cannabis, related to the
plant from which marijuana is produced. In the late 1930s, a movement to ban the
drug marijuana began to gather force, resulting in the eventual banning of the
cultivation not only of the plant used to produce the drug, but also of the commercial
fibre-producing hemp plant. Although both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
grew hemp in large quantities on their own land, any American growing the plant today
would soon find himself in prison -- despite the fact that marijuana cannot be
produced from the hemp plant, since it contains almost no THC (the active ingredient
in the drug).

In recent years, two major movements for legalization have been gathering strength.
One group of activists believes that ALL cannabis should be legal -- both the hemp
plant and the marijuana plant -- and that the use of the drug marijuana should not be
an offense. They argue that marijuana is not dangerous or addictive, and that it is used
by large numbers of people who are not criminals but productive members of society.
They also point out that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol or tobacco. The other
legalization movement is concerned only with the hemp plant used to produce fibre;
this group wants to make it legal to cultivate the plant and sell the fibre for paper and
pulp production. This second group has had a major triumph recently: in 1997, Canada
legalized the farming of hemp for fibre. For the first time since 1938, hundreds of
farmers are planting this crop, and soon we can expect to see pulp and paper
produced from this new source.

1. The main idea of paragraph one is:

A. Scientists are worried about New York City.

B. Logging is destroying the rainforests.

C. ? Governments make money from logging.

D. ? Salmon are an endangered species.

 2. The main idea of paragraph two is:
A. Canadian forests are especially under threat.

B. ? Hemp is a kind of plant.

C. Canada is a major supplier of paper and pulp.

D. ? Canada produces a lot of hemp.

3. The main idea of paragraph three is:

A. Paper could be made from hemp instead of trees.

B. ? Hemp is useful for fuel.

C. Hemp has been cultivated throughout history.

D. ? Hemp is essential for building large ships.

4. The main idea of paragraph four is:

A. ? Hemp is used to produce drugs.

B. ? Many famous people used to grow hemp.

C. It is illegal to grow hemp.

D. Hemp is useful for producing many things.

5. The main idea of paragraph five is:

A. Hemp should be illegal because it is dangerous.

B. Recently, many people have been working to legalize hemp.

C. ? Hemp was made illegal in 1938.

D. Marijuana is not a dangerous drug.

Pulp Friction: Timed Scanning Exercise

This exercise practises scanning -- that means reading very fast to find
specific pieces of information. You have a very short time to scan the text
and locate answers to the questions.
1. How many species of salmon have become extinct in BC?
A. 27

B. 31

C. 137

D. 142

2. How much of the world's newsprint paper is supplied by Canada?

A. 31%

B. 49%

C. ? 34%

D. ? 19%

3. What equipment on a ship was made from hemp?

A. ? ropes

B. waterproof cloth

C. engine fuel

D. life rafts

4. What drug can be obtained from a relative of hemp?

A. cocaine

B. heroin

C. amphetamine

D. ? marijuana

5. Where was hemp farming recently legalized?

A. ? USA

B. Canada

C. ? Singapore
 D. ? Netherlands

This is a multiple-choice reading exercise. You have 12 minutes to read

the text and answer the questions.

1. How long does it take for 100 hectares of rainforest to be destroyed?

A. less than two minutes

B. ? about an hour

C. ? two hours

D. ? a day

2. Why is pulp and paper production important to Canada?

A. Canada needs to find a way to use all its spare wood.

B. Canada publishes a lot of newspapers and books.

C. ? Pulp and paper export is a major source of income for Canada.

3. Who is suggesting that pulp and paper could be produced without cutting
down trees?
A. the logging industry

B. the government

C. ? the environmental lobby

4. Why was the plant hemp essential to world-wide trade in the past?
A. Ships' ropes were made from it.

B. ? Hemp was a very profitable export.

C. ? Hemp was used as fuel for ships.

D. ? Hemp was used as food for sailors.

5. Why do agriculturalists think that hemp would be better for paper production
than trees?
 A. It is cheaper to grow hemp than to cut down trees.

B. More paper can be produced from the same area of land.

C. ? Hemp produces higher quality paper.

6. When was hemp production banned in Canada?

A. ? 1930

B. 1960

C. 1996

D. 1938

7. Why was hemp banned?

A. It is related to the marijuana plant.

B. ? It can be used to produce marijuana.

C. It was no longer a useful crop.

D. ? It was destructive to the land.

8. What chemical ingredient of cannabis plants is a powerful drug?

A. Fibre

B. Marijuana

C. ? THC

9. True or false: Some activists believe that both marijuana and hemp should be
legal.
A. True

B. ? False

10. True or false: Canada has just legalized marijuana.

A. True

B. ? False
Source: http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2015/02/04/help-ielts-5-skimming-
scanning/

Skimming is used for:

1) pre-reading the text for the overall meaning, and

2) when answering questions, to quickly check if you have located the correct part
of a text once you have scanned for a key word or idea.

An example of how this would work is with matching tasks where you have to
match a person to a theory, for example. In the test you would:

– scan the text quickly for the names of the different people and underline each
one in the text. (NB the names often appear several times within a text)

– skim read the text before and after each of the names you found to narrow down
your options. (You should be able quite quickly to rule out at least a couple at this
point based on the topic that each speaker is talking about and the information in
the question you are answering.)

– read in detail the parts of the text you are left with to make your final choice and
answer the question.

Skimming
Source: http://readingstrategies.wikidot.com/skimming

Description of Skimming

Skimming is used to obtain the gist (the overall sense) of a piece of text. E.g. Use skimming to get the
gist of a page of a textbook to decide whether it is useful and should therefore be read more slowly
and in more detail.

How to Use It
(1) Read the title, subtitles and subheading to find out what the text is about.
(2) Look at the illustrations to give you further information about the topic.
(3) Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
(4) Don't read every word or every sentence. Let you eyes skim over the text, taking in key words.
(5) Continue to think about the meaning of the text.

When to Use It

(1) When one needs to know the overall sense or the main ideas of a text.
(2) When there are large amounts of reading and limited time to review it in detail.
(3) When one is seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension or pleasure.
(4) When it is necessary to find out if it is a book should be read at all or in more detail.
(5) When one needs to know if a text may be of interest in one’s research.

Scanning
Source: http://readingstrategies.wikidot.com/scanning

Description of Scanning

Scanning is a fast reading technique. It's a way of reading to look for specific information in a text.
Scanning can be used to look up a phone number, read through the small ads in a newspaper, or for
browsing TV schedules, timetables, lists, catalogues or web pages for information. For these tasks you
don't need to read or understand every word.

Scanning is often confused with skimming, but is in fact a distinct reading strategy involving rapid but
focused reading of text, in order to locate specific information, e.g. looking for particular details such
as dates, names, or certain types of words. It is processing print at a high speed while looking for
answers to specific questions. When you scan, you must begin with a specific question which has a
specific answer. Scanning for information in this way should be both fast and accurate.

Types of materials appropriate for scanning:

 Simple: lists, dictionaries, white pages, tables, signs, classified ads

 Less simple: yellow pages, reference works, tables of contents, indices (indexes), web pages
 Complex: continuous prose - documents, articles, books, long descriptions
How to use it

1. Start at the beginning of the passage.

2. Move your eyes quickly over the lines, looking for key words related to the information you
want to find.
3. Stop scanning and begin reading as soon as you find any of the key words you're looking for.

When to use it

1. When one needs to find a particular or specific piece of information.

2. When one only needs to extract specific details from a text.
3. When studying or looking to find specific information from a book or article quickly as there is
not always time to read every word.
o For example:
 The "What's on TV" section of your newspaper.
 A train / airplane schedule
 A conference guide

Tips

1. Don't try to read every word. Instead let your eyes move quickly across the page until you
find what you are looking for.
2. Use clues on the page, such as headings and titles, to help you.
3. In a dictionary or phone book, use the 'header' words to help you scan. You can find these in
bold type at the top of each page.
4. If you are reading for study, start by thinking up or writing down some questions that you
want to answer. Doing this can focus your mind and help you find the facts or information that
you need more easily.
5. Many texts use A-Z order. These include everyday materials such as the phone book and
indexes to books and catalogues.
6. There are many ways to practise scanning skills. Try looking up a favourite recipe in the index
of a cookbook, search for a plumber in your local Yellow Pages, or scan web pages on the
Internet to find specific information.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/skimming-and-scanning/resources/l1

Timed Scanning/Skimming Practice 5 - 4 questions in 4 minutes.

DIRECTIONS:
THE QUESTIONS IN THIS PRACTICE SET ARE ALL FACTUAL; THEY CAN BE ANSWERED BY MERELY
SCANNING THE PASSAGE BELOW LOOKING FOR CLUE-WORDS FROM THE QUESTIONS.
IF IT IS YOUR STRATEGY TO READ THE QUESTIONS BEFORE READING THE PASSAGE YOU CAN DO
THAT IN THIS ACTIVITY. JUST SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE AND CLICK START NOW.
IF IT IS YOUR STRATEGY TO READ OR PREVIEW THE PASSAGE BEFORE LOOKING AT THE
QUESTIONS, YOU MAY DO SO NOW.
Many cashew eaters may be surprised to learn about the origins of the popular nut. The nut comes
from the cashew tree, a small evergreen tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiancese.
Northwestern Brazil is the native home of the plant, but it is now cultivated in all regions with
sufficient tropical conditions. India, Vietnam, and Brazil, in that order, are the largest producers of
cashew nuts.

The cashew tree produces cashew flowers that yield cashew apples. These apples, better known in
Central America as "marañón", are oval to pear-shaped and ripen into a yellow and/or red structure
between 5 to 11 centimeters long. These apples are the tree's false fruit and look like oversized hot
peppers or pears. The real fruit of the tree are the small kidney-shaped drupes that protrude from
under the pseudo fruit, the cashew apples. In botany, a drupe is a type of fruit in which an outer
fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp, the pit or stone, with a seed inside. Hidden inside
each drupe is the cashew flower’s single seed, a single cashew.

The seed, or cashew nut, is surrounded by a double shell containing a caustic phenolic resin, urushiol,
a potent skin-irritating toxin also found in poison-ivy. The urushiol must be removed from the dark
green nut shells before the seed inside is processed for consumption; this is done by shelling the nuts,
a somewhat hazardous process, and exceedingly painful skin rashes among processing workers who
come in contact with the toxin are common.

Thank you. Your responses have been automatically graded. Here are your results.

Score Summary

points points
(Click on question number to jump to question.) earned possible

Question 1 correct 1 1

Question 2 incorrect 0 1

Question 3 correct 1 1

Question 4 incorrect 0 1

Score: (50%) 2 4

1. The author's description of cashew drupes mentions which of the following?

• They are kidney-shaped. (correct answer, your response)

 • They are yellow and red.

• They are red.

• They taste like apples.

• They are large.

2.

Points earned: 1 out of 1

2. According to the passage, cashews are cultivated in all but these areas:

• regions with sufficient tropical conditions.

• India. (your response)

• regions with insufficient tropical conditions. (correct answer)

• Brazil.

• Vietnam.

3.

Feedback: According to the passage, cashews are cultivated in all regions with sufficient

tropical conditions; the passage specifically mentions India, Vietnam, and Brazil. Cashews are

NOT cultivated in regions with insufficient tropical conditions.

Points earned: 0 out of 1

3. According to the author, what are the pseudo fruit of the cashew tree called?

• Cashew flowers.

• Cashew apples. (correct answer, your response)

• Manzanas.

• Drupes.
 • Droops.

4.

Points earned: 1 out of 1

4. The passage states that one of the consequences of shelling cashew nuts can be

• green skin.

• dark green skin. (your response)

• contact with cashew worms.

• acquiring painful skin rashes. (correct answer)

• acquiring exceedingly painful bruises.

5.

Feedback: The passage does not mention worms or if the toxin found in the cashew shell

causes skin to change color. The passage states that contact with the toxin, which can occur

while shelling the nuts, can cause rashes, not bruises.

Points earned: 0 out of 1

Source: https://www.quia.com/quiz/908850.html?AP_rand=1463344205

Source: http://ted-ielts.com/skimming-and-scanning-practice-ufos/

Remember that when we reading an article in an academic context, we always need to

do the following:

You need to have the following skills

 Skimming – this is reading an article quickly so you can get the gist or basic
meaning of the article
 Scanning – looking for specific information related to the questions
 Close reading– once you know what is important – what you need to know to
answer a question – you will focus and read carefully on that section
 So pay attention to the following details from any reading source.

Skimming
1. What is the title given to the article?
2. Where was this article sourced from?
3. What do you think the article could be about from the title?
4. Read quickly and don’t pay too much attention to difficult sections or vocabulary.

Scanning
1. List the names of: and what is said about them in the article
2. People
3. Organisations
4. Countries/Cities or other places
5. Numbers
6. Anything else of importance that you can find. Pay attention to section topics.

Close Reading
1. Once you know the main idea, the section topics, etc, you can read your
questions and look for answers.
2. Look for synonyms or paraphrasing. Often the question will not use the exact
same word or wording as the text.
3. Watch out for implied meanings. Just because you know something to be true,
doesn’t mean it is true according to the text. Sometimes it is Not Given.

Reading Passage
The history of UFOs.

Unidentified Flying Object (or “UFO”) is a term commonly used to describe lights or
shapes in the sky. It was first coined by the United States Air Force in 1952 to describe
sightings of mysterious objects in the sky that could not be explained even after careful
investigation. Nowadays UFOs are spotted frequently, and feature in numerous movies
and TV shows. Another popular name for such an object is, “Flying Saucer,” in
reference to the round shape of many UFOs.

The first widely publicized UFO sighting was in 1947, by a pilot called Kenneth Arnold.
Following this event, public sightings of UFOs increased dramatically. Movies and TV
shows began featuring visitors from outer space, arriving on earth in flying saucers.
With the popularity of these images, many people claimed to have seen lights in the sky.
Some experts believe that people simply think they see UFOs because of the influence
of TV and movies.

However, experts estimate that as little as 5% of these sightings could be called

“unidentified.” Usually these lights are made by aircraft, satellites, or weather balloons.
Top secret air force activities during the Cold War may have been responsible for many
of the UFO sightings in America and Europe. Although not actually aliens, the secretive
nature of these flying objects is definitely unidentified.

Another popular idea concerning UFOs concerns the role of world governments.
Specifically, people believe that the US government has discovered alien life and
operates a “cover-up” to hide the truth from the public. The most widely believed cover-
up is that of the Roswell Incident. In July, 1947, a UFO supposedly landed in Roswell,
New Mexico, and was examined and hidden by government agents. There have been
many investigations into the Roswell Incident, however, these reports always claim that
no such event occurred.

Questions
Comprehension
 (answers are at the bottom of the page)

1st Reading (Skimming)

Read through the article and answer each of the following questions.

1. What is the purpose of this report?

a) To describe the history of alien life.
b) To describe government cover-ups.
c) To describe the history of UFO sightings.
d) To describe UFOs in popular movies.

2. Why are UFO sightings so controversial?

a) They have never been proved.
b) There are many sightings.
c) The government covers up sightings.
d) There are very few UFO sightings.

2nd Reading (Scanning)

Read the text carefully and answer each of the following questions in the form of
a sentence or a short paragraph.

1. Why is Kenneth Arnold famous among UFO believers?

a) He was at Roswell in 1947.
b) He found a UFO in 1952.
c) He saw a UFO in 1947.
d) He saw a UFO in 1952.

2. How do experts explain many UFO sightings?

a) There are many alien visitors to earth.
b) TV and movies make people believe they see UFOs.
c) Government cover-ups make people paranoid.
 d) They have no idea why there are so many sightings.

3. What do many people believe happened at Roswell?

a) Famous movies were made.
b) Kenneth Arnold was born.
c) The first UFO sighting.
d) A UFO landed there.

Circle the best answer for each question about the reading passage

4. Which of the following is true?

a) The first UFO was spotted in 1952.
b) The word “UFO” was first used in 1952.
c) The Roswell Incident occurred in 1952.
d) A UFO landed in America in 1952.

5. What influence did the Cold War have upon UFO sightings?
a) American pilots saw a UFO in the Cold War.
b) More UFO movies were made in the Cold War.
c) Lots of government cover-ups occurred.
d) Top secret air force activities caused more sightings.

State whether the following statements about the reading are true (T) or false (F)
according to the information in the passage.

6. Kenneth Arnold saw the first UFO.

7. The Roswell Incident occurred in 1952.

 8. Experts say many normal things account for UFO sightings.

9. Flying saucers are square-shaped.

Answers

Skimming
1. C
2. A
Scanning
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. D
6. F
7. F
8. T
9. F

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/21/technology/inside-amazon-go-a-
store-of-the-future.html
Inside Amazon Go, a Store of the Future

The technology inside Amazon’s new convenience store, opening Monday in downtown
Seattle, enables a shopping experience like no other — including no checkout lines.

By Nick Wingfield Jan. 21, 2018

SEATTLE — The first clue that there’s something unusual about Amazon’s store
of the future hits you right at the front door. It feels as if you are entering a
subway station. A row of gates guard the entrance to the store, known as Amazon
Go, allowing in only people with the store’s smartphone app.

Inside is an 1,800-square foot mini-market packed with shelves of food that you
can find in a lot of other convenience stores — soda, potato chips, ketchup. It also
has some food usually found at Whole Foods, the supermarket chain that
Amazon owns.

But the technology that is also inside, mostly tucked away out of sight, enables a
shopping experience like no other. There are no cashiers or registers anywhere.
Shoppers leave the store through those same gates, without pausing to pull out a
credit card. Their Amazon account automatically gets charged for what they take
out the door.

On Monday, the store will open to the public for the first time. Gianna Puerini,
the executive in charge of Amazon Go, recently gave tours of the store, in
downtown Seattle. This is a look at what shoppers will encounter.

There are no shopping carts or baskets inside Amazon Go. Since the checkout process is
automated, what would be the point of them anyway? Instead, customers put items
directly into the shopping bag they’ll walk out with.

Every time customers grab an item off a shelf, Amazon says the product is automatically
put into the shopping cart of their online account. If customers put the item back on the
shelf, Amazon removes it from their virtual basket.

The only sign of the technology that makes this possible floats above the store shelves —
arrays of small cameras, hundreds of them throughout the store. Amazon won’t say
much about how the system works, other than to say it involves sophisticated computer
vision and machine learning software. Translation: Amazon’s technology can see and
identify every item in the store, without attaching a special chip to every can of soup and
bag of trail mix.

There were a little over 3.5 million cashiers in the United States in 2016 — and some
of their jobs may be in jeopardy if the technology behind Amazon Go eventually
spreads. For now, Amazon says its technology simply changes the role of
employees — the same way it describes the impact of automation on its warehouse
workers.

“We’ve just put associates on different kinds of tasks where we think it adds to
the customer experience,” Ms. Puerini said.

Those tasks include restocking shelves and helping customers troubleshoot any
technical problems. Store employees mill about ready to help customers find
items, and there is a kitchen next door with chefs preparing meals for sale in the
store. Because there are no cashiers, an employee sits in the wine and beer
section of the store, checking I.D.s before customers can take alcohol off the
shelves.

Most people who spend any time in a supermarket understand how vexing the
checkout process can be, with clogged lines for cashiers and customers who
fumble with self-checkout kiosks.
At Amazon Go, checking out feels like — there’s no other way to put it —
shoplifting. It is only a few minutes after walking out of the store, when Amazon
sends an electronic receipt for purchases, that the feeling goes away.

ADVERTISEMENT

Actual shoplifting is not easy at Amazon Go. With permission from Amazon, I
tried to trick the store’s camera system by wrapping a shopping bag around a
$4.35 four-pack of vanilla soda while it was still on a shelf, tucking it under my
arm and walking out of the store. Amazon charged me for it.

A big unanswered question is where Amazon plans to take the technology. It

won’t say whether it plans to open more Amazon Go stores, or leave this as a one-
of-a-kind novelty. A more intriguing possibility is that it could use the technology
inside Whole Foods stores, though Ms. Puerini said Amazon has “no plans” to do
so.

There’s even speculation that Amazon could sell the system to other retailers,
much as it sells its cloud computing services to other companies. For now,
visitors to Amazon Go may want to watch their purchases: Without a register
staring them in the face at checkout, it’s easy to overspend.

Nick Wingfield is a technology correspondent based in Seattle. He covers Amazon,

Microsoft and emerging technologies and has written on technology's impact on
economies in the Pacific Northwest. He was previously a reporter at The Wall Street
Journal. @nickwingfield

Before reading the article

Can you imagine the grocery store of the future? What do you think it will be like? How will it
differ from the grocery store of today, and why?

Now, read the article “Inside Amazon Go, a Store of the Future” and answer the following
questions:

1. What type of convenience store opened in Seattle on Jan. 22?

2. What details make the Amazon Go store different from a traditional grocery store?

3. What is noticeable about the photos in the article? What do they show about the new store?

4. How are items paid for in the Amazon Go store, and what is eliminated in the process?

5. What does Amazon say about the role of cashiers and potential loss of jobs with the new
system?
6. Why does the author say the experience feels like shoplifting, and what happened when he
attempted to shoplift a four-pack of vanilla soda?

Finally, tell us more about what you think.

 Do you think the Amazon Go store is a model of what all grocery stores will eventually
look like? Why or why not?
 If you could change anything about food shopping, what would you change? What would
your ideal food shopping experience be like, and why?

Firework Safety - Intermediate ESL Reading Activity

Source:
https://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/health-and-
safety/firework-safety/firework-safety-reading-quiz.html

This English lesson about firework safety will help you

to learn some new vocabulary and practise your reading
skills. You will also learn some useful tips to help you
stay safe when using fireworks.

Task 1 - Dictionary Skills Exercise

Here are some of the English words and phrases used in this lesson. How many of these English
words and expressions do you know? Check the meaning of any words and phrases that you
don't know in the dictionary.

unlicensed

torchlight

naked flame

support

auncher

rocket

bucket

protection

arms length

taper
sparklers

spent

flammability

Task 2 - Reading Activity

Read this text about firework safety, and then scroll down the page to do a quiz and test how
much you have understood.

Firework safety
checklist</h2>
<p>Figures have shown that more children than adults get hurt by
fireworks. If you are thinking of using fireworks as part of your
celebrations, you should follow the steps listed below.</p>
<h2>Before your firework display</h2>
<p>Preparation is key to enjoying fireworks safely, so:</p>
<div class="wordage">
<ul>
<li>don’t buy fireworks from anywhere you’re not sure about, like a van or
a temporary, unlicensed market stall</li>
<li>only buy fireworks marked BS 7114 – this is the British Standard that
all fireworks should meet (a reputable shop will know this)</li>
<li>follow the instructions on each firework – read them in daylight or by
torchlight, never by a naked flame</li>
<li>make suitable supports and launchers if you’re setting off catherine
wheels or rockets</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>Things you will need on the night</h2>
<p>It’s easy to get a few household things together, these are:</p>
<div class="wordage">
<ul>
<li>a closed metal box to store the fireworks – take them out one at a
time</li>
<li>a bucket of water – to cool sparklers and put out any small fires</li>
<li>eye protection and gloves</li>
<li>a bucket of earth to stick fireworks in</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>Lighting fireworks</h2>
<p>Follow these simple guidelines to stay safe:</p>
<div class="wordage">
<ul>
<li>only one person should be responsible for letting off fireworks</li>
<li>don’t drink alcohol if you are setting off fireworks</li>
<li>light fireworks at arm’s length, using a taper</li>
<li>make sure everyone stands well back</li>
<li>never go back to a firework that has been lit – even if it hasn’t gone off
it could still explode</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>Sparklers</h2>
<p>Sparklers are fun, but always:</p>
<div class="wordage">
<ul>
<li>supervise children with sparklers and never give them to a child under
five</li>
<li>light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves</li>
<li>put used sparklers hot end down into a bucket of sand or water</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>Other tips on the night</h2>
<p>Finally, follow these other rules for a safe night:</p>
<div class="wordage">
<ul>
<li>keep pets indoors – most animals get very scared by the lights and noise
from fireworks</li>
<li>never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them</li>
<li>never throw spent fireworks on a bonfire</li>
<li>take care around bonfires – all clothes, even those labelled ‘low
flammability’, can catch fire