WEEK 12 READING

Exercise 12
1. A recent survey among youth who idle away their time reveals that poor home environment is the root
cause. They give reasons such as boredom at home, broken homes and uncaring parents. It is interesting
to note that these youth do not only come from families with financial problems. Many of them are from
wealthy families.

Youth who like to waste their time loafing

A do not like to stay at home. B come from lonely homes. (Not mentioned)
C come from rich families. D come from families with different financial backgrounds.
(stated)

2. Many parents seem to be spending more and more time pursuing their careers, leaving very little time
for their children. There are some parents who give too much pocket allowance to their children, thus
enabling or encouraging them to spend their time with their friends in public places.

From the passage, we can conclude that

A parents love their careers more than their children. (N.m)

B many parents do not like to spend time with their children. (N.m)
C parents encourage their children to spend more time with their friends.
D parents neglect their children and compensate them by fulfilling their financial needs only. (Stated)

3. The rain came suddenly. It was indeed a blessing, as this part of the world is known to experience not
a drop of rain for months. The men let the refreshing rain soak their bodies, relishing every minute of it.
They also tried to fill their containers with as much water as possible. However, the rain stopped abruptly
after a short while.

From the paragraph, the men were most probably

A at a desert. B at a mountain.
C in the jungle. D in a secluded forest.

4. Malaysians are facing higher health risks because of their unhealthy lifestyle. More and more people
are leading sedentary lives, consuming a higher fat diet or experiencing stress. A good number do not
pay any heed to anti-smoking campaigns. These people risk health problems such as hypertension,
obesity, diabetes or heart disease.

Based on the paragraph,

A many Malaysians are healthy. (N.m) B many Malaysians tend to be inactive.

(Unstated)

C some Malaysians are under a lot of pressure. (N.m) D some Malaysians are fat. (N.m)

5. It is undeniable that a woman's place was once in the kitchen. It was considered to be the duty of a
woman to cook, to clean, to wash and to answer the needs of her children and husband. A woman was
thought to be unfit for any occupation other than the household chores. There were no openings for
women and men monopolised all professions.

From the paragraph, we can conclude that

A women belong in the kitchen.

B women can do things better than men.
C men dominated all the jobs in the past. (Unstated)
D women were frequently questioned by their husbands and the children.

Exercise 13
1. Kite-flying is a popular pastime among Malay fishermen of the East Coast. The first kites were believed
to have been brought from China by merchants who came to the Malay Peninsula to trade. The kites
made in the East Coast are very large and beautiful. They come in various shapes. The most popular is
the moon-kite, Wau Bulan, which has a crescent-shaped tail. Villagers often organise kite-flying
competitions.

Based on the paragraph,

A the fishermen of the East Coast enjoy flying kites when they are free.

B in the past, kites were imported from China.

C the villagers do business with the Chinese fishermen.

D kite-flying is popular among the children.

2. Fleas and lice live and feed on other animals, called their hosts. Fleas pierce the skin of birds and
mammals and drink their blood. Fleas cannot fly, but for their size, they can jump higher and farther than
any other animal.

From the passage, fleas and lice are probably

A huge insects. B parasites.(implied) C reptiles D amphibians.

3. Obesity is the world's biggest public-health issues today — the main cause of heart disease, which kills
more people these days than AIDS, malaria and war: the principal risk factor in diabetes; heavily
implicated in cancer and other diseases.

Which of the following describes the main idea of the text?

A Obesity causes heart diseases.(stated) B Obesity is the world's biggest killer.
C More people die from AIDS than obesity. D Many people like being obese.

4. Perhaps the most important early aviation pioneer was the artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci, who
in the 1480s, produced over 100 sketches to illustrate how humans might be allowed to fly. These
included a drawing of a flying machine called Ornithopter. Although never created, the design for da
Vinci's machine included many concepts that were later incorporated into the modern-day helicopter.

From the paragraph, we can know that Leonardo da Vinci

A gave advice on how to build the helicopter. B drew 100 sketches of Ornithopter.

C taught the people how to fly. D never constructed the Ornithopter.

5. Mountaineering is a glorious sport teeming with fun, excitement and adventure. But it needs
extraordinary strength, guts, determination and endurance, and above all, training. A mountaineer should
learn the art of roping. By means of roping, should one member fall, he will be saved by the rope tied to
the others. A mountaineer must also have knowledge of first aid as tiredness and fainting are rather
common.

According to the paragraph, mountain climbing is

A funny. B difficult. C thrilling. D dangerous.