BAHASA INGGRIS

8
Magicians
PEMBELAJARAN JARAK JAUH SMPK PENABUR JAKARTA
 Reading: Magicians

NAME: __________________________ CLASS: _____ NO: _____ SCORE:

Reading the text 1

Read the text carefully and answer the question no 1-5

Discovering your interests and talents

Many people in today`s society seem to be entirely unaware of the talents they possess. it is as if
“talent“ does not matter unless we are an outstanding singer, sports achiever, or exceptional
business guru. the truth of the matter is, we are all born with our own set of talents.
Actually, nobody in the world can do the things that you do in exactly the same way. We each
hold a distinctive set of talents, and have had an opportunity to develop a variety of skill. Talent
is not the same as skill. skills are learned abilities, while talent is something we are born with.
Our talent can help us learn certain skills faster and with more ease than others. For example,
everyone could learn to play musical instruments. If they had to, but not everyone can feel a
perfect rhythm, or hear perfect pitch. these innate talents are not something learned, but rather,
something that live within us. to find your talents you need to take a journey inside yourself!
INTERESTS
These are things that you like to do or you have always wanted to do. What are your favourite
hobbies? what school subjects do you enjoy? What sports do you play for fun? Do you like work
with people, ideas, numbers and calculations, or things?
Talent (abilities) are things you can do well. what are your special talent or gift? What things
come naturally to you?

1. Based on the text above what do you think about most people think about their talent?
A. People think that talent is the same with the skill.
B. People always aware about their talent since they were kids.
C. People don`t think that talent or skill is really matter.
D. People don`t aware of the talents for people think they are all born with their own
set of talents.

2. Everyone probably can sing a song fluently but not everyone can sing with the soul of the
song. it because not everyone...
A. has got the same skill
B. hasn`t got innate talent
C. can learn with his/her skill live with in him/her
D. has got innate talents that live within him/her

GRADE: 8 (EIGHT) 1
 Reading: Magicians

3. Things that someone likes to do or someone has always wanted to do.

What is the suitable word which has the same meaning to the sentence above?
A. skill
B. talent
C. ability
D. interest

4. .... to find your talents you need to take a journey inside yourself.! (Paragraph 2)
What is the similar meaning of the word journey in the text a?
A. cruise
B. voyage
C. expedition
D. wandering

5. What is the topic of paragraph 2?

A. Nobody in the world can do the things that you do in exactly the same way.
B. Everybody borns with his /her own set of talent which can help learn certain skills
faster.
C. Everyone can do the things in the same way learn certain skills faster and with more
ease than others.
D. everyone holds a distinctive set of talent and have had an opportunity to develop a
variety of skill.

READING MAGICIAN AND HIDDEN TALLENT

Reading text 2
Harry Houdini, by Laura Lodge
This is a short biography of the famous magician and escapologist Harry Houdini, who lived
from 1874 to 1926.
Harry Houdini’s daring escapades made him one of the most famous escape artists to have ever
lived, and his name is still recognised all over the world today.
Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary, on 24th March 1874. At the age of
four, Erik and his family emigrated to the United States of America, looking for a better life. The
family changed their names to make them easier to pronounce: ‘Weisz’ became ‘Weiss’ and
‘Erik’ became ‘Ehrich’. The Weiss family were almost destitute, relying on charity and the odd
jobs the children took to make a little money. Ehrich bought and resold newspapers, polished
shoes and ran errands – anything to support his family. Eventually, Ehrich’s willingness to help

GRADE: 8 (EIGHT) 2
 Reading: Magicians

his family out by doing anything and everything led to his first performance, when he joined his
friend’s circus troupe. Performing as ‘Ehrich, Prince of the Air’, nine-year-old Ehrich showed
skill on the trapeze and a love of the stage was born. For a few years, Ehrich’s urge to perform
was quelled by practising gymnastics, acrobatics and reading up on the art of magic at the public
library. But at the age of 12, Ehrich suddenly left home, riding off on a freight train in search of
adventure.
After spending a year away from home, Ehrich returned to help his family, working various jobs
while still trying to make money from his true passion, magic. Around the age of 17, Ehrich
Weiss became Harry Houdini. Harry and his brother Dash became ‘The Brothers Houdini’,
performing magic tricks and sleight of hand, but when they were not very successful, Harry
started to experiment as an escape artist. Eventually, an agent called Martin Beck recognised
Harry’s talent and arranged for him to tour Europe with his escape act. When Harry successfully
escaped from handcuffs in a locked cell at Scotland Yard during a stay in London, his fame was
secured, and he gained a new nickname: ‘The Handcuff King’.
Jennie the vanishing elephant
One of Harry’s most famous tricks involved the apparent disappearance of a 5-tonne elephant
called Jennie. The audience was amazed when Jennie disappeared right in front of their eyes. In
reality, the cabinet Jennie disappeared into was huge and this, coupled with the fact that the stage
was the largest on Earth, produced an optical illusion. Jennie never left the stage; instead, she
just walked to the other end of the cabinet!
Escaping from a straightjacket upside down
Many pictures of Harry show him being hung upside down locked in a straightjacket. This trick
was inspired by a young boy Harry met while touring in Sheffield, Randolph Osborne Douglas.
The ‘suspended straightjacket escape’ became his signature trick and involved him being locked
in a straightjacket and hung upside down from a building or a crane.
Breaking free from a locked box underwater
In 1912, having been put in handcuffs and leg irons, Harry climbed into a box which was nailed
shut, weighed down and thrown into a river. He managed to achieve what looked impossible, by
escaping in just 57 seconds without even breaking the box!
Harry continued to perform in his later life. He kept busy, acting in movies, learning to fly aero
planes and even working to expose fraudulent psychics, before dying in 1926 at the age of 52.
His work inspired some of the most famous magicians, escapologists and illusionists today, such
as David Blaine and Derren Brown.
source from Complete Comprehension 5 © Schofield & Sims Ltd, 2020

Answer the following questions!

1a. Think about the whole text. Do you think Harry enjoyed his work?

GRADE: 8 (EIGHT) 3
 Reading: Magicians

Tick one. Yes /No Give two pieces of evidence from the text to support your opinion Look at
the paragraph beginning Harry Houdini was born … .

2b. Why did the Weisz family move to the United States of America?
Give ways Ehrich helped to support his family.
a. __________________________________________
b. __________________________________________
3. Look at the paragraph beginning After spending a year … .
Who first noticed how gifted Harry was?

4. What made Houdini’s locked box trick so dangerous? Tick two from the option given
A. It was nailed shut.
B. He had to wear a straightjacket.
C. He had to wear leg irons. It was put in a cage.
D. He was tied up with ropes.

5 Complete the table with information from the text.

a. Harry’s name when he was born
b. His age when he changed his name
to Harry Houdini
c. His age when he died

GRADE: 8 (EIGHT) 4