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University Tips
Day Trip
By Ajarn Helen Jandamit, Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the university entrance examination.
SECTION 1
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Match each photograph above with the correct caption.
Captions
a. A couple feeding fish by the river.
b. Benjarong porcelain with enamel glaze.
c. Wall paintings and Buddha images at Wat Nang Sao, Samut Sakhon.
d. A shrine dedicated to Samut Sakhon�s guardian spirit.
e. A Buddha image wearing sunglasses.
SECTION 2
Read the story from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.
Splendid Samut Sakhon
Samut Sakhon is a tiny coastal province an hour�s drive west of Bangkok. The area is well-known for its colourful fishing port and busy seafood markets, but Samut Sakhon has other interesting things to see as well.
Wat Krok Krak is located in the Muang district of Samut Sakhon on the Tha Chin River. It is famous for a Buddha image, Luang Pho Pu, wearing a pair of sunglasses.
According to local legend, an infectious eye condition once swept through the neighbourhood. Fearing they would catch the disease, villagers asked for protection from the Buddha image. The outbreak stopped soon afterwards.
Villagers believed that Luang Pho Pu had helped them. Many of them went to the temple to make merit by placing gold leaf on the eyes of the statue. The abbot of Wat Krok Krak put a pair of sunglasses on the statue to prevent damage.
Many fishermen live in the town. For them, the Lak Muang pillar, dedicated to Mahachai�s guardian spirit, is sacred. Before they set off on long sea voyages, they visit the Lak Muang pillar to ask for blessings.
Upriver from Samut Sakhon is Don Kai Dee, an area known for producing fine Benjarong porcelain. Benjarong is hand-painted porcelain with an enamel glaze, usually painted in the colours red, yellow, green, black and white.
Urai Taeng-iam heads up the Benjarong Pottery-making Group, which has nearly 100 members. Some work from home studios; others work in local shops like Urai�s store in the village of Ban Klang.
While the majority of customers are Thai, the sub-district is starting to attract more foreign visitors.
�We�re on the tourist map now,� Urai said. �We get tour groups coming from the Rose Garden in nearby Samphran � mainly Japanese, Korean, Swiss and Polish tourists.
6. What is Samut Sakhon known for?
a. Its
fishing port and seafood markets.
b. Japanese,
Korean and Swiss tourists.
c. The
village of Ban Klang.
7. Where is Samut Sakhon province located?
a.
South of
Bangkok.
b. East of
Chiang Mai.
c. West of
Bangkok.
8. How long does it take to get to Samut Sakhon from Bangkok?
a.
60 minutes
by car.
b. 10
minutes by bicycle.
c. One hour
walking.
9. What is unusual about the Buddha image at Wat Krok Krak?
a. The
image wears a pair of sandals.
b. The
image holds an umbrella.
c. The
image wears sunglasses.
10. When do the fishermen ask for blessings at the Lak Muang pillar?
a.
Before
they go to the Tha Chin river.
b. Before
they go out to sea.
c. Before
they visit Wat Krok Krak.
11. Where is the Benjarong porcelain made?
a.
At the Lak
Muang pillar.
b. On the
Tha Chin river.
c. In Don
Kai Dee.
12. How many members belong to the Benjarong Pottery-making group?
a.
More than
100 members.
b. 100
members.
c. Almost 100 members.
SECTION 3
Complete the following questions by filling in the blanks, using either How much or How many.
13. ���������� do the items in Urai�s shop cost?
14. ����������� people are in the Benjarong Pottery- making Group?
SECTION 4
Fill in each blank in the text with the correct word from the choices that follow.
Although
many people buy Benjarong tableware as collectibles, Urai pointed out that it
is not so fragile ......... 15 ......... it cannot be used for its intended
purpose. To ......... 16 ......... damage, she advises washing porcelain
items with a sponge and ......... 17 ......... with a rough scourer.
�And they should never be ......... 18 ......... in a microwave oven,�
Urai said.
15.
a. which b.
that
c.
so
d.
for
16.
a. avoid
b.
promote
c.
improve
d.
repair
17.
a. always
b.
often
c.
constantly
d.
never
18.
a. put
b.
washed
c.
painted
d.
mixed
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shrine (n): a place where people come to worship because it is connected with
a holy person or event infectious (adj): an infectious disease can be passed easily from one person to another outbreak (n): the sudden start of something unpleasant, especially violence or a disease sacred (adj): connected with a god; considered to be holy porcelain (n): a hard white shiny substance made by baking clay and used for making delicate cups, plates and ornaments; objects that are made of this glaze (n): a thin clear liquid put on clay objects such as cups and plates before they are finished, to give them a hard shiny surface |
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