By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests 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.
Read the following story by Yanapon Musiket from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Without a grand piano in front of him, Sek Thongsuwan could easily be mistaken for a rocker.
“I listen to all kinds of music, but my dream is to be a world-renowned classical pianist,” the 27-year-old rising star said.
Sek is completing his postgraduate degree in classical piano at the N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He is the first and currently only Thai musician to be accepted at this prestigious music school.
When he was invited by the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra to perform a piano solo during a special concert in Auckland, New Zealand, Sek amazed the audience with his powerful interpretation of music by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Sek grew up in a middle-class family in the northern province of Phayao. His parents earn their living by selling longans from their orchards. When Sek was 8 years old, he was given the chance to learn how to play the keyboard.
“Phayao is a small city, and there was nowhere to have piano lessons at that time,” he recalls.
He was accepted for a one-year exchange programme in Russia, the homeland of many world-renowned classical musicians and composers. Before leaving Russia, Sek had an audition at the Sobinava Musical Institute and was accepted to study there. Luckily, his parents supported him.
“My parents believed it was a good opportunity for me and I am grateful to them for supporting me,” Sek said.
Sek studied with Professor Tatiana Zagorovskaya, an award-wining pianist and an Honoured Artist of Russia. After returning home for a concert, Sek’s reputation as a classical musician spread. He later received scholarships from different organisations in Thailand, together with opportunities to perform for ever wider audiences.
Exercises
Section 1
Read through the story. Then, answer the following reading comprehension questions.
1. What kind of musician is Sek?
a. He is a rock star.
b. He is a classical pianist.
c. He plays jazz.
2. Where did Sek go during his one-year exchange programme?
a. Russia.
b. Tokyo.
c. Switzerland.
3. How old is Sek?
a. 25.
b. 27.
c. 29.
4. What is Sek studying at St Petersburg Conservatory N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov?
a. Classical literature.
b. Classical mythology.
c. Classical piano.
5. How did Sek manage to pay for his higher music studies?
a. He used his own money.
b. His parents provided him financial support.
c. He received scholarships from different organisations.
Section 2
Read through the story and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
6. Sek first went to Russia as an exchange student.
……………………………………………………..
7. Phayao is in the south of Thailand.
……………………………………………………..
8. Professor Tatiana Zagorovskaya is an Honoured Artist of Russia.
……………………………………………………..
9. Sek’s father makes a living playing the piano and the guitar.
……………………………………………………..
10. Sek recently performed in a concert in Switzerland.
……………………………………………………..
Section 3
Choose the words from the choices given that are correct synonyms of the vocabulary words used in the story.
| a. songwriter | b. birthplace | c. statue | d. stature |
| e. rebuild | f. meaningful | g. indebted | h. famed |
11. Renowned ……………
12. Homeland ……………
13. Reputation ……………
14. Grateful ……………
15. Composer ……………
Section 4
Find words in the story that are anonyms of the following words.
16. Southern ………………
17. Formerly ………………
18. Refused ………………
19. Huge ………………
Section 5
Read through the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
Sek spent just three ….. 20 ….. learning how to play beginners’ level keyboard, when many others usually ….. 21….. at least a year to study the same course. ….. 22 ….. his teenage years, he continued his piano lessons until ...… 23 …… reached a turning point in his life, and he was finally able to take part in an exchange ….. 24 ….. programme in Russia.
20.
a. month
b. months
c. monthly
21.
a. taking
b. takes
c. take
22.
a. On
b. Within
c. During
23.
a. he
b. his
c. him
24.
a. studying
b. study
c. studious
Vocabulary
- prodigy (n): a young person who is unusually intelligent or skillful for their age
prestigious (adj): respected and admired as very important or of high quality
composer (n): a person who writes music, especially classical music
orchard (n): a piece of land, normally enclosed, in which fruit trees are grown
homeland (n): the country where a person was born
grateful (adj): feeling or showing thanks because somebody has done something kind for you or has done as you asked
wide (adj): including a large number or variety of different people or things
