Exercises

New and improved

Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post

There�s going to be a surprise in store for all you Matayom 1 and 4 students this semester. Read this story from the Bangkok Post to find out what it is.

Matayom 1 and 4 pupils this semester will enjoy textbooks printed on new lightweight paper, which is easier on the eye than the usual paper.

The move is the latest effort by a state printing house to protect students� health. Pakorn Rongnopparut, deputy director of the Office of Welfare for Teachers� business organisation, said 600,000 textbooks for studying the Thai language will be available this semester.

EASY ON THE EYES

The new cream-coloured paper is not as light reflective, providing greater reading comfort than ordinary printing paper, Pakorn said.

In addition, the paper is more durable and weighs less than ordinary paper, he said.

Eye-friendly textbooks have long been available in developed countries like Japan and Singapore, but Thai publishing houses had introduced the new technology only for pocket books, he said.

The textbooks have been proven be easier on the eye, which reduces eye strain and allows students to read for longer periods.

QUALITY COUNTS

According to Pakorn, fine paper is white and therefore reflects more light than other types of paper. It is also thicker and weighs 28 percent more than eye-friendly paper.

Private publishers use moisture-proof paper for most of their school books. The moisture-proof paper, though brownish and lightweight, is less long-lasting and poor in image quality, making the books less interesting for students, he said.

Though higher in quality, Pakorn promised to keep the price of the new textbooks unchanged at 60 baht.

PRAISE ALL ROUND

Nakarin Kaewsri-ngam, a Matayom 4 student, is excited about the books.

�I have to take a short break after reading a white-paper textbook for half an hour. It can make me dizzy,� Nakarin said. �It is great to start off with the eye-friendly Thai language textbooks.�

Chantagan Samruan, a Matayom 5 student, also welcomed the project.

�These days, I have to read a textbook under a dim light to keep the light reflection at a comfortable level,� he said. �A lightweight textbook would also ease my back pain caused by carrying books to school. Each textbook contains more than a hundred pages.�

Exercises

Read the story. Then answer the following true or false questions.

1. According to Pakorn, the moisture-proof paper is longer-lasting.

2. Eye-friendly paper has only been used in Thailand for pocket books.

3. Fine white paper is thicker and weighs more than eye-friendly paper.

4. Chantagan has to read a textbook under a dim light to keep him from getting dizzy.

	reflective (adj): surfaces that send back light or heat durable (adj): likely to last for a long time without breaking or getting weaker strain (n): an injury to a part of your body, such as a muscle, that is caused by using it too much or by twisting it dizzy (n): feeling as if everything is spinning around you and that you are not able to balance ease (v): to become or to make something less unpleasant, painful, severe, etc.