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 from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
A joystick becomes a lamp, an inkjet printer turns into a cosmetics bag and the case of a computer becomes a foot stool. Designers, students and amateurs have transformed IT waste, from discarded main boards to old phones, into functional products that are also environmentally friendly.
The Use Me Again contest, organised by popular Thai website pantip.com, has attracted many people who have turned IT rubbish into valuable goods.
Chatchai Bunruedi used his old game joystick to create a reading lamp. The joystick functions as a switch for the colourful LED lamp.
“I set as the target group the new generation of people who love something cool, so I came up with joysticks,” he said. Chatchai is a designer who works as a product development strategist at Siam Cement Group. His work is dubbed Eco-Joy, and it won first prize. Besides a trophy, Chatchai won a plane ticket to the UK to visit the 100% Design London exhibition in September.
Interior designer Phinyo Kongsuphapsiri won second prize. His invention, called Heat Sync, is made from the components of discarded CPU coolers.
Natthanan Yongwatthanaset used to run an internet cafe. She transformed old desktop computers into a foot stool. She used a 17-inch CRT computer screen and sewed a PVC sponge on the top of the stool. The wooden feet are made to look like human feet. The stool can also be used as a dry litter bin.
Suphaporn Boonchroen, a student at King Mongkut Institute of Technology in Ladkrabang, pulled out the internal components of an inkjet printer, sprayed the case, decorated it with stickers and attached a face mirror to the inside of the cover. The Print Your Face cosmetics bag won the Pantip popular vote and Suphaporn received 10,000 baht together with a trophy. All the creative ideas with commercial potential will be financially supported by Pantip.
Singh Intrachooto from Kasetsart University said 79 entries were submitted to the Use Me Again competition. The judging committee chose 10 based on creativity, commercial feasibility and environmental friendliness.
Thailand Environment Institute president Qwanruedee Chotichanathawewong said each person in Thailand was making on average about 1.5 kilogrammes of rubbish per day, and that the amount was rising.
Exercises
Section 1
Read the story. Then, answer the following multiple choice questions.
1. Which university is Singh Intrachooto working for?
a. Rangsit University.
b. Kasetsart Univerisity.
c. Thammasat University.
2. How many entries were there for the "Use Me Again" competition?
a. 79.
b. 10.
c. Two.
3. What are criteria that the judging committee used when selecting the winners?
a. Creativity and environmental friendliness.
b. Commercial feasibility.
c. Both a and b are correct.
4. Which award did Suphaporn Boonchroen win?
a. A trophy and a plane ticket to the UK to visit the 100% Design London exhibition.
b. Second prize.
c. Ten thousand baht and a trophy.
5. What does Chatchai Bunruedi do?
a. He’s a product development strategist.
b. He’s a student at King Mongkut Institute of Technology.
c. He’s an Interior designer.
Section 2
Read the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
6. Natthanan Yongwatthanaset used to run an internet cafe.
…………….
7. A joystick was made into a foot stool.
…………….
8. Qwanruedee is the president of the Thailand Environment Institute.
…………….
9. The winning LED lamp uses an old joystick as a switch and a stand.
…………….
10. Suphaporn received 100,000 baht and a trophy for winning the popular vote.
…………….
Section 3
Underline the grammatically correct preposition in each sentence from the choices given.
11. Natthanan Yongwatthanaset ran an internet café in/within/on the past.
12. The name he gave onto/to/above his work was Eco-Joy.
13. The internal components of/under/beyond an inkjet printer were removed by Suphaporn.
14. Chatchai won a plane ticket to the UK to visit the 100% Design London exhibition through/in/at September.
15. He used his old game joystick to/for/from create a reading lamp.
Section 4
Write down the noun form of the following words used in the story.
16. friendly ………………
17. decorated ………………
18. attached ………………
19. commercial ………………
20. submitted ………………
Section 5
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
Another creation is by Chai Jaiching, who made a mirror …..21….. washbasin from a CRT monitor. He separated a …..22….. computer into two pieces; the front part became …..23….. mirror, while the rear part formed a basin. He …..24…..his invention Facelook & The Databasin.
21.
a. with
b. and
c. add
22.
a. person
b. personal
c. personality
23.
a. a
b. an
c. and
24.
a. name
b. namely
c. named
Vocabulary
- amateur (n): a person who takes part in a sport or other activity for enjoyment, not as a job
discard (v): to get rid of something that you no longer want or need
dub (v): to give something a particular name, often in a humorous way
sew (v): to use a needle and thread to make stitches in cloth
