University Tips

Sweet success

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

Match the photos on the right with the correct captions.

SECTION 2

Read the following story from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the reading comprehension questions on the right.

Sweet surprise

We visited the district of Ban Lat in Phetchaburi to check out Thamrong, a large farming community of 3,600 people. The local Tambon Administration Organisation (TAO) president Bunpot Kumlaikaew offers free guided tours of the neighbourhood.

�We believe in sustainable methods of farming around here,� said Bunpot, a man in his early fifties.

In the middle of the village is a hill that houses a limestone cave. This is where we began our tour. There is an old, nine-metre tall Buddha image in this cave. It is called Luang Por Dam.

Bunpot invited us to visit Loong Thanom�s sugar-palm orchard the next day to see how an aromatic brown sugar called nam taan beep is made.

We arrived at the plantation at around 5 am. There we watched a young boy climb to the top of a tall sugar palm to remove a bamboo cylinder containing sap collected over the previous 12 hours.

All the sap gathered that morning was filtered and then poured into two large pans and left to on a wood stove so that the water in the sap can evaporate. The process takes about three hours.

Bunpot then took us to the home of villager Loong Pote Namuang, who carves little animals from the large seeds of the sugar palm. He sells the finished work at OTOP stores around the province.

4. In which province is Thamrong village located?

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5. What does TAO stand for?

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6. Where is the Luang Por Dam image?

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7. How tall is the Luang Por Dam image?

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8. What does Loong Thanom grow?

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9. How long does it take the sugar sap to evaporate?

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10. Where does Loong Pote Namuang sell his carvings of animals?

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SECTION 3

Read the following story. Then, answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.

Getting rich

In 2007, the fastest-growing population of wealthy people was found in the Asia Pacific region and new markets.

A report by Merril Lynch and Capgemini found that the number of millionaires (with US $1 million or more) in Singapore rose to 15.3 percent.

The global average wealth per High Net Worth Individual (HNWI) is about

$4.04 million, whereas among the wealthy in Singapore, it is $4.9 million.

The Asia Pacific wealth market is expected to reach $13.9 trillion in 2012. The region is expected to surpass Europe as the second wealthiest region after North America.

11. According to the text, how much money does a millionaire have?

a. US$1 million or more.
b. 1 million or more Singapore dollars.
c. At least 1 million baht.
d. Not less than 1 million Euros.

12. According to the text, which of the following situations is expected in 2012?

a. The wealthiest region will be North America. Europe will be the second wealthiest and the Asia Pacific region will be the third.
b. The wealthiest region will be Europe. The Asia Pacific region will be second and North America will be third.
c. The wealthiest region will be North America. The Asia Pacific Region will be second and Europe will be the third.
d. The wealthiest region will be Europe. North America will be second and the Asia Pacific Region will be third.

SECTION 4

Scan the following TV listing. Then, answer the true or false questions.

13. You can watch the final day of the LPGA championships at 03:00 on Channel 7.

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14. You can watch boxing on the day listed.

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15. Australia competes against Italy in a Euro 2008 match showing at 23:00.

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SECTION 5

The table to the left contains information regarding the story in Section 3. Scan the table and answer the following questions.

17. How many countries are listed in the table?

a. 20.
b. 10.
c. 2.
d. 30.

18. What does the table show?

a. The increasing number of rich people in several countries.
b. The increasing number of rich people in India.
c. The population of each of the countries.
d. The percentage rich people in several countries.

19. Which country heads the table?

a. Russia.
b. India .
c. China.
d. Singapore.

	sustainable (adj): involving the use of natural products and energy in a way that does not harm the environment limestone (n): a type of white stone that contains calcium, used in building and in making cement plantation (n): a large area of land, especially in a hot country, where crops such as coffee, sugar, rubber, etc. are grown sap (n): the liquid in a plant or tree that carries food to all its parts filter (v): to pass liquid, light, etc. through a special device, especially to remove something that is not wanted evaporate (v): if a liquid evaporates, it changes into a gas, especially steam surpass (v): to do or be better than somebody or something