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.
By Ajarn Helen Jandamit, photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
Read the following story by Jeerawat Na Thalang from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Charoen Sin, an antique printing house on the bank of Damnoen Saduak Canal, has been operating for more than half a century.
CLASSIC MEDIA
Located in an old Chinese-Thai neighbourhood in Ratchaburi province, Charoen Sin is famous for providing printing services in Chinese, English and Thai. Whenever there was a festival at a local Chinese temple, or funeral or religious ceremony, customers would come to Charoen Sin by boat to have their announcements published.
About 30 years ago, Charoen Sin's two printers ran all day long, making a sound that could be heard all along the canal.
"That's why people call this part of the canal Klong Rong Pim [Printing House Canal]," said Preecha Phaiboonwong, the 54-year-old owner of Charoen Sin, who inherited the old printing house from his father-in-law a decade ago.
CURRENT BUSINESS
Today only one of the printing presses at Charoen Sin remains active. Chan Taengpayon, 63, who has been working at Charoen Sin since 1971, operates it.
Chan operates the printing machine by feeding pieces of paper into the running press, which will stamp the letters on the paper about once every second. In that time, Chan will pull out the printed sheet and replace it with a fresh piece of paper.
"You need to concentrate or you can get hurt," Chan said. Once, he broke several of his fingers after failing to move his hand out of the way quickly enough.
TRUE VALUE
Like most of the waterfront shops in Damnoen Saduak, Charoen Sin is only accessible on foot via a narrow wooden walkway along the canal.
Most of the wooden shophouses are now closed, but there are traces of once-vibrant businesses. An old sign still hangs in front of what was once a local pharmacy. A faded logo for Caltex petrol can still be seen on one of the closed shophouses.
Charoen Sin also faces closure if its old broken parts can no longer be replaced.
"If we're not able to find replacements for broken parts, I plan to turn this antique printing house into a museum," Preecha said, noting that tourists and students already visit it from time to time.
"Its value is more than the amount of business that it can generate," he said. "If the printing press no longer exists, how can people continue calling this place Printing House Canal?"
Section 1
Read the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. How long has Charoen Sin operated?
a. For five years.
b. For fifteen years.
c. For over five decades.
2. Where is Charoen Sin located?
a. In Sing Buri.
b. In Ratchaburi.
c. In Phetchaburi.
3. How old is Preecha Phaiboonwong?
a. He is in his thirties.
b. He is in his forties.
c. He is in his fifties.
4. Chan's __________ were broken while he was operating his printing machine.
a. fingers
b. toes
c. ears
5. Charoen Sin provides printing services in Chinese, _______ and Thai.
a. Japanese
b. Korean
c. English
6. When did Chan start working at Charoen Sin?
a. In 1969.
b. In 1971.
c. In 2001.
7. Who did Preecha inherit Charoen Sin from?
a. From his father.
b. From Chan Taengpayon.
c. From his father-in-law.
Section 2
Specify whether each of the following statements is true or false.
8. Charoen Sin is situated on the bank of Saen Saeb Canal. ……….
9. Charoen Sin is well-known for providing boat and ferry services. ……….
10. At present, only one of the printing presses at Charoen Sin remains in use. ……….
Section 3
Read each of the following sentences and underline the grammatically correct word in each from the choices given.
11. Customers came to the printing house by boat to have their/theirs/there announcements published.
12. You need to concentrate in/of/on the printing process.
13. She inherited the properties under/for/from her mother-in-law two years ago.
14. He feeds a piece of paper into the running/runner/run press.
15. She has been working/worked/work at the printing house since 1995.
Section 4
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
"Many of the customers are regulars, such as Chinese shrines or …..16….. temples. They often wish to publish their announcements …..17….. slips of paper to hand out to the public.
…..18….. prefer our printing service because the old metal type …..19….. can produce clearer and more readable characters than digital …..20….. This is particularly the case for Chinese characters."
16. a. Buddha b. Buddhism c. Buddhist
17. a. in b. on c. with
18. a. He b. They c. It
19. a. please b. peace c. pieces
20. a. printers b. print c. printed
Section 5
Specify whether each of the following word is used in the story as a verb, noun or adjective.
21. festival ……………….
22. accessible ……………….
23. concentrate ……………….
24. generate ……………….
antique (adj): old and often valuable
inherit (v): to receive money or property from somebody when they die
active (adj): doing something regularly
pharmacy (n): a shop that sells medicines and drugs
Answers
Section 1
1. c.
2. b.
3. c.
4. a.
5. c.
6. b.
7. c.
Section 2
8. False.
9. False.
10. True.
Section 3
11. their
12. on
13. from
14. running
15. working
Section 4
16. c.
17. b.
18. b.
19. c.
20. a.
Section 5
21. Noun.
22. Adjective.
23. Verb.
24. Verb.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
