WAKING UP TO A NIGHTMARE

BUKIT MERTAJAM: A heavy downpour in the wee hours had caused some 100 homes in Machang Bubok, Bukit Mertajam to be hit by flash flood. The panic-stricken villagers in the area had to hurry to save their belongings and move to a higher ground.

A fire engine, a truck and two boats were dispatched to the scene to help the flood victims. The affected villagers were taken to a relief centre at a school nearby. Fortunately,there were no casualties.

Saad Osman, 49, whose house in Kampung Machang Bubok was among those affected said that such occurrence was not uncommon. He further added, “It rained heavily at about 3 a.m. last night. Two hours later, the water started gushing in and rose rapidly up to waist level. We face this problem at least once a year but this year is the worst. My furniture is all damaged as I had no time to move them out.”

Another victim, Mohd Rosdi Idris, 45, said,” It came as a surprise to us because the water rose very fast this time. Fortunately, some villagers managed to save their belongings in time.”

Another resident, who wished to be known only as Jack, blamed the development projects nearby as the main cause of the flood. “There are many new construction work done on higher grounds. Therefore, whenever it rain heavily, the water flows onto the lower grounds, causing the river nearby to burst its banks”.

The villagers hoped that the relevant authorities would look into this matter seriously and take appropriate actions to overcome this problem immediately.

(Adapted from New Straits Times)

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions (a)-(j)

a) What happened in Machang Bubok?

...( 1 mark) b) What caused this to happen?

...( 1 mark) c) How many houses were affected?

...( 1 mark)

d) Who said that the flood was a usual problem in his village?

...(1 mark) e) Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word/phrase from the passage

Meaning Word/phrase

i) Very early in the morning ii) Incident

iii) Flowing in suddenly iv) Overflow

( 4 marks) f) What does the phrase “there were no casualties” mean?

...(1 mark) g) According to Jack, what was the main cause of the flood?

...(1 mark) h) How would the affected villagers have felt about the situation?

...(1 mark) i) Suggest two ways how we can help the victims?

1. ...(1 mark) 2. ...(1 mark) j) State two ways how we can avoid flash floods.

i. ...(1 mark) ii. ...( 1 mark)

PRACTICE 5

Section C [20 marks]

[Time suggested: 20 minutes] Question 4

Read the article about a famous personality.

Not many people would recognise the name Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes but he is none other than the entrepreneur who rose to prominence by turning AirAsia, a failing commercial airline into a successful budget air company and introducing the now famous tag line “Now everybody can fly”.

Tony Fernandes was born on 30 April 1964 in Kuala Lumpur. He completed his secondary education at Epsom College, London and graduated from the London School of Economics in 1987. Fernandes was admitted as Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 1991 and became Fellow Member in 1996.

Upon his return to Malaysia, he became the youngest Managing Director of Warner Music and subsequently became the South-east Asian Regional Vice-President of Warner Music Group. Fernandes then left to pursue his dream of starting a budget airline. In 2001 he had the opportunity to meet with Tun Mahathir who advised him to buy an existing airline rather than start a new one. Fernandes mortgaged his home and used his savings to buy AirAsia.

The purchase occurred just after the September 11 terrorist attacks in America and many people thought that Fernandes was crazy to venture into airline industry at such time. Yet one year after his takeover, Fernandes broke even and cleared all his debts. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fernandes was named ‘Malaysian CEO of the Year’ in 2003 and has since been named the recipient of other prestigious business awards around the world. He has also been honoured by the Yang Dipertuan Agong of Malaysia and the governments of France and Britain.

He has indeed done the country proud. He is not likely to rest on his laurels and is definitely destined for greater success in the future.

Questions (a) to (i)

Read the article carefully and answer the questions below. (a) Who is Tan Sri Tony Fernandes?

_________________________________________________________ (1 mark) (b) Name two places where Fernandes received his early education?

i) ___________________________________________________ (1 mark)

ii) ___________________________________________________ (1 mark)

(c) What advice was given by Tun Mahathir to Fernandes during their meeting? _________________________________________________________ (1 mark) (d) Fill in the table with appropriate word/phrase from the text.

Meaning Word/Phrase

i) chase after

ii) dared to do something risky iii) not making profit or losing money iv) easily satisfied

(4 marks) e) Why did Fernandes decide to leave Warner Music Group?

_________________________________________________________ (1 mark) f) Why did Fernandes’s friends think that he was crazy?

_________________________________________________________ (1 mark) g) What was the award given to Fernandes?

_________________________________________________________ (1mark) h) Do you think Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has made our country proud? Give reasons for your answers.

i. ________________________________________________________ (1 mark) ii ________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

i) Your friend Azman has extraordinary ambitions like Tan Sri Tony Fernandes. How would you encourage him? Give suggestions.

i. ________________________________________________________ (1 mark) ii ________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

PRACTICE 6

Section C [20 marks]

(Time suggested: 20 minutes)

Questions (a) - (i) are based on the article.

Fast food

Fast food is fast becoming a staple food for many Malaysians especially among many young adults and children. Rising number of Malaysians are experiencing highly time-

constrained lifestyles with limited time for dining. Besides, fast food is popular with consumers because it is more affordable as compared to foods and drinks offered by chained full-service restaurants, in particular. Fast delivery services and drive-through facilities make it very convenient for take away food for many on their way to work, during lunch or even on the way home from work.

Research shows fast foods contain lots of calories, sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats -- substances that increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Increased health risks are directly associated with increased consumption of fast

foods. Many individuals in are becoming obese. Another result of fast food culture is the loss of the family tradition of eating together. Children and adults rarely eat together now, and thus get less opportunity to talk.

Undoubtedly, it is convenient and cheap, but as parents and educators it is important to set examples for children to emulate. Parents and educators can be more involved in increasing awareness regarding the negative effects of fast foods and discourage children from consuming them. Parents can influence their children’s eating habits through the types of foods they buy for themselves and their family. The snacks they serve for breakfast, lunch and dinner also can help to develop a child’s eating habit.

Read the article carefully and answer the questions below. (a) Why fast food is a favourite among many working adults?

___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (b) What are the contents of a fast food?

___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (c) Name 3 diseases caused by consuming fast food.

___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] ___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] ___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (d) What are the negative effects of eating fast foods?

___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (e) Name two effects fast foods have on our culture.

___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] ___________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

(f) Fill in the table with appropriate words/phrases from the article.

Meaning Word/Phrase

a) behaviour b) space c) realization

(g) State 2 possible reasons why Malaysians fancy fast food.

___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] ___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (h) Give 2 possible steps to educate children about the dangers of fast food

___________________________________________________________ [1 mark] ___________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

PT3 POEM : THE RIVER