Comprehension
Answering questions based on a passage
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The arcade is one of the most interesting places I have ever been to. Forget about a trip to the museum or the cinema like our parents used to go to. Just an hour or two in the arcade would be enough to put me in an exuberant mood.
The roar of the noise from the machines and excited players around me are so thrilling. Some of my friends cover their ears once they enter the arcade. Others refuse to enter because the noise drowns out
any conversation they want to have. But I always wonder why they want to have conversations in the first
place. The arcade is not a place for chit-chat. It is a place to enter another world where we can pretend to
be somebody else. I have been a police officer, a soldier, a racing car driver, a basketball player and even
a dancer.
My favourite is a racing game that can be found at almost all the different arcades in the shopping malls. Naturally, it is also the favourite of many and I often have to wait a long time for a chance to play. However, once it is my turn, I will not give up my seat so easily. With my hands locked on the steering wheel, I forget everything and everyone around me. My only goal is to be number one. I must admit that after ten games or so, I do get a little giddy when I stand up. Nonetheless, the feeling evaporates very quickly and before long, I am engrossed in another game.
First person shooting games are enthralling especially when the location is a big building with lots of hidden corners and blind spots and I have to search for enemies there. I get so excited that I often forget that I am not really in that world. Once, I pointed the fake gun at someone who had accidentally knocked into me, causing me to miss my target. Of course, I apologized, but that boy looked very annoyed. Oh well, such incidents happen. They should understand.
My mother wants me to spend more time playing a sport instead. She always feels that I should release my pent-up energy in the sports arena. But I do! I play basketball and I am not too bad. My highest score
so far is three hundred and fifty. I do the same thing I would do on a basketball court – throw balls into a
hoop. The only thing is that I do not have to dribble the ball.
There are just so many things I could do at the arcade, and the best part is that I do not even have to go there with my friends. I can go alone. I can play alone and I have just as much fun. I think I will go there now.
1 Which other places would adults think are more interesting than the arcade?
2 What does the writer feel is a disadvantage of playing the racing game for a long period?
3 Give an example to show that the writer got carried away by the game he was playing.
4 Why does the writer think that he is a good basketball player?
Answering questions based on a passage
Answers: 1. Adults would think the
museum and the cinema are more interesting than
the arcade. 2. He
gets giddy when he
stands up. 3. He pointed a fake gun at someone
Grammar
Adding information – using ‘and’, ‘as well as’ and ‘both … and …’ Rewrite the sentences using the given words.
1 Dan and Annie prefer reading to drawing. as well as
2 James does not like outdoor activities. Ben does not like outdoor activities either. Both
3 We should recycle to save the earth. We should also use less energy.
and
Answers: 1. Dan, as well as Annie, prefers reading to
drawing. / Annie, as well as Dan, prefers reading
to drawing. 2. Both
James and Ben do not like outdoor activities.
3. W
Adding information – using ‘in addition to’, ‘not only … also’ and ‘besides … also’ Rewrite the sentences using the given words.
1 Computers help us with our work. They are also entertaining. Not only
also
2 An inactive lifestyle makes a person lethargic and moody. Besides making
also
3 Video games help us develop our reflexes. They can challenge our minds.
In addition to
Answers: 1. Not only do computers help us with our work, they are also entertaining. / Not
only are computers entertaining, they also help us with our work. 2. Besides
making a 3. In addition to gic. lifestyle also makes a person lethar . / Besides making a person moody, an inactive lifestyle also makes a person moody person lethargic, an inactive
helping us develop our reflexes, video games can challenge our minds. / In addition to challenging our minds, video games help us develop our reflexes.
Grammar
Introducing another point or point of view – using ‘despite’, ‘in contrast to’, ‘however’, ‘even though’ and ‘while’
Fill in the blanks using the words from the box.
however even though despite in contrast to while
Last night, I overheard my parents having a discussion about whether I could go on outings with my friends. 1 my mother felt that it was all right, my father said that I was still too young. My heart sank. 2 many of my other friends’ fathers, my father was very conservative. I knew that I should not interfere in the discussion. 3 , I could not just stand by and do nothing. I walked up to them 4 I knew that it was the wrong thing to do. 5 being irritated that I had barged into the room, my parents gave me a chance to speak my mind. I agreed with my father that I was still young but I told him that I would be able to take care of myself and I would be home by dinnertime.
Answers: 1. While 2. In contrast to
3. However 4. even though
