NEWS ITEM TEXT
Text 1.
Text for questions number 1 to 4!
An Internet campaign has come to the rescue of an 80-year-old man in the USA who was reduced to
selling firewood on the roadside to pay for his wife's medical bills. Octogenarian Kenneth Smith spent
hours a day selling kindling for $5 a bag. He started last year and was then helped by his wife of over 30
years, Helen, who was dying of lung cancer. Tragically, she lost her battle in October and Mr Smith was
left with crippling hospital fees, which wiped out his life savings. A local woman, Jessica Pittman, saw Mr
Smith and posted a Facebook message urging people to help him. Her post has been shared over 9,000
times and motorists have stopped their car to give Mr Smith some cash.
Ms Pittman's kind deed encouraged Mr Smith's son to go a step further and set up an online appeal. He
created a page at the website GoFundMe and donations soon came flooding in from all corners of the
Earth. The online campaign raised $20,000 in three days. Ms Pittman told the BBC that she had "no clue"
her actions would prompt such generosity. She said: "Although it will not lessen the heartache of losing
his wife, I am thankful it will at least take a little worry off of his plate and help him make ends meet." Mr
Smith said he has been "overwhelmed" with the response. He added that even though his wife wasn't by
his side, he still feels her presence, "because she's looking down on me," he said.
1. For how much did the man sell his bags of kindling?
A. $5
B. $6
C. $7
D. $8
E. $9
2. Who set up a web page for Mr Smith?
A. A local woman
B. His son
C. His daughter
D. A company
E. The BBC
3. How many times did a Facebook post get shared?
A. Just fewer than 9,000 times
B. Exactly 9,000 times
C. Around 9,000 times
D. Just 9,000 times
E. Over 9,000 times
4. How much did the online campaign raise?
A. A million dollars
B. $100,000
C. $20,000
D. $50,000
E. $70,000
Text 2.
Indonesia has embarked on the task of counting its islands in order to better protect its territory and
marine resources. It hopes to locate and name an additional 1,700 islands in time for the UN Conference
on the Standardization of Geographical Names in August. Indonesia wants to claim sovereignty and
fishing rights in the waters surrounding the islands, many of which its neighbors also claim.
The Indonesian government says illegal fishing in its waters is costing billions of dollars in lost revenue
each year. A fisheries spokeswoman told the BBC: "Sixty per cent of islands in Indonesia don't have a
name or officially have legal status, so they can easily be taken or claimed by another country."
Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago. At the last UN conference on geographical names in 2012,
Indonesia registered 13,466 islands. A law in 1996 estimated that the number of islands was 17,508. The
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea defines an island as, "a naturally formed area of land, surrounded
by water, which is still exposed at high tide".
A spokesman from Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries explained the scale of the task
the counting team had. He said: "We have to visit every one of these islands, and then we note the
coordinates, the name, the meaning of the name, the history of the land and describe the landscape and
its geographical historyall that in great detail."
1. What kind of rights does Indonesia want to claim?
A. Water rights
B. Legal rights
C. Fishing rights
D. Lost rights
E. Mountain rights
2. Why does the growth of Indonesian smokers have to be concerned?
A. 1,000
B. 11,000
C. 17,000
D. 7,100
E. 1,700
3. When must an island be exposed for it to officially be an island?
A. At noon
B. At midnight
C. At low tide
D. At high tide
E. At night
4. "Indonesia has embarked on the task of counting ...." (paragraph 1) synonym of the underlined word is
....
A. Stayed
B. Launched
C. Stopped
D. Moved
E. Convened
Text 3.
Thailand has a new king after Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, accepted an invitation from
parliament to succeed his father. His succession comes 50 days after the widely loved and revered King
Bhumibol died in October, aged 88. Prince Vajiralongkorn will be known as King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He
will also be known as Rama X, or the 10th king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty. He addressed his people in a
televised statement on Thursday. He said: "I would like to accept the invitation for the benefit of the Thai
people." Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said: "May all the Thai people unite to pray that
he may long reign as an idol and guardian of the Thai people."
The coronation of the new king will not take place until after King Bhumibol's cremation early next year.
The new king was born on July 28, 1952. He went to schools in Australia and the UK before doing his
military training in Australia. King Maha Vajiralongkorn is widely travelled and has a home in Germany.
Over the past few years, he has undertaken more of his father's ceremonial duties in Thailand when the
late king was ill and needed medical treatment. He also organized and participated in high-profile events
such as cycle rides around the Thai capital Bangkok. One of his first acts as monarch will be to endorse
Thailand's new constitution that has been backed by the Thai people.
1. How old is Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn?
A. 61
B. 62
C. 63
D. 64
E. 65
2. What title will King Maha Vajiralongkorn also be known as?
A. Chakri
B. Rama X
C. Your highness
D. Sire
E. Chan-ocha
3. On what medium did King Maha Vajiralongkorn address his people?
A. In a city hall speech
B. The radio
C. The Internet
D. Television
E. In the palace
4. "May all the Thai people unite to pray that"
The underlined word is closest in meaning with ....
A. Place
B. Reign
C. Cooperate
D. Accept
E. Pray
