I personally think that reading is an important activity in our life. Why do I say so?
Firstly, by reading we can get a lot of information about many things in the world such as science, technology, sports, arts and culture.
Secondly, by reading we can get a lot of news and knowledge about something happening in any part of the world which we can see directly.
Thirdly, reading can give us pleasure. When we are tired, we can read books, newspapers or magazines on the entertainment column such as short stories, comedies or quizzes to make us relax.
Fourthly, reading can also take us to other parts of the world. By reading a book about Irian Jaya we may feel that we’re really sitting in the jungles, not at home in our rooms.
Based on the facts above, it is obvious that everyone needs to read books, newspapers, magazines or others to get knowledge, news, information and also entertainment. In other words, we can say reading is truly important in our life.
Bawang Putih lived with her step mother and her step sister, Bawang Merah. Bawang Putih’s mother died when she was a baby. Her father remarried another woman and later her step sister was born. Unfortunately, not long after that her father died. Since then, Bawang Putih’s life was sad. Her step mother and her step sister treated Bawang Putih badly and always asked her to do all the household chores.
One morning, Bawang Putih was washing some clothes in a river. Accidentally, her mother’s clothes were washed away by the river. She was really worried so she walked along the river side to find the clothes. Finally she met an old woman. She said that she kept the clothes and would give them back to Bawang Putih if she helped the old woman do the household chores. Bawang Putih helped her happily. After everything was finished, the old woman returned the clothes. She also gave Bawang Putih a gift. The old woman had two pumpkins, one pumpkin was small and the other one was big. Bawang Putih had to choose one.
Bawang Putih was not a greedy girl. So she took the small one. After thanking the old woman, Bawang Putih then went home. When she arrived home, her step mother and Bawang Merah were angry. They had been waiting for her all day long. Bawang Putih then told about the clothes, the old woman, and the pumpkin. Her mother was really angry so she grabbed the pumpkin and smashed it to the floor. Suddenly they all were surprised. Inside the pumpkin they found jewelries. “Bawang Merah, hurry up. Go to the river and throw my clothes into the water. After that, find the old woman. Remember, you have to take the big pumpkin,” the step mother asked Bawang Merah to do exactly the same as Bawang Putih’s experience. Bawang Merah immediately went to the river. She threw the clothes and pretended to search them. Not long after that, she met the old woman. Again she asked Bawang Merah to do household chores. She refused and asked the old woman to give her a big pumpkin. The old woman then gave her the big one. Bawang Merah was so happy. She ran very fast. When she arrived home, her mother was impatient. She directly smashed the pumpkin to the floor. They were screaming. There were a lot of snakes inside the pumpkin! They were really scared. They were afraid the snakes would bite them. “Mom, I think God just punished us. We had done bad things to Bawang Putih. And God didn’t like that. We have to apologize to Bawang Putih,” said Bawang Merah.
Finally both of them realized their mistakes. They apologized and Bawang Putih forgave them. Now the family is not poor anymore. Bawang Putih decided to sell all the jewelries and used the money for their daily lives.
Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman — the epitome of a true Renaissance man. Gifted with a curious mind and a brilliant intellect, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work. His drawings, paintings and other works have influenced countless artists and engineers over the centuries.
Early Life
Da Vinci was born in a farmhouse outside the village of Anchiano in Tuscany, Italy (about 18 miles west of Florence) on April 15, 1452.
Born out of wedlock to respected Florentine notary Ser Piero and a young peasant woman named Caterina, da Vinci was raised by his father and his stepmother.
At the age of five, he moved to his father’s estate in nearby Vinci (the town from which his surname derives), where he lived with his uncle and grandparents.
Around the age of 14, da Vinci began a lengthy apprenticeship with the noted artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. He learned a wide breadth of technical skills including metalworking, leather arts, carpentry, drawing, painting and sculpting.
His earliest known dated work — a pen-and-ink drawing of a landscape in the Arno valley — was sketched in 1473.
Early Works
At the age of 20, da Vinci qualified for membership as a master artist in Florence’s Guild of Saint Luke and established his own workshop. However, he continued to collaborate with del Verrocchio for an additional five years.
It is thought that del Verrocchio completed his “Baptism of Christ” around 1475 with the help of his student, who painted part of the background and the young angel holding the robe of Jesus.
According to Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, written around 1550 by artist Giorgio Vasari, del Verrocchio was so humbled by the superior talent of his pupil that he never picked up a paintbrush again. (Most scholars, however, dismiss Vasari’s account as apocryphal.)
John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, during a German air raid in World War II.
When he was four years old, Lennon's parents separated and he ended up living with his Aunt Mimi. Lennon's father was a merchant seaman. He was not present at his son's birth and did not see a lot of his son when he was young.
Lennon's mother, Julia, remarried but visited him and Mimi regularly. She taught Lennon how to play the banjo and the piano and purchased his first guitar. Lennon was devastated when Julia was fatally struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer in July 1958. Her death was one of the most traumatic events in his life.
As a child, Lennon was a prankster and he enjoyed getting into trouble. As a boy and young adult, he enjoyed drawing grotesque figures and cripples. Lennon's school master thought that he could go to an art school for college since he did not get good grades in school but had artistic talent.
Forming the Beatles
Elvis Presley's explosion onto the rock music scene inspired a 16-year-old Lennon to create the skiffle band called the Quarry Men, named after his school. Lennon met Paul McCartney at a church fete on July 6, 1957. He soon invited McCartney to join the group, and the two eventually formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in musical history.
McCartney introduced George Harrison to Lennon the following year, and Harrison and art college buddy Stuart Sutcliffe also joined Lennon's band. Always in need of a drummer, the group finally settled on Pete Best in 1960.
The first recording they made was Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day" in 1958. In fact, it was Holly's group, the Crickets, that inspired the band to change its name. Lennon would later joke that he had a vision when he was 12 years old — a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them, "From this day on, you are Beatles with an 'A.'"
Orchard Road is a Boulevard which becomes business and entertainment center in Singapore. Orchard Road is surrounded by a lush tropical and flower gardens which are beautiful. At first, Orchard Road is just a suburban street lined with orchards, plantations nutmeg, and pepper farming. However, in the 1970s, it turned into a shopping center in Singapore. In 1960 and 1970 entertainment industries began to enter this road. Shopping centers such as mall and Plaza was built in 1974.
Orchard Road runs along about 2.2 km. This road is one-way street flanked by a variety of shopping malls, hotels and restaurants. The shopping area which is nearly 800,000 square meters provides a wide range of Things, food, and entertainment. In this area there are many options that can satisfy visitors from all walks of life starting from the luxury branded things to the Popular branded, from exclusive restaurants to fast food.
There are so many ways that can be accessed to get to Orchard road such as: by taxi, bus or drive your own car. For those who are driving to Orchard Road can be entered from the west through the Napier Road. Vehicles from Dunearn Road can turn to left at the intersection of the Marriott Hotel junction. Vehicles that come from Paterson can turn right onto Orchard Road. Orchard is always crowded so you have to be careful in order not to get lost.
1. The text mainly focuses on a. Singapore b. Orchard Plantation c. Plaza and Mall d. Orchard road as business and entertainment center e. Shopping Center
2. Which statement is TRUE? a. At first Orchard Road is a crowded settlement b. Orchard road became business and entertainment center since 1974 c Vehicles from Dunrean road turn to the left at intersection of the Marriott Hotel junction d. Orchard road is infamous place at Singapore e. Orchard road is not surrounded by flower garden
3. In the third paragraph the writer describes about? a. The location of Orchard Road b. The things that we can see at orchard road c. The direction to get to Orchard Road d. The history of Orchard Road e. The distance of Orchard Road
4. Words “it” in line 4 refers to? a. The plantation b. Luxury branded things c. The plaza d. Singapore e. Suburban street
5. The word “satisfy” in line eighth has the closet meaning with? a. Pleased b. Free c. Frighten d. Threat e. Loved
