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Read the passage carefully. Then choose the
correct answer. |
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I have always wanted to study abroad and be the
person I always wanted to be. So I never thought
that when I was in college I would be ever
leaving my country to study abroad. Fortunately
for me, I was picked to study in the USA, a
foreign country. This gave me the
opportunity
not only to be independent but to discover that
people in other parts of the world are also
unique in their own way. I found that life in
a foreign country can be very lonely. I have
always considered myself a warm, friendly and an
easy-going person. However,
those qualities
were not sufficient to build close relationships
with people in America. Americans generally do
not befriend foreigners easily.
They are
often cold to anyone different from them. And of
course, dating was problematic! I had dated a
few American men but the dates were not
successful. I found the men to be
unpredictable
and aggressive. I just did not understand them
at all. A friend of mine gave me some advice as
to how to win the hearts of Americans. First,
she said, do not criticize the American way of
life and second, be open-minded and accept new
changes. I took heed of her advice.
Another aspect that I did not like was the
American system of education. I liked my
professors, but I did not think the system of
undergraduate education in the university was
effective. Unlike in Malaysia, students here had
more freedom. They did not attend lectures every
day, had less assignments to do, and less tests
and quizzes to take in
their courses. Upon completion of a
certain number of courses, students were awarded
a certificate as proof of attendance. Then after
four years of attendance, they took the final
examination and
obtained a university degree.
I found the atmosphere in some classrooms
quite formal. Students called their lecturers
'Professor James' and 'Mr Keats' and I guess
this showed respect. Some lecturers even wore
business attire while giving lectures in class.
Other classrooms had a more informal atmosphere.
Students and lecturers discussed
their ideas
as if they were the best of friends and some
students even called their lecturers by their
first name. This
approach to teaching and learning
really appealed to me. Another surprise was the
way students learned in America. It was
different from the way we learn in Malaysia.
American students asked a lot of questions and
discussed their ideas in class more than
Malaysian counterparts who prefer to remain
quiet during class discussions.
Regardless of the difficulties that I had to
endure when
living in America, I think I coped fairly well.
In the end, on returning home and upon
reflection, I can proudly say that there is no
country on earth like my own-Malaysia-with
its warm
climate, evergreen surroundings, and colourful
people. |
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Using contextual clues, find a word with the same meaning as the following
words from the passage. |
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1. |
opportunity |
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2. |
unpredictable |
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3. |
obtained |
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4. |
approach |
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5. |
endure |
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What do the following words and phrases in the passage refer to ? |
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1. |
those qualities |
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2. |
They |
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3. |
their |
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4. |
their |
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5. |
its |
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Answer the questions below based on the passage. |
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1. |
What are some of the writer's opinions regarding
Americans ? |
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2. |
The writer's friend gave some advice to the writer to
overcome the problem regarding relationships. State the advice. |
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3. |
According to the writer, she disliked the system of
undergraduate education at her university and thought that the students
there 'had more freedom' (paragraph III). What did she mean by that
statement ? |
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4. |
What is the main idea of paragraph IV ? |
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5. |
Which of the following statements is true about
Americans and America ? |
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A. Americans are proud of themselves. |
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B. Americans are very opinionated. |
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C. America has become the model for other countries to
imitate. |
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D. America undergraduates are open-minded. |
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6. |
Choose the best answer to describe the writer's
character and personality. |
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A. The writer is an interesting person. |
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B. The writer is very sceptical and cold to others. |
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C. The writer has a strong will do adapt to a new
environment. |
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D. The writer adores Americans. |
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Sponsored Links
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Answers |
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chance |
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difficult/ unable to expect, judge or guess |
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got |
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way |
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withstand |
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friendly, warm and easy-going |
| 2. |
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Americans |
| 3. |
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the American students' |
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students' and lecturers' |
| 5. |
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Malaysia's |
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| 1. |
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They are often cold towards anyone different from them
and American men are also unpredictable and aggressive. |
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The writer's friend advises the writer not to criticize
the American way of life, to be open-minded and to accept changes. |
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Students in America do not have to attend lectures every
day, have less assignments to do, have less tests and quizzes to take,
will be given a certificate upon completion of a number of courses, and
finally will be given a degree after four years. |
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The writer likes the informal approach of teaching and
learning in American classrooms. such as the attire of the lecturers,
the style of lecturing, the way the students learn and the rapport
between students and lecturers. |
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D |
| 6. |
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C |
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