By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.
Read the following story and interview by Melalin Mahavongtrakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
When talking about a doctor, people usually imagine a professional dressed in a white coat, caring for the sick. Yet Bunchong Somboonchai is no ordinary doctor. His work does not require stethoscopes and scalpels but hammers and chisels. His patients are not humans. They are the trees around Chiang Mai and other nearby cities.
Bunchong — also a dean at the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design at Maejo University, Chiang Mai — is a tree doctor. His passion is healing sick trees. The doctor spoke about what people can do to improve the current tree situation.
What are some of the problems trees face?
Trees can fall sick for many reasons. Soil, water, weather, disease, insects and human actions are some of the causes.
What do you do when you are healing trees?
We diagnose the symptoms to find out what's wrong with them. We take measurements and observe the trunks for wounds, then we do what is needed to restore the tree's health. We also do health check-ups for trees across the province. So far, more than 500 trees have been implanted with electronic chips. We can monitor them from anywhere.
Why should we heal trees?
If we continue to cut down old trees and plant new ones, in the end, there will be no old, important trees left. Every tree has its own story, and some are over a hundred years old. Chiang Mai has held big tree contests for seven years. After we started these activities, people began to keep tree records. Later people made tree maps and followed bicycle routes to see them.
How can we improve the situation trees are facing?
It requires the public, academics and local government to work together, plus adequate funding.
How do you plan to expand the tree doctor network?
I'm planning to start a tree doctor course at the university. It’s a four-year undergraduate degree in tree management in the Faculty of Architecture. We expect our first group of students next year and plan to send them to Japan for further training.
Graduating students could work in resorts, golf courses and even government institutions. There’s a lack of trained people in this field and no other institution offers these courses.
Also, don’t mistake this profession as male-only. Women can easily step into the role of tree doctors. They can analyse the situation and the data, be involved in management and do lab work.
Exercises
Section 1
Read the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. According to this feature what is Bunchong Somboonchai’s passion?
a. Lecturing on architecture.
b. Visiting Japan.
c. Healing sick trees.
2. What causes ill-health in trees?
a. Soil, water and weather conditions.
b. Disease, insects and human actions.
c. Both a and b.
3. Unlike most doctors, why doesn’t Bunchong need stethoscopes and scalpels?
a. Because he thinks chemicals are bad for trees.
b. Because he prefer to use herbs.
c. Because he is a tree doctor, not a medical doctor who treats people.
4. Where are Bunchong’s patients located?
a. Around Chiang Mai and other nearby cities.
b. In Japan.
c. At the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design, Maejo University.
5. How many trees have been implanted with electronic chips so far?
a. More than 500.
b. Seven.
c. The feature does not say.
6. Why have those trees been implanted with electronic chips?
a. So that they will be more up to date.
b. So that they can be monitored from anywhere.
c. So that people can follow bicycle routes to see them.
7. Where is Maejo University located?
a. In Mae Hong Son.
b. In Chiang Mai.
c. In Chiang Rai.
8. Where can those who have finished a degree in tree management find a job?
a. In Starbucks.
b. At resorts, golf courses and government institutions.
c. At financial institutions.
Section 2
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions.
| ………. 9. dean | a. a change in your body or mind that shows that you are not healthy |
| ………. 10. diagnose | b. a person in a university who is in charge of a department |
| ………. 11. symptom | c. to put something (usually something artificial) into a part of the body for medical purposes |
| ………. 12. implant | d. to say exactly what an illness or the cause of a problem is |
| ………. 13. undergraduate | e. a university or college student who is studying for their first degree |
Section 3
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the correct words from the choices given.
From that point, other events started to happen. …..14….. people made tree maps and followed the trail on a bicycle. We also ended up …..15….. a …..16….. diverse and better ecosystem. People have started to …..17….. bird watching clubs around here. A single tree …..18….. link a lot of things …..19…..
14.
a. Each
b. Some
c. Every
15.
a. with
b. on
c. for
16.
a. more
b. the most
c. added
17.
a. formed
b. forms
c. form
18.
a. are able
b. can
c. be able
19.
a. each other
b. one another
c. together
Section 4
Find words in the story that are synonyms of the following words.
20. cure ……………….
21. began ……………….
22. needs ……………….
23. physician ……………….
24. administration ……………….
Vocabulary
- stethoscope (n): an instrument that a doctor uses to listen to somebody’s heart and breathing
chisel (n): a tool with a sharp flat edge at the end, used for shaping wood, stone or metal
adequate (adj): enough in quantity, or good enough in quality, for a particular purpose or need
