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 by Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Riding a bicycle has always been a traditional way to explore Chiang Mai, but a new tour operator is offering another two-wheel option for sightseeing in the old town that is innovative and pollution-free.
The Segway Gibbon tour operator now gives tourists a chance to see the city by Segway — the world’s first electrical self-balancing personal transporter. The machine automatically balances the same way that humans do, responding to movement in the user’s body effortlessly.
Tim McGuire, Segway Gibbon’s manager, explained that he got the idea of using Segways to navigate around Chiang Mai while visiting major tourist destinations in Europe. He was inspired by first-timers zipping through cities on the fun machines.
Segway Gibbon asked permission from the tourist and traffic police to operate the business. The machines were classified by police as bicycles. In fact, Chiang Mai’s traffic police designed the route for the Segway tour, Tim added.
Tim explained that the Segway’s engine is smaller than a motorcycle’s and more environmentally friendly. It’s fully electric and doesn’t emit smoke or noise.
Nearly all of Segway Gibbon’s customer’s are first-timers. Tourists get training before they go out on a Segway.
“Before the tour starts, we will give 15-minute training sessions for our customers so that they feel comfortable on the wheels and in the traffic of Chiang Mai,” Tim said. If the trainers don’t feel it is safe to let a tourist out on a Segway, the tourist will get a full refund. Those who go out will be fully covered by insurance.
The two-hour tour costs 1,599 baht and the three-hour tour costs 1,999 baht. The company also offers a one-hour tour for 1,199 baht.
Two captains accompany each tour, with one captain at the front speaking to the group and one at the back ensuring safety. Tourists ride Segways in the same direction, while the leading captain will be at the front of the line.
“We insist that everybody rides in a straight line,” Tim said. “Nobody has ever been injured on one of our tours.”
The company has nine Segways and the tours can accommodate up to seven tourists at a time. Segway Gibbon is developing a small scrapbook to be given to its customers. It describes the places they will go through on the tours. Technically, by law, captains aren’t tour guides and can’t speak about tourist sites, so the company will use the scrapbook instead.
The tour starts at the back of the office building, and slowly glides to a small street near Tapae Road. The captain has to ensure that everybody gets through the congestion and arrives at a large open space near the famous Tapae Gate. The tour then moves on to popular attractions including Wat Chiang Man, Three Kings Monument, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Pan Tao and Wat Chedi Luang.
Exercises
Section 1
Read through the story. Then, answer the following multiple choice questions.
1. What is a Segway?
a. It’s the name of a tour company.
b. It’s a navigation tool.
c. It’s an electric scooter.
2. When did Tim McGuire come up with the idea to use Segways to navigate around Chiang Mai?
a. After he had a car accident in Chiang Mai.
b. While he was visiting major tourist attractions in Europe.
c. Before he went to Europe.
3. How much does the two-hour tour cost?
a. 1,999 baht.
b. 1,599 baht.
c. 1,199 baht.
4. How many Segway scooters does Segway Gibbon have?
a. Seven.
b. Eight.
c. Nine.
5. Does Segway Gibbon provide insurance for its customers?
a. No.
b. Yes, if customers are willing to pay extra for insurance.
c. Yes, if customers go out using a Segway scooper.
6. What is the maximum number of tourists that Segway Gibbon can take on each tour?
a. There is no limit to how many people they can take.
b. Seven.
c. Nine.
7. How many captains accompany each tour?
a. Two.
b. Three.
c. Four.
8. Which of the following advice is given to Segway users by the tour operators?
a. Segway users should ride in different directions.
b. Segway users are advised to ride in a straight line.
c. Segway users are encouraged to ride side-by-side.
Section 2
Read through the story again. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
9. Wat Phra Singh is located in Bangkok.
......................................
10. Segway Gibbon is developing a small scrapbook for its customers.
......................................
11. Segway machines are classified by police as motorcycles.
......................................
12. Customers are required to take part in a 15-minute training session before their tour starts.
......................................
13. The one-hour tour costs 1,199 baht.
......................................
Section 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
“I came from a big city looking for a …..14….. and relaxing way to experience Chiang Mai,” she said. “I found Segway Gibbon in my guidebook and decided …..15….. try it. I only had three days in Chiang Mai and …..16….. was plenty to do. I …….17……. covered everything …..18….. the old city area with the Segway tour.”
14.
a. nicely
b. nicest
c. nice
15.
a. to
b. for
c. on
16.
a. there
b. their
c. they’re
17.
a. basic
b. basics
c. basically
18.
a. at
b. in
c. above
Section 4
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct antonyms from the choices given.
19. popular
a. polar
b. unpopular
c. popularity
20. major
a. minor
b. majority
c. magic
21. front
a. nearby
b. back
c. beneath
Section 5
Match each of the following words with the definitions that best suit how the words are used in the story.
22. navigate
a. to move between the different areas of a website by using the links contained in it
b. to deal effectively with a complicated situation
c. to choose a path so that a vehicle can go in a particular direction
23. captain
a. the leader of a group of people
b. the person in charge of a ship
c. a military officer with a fairly high rank
24. first-timer
a. a person who wins the first prize
b. a person who marries for the first time
c. a person who does something for the first time
Vocabulary
- balance (v): to put your body or something else into a position where it is steady and does not fall
emit (v): to send out something such as light, heat, sound, gas, etc.
scrapbook (n): a book with empty pages where you can stick pictures, newspaper articles, etc.
congestion (n): the state of being crowded and full of traffic
