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 Jutsiree Thongnoi from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Walking into Bangkok's Nightingale shopping mall at Phahurat intersection is like a pleasant step back in time but every item in the mall is real and for sale.
UNIQUE SHOP
Browsing among the decades-old glass counters, visitors can greet the shop owner, Arun Niyomwanich, who is there from 9am to 6pm on a daily basis and still running everything.
On the first floor, you can buy sports equipment, clothing, shoes and lingerie. However, the highlight on the floor is the central counter with a beauty parlour equipped with everything a woman could want in make-up, from face powders of all shades to eye shadow and lipstick.
CLASSIC SCHOOL
The store was most successful in the period after World War II. Nightingale first opened its doors in a one-storey building in the Wang Burapha area in 1930. It changed location twice and in 1966 it offered, for the first time in Thailand, a beauty and hair-styling course.
The beauty school is on the third floor of the building. It has been closed for many years but Arun said that it was once the busiest beauty school in Bangkok.
Everything is still in its original place. There are small beds that customers would stretch out on while they had their hair washed and the sinks above the pillows still have working taps.
MUSIC ZONE
Arun then shows us the second floor and its music section. There are musical instruments that are no longer popular, such as mandolins, accordions and a German music box. “Many foreigners think this place is a museum, but it isn’t. All the items are for sale,” Arun said.
A highlight on the second floor is an electric guitar, with the sharp signatures of John, Paul, George and Ringo, who made up The Beatles. “My brother imported musical instruments from a British company. When he went there, the company took him to meet the band," she said.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Coming from a family of merchants, Arun’s father, an Indian businessman, used to sell jewellery in Bangkok before settling down in Phahurat and opening the first Nightingale store before World War II. His eldest son, Nat Niyomwanich, made the store into a successful business. Arun, the youngest among six siblings, has taken care of the store ever since he passed away.
Exercises
Section 1
Read the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. Where is the Nightingale shopping mall located?
a. On the first floor.
b. At Phahurat intersection.
c. In the Wang Burapha area.
2. Who runs the Nightingale shopping mall today?
a. John, Paul, George and Ringo.
b. Arun Niyomwanich.
c. Nat Niyomwanich.
3. Who first ran the Nightingale shopping mall?
a. Ms Arun’s father.
b. Nat Niyomwanich.
c. Arun Niyomwanich.
4. When is Arun at the Nightingale shopping mall?
a. From 9am to 6pm daily.
b. Before World War II.
c. The story does not say.
5. Which floor sells musical instruments?
a. The first floor.
b. The second floor.
c. The third floor.
6. Which of the following items cannot be bought on the first floor of the Nightingale shopping mall?
a. Make-up.
b. Lingerie.
c. A German music box.
7. When was the most successful period for the store?
a. In 1930 .
b. After World War II.
c. Before World War II
8. How many storeys did Nightingale have when it first opened?
a. Seven.
b. Three.
c. One.
Section 2
Read the story and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
9. Arun’s father was an Indian businessman.
………………………
10. Every item in the mall is real and you can buy it.
………………………
11. Arun’s brother exported medical instruments to a British company.
………………………
12. The beauty school operated on the second floor of the building.
………………………
Section 3
Read each of the following sentences and underline the grammatically correct words in each from the choices given.
13. You can buy clothes on a/an/the first floor.
14. The shop is equipped at/for/with a variety of beauty products.
15. One of the school’s highlight/highlighting/highlights was the hair-styling course.
16. John, Paul, George and Ringo were formed/formed/was forming The Beatles.
Section 4
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the correct words from the choices given.
Coming back down to the first floor, one of …..17….. staff members shows us the lingerie section where a bra with a price-tag of 3,000 baht …..18….. on display. The shopkeeper tells us that …..19….. recently became one of the top-selling items in the store …..20….. a celebrity bought one from the store.
17.
a. a
b. an
c. the
18.
a. is
b. were
c. are
19.
a. they
b. it
c. he
20.
a. after
b. afterward
c. suddenly
Section 5
Write down the verb forms of the following words used in the story.
21. pleasant ……………….
22. sale ……………….
23. successful ……………….
24. location ……………….
Vocabulary
- lingerie (n): women’s underwear
parlour (n): a shop / store that provides particular goods or services
mandolin (n): a musical instrument with metal strings (usually eight) arranged in pairs, and a curved back
accordion (n): a musical instrument that you hold in both hands to produce sounds
