S3 WB U7 Reading (Critical Reading + Vocab)

1. From a survey conducted, the adolescence stage is a transition between childhood and adulthood. As you reach puberty, hormonal changes are taking place in your body. You may be confronted with problems and complications. At this point in life, it might be beyond you to solve these problems. That is why every newspaper is filled with stories about undesirable activities involving school-going teens. These include crime, violence, drug abuse and environmental problems. Such social problems exist at the local, state, national and even international levels. Thus, the claim that problems begin only after you leave school is a misconception.

We can conclude that adolescent stage is a/an _______period before you reach adulthood.

• Violent

• Exciting

• Undesirable

• Challenging

2. While at school, you may also experience the problem of being caught between making decisions, which is to follow school rules and regulations or to be free to discover the world like you should. Perhaps, in the past, you were given the option for things compatible with your age so that you could manage your future independently, but now you have to follow your parents’ decision which is to prepare you to compete in the social system where society is scrambling to become victorious in the ‘rat race’, to say the least. Parents tend to measure their success or failure in child-rearing based on academic achievement. Subconsciously, society has also been responsible for embedding in our minds that success in exams is a must.

According to the writer, the idea of ‘rat race’ is an influence from

• school

• society

• parents

• unknown factors

3. Congratulations, you are now ready to embark onto college life. A new set of problems will beset you. You may be hounded by questions like, ‘have you chosen your option yet? If so, are you sure that you have found the right major?’ Your problem starts when you realise that is a course beyond your aptitude, so you end up changing from one major to another! Well, to solve your indecision, you may seek the help of the Education counsellor, but don’t you get the impression that he is going to steer you in the right direction because that is not always the case. He may have no linking of your limitations and should you sign up for a course that is deadlock from the word ‘go’, woe betide, your chances of coming out with decent grades is low and you will certainly have to struggle through.

The option of study in college is usually decided by

• friends

• parents

• the counsellor

• the individual

4. Then you have to contend with your roommate. Sharing can be tricky. You may have nothing but continuous problems with them. Pathetic, as it may sound you may have a roommate who would wake up at 3.00 a.m. and put on all the lights even when you are still snug in beg, or worse still, play blaring music and obviously not view it as a problem or an undesirable social condition. You may even have roommates who insist that you turn off your desktop even when it is not facing them while you are doing your assignment as quietly as possible.

The life in college is

• lonely

• crowded

• about individual living

• about interdependent living

5. On the other end of the line, you have decided not to go to college, after all. You are planning to work ! An end to your problem? No way. To begin with, you may be living in a country that is going through an economic recession leading to an increasing number of unemployed and retrenchments. Where do you stand in the job market then? What are your chances of survival if you have no savings, neither can you claim unemployment benefits. Your family may fall into a crisis, should they earn only low salaries. So, stay home and exploit any opportunities including high-risk ones to survive.Life may be tumultuous for you unless the country recovers economically, and that is one chance in a million.

The writer summarised that the decision if one should start working after the secondary school was NOT dependent on

• skill assessment.

• consultation with family.

• performance at workplace.

• considerations on benefits of working.

B1. You may be confronted with problems and complications.

• diseases

• changes

• complaints

• challenges

B2, At this point in life, it might be beyond you to solve these problems. That is why every newspaper is filled with stories about undesirable activities involving school-going teens. (*Two answers)

• disagreeable

• annoying

• unacceptable

• Displeasing

B3. Perhaps, in the past, you were given the option for things compatible with your age so that you could manage your future independently, but now you have to follow your parents’ decision which is to prepare you to compete in the school system where society is scrambling to become victorious in the ‘rat race’, to say the least. ?

• Suitable for

• Matching

• Exist together at

• Using together

B4. Subconsciously, society has also been responsible for embedding in the minds of us that success in exams is a must.

• implanting

• fastening

• typing

• installing

B5. Sometimes when stress is not curbed, students even resort to violence and perhaps attempt suicide.

• solved

• checked

• dispersed

• Controlled