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Read the following story by Apipar Norapoompipat from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
If you were to guess what Rika Ishige does for a living, there’s a good chance that you’d get it wrong. The half-Thai, half-Japanese 28-year-old is small and bright-eyed with a great big smile. She also packs quite a punch.
LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING
Rika calls herself “Tinydoll” but to others, she’s become known as “The Smiling Assassin.” This is because she’s one of Southeast Asia’s fastest rising female stars in mixed martial arts (MMA). Since making her professional debut in the ring last March, she’s made a real name for herself.
The March fight was part of the ONE Championship: Warrior Kingdom. Rika faced off against Malaysia’s Audreylaura Boniface. The intense bout ended with Rika winning by technical knockout. In December, she won another ONE Championship match, this time against Filipino rival Rome Trinidad. Her current record stands at three wins and one loss. Given how quickly she’s risen, it’s hard to believe that she started training only three years ago.
“Back then, I didn’t think of becoming an athlete at all. I was working in an office and I felt that I wanted to exercise. So I went back to doing karate,” she said.
SPORTING PASSION
Tinydoll was never a stranger to martial arts. She was bullied in school for being part-Japanese, so she took up karate in order to defend herself. As time passed, she trained less and less so she could focus on her studies.
Going back to the sport years later, she was keen to learn as much as possible. She sought out top MMA fighter Shannon Wiratchai to train her. He has since become her boyfriend.
“It was extremely hard,” she said. “MMA isn’t one type of fighting. It takes in all forms of fighting - at least the most efficient ones. I’ve had to learn many styles, which is something I wasn’t used to. Karate is only standing and kicking. I learned a lot about movement through things like wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It was a challenge.”
KEEP MOVING FORWARD
After training for two years, Rika felt that she needed to prove to herself how far she’d come. So she decided to compete professionally. Many were opposed to this decision.
“People told me that I wouldn’t be able to do it. They said I’m a woman who’s weak and fragile. But I refused to listen to them. I still get negative comments today. I don’t let them get me down. But they’re motivators. You can’t judge a person like that. I thought, ‘You can’t tell me that I can’t do it. I’ll show you,’” she said.
Section 1
Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. What is the story about?
a. An athlete couple.
b. Learning how to box.
c. A martial artist.
2. Who is Shannon Wiratchai?
a. Rika’s coach.
b. Rika’s boyfriend.
c. Both a and b.
3. Where is Rome Trinidad from?
a. Italy.
b. The Philippines.
c. Trinidad and Tobago.
4. When did Rika first take part in the ONE Championship: Warrior Kingdom?
a. Last March.
b. Last December.
c. Three years ago.
5. Before training to become an MMA fighter, what did Rika do?
a. She was an office worker.
b. She was a karate coach.
c. She was a school teacher.
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?
a. Rika calls herself “The Smiling Assassin.”
b. Audreylaura Boniface is a mixed martial artist.
c. Rika started doing karate three years ago.
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?
a. Rika doesn’t get criticised anymore.
b. Rika was 25 years old when she started doing MMA.
c. Rika is part-Thai.
Section 2
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.
| 8. bout | a. to argue, fight or compete with somebody, or to get ready to do this |
| 9. defend | b. not strong and easily hurt or likely to become sick |
| 10. face off | c. to protect somebody or something from attack |
| 11. fragile | d. doing something well and thoroughly with no waste of energy |
| 12.motivator | e. a boxing or wrestling match |
| 13. efficient | f. something that makes somebody want to do something, especially something that involves hard work and effort |
Section 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words form the choices given.
“Many …..14….. would probably say that they want to be the champion,” Rika said. “Do I want to be a champion? Of course, everybody …..15….. to be number one. But more importantly, I want people to understand MMA. I want to help …..16….. and promote the sport. Anybody who’s …..17….. can come talk to me. …..18….. you do karate or muay Thai and you want to develop .....19….. skills, I’m ready to help if I can.”
14.
a. fight
b. fighter
c. fighters
15.
a. want
b. wants
c. wanting
16.
a. developer
b. developing
c. develop
17.
a. interest
b. interested
c. interesting
18.
a. If
b. When
c. Because
19.
a. you
b. your
c. yours
Section 4
Specify whether each of the following words is used in the story as a verb, noun, pronoun or adjective.
20. buliied
……………………
21. technical
……………………
22. exercise
……………………
23. herself
……………………
24. studies
……………………
Answers
Section 1
1. c.
2. c.
3. b.
4. a.
5. a.
6. b.
7. a.
Section 2
8. e.
9. c.
10. a.
11. b.
12. f.
13. d.
Section 3
14. c.
15. b.
16. c.
17. b.
18. a.
19. b.
Section 4
20. Verb.
21. Adjective.
22. Verb.
23. Pronoun.
24. Noun.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
