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Read the following story by Melalin Mahavongtrakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Thai model and actress Varitsara Yu has found her move to South Korea to be a steep learning curve.
ASIAN MODEL
“Working as a model in South Korea is tough because everything is a race against time,” says Varitsara, 21, who is also known abroad by her nickname JingJing. “It’s not that we’re not as serious in Thailand. But in many ways, we’re definitely more relaxed.”
After becoming a darling of the Thai fashion industry, the Thai-Chinese model signed with South Korean model agency ESteem Entertainment last year. Despite being an experienced model, her move to South Korea saw her thrown in at the deep end.
On one occasion, Varitsara had to wear a sports bra for an outdoor photoshoot at minus 14 degrees Celsius. On another occasion, she says, when she was suffering from stomach flu, she was hooked up to an IV bag at the hospital during lunch, then had to go back to work afterwards.
“I thought I was going to die. I was calling home to my dad in tears. But in South Korea, everything has to be precise and punctual. You can’t cancel any work even if you’re sick,” she said.
TIME TO ACT
A year on, she has made it through those trials, tougher and a little more grown up. She has also found time to come back to Thailand for yet another challenge - acting. Recently, Varitsara appeared in her first Thai film, App War. The story revolves around two competing start-up app development companies. As well as its central theme of competition, the film also deals with aspiration, friendship and romance.
CHILDHOOD DREAMS
Since a young age, Varitsara has wanted to work abroad. In Thailand, she started out as a fashion model and then began starring in music videos.
“My journey to becoming an international model began not so long ago and involved a bit of good fortune. After a year at university, I decided to put my studies on hold to focus on work. At that time, I was travelling to South Korea pretty often. It was by chance that a friend of a friend knew a stylist there. When they saw that I was in Korea, they asked me to take part in Seoul Fashion Week,” she said. This lucky break led to her getting signed by her current agency.
TOUGH TIMES
“I first went to Korea with a friend. It was an exciting adventure. Everything was fun to begin with. But then I started encountering problems. They hit me hard. I got scared. Later on, my friend went back to Thailand and I was living alone. I’ve got no family there. It gets very lonely at times. But it’s a happy kind of loneliness. You gain one thing and you lose something else. We can’t always get both at the same time,” she said.
Working in another country requires a lot of getting used to the culture. Varitsara admits she still hasn’t got used to certain aspects of Korean working life.
“I eat a lot! But over there during work, you have to eat on time. You can’t run out to grab a quick bite or eat when people do your hair. If you miss breakfast, the next time you have a chance to eat will be lunch. People will never ask if you’ve eaten because that’s your responsibility,” she said.
Section 1
Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. What is the article about?
a. Varitsara’s overseas education.
b. Varitsara’s experiences working abroad.
c. Varitsara’s new film.
2. How old is Varitsara?
a. 21 years old.
b. 23 years old.
c. 25 years old.
3. Who accompanied Varitsara during her first trip to South Korea?
a. Her mother.
b. Her manager.
c. A friend.
4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the article?
a. The Korean agency that Varitsara signed with.
b. Some of the obstacles that she faced while working in Korea.
c. Varitsara’s hobbies.
5. What is App War about?
a. Two new companies competing with each other.
b. Two programmers falling in love.
c. Young app developers who gain magic powers.
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?
a. Varitsara plays a model in App War.
b. Varitsara has a Bachelor’s degree.
c. Varitsara is half-Thai, half-Chinese.
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?
a. Varitsara’s nickname is JingJing.
b. Varitsara didn’t want to move abroad.
c. Varitsara had to work even when she was sick.
Section 2
Underline one grammatically incorrect word in each of the following sentences. Then, write down the grammatically correct word in the space given.
8. Despite the pressure, Varitsara prefer to work in South Korea.
……………
9. After a year in South Korea, I want to take a break and coming back to Thailand.
……………
10. Her parents still wants her to get a university degree.
……………
11. She use to study communication arts and later dropped out.
……………
12. Film production was one of the class she enjoyed.
……………
13. Working in the fashion industry really makes her happiness.
……………
Section 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
“One of the reasons why I want to succeed …..14….. because many magazines are closing down in Thailand. I really like fashion. In Korea, you can be in photoshoots all the time and that makes me really happy. There are …..15….. magazines there. If one is closing down, the state steps in to lend its …..16….. because it really sees the entertainment industry as …..17….. priority,” she said.
Most of the work Varitsara …..18….. procured are photoshoots …..19….. magazines, lookbooks (a collection of photographs) and fashion videos.
14.
a. are
b. is
c. have
15.
a. counting
b. counted
c. countless
16.
a. support
b. supportive
c. supporting
17.
a. its
b. it’s
c. it
18.
a. have
b. has
c. is
19.
a. into
b. for
c. under
Section 4
Write down the verb forms of the following words used in the story in the space given.
20. hospital
…………………………
21. aspiration
…………………………
22. developers
…………………………
23. exciting
…………………………
24. finally
…………………………
Answers
Section 1
1. b.
2. a.
3. c.
4. c.
5. a.
6. c.
7. b.
Section 2
8. prefer; prefers
9. coming; come
10. wants; want
11. use; used
12. class; classes
13. happiness; happy
Section 3
14. b.
15. c.
16. a.
17. a.
18. b.
19. b.
Section 4
20. Hospitalise.
21. Aspire.
22. Develop.
23. Excite.
24. Finalise.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
