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Read the following story by Karnjana Karnjanatawe from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Wandee Khunchornyakong built the first solar farm in Thailand eight years ago. Her company is now the largest solar power supplier in the region.
EARLY BIRD
Wandee Khunchornyakong always wakes up at around 5 am. As chairperson and CEO of Solar Power Company Group (SPCG), she likes to start her day when the sun rises.
Her working day ends late. She goes to bed at midnight. Hard work is her routine, which she has kept from a young age. She turns 60 this year, but retirement is not part of the plan.
Wandee built her first - and Thailand’s first - solar farm in 2010. Since then her company has grown in leaps and bounds. SPCG now has 43 subsidiaries. From its headquarters in Thong Lor, it manages 36 solar farms and has expanded the business to Japan and other ASEAN countries. Today SPCG is the largest solar-power-generating company in Southeast Asia.
DREAM CATCHER
As a working woman - one of only a handful in the energy industry - she never thought that her dream of generating clean energy would become the huge business it is now.
“I am not somebody who comes from a family with a big name. When I returned to work after early retirement, I chose a business that was innovative and of the kind that nobody had done before,” she said, recalling her original decision to set up the company in 2009.
Wandee had worked as an executive at several companies in different fields, including a solar-cell company. She stepped down in 2006, at the age of 48, to pursue a PhD in Educational Leadership at Suan Dusit University. She thought she would become a teacher in her senior years. But destiny had other plans.
VISIONARY MIND
Back in 2008, the government announced a policy to promote renewable energy development. It offered a 25-year licence for private companies to operate solar-power plants and feed electricity to the utility grid of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA).
At that time, the solar-farm business was in its infancy and wasn’t a priority for financial creditors. For almost a year after the policy was announced, no company applied for a license.
When Wandee learned about the government’s initiative from Dr Piyasawat Amaranand, the former Energy Minister of Surayud Chulanont’s government, it motivated her to research the solar-power-plant business.
“I was interested in solar power because it’s a global trend. I know green technology will be the future for Thailand,” she said.
She spent months studying the business possibilities until she was certain she would have a chance at success. Thailand has strong solar-radiation levels throughout the year when compared to other countries in the region, and even developed countries where solar farms have been implemented, such as Germany and Japan.
“With the same investment for setting up a solar-power plant, a solar farm in Thailand will have more energy output, perhaps double to triple that of developed countries. I knew the possibility of success was high and the risk for failure was very low,” she said.
Section 1
Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. When did Wandee Khunchornyakong establish SPCG?
a. Seven years ago.
b. Eight years ago.
c. Nine years ago.
2. How old is Wandee?
a. 48.
b. 59.
c. 60.
3. How many solar farms do SPCG operate?
a. 36.
b. 43.
c. 48.
4. When does Wandee start work every day?
a. 5 am.
b. Midnight.
c. The article doesn’t say.
5. Who is Dr Piyasawat Amaranand?
a. A former government minister.
b. A university lecturer.
c. General Director of the Provincial Electricity Authority.
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?
a. SPCG’s head office is in Bangkok.
b. SPCG is the largest solar-power-generating company in Japan.
c. Companies began applying for licenses for solar power plants in 2008.
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?
a. Wandee formerly planned to become a teacher.
b. Thailand doesn’t get as much solar radiation as Germany or Japan.
c. SPCG has expanded its business throughout ASEAN.
Section 2
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.
| 8. innovative | a. to make something that has been officially decided start to happen or be used |
| 9. subsidiary | b. a business company that is owned or controlled by another larger company |
| 10. radiation | c. a person or company that somebody owes money to |
| 11.implement | d. a new plan for dealing with a particular problem or for achieving a particular purpose |
| 12. initiative | e. heat or energy that is sent out in the form of rays |
| 13. creditor | f. introducing or using new ideas or ways of doing something |
Section 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words form the choices given.
She wrote a 25-year business …..14….. - by hand, on paper. She doesn’t like using a computer, 15….. she likes staying …..16….. on technology and global trends on her iPad. She drew every …..17….. by ruler and pen. After getting everything …..18….. on paper, she was ready to convince banks to give her a loan. All she needed now was 700 million baht to start …..19….. solar-power plant.
14.
a. planner
b. plan
c. planning
15.
a. although
b. despite
c. however
16.
a. update
b. updated
c. updating
17.
a. table
b. of table
c. tables
18.
a. completing
b. completion
c. completed
19.
a. she
b. hers
c. her
Section 4
Specify whether each of the following words is used in the story as a verb, noun, adjective or adverb.
20. infancy
……………………
21. only
……………………
22. certain
……………………
23. applied
……………………
24. senior
……………………
Answers
Section 1
1. c.
2. b.
3. a.
4. c.
5. a.
6. a.
7. b.
Section 2
8. f
9. b.
10. e.
11. a.
12. d.
13. c.
Section 3
14. b.
15. a.
16. b.
17. a.
18. c.
19. c.
Section 4
20. Noun.
21. Adverb.
22. Adjective.
23. Verb.
24. Adjective.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
