What is 'Selected Reading Material'?
Mentioned in my earlier post 'Tips for Struggling Writers', students who have problems expanding content are often told to "read more widely".
'Selected Reading Material' are carefully selected resources to help struggling readers widen their knowledge in areas often useful in composition writing. i.e. what happens during a robbery, accidents, kidnap etc.
After reading and using the resources, students will have more relevant ideas to use in their composition assignments & examination!
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Read the following passage and take note of the underlined content.
DO NOT skip reading.It is important for you to see how the underlined content is used in the news article.
A Train (MRT/Subway) Breakdown
Unfamiliar scenes of chaos and confusion unfolded on Thursday night in train stations across central Singapore after the MRT network suffered what is likely to be the worst breakdown in its 24-year operating history.
Just before 7 p.m., thousands of commuters riding home during the evening rush hour were plunged into total darkness as trains on the North-South Line suddenly lost power and ground to a halt.
Many people claimed that they waited up to an hour in the stifling heat of windowless carriages, where the air-conditioning had also failed, before eventually being rescued by SMRT staff. Some train windows were smashed to let in air.
Commuters then had to walk through the train tunnels to the nearest station in order to exit and find their way home.
In all, 11 stations from Marina Bay to Bishan were affected - the result of what SMRT called 'a power rail problem'.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force also dispatched ambulances and other emergency services to some stations.
"It was pretty much a traumatizing experience," said Oh Shu Fen, 23, who works in a bank. She was stuck in a train that stalled between the Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall stations.
"There were no lights and ventilation, and it got so dark that at one point of time, the only sources of light were from mobile phones."
At about 9 p.m., some of the stations were reopened and a section of the train services was resumed.
Meanwhile, SMRT raced to provide extra buses, which struggled to deal with stranded crowds who formed winding queues for buses and taxis.
As the buses were all packed to the brim, many commuters had to wait for hours before managing to get on a bus. Those who managed to get on a bus or taxi found their trips slowed by traffic congestion.
Frustrated commuters formed long queues at train stations to wait for fare refunds while others flooded online websites and forums and demanded explanations and apologies from the authorities for their traumatic experience.
"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused," said SMRT, in a statement issued at about 9 p.m. on Thursday night.
"Preliminary investigation shows that around 40m of the power rail had been damaged between the City Hall and Dhoby Ghaut stations.
"SMRT staff are now on-site attending to the fault. We will work round the clock to repair the damage, and hope to get the northbound train service for this stretch up by tomorrow morning."
Modified from 'Singapore's MRT Breakdown Chaos Leaves Thousands Stranded', Ignatius Low, Straits Times Indonesia, 16 December 2011.
A Train (MRT/Subway) Breakdown
Unfamiliar scenes of chaos and confusion unfolded on Thursday night in train stations across central Singapore after the MRT network suffered what is likely to be the worst breakdown in its 24-year operating history.
Just before 7 p.m., thousands of commuters riding home during the evening rush hour were plunged into total darkness as trains on the North-South Line suddenly lost power and ground to a halt.
Many people claimed that they waited up to an hour in the stifling heat of windowless carriages, where the air-conditioning had also failed, before eventually being rescued by SMRT staff. Some train windows were smashed to let in air.
Commuters then had to walk through the train tunnels to the nearest station in order to exit and find their way home.
In all, 11 stations from Marina Bay to Bishan were affected - the result of what SMRT called 'a power rail problem'.
As the extent of the problem became clear, SMRT shuttered the affected stations completely and commuters were advised to find alternative routes to their destinations.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force also dispatched ambulances and other emergency services to some stations.
"It was pretty much a traumatizing experience," said Oh Shu Fen, 23, who works in a bank. She was stuck in a train that stalled between the Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall stations.
"There were no lights and ventilation, and it got so dark that at one point of time, the only sources of light were from mobile phones."
A woman was reported to have fainted in the train as she had difficulties breathing. Civil Defense officers tried for ten minutes to revive her, but they were unsuccessful. She was immediately placed on a stretcher and evacuated after that.
Someone even smashed the train windows with a fire extinguisher to encourage some air circulation (ventilation).
At about 9 p.m., some of the stations were reopened and a section of the train services was resumed.
Meanwhile, SMRT raced to provide extra buses, which struggled to deal with stranded crowds who formed winding queues for buses and taxis.
As the buses were all packed to the brim, many commuters had to wait for hours before managing to get on a bus. Those who managed to get on a bus or taxi found their trips slowed by traffic congestion.
Frustrated commuters formed long queues at train stations to wait for fare refunds while others flooded online websites and forums and demanded explanations and apologies from the authorities for their traumatic experience.
"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused," said SMRT, in a statement issued at about 9 p.m. on Thursday night.
"Preliminary investigation shows that around 40m of the power rail had been damaged between the City Hall and Dhoby Ghaut stations.
"SMRT staff are now on-site attending to the fault. We will work round the clock to repair the damage, and hope to get the northbound train service for this stretch up by tomorrow morning."
Modified from 'Singapore's MRT Breakdown Chaos Leaves Thousands Stranded', Ignatius Low, Straits Times Indonesia, 16 December 2011.
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Part One
After reading the above news article, try the following comprehension cloze. The exercise will help you use some of the words / phrases / content knowledge learnt from the above material.
As this post is getting too lengthy, I will continue on Selected Reading Material 3: A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown (2) Coming Soon! : )
Part One
After reading the above news article, try the following comprehension cloze. The exercise will help you use some of the words / phrases / content knowledge learnt from the above material.
After a tiring evening at tuition class, I was relieved to be on the train back home. As it was the evening 1.__________________ hour, Father and I were lucky to get a seat in one of the crowded carriages. As he began to read, I started nodding off to sleep.
Suddenly, a loud noise jolted me from my dreams. The train had 2.___________ into total darkness and it slowly grounded to a halt. I rubbed my eyes and began to panic. For an instance, there was an eerie 3._________________ as no one dared to speak or move. Then, a child started to wail. As his mother began 4.__________________ to him softly, the other commuters started to stir too.
"James, are you alright?" Father asked while grabbing my hand in the pitch darkness. "Yes! What is going on?" I replied shakily. "I think there is a power 5._____________________," he suggested. The air-conditioning had stopped working too and the 6.____________________ heat was beginning to feel unbearable. I struggled to breathe as beads of perspiration began rolling down my temples. Suddenly there was a loud 'thud', followed by a scream! Some commuters used their mobile phones as torch lights and 7._________________ them at the direction of the commotion - A woman had collapsed on the carriage floor and a little girl was crying beside her. A beefy-looking man quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and 8.___________________ a few carriage windows while another commuter called the civil defence. I was thankful that the broken windows provided some 9.____________________as I, too, was beginning to feel breathless and 10.____________________ . We sat in the darkness helplessly for another fifteen minutes or so before help arrived.
The civil defence officers 11.__________________ open the doors and lit the carriages with bright lamps. After evacuating the woman who had fainted, the officers led us 12._____________________ the train tunnels to the nearest train station. I was so relieved to see bright lights and welcomed the cool, fresh air in the station. Father managed to contact his friend, who met us at a nearby car park before driving us home.
** Possible answers can be found in 'Selected Reading Material 3: A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown (2)!
Before we attempt to apply what we have learnt, I would like to suggest looking at the post: Video Resources (2) A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown. The video is an apt resource for supplementing this reading material.
Suddenly, a loud noise jolted me from my dreams. The train had 2.___________ into total darkness and it slowly grounded to a halt. I rubbed my eyes and began to panic. For an instance, there was an eerie 3._________________ as no one dared to speak or move. Then, a child started to wail. As his mother began 4.__________________ to him softly, the other commuters started to stir too.
"James, are you alright?" Father asked while grabbing my hand in the pitch darkness. "Yes! What is going on?" I replied shakily. "I think there is a power 5._____________________," he suggested. The air-conditioning had stopped working too and the 6.____________________ heat was beginning to feel unbearable. I struggled to breathe as beads of perspiration began rolling down my temples. Suddenly there was a loud 'thud', followed by a scream! Some commuters used their mobile phones as torch lights and 7._________________ them at the direction of the commotion - A woman had collapsed on the carriage floor and a little girl was crying beside her. A beefy-looking man quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and 8.___________________ a few carriage windows while another commuter called the civil defence. I was thankful that the broken windows provided some 9.____________________as I, too, was beginning to feel breathless and 10.____________________ . We sat in the darkness helplessly for another fifteen minutes or so before help arrived.
The civil defence officers 11.__________________ open the doors and lit the carriages with bright lamps. After evacuating the woman who had fainted, the officers led us 12._____________________ the train tunnels to the nearest train station. I was so relieved to see bright lights and welcomed the cool, fresh air in the station. Father managed to contact his friend, who met us at a nearby car park before driving us home.
** Possible answers can be found in 'Selected Reading Material 3: A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown (2)!
Before we attempt to apply what we have learnt, I would like to suggest looking at the post: Video Resources (2) A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown. The video is an apt resource for supplementing this reading material.
As this post is getting too lengthy, I will continue on Selected Reading Material 3: A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown (2) Coming Soon! : )
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