The White Butterfly
An old man named
Takahama lived in a little house behind the cemetery of the temple of Sozanji.
He was extremely friendly and generally liked by his neighbours, though most of
them considered him a little mad. That was because he was very old but he did
not want to get married. He did not have the desire for intimate relationship
with women.
One summer day he became very ill, so ill, in fact, that he
sent for his sister-in-law and her son. They both came and did all they could
to bring comfort during his last hours. While Takahama fell asleep, they
watched a large white butterfly flew into the room and rested on the old man’s
pillow. The young man tried to drive it away with a fan; but it came back three
times, as if it was very loath to leave the sufferer.
At last Takahama’s nephew chased it out into the garden,
through the gate, and into the cemetery beyond, where it lingered over a
woman’s tomb, and then mysteriously disappeared. On examining the tomb the
young man found the name “Akiko” written
upon it, together with a description narrating how Akiko died when she was
eighteen. Though the tomb was covered with moss and must have been erected
fifty years previously, the boy saw that it was surrounded with flowers, and
that the little water tank had been recently filled.
When the young man returned to the house he found that
Takahama had passed away, and he returned to his mother and told her what he
had seen in the cemetery.
“Akiko?”
murmured his mother. “When your uncle was young he was betrothed to Akiko. She
died shortly before her wedding day. When Akiko left this world your uncle
resolved never to marry, and to live ever near her grave. For all these years
he has remained faithful to his vow, and kept in his heart all the sweet
memories of his one and only love. Every day Takahama went to the cemetery,
whether the air was fragrant with summer breeze or thick with falling snow.
Every day he went to her grave and prayed for her happiness, swept the tomb and
set flowers there. When Takahama was dying, and he could no longer perform his
loving task, Akiko came for him. That white butterfly was her sweet and loving
soul.”
Adapted from: http://www.pitt.edu
1.
The
text tells you about …
A. dying old man
B. a mad old man
C. a crazy old man
D. an old man with his
faith
E. an old man with his
neighbors
2.
How
was Takahama’s characters?
A. He was a humorous
person.
B. He was a pathetic
person.
C. He was a sociable
person.
D. He was a hilarious
person.
E. He was an indolent
person.
3.
Who
was Akiko?
A. She was Takahama’s fiancé.
B. She was Takahama’s
niece.
C. She was Takahama’s
sister in law.
D. She was Takahama’s
sister.
E. She was Takahama’s
mother.
4.
The
word “It” (paragraph 3, sentence 2) refers to …
A. the garden
B. the cemetery
C. the white butterfly
D. the tomb
E. the gate
5.
The
closest meaning of ‘betrothed’ is ….
A. divided
B. alienated
C. separated
D. estranged
E. engaged
My Very Best Friends
I believe that a
friend is an angel who lifts us off our feet when our wings have trouble
remembering how to fly. It means that our friends are people who will always be
there for us any time we need them.
I’m so lucky because
I have three best friends. They are Firsty, Ronald and Jonathan. We have known
each other since we were four years old. We met in the kindergarten. Since then,
we always go to the same school. Moreover, our houses are still in the same
block. We do everything together. Our motto is “United we stand, divided we
fall”. It means “together we are stronger”. Now, let me introduce my friends
one by one.
Firsty is the
youngest among us because she was born in December. We call her “The Sweety
Firsty”. Her father is French. She is tall and slim. She’s about 171 cm. She
has long straight hair. Actually the color of her hair is blonde. However, she
dyed her hair black since last year. She has beautiful blue eyes, an oval face
and pointed nose. “The Sweety Firsty” is a cheerful, confident, and determined
girl. However, she is a little bit careless and stubborn. She has many cats in
her house. There are about nine cats. She loves them all. One of her favourite is
a little orange cat. She calls her ‘Shinny’. Firsty loves to dance and sing.
Nevertheless, she wants to be a model.
Ronald’s nickname is
Ron. Most of girls in our school love and adore him. There’s no doubt about his
good looking. We call him “The Charming Ron”. His height is 176 cm. Ron has
straight hair and perfect face. He is an intelligent and introvert person.
Above all, he is humble. He was crowned as The Best Student this year. He won
so many prizes on Math, Chemistry and Physic competition. However, his
favourite subject is Chemistry. He wants to be a chemist someday.
Jonathan is a funny
person. He can always find a way to make the people around him laugh. I wonder
what it is in his head for he can create jokes spontaneously. Jonathan’s nick
name is Jo. He is plump. He’s about 168 cm tall. His weight is 80 kg. That’s
why we call him “The Big Jo”. He has a round face with brown eyes. His spiky
hairstyle makes him easily recognized. Jo is a humorous, friendly and an easy
going person. He is a movie freak. He would never miss any new movie in the
cinema. He dreams of becoming a famous actor one day.
About me? Well, my
name is Hana. I’m the shortest one among them. I’m about 160 cm tall. I have
long wavy hair with round face. My friends call me “The Chubby Hana” because
I also have a chubby check. Most people, even my parents say that I’m a
careful, generous and diligent person. They also say that I’m a bit sensitive.
I love painting. I spend much time in my small studio just painting.
That’s all about me
and friends of mine. Even though we are quite different, we love each other and
will keep this relationship for good.
6. What
is Jonathan like?
A. He is fat, stubborn,
and funny.
B. He is fat, easy
going, and funny.
C. He is chubby,
diligent, and sensitive.
D. He is friendly, easy
going, and slim.
E. He is plump, humble,
and sensitive.
7.
What
is Hana’s favourite?
A. She loves cats.
B. She loves Chemistry.
C. She loves watching
TV.
D. She loves painting.
E. She loves singing.
8.
The
closest meaning of “strong-minded” is ….
A. sensitive
B. friendly
C. determined
D. confident
E. cheerful
|
Inul aims to drill after haj
JAKARTA: Dangdut
singer Inul Daratista says she will not stop performing her raunchy
hip-gyrating dance, “the drill” after recently completing a spiritual
pilgrimage to Mecca.
“Uztad (cleric)
advised me to run my business as usual after the haj. He only told me to stop
if I was too tired. How am I supposed to feed my family if I don’t sing and
dance?” said the singer whose dancing was once the source of a major
controversy here.
Inul said she
wouldn’t be changing her typically-tight stage out ts like many other actresses
and female singers who start wearing headscarves after coming back from the
haj.
“ ….. (the costume)
depends on the songs: If I was ordered to sing qasyidah (Arabic songs). I’d
have to adjust. “Inul said quoted by Detikcom.
Inul who travelled
to Mecca with her husband, Adam Suseno, said they had been impressed by the
beauty of the city and were planning to make a return trip within the next
four months.
“Next year, four
months from now, we’ll take the umroh (minor haj program), “ she said.
Adapted from: The Jakarta Post, December 27, 2007
|
9.
With
whom did Inul take haj?
A. alone
B. her friend
C. Ustad
D. her husband
E. her parents
10.
What
is Inul’s decision after haj?
A. She will stop her
raunchy dance.
B. She will run her
business as usual.
C. She will sing Arabic songs.
D. She will start
wearing headscarves.
E. She will take a break
for four months.
11.
What
Inul planned four months ahead?
A. She will take the
umroh.
B. She will travel to
Mecca.
C. She will sing
qasyidah.
D. She will start
wearing headscarves.
E. She will stop
performing her raunchy dance.
12.
The
closest meaning of “vulgar” is …
A. usual
B. spiritual
C. minor
D. major
E. raunchy
13.
Ayu
: Thanks a million for your
help.
Arnys : ______________.
A. Don’t mention it.
B. I’d love to.
C. Really?
D. That’s wonderful.
E. Terriffic!
14.
Adib
: That’s a very cute sweater.
Retno : ______________.
A. It’s no trouble at
all.
B. Thank you for saying
so.
C. With my pleasure.
D. Very well, thanks.
E. That would be nice.
15.
Marcell
: __________________.
Virga : Really? That’s wonderful!
A. My lovely kitten died
last night.
B. My little sister
killed my hamster.
C. My horse has been
sick for three days,
D. My dog won a swimming
contest yesterday.
E. My rabbit was hit by
a car this morning.
16.
My sister has ….
A. A wonderful green
bracelet bamboo
B. A green wonderful
bamboo bracelet
C. A bracelet bamboo
wonderful green
D. A bamboo bracelet
wonderful green
E. A green bracelet
wonderful bamboo
17.
The
boy bought … last night.
A. Two white cute
puppies
B. Two puppies white
cute
C. Two cute puppies
white
D. Puppies white two
cute
E. White two cute
puppies
18.
The
book … by her two days ago.
A. Return
B. Returns
C. Returned
D. Is returned
E. Was returned
19.
The
blue horse … by him now.
A. Ride
B. Rides
C. Rode
D. Ridden
E. Is being ridden
20.
The
wild dogs … by the policemen every month.
A. Catch
B. Catches
C. Caught
D. Are caught
E. Were caught
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