15,Road 11/12

Petaling Jaya,

Selangor,

Malaysia.

Dear Sue,

Thank you for your letter. I am glad that you are planning to visit Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur is an interesting place. The people are warm and friendly. There are a lot of cultures here so we celebrate many festivals like Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Christmas.

From Singapore, you can get to Kula Lumpur by train, bus, or by air. But I would recommend that you travel by bus because not only the journey is pleasant, but you can also see rubber, oil, palm, coconut, pepper and pineapple plantations along the way. Incidentally, the bus journey is also cheaper than either the plane or the train.

The first place you must visit in Kuala Lumpur is the National Zoo and Aquarium. The Zoo has about 200 species of Malaysian wildlife. There are animals, birds, reptiles and also all types of marine life on display. You can have elephant and pony rides too.

The next place you must visit is the famous Batu Caves. You have to climb 272 steps to get into the limestone caves. There are dozens of caves, and some are larger than buildings. In the largest cave stands a Hindu Shrine which attracts 100,000 devotees on Thaipusam day. Worshippers carry kavadis or wooden frames decorated with flowers and fruits. The kavadis are attached to the worshippers’ bodies by thin spikes or arrows. The worshippers struggle up to the shrine to fulfill a vow.

The next place you must visit is Mimaland. There are recreational facilities such as boating, swimming, and jungle trekking. The swimming-pool, fed by mountain streams, is one of the largest in the world.

The National Museum is another attraction. On display are not only relics of the past but also scenes of Malaysian life. Tourists interested in history can learn more about Malaysian culture. For example, there is a Malaccan style Chinese house from Malacca and lots of fascinating furniture. In addition, the Museum has a wide variety of jewellery. My favourite objects at the museum are the ruby strudded daggers and kris.

Oh, I nearly forgot….I hope you will stay with me when you visit K.L.

Yours,

Ani

Exercises

Make short questions for which these are the short oral answer.

1. Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, and Christmas.
2. By train, bus or air.
3. Pepper and pineapple plantations.
4. About 200 species.
5. A Hindu shrine.

Answer these questions in your own words.

1. Why did Ani recommend traveling by bus?
2. What sort of wildlife does Ani say that the National Zoo has?
3. How do some Hindu worshippers celebrate Thaipusam?
4. What sort of things can one do at Mimaland?
5. What makes the National Museum attractive fro tourists?

A topic sentence is a sentence that contains the main idea in the paragraph. It tells us what the paragraph is about.

For example, in paragraph 2 (line 5) the topic sentence is:

From Singapore, you can get to Kuala Lumpur by train, bus or by air.

The rest of the paragraph tells us more about the journey.

In paragraph 3 (line 9) the topic sentence is:

The first place you must visit in Kuala Lumpur is the National Zoo and Aquarium.

The rest of the paragraph describes what you can see at the zoo and aquarium.

What are the topic sentences in paragraph 4, 5 and 6?

 Section 2: words in action

Match words from the passage given in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

What adjectives does Ani use to describe the following?

1. Kuala Lumpur
2. The people in Kuala Lumpur
3. The bus journey
4. The Batu Caves
5. The museum

Using a dictionary: Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives.

The comparative and superlative forms of adjectives can be formed in three ways:

RULE 1: Three-syllable adjectives and some two-syllable adjectives use more and most,

Example:

Beautiful           more beautiful               most beautiful

RULE 2: One-syllable adjectives and some two-syllable adjectives use –r/-er and –st/-est,

Example:

Fine                  finer                  finest

Big                   bigger               biggest

Happy              happier             happiest

RULE 3: There are some irregular forms of adjectives.

Example:

Bad                  better               best

Far                   further              farthest (for distance)

Little                 less                   least

The dictionary provides information on comparative and superlative forms. If no information is given, the adjective follows Rule 1 or Rule 2.

Use your dictionary to find the comparative and superlative forms for these words.

1.Dirty                          6.Comfortable

2.Handsome                 7.Gentle

3.Tasty                         8.Gay

4.Simple                       9.Lively

5.Sincere                      10.Pleasant

check your answers here.