Read the following passage and answer the questions, THE NAME KYIRONG means "the village of happiness." I shall never cease thinking of this place with yearning, and if I can choose where to pass the evening of my life, it will be in Kyirong. When we arrived in January, the temperature was just below freezing; it seldom falls below 10 degrees centigrade. The seasons correspond to what we have in the Alps, but the vegetation is subtropical. One can go skiing the whole year round, and in the summer, there is a row of 20,000-footers to climb. There are about eighty houses in the village, which is the seat of two district governors who administer thirty villages. We were told that we were the first Europeans who had ever come to Kyirong, and the inhabitants watched our entry with astonishment. We were quartered in the house of a farmer, which reminded me of our Austrian houses. As a matter of fact, the whole of the village might have been transplanted from the Alps, except that instead of chimneys the roofs of the houses were decorated with prayer flags. On the ground floor were the stables for cows and horses. They were separated by a thick ceiling from the living rooms of the family, which are approached by a ladder from the courtyard. Thick stuffed mattresses served as beds and easy chairs, and near them were small, low tables. The members of the household kept their clothes in brightly painted wardrobes, and before the inevitable carved wooden altar, butter lamps were burning. In winter the whole family sat on the clean floorboards around a huge open log fire and sip their tea. The room in which Aufschnaiter and I were put was rather small, so I soon shifted to the hay barn next door. Aufschnaiter carried on our unceasing struggle with rats and bugs, while I had to cope with mice and fleas. I never got the better of the vermin, but the view over glaciers and rhododendron forests made up for my discomfort. We had a fireplace in our room and were given wood to burn. We spent very little money; our provisions did not cost us more than £2 10s. a month each. The staple food in this region is tsampa made of corn, which is made into a paste with butter tea or milk or beer, and then eaten. The Tibetans make a special cult of tsampa and have many ways of preparing it. We soon got accustomed to it, but never cared much for butter tea, which is usually made with rancid butter and is generally repugnant to Europeans. It is, however, universally drunk and appreciated by the Tibetans, who often drink as many as sixty cups in a day. The Tibetans of Kyirong, besides butter tea and tsampa, eat rice, buckwheat, maize, potatoes, turnips, onions, beans and radishes. Meat is a rarity, for as Kyirong is a particularly holy place no animal is ever slaughtered there. Meat appeared on the table only when it had been brought in from another district or, more often, when bears or panthers left part of their prey uneaten.
Match the words with their meaning.a. yearning 1. nauseating b. quartered 2. lodged c. repugnant 3. longing
a-3, b-2, c-1
Understanding Vocabulary from the Kyirong Passage
This question asks us to match words from the provided passage about Kyirong with their correct meanings. To do this effectively, we need to look at how each word is used in the context of the passage.
Analyzing Word Usage in the Passage
Let's examine each word and its context:
- yearning: The passage states, "I shall never cease thinking of this place with yearning...". Here, yearning describes a strong desire or a feeling of wanting something very much, often something that is distant or lost.
- quartered: The passage mentions, "We were quartered in the house of a farmer...". To be quartered means to be given lodging or accommodation, typically for military personnel, but used here for travellers. It means to be housed or lodged.
- repugnant: The passage says butter tea is "...generally repugnant to Europeans". Something that is repugnant is extremely distasteful or unacceptable. It causes a strong feeling of dislike or disgust.
Matching Words to Meanings
Now, let's match the words with the provided meanings:
- yearning: Based on the context, yearning means a strong desire or longing. This matches meaning 3, "longing". So, a-3.
- quartered: Based on the context, quartered means lodged or housed. This matches meaning 2, "lodged". So, b-2.
- repugnant: Based on the context, repugnant means causing strong dislike or disgust. This matches meaning 1, "nauseating" (causing nausea or disgust). So, c-1.
Summary of Matches
Here is the summary of the matches:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a. yearning | 3. longing |
| b. quartered | 2. lodged |
| c. repugnant | 1. nauseating |
The correct combination of matches is a-3, b-2, c-1.
Conclusion
By carefully reading the passage and understanding the context in which the words yearning, quartered, and repugnant are used, we can correctly match them to their meanings. The combination a-3, b-2, c-1 is the correct answer.
Revision Table: Key Vocabulary from Kyirong Passage
Reviewing the words and their meanings helps reinforce vocabulary knowledge.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Yearning | A strong feeling of wishing for something, especially something you cannot have or something that is lost. (Synonym: Longing) |
| Quartered | Provided with accommodation or lodgings. (Synonym: Lodged) |
| Repugnant | Extremely distasteful; unacceptable. Causing a feeling of strong dislike or disgust. (Synonym: Nauseating, Offensive) |
Additional Information: Context Clues in Reading Comprehension
When you encounter unfamiliar words in a reading passage, you can often figure out their meaning by using context clues. Context clues are hints found within the sentence, paragraph, or passage that help you understand the meaning of a difficult word.
Types of context clues include:
- Definition/Explanation Clues: The word's meaning is directly stated or explained nearby.
- Synonym Clues: Another word with a similar meaning is used in the context.
- Antonym Clues: A word with the opposite meaning is used, often with words like "but," "however," or "unlike."
- Example Clues: Examples are given that illustrate the meaning of the word.
- Inference Clues: The meaning is not directly stated, but you can figure it out from the way the word is used and the surrounding information. This was particularly helpful for "yearning" and "repugnant" in the Kyirong passage. The descriptions of how the author felt about Kyirong suggested "yearning" meant a strong desire, and the description of butter tea being disliked by Europeans suggested "repugnant" meant distasteful.
Using context clues improves your reading comprehension and vocabulary skills.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
