CBSE Board Class 12 English Solved Passages
Chapter – 4 Reading Comprehension IV (Discursive Passages)
Read the following passage carefully:
1. When one flies into Japan, the first thing they notice is that it’s different. In Japan, things are different from day one. Firstly, the language is radically different, apart from the fact that the Japanese people use not one, not two, but three different alphabets. There are many different levels of Japanese language, ranging from street language, through caraal forms, to polite forms, and super polite form all saying the same thing in a very different way depending on where you are and with whom you’re speaking Japanese people use chopsticks instead of knives and forks, and the food in Japan is very different to that found in Australia, England or America.
2. After immigration and customs at the airport, one has to catch a train, bus or a taxi to their initial destination, usually a hotel. A lot of taxi drivers cannot understand English, and so there may be some communication problems if you cannot speak Japanese language at a conversational level.
3. The fear that the landlord or real estate company has of not being able to communicate effectively with the tenants is another contributing factor. Many Japanese people worry that the foreign tenant might not understand the local area’s policies of garbage disposal. Then there is the general fear that foreigners like to have wild parties that last well into the night. Japanese people usually don’t have loud parties at home. Once you are set up in your own apartment, then there is a whole new set of challenges, the biggest of which is understanding your local garbage recycling program, then there is reading one’s bills, setting up a phone and internet service, and finding a nearby laundry.
4. Most Japanese people get around on a bicycle, especially in the cities where the majority of people live in apartments that don’t have a garage or sufficient car parking spaces. Public car parks in Japan are also very expensive. A bicycle is cheap and convenient. There is a challenge of buying a car, insuring it and learning the system of compulsory car maintenance in Japan. Fortunately, most Japanese care are cheaper here than they are overseas, and most car maintenance center’s are honest and reliable. Something that is compulsory by law, when living in Japan, is National Health Insurance. Residents with a working visa must enroll, and this can be done at the city office, or preferably, your employer. who is required to pay half of the cost, will do it for you.
5. The Japanese hospital system here can be a little scary for a western who may be used to 24-hour medical clinics and hospitals that never close their doors. An ambulance seems the local choice in an emergency, but the hospital can refuse to take the patient depending on availability of doctors, beds, or various other reasons. Hence, it’s not uncommon for an ambulance to visit many hospitals before being accepted, and sadly many people each year die while still in transit.
6. Japan is famous for its traditional festivals, and this is another time that communities come together and participate in what is generally a fun and enjoyable event. These happen on a more regular basis throughout the year, and there are many different types of festivals. Official participants will wear a community happi’ (a traditional, short, colourful jacket, made from cotton, and tied at the waist), and the place in which the event occurs will have plenty of food and drink stalls, souvenir stands, singing and dancing.
A. On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the questions given below by choosing one of the options that follow:
(i) People at different places in Japan speak:
(a) the same language.
(b) different languages.
(c) the same language but in different ways.
(d) the same language and in the same way.
(ii) In Japan, many patients die because:
(a) they cannot afford the cost of a hospital.
(b) they lack transport to reach a hospital.
(c) they don’t get immediate admission in a hospital.
(d) there is no hospital in Japan.
(iii) The Japanese generally avoid……………… at home.
(a) night parties
(b) loud parties
(c) hilarious parties
(d) short parties
(iv) What kind of festivals are popular in Japan?
(a) Seasonal
(b) Educational
(c) Harvest
(d) Traditional
(v) The noun form of the word ‘accar’ in para-6 is
(a) occurred
(b) occurrence
(c) occurring
(d) None of these
| Answers:
(i) (c) (ii) (c) (iii) (b) (iv) (d) (v) (b) |
B. Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) If you don’t know how to speak Japanese language, what problems may you have to face?
(ii) What nuisances can a foreigner tenant create for a Japanese landlord?
(iii) till Why de Japanese people who live in apartments prefer to ride bicycles?
(iv) How do Japanese people celebrate their traditional festivals?
(v) Why does an ambulance have to visit many hospitals with patients?
Answers:
(i) If we don’t know how to speak Japanese language, we may face some communication problems,
(ii) The foreigner tenants like to have wild parties that last well into the night. The Japanese people usually avoid loud parties at home.
(iii) Because cars are very expensive in Japan. They don’t have sufficient car parking spaces.
(iv) The traditional festivals are fun and enjoyable events. The communities come together and participate in them.
(v) An ambulance has to visit many hospitals because the hospital can refuse to take the patient depending on the availability of doctors, beda and other reasons.
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