Screw Pine or Pandan
This is a well-known plant in Asia. Its leaves, which have an aromatic fragrance, are often
added to local dishes such as nasi lemak and chicken curry. They are also squeezed to
extract a bright green food colouring used in many local cakes. Pandan leaves provide many
health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, giving pain relief, reducing dandruff and
serving as a natural insect repellent.
Ginger
In many traditional Asian dishes, some fresh ginger is used to add flavour to food. In Malaysian
cuisine, ginger is usually added to soup because it boosts the immune system. A lot of people
drink ginger tea to cure indigestion. Ginger is also known for its pain relief and anti-inflammatory
effects, as well as its antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant properties.
A Read the leaflet above. Then, read the sentences below and tick the main idea of the text.
Both ginger and pandan offer pain relief.
Both ginger and pandan are used in Asian cuisine.
Both ginger and pandan provide many health benefits.
B State whether the following sentences are True (T) or False (F).
1 Pandan leaves can help to reduce dandruff.
2 Ginger is used as an insect repellent.
3 Ginger tea helps to cure indigestion.
C Use a dictionary to look up the definitions of the following words.
1 aromatic
2 repellent
3 cuisine
4 indigestion
Quantifiers
A quantifier is a word or phrase used before a noun or after a verb to indicate the amount or
quantity of something.
Examples:
- In many traditional Asian dishes, some fresh ginger is used to add flavour to food.
- A lot of people drink ginger tea to cure indigestion.
- A few students were suffering from food poisoning.
- Both ginger and garlic are good for our health.
- Eating too much sugar is bad for you.
- Do you want any medicine for your cold?
- More people are becoming health conscious these days. Most people try to have a balanced
diet.
- All the cars must be washed.
- Jacob talks a lot.
D Complete the sentences with the quantifiers given in brackets.
1 Nik and Gopal love
gardening. They grow herb in their
gardens. of these herbs
have health benefits. If you want
herbs, you can get from them. (most, some, both, any, many)
2 I like vegetables but I cannot eat of therm. I must have
meat
or fish every day. My mother is a vegetarian, so she doesn't eat
meat. She usually cooks
vegetables, but she makes sure that there is
meat or fish for me. (a lot of, some, any, too many, some)
3 According to people,
mangoes are eaten than
other fruit in the world.
Mangoes taste so good that
people forget that they are also healthy. Mangoes can help to prevent cancer and lower cholesterol. (more, some,
any, many)
4 Pandan leaves are a traditional remedy for dandruff. Pound
fresh pandan leaves until they are smooth and mix them with
water. Rub the mixture into your scalp and let it stand for
minutes before rinsing your hair. (a few, some, a little)
5 people use pandan
leaves as an insect repellent. Just tie
leaves together and place them wherever you want to get rid of cockroaches, ants or mosquitoes.
You can also mix
panda juice extract with water and spray
it on areas where of these
pests are likely to appear. (most, some, a few, a lot of)
E Complete the following conversation by making requests and giving suggestions based
on the issue provided below.
FRIEND : I have a skin problem. My complexion is really bad because I have acne. Can you
suggest suitable ways to get rid of acne?
You: Sure.
Friend:
You:
Friend:
You:
Friend:
F Read the paragraphs below. Then, number the paragraphs in the correct order.
Soak your fingers for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, rinse your fingers with water. Do
this daily to help get rid of yellow nails.
If your nails are yellow, it spoils the look of your hands.
You can treat the problem by using the following home remedy.
However, this remedy will not work if you don't have a proper diet. Make sure
you have a balanced diet with sufficient meat, grain products, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Squeeze some lemon juice into a bowl. Dip your fingertips into the juice and let
them soak.
G Read the poem ‘My Hero’ by Willis Hall. Then write a short paragraph about the theme.