Tutorial 6

There are TEN (10) errors in the following text (excluding the example). Write the line number
against each error and give the correct answer. An example has been given.

No. Line no. Error Correct answer

0 1 visit visiting

Not long ago, an American businessman visit Bangkok scanned the city’s skyline and
quipped that Thailand’s national bird must be “the building crane.” Known for dazzling
temples and sizzling nightlife, the Thai business capital has evolved dramatically in
recent years. Skyscrapers tower over roads congest with notorious traffic jams as
5 Skytrains snake through concrete canyons. But a corner of the metropolis has remained
nearly as green and serene as when the city was christened Bangkok (“The Village of
Plum Trees”) centuries ago. That corner, nestled on a nook in the Chao Phraya River,
is an island named Bang Kachao.

Dubbed Best Urban Oasis in Asia in 2006 by Business Time, the bean-shaped 1,920-
10 hectare island is still home to trees, farms and fruit orchards crisscrossed by walking
and bicycle trails. Long before it become a destination for day-trippers, the late King
Bhumibol Adulyadej urged the government to protect and preserve its environment.
But times have changed. Soaring land prices and aggressive developers are threatening
to transform the nature and landscape of Bang Kachao. Fortunately, an alliance of state
15 agencies has rallied to fulfil the vision of the late king. Leading the effort is state energy
company PTT.

Since 2008, PTT has been working to create a sustain future for Bang Kachao. It
involves restoring green spaces, developing community green areas, improving quality
of life, building local enterprises and working with young people to promote
20 community leadership.
 “Most people want to keep Bang Kachao as the green space of the city, with no
commercial businesses. However, the reality is that the locals still need to earn a living.
We need to take this factor into consider,” says Tevin Vongvanich, president and CEO
of PTT. “We are trying to balance three important aspects, which are economy, society
25 and the environment.”

That holistic and integrated approach is required, considering that the island is home to
40,000 people and essential to Bangkok in its battle for climate change. Bang Kachao
traps more than 6,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, according to one study.
The island is home to three ecosystems: mangrove forest, rain forest and freshwater
30 swamp forest.

In addition to increase the green space covering Bang Kachao from 60% to 70% of its
total area, the project also works with locals on livelihoods. Farmers and gardeners are
learning about and adopting organic methods, and professors from Kasetsart University
hope the island can serve as an urban food bank of healthy produce for the city. “If we
35 don’t take action, the traditional way of life and the forests will disappear,’’ says
Montathip Sommeechai, a lecturer at the university’s Faculty of Forestry. The project
works with other locals so that they can develop small businesses that will serve
ecotourism. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people visit Bang Kachao every month to hike
or pedal through its nipa palms and banyan trees, or just to escape the noise and crowds
40 of the city.

Not far from Suvarnabhumi Airport, PTT has created a second urban oasis, known as
the Metro Forest. The PTT Reforestation Institute reclaimed two square kilometres of
abandoned land, brought in a team of local and international experts and asked them by
re-create the wilderness that covered much of Bangkok in its early days. They launched
45 an ecological regeneration project, planting more than 40,000 trees consisting of 279
different local species.
 Unlike a manicured park or botanical garden, the Metro Forest is designed to let nature
take its course. PTT says the “forest reflects Bangkok’s former landscape for public
education and enjoyment and establish a new trajectory of landscape typologies, such
50 as natural wilderness for the future.

Balancing the economy, society and the environment is more crucial than ever. Climate
change and unchecked development has been cited as contributing factors in
devastating floods as far away as Houston, Texas. With sea levels predicted to rise, the
future of low-lying Bangkok might be in peril. But nothing is inevitable if people pull
55 together. By working with government, scientists, other experts and, most of all,
communities in places such as Bang Kachao, PTT is committed to helping Bangkok
and all of Thailand achieve a green and sustainable future.

ANSWERS
No. Line Numbers Errors Correct Answers
1
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5
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10