READING TEXT 1

Captain Tom Moore The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh

Little People, Big Dreams English
By (author) María Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Original Price: RM56.33
This book from the famous Little People, BIG
DREAMS series, looks at the life of Captain Tom
Moore.
Little People, BIG DREAMS is one of the highest-
selling series of books and learning games that
took a peek at the lives of excellent people, from
artists to scientists and activists. All of them did
great things, yet each began life as a child with a
dream.
This book offers positive advice to children of all
ages, in many forms. The board books are told in
simple stories, perfect for reading aloud to babies
and small children.
Inspire the next generation of excellent people who
will change the world with Little People, BIG
DREAMS!
By (author) Helen Rutter
Original Price: RM57.06
Billy Plimpton is an eleven-year-old boy with a big
dream.
He wants to be a stand-up comedian when he
grows up: make up a funny conversation and
having fans hang on his every funny word.
A tough career for anyone, but surely impossible for
Billy, who has a stammer. How will he find his voice
if his voice does not come out?
The idea for this story came from Helen Rutter's
son, who has a stammer: she wanted to write the
book that he would love to read, starring a child like
him.
'This book will win your heart and makes you laugh
out loud in great joy. I promise that you'll be
cheering along in the final pages!' Lisa Thompson

How to Grow Up
By (author) Dr Ranj Singh, Illustrated by David O'Connell
Original Price: RM56.33

The nation's favourite doctor, Dr Ranj, is here to explain everything you ever
wanted to know about puberty - plus lots more.

What does it mean to be a boy? And I am not just talking about what you
have between your legs, but what life is really like for boys. Growing up is
a real challenge! So, I have put everything I learned both from my career
as a doctor and my own life story into this twenty-first-century guide to being
a boy.

Filled with easy-to-understand explanations, down-to-earth advice and fun

pictures, this growing-up guide by Dr Ranj is perfect for readers aged 10+
who want to be the very best version of themselves.
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Billions of social media users look up to influencers to help them decide what to buy and what
trends to follow.
So what is an influencer and how do we become one?
An influencer is a person who can influence the decisions of their followers because of their
relationship with their audience and their knowledge and expertise in a particular area, e.g.
fashion, travel or technology.
Influencers often have a large following of people who pay close attention to their views. They
have the power to persuade people to buy things, and influencers are now seen by many
companies as a direct way to customers’ hearts. Brands are now asking powerful influencers
to market their products. With some influencers charging up to $25,000 for one social media
post, it is no surprise that more and more people are keen to become influencers too. If you are
one of them, then here are five tips on how to do it.
1. Choose your niche
What is the area that you know most about? What do you feel most excited talking about? Find
the specific area that you’re most interested in and develop it.
2. Choose your medium and write an interesting bio
Most influencers these days are bloggers and micro-bloggers. Decide which medium – such as
your own online blog, Instagram or Snapchat – is the best way to connect with your followers
and chat about your niche area. When you have done that, write an attention-grabbing bio that
describes you and your speciality area in an interesting and unique way. Make sure that people
who read your bio will want to follow you.
3. Post regularly and consistently
Many influencers post daily on their social media accounts. The more you post, the more likely
people will follow you. Also, ensure that your posts are consistent and possibly follow a theme.
4. Tell an interesting story
Whether it is a photo or a comment that you are posting, use it to tell a story that will catch the
attention of your followers and help them connect with you.
5. Make sure people can easily find your content
Publicise your posts on a variety of social media, use hashtags and catchy titles and make sure
that they can be easily found.
Most importantly, if you want to become a social media influencer, you need to have patience.
Keep posting and your following will gradually increase. Good luck!
Adapted from: learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
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1 The craft of perfumery has an ancient and global heritage. The art flourished in Ancient
Rome, where the emperors were said to bathe in scent. After the fall of Rome, much of the
knowledge was lost, but survived in Islamic civilizations in the Middle Ages. Arab and Persian
pharmacists developed essential oils from the aromatic plants of the Indian peninsula. They
developed the processes of distillation and suspension in alcohol, which allowed for smaller 5
amounts of raw materials to be used than in the ancient process, by which flower petals were
soaked in warm oil. This knowledge was carried back to European monasteries during the
Crusades.

2 At first, the use of fragrances was primarily associated with healing. Aromatic alcoholic
waters were ingested as well as used externally. Fragrances were used to purify the air, both for 10
spiritual and health purposes. During the Black Death, the bubonic plague was thought to have
resulted from a bad odour which could be averted by inhaling pleasant fragrances such as
cinnamon. The Black Death led to an aversion to using water for washing, and so perfume was
commonly used as a cleaning agent.
3
Later on, the craft of perfume re-entered Europe, and was centred in Venice, chiefly 15
because it was an important trade route and a centre for glass-making. Having such materials at
hand was essential for the distillation process. In the late seventeenth century, trade soared in
France, when Louis XIV brought in policies of protectionism and patronage which stimulated
the purchase of luxury goods. Here, perfumery was the preserve of glove-makers. The link arose
since the tanning of leather required putrid substances. Consequently, the gloves were scented 20
before they were sold and worn.

4 During the eighteenth century, more modern, capitalist perfume industry began to
emerge, particularly in Britain where there was a flourishing consumer society. In France, the
revolution initially disrupted the perfume trade due to its association with aristocracy, however,
it regained momentum later as a wider range of markets were sought both in the domestic and 25
overseas markets.

5 Perfume became less associated with health in 1810 with a Napoleonic ordinance which
required perfumers to declare the ingredients of all products for internal consumption. Unwilling
to divulge their secrets, traders concentrated on products for external use. One of the significant
changes in the nineteenth century was the idea of branding. Until then, trademarks had had little 30
significance in the perfumery where goods were consumed locally, although they had a long
history in other industries. One of the pioneers in this field was Rimmel. He took advantage of
the spread of railroads to reach customers in wider markets. To do this, he built a brand which
conveyed prestige and quality, and were worth paying a premium for. He recognised the role of
design in enhancing the value of his products, hiring a French lithographer to create the labels 35
for his perfume bottles.
6
Luxury fragrances were strongly associated with the affluent and prestigious cities of
London and Paris. Perfumers elsewhere tended to supply cheaper products and knock-offs of the
London and Paris brands. The United States perfume industry, which developed around the
docks in New York where French oils were being imported, began in this way. Many American 40
firms were founded by immigrants, such as William Colgate, who arrived in 1806. At this time,
Colgate was chiefly known as a perfumery. Its Cashmere Bouquet brand had 625 perfume
varieties in the early 20th century.
Adapted from https://www.bustle.com/articles/
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1 An astonishing 235 million items of unwanted clothing were predicted to be dumped in UK

landfill in 2017, while the average American is estimated to bin 37kg of used clothing
annually. Overconsumption and disposal of unwanted clothing has become a worrying global
problem - and in many cases, this clothing is unnecessarily thrown away. Filling landfill with
clothing and textiles costs the UK alone an estimated £82m every year. (21)______________. 5
Research from The British Fashion Council, for example, found that fashion contributes £28
billion directly to the UK economy -and globally, it is a US$2.4 trillion industry.
Despite this, materialistic values and a widespread desire for having new things, together
2
with the fact that the fashion industry constantly creates and sells different styles, have reduced
the functional value of clothing, making it easily disposable. (22)_______________. Fashion 10
and sustainability have historically had an uncomfortable relationship.
Growing concerns over sweatshop labour have seen fashion companies overhaul their
3
social and environmental policies. Consumers, meanwhile, have grown increasingly concerned
about where and how garments are made. But while fashion makes efforts to become ethical,
there are still serious concerns over its environmental impacts. 15
Fashion is considered one of the world’s most polluting industries - from toxic chemical
4
use to water pollution and waste. Some 35% of the global total of microfibres in the oceans
comes from clothes and textiles.(23)_________________.
5 Recycling has become an important way to address this. H&M, for example, has a
successful garment collection scheme, where they repurpose their consumers’ unwanted 20
clothing. However, the recycling process is problematic environmentally. It is energy intensive
and may require use of further fresh materials.(24)_________________. We must reconsider
how fashion is sold, encourage consumers to waste less, and ensure that garments have a longer
lifespan.
Leasing has been identified as an innovative business model that gives clothes a longer 25
6 service life, while reducing material use and carbon dioxide emissions. Despite this, there are
currently just a handful of fashion companies that are using a leasing model. Research found
there were opportunities for clothing rental at the luxury end of the market, but there was
resistance to renting lower priced items, which were just too easy to buy.
(25)________________. Clothing rental has the potential to reduce waste and increase the 30
lifespan of garments, but to achieve a more sustainable industry a systemic change in business
practice and consumer behaviour is needed.

Adapted from theconversation.com