Read the text and answer questions

In some fishing villages along the coast of Japan, there are amazing groups of women known as 'Ama divers'. These women worked and are still working as Ama. The word 'Ama' means 'women of the sea or sea women'. They are independent divers. They make their living by diving. They can dive to the depth of the sea up to 25 metres. And they dive without using oxygen tanks or other breathing equipment.

The Ama divers rely on their own skills and breathing techniques. They use that skill and technique to push themselves down to the bottom of the sea and back to the surface again. They can hold their breath for up to two minutes. Careful watching, lung capacity and hunter instincts are the special qualities of Ama divers.

However some of these young villagers are going to the city in search of jobs. The remaining Ama divers are now aged between 50 and 60. But there are still some who continue to dive even at their 70s. If the young people do not take up Ama diving, soon this profession will die out.

• (2)

  Answer the following questions from your reading of the above text.
• (a) Why are the Ama divers amazing?

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• (b) How deep can the Ama divers go down into the sea?

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• (c) What techniques and skills do the Ama divers use in diving?

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• (d) Do you think the Ama divers possess extra-ordinary qualities? If yes, what are these?

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• (e) Why do the Ama divers not use oxygen thanks or other breathing equipments for diving?

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• (f) How do the Ama divers dive into the sea?

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• (g) Where do the Ama divers live in?

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• (h) Why do you think the young villagers are going to the city?

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• (i) How are the groups of the Ama women?

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• (j) What is the meaning of 'Ama'?

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• (k) What is the text about?

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• (l) How do the Ama divers earn their livelihood?

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• (m) What is the cause of the surprise about the Ama divers?

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• (n) Why are the Ama divers amazing?

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• (o) How deep can the Ama divers go down into the sea?

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• (p) What techniques and skills do the Ama divers use in diving?

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• (q) Why do you think the young villagers are going to the city?

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• (3)

  Fill in each gap with a suitable word based on the information of the text.

  Along the costal (a) _______ in Japan, Ama divers are still found. They are women who dive independently to the depth of the (b) _______ for their living. They do so without taking any 'safety measure just relying on their own (c) ________ and breathing (d) _______ The most outstanding qualities of these divers are careful watching, lung capacity and instictive huntership. The new generation women are not as interested in taking this (e) __________ as the older ones.

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• (4)

  Write the synonym or antonym of the following words as directed.
• (a) bottom (antonym)

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• (b) depth (synonym)

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• (c) shoal (synonym)

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• (d) dive (synonym)

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• (e) extremely (antonym)

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