1. A Letter Home --By Jo Australian Volunteers International,
Jo, a young Australian woman of
Australian Volunteers International,
has worked as a volunteer teacher
in Papua New Guinea for two years.

2. want to do something very much
Skim the letter and Find the names
Can you guess the meaning Jo
______heard from Rosemary whose letter took a fortnight to arrive.
_________is Jo’s friend who is dying to know her life in Papua New Guinea.
___________visit a remote village which is the home of Tombe.
_______could be the interpreter of his teacher when they could not participate in the conversation.
______led Jo to his house, which was dark and it took time for eyes to adjust.
______cried “ieee ieee” to show welcom.
receive the letter of
two weeks
Rosemary
want to do something very much
Jo and Jenny
far away
Tombe
Someone who changes spoken words from one language to another language
take part in
Mukap
get used to
Kiak

3. scanning Main idea Part 1(Para 1) :
Jo and Jenny visited Tombe’s home in the village.
End of the letter.
Beginning of the letter ; what will be talked about in the passage.
The school where Jo works and Jo’s work at school.

4. Choose the best answer.
1. The purpose that the author wrote the letter is that ___.
she wanted to tell Rosemary her
teaching life in the high school.
B. she wanted to tell Rosemary her learning life in the high school.
C. she wanted to tell Rosemary that she couldn’t get any money by teaching the poor students
D. she wanted to tell Rosemary how happy she was in the small village. A

5. 2. In a chemistry experiment the boys jumped out of the windows because they _____.
A. were frightened by the bubbling
mixture
B. couldn’t stand the terrible smell of the
C. didn’t like doing chemistry experiments
D. knew chemistry was not relevant to them A

6. 3. Which of the following is TRUE about Jo’s attitude?
A. She is sure that all the boys will go to
college in the future.
B. She believes that chemistry is very
useful to the boys.
C. She is wondering if she can make
any difference to the boys’ lives.
D. She doesn’t like the simple life in the
mountain village. C

7. 4. Which of the descriptions is NOT right about Tombe’s house?
A. It was a low bamboo hut with grass sticking out of the roof.
B. It was dark and there was a fireplace in the centre of it.
C. It was round-shaped, with small windows and a narrow doorway.
D. There were only a few possessions in it. C

8. 5. Why does Jo wonder how relevant
chemistry is to the kids?
A. Because she thinks chemistry is too
difficult to learn.
B. Because she thinks chemistry may
make little difference to the kids’ life.
C. Because the kids there hardly come
across anything of chemistry.
D. Because she thinks chemistry useless. B

9. 6. By writing “The only possessions that I could see were…”, the author wants to tell us ____.
A. Tombe’s family were kind-hearted
B. Tombe’s family were guest-lovers
C. Tombe’s family only used simple
things
D. Tombe’s family were too poor D

10. B A 7. Why did Tombe throw out the tin can?
A. Because he believed the can attracted
evil spirits.
B. Because he believed any leftovers
attracted evil spirits.
C. Because he believed the can has no use
at all.
D. Because he believed the grill attracted
8. How did Jo feel after the visit to Tombe’s family?
A. Happy B. Sad C. Worried D. Upset B A

11. 1.Why did Jo send Rosemary some photos?
listening and careful reading
1.Why did Jo send Rosemary some photos?
2. Why the high school was called a bush school?
3. Were the boys and villagers friendly to Jo? How do you know?
4. Why was Science the most challenging subject for Jo?
5. Why did the boys start jumping out of the window?
6. How long does it take the students to go to school?
7.Why does Jo wonder how relevant chemistry is to the kids?

12. 1.Why did Jo send Rosemary some photos?
2. Why the high school was called a bush school?
3. Were the boys and villagers friendly to Jo? How do you know?
It was difficult for Rosemary to imagine how hard / difficult the life was in Jo’s school and village.
The classrooms were made of bamboo and the roofs of grass.
Lots of “good mornings” ; cry “ ieee ieee” ; shake hands with all the villagers; many goodbyes; firm handshakes

13. 4. Why was Science the most challenging subject for Jo?
5. Why did the boys start jumping out of the window?
6. How long does it take the students to go to school?
7.Why does Jo wonder how relevant chemistry is to the kids?
Her students had no concept of doing experiments. And there was no equipment.
The boys never came across something like bubbling mixture.
Sometimes up to 2 hours
Because most of the boys will go back to their villages after year 8 and she thinks chemistry may make little difference to the kids’ life.

14. Careful reading Family relationships
Read Paragraph 4-8 and finish the chart.
Family relationships
Everyone seemed to be a _______ of Tombe’s. (large extended family)
Type of houses
Men’s hut is a_____________ with______________________.
No ________, small doorway. Floor was covered with ___________.
Possessions
I could only see a_________,a few __________________
__________
relative
low bamboo hut
grass sticking out of the roof
windows
fresh grass
broom
tin plates and cups and
a couple of jars

15. Sleeping arrangements
Kiak usually would sleep in her _______. A newly made _______ for Jenny and me to sleep on.
Diet
_________, _____ and ______.
Cooking methods
_______ are placed in an oil drum, then _______are placed in the drum, covered with _________ and steamed.
Beliefs
The villagers believe that any ________ attract _________ in the night so the food is ________ in the can and the can is then ___________ of the hut.
own hut
platform
sweet potato
corn
greens
Hot stones
vegetables
banana leaves
leftovers
evil spirits
dried up
thrown out

17. Homework 1.Discussion: Would you like to work as a
volunteer in a poor area?
2. Underline some important language points in the passage.
3. Retell some parts of the
text by yourselves.