Racing driver Alexander Albon is fast becoming the pride of Thailand.

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Read the following story by Tatat Bunnag from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Racing driver Alexander Albon is fast becoming the pride of Thailand. The 23-year-old's recent contract with Italian Formula 1 team Toro Rosso makes him the first Thai F1 driver in 65 years, since Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh represented the Kingdom in 1954.

Born and raised in the UK by a Thai mother and British father, Alexander started racing karts — small vehicles used for racing — in 2005 at the age of eight, winning his first local championship. His successes in karting continued with several first place finishes between 2006 and 2010 throughout Britain and Europe at Cadet and then KF3 class. His record in this period was impressive, never finishing outside the top three.

Alexander successfully transitioned to Formula car racing, finishing 3rd in the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and 2nd in the 2016 GP3 Series. In 2018, Alexander raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. His record of four wins, three pole positions — starting in the front row of a race — and eight podiums — finishing the race in the top three — meant that he was competing for the Driver's Championship in the final race of the season. He eventually finished 3rd overall.

Last month, for the first time, Alexander took his place on the grid for the F1 World Championship at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. He finished 14th out of 20 racers.

Alexander spoke to the Bangkok Post about his remarkable rise.

You started racing at a very young age. How did you initially get into it?

It was my dad Nigel, who was also a racing driver. He was the one who gave me my first racing lesson. We had this big field right next to the farm where I grew up. My dad built a circuit for me to learn how to drive a go-kart.

What was your reaction when you heard that you were going to drive for Toro Rosso in 2019?

I remember we were in Abu Dhabi. It was the Monday after a race which had gone badly for me. I got a call from Dr [Helmut] Marko, which turned out to be very good news. Of course, I was very excited because I've always been motorsport mad, ever since I was little. The first thing I did was call my mum.

How does it feel to be only the second driver to represent Thailand?

It's definitely a big deal for me. It's been a long time since there's been a Thai in F1. It is a huge honour to be given such an opportunity. I'm just hoping to make everyone proud.

What are some of the lessons you learned from your experiences in F2?

To be honest, 2017 was a very bad year for us. Rival teams were improving all the time and we struggled just to keep the pace. That was when I learned that life can have its ups and downs.

You became well-known for your overtaking. Are you confident you can bring your racing style to F1?

Yes, I am, although the way the cars are designed in F1 makes it hard to overtake. With the rule changes this year, though, I'm sure there will be some nice battles.

You recently posted a picture of your new helmet design on Twitter. Can you tell us about it?

I've got the number nine written in Thai on my helmet as a reference to King Rama IX whom I greatly respected. The Thai flag is also next to my name.

What is it like to live in Italy and work with an Italian team?

It's great. Italy is the pinnacle of motorsport. I still can't speak Italian that well after two years but I don't really speak to the team in Italian. I'll try and get better at it though. I love the food there and the passion of Italian people.

Who's your F1 idol?

Definitely Michael Schumacher. I was Schumacher mad from the very beginning. I remember, as a kid, I had a red bedroom and only wore red T-shirts, because red was his colour as a member of the Ferrari team.

Section 1: Read through the story and answer the following questions. 

1. How old was Alexander when he first raced? …………….

2. In 2010 he came fourth in a race. True or false? …………….

3. In what year did the first Thai driver compete in F1? …………….

4. Where did he finish in his first F1 race? …………….

5. What was Alexander’s father’s job? ………….....

6. Who did Alexander speak to after being asked to drive for Toro Rosso? ………….....

7. Alexander speaks Italian well. True or false? ………….....

8. Which team did Michael Schumacher race for? ………….....

Section 2: Write the noun form of the following words. 

9. local……………

10. successfully ……………

11. excited……………

12. proud……………

13. honest……………

Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.

Why did you choose 23 as your race number?

It's …14… of 46, which is the number of another one of my …15…, [MotoGP racer] Valentino Rossi. Part of the reason was that I didn't want to have the …16… number as him. This might sound a bit …17…, but I feel that it's his number and I didn't want to step on his …18….

14. a. almost b. halve  c. half

15. a. hero b. heroes  c. heroic

16. a. similar b. different  c. same

17. a. fun b. funny c. hilarious

18. a. toes b. head c. memory

Section 4: Find synonyms in the story for the following words.

19. drivers

20. incredible

21. racetrack

22. competing

23. peak

24. crazy

Answers:

1. Eight years old. 2. False.  3. 1954.  4. 14th.  5. Racing driver.  6. His mum.   7. False.    8. Ferrari. 

9. locality 10. success 11. excitement 12. pride 13. honesty 

14. c. 15. b. 16. c. 17. b. 18. a.

19. racers 20. remarkable 21. circuit 22. rival 23. pinnacle 24. mad

SCORE

21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good.   13-16: Fair.   12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!