[Culture ★★]
People get tattoos in Thailand
(P1) This news is from Thailand. People go to a temple. It is close to Bangkok. People get tattoos in this temple. Monks make the tattoos.
(P2) People believe that the tattoos have special powers. One man is doing really well in his job. He is also in a car crash but he is fine. He says that this is because of his tattoo.
(P3) There are five Buddhist rules. You must not break these rules. First, you must not kill anyone. Second, you cannot drink alcohol or take drugs. These are examples. If you break the rules, your tattoo does not work.
(P4) However, you can make a mistake. You can come to the temple again. You can get a new tattoo. You can try again.
Difficult words: temple (a god’s building), monk (a man who only lives for a god), rule (something that tells you what you can do and cannot do), Buddhist (a person who practices the religion of Buddhism), tattoo (a pattern, picture, etc made on the skin with ink).
WORDS: 174
Source: http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/people-get-tattoos-in-thailand/
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Are tattoos popular in your country?
- Do you have a tattoo? If no, do you want to get one?
- Do you think people regret getting tattoos on their body?
- Why do you think people get tattoos?
EXPRESSIONS & PHRASES:
What do the following expressions mean?
- Special powers (P2)
- Break these rules (P3)
Image Source: By onwardtibet.org, CC BY 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_monks_of_Drepung.jpg
