Sazali who is twelve years old, is an active boy.

He likes to
go outing with his friends. They love nature. They often go for a
picnic at the river nearby. Usually, they cycle to the river for a
dip in the crystal clear water.
Last week during the first semester holidays, Sazali and his
friends had a picnic by the river in their village. The river was
just a stones throw away from Mr Tans orchard. After cycling for
half an hour, the boys finally arrived at theirdestination. Upon
reaching there, they quickly looked for a nice spot to put their
things. They had brought along a lot of food and drinks.

Last week on a fine Sunday morning, Izat and his family went
to Rantau Abang beach for a picnic. They set of their journey at
nine oclock in the morning and arrived there an hour later. Upon
arriving there, they could see a big crowd of people on this golden
sandy beach. They could also witness many people swimming
happily in the sea. The water was indeed crystal clear. Everyone
was in high spirits. They quickly looked for a nice spot to put all
their things. Izat and his siblings helped their parents to take out
all food and drinks from the car.
Guys, shall we go for a swim, suggested Izat excitedly.In no
time, Izats family was in the water, enjoying themselves.
Suddenly, Izat heard a faint noise. At first, he paid no heed to
it. But, soon it grew louder and louder. He heard someone
screaming for help. He looked around. To his surprise, he saw a
boy struggling in the water. He was bobbing up and down. Izat
quickly told his father about it. Without much thinking, Izats
father swam towards the boy. He put his arm around the drowning
boys neck and pulled him to the shore. He swam with all
his might. Finally he managed to save the boy. He felt very tired
but happy for he had saved a life.

Ali is a fisherman who lives in Bachok, a fishing village on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia
in the state of Kelantan. His day begins at dawn when it is still chilly and dark. While he gets
ready, his wife, Laila, prepares coffee and cooks a simple rice meal of fish and vegetable for
breakfast.
After eating a hurried meal, he heads for the beach, where his boat is tied and moored. His
friend, Ishak, also arrives to help him, and soon they get to work, checking their fishing-nets, bait
and sails before setting out to sea.
As the first rays of the sun peep over the hills, they set off in their boat and sail out to sea. The
chilly, invigorating breeze brushes against them and they shiver a little. As the sails fill with air,
the boat moves swiftly over the water.
Soon, they are in the middle of the glimmering sea, and they begin to let down their nets. The
sky looks beautiful at sunrise with orange, gold, pink and blue tints. They feel glad the day will
be sunny and bright and hope to get a good catch.
Now and then, they pull their nets into the boat. Sometimes the nets are loaded with fish, prawns
and crabs, but, at other times, they are empty. By noon, they start rowing back to shore. Working
in the hot sun is a tough job.
As they reach the shore, their families await them to help sort out the fish and prawns which are
of different types or sizes. Then, when their baskets are filled with their catch, they are ready to
meet the men who come in lorries to buy up the fish and prawns and send them to the markets in
the big towns to be sold.
In the afternoon, Ali sits under a shady tree and repairs his nets. He also spends some time
attending to his vegetable plot behind his hut. Evening comes and this is the happiest time of the
day for him as he can now relax with his family.

set out
glimmer
sort out

to start an activity with a particular aim

to shine with a weak light or a light that is not continuous
to separate one type of things from a group of things