SUGGESTED KEY

NATIONAL ENGLISH EXAMINATION FOR GIFTED HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS

11th January 2013

I. LISTENING

PART 1

1. displays of affection 5. martyred 9. Valentine’s e-cards

2. big business 6. 1415 10. viruses and spyware
3. 1 billion dollars 7. eat noodles
4. mists of time 8. commiserate

PART 2

11. survive 15. exponential rate 19. (vocabulary) gaps

12. habitats 16. dialect 20. Common
13. wetlands 17. tiny minority
14. plants and animals 18. spellings and vocabulary

PART 3

21. C 22. D 23. B 24. C 25. D

TRANSCRIPT

PART 1

It's that time of the year when couples show
their love for each other by sending cards,
flowers and chocolates. But Valentine's Day is
not only about public displays of affection: in
recent years it has also become big business. In
the UK alone, more than 20 million pounds is
spent on flowers, whilst in the United States over
1 billion dollars is forked out on chocolates.
Although Valentine's Day has become a global
industry with more than 80 million roses sold
worldwide, the origins of the day are unclear
and hidden in the mists of time. Nobody knows
exactly who St Valentine was, although some
historians suggest he was a Roman martyred in
the third century AD by a Roman Emperor. It is
said that the first recorded Valentine's card was
sent by the imprisoned Duke of Orleans in 1415.
It is believed that he sought solace from his
confinement by writing love poems to his wife.
Valentine's Day, or its equivalent, is now
celebrated in many countries around the world.
However, the traditions often differ from place
to place. In Japan, for example, it is customary
for the woman to send chocolates to the man,
whilst in Korea April 14th is known as 'Black Day'
and is when the unfortunate men who received
nothing on Valentine's Day gather to eat
noodles and commiserate with each other.
Technological developments have also played
their part in keeping Valentine's Day relevant in
the 21st century. Valentine's e-cards have been
all the rage in recent years. However, internet
security experts urge web users to be wary as
malicious hackers could use e-cards to spread
viruses and spyware.
Valentine's cards can also be used for less than
romantic purposes. Police in the UK city of
Liverpool sent Valentine's cards to criminals who
failed to appear in court or have not paid fines.
The cards contained the verse, 'Roses are red,
violets are blue, you've got a warrant and we'd
love to see you'. Who says romance is dead?
Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/l
anguage/newsaboutbritain/2009/02/090210_nab_va
lentine.shtml
PART 2 (Suggested Transcript)
1. People sometimes ask what difference it
makes if we lose the odd species here and
there. The answer is simple, even if the science is

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complex: biological diversity is essential to life.
Without it we simply couldn't survive on this
planet, and it's being eroded at an alarming
rate. The chief culprit is the loss of various
habitats. When we clear areas for agriculture or
industry, or drain unique ecosystems like
wetlands, we kill off all the life in them. A close
second in the list of causes is the introduction,
either deliberate or accidental, of invasive alien
species, which can cause severe problems in
the ecosystems they invade and lead to the
extinction of native plants or animals. Thirdly,
there is pollution, which can be defined as any
chemical in the wrong place or at a hazardous
level of concentration. Such chemical
imbalances in the environment often have
disastrous effects on biodiversity. Closely allied
to this in terms of causation is of course climate
change and the many potentially disastrous
impacts associated with it. What underlies all of
these causes, unfortunately, is us. Human
population has increased at an exponential
rate, and is the main factor in all the problems
I've described. It tripled in the twentieth century
and although growth is slowing, some experts
predict it will take until the twenty-third century
for it to level out at around 11 billion.
2. Overseas visitors are sometimes surprised to
be told that Welsh, far from being a dialect of
English, is actually of course a language in its
own right. In fact, Welsh speakers often proudly
claim that it's the oldest language in Europe.
Now another language, also with Celtic origins,
is set to join it, not exactly with the same official
status but at least as a protected language. A
new law will make it illegal for public bodies to
discriminate against speakers of Cornish. Cornish
is the ancient tongue of England's most westerly
county. It is spoken by a tiny minority, but they
are fiercely protective. The main problem,
though, is that there are no less than three
versions, each with different spellings and
vocabulary. The question of which version is the
authentic one is the source of much emotional
argument. So-called Modern Cornish dates from
around 1800, a period when the language had
all but died out. To compensate for numerous
gaps in the vocabulary, it uses English words for
things like telephones and computers. There
was a revival of interest in Cornish culture at the
beginning of the twentieth century, resulting in a
version called Unified Cornish. Then around 80
years later came an offshoot called Common
Cornish, which is actually spoken by more
people, especially newcomers to the language.
PART 3
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I: Interviewer; E: Elaine; T: Tony
I: The creation of dictionaries used to be a slow
and genteel process. But these days dictionaries
seem to be subject to same pressures as any
other book. I’m joined by Dr. Elaine Wilson,
Publishing Manager for the New London
Dictionary, and Tony Travis, who’s a professional
dictionary compiler, otherwise known as a
“lexicographer”. Elaine, do you agree that
competitive pressure is now there in
dictionaries?
E: I think it’s true generally. There’s an enormous
market for dictionaries overseas now, for
example. And I feel under a lot of pressure from
management. We have to maximize the
income that we make from dictionaries and of
course the way to do that is to keep them as up
to date as possible.
I: And how are the decisions made?
E: There’s a rigorous system for assessing whether
a new word should go in the dictionary. We
have a team of readers who go through
material for us and provide us with examples.
This gives us a big database. We then look at
any potential new entries and what we’re
looking for is the frequency and breadth of use,
so we want to see that a word’s being used by
more than one journalist, commentator, writer or
speaker. And we’re also looking for use in more
than one level of media.
I: Tony, people say anecdotally that the
influence of America is very strong because of
television programmes, movies, the internet. Do
we see that also in dictionaries?
T: Oh yes. The American domination of the
media still means that a lot of the new words
come from the United States. But there is a fight-
back. There’s a lot more Australian, Caribbean,
North English coming into the language, mainly
through slang.
I: Elaine, we talked about the internet and new
technology. It must make it easier to track a
word.
E: Yes, it does. Much of the data-gathering that
our various teams do in order to authenticate a
new word or usage has been accelerated. It’s
also improved the compiling process because
all the stages are done electronically and
equipment will continue developing over the
next decade or so.
I: Does it worry you, Tony, this competitive T: Ah, I’ve been told that most lexicographers
pressure? slip in at least one invention just …

T: Oh yes, and in fact I must be clear about this – T: Do you have to watch your staff on this?
this is not a totally objective profession. I mean,
it’s very interesting if you look at these new E: No, no, we never slip in our own invented
dictionaries, there are very few technical terms words. That would go against everything we
relating to farming, climbing, and fishing, for stand for. Anyway, we have our work cut out
example, but there are a huge number relating capturing all the genuine new words without
to alternative medicine, the theatre and trying to invent others! (laughs)
journalism. I think this says something about
where the lexicographers are coming from. I: All right, we believe you! Elaine Wilson and
Tony Travis, thank you.
I: Very briefly, both of you, doctors have this
mania for finding a new disease. Do you… is it Source: Cambridge Certificate in Proficiency of
tempting to invent a word yourself to go into the English 5, Cambridge University Press, 2006.
dictionary? Tony?

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR

PART 1

26. C 28. B 30. B 32. B 34. C

27. D 29. A 31. A 33. A 35. C

PART 2

36. malnutrition 38. exemplary 40. modification

37. overeat 39. well-being 41. resistance

PART 3

[…] but it appears they have (42) divergent views […]

For supporters of (43) neutrality, lnternet freedom means equal, affordable access (44) to
whatever online applications […] should be available for anyone who can afford (45) them.
The debate is overgrown with so (46) much technical jargon that it hasn’t attracted (47)
widespread attention, but what's at stake (48) is nothing less than […]

PART 4

49. up 51. for 53. down – on 55. out on

50. out 52. in for 54. into

III. READING

PART 1

56. B 57. B 58. D 59. C 60. D 61. A

PART 2

62. result 64. involve 66. under 68. which 70. find
63. others 65. will 67. beyond 69. depends

PART 3

71. G 72. F 73. D 74. E 75. B

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PART 4

76. D 78. C 80. A 82. A 84. A

77. F 79. G 81. D 83. C 85. B

PART 5

86. A 88. C 90. C 92. N 94. NG

87. D 89. B 91. Y 93. Y 95. Y

PART 6

96. her sore throat, Suzanne excelled herself at

97. are twenty singers in contention for
98. to language skills, I am no match
99. as/though you may seem to believe
100. are no restrictions on how many classes

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