READING COMPONENT PRACTICE

SECTION A
[10 marks]
[Time suggested: 25 minutes]

Questions 1-10
Read the information below carefully and complete the graphic organiser that follows.

DOING OUR PART FOR CHARITY

Under the directive of the state government, the Environment, Health and Welfare Department has declared
Sundays as “No Plastic Bags Day”, starting from 1 December 2010.

This is a move towards a greener state and society. The state generates about 2000 tonnes of solid waste a
day and spends about RM25 million annually on solid waste management.

On Sundays, customers will be charged 10 sen for each plastic bag they use at the check-out centres of
hypermarkets or supermarkets. This measure is to encourage consumers to recycle and bring their own
bags. The fund collected will be channelled to the poor and needy.

Using the information given, complete the graphic organiser below.

1. Title:

2. Name of Campaign: .......................................................................

.........................................................
......................................................... 7. Solid waste generated a day:
.........................................................
.........................................................
3. Campaign starts on: ARTICLE
.........................................................
......................................................... 8. Yearly amount spent on solid
waste management:

4. Day of Campaign: .........................................................

......................................................... .........................................................

.........................................................

9. Amount charged for each plastic bag:

Purpose of Campaign:
.....................................................................
5. ....................................................

.................................................... 10. Funds channelled to:

6. .................................................... .........................................................

.................................................... .........................................................
 SECTION B
[25 marks]
[Time suggested: 25 minutes]
Questions 11-14
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

A Cup of Tea
(The passage is about the Chinese tea culture)

1 For a long time, tea was used in China as herbal medicine and also as a religious offering. During
spring and autumn, people ate fresh tea leaves as vegetables. Then, it was taken as a drink and now
drinking tea is second nature to the Chinese people. They are believed to have enjoyed tea drinking
for more than 4,000 years. According to legend, Yan Di, one of three rulers in ancient times, tasted
1
all kinds of herbs to find medical cures. One day, some herbs he had ingested poisoned him. A drop 5
of water from a tea tree dripped into his mouth and he was saved.

2 Tea as a drink prospered during the Tang Dynasty and teashops became popular. A major event of
this time was the completion of the Tea Classics, the cornerstone of Chinese tea culture, by Lu Yu,
Tea Sage of China. This little book details rules concerning various aspects of tea, such as areas for
growing tea bushes, wares and skills for processing tea and tea tasting. There is a chapter on the 10
history of Chinese tea and quotations from other records. There are comments on tea from various
places and notes on which occasions tea wares should be complete and when some wares could be
omitted. The Ming Dynasty, however, laid the foundation for processing tea, tea types and drinking
styles that we have inherited and which are still in use today.

3 Today, there are several special circumstances in which tea is prepared and consumed. In Chinese 15
society, a show of respect for the older generation is very important. Offering a cup of tea at the
start of the day speaks volumes concerning the respect of the younger generation has for the older
generation. This can also be taken as a sign of submission. In the past, people of lower rank served
tea to higher-ranking people. Today, as Chinese society becomes more liberal, sometimes parents
may pour a cup of tea for their children, or a boss may even pour tea for subordinates at restaurants. 20
However, the lower-ranking person should not expect the higher-ranking person to serve him or her
tea on formal occasions.

4 Inviting their elders to go to restaurants for tea is a traditional practice of filial piety. When children
leave home to start a new life and a new home, they may not be able to visit their parents so often.
Thus, going to restaurants for morning tea, becomes an important activity for family gatherings. 25
Every Sunday, Chinese restaurants are crowded, especially when people celebrate festivals. This
phenomenon reflects Chinese family values.

5 Besides being used as a sign of respect within the family, tea is also offered to as a form of making
apologies for serious wrongdoings to others. The offender can attempt to rectify his wrongdoing by
offering tea to the aggrieved party in public. Tea has to be poured and served to the aggrieved party. 30
Whether or not the cup of tea is accepted and the grievance wiped out depends on the latter. For
example, children serving tea to their parents is a sign of regret and submission.

In the traditional Chinese marriage ceremony, both the bride and groom kneel in front of their
6 parents and serve them tea. This is the most devout way to express their attitude. The married
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 couple has to say, “Thanks for bringing us up. Now, we are getting married. We owe it all to you.”
The parents will usually drink a small portion of the tea and then give them a red envelope, which
symbolises good luck. Another variance is for the daughter-in-law to-be to serve tea to her future
parents-in-law, symbolising she is to become a part of the latter’s family.

The tea ceremony during weddings also serves as a means for both parties in the wedding to meet 40
7 In theother
with traditional
membersChinese
of themarriage
family. ceremony, both thecan
Chinese families bride
be and groom
rather kneel in
extended, onefront of their
or two hundred
parents and serve them tea. This is the most devout way to express their attitude. The married
people, so it is entirely impossible during a courtship to be introduced to every member of the family.
Refusal to drink would symbolise opposition to the wedding and is quite unheard of since it would
result in a loss of ‘face’. Older relations so introduced would give a red envelope to the matrimonial
couple while the couple would be expected to give a red envelop to younger, unmarried relations. 45
(Adapted from Wikipedia)

11. From paragraph 1,

a) what were the two uses of tea in the early days?

_______________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

b) Yan Di was saved from herbal poisoning by a drop of water ___________________________ . (1 mark)

12. In paragraph 2,

a) the major event which took place during the Tang Dynasty was the completion of the Tea Classics by Lu
Yu, considered as the cornerstone of _________________________ . (1 mark)

b) what was the contribution of the Ming Dynasty?

_______________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

13. a) From paragraph 3, the offering of tea by the younger generation to the older generation
signifies _________________________________________________________________. ( 1mark)

b) In paragraph 4, what phenomenon reflects Chinese family values?

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

14. From paragraph 5,

a) what is another significance of offering of tea?

_______________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

b) What is the procedure involved in this ritual?

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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