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Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik

Universitas Indonesia

English for General Academic Purposes

Mid-term Test

Name: Student Number:

_______________________________________________________________
I. READING AND VOCABULARY (50 points)
A. Read the following paragraphs carefully and answer the questions (26 points)

Paragraph 1

Mines are perhaps the most terrible weapons of modern wars because they kill soldiers during
wartime and because they can kill or injure innocent civilians in peacetime. When the war in
Bosnia ended in 1996, people were happy but they knew that they were still in danger since there
were about six million mines hidden in ex-Yugoslavia. A lot of these mines have now been
found and removed; but doing this is very dangerous. A person may be walking along a path
through the fields, and suddenly, the ground explodes under his feet. Sometimes mines are found
by chance by young children, who start playing with them as if they were toys. The
consequences can be fatal.
1. What is the topic of the paragraph? (1 point)
Mines are perhaps the most terrible weapons of modern wars
2. What is a "land mine"? (1 point)
Land mine is one of area that contain of mine
3. Why do children sometimes play with them? (1 point)
Because the children think that mine is a toys and in the fact there is a toys that similar
with a mine
4. Why can the consequences be fatal? (2 points)
Because the children think that this tools is a toy and children will play it then when he
plat it, it can injure someone
5. What does by chance mean? (1 point)
By chance is one of_________________________

Paragraph 2

Thousands of Irish eclipse-watchers joined sky-gazers around the world yesterday in viewing
the last great solar spectacular of the millennium. The world didn't come to an end but work
stopped temporarily, as people flooded out of homes and offices to witness the moon eclipse the
sun. Temperatures dropped by up to 2° Celsius in Ireland and the sky noticeably darkened.
Shortly after 11 am, as the eclipse reached its limit, cars stopped, telephones were left
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unanswered and people looked to the heavens. In five minutes, electricity demand fell by 3.5 per
cent. Despite all the warnings, people did look directly at the sun, using devices ranging from
eclipse sunglasses to the back of their hands. Dublin's Eye and Ear Hospital received up to 40
phone calls last night from people fearful that damage may have been caused to their eyes. At
least five people were examined, two of whom are to return today for further tests.
1. What is the passage mainly about? (1 point)
Eclipse sunglasses
2. What was the biggest problem caused by the eclipse? (1 point)
The world work stopped temporarily
Perhaps it can be problem eyes
3. Define the meaning of following words/phrases from the passage? (2 points)
sky-gazers is a someone who gaze a sky
devices is a tool that used to see a eclipse sunglassesl_______

Paragraph 3

At 2 pm on 5 December 1945, five US bombers took off from Fort Lauderdale in the USA for a
training flight in perfect weather. Shortly afterwards, the pilots radioed that their flight
instruments were all malfunctioning. Two hours after take-off, all contact with the planes was
lost. A reconnaissance plane was immediately dispatched to search for the missing planes.
Within 20 minutes, radio contact with it had also been lost. No trace of any of the planes was
ever found. In all, six planes and 27 men had vanished into the air. The disappearance of the six
planes was far from being the first mysterious incident in the area: for years, navigational
problems and strange magnetic forces had been reported. The disappearance was not even the
greatest disaster within the Bermuda Triangle. The Cyclops, a 19,000-ton US vessel was sailing
from Barbados to Norfolk, Virginia. In March 1918, when it vanished with its crew of 309 from
the surface of the ocean without making a distress call and without the slightest wreckage ever
being found.
1. What is the main idea of the paragraph? (2 points)
the disappearance of 6 plane

2. According to the passage, what happened to the planes? (2 points)

6 planes are lost_______________________
3. The word ‘it’ refers to? (1 point)
Missing planes
4. What is The Cyclops? (1 point)
Cyclops _____________________________________________
5. What does ‘a distress call’ mean? (2 points)
A disress call is _______________________________

Paragraph 4
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Half a billion people in Asia and Africa depend on bananas. Bananas provide the largest source
of calories and are eaten daily. Its name is synonymous with food. But the day of reckoning may
be coming for the Cavendish and its indigenous kin. Black Sigatoka, a fungal disease, , has
become a global epidemic since its first appearance in Fiji in 1963. Left to itself, black Sigatoka -
which causes brown wounds on leaves and premature fruit ripening - cuts fruit yields by 50 to 70
per cent and reduces the productive lifetime of banana plants from 30 years to as little as 2 or 3.
Commercial growers keep black Sigatoka at bay by a massive chemical assault. Forty sprayings
of fungicide a year is typical. But despite the fungicides, diseases such as black Sigatoka are
getting more and more difficult to control. “As soon as you bring in a new fungicide, they
develop resistance,” says Frison. “One thing we can be sure of is that black Sigatoka won't lose
in this battle.” Poor farmers, who cannot afford chemicals, have it even worse. They can do little
more than watching their plants die. “Most of the banana fields in Amazonia have already been
destroyed by the disease,” says Luadir Gasparotto, Brazil’s leading banana pathologist with the
government research agency EMBRAPA. Production is likely to fall by 70 per cent as the
disease spreads, he predicts. The only option will be to find a new variety.
1. What is the passage mainly about? (2 points)
________________________________
2. What problem does the black Sigatoka cause? (1 point)
________________________________________________________________________
3. Why are the diseases getting more and more difficult to control? (2 points)
________________________________________________________________________
4. What does the word ‘pathologist’ mean? (2 points)
________________________________________________________________________
5. The word ‘they’ refers to? (1 point)
________________________________________________________________________

B. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. (9 points)

When people ask French translator Virginie Verdier what she does for a living, it must be
tempting to say enigmatically: ‘Oh me? I’m in the movies’. It’s strictly true, but her starring role
is behind the scenes. As translating goes, it doesn’t get more entertaining or glamorous than
subtitling films. She is quick to point out that this is as exciting as any translating job. 'You work
hard. It's not all entertainment as you are doing the translating. You need all the skills of a good
translator and a top-notch editor. You have to be precise and of course, much more concise than
in traditional translation work.'
The process starts when you get the original script and a tape. ‘We would start with
translating and adapting the film script. The next step is what we call ‘timing’, which means
synchronising the subtitles to the dialogue and pictures.’ This task requires discipline. You play
the film, listen to the voice and the subtitles are up on your screen ready to be timed. You insert
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your subtitle when you hear the corresponding dialogue and delete it when the dialogue finishes.
This process is then followed by a manual review, subtitle by subtitle, and time- codes are
adjusted to improve synchronisation and respect shot changes. This process involves playing the
film literally frame by frame as it is essential the subtitles respect the visual rhythm of the film.’
‘Like any translation work, you can’t hurry subtitling,’ says Virginie. ‘If subtitles are
translated and timed in a rush, the quality will be affected and it will show.’ Mistakes usually
occur when the translator does not master the source language and misunderstands the original
dialogue. ‘Our work also involves checking and reworking subtitles when the translation is not
up to standard. However, the reason for redoing subtitles is not just because of poor quality
translation. We may need to adapt subtitles to a new version of the film: the time code may be
different. The film may have been edited or the subtitles may have been created for the cinema
rather than video. If subtitles were done for cinema on 35mm, we would need to reformat the
timing for video, as subtitles could be out of synch or too fast. If the translation is good, we
would obviously respect the work of the original translator.’

1. With what topic does this passage primarily deal? (1 point)

________________________________________________________________________
2. Mention the stages of subtitling process! (3 points)
translating and adapting the film script.
synchronising the subtitles to the dialogue and pictures.’
3. Which of these statements AGREES with the information given in the passage? (1 point)
a. Few people are completely successful at subtitling comedies
b. Subtitling work involves a requirement that does not apply to other translation work.
c. Some subtitling techniques work better than others.
d. Every single movie has the same tone and style.
4. What pattern of organization does this paragraph use? (1 point)
a. Comparison/contrast
b. Cause and effect
c. Definition
d. Process
e. Argumentation
5. What are the reasons for redoing subtitles? (2 points)
a. _____________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________
6. The word ‘we’ in the last sentence refers to? (1 point)
________________________________________________________________________

C. Use the context clues in the sentences to define the underlined words (5 points)
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1. In the Middle-East and Indian sub-continent, the female relatives and friends from both
the bride’s and groom’s families decorate their hands and feet with beautiful intricate
designs using deep red henna paste.
intricate means one of designs for hands and feet's bride and groom (detail dan
complectaed)
2. For Italian people, it’s a nice ritual to head to a bar to grab a coffee and a brioche for
breakfast before work and it’s a luxury to take more time to indulge in such a breakfast at
the weekend. (lucky you)
indulge means ___________________________________________________________
3. These irregular metal components encourage bony ingrowth, allowing a patient's bone
cells to intertwine with the irregular metal finish, which holds the implants securely in
place.
intertwine means (to link or to connect) a prosses that courage the proses of bony
kngrowth ____
4. There were several contributors to the field before Thomas Edison came along, but today
he is credited with the invention of the first practical incandescent light bulb.
incandescent means glowing or lighting_______
5. Other inventions -the wheel, agriculture, sliced bread - may have transformed our
material existence, but the advent of language is what made us human.
advent means existance , appearance________________

D. Complete the paragraph with the correct word from the box (10 points)

float built ignorance produced inadequate procedures

water record destruction size confident unsinkable

The Finest Ship Ever Built

The North Atlantic Ocean crossing on the Titanic was expected to set a new standard for ocean
travel in terms of comfort and safety. The shipping industry had an ( noun singular) excellent
safety (1) ____record______ on the North Atlantic Crossing over the previous forty years and
the Titanic was the finest and safest liner ever (2) __built____. The Titanic combined the greatest
technology of the day with sheer (3) ______size__, luxury and new safety features. The Titanic’s
owners were (4) _____confident_____ that even if the Titanic were letting in (5) ___water___,
she would (6) __float________ indefinitely until help arrived. In hindsight, we know that the
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Titanic was not (7) _________unsinkable_ and that technology alone could not save lives when
facilities were (8) ____imadeqiate______ and humans did not follow safe (9)
________prosedures__ whether because of arrogance or (10) _______ignorance.

II. WRITING (25 points)

A. Write a topic sentence in the space provided for the following paragraph (3 points).

_____________________________________________________________________________.
For western cultures, noisily consuming food is considered rude. In Japan, however, making
slurping sounds while eating has an entirely different meaning. This might have something to do
with the fact that in western countries, noodles are properly consumed by twirling them on a
spoon before putting them in the mouth. Meanwhile, the Japanese simply slurp up their noodles
without contorting them first, an act that is naturally noisier than the former. Making slurping
sounds when eating noodles in Japan is a way of indicating that you’re really enjoying them.
Some scientists even argue slurping invites air into the palate and actually enhances the noodles’
flavor.

B. Identify the sentence that does not fit in the paragraph by underlining it (1 point).

People with high visual-spatial or visual intelligence possess the ability to visualize the world
accurately, modify their surroundings based upon their perceptions, and recreate the aspects of
their visual experiences. People with high visual-spatial intelligence are good at remembering
images, faces, and fine details. They are able to visualize objects from different angles. People
with high visual-spatial intelligence also have good spatial judgement and reasoning. That is,
they are able to accurately judge the distance between themselves and an object. It also includes
the awareness of musical sounds, tones, and rhythms. They are also skilled at using their ability
to visualize and their spatial judgement to complete task and projects that include design,
judgement, and creativity. For this reason, they make good painters, artist, architects, engineers,
and designers.

C. Write a supporting sentence that fits in the paragraph below (3 points).

There are more steps of being eco friendly. One is conserving water and electricity. This is as
simple as switching off the lights when not using it, use maximum daylight, and purchase of
energy effective devices which can minimize one's daily consumption of energy. Next is planting
more trees. _________________________________________________________________.
Third is buying recycled products when visiting grocery shops to purchase things that will make
one to be eco responsible. Conclusively, being eco friendly is not to create damage to the
environment, and preventing as much damage as possible from happening to the environment
through one’s interaction with it.
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D. Write a suitable concluding sentence for this paragraph in the space provided (3 points)

Throughout the year, numerous regional festivals take place in all corners of Brazil. In Sao Luis,
the Bumba-meu-boi festival has the townsfolk act out a folk story involving the killing and
resurrection of a bull. The celebrations span several months. In Salvador, the end of January
brings a ceremonial washing of the steps of the Bonfim Church, an event that draws an audience
of 800,000 people. Women in traditional costumes use perfumed water to wash the steps.
Leading up to Easter, the citizens of Nova Jerusalem enact a passion play, the largest in all of
South America. The stages of the cross last 10 days, culminating on Easter
Sunday._______________________________________________________________________.

E. Write a paragraph about 8-10 sentences or approximately 150 words about one of the
following topics. Remember to start your paragraph with a topic sentence and end it
with a conclusion (15 points).

1. What can we do to keep our brains healthy and active?

2. How do young people in your culture behave differently from older people?
3. Is it better to learn about history from books and the Internet or from museums?
4. What are the advantages/disadvantages of eating organic food?
5. What are the pros/cons of using solar energy?

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III. LISTENING (25 POINTS)

A. Listen to the short conversations. Decide whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE
by circling T or F. (10 points)

1. Joan repaired the broken window. T / F

2. The golf tournament made the town famous. T / F
3. He wants to know how the copy was made. T / F
4. She is looking for a used car. T / F
5. Mandy read the magazine again and again. T / F
6. Jack played the guitar quite well. T / F
7. Max is taking too much equipment. T / F
8. She is trying to get elected mayor. T / F
9. She doesn’t know what the professor looks like. T / F
10. The speaker is using a defective microphone. T / F

B. Listen to a student and a lecturer talking about a camping trip and then answer the following
questions! (5 points)

Example

A. Mr Thomson has just been

B. Writing reports on the pupils.
C. Reading about the pupils’ progress.
D. Speaking to a class of pupils.

1. The camping trip will be held

A. The following month
B. From the 24th to the 26th
C. Over a five-day period
2. Jamie’s complaint about last year’s trip was that
A. the camp wasn’t big enough
B. he was unhappy while at the camp
C. he had problems finding the camp
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3. The camp site is located

A. In the Lake District
B. in Carlisle
C. beside Lake Brant
4. Jamie thinks the forests will be good for children who
A. Are used to nature
B. Live in cities
C. Like sports
5. Each child will pay
A. Less than 4 a night
B. Approximately 5
C. More than 10

C. Listen to the news and then complete the note below (10 points)

Scientists at the Canadian company Carbon Engineering have said they are close to making
carbon capture work. Carbon capture is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2)
from (1) __________like power plants and then storing it so it does not harm the environment.
Carbon Engineering say its scientists (2) ___________________ capturing CO2 from the
atmosphere and turning it into carbon-neutral fuel. This could be a big step (3)
___________________ in the fight against global warming. The scientists also said they have
greatly (4) ___________________ of carbon capture, to as low as $94 per ton of CO2 captured.
Many scientists believed carbon capture would cost about $1,000 (5) __________ captured.

The technology works by sucking air into special industrial towers. The CO2 is mixed with an
alkaline liquid and (6) ___________________. It is then heated and combined with hydrogen.
This produces liquid fuels like gasoline and jet (7) ___________. The founder of Carbon
Engineering, Professor David Keith, was optimistic about the future of this process. He believes
his company could help to (8) ___________________ climate change. He said: "After 100 years
of practical engineering and (9) ________________, we can confidently say that while air
capture is not some magical cheap solution, it is a viable and buildable technology for producing
carbon-neutral fuels in the immediate future, and for removing carbon (10)
___________________."

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