Read the following article and then answer questions 1–20.

For multiple-choice questions,

choose the best answer for each question and write the appropriate letter in the box provided.
For other questions, write your answer in the space provided.
(20 marks)

Faking it … as a priest?

1 When I moved to Japan to work as an English teacher, I never dreamed that I would end
up performing wedding ceremonies for nearly 100 happy Japanese couples. Now, I’m not what
you would call a model wedding celebrant — I’m not a priest (I’m not even a Christian), I
don’t have a genuine wedding license, and I have never been properly trained. However, all
5 things considered, I don’t actually think I did a bad job. I was always on time and I only forgot
one bride’s name.

2 One of my teaching colleagues told me about the job. He’d been doing it for a few
months, and was making good money (15,000 yen — around HK$1000 — per wedding). He
thought I would like a bit of extra cash, and knew that I would have no problem learning the
10 lines for the ceremony.

3 He introduced me to his boss, and I was asked to come in for an interview. At the
interview, I was asked hardly any questions. The wedding agency interviewers just checked to
see that I was western, that I could speak English, and that I looked relatively presentable.
Then they showed me a wedding license and asked if I could make something similar. Were
15 they really asking me to forge a wedding license? It turned out that they were. The demand for
western weddings was huge, but real licenses were much too expensive and took too long to
obtain. They used forgeries instead.

4 My first ceremony was an interesting experience. I was told the date, time and address,
and I showed up, in my priest costume, to what I discovered to be an Italian restaurant with a
20 crucifix hung temporarily on the wall. Even the crucifix didn’t make it look like a church,
though. Moments later, the wedding party arrived, the bride in a magnificent white dress
covered in lace, and the groom in a tuxedo and top hat. This couple really wanted a western
theme for their wedding! The sly-looking people that owned the restaurant and the nightclub
upstairs made me a little nervous when they stopped by to watch what was happening.
25 However despite the odd setting and my nervousness, the ceremony went well and the new
husband and wife seemed happy with their western-style nuptials.

5 As it turned out, restaurants were quite common venues for weddings — many of the
ceremonies took place in French or Italian restaurants, and even the occasional yakitori bar.
The strangest place I ever had to perform a ceremony was a Wild West-themed pizza
30 restaurant whose name, translated into English, was ‘The Surprised Donkey’. That suited me,
as I never stopped feeling surprised that I was actually performing weddings!

6 All the time I worked as a celebrant, it bothered me that I was performing the duties of a
priest or minister without the proper religious background. I shouldn’t have been worried.
Most of the couples weren’t Christian either, and they were paying for a Hollywood-style
35 display, not a genuine religious ceremony. I later found out that only around one per cent of
Japanese people are Christians, and most of them disapprove of the western-style ceremonies
which they see as being sacrilegious.

7 The agency didn’t seem to care about religion at all. As long as people were happy to pay
for western-style weddings, they were happy to provide them. And there was certainly no lack
40 of demand. Every week I would perform five or six weddings, and the agency employed
another twelve westerners as well. I never found out what the agency charged for their
 services, but you can be sure they were making a lot more than my 15,000 yen per wedding.

8 In the end though, my life as a wedding celebrant couldn’t continue. I was never
completely comfortable pretending to be a priest. However I have some great memories, and I
45 know that throughout Tokyo, my face appears in nearly 100 different wedding albums. And
that’s a nice thought.
1. According to paragraph 1, the writer ……
A. has a terrible memory for people’s names.
B. is a devout Christian.
C. performed weddings for many Japanese couples. 1. C
D. used to work as a model in Japan.

2. According to paragraph 2, the writer’s colleague ……

A. also performed weddings.
B. was very poor.
C. thought he would probably find it difficult to learn the lines. 2. A
D. was joking about working as a marriage celebrant.

3. Choose the correct words to complete the sentence:

At the job interview, the wedding agency interviewers ______ the writer
______.
A. asked …… about his religious training
B. asked …… many difficult questions
3. D
C. gave …… a fake wedding licence
D. showed …… a real wedding licence

4. In line 15, who does ‘they’ refer to? _ the wedding agency interviewers___

5. In paragraph 3, which word means ‘documents, paintings, or money that has been
copied illegally’? _ forgeries________________________

6. According to paragraph 4, which of the following statements are FALSE?

1. The writer performed his first wedding in a restaurant.
2. The bride and groom wore traditional Japanese wedding clothes.
3. The writer performed his first wedding in a nightclub.
4. The writer thought the wedding was a disaster.
5. The nightclub owners made the writer anxious.

A. 1, 2 and 4
B. 1, 3 and 4
C. 2, 3 and 4 6. C
D. 2, 4 and 5

7. In paragraph 4, which word means ‘a cross with a figure of Christ on it’? Crucifix____

8. In line 26, what does ‘nuptials’ mean? __wedding / ceremony_____ _____________

9. The writer performed weddings in ……

A. a donkey farm.
B. French and Italian restaurants.
C. the Wild West. 9. B
D. traditional Japanese temples.

10. In paragraph 5, why did the writer feel ‘surprised’ that he was performing weddings?
It was because he was performing weddings even though he didn’t have the proper
religious background.________________________________________________
11. In what way are the weddings not truly religious? Give 2 reasons for your answer.
Most of the couples weren’t Christians. / The couples only wanted a Hollywood-syle
display, not a genuine religious ceremony./ The celebrant did not have a proper religious
background.___________________________________________________________

12. In line 36, ‘them’ refers to ……

A. one per cent of Japanese people.
B. western priests.
C. the couples. 12. A
D. western-style wedding ceremonies.

13. In paragraph 6, which word means ‘disrespectful to someone else’s beliefs’?

sacrilegious

14. The writer appears to think that his former employers were ……
A. greedy.
B. secretive.
C. thoughtless. 14. A
D. unpopular.

The sentences below are suitable summaries for the last three paragraphs of the article. From
the six sentences (A–F) below, choose the most suitable sentence for each paragraph (5–7)
and write the letter in the space provided.
(3 marks)
15. Paragraph 6 __D___
16. Paragraph 7 C____

17. Paragraph 8 ___A___

A. Final thoughts about being a fake priest.

B. How to be a wedding celebrant.
C. Money was the most important thing to the agency.
D. Why I shouldn’t have worried about my job.
E. The agency only employed westerners.
F. Religion upsets the Japanese.

18. Choose the correct words to complete the sentence:

The writer feels _____ about his former job but _____ it.
A. amused…did not like
B. ashamed….liked 18. D
C. regretful...loved
D. uncomfortable…enjoyed

19. An alternative title for this article could be:

 A. The popularity of Western-style weddings in Japan. 19. B
B. My life as a marriage celebrant in Japan.
C. How to give up English teaching to join the church.
D. My Japanese wedding.

20. Which sections of a newspaper might this article appear in?

1. Business
2. Lifestyle
3. Technology
4. Travel

A. 1 and 2
B. 1 and 4
C. 2 and 4 20. C
D. 3 and 4