LE CEP

ENG LANG
EXTRA SET 6
PAPER 1
PART A
HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION

EXTRA SET 6
A
COMPULSORY

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 1

PART A
Reading Passages
(1½ hours for both Parts A and B)

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

(1) There are two parts (A and B) in this paper. All candidates should attempt Part A. In Part B, you should
attempt either Part B1 (easier section) OR Part B2 (more difficult section). Candidates attempting Parts A
and B2 will be able to attain the full range of levels, while Level 4 will be the highest level attainable for
candidates attempting Parts A and B1.

(2) After the announcement of the start of the examination, you should first write your name, class and
Candidate Number in the spaces provided on the appropriate pages of the Part A Question-Answer Book
and the Part B Question-Answer Book which you are going to attempt.

(3) Write your answers in the spaces provided in the Question-Answer Books. Answers written in the margins
will not be marked.

(4) For multiple-choice questions, you are advised to blacken the appropriate circle with a pencil so that
wrong marks can be completely erased with a clean rubber. Mark only ONE answer to each question.
Two or more answers will score NO MARKS.

(5) Supplementary answer sheets will be supplied on request. Write your Candidate Number, mark the
question number box on each sheet and fasten them with string INSIDE the Question-Answer Book.

(6) No extra time will be given to candidates for filling in the question number boxes after the ‘Time is up’
announcement.

(7) The two Question-Answer Books you have attempted (one for Part A and one for Part B) will be collected
together at the end of the examination. Fasten the two Question-Answer Books together with the green
tag provided.

(8) The unused Question-Answer Book for Part B will be collected separately at the end of the examination.
This will not be marked. Do not write any answers in it.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PART A

(1) The Question-Answer Book for Part A is inserted in this Reading Passages booklet.

(2) Attempt ALL questions in Part A. Each question carries ONE mark unless otherwise stated.

Not to be taken away before the

end of the examination session

LE CEP EXTRA SET 6 — PAPER 1 1 © Pearson Education Asia Limited 2014

 PART A
Read Text 1 and answer questions 1–25 on pages 1–4 of the Question-Answer Book for Part A.

Text 1

For breathable air, China must reduce the costs of its growth
[1] The visible effect of pollution in China is diversifying energy sources is always a relative 45
undeniable. I recently spent two weeks in Beijing, concept. Renewable energy sources draw a lot of
where I grew up, with my family. For the first attention in the US, but in reality, they represent
seven days, the sun did not shine. A hazy layer of only a small share of consumption. The share is
5 greyish-white smog hung over us. Every morning, even smaller in China.
I checked the air quality index, which uses
guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection [6] For example, China is a major producer of 50
Agency (EPA), on my smartphone app, and the solar panels, which require a great deal of raw
results were alarming. materials to manufacture, thus generating a
considerable amount of pollution, and yet it hardly
10 [2] Air quality came in at around 300. According uses them at all. It is a folly that China makes
to the EPA, levels between 301 and 500 are these panels at great environmental expense, 55
considered hazardous, meaning that people should while all the environmental benefits generated by
steer clear of all outdoor activity. Essentially, it is the panels go to the countries that it exports them
like breathing in the fumes from a forest fire. For to.
15 the sake of comparison, Boston’s air quality is
about 45. [7] The fact is that an absolute cap on carbon
emissions holds the most promise for effectively 60
[3] However, thankfully, it appears that China, the easing China’s reliance on coal and reducing its
world’s largest producer of atmospheric carbon carbon footprint. There is no way to achieve this,
dioxide — accounting for nearly a quarter of however, without the country making dramatic
20 global emissions — is starting to take this issue changes to its growth strategy. It is a politically
more seriously. Last spring, the Financial Times and economically complicated task, but it can be 65
reported that China is considering an absolute cap done.
on carbon emissions in advance of the climate
talks in Paris in 2015, though officials later [8] First, China must stop its obsession with GDP
25 stressed they were nowhere near a decision. The growth. For over twenty years now, the leadership
cap would be a remarkable policy shift for the has been relentlessly fixated on growth of around
country, which for years has resisted international 8 percent a year. It has achieved this by 70
efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, emphasising the development of heavy industry,
claiming that they unfairly thwart the economic rather than investing in the service sector or light
30 growth of developing countries. industry. It is clear that blindly encouraging
industry and consumption in ways that damage
[4] In China, coal is king. Chinese gross domestic the earth and degrade the air is unsustainable, not 75
product (GDP) hovers at around 14 percent of the to mention unhealthy and unnecessary. There is
world’s total GDP. However, China’s coal some evidence that China is gradually realising
consumption represents 47 percent of the world’s this: the government said recently that an
35 consumption. As a source of energy, coal is cheap acceptable range for growth this year is between 7
and widely available — but it is also terrible for and 7.5 percent. 80
the environment. Coal plants are one of the top
sources of carbon dioxide emissions, the primary [9] Second, China must change how it promotes
cause of global warming. Burning coal is also a political officials. Traditionally, they advance on
40 primary cause of acid rain, smog and toxic air the basis of how well they drive GDP growth. It
pollution. has become the de facto measure of government
achievement. However, this practice needs to 85
[5] It is easy to say that China ought to shift change. It will require China to rewrite its
towards renewable energy, such as solar, wind or political playbook and judge its leaders on more
hydroelectric power, but the problem is that complex social measurements.

LE CEP EXTRA SET 6 — PAPER 1 2 © Pearson Education Asia Limited 2014

 [10] Next, China needs to give more power to the ignore the environment, thus increasing pollution
90 private sector. This sector tends to be more energy and leading to global warming. China needs to
efficient than the state sector because, generally lead by example and tighten up its laws protecting
speaking, private enterprises are concerned about the environment. 115
costs and their future viability. Giving firms more
freedom to do business the way they choose will [13] For a country the size of China, change has to
95 ultimately have a positive effect on carbon come from within. Ultimately China has to make
emissions. these changes primarily for its own benefit, not
just for the global community. China accounts for
[11] Fourth, it should change the cost of capital. about a fifth of the world population, so it has a 120
Cheap capital has been critical to China’s lot to lose from global warming. With its fast
emergence, but there are steep costs to this growth, it also has a lot to contribute to warming.
100 approach. The absurdly low interest rates offered China’s pollution is already producing adverse
by China’s banks are, in effect, a tax on savers effects on the welfare of its people. According to a
and a subsidy for industry. When capital is this recent study, northern Chinese, who live in the 125
cheap, it leads to overinvestment, and where you heavy-coal-using regions, lose on average five
overinvest, you overuse energy. Raising the cost years in life expectancy compared with southern
105 of capital will slow investment to more Chinese due to coal pollution.
sustainable levels.
[14] It is simply false to say that China needs to
[12] Five, China must strengthen its regulatory sacrifice its own interests to protect the 130
laws. Government enforcement remains a critical environment. It is entirely in China’s own
part of this solution. China must regulate private interests to first reduce the energy intensity of its
110 companies to ensure they uphold environmental GDP growth and reduce the absolute levels of its
laws. Having lax laws allows private companies to carbon emissions.

Source: Professor Yasheng Huang. Published in the South China Morning Post on 2 October 2013.

END OF READING PASSAGE

LE CEP EXTRA SET 6 — PAPER 1 3 © Pearson Education Asia Limited 2014