Secondary2/English/Reading/P.

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Secondary Two English
Reading: Poem, Newspaper Article, Brochures and E-mail messages

Sammy is reading a poem at home.

Read the poem.

WILDLIFE

While tourists are watching,

Slowly the sad turtle swims
In the deep, dirty sea.
Not fearing the sunshine dims
He struggles to be free. 5

While tourists are watching,

The orangutan grumbles and climbs
An enormous, leafy tree.
Her baby squeaks all the time
As if saying ‘Humans, get away from me!’ 10

While more tourists are coming,

Creeping destruction they bring.
Polluted land, dying trees,
Ship spills over the sea—
Can our friends still be free? 15

1. How do they feel? Write your answer in the box.

annoyed worried surprised unhappy

A. The first stanza (lines 1-5) shows the turtle feels

B. The second stanza (lines 6-10) shows the
orangutans feel
C. The third stanza (lines 11-15) shows the writer
feels

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Tick  the best answer.

2. The tourist are watching…

 A. wild plants.
 B. ships.
 C. snakes.
 D. wildlife.

3. What problem does the turtle face?

 A. It does not know how to swim.
 B. It gets lost with its parents.
 C. There is not enough sunshine.
 D. The sea it lives in is polluted.

4. In line 8, ‘An enormous, leafy tree.’ means the tree is…

 A. small and green.
 B. large and brown.
 C. dying.
 D. large and green.

5. In line 12, ‘Creeping destruction they bring.’ means that the tourism…
 A. harms the wildlife.
 B. grows trees.
 C. benefits the wildlife.
 D. uses many ships.

Write your answer.

6. Find two words in the poem which sound like the noises an orangutan can make.
____________________

____________________

7. Line 2: ‘Slowly the sad turtle swims’ is an example of alliteration.

Find one more example from the poem.
_________________________________________________________

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Part 2

Sammy’s parents are interested in an article about Malaysia.

Read the following article.

Would you like to play with the turtles? Watch the orangutans swing in
the trees? Meet people from many different backgrounds and cultures? Then
Malaysia is the place for you.

From the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur to the quiet charm of Kuching,
the people of Malaysia are welcoming and friendly. They are mostly Malays, 5
but there are also Chinese and Indians, as well as Europeans and indigenous
people, such as the Ibans. The majority are Muslims, who live peacefully with
Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. The Chinese have some wonderful temples,
like the Kuan Yin Teng, in Penang. As for the indigenous people, who live in the
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countryside, they still follow many traditions, although head hunting is no
longer allowed!

What about the wildlife? To see the orangutans you should visit the
sanctuary in Borneo. There, orphaned baby orangutans are looked after and then
released back into the forest. And not far away, near Kuching, is an island where
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turtles live and lay their eggs. It’s only a short boat trip to watch them as they
swim around or go up the beach. Or take a trip in a glass-bottomed boat to look
at the corals and fishes.

Do you have an interest in History? Then don’t miss the ports of Malacca
or Georgetown, which were developed in colonial times by the Dutch and the
British. They were trading centers, so the Chinese soon settled there. You will 20

see old Chinese shop houses as well as European buildings, Indian temples and
Malay homes. One of the most interesting is Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in
Penang, built in the 19th century by a rich Chinese merchant. He came from
China as a poor Hakka boy and died as one of the richest men in Malaysia.

And finally, if you love shopping then don’t forget to visit Kuala Lumpur, 25
with its modern shopping malls, enormous skyscrapers and dynamic life.

Tick  the best answer.

1. What kind of people can be found in Malaysia?

 A. Muslims

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 B. Christians
 C. Hindus
 D. all of them

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2. How do the indigenous people mostly live?

 A. still behead their enemies
 B. have given up their traditional way of live
 C. in the urban areas
 D. in the way they always have

3. In the orangutan sanctuary, people…

 A. keep orphaned baby orangutans.
 B. keep injured orangutans.
 C. help female orangutans give birth.
 D. train large orangutans.

4. Read lines 15-16: ‘It’s only a short boat trip to watch them as they swim around
or go to the beach.’
The word ‘they’ refers to…
 A. fishes
 B. orangutans
 C. turtles
 D. corals

5. Read line 20: ‘They were trading centers, so the Chinese soon settled there.’
The word ‘They’ refers to…
 A. Malacca and Georgetown.
 B. the Dutch and the British.
 C. the Chinese.
 D. the European buildings.

6. The words ‘colonial times’ (line 19) show that Malaysia was once ruled by…
 A. the local government.
 B. the European powers.
 C. Cheong Fatt Tze.
 D. Malays.

7. Which one of the following is true about Cheong Fatt Tze?

 A. He lived all his life in Malaysia.
 B. He built his mansion in China.
 C. He had a very successful life.
 D. He came to Malaysia when he was old.

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8. Who probably likes visiting Kuala Lumpur?

 A. football fans
 B. animal-lovers
 C. people who like shopping
 D. people who are interested in Geography

9. A good title for this article would be…

 A. The story of Chinese people in Malaysia.
 B. The difficulties in visiting Malaysia.
 C. Wildlife in Malaysia.
 D. Malaysia—a holiday destination for all.

Part 3

Sammy and his family are planning a holiday with Sammy’s grandparents in Malaysia.
Make use of the following information:
A. the two brochures about traveling in Penang, Malaysia:
B. the two e-mail messages.

A1

Sparkle Travel Agency

Three-day Tour to Penang, Malaysia (EG528)

Day 1
Arrive Penang and transfer to Hotel Bayview. After a wonderful lunch, experience
the Chinese culture of Penang, with a bus tour—stops at the Chinese Goddess of
Mercy Temple and Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
In the evening enjoy a poolside BBQ, with local seafood and special Malay
delicacies.

Day 2
Enjoy the wildlife of Malaysia with a trip to the orangutan sanctuary. You can
watch the animals in the forest and then drive to Tanjung Bungah Beach for
swimming and snorkelling to see the turtles nearby. Lunch will be provided on the
beach!
Back to hotel for a buffet dinner and a performance of local dancing.

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Day 3
In the morning visit the Penang State Museum and see the exciting history of
Penang. Then have a quick tour of Georgetown followed by lunch in a local
Malay restaurant. Spend the whole afternoon in the hotel for spas and massages.
Early evening departure for airport and return to Hong Kong.

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A2

Penang—Pearl of the Orient

What you can’t miss in this wonderful island

Shopping
Penang is a shoppers’ paradise. People can buy the latest electronic products at competitive
prices in popular shopping complexes such as Gurney Plaza. If you are looking for fine
jewellery, don’t miss Lebuh Campbell. Antique-lovers can walk along Rope Walk that sells
porcelain, chains, coins, old glass, old ceiling lamps and antique clocks.

Night market
Feel the nightlife in Penang by visiting the pasar malam (night market) that opens from 7:30pm
till midnight near Golden Sands. You can buy Malaysian handicrafts and clothes, food, drinks
and other knick-knacks.

Beaches
Penang is famous for its beautiful beaches along the northern shoreline. Batu Ferringhi is a
popular beach with many five-star hotels. Try banana boat rides or jet-skiing there. Or visit the
open-air bazaar in the evening.

B1

To: sammy@freemail.com
From: raymond@freemail.com
Subject: The tour to Penang

Hi Sammy,

How are you? Grandma and I are very excited about going on a tour with you and your family
next month.

I’ve had a look at the itinerary you sent us last week. I think the tour is OK, though we wonder
if there’s time for shopping. Grandma wants to buy some jewellery because she’ll go to her
friend’s birthday feast shortly after the tour. By the way, both Grandma and I aren’t interested
in having the poolside BBQ. Instead, I wonder if we can go to some markets to search for some
special handicrafts. You know I like collecting handicrafts.

Can you ask Dad if he can make some changes to the itinerary? Let me know.
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Grandpa

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B2

To: kklau@freemail.com
From: tour@sparkletravel.com
Subject: Changes to the tour to Penang (EG528)

Dear Mr Lau,

I would like to inform you that there are some changes to the tour to Penang
(EG528).

On Day 1, we will not offer dinner. The whole night will be free. On Day 2,
we will not visit the orangutan sanctuary because we heard that some
orangutans are suffering from an infectious disease recently. We will spend the
whole day at the beach. We will go to another beach Batu Ferringhi because
visitors can visit the special open-air bazaar there. The whole afternoon on the
last day will be free for shopping.

Please contact us if you are interested in joining the tour.

Yours sincerely,
Fred Chow
Customer Service Manager
Sparkle Travel Agency

You are Sammy. Using the two brochures and two e-mail messages, help Sammy’s dad
complete the following notes for the family. You must not use more than eight words
for each answer.

Changes to the itinerary

Day Original activity New activity Reason

One have poolside BBQ 1. __________________ 2. __________________

____________________
____________________

3._____ 4. __________________ spend the whole day at the orangutans have an

____________________ the beach infectious disease

5._____ go to Tanjung Bungah

6. __________________ 7. __________________

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____________________ ____________________

8._____ 9. __________________ 10. _________________ 11. _________________

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

END OF PAPER

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