UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS
International General Certificate of Secondary Education
FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500/11
Paper 1 Reading Passage (Core) October/November 2012
READING BOOKLET INSERT
1 hour 45 minutes
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST
This Insert contains the reading passage for use with all questions on the Question Paper.
This document consists of 3 printed pages and 1 blank page.
DC (RCL (DF)) 48301/3
© UCLES 2012 [Turn over
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Read the following passage carefully and then answer all the questions on the Question Paper.
A Journey to the Rainforests of Peru by Rebecca Ford
In my dreams the Amazon was a steamy world of luxuriant foliage, beady-eyed
monkeys, jewel-bright birds and improbably large insects: a place where anything
could happen – and frequently did. I had such high expectations that I wondered
whether the reality would disappoint. I needn’t have worried. Within minutes of
arriving in the Peruvian rainforest, I saw a crimson hummingbird dart from a flower; 5
I had to duck as a flock of parakeets swooped over my head, and watched as an
agouti – a sort of giant guinea-pig – cracked a Brazil nut between its teeth.
I was staying at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica; a tropical lodge on the banks
of the Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the mighty Amazon. It’s a great place
for watching wildlife. Even on the way there we saw a caiman (a type of crocodile) 10
basking near the shore and an emerald cloud of parakeets clinging to a muddy salt-
lick beside the water. There are 35 comfortable wooden cabins (cabañas) with palm
roofs and tiled showers, set in a clearing beside a central restaurant. It’s the jungle
without discomfort.
Peru is a superb destination for nature lovers like me, as the people at Inkaterra 15
realised back in the 1970s when they pioneered eco-aware holidays there. The
dense rainforest in the north and east of the country is home to an immense variety
of plants and animals, ranging from the elusive jaguar to the evil sounding strangler
fig tree. The bird life is extraordinary – 18.5 per cent of all the world’s bird species
are found in Peru. 20
Soon after I arrived, I joined a nature walk led by Elias, one of the guides. I was
amazed at just how many creatures we saw on a gentle stroll. Not that this is some
tamed environment – guests must walk with a guide on the forest trails, not least
because it is astonishingly easy to get lost. “One guest went off by himself,” I was
told. “We finally found him two days later – utterly terrified.” 25
Before we’d even left the grounds, Elias had spotted a troop of squirrel monkeys
swinging through the trees with easy grace. “Humans can eat what monkeys eat,” he
said, as we watched them nibble fruit. “If you don’t know what foods in the forest are
safe, watch the monkeys.” I stored away that tip – in case I accidentally strayed and
ended up doing survival self-catering. 30
Elias showed us how adding water to the crushed leaves of the sanipanga plant
creates a red dye, used by local people as a temporary tattoo. He pointed out the
garlic tree, the bark of which is a natural mosquito repellent.
Later, on a twilight walk, we saw the rainforest in a different guise. As darkness fell,
our torches revealed the gleaming eyes of caimans lurking menacingly in the river; 35
there was a furry tarantula with pink feet, sitting on the trunk of a tree, and a chicken
spider the size of my hand, emerging from its den to take the evening air. Every so
often the golden flash of a firefly pierced the enveloping blackness, which echoed
with eerie whistles, shrieks and strange percussive beats.
Peru’s varied terrain means that you can see a stunning range of wildlife in a short 40
time. I reluctantly left the Amazon to fly to Cusco, former capital of the Incas. The
paintings in the cathedral were a fascinating mix of European and Peruvian features.
In one of them, the artist had painted roast guinea-pig and local drinks instead of
the more conventional offerings.
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Some days later, I took a bus that wound through the Sacred Valley of the Incas 45
to Ollantaytambo, where I boarded the train for the 90 minute journey to Aguas
Calientes – the rail terminus for Machu Picchu.
Set in the Andean cloud forest, Machu Picchu was probably abandoned before
the Spanish conquest and so was the only major Inca site to escape destruction.
It wasn’t until 1911 that explorer Hiram Bingham discovered it, buried deep in jungle. 50
I visited the next day and strolled around its steep terraces, temples and ceremonial
baths. It is mysterious and almost inaccessible but hauntingly beautiful.
But this misty cloud forest has other beauties too – creatures like the endangered
Spectacled Bear, woolly monkeys and rare orchids. The grounds of my hotel were
like a lush nature reserve – filled with butterflies and birds in brilliant shades of 55
sapphire, scarlet and saffron. Most exciting for me were the hummingbirds, which
looked like animated gems. One flew so close that I even heard the beat of its tiny
wings. Peru may boast archaeological wonders and rich reserves of gold, but its real
treasure is its wildlife which is richer than I’d dared to imagine.
© UCLES 2012 0500/11/INSERT/O/N/12
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BLANK PAGE
Copyright Acknowledgements:
Reading Passage © ADAPTED; Rebecca Ford; Secret Treasures of the Incas; [Link]
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
University of Cambridge International Examinations is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2012 0500/11/INSERT/O/N/12
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS
International General Certificate of Secondary Education
* 9 7 8 5 3 0 3 4 7 4 *
FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500/11
Paper 1 Reading Passage (Core) October/November 2012
1 hour 45 minutes
Candidates answer on the Question Paper.
Additional Materials: Reading Booklet Insert
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST
Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in.
Write in dark blue or black pen.
Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. For Examiner’s Use
DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES.
1 (a)
Answer all questions.
Dictionaries are not permitted. 1 (b)
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part 1 (c)
question.
1 (d)
1 (e)
1 (f)
1 (g)
1 (h)(i)
1 (h)(ii)
1 (h)(iii)
1 (i)
1 (j)
Total
This document consists of 7 printed pages and 1 blank page and 1 insert.
DC (RCL (DF)) 48299/4
© UCLES 2012 [Turn over
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Read carefully the passage A Journey to the Rainforests of Peru in the Reading Booklet For
Insert and then answer all the questions. Examiner’s
Use
Question 1
(a) Explain, using your own words, why the writer says, ‘I needn’t have worried.’ (line 4).
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(b) From paragraph three, what do you think is the writer’s main reason for visiting Peru?
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(c) What does the writer mean when she describes jaguars as ‘elusive’ (line 18)?
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(d) Explain, using your own words, why the writer ‘stored away’ Elias’s advice about what
monkeys eat (line 29).
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(e) What did the writer find ‘different’ about the jungle on her twilight walk (paragraph
seven)?
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(f) What did the writer find unusual about the painting in the cathedral at Cusco (paragraph For
eight)? Examiner’s
Use
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(g) What makes Machu Picchu unique among ancient Inca sites (paragraph ten)?
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(h) Explain, using your own words, what the writer means by:
(i) ‘luxuriant foliage’ (line 1);
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(ii) ‘the jungle without discomfort’ (lines 13–14);
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(iii) ‘tamed environment’ (line 23).
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[Turn over for Question 1(i)]
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(i) Re-read paragraphs ten and eleven. Choose three short phrases which the writer uses For
to suggest her excitement at what she saw in Peru. Examiner’s
Use
Explain how each of these phrases helps to convey her sense of excitement at what she
saw.
Phrase: .........................................................................
Explanation: ...................................................................................................................
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Phrase: .........................................................................
Explanation: ...................................................................................................................
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Phrase: .........................................................................
Explanation: ...................................................................................................................
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(j) Re-read from paragraph two to the end of the passage. Write a summary of what the For
writer did in Peru apart from looking at nature and wildlife. Examiner’s
Use
Write a paragraph of about 50 to 70 words.
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[Total: 30]
[Turn over for Question 2]
© UCLES 2012 0500/11/O/N/12 [Turn over
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Question 2 For
Examiner’s
Imagine you are the writer on your journey home from Peru. Use
Write a letter to a friend in which you describe the excitement of the trip.
In your letter you should write about:
• the most interesting place you visited
• what you found most exciting about the wildlife and why
• reasons why your friend might or might not visit Peru.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear . . .’.
You should base your ideas on what you have read in the passage, but do not copy from it.
You should write between 1 and 1½ sides, allowing for the size of your handwriting.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 10 marks for the
quality of your writing.
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For
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Use
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[Total: 20]
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BLANK PAGE
Copyright Acknowledgements:
Reading Passage © ADAPTED; Rebecca Ford; Secret Treasures of the Incas ; [Link]
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
University of Cambridge International Examinations is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2012 0500/11/O/N/12
