Queen’s College

Half-yearly Examination 2017-2018

English Language I
General English
Secondary 1 Date: 2nd January 2018
Class: _________ Time: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Class Number: _______ Maximum Mark: 90

Instructions
1. Write your class and class number in the spaces provided on the answer sheet.
2. Answer ALL questions on the Answer Sheet provided.

Section A Reading Comprehension (30 marks)

Passage 1 (17 marks)

When in Rome …
Mind over money – no tipping, please.
Japan Money matters can be a sensitive issue, especially when it comes to tipping. In this country,
the people working in the service industry, such as servers at restaurants, do not expect customers
to pay any money beyond what they are charged on the bill, because service fees have been included
5 already. In fact, they may get upset if you do leave a tip behind. The no-tips rule is just one example of
the many ways you can violate a code of etiquette even when you think you are behaving in a polite
manner.

Mind your hand gestures, please.

Korea The Korean way to gesture for someone to follow you or to come close is to flip your hand
10 over so that your palm faces down (with your fingers pointing to the floor), and make a digging
motion towards your body. People in other countries often make a ‘come here’ gesture with their
palm facing up. However, Koreans may get upset and feel offended if you gesture to them in that way.
In any case, they are likely to be confused, so play it safe and point your palm downwards.

Oops! Mind your head, please.

15 Thailand The Thai people are known for their friendliness, patience and big smiles. In general, they
are quite tolerant, and they react to bad behaviour calmly. However, they can get very upset and
angry if their heads are touched, or if something is passed over their heads. Violent fights have been
caused this way. If you want to get along and make friends in Thailand, respect people’s personal
space, especially around the head.

20 Mind your chopsticks, please.

China Chopsticks first started life as a cooking utensil in ancient China around 4000–5000 years ago.

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 The earliest chopsticks were probably made from twigs and used to reach into bubbling hot water
or smoking heated oil. It wasn’t until 400–500 AD that chopsticks finally managed to make their way
to the dinner table. The use of chopsticks to pick up food is a common practice in Asia, but many
25 foreign visitors find it extremely challenging. The fact that chopstick etiquette varies from country to
country further complicates matters. Take two countries as an illustration, in Japan, it is terribly rude
to leave your chopsticks crossed on your plate or bowl, while in China, you should not stand your
chopsticks in a bowl of rice.

Passage 2 (13 marks)

Cate’s life
Eating, flying, climbing and swimming in Down Under
DAY 1
‘Come on, you said you’d try this!’ said Dad, pushing a big piece of kangaroo meat in my face. I shut
my mouth tightly. This happened at ‘Food from Down Under’ in Sydney, a restaurant recommended
in Dad’s guidebook. It’s extremely well-known among tourists and locals for its native food. This
5 morning we cuddled koalas and fed kangaroos at a wildlife park. How could Dad eat them?

DAY 2
We got up early in the morning for a hot air balloon ride just before sunrise. It got a bit chilly. Luckily,
we came prepared and were well bundled up in thick coats. Once back on solid ground, we headed
back to the city to continue our sightseeing. Guess what was my favourite? The famous Sydney
10 Opera House, which sat like a seashell on the harbour! The Sydney Harbour Bridge was my love. I
love heights, and it felt great to climb up to the top of the bridge. When we were up there, the view
was just so breathtaking. All of us were so wowed by the appealing nighttime scenery.

DAY 3
Before we left for Cairns, we decided to explore Bondi Beach, a tourist hotspot. Not wise! It was cold
15 and rainy when we got there. Luckily, it was all blue skies and sunshine when we touched down at
the airport later in the afternoon.

DAY 4
The sunny weather in Cairns was just perfect for our Great Barrier Reef outing. We snorkelled in the
clear water and admired the colourful fish and coral reefs. Then we relaxed on a glass-bottomed
20 cruise boat. Mum reminded us not to take the natural beauty for granted. ‘Many sea creatures have
gone extinct thanks to climate change,’ she explained. I just hope some will still be around on our
next visit.

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All questions carry ONE mark unless otherwise stated.
The questions marked with an asterisk (*) have to be answered in complete sentences.
Answer the following questions using information from Passage 1. (17 marks)
1. Complete the saying, ‘When in Rome…’.
2. *Do you think, ‘When in Rome…’ is a good title for the passage? (2 marks)
3. All the 4 sub-headings start with the word, ‘Mind’. What does the word mean?
4. Find a word in the sub-headings that means ‘movements’.
5. *What is a ‘tip’ (line 5)? (2 marks)
6. When you are in Korea, how would you move your hand if you want a Korean to follow you?
7. Study the dialogues below. Decide in which country each of the conversations is taking place, and the
custom each is linked to. (4 marks)

A: What soft, curly hair your baby has. Can I A: Great service! How much should I tip the
touch it? waiter?
B: Sorry, I don’t think that’s a good idea. B: Nothing – we don’t do that here.

Country: ____________________ Country: _____________________

The custom: ______________________________ The custom: _____________________________
_________________________________________ ________________________________________

8. In Thailand, which part of their body is most important to them?

9. In the paragraph of China, find a phrase of 4 words that means ‘reach’.
10. Who find it difficult to use chopsticks to eat?
11. Draw a picture to show what is not done with chopsticks in China.
12. Based on the text, which of the following pictures shows what you should not do with your chopsticks
when you are in Japan?
A B C D

Answer the following questions using information from Passage 2. (13 marks)
13. Which country do you think is also known as ‘Down Under’ (line 3)?
14. What is the meaning of ‘native’ (line 4)?
A local
B special
C foreign
D famous

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15. Name all the wildlife mentioned in the Day 1 section.
16. Find a phrase in the Day 2 section that means ‘had on warm clothes’.
17. What is ‘like a seashell on the harbour’?
18. ‘wowed’ (line 12) means …
A worried
B shocked
C impressed
D surprised
19. ‘When we were up there, …’ (line 11), ‘up there’ refers to ...
20. *How did Cate get to Cairns? Explain with evidence from the text. (2 marks)
21. *What is ‘Not wise!’ (line 14)? (3 marks)
22. ‘thanks to’ (line 21) can be replaced by …
A because
B because of
C despite
D in spite of

Section B Vocabulary (15 marks)

Complete the passages with appropriate vocabulary items, in their proper forms, from Units 1-4 of
Longman English EDGE. (10 marks)

I am a detective. My colleague gave me the (1) n__________, Sherlock, to (2) e__________ me because I
had not solved a case for 5 years. Every day I just (3) i__________ petty thieves and gangsters after they
were (4) a__________ by the police. Every day I asked the same questions and wrote similar reports.
But I got lucky today!
When we arrived at the scene of a case of (5) a__________, the old garage still smelt of petrol and burnt
rubber. We carried out (6) i__________ immediately to find out who set fire to the cars. I saw a half burnt
(7) k__________ paddle with some blood on it. It was used to hit the (8) j__________ who worked late
cleaning the repair shop. The owner of the repair shop was a water sport (9) e_________ and we heard
from the staff that he wanted to buy an expensive speed boat for his hobbies.
So, the cleaning man saw him start the fire in order to get the insurance money.
I was right! The (10) m__________ was solved and I am now proud of my name, ‘Sherlock Ho’!

Complete the passage with appropriate vocabulary items, in their proper form, from Units 1, 4, 5 and 10 of
Reading Explorer. (5 marks)
Chris Wong did well in primary but has been lazy since he went up to secondary school.
He is often scolded by his teachers for not paying (11) a__________ in class, always (12) a__________ at
school late and skipping club (13) a__________ to play basketball. Before it is too late, he decides to turn
a new leaf and (14) a__________ himself. He is going to work very hard to (15) r__________ his goal – to
come first in class!

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Section C Tenses (15 marks)
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in the brackets. The negative form may also have to be
used.
ENGLISH DAY CAMP
This year, our school organised a new activity: English Day Camp. Instead of (1) (catch) a plane to the UK,
we (2) (take) 30 students to a campsite close to the school, and (3) (give) them plenty of sports and
activities to choose from. During the day camp, they (4) (can speak) only in English, even when they had a
break. Teachers checked and made sure that everyone (5) (keep) to the rule all the time. In fact, when
everyone else (6) (break) the rule, no one wanted to be the odd one out! It was great to see the students
(7) (chat) happily.

Comment from a student

In the past, I (8) (have) many chances to practise my English at school. During class, I was often too
nervous to talk, or (9) (answer) my teacher’s questions. I found that my spoken English (10) (improve) as
quickly as I wanted it to. But recently, our school held an ‘English Day Camp.’ It was really amazing. We
spoke English all day long. I (11) (remember) shouting for the ball in English during a Camp football
competition. The instructions for making the Camp dinner (Fish and chips!) (12) (be) also in English.
Everything we did was fun – and in English! Motivation is really important when it (13) (come) to learning
a language. I hope this activity (14) (continue) to be organised, and it would be best if the English Day
Camp (15) (become) the English Weekend Camp.
Roger Lee

Section D Articles (5 marks)

Complete the news report with ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’. Put a X as answer if no word is needed.
At about 9 pm today, two men were involved in (1) robbery at (2) jewelry shop on (3) Nathan Road. They
were both masked when they ran into (4) shop and pointed their guns at one of (5) staff. (6) police believe
they are from (7) Mainland China as they spoke Putonghua. The staff was asked to hand them all (8)
jewels. They got away with (9) loot of more than (10) million dollars.

Section E WH-questions (5 marks)

Complete the conversation below with WH-question words or phrases.
Amy and Jack are having dinner at a restaurant.
Waiter: (1) would you like your steak, sir?
Jack: Medium. And you, Amy?
Amy: Well done, please. I can’t stand any rawness in meat. (2) is for dessert today?
Waiter: Just ice-cream. We have green tea and peach. (3) flavour would you like to have?
Amy: I’ll have peach, please. Thank you. Jack, (4) time do we have to eat? (5) will the concert start?
Jack: Plenty of time. It won’t begin until 8 o’clock.

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Section F Prepositions (13 marks)
Complete the article about cycling with appropriate prepositions. Put a ‘X’ if one is not necessary.

Cycling
There are various Olympic cycling events, including road races and track races. These were first held (1)
the 1896 Olympics, which were the first one (2) the modern Olympic Games.

In Olympic track races, cyclists race (3) an oval track (4) sloping sides called a ‘velodrome’, which measures
(5) 400 metres (6) length. Unlike road races, which are normally longer (7) track races, track racing cyclists
use bicycles (8) special fixed-wheels and no brakes. In fact, they have only one gear which means cyclists
must pedal the whole time!

Cycling is a popular activity (9) Hong Kong because it is fun and a great way to work out. However, many
people think Hong Kong is not a bicycle-friendly city since we only have a few cycle parks and paths, and
these become very crowded (10) weekends. As a result, cyclists often have to ride (11) busy roads. It is,
therefore, all the more important to wear a helmet (12) protection while cycling. Cyclists should also
watch out (13) traffic and pedestrians to ensure safety!

Section G Proofreading (7 marks)

Refer to the Answer Sheet.

End of Paper