Buddhist Yip Kei Nam Memorial College

Secondary 2
Assignment 2
English Language (GE)

Name: ____________________________ ( ) Class: __________

Date: ____________________________ Marks: __________

QUESTION-ANSWER BOOK

________________________________________________________________________________

Instructions:

1 There are 12 pages in this Question-Answer Book.

2 There are 3 sections in this paper.

3 The full mark is 100.

4 Time allowed is 60 minutes.

5 Answer ALL questions in this Question-Answer Book.

1
Reading (30 marks)
Text 1

Read the following book excerpt.

The Wailing from Walton Manor

1 Walton Manor stands three storeys tall. Its last owners fled the house more than two decades
ago, and today, it is a shell of its former glory. The windows are smashed, and paint peels from the
exterior. One would expect a property like this to be covered in graffiti, but inside, the walls are
clean. Everyone in River Falls, the locale of Walton Manor, is too frightened to enter this haunted
5 house.

2 Olga Winterson, who has lived next door to Walton Manor for ten years, says that she can hear
wailing coming from the house at midnight every day.

3 ‘It comes from the attic. The sound is so hopeless and bone-chilling … it makes you feel sad and
terrified all at once.’

10 4 Martin King, another resident of the town, who now works at the local bank, once went in the
house on a dare. He was just 10 years old at the time. Soon after he entered the house, he became
uneasy and tried to leave. However, he found the door locked behind him. His friends, to this day,
swear that they were not responsible.

5 ‘I’ll never forget what I saw that night. I heard an old piano playing upstairs. Hoping that it was
15 one of my friends playing a joke, I crept up to the room. But when I peeked inside, I saw the dark
outline of a woman. She kept playing, but her head slowly turned in my direction. When I saw her
hollow eyes, I knew that this was no woman. I was staring at a ghost.’

2
Text 2

Read the following article.

Is harm reduction the way forward in addiction treatment?

1 Harm reduction is still a relatively new idea in the world of addiction treatment. The idea behind
harm reduction is simple: reduce the negative consequences of drug use. Instead of punishing people
with drug addictions, harm reduction aims to help drug users remain healthy, and ultimately, remain
alive.

5 2 The idea is being put to the test at Insite, located in Vancouver, Canada. Insite is the first
supervised drug injection site in North America. The clinic is a safe place for addicts to use
injectable drugs, primarily heroin and cocaine. The staff provide clean needles, and will provide first
aid or overdose treatment when necessary. They also help connect people to drug addiction
programmes and counselling. One thing the clinic does not do is supply the drugs.

10 3 Insite is located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a place with a high rate of drug addiction
and homelessness. The area has also been hit by a wave of overdoses in recent years, due to the
chemical fentanyl showing up in street drugs. In 2018, there were 1,510 deaths related to illegal drug
overdoses in Vancouver, and fentanyl was detected in about 85% of these cases. At Insite,
meanwhile, there have been zero overdose deaths, and that’s with more than 275,000 visits annually.

15 4 Harm reduction doesn’t just prevent overdose deaths. It also prevents the spread of disease. By
making sure the needles are properly disposed of, places like Insite help stop the spread of HIV and
Hepatitis C. This significantly reduces cost for the health care system.

5 Despite the benefits of harm reduction, many people remain opposed to the idea. They argue
that the government should not do anything to support drug use. After all, heroin is an illegal
20 substance. Instead, the focus should be on arresting drug dealers. Opponents believe that drug users
need rehabilitation centres, not ‘safe places’ to continue their habit.

6 However, the numbers tell a different story. The War on Drugs has been going on for decades,
and the number of overdose deaths is going up, not down. The sad reality is that the illegal drug
trade will continue so long as there is a demand. Smugglers and dealers will find a way when there is
25 a profit to make. Police can’t handle the drug addiction problem alone, and using harm reduction
strategies can actually help them. Instead of responding to overdoses on the street, the police can
concentrate on the illegal drug trade.

7 Regardless of your feelings towards drug use and addiction, research shows that harm reduction
works. In 2008–2009, Insite referred over 10,000 people to detox programmes. If we keep addicts
30 hidden in the shadows, they’re less likely to receive this help.

3
Write your answers in the spaces provided. For multiple-choice questions, choose the best answer and
blacken one circle only.

Text 1

1 Why are the walls clean inside of Walton Manor? (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________________________________

2 Use ONE word to complete each blank. Make sure your answers are grammatically correct. (1 mark)

There is (i) _______________ paint on the (ii) _______________ of Walton Manor.

3 Based on the information in paragraphs 1–3, decide whether the following statements are True (T), False
(F), or the information is Not Given (NG). (3 marks)

Statements T F NG

i) Walton Manor has three levels.

ii) Walton Manor was previously owned by a wealthy family.

iii) Olga Winterson feels afraid when she hears the wailing from the house.

4 Find words in paragraphs 3–4 that mean the same as the following. (3 marks)

i) frightening _____________________
ii) anxious _____________________
iii) at fault _____________________

5 Order the events from Martin King’s story. Number the events (1–4). (1 mark)

Martin King’s story

Martin realized the door was locked. __________
Martin’s friends dared him to enter Walton Manor __________
Martin saw what he thought was a ghost. __________
Martin started working at the local bank. __________

6 What sound did Martin King hear in Walton Manor? (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________________

7 What is the purpose of the text? (1 mark)

A to convince people that ghosts are real

B to advertise River Falls
C to entertain and thrill readers
A B C D
D to keep people away from Walton Manor

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Text 2

8 What is the goal of harm reduction? (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________________

9 What are THREE services Insite provides, and ONE service that does not provide? (4 marks)

i) Does: ___________________________________________________________________________

ii) Does: ___________________________________________________________________________

iii) Does: ___________________________________________________________________________

iv) Does not: ________________________________________________________________________

10 What does ‘The area’ (line 11) refer to? (1 mark) ___________________________________

11 Complete the following fact card based on the information about Insite in paragraph 3. Make sure your
answers are grammatically correct. (3 marks)

Statistics about Insite

Overdoses of illegal drugs caused 1,510 people in Vancouver to (i) _____________________ in 2018.
At Insite, on the other hand, (ii) _____________________ has died as a result of an overdose. Insite is
(iii) _____________________ about 275,000 times each year.

12 How does stopping the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C help reduce costs for the healthcare system?
(1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

13 Match the main points (A–D) with one of the paragraphs on the left. Write the correct letter (A–D) on the
line next to the paragraph number. (4 marks)

Paragraph no. Main point

i) Paragraph 2 _____ A Health outcomes
ii) Paragraph 3 _____ B What Insite does
iii) Paragraph 4 _____ C Opposition to the idea
iv) Paragraph 5 _____ D The seriousness of the drug problem

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14 Who do opponents of harm reduction think should be dealing with drug addicts and dealers? (1 mark)

A the government
B the police
C no one
A B C D
D citizens

15 The text states that ‘the number of overdose deaths is going up’ (line 23). What does this imply about the
War on Drugs? (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

16 Find a word in paragraph 7 that means the same as ‘sent’. (1 mark) _____________________

17 Do you think harm reduction is a good policy? Why or why not? (2 marks)

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

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Vocabulary (20 marks)
Part 1 (10 marks)
You are writing a blog entry about your shopping experience. Complete the blog entry using words from the
box below.

boutique escalator hoodie loneliness returns policy

cotton floral lack of self-control self-discipline street market

Overcoming my shopping problem

It’s time to admit it: I have a shopping problem. I spend way more than I can afford on new clothes.
I’ve noticed that the problem is a lot worse when I don’t have any friends to hang out with. That
feeling of (1) ________________________ causes me to make bad decisions.

The other day, I was feeling bored and alone, so I was wandering around the downtown. First,
I stopped by a/an (2) ________________________, where vendors were selling all sorts of bargains,
including jewelry. I bought myself a bunch of cheap rings and bracelets. That wasn’t so bad, but then,
before I knew it, I found myself going up the (3) ________________________ into a shopping centre.
I saw this fashionable (4) ________________________ in the window of a shop. It looked so
comfortable! Plus, the fabric had a gorgeous (5) ________________________ print on it. The shop
was an expensive (6) ________________________, so I shouldn’t have gone in. Unfortunately, I have
a complete (7) ________________________ when it comes to shopping.

I tried on the clothing, and the fabric was so soft. It was made of 100% (8) ______________________.
Unfortunately, it didn’t fit me that well. But, you know what? I bought it anyway! It completely
drained my bank account.

I really need to get a hold of my spending habits. I need to develop more (9) ____________________
so that I can be brave to say ‘no’ when I’m tempted to make a purchase. Luckily, that shop has a good
(10) ________________________, so I can bring back my silly purchase. I’m stuck with the plastic
jewelry, though!

Does anyone else have a shopping problem as bad as mine? Comment below!

Posted at 6.35 p.m.

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Part 2 (10 marks)
You are writing a short story for a competition. Complete your short story using the correct form of the
words from the box below.

deforestation grassland pride troop werewolf

eco-friendly haunted house quarrels between siblings volatile temper wizard

Reality check
Megan and Tim shouted loudly at each other.
‘We should pretend that we’re ghosts in a/an (1) ______________________!’ Megan exclaimed.
‘No!’ Tim yelled. ‘We should be two (2) ______________________ howling at the full moon!’
‘That’s a terrible idea! Let’s be (3) ______________________ who are casting magical spells!’ Megan
yelled.
The two children started shoving each other.
Their father sighed. He knew that (4) ___________________________ were very common, but he still
didn’t like to see them fight. It seemed that his children both had very (5) ______________________:
they could explode with anger at the drop of a hat. He put down his newspaper. He’d been reading an
article about how environmental issues were affecting endangered species. It was time to give his kids
something new to think about.
‘Megan, Tim, come here,’ he said. The two children came over. ‘I have an idea. Why don’t you
pretend to be orangutans?’
‘What’s an orangutan?’ Tim asked.
‘It’s a type of ape. You can pretend to be members of a/an (6) ______________________, and you
have to protect yourselves against (7) ______________________.’
‘What’s that?’ Megan asked.
‘It’s when people cut down the trees that make up your habitat.’
‘We have to stop them!’ Tim exclaimed.
‘Another idea,’ the father said, ‘is to be members of a/an (8) ______________________ of lions. You
live in a beautiful (9) ______________________, but the weather is starting to get hotter.’
‘What can we do?’ Megan asked.
‘You have to convince humans to make more (10) ______________________ decisions,’ the father
said.
Tim had a goofy look on his face. ‘Lions can’t talk, silly dad!’
The father was thoughtful. ‘In that case, maybe you can speak for them. Can you two work together to
think of ways people can be better to our animal friends?’
All of a sudden, the children were working together, and for a good cause! The father hoped that this
early lesson would spark a passion for their world and their environment.

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Grammar (50 marks)
Part 1 (7 marks)

You are writing an article about Siberian tigers. Complete the article using the correct form of the verbs in
brackets.
Beautiful beasts
Siberian tigers (1) __________________ (roam) the wintery lands of eastern Russia for many thousands
of years. While humans (2) __________________ (use) primitive tools, Siberian tigers ruled the
landscape. Sadly, over the last few centuries, their population has dropped sharply. Today, Siberian
tigers (3) __________________ (threaten) by habitat loss and poaching. What (4) _________ Siberian
tigers (4) _______________ (hunt) for? Their beautiful, thick fur. Also, in the past, people were afraid of
being killed by these animals, so they actively tried to eliminate them.

The number of Siberian tigers (5) __________________ (reduce) to just 40 members in the 1930s. This
was a serious problem because it meant a lack of genetic diversity. If a species has low genetic diversity,
its offspring (6) __________________ (be) less likely to be healthy. Thankfully, conservation efforts in
recent years have succeeded in bringing their population up to nearly 600 in Russia.
If you are lucky enough to spot a Siberian tiger, you (7) __________________ (see) a proud animal that
weighs around 200 kg. This makes it the largest tiger species on Earth.

Part 2 (7 marks)

You are writing a blog entry about personal style. Complete the blog entry using your notes, reporting verbs
and the adjectives in brackets. Then, underline the correct words in brackets.

‘Wear denim instead of corduroy.’—Annie

‘Please stop wearing red clothing!’—Peter
Wearing high heels (uncomfortable)
People choosing clothes that make them feel good (important)

A change in style
Recently, I decided to let my friends give me a fashion makeover because they had a lot of opinions
about my clothing choices. Annie (1) ____________________________________________________.
She said that it’s more fashionable. So, I bought (2) (itself/myself) a pair of jeans. Peter
(3) __________________________________________________________. This is because I have red
hair. That’s easy enough! Josie wanted me to wear high heels. I tried this once. However, it is
(4) _______________________________ wear high heels! Tim said that no two T-shirts of his are
(5) (alike/like), and that I should follow the same principle. It turns out that I have a lot of similar
shirts! According to Lisa, I have (6) (too few/too little) hats in my wardrobe.
In the end, my friends overwhelmed me with their advice. I tried to do what they said, but I didn’t feel
like myself. I realized that it is (7) _________________________ people to choose clothes that make
them feel good. My fashion may not be perfect, but at least it’s my own.

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Part 3 (8 marks)
You are writing a blog entry about her decision not to drink. Complete the blog entry using words from the
box below.

because on that who

by so which whose

The hardest part of giving up alcohol? Going out!

Last year, I noticed that my drinking was getting out of control. It was affecting my relationships and
daily life. (1) _______________, I determined to get rid of this bad habit.
I posted about my decision on social media (2) _______________ I wanted my friends to help me if
things became tough. The first person (3) _______________ responded was my best friend, Emilia.
She congratulated me and promised to stand by my side. After that, more warm wishes flooded in. I
ended up getting over 100 likes on my post, (4) _______________ was a lot more than I expected!
I was feeling very optimistic when I went (5) _______________ foot to a friend’s birthday party.
Everyone there knew about my decision. Ironically, when I got there, they told me that we were all
going to a bar! My friend Rachel, (6) _______________ had commented positively on my social
media post, offered me a drink right away. Worse still, the person (7) _______________ actions hurt
me the most, was Emilia. She took me aside and asked me to enjoy this last time of drinking together.
I became so upset that I went home (8) _______________ taxi right away.
I’ve now made some new friends who respect my lifestyle, and who have healthy habits besides going
to the bar. And, you know what? I’m having a lot more fun!

Part 4 (8 marks)

You are writing a short story about vampires. Complete the story using ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ in the blanks. Put a
cross () if you do not need an article. Then, underline the correct words in brackets.

Jessie and Walter, a pair of young vampires, hovered outside a window of a building in (1) _____
Tsim Sha Tsui. On the other side of the glass was (2) _____ angelic child, who was sound asleep in his
bed. Walter ordered Jessie to slip in and suck the child’s blood, turning him into another vampire.
‘No way,’ Jessie said. ‘He’s too young.’
‘Come on,’ Walter replied. ‘You should (3) (be used/used) to this by now! Besides, people love being
vampires … you know, once they get over the shock.’
‘I don’t know. He (4) (may/can) be upset that he didn’t even get a chance to grow up. Sometimes I
wish I wasn’t stuck in (5) _____ teenager’s body forever! I’m over it now, but I (6) (used to/am used
to) feel angry with you about that. It’s not fair to have acne as a vampire! And, this child is even
younger than I was.’
‘Well, whatever you decide, we have to act fast,’ Walter said. ‘(7) _____ sun will come up soon, and
we still need to eat.’
Jessie thought that being a vampire was pretty awesome. They could fly around, and didn’t have to
worry about dying. They (8) (could/may) be in trouble if they ran into a vampire hunter, but that was
very unlikely.
‘All right,’ Jessie said. ‘Let’s do it.’ She flew in through the window and went to bite the child’s neck.
Just then, the child leapt out of bed pointing at them with a wand …

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Part 5 (6 marks)

You are a member of your school’s Environmental Club. You are writing an email to other members about an
outing you have planned. Complete the email using the correct form of the verbs in the box below.

arrive be begin have meet prepare

To: Environmental Club members

From: Chris Wong
Hello fellow club members!
Our plan for the outing to Hong Kong Wetland Park is set! Our day (1) _________________ at 7 a.m.,
when we meet at the school. The bus driver (2) _________________ at the school at 7.15, so we must
be ready to go by then. Please don’t be late! Two wild bird experts from Kowloon University
(3) _________________ us at the site. They said that the tour (4) _________________ approximately
two hours long. I hope we see lots of beautiful flocks of birds! At 11.30 a.m., we
(5) _________________ a reservation at a nearby restaurant. The chefs (6) _________________ a
vegetarian meal made from sustainable ingredients. Then, it’s time to come home!
Please dress warmly, and remember to bring a bottle of water.
All the best,
Chris

Part 6 (7 marks)

You are writing a letter of advice to your friend. Proofread your letter. Underline your mistakes and write the
correct words on the lines on the right. Add missing words with a ‘^’.

Dear Charles,

I’m sorry to hear that your friend is suffering from a video game addiction.
Last year, I were struggling with the exact same addiction. It’s not easy to 1 _______________
defeat, but it’s definitely possible. A lot of people with video addictions
don’t know who asking for help, so the fact that your friend came to you is a 2 _______________
good start. If I were you, I start by encouraging my friend to see a counsellor. 3 _______________
Professional counsellors are more likely to know which to deal with these 4 _______________
situations.

I wasn’t very nice to my family when I was addicted to video games. Once,
while I was playing one of my favourite games, my sister interrupting me. 5 _______________
I lashed out and said a lot of unkind words I didn’t mean. Keep this in mind
with your friend. He might say things he doesn’t mean, and that’s because of
the addiction. Also, remember that you don’t always need to know what say. 6 _______________
Sometimes just spending time with your friend will be helpful.

This won’t be easy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. If I don’t go 7 _______________
through that tough time, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

11
Part 7 (7 marks)

You are writing a diary entry about an unusual experience you had as a child. Complete your diary
entry by underlining the correct words in brackets.

Dear diary,

Tonight I was recalling something that happened to me long time ago. It was actually the
(1) (scariest/scaryest) moment in my childhood.

Here’s what I remember. It was almost midnight. First, I brushed my teeth and got into bed.
(2) (After that/Finally), my parents came in to kiss me goodnight. Then, I read a story book. I had
(3) (since/just) turned out the light when I started hearing noises under my bed. It sounded like
growling!

I called my parents back into the room. They assured me that there wasn’t a monster under my bed.
They reminded me that they had looked under my bed for me many times, that there had
(4) (never/ever) been anything there. They left, and the growling started again. It was even
(5) (loudest/louder) than before! I screamed, and my parents ran back in.

When they found out that it was about the monster under my bed, they sighed. They reminded me
about the last time I made them look under the bed.

‘No, it’s different (6) (from/as) last time,’ I insisted. ‘Please just look one more time?’

My mother unwillingly agreed. She knelt down and peered under the bed. She suddenly screamed
and leapt up. I felt my heart pounding. My mother reached down and pulled something from under
the bed. You know what? It was my brother! I was mad at him (7) (for/yet) months after that!

END OF PAPER

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