Assessment 1

Task 1 You are writing a script about sport and health. Complete the script by writing the correct
form of the words in brackets and underlining the correct words. Add ‘than’ where necessary.
Winnie: A big reason for taking part in sport is to improve our health. What kind of sport do you
think provides the most health benefits, Jeff?
Jeff: Well, I think team sports such as basketball and volleyball are (1) the best
(good). They are usually (2) more exciting than (exciting) individual sports,
so people are likely to do them more often.
Winnie: But many individual sports can also be (3) (just/very) exciting. Have you ever tried
climbing? It’s (4) (just/very) as exciting as other team sports.
Jeff: That’s a good point. I have tried climbing and it was actually (5) (almost/quite) fun.
I (6) (almost/too) made it to the top of the wall, but as I couldn’t reach the top, I didn’t
enjoy it that much.
Anita: Climbing is exciting because it’s (7) riskier than (risky) sports which are
played on the ground. It’s good for your overall strength and fitness, but it can be
dangerous.
Jeff: You’re right. If a sport is (8) (hardly/too) risky, it outweighs
its health benefits. No one wants to get injured.
Winnie: Right. A good example is wingsuit flying. It’s an extreme
sport. The person puts on a suit with flaps between their
legs and under their arms. Then they jump out of a plane or
off a mountain, and glide down to the ground.
Anita: Yes! It’s incredible, isn’t it? However, I’ve heard lots of people get seriously injured or even
die doing that sport. It’s (9) (extremely/slightly) dangerous!
Jeff: Right, in fact, many people describe it as (10) the most dangerous (dangerous)
sport in the world.
Winnie: I think that sports which are simpler and (11) cheaper (cheap) offer
the most benefits. For example, I love to go outside for a run, which is so easy to do.
Anita: I agree. You (12) (just/too) need a pair of suitable shoes, and you can do it anywhere! In
fact, I think it’s (13) the easiest (easy) sport of all.
Jeff: You may be right, but (14) (quite/too) a lot of people get injured from running. For
example, knee and sprint injuries are (15) (almost/quite) common. In some serious cases,
people can (16) (extremely/hardly) get out of bed.
Anita: But it’s still (17) (slightly/very) (18) safer than (safe) the other sports we
discussed!
Winnie: I believe running is very healthy. Just make
sure you warm up before you start running.
Jeff: Exactly.

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Task 2 You are writing a blog entry. Complete the blog entry by writing the correct form of the
words in brackets and the correct connectives. Add ‘than’ where necessary.

It’s time to shop!

16 May
I wanted to shop for some new clothes (1) as/because/since it’ll be summer soon.
I wanted to get some skirts that look (2) fancier than (fancy) those in
my wardrobe. I also wanted to buy a (3) better (good) pair of sandals
(4) as/because/since mine are almost broken, (5) so I went to
Trendy Shopping Centre today to see what I could get.
I have been to that shopping centre before and I really like the shops. They have
(6) the most expensive (expensive) and (7) trendiest (trendy)
brands in town, but they also have some local boutiques that sell clothes and accessories at
(8) cheaper (cheap) prices. (9) Therefore/As a result , I was sure that I should
be able to find some nice clothes there.
When I got there, I saw a new boutique, (10) so I went inside immediately.
They have (11) the cutest (cute) dresses that I’ve ever seen. I wanted to buy them
all (12) as/because/since they were just so adorable. However, I didn’t have much money.
(13) Therefore/As a result , I could only buy a dress.
I bought the floral dress (14) as/because/since it was (15) the prettiest
(pretty) dress in the shop. Luckily, it was on sale. I was surprised that I could get this dress at an
even (16) lower (low) price.
I want to try on some of their high heels next time (17) as/because/since I haven’t worn
any before. My mum says shoes without heels are (18) more comfortable than (comfortable)
high heels, but I still want to try them. In our family, my sister is the only one who always wears
high heels. She looks a lot (19) taller than (tall) other girls when she wears them.
Perhaps I should go there with my sister next week and ask for her advice.

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 Assessment 1

Task 3 You are reading an online recipe and some users’ comments. However, some words are
not showing properly due to technical errors. Complete the online recipe and the comment
section by underlining the correct words.

Fried rice
Instructions

(1) (As/First/Next), cook the amount of rice you need the day
before and put it in the fridge overnight. This makes the rice dry
and, (2) (since/so/therefore), more suitable for frying.
(3) (First/Next/Since), cut up some barbecued pork and chicken. Try to cut the barbecued
pork and chicken in small cubes of the same size (4) (as a result/because/so) that will make
your dish look even better.
(5) (Finally/Since/Then), heat the wok and add some oil. Do not put the rice and other
ingredients into the wok before the oil is heated (6) (next/since/therefore) the ingredients will
become too oily.
(7) (After that/As/First), stir-fry the rice and the ingredients in the heated wok. Sprinkle
some salt as you fry the rice. Do not add too much salt (8) (as/finally/so) it will make the
rice too salty and, (9) (because/so/therefore), unhealthy to eat.
(10) (As a result/First/Finally), add a beaten egg into the fried rice. Briefly fry it and quickly
serve the rice on a plate.

Comments
I love fried rice, but some people say that it is high in calories. (11) (As a result/Because/
Finally), I seldom have fried rice. Are there any ways to make it a healthier dish?
Adrian101

Try using low-fat oil or vegetable oil to stir-fry the rice. You may also use salmon instead
of barbecued pork.
Sally

The rice sticks together when I stir-fry it. What should I do?

852Foodie

Use overnight left-over rice for fried rice (12) (because/so/then) it is firmer than freshly
cooked rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking together while stir-frying.
Sally

Could you recommend some sauce to add more flavour to the fried rice?

Gary123

You could add a little oyster sauce after cooking the rice. There are many different
brands, but not all are MSG-free, (13) (because/since/so) you should check the label
Sally
carefully before buying it.

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Task 4 You are reading an article about a talent show, but some words are blurred. Complete the
article by circling the correct letters.

The final round of Hong Kong’s Got Talent is going to be broadcast next week! Our three
finalists have gone through rounds of competitions before coming to this stage. Who will
win at last?
Priscilla Kung, 23 years old, is a university student. She is (1) among the three finalists,
but we have been impressed by her gymnastic skills. Her limbs are (2) an owl’s neck
and she has proved this by rolling herself into a ball in the semi-finals! She told us that what
she is going to perform will not be (3) what she did in the previous rounds. Can she
give us an even (4) performance in the final? We all look forward to that!
Bruno Chan, five years (5) Priscilla, is an accountant, but perhaps he is (6)
to be a dancer! He claimed to know (7) any of the other contestants, and we have
(8) seen him perform breakdance, jazz dance and robot dance in the previous
rounds. Will he show us something (9) his previous performances? What talent has
he not shown us (10) ?
Herman Lam, 45 years old, is a chef. He and his wife are running a restaurant themselves. He
has been a chef (11) 26 years. In the previous rounds, he has impressed our judges
with creative dishes he created himself. Gordon Siu, one of the judges, said that his dishes
were just (12) rock music—exciting and powerful. Herman said he will surprise us
with something burning in the last round, so we had better prepare ourselves for a blast!
Who will be our champion? You have a say! Your choices are (13) our judges’. Our
judges’ votes account for 50% of the score and your votes will account for the other 50%!
The contestant with (14) votes will be the champion, the second will be the first
runner-up, and the one with (15) votes will be the second runner-up.
Don’t miss our show from eight to ten this coming Wednesday!

1 A the most young 6 A as suitable as 11 A already

B the youngest B more suitable B for
C younger C suitable than C since
2 A as flexible as 7 A fewer dances than 12 A alike
B like flexible B less dances than B as like as
C more flexible C more dances than C like
3 A as same as 8 A already 13 A as important as
B same from B ever B more important than
C the same as C yet C the most important
4 A amazing 9 A as different as 14 A the fewest
B more amazing B different from B the least
C the most amazing C the different C the most
5 A old than 10 A already 15 A the fewest
B older than B ever B the least
C oldest than C yet C the most
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 Assessment 1

Task 5 You have chatted with your friend Sam earlier. You are checking the chat history on your
phone, but some words are missing on the screen. Complete the conversation with the
correct form of the verbs in brackets and the words in the box.

almost extremely hardly just quite slightly too very

Sam
last seen today at 4.12 p.m.

Help! I’ve left it (1) too late! I (2) hardly have

time to visit all the shops. I only (3) have (have) a few hours.

Don’t worry! You (4) just need to be (5) slightly more

organized. Where (6) are you going (go) first?

I (7) ’m/am heading (head) to Sunny Supermarket

to buy the food for Christmas dinner.

Don’t do that first! It is (8) quite a long way, and

most of the other shops are closer. What else (9) are
you buying (buy)?

I (10) ’m/am getting (get) a sweater from Joe & Ko

for my dad, and something from the candle shop for my mum.

Well, Joe & Ko should be your first stop. It (11) closes

(close) at 5 p.m., so you have time to get there. I think the candle
shop (12) is (be) open until 5.30 p.m., and it is
(13) extremely/very close to Joe & Ko.

Great plan! Oh, and I need to buy a book for my sister.

The bookshop (14) doesn’t/does not open (not open) today, but don’t worry. There’s a
pop-up store selling books on the ground floor in the shopping centre nearby.

That’s lucky. Oh, I (15) almost forgot—I (16) ’m/am planning

(plan) to get a gift from the department store for my brother.

I wouldn’t go there. It’s an (17) extremely

expensive place to shop. It’s also quite far away. Why don’t
you buy him something at one of the places you are going to?
Yes, I can do that, I
suppose. What time does
It (18) doesn’t/does not close (not close) until Sunny Supermarket close?
9 p.m., so you have plenty of time.

Great. Thank you for the advice.

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Task 6 You are texting your friend Tina. Complete the conversation with ‘when’ or ‘while’, and the
correct form of the verbs in brackets.

Tina
online

I’m browsing an interesting website about otters. If you (1) move (move)
the cursor over the body of the otter, it (2) magnifies (magnify) that body
part. Let me show you.

Very interesting! (3) Have you

seen (see) a real otter before?

Yes, I have. I (4) saw (see) one (5) while/when I

(6) was travelling (travel) in Scotland last summer. (7) When I
(8) spotted (spot) the otter, it (9) was grooming (groom) itself.

Did you take a picture of it?

Sadly no. It (10) disappeared (disappear) (11) while/when

I (12) was getting (get) the camera from my bag.

Too bad.

I (13) ’ll/will try (try) to take a picture if I (14) see

(see) an otter again. Anyway, there are a lot of interesting facts about otters on this
website. I (15) ’ve/have just read (read) an article
about how otters mark their territories.

How do they do so?

With scent. If they (16) poo (poo) at a place, they

(17) leave (leave) scent marks there.

Gross! I (18) ’ve/have lost (lose) my

appetite now.

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