中五 英文試卷 (F5 English Past Paper)
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INSTRUCTIONS:
Secondary 5
Write all your answers in the Question-Answer Books.
Belilios Public School
Half-yearly Examination, 2015-2016
English Language Paper 1 (Reading)
Reading Passages
Attempt all questions in Part A and Part B. Each question carries ONE mark unless otherwise
DO NOT write any answers in this booklet. It will be collected at the end of the exam but will
not be marked.
Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Maximum marks: 107
(24% of subject mark)
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Which of the following is closest in meaning to 'counterparts' in line 86?
A. companions
B. associates
C. comrades
13. What does 'we' (line 96) refer to?
14. Yoo-kyung's father accords the importance of education to ...
A. socioeconomic factors.
B. psychological factors.
C. philosophical factors.
D. political factors.
One of the major causes of South Korea's high (i)
developed to push students for better performance.
created by the predominant view that (iii)
are the country's most important asset. According to Yoo-kyung's father, this
viewpoint stems from South Korea's need to maintain its (iv)
power while having insufficient (v)
result, an (vi)
15. Complete the following summary using information given in paragraphs 8-10. Use ONE word
only for each blank. Pay attention to word form, plurals, etc.
that seems to
students has been
rate is the
16. Whose high social status would be put at risk in cases of educational failure in the Joseon era?
17. What similarities does the writer see between South Korea's school culture and its corporate
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Find a word in paragraphs 11 and 12 that has a similar meaning to each of the following.
ii) divided
iii) qualified
iv) oppressive
19. What is 'future pillars of society' (lines 131-132) a metaphor for?
20. What does the phrase 'the prospective education rat race' (line 137) refer to?
21. What is the writer's stance towards the following issues? Answer using a correct word from the
list below to complete each of the statements. Use each word ONCE only.
verified / duplicated / rebelled / managed / unravelled / reviewed
i) Children should not be
ii) The plots of The Heirs and other similar K-dramas could not be
in everyday South Korean school life.
iii) The belief in the importance of family gains over personal freedom needs to be
22. Is the writer optimistic that South Korea will adopt an education system that puts greater
emphasis on individual development? Explain your answer by quoting a sentence directly from
as investments.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
23. Match the correct subheadings (A-E) to the paragraphs in the article. Write the letter in the
space next to the paragraph numbers. One has been done for you as an example. (4 marks)
Subheadings
A. No playtime
B. Romance and reality
C. For family and country
D. Success and its toll
E. A call for change
Paragraphs Nos.
END OF PART A
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Part B (55 marks)
Read the article (Text 2) and answer questions 24-36.
24. According to stanza 1, the writer wonders why
A. she has been cursed with so much bad luck in life.
B. she has not been able to set a goal in her life.
C. she has not achieved what she has set out to do.
D. she has had such a good life as she has had.
25. What is the writer doing in stanza 2? Explain your answer.
c. admit as true
26. Find words in lines 5-17 which could be replaced by the following:
a. hardships and ordeal
b. certain and assured
27. Find 4 sets of rhyming words in stanzas 3, 4, 5 and 6.
28. In stanza 4, the words 'scrutinize' and 'investigate' can best be replaced by
A. search carefully - explore
B. inspect visually - estimate
C. study carefully - examine
D. visualize carelessly - inspect
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
29. Fill in the gaps in the sentence summarizing stanzas 5 and 6 below with the appropriate words
from the list given.
the writer is trying to ask in these stanzas is 'what is the
and what is it that we are here on this world for'.
answer/ question/ enquiry/ meaning/ value/ worth
30. In stanza 7, is the writer telling us that her looking for what she is trying to find easy or not?
Explain your answer.
31. Which word in stanza 8 is the opposite in meaning to the word 'haze'?
32. Which statement below best sums up what the writer is saying in stanza 9?
A. The more I look, the less I find.
B. The less I look, the less I find.
C. The more I ask, the more queries I find.
D. The less I ask, the more answers I get.
33. In stanza 10, the writer is most interested in ...
A. the past.
B. the future.
C. the present.
D. an alternative future.
35. The writer in the last stanza is still
B. worrying
34. Look for words or expressions in stanzas 11 and 12 that are opposite in meaning to that given.
(2 words) understanding it all
(4 words) not sure to happen
about what her life has been all about.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
36. What is the best meaning of the word used in the title 'drifting' as used in the poem?
A. having no roots or background
B. to deviate or vary from a set course or adjustment
C. to wonder from place to place aimlessly
D. to be carried along by the force of circumstances without any sense of purpose
Read Text 3 and answer questions 37-55. (35 marks)
37. According to paragraph 1, hostessing has always been
A. put down
B. set down
C. pushed down
D. looked down
38. What according to paragraph 1 has happened recently to hostessing in Japan?
A. It has become a profession which requires qualifications to enter.
B. It has become a more accepted profession for women to enter.
C. It has become a less well-paid profession.
D. It has lost some of the attractions that made people enter the profession.
40. Look at how the words below are used in the article. Decide which of the options provided is
closest in meaning and blacken ONE circle only.
39. What does Kentaro Miura mean when she says "hostesses come from a diversity of backgrounds"?
O lacking originality or scope
O confined within set limits
on in Japanese society.
O a boundary or line set up
O any special capacity for perception or estimation
O sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch
O sound practical intelligence
O to be attracted to something
O to sketch (someone or something) in lines or words
O to mark or lay out
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
41. In paragraph 2, the writer says that the main reasons for women taking up hostessing is because
A. they can make a lot of new friends.
B. they think it's a glamorous job.
C. they think that the working hours are quite short.
D. they have no alternative except low-paying dead-end jobs.
because the pay is good, as the most
42. The following sentence summarizing paragraph 3 has two words missing. Fill in the missing
spaces from the words given.
43. What is the full spelling of the word 'temp' in line 32?
44. Which of the following statements from paragraph 4 is INCORRECT?
A. Hostessing is in the top half of most popular professions.
Because/ Due to/ Owing/popular/ trendiest/ stylish
the recession, young women in Japan are becoming hostesses simply
ones can make as much as US$300,000
45. According to paragraph 5, what are the reasons for women becoming hostesses?
B. Hostessing pays on average just over twice as much as nursing.
C. Civil servants and nursing are not as popular as hostessing.
D. The Culture Studies Institute in Tokyo conducts surveys about different professions.
46. Find the following pronouns in the text and write down what they refer to.
Pronoun and line
it's (line 15)
her (line 59)
us (line 98)
What it refers to
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
47. What does the word 'flit' in line 42 mean?
48. In paragraph 6, most hostesses
49. Which of the following facts about Eri Momoko is INCORRECT?
A. She has a child but is not married.
B. She was born in a poor family.
C. She has started a fashion business selling clothes and accessories.
D. She has worked in an elementary school with young children.
There is no (a)
51. Mineri Hayashi is
capital Tokyo alone, 13,000 clubs have been identified as (b)
work and entertain in various ways.
A. not the star of Celux.
B. not originally from the north of Japan.
C. often seen on television.
D. thinking of retiring.
that they are pressured into having sex with
50. Complete the following sentence which sums up paragraphs 8. Only ONE word should be used
for each space.
53. What evidence is there to show that becoming a hostess is now well thought of?
figure on how many hostesses there are in Japan but in the
52. Look for words or expressions in paragraphs 9 and 10 that are opposite in meaning to that given.
where hostesses
(3 words) disgraced or disrespected
(3 words) all tensed up or under-pressure
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
54. Atsushi Miura is
A. in favour of
B. quite critical of
C. in support of
D. quite cynical about
55. Which persons in the article would you attribute the following quotes to? Write the correct
names in the left column. Justify your answers by quoting evidence from the text.
been done for you as examples.
A. "I want to be a hostess as soon as I'm old
enough which is next year."
B. "I'm a little short in height and that's why
my shoes are so high."
C. "I'm thinking of giving up this job and just
go on a world cruise."
Hana Nakagawa
Kentaro Miura
Most likely speaker
people who say hostesses are wasting their life away.
Kentaro Miura
Mineri Hayashi
Mari Hamada
Supporting sentence/ phrase
Astushi Miura
D. "They're only doing a job, so stop harassing
END OF PART B
E. "Last week nearly a dozen girls turned up
after I placed the adverts."
F. "We have girls from all walks of life here."
END OF PAPER
She talks of plans to retire next year and travel abroad
She gets about 40 inquiries a week from women looking
for hostess jobs
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Secondary 5
General instructions
There are two parts (A and B) in this paper. Candidates should attempt all questions in Parts A
Belilios Public School
Half-yearly Examination, 2015-2016
English Language Paper 1 (Reading)
After the announcement of the start of the examination, you should first write your Name, Class
and Class Number in the spaces provided on the appropriate pages of the Reading Passages
Booklet and the Question-Answer Books.
Marking Scheme
Write your answers in the spaces provided in the Question-Answer Books. Answers written in the
margins will not be marked.
Each question carries ONE mark unless otherwise stated.
For multiple-choice questions, you are advised to blacken the appropriate circle with a pencil so
that wrong marks can be completely erased with a clean rubber. Mark only ONE answer to each
question. Two or more answers will score NO MARKS.
Time allowed: 1 hr 30 minutes
Maximum marks: 107
(24% of subject mark)
Supplementary answer sheets will be supplied on request. Write your Name, Class, Class
Number and the question number on each sheet, and attach them to the Question-Answer
No extra time will be given to candidates for writing the question number after the 'Time is up'
announcement.
The two Question-Answer Books and the Reading Passages Booklet will be collected separately
at the end of the examination.
Part A (52 marks)
Read Text 1 and answer questions 1-23 on pages 2-6 of the Question-Answer Book for Part A.
[1] The Heirs (also known as The Inheritors) is a
highly popular romantic drama set in a South Korean
elite high school centering around the second.
generations of uber-rich families and a Cinderella-
5 like girl. The chiselled good looks and charm of the
male protagonist, Asian heart-throb Lee Min-ho, has
perpetuated the fanciful ideas about school life in
South Korea among the uninitiated. He and the
supporting cast may be the best-dressed 18-year-olds
10 on and off campus, but anyone knowing the harsh
realities behind their trendy uniforms would not envy
the real-life specimens. As the famous Korean saying
goes: 'If you sleep three hours a night, you get into a
top university. If you sleep five or more, forget about
15 getting into any.' Seriously sleep-deprived students.
in South Korea simply cannot spare the time for a
healthy doze of leisure pursuits, let alone the energy
to mess around with the petty squabbles and
indulgences that seem to be the sole occupations of
20 the main characters in The Heirs.
[2] A typical South Korean student spends up to
13 hours a day hitting the books. Yoo-kyung Do is in
her second year of high school. The schedule for her
typical academic day starts at 8 am. She leaves school
25 at 4 pm and heads for a hagwon to continue training.
Hagwons are private cram schools notorious for their
approach to churning out academic excellence in the
College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the country's
university admission exam. At the hagwons, students
30 with bloodshot eyes are crammed into identical
spartan rooms featuring only a blackboard, tables
and chairs to rote learn grammar rules and formulas
under harsh fluorescent lights.
[3] 'No one forces me to be here, but I know all my
35 classmates are attending at least one extra class. I'd
feel unsettled if I didn't,' Yoo-kyung explains. She
adds that she is happy to be able to have a quick bite
at home before setting off for the crammer, one of
three she attends for various subject areas on
40 different days of the week.
[4] Korean parents obligingly pour thousands of
dollars into after-school tuition, with no exemption
for the most privileged households that opt to splash
out on more high-end hagwons with addresses in
45 Gangnam, an affluent neighbourhood in Seoul made
famous by K-pop artiste PSY's viral hit. Currently
about 100,000 hagwons flourish in South Korea,
attended by around three-quarters of the children in
the country, including pre-schoolers.
50 [5] Meanwhile, such unrelenting efforts and
financial support has harvested brilliant results in
international education tests, making even the
world's leading economic powers turn green with
envy. United States President Barack Obama once
55 lauded South Korean educators as 'nation builders'
and education ministers in the United Kingdom have
been prompted to attempt to translate and model.
curriculum after the South Koreans' so as to send
their students' scores soaring.
60 [6] But the better the results the longer the shadow
they may cast. It has been revealed in recent years
that South Korea has paid a steep price for its rapid
advance into a knowledge-based society through its
one-size-fits-all education system that locks
65 exclusively onto the nation's university admission
exam, namely the CSAT. The country has the third
highest suicide rate in the world with self-inflicted
harm as the principal cause of death for the less
resilient among the under-40s hardly a feat the
70 leading lights in the UK would like to emulate. Only
60 per cent of students feel contented with school
life, as compared to an average of 80 per cent in
wealthy countries in the West.
[7] Young Mr X is a victim of the country's
75 punishing obsession with academic excellence. Hel
was driven to the edge on the eve of the life-
determining CSAT. 'I was overcome by a sense of
incompetence; I feared I would fail my parents who
had invested heavily in me, mortgaging their house
Part A (52 marks)
Read Text 1 and answer questions 1-23.
Which of the following best describes the portrayal of South Korean school life in The Heirs?
A. authentic
B. fantastic
C. realistic
Who are the uninitiated' (line 8)?
Audience/ viewers unfamiliar with the school scene across South Korea
b) students are seriously sleep-deprived
Describe the TWO 'harsh realities' (lines 10-11) of school life in South Korea mentioned in
paragraph 1.
a) spending long hours studying to get into university/ having no spare time for leisure pursuits
i) Yoo-kyung Do has no time for a romantic relationship.
What description is given in paragraph 2 that tells of South Korean students' fatigue?
bloodshot eyes
ii) Yoo-kyung Do's parents pressure her to attend extra classes.
iii) Students who attend hagwons have a higher chance of
university admission.
Decide whether the following statements are True, False, or the information is Not Given in
paragraphs 1-3. Blacken ONE circle only for each statement.
tuition/ extra classes at
in South Korea where students
Complete the following sentence using words that can be found in paragraphs 2 and 4. Use ONE
word only for each blank. (Hyphenated words count as one word.)
South Korean
pay a hefty sum for their children's
after-school
prepare for the
that determines whether they can be admitted to
What does 'its' (line 63) refer to?
South Korea's
Who are the world's leading economic powers' (lines 52-53) mentioned in paragraph 5
who 'turn green with envy' (lines 53-54)?
the United States/ US and the United Kingdom/ UK
In lines 69-70, the phrase 'the leading lights' refers to
A. top students.
B. policymakers.
C. school teachers.
D. wealthy parents.
b) What is the reason for their reaction?
seeing the brilliant results Korean students have achieved in international education tests
university/ universities,
What does the shadow' (line 60) refer to?
South Korea's education system taking a toll on students' general well-being
i) In South Korea, self-inflicted harm is the third leading
cause of death among the under-40s.
ii) At one point, Mr X's parents had trouble financing their
son's after-school tuition.
iii) Most South Korean students continue their studies at
universities overseas.
11. Decide whether the following statements are True, False, or the information is Not Given in
paragraphs 6 ad 7.Blacken ONE drcle only for each satement.
Which of the following is closest in meaning to 'counterparts' in line 86?
A. companions
B. associates
C. comrades
13. What does 'we' (line 96) refer to?
South Koreans
14. Yoo-kyung's father accords the importance of education to ...
A. socioeconomic factors.
B. psychological factors.
C. philosophical factors.
D. political factors.
One of the major causes of South Korea's high (i) suicide
pressure created by the predominant view that (iii) __people
are the country's most important asset. According to Yoo-kyung's father, this
viewpoint stems from South Korea's need to maintain its (iv)
power while having insufficient (v)
result, an (vi)
(vii) abuse and (viii)
developed to push students for better performance.
15. Complete the following summary using information given in paragraphs 8-10. Use ONE word
only for each blank. Pay attention to word form, plurals, etc.
that seems to
students has been
rate is the
16. Whose high social status would be put at risk in the cases of educational failure in the Joseon
Noble families'/ noble families
What similarities does the writer see between South Korea's school culture and its corporate
They both (1) require and expect people to spend long hours in their studies or work and (1) to
be submissive to their superiors.
18. Find a word in paragraphs 11 and 12 that has a similar meaning to each of the following.
ii) divided
iii) qualified
iv) oppressive
20. What does the phrase 'the prospective education rat race' (line 137) refer to?
the highly competitive nature of South Korea's extreme school machine (that ties academic
success to social status and material comfort)
authoritarian
What is 'future pillars of society' (lines 131-132) a metaphor for?
the younger generation
What is the writer's stance towards the following issues? Answer using a correct word from the
list below to complete each of the statements. Use each word ONCE only.
verified / duplicated / rebelled / managed / unravelled / reviewed
i) Children should not be
The plots of The Heirs and other similar K-dramas could not be duplicated
everyday South Korean school life.
iii) The belief in the importance of family gains over personal freedom needs to be
as investments.
Is the writer optimistic that South Korea will adopt an education system that puts greater
emphasis on individual development? Explain your answer by quoting a sentence directly from
The writer is not optimistic about it (1), as can be seen in 'The cultural ideology that still reigns
supreme in South Korea stipulates the priority of family gain over personal freedom' (1)
23. Match the correct subheadings (A-E) to the paragraphs in the article. Write the letter in the
space next to the paragraph numbers. One has been done for you as an example. (4 marks)
Subheadings
No playtime
Romance and reality
For family and country
Success and its toll
A call for change
Paragraphs Nos.
END OF PART A
Part B (55 marks)
Read the article (Text 2) and answer questions 24-36.
24. According to stanza 1, the writer wonders why
A. she has been cursed with so much bad luck in life.
B. she has not been able to set a goal in her life.
C. she has not achieved what she has set out to do.
D. she has had such a good life as she has had.
c. admit as true
26. Find words in lines 5-17 which could be replaced by the following:
a. hardships and ordeal
b. certain and assured
25. What is the writer doing in stanza 2? Explain your answer.
She is trying to understand what her life has been all about, through all the trials (hardship, pain,
27. Find 4 sets of rhyming words in stanzas 3, 4, 5 and 6.
28. In stanza 4, the words 'scrutinize' and 'investigate' can best be replaced by
A. search carefully - explore
B. inspect visually - estimate
C. study carefully - examine
D. visualize carelessly - inspect
29. Fill in the gaps in the sentence summarizing stanzas 5 and 6 below with the appropriate words
from the list given.
The question the writer is trying to ask in these stanzas is 'what is the meaning of life
and what is it that we are here on this world for'.
30. In stanza 7, is the writer telling us that her looking for what she is trying to find is easy or not?
Explain your answer.
Not easy, because she says it's always slightly out of reach (1) and also hazy (unclear) (1)
answer/ question/ enquiry/ meaning/ value/ worth
31. Which word in stanza 8 is the opposite in meaning to the word 'haze'?
32. Which statement below best sums up what the writer is saying in stanza 9?
A. The more I look, the less I find.
B. The less I look, the less I find.
C. The more I ask, the more queries I find.
D. The less I ask, the more answers I get.
33. In stanza 10, the writer is most interested in ...
A. the past.
B. the future.
C. the present.
D. an alternative future.
be perplexed
34. Look for words or expressions in stanzas 11 and 12 that are opposite in meaning to that given.
it has to be
35. The writer in the last stanza is still
B. worrying
(2 words) understanding it all
(4 words) not sure to happen
about what her life has been all about.
36. What is the best meaning of the word used in the title 'drifting' as used in the poem?
A. having no roots or background
B. to deviate or vary from a set course or adjustment
C. to wonder from place to place aimlessly
D. to be carried along by the force of circumstances without any sense of purpose
Read Text 3 and answer questions 37-55. (35 marks)
37. According to paragraph 1, hostessing has always been
A. put down
B. set down
C. pushed down
D. looked down
38. What according to paragraph 1 has happened recently to hostessing in Japan?
A. It has become a profession which requires qualifications to enter.
B. It has become a more accepted profession for women to enter.
C. It has become a less well-paid profession.
D. It has lost some of the attractions that made people enter the profession.
due to less resistance to become a hostess.
on in Japanese society.
39. What does Kentaro Miura mean when she says "hostesses come from a diversity of backgrounds"?
Miura means that hostesses come from a wide variety of differing social classes and upbringings
limited O lacking originality or scope
confined within set limits
O a boundary or line set up
O any special capacity for perception or estimation
O sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch
sound practical intelligence
to be attracted to something
40. Look at how the words below are used in the article. Decide which of the options provided is
closest in meaning and blacken ONE circle only.
O to sketch (someone or something) in lines or words
O to mark or lay out
41. In paragraph 2, the writer says that the main reasons for women taking up hostessing is because
A. they can make a lot of new friends.
B. they think it's a glamorous job.
C. they think that the working hours are quite short.
D. they have no alternative except low-paying dead-end jobs.
43. What is the full spelling of the word 'temp' in line 32?
42. The following sentence summarizing paragraph 3 has two words missing. Fill in the missing
spaces from the words given.
Because/ Due to/ Owing/ popular/ trendiest/ stylish
Due to the recession, young women in Japan are becoming hostesses simply because the
popular ones can make as much as US$300,000 per year.
pay is good, as the most
44. Which of the following statements from paragraph 4 is INCORRECT?
A. Hostessing is in the top half of most popular professions.
B. Hostessing pays on average just over twice as much as nursing.
C. Civil servants and nursing are not as popular as hostessing.
D. The Culture Studies Institute in Tokyo conducts surveys about different professions.
45. According to paragraph 5, what are the reasons for women becoming hostesses?
To pay for their education (1) or to save up to start their own businesses (1).
46. Find the following pronouns in the text and write down what they refer to.
Pronoun and line
it's (line 15)
her (line 59)
us (line 98)
47. What does the word 'flit' in line 42 mean?
to move lightly and quickly
What it refers to
(becoming) a hostess
a placement agency
48. In paragraph 6, most hostesses
49. Which of the following facts about Eri Momoko is INCORRECT?
A. She has a child but is not married.
B. She was born in a poor family.
C. She has started a fashion business selling clothes and accessories.
D. She has worked in an elementary school with young children.
51. Mineri Hayashi is
A. not the star of Celux.
B. not originally from the north of Japan.
C. often seen on television.
D. thinking of retiring.
50. Complete the following sentence which sums up paragraphs 8. Only ONE word should be used
for each space.
There is no (a)
exact/ precise/ accurate figure on how many hostesses there are in Japan
but in the capital Tokyo alone, 13,000 clubs have been identified as (b) places/ establishments
where hostesses work and entertain in various ways.
that they are pressured into having sex with
in her honour
unwinding after work
52. Look for words or expressions in paragraphs 9 and 10 that are opposite in meaning to that given.
53. What evidence is there to show that becoming a hostess is now well thought of?
In paragraph 11, “some women turn up to interviews with their mothers”.
(3 words) disgraced or disrespected
(3 words) all tensed up or under-pressure
80 to pay for my tuition at high-end hagwons at one
point. The panic became so intense that I found I
couldn't bear it any longer.' Fortunately, he received
psychotherapy early and was well-supported by
loving parents who opted to send him abroad to
85 continue his studies. But he is one of the lucky few.
[8] For most of Mr X's counterparts in South Korea,
exam success reigns as the sole determiner of
aspiration and approval, and ultimately the course of
life thereafter. Strained nerves are the rule, and
90 suicidal inclinations abound. Tiger parents' high
expectations, which are the norm, only add to the
mounting pressure.
[9] 'Sixty years ago, our country was an economic
wasteland and most of our parents' generation were
95 illiterate as a result. Though we're now an economic
power to be reckoned with, we still haven't many
natural resources at our disposal, so people are our
most valuable asset. They must be pushed to
perform in high gear,' Yoo-kyung's father counters
100 when asked about whether he thinks the education
system is abusive and exploitative.
[10] Yoo-kyung's answer echoes her father's. I'm.
tired after less than 5 hours' sleep each day, but I'm
motivated. I know the reward I'm accorded will be
105 proportionate to my efforts.'
[11] Like China, Korea has a long tradition of
education fervour. Not only does education change
one's fate, it also determines the whole family's
social status and material comfort a reality that
110 can be traced back to the Joseon era, where society
was highly stratified and only candidates from more
prestigious backgrounds were eligible to sit for
civil service examinations. A noble family might be
degraded to mere commoners if their offspring
115 failed to pass their examinations to become
government officials.
social ladder. The corporate culture is equally
125 authoritarian - employees must work long hours, just
like in their schooldays, and have to be as submissive
to their managers as they once were to their
[13] However, the government is gradually seeing
130 the side effects of its extreme schooling machine, and
is doing some soul-searching on behalf of its future.
pillars of society, to make them feel more fulfilled in
life. In so doing, it is also seeking to address the issue
of a shrinking population that is plaguing the country.
135 However, the government's rallying cry for a higher
birth rate has fallen on deaf ears as would-be parents
are turned off by the prospective education rat race
that awaits their offspring.
[14] 'Knowledge is essential to industrialise a
140 country, but we are moving beyond this to sustain
our success. We're in need of not only high scores,
but also high creativity, and high emotional and
social quotient,' one of the pro-reform educationalists
145 [15] The government has been attempting to restrict
the long opening hours of hagwons amidst a backdrop
of outrage and protests from parents, teachers,
students and industry practitioners. As hagwon
owners seek ways to get around the 10 pm curfew,
150 higher supervision has been urgently called for. In
Seoul, for instance, bounties are on offer to citizens.
who turn in violators to ensure that the ban is fully
[16] Until more favourable educational policies.
155 prevail, it is society and its citizens that have to keep
up with the times. Although The Heirs and other
similar K-dramas thrive on depicting romantic
involvements between young people from contrasting
social backgrounds, they would be unlikely to be
160 replicated in real life. The cultural ideology that still
reigns supreme in South Korea stipulates the priority
of family gain over personal freedom. If families.
continue to treat children as investments set up to
yield future returns, with even their marriages treated
165 as deals, or if the government only regards its
population as a powerbase for the economy, new
generations are unlikely to find meaning in their
everyday existence.
[12] Up to and including the present day, individual
students have been held responsible for the success
or failure of their families, or even their nation.
120 Viewing their children's academic performance as
key to securing the household's future livelihood,
parents exert strict control over juvenile progress to
help ensure that the family as a whole climbs up the
END OF TEXT 1
54. Atsushi Miura is
A. in favour of
B. quite critical of
C. in support of
D. quite cynical about
A. "I want to be a hostess as soon as I'm old
enough which is next year."
B. "I'm a little short in height and that's why
my shoes are so high."
C. "I'm thinking of giving up this job and just
go on a world cruise."
55. Which persons in the article would you attribute the following quotes to? Write the correct
names in the left column. Justify your answers by quoting evidence from the text.
been done for you as examples.
Hana Nakagawa
Kentaro Miura
Most likely speaker
Mari Hamada
Mineri Hayashi
Atsushi Miura
people who say hostesses are wasting their life away.
Hana Nakagawa
Kentaro Miura
Mineri Hayashi
Mari Hamada
END OF PART B
END OF PAPER
Astushi Miura
D. "They're only doing a job, so stop harassing
E. "Last week nearly a dozen girls turned up
after I placed the adverts."
F. "We have girls from all walks of life here."
Supporting sentence/ phrase
'It's only when you're young that you can earn money just
by drinking with men," said Mari Hamada, 17.
Ms Momoka, 27, interviewed in her trademark seven-inch
She talks of plans to retire next year and travel abroad
But rather than criticizing them, Japan should create more
jobs for young women
She gets about 40 inquiries a week from women looking
for hostess jobs
More women from a diversity of backgrounds are looking
for hostess work
Part B (55 marks)
Read Text 2 and answer questions 24-36 on pages 7-9 of the Question-Answer Book for Part B..
I sometimes find I'm drifting
Through this life without effect;
I often wonder if I'm truly
Worth what I've been blessed.
I search through days that have been hard,
To try to understand,
The many trials that I have known,
The life that I have had.
You see me in my daily grind,
10 So confident and strong;
Yet when I am alone, I question
Just where I belong.
I often try too hard I find,
To analyse and guess,
15 To scrutinize, investigate
My life I will confess.
For somewhere deeper, there must be
Some meaning to this life,
Some way to make a difference,
20 Give a reason for this strife.
Is there some hidden meaning?
Some agenda to be found?
A greater purpose waiting
If I care to hang around?
It teases and it taunts me,
Always slightly out of sight;
A hazy vision out of reach,
Where darkness hides the light.
END OF TEXT 2
I struggle to bring clarity
30 To what awaits me there,
And yet this weak illusion
Always fades before my stare.
It seems the harder that I try,
To focus through the haze,
35 Just serves to add more questions,
Through my endless, tired gaze.
Perhaps I'm trying just too hard,
To understand it all,
For can we ever truly know
40 Just what we have in store?
Each incident, each moment passed,
Just adds upon the next,
But in the end, will I find truth ...
Or will I be perplexed?
45 Perhaps I make it harder
Than it has to be sometimes,
But will my searching bring to me
My meaning over time?
Or will it leave me broken,
50 And confused as I feel now,
While questions bring no solitude,
To this, my wrinkled brow.
KIT MCCALLUM
Read Text 3 and answer questions37-55 on pages9-12 of the Question-Answer Book for Part B.
The women who pour drinks in Japan
[1] The women who pour drinks in Japan's sleek
[5] Many of the cabaret clubs, or kyabakura, are swank
gentlemen's clubs were once shunned because their 40 establishments of dark wood and plush cushions,
duties were considered immodest: lavishing adoring
where waiters in bow ties and hostesses in evening
(albeit nonsexual) attention on men for a hefty fee. But gowns flit about guests sipping fantastically expensive
with that line of work, called hostessing, among the
wine. Some hostesses work to pay their way through
most lucrative jobs available to women and with the
college or toward a vocational degree, or to save up to
country neck-deep in a recession, hostess positions are
start their own businesses.
increasingly coveted, and hostesses themselves are
gaining respectability and even acclaim. Japan's worst
recession since World War II is changing mores.
[2] "More women from a diversity of backgrounds are
looking for hostess work," said Kentaro Miura, who
helps manage seven clubs in Kabuki-cho, Tokyo's
glittering red-light district. "There is less resistance to
15 becoming a hostess. In fact, it's seen as a glamorous
job." But behind this trend is a less-than-glamorous
reality. Employment opportunities for young women,
especially those with no college education, are often
limited to low-paying, dead-end jobs or temp
20 positions.
[3] Even before the economic downturn, almost 70
percent of women aged 20 to 24 worked jobs with few
benefits and little job security, according to a
government labour survey. The situation has worsened
in the recession. For that reason, a growing number of
Japanese women seem to believe that work as a
hostess, which can easily pay US$100,000 a year, and
as much as $300,000 for the biggest stars, makes
economic sense.
[4] Even part-time hostesses and those at the low end
of the pay scale earn at least $20 an hour, almost twice
the rate of most temp positions. In a 2009 survey of
1,154 high school girls, by the Culture Studies Institute
in Tokyo, hostessing ranked No. 12 out of the 40 most
35 popular professions, ahead of public servant (18) and
nurse (22). "It's only when you're young that you can
earn money just by drinking with men," said Mari
Hamada, 17.
[6] Hostessing does not involve prostitution, though
religious and women's groups point out that hostesses
can be pressured into having sex with clients, and that
hostessing can be an entry point into Japan's sprawling
underground sex industry. Hostesses say that those are
rare occurrences, and that exhaustion from a life of
partying is a more common hazard in their profession.
[8] It is unclear how many hostesses work in Japan. In
Tokyo alone, about 13,000 establishments offer late-
night entertainment by hostesses (and some male
65 hosts), including members-only clubs frequented by
politicians and company executives, as well as cheaper
cabaret clubs. Hostesses tend to drinks, offer attentive
conversation and accompany men on dates off
premises, but do not generally have sex for money.
[7] Young women are drawn nonetheless to Cinderella
stories like that of Eri Momoka, a single mother who
became a hostess and worked her way out of penury to
start a TV career and her own line of clothing and
accessories. "I often get fan mail from young girls in
elementary school who say they want to be like me,"
said Ms. Momoka, 27, interviewed in her trademark
seven-inch heels. "To a little girl, a hostess is like a
modern-day princess."
[9] Hostesses are often ranked according to popularity
among clients, with the No. 1 of each club assuming
the status of a star. Mineri Hayashi has made it to the
top of her club, Celux, six years after coming to Tokyo
from northern Japan. One recent evening, she readied
herself for an elaborate birthday event her club was
throwing in her honour. Outside the club, bigger-than-
life posters of Ms. Hayashi adorned the street. At the
club, a dozen men put up balloons and lined up
Champagne bottles.
80 [10] The club's clientele is diverse, including
workaday salarymen, business owners and other men
unwinding after work. Celux hopes to make more than
$60,000 on Ms. Hayashi's birthday party, which will
be attended by scores of regulars. "Life has been fun,
85 and I want to keep on having fun," Ms. Hayashi said,
placing a tiara in her hair. She talks of plans to retire
next year and travel abroad.
[11] In recent months, clubs have also started to feel
the squeeze of the bad economy. Hostess wages are
starting to fall to as little as $16 an hour. Still, that rate
remains above many daytime jobs here. So, the young
women keep coming. The Kabuki-cho district is lined
with dark-suited scouts recruiting women. One club
recruiter said some women turn up to interviews with
their mothers in tow, which never would have
happened when the job was less respectable.
[12] "Women are being laid off from daytime jobs
and so look for work with us," said Hana Nakagawa,
who runs a placement agency for higher-end clubs in
Tokyo. She gets about 40 inquiries a week from
women looking for hostess jobs, twice as many as
before the downturn. Atsushi Miura, an expert on the
issue, says hostessing will be popular among Japanese
women as long as other well-paying jobs are scarce.
"Some people still say hostesses are wasting their life
away," he said. “But rather than criticizing them, Japan
should create more jobs for young women."
END OF TEXT 3
END OF READING PASSAGES
Secondary 5
General instructions
There are two parts (A and B) in this paper. Candidates should attempt all questions in Parts A
Belilios Public School
Half-yearly Examination, 2015-2016
English Language Paper 1 (Reading)
After the announcement of the start of the examination, you should first write your Name, Class
and Class Number in the spaces provided on the appropriate pages of the Reading Passages
Booklet and the Question-Answer Books.
Write your answers in the spaces provided in the Question-Answer Books. Answers written in the
margins will not be marked.
Time allowed: 1 hr 30 minutes
Maximum marks: 107
(24% of subject mark)
QUESTION-ANSWER BOOK
Each question carries ONE mark unless otherwise stated.
For multiple-choice questions, you are advised to blacken the appropriate circle with a pencil so
that wrong marks can be completely erased with a clean rubber. Mark only ONE answer to each
question. Two or more answers will score NO MARKS.
Supplementary answer sheets will be supplied on request. Write your Name, Class, Class
Number and the question number on each sheet, and attach them to the Question-Answer
No extra time will be given to candidates for writing the question number after the 'Time is up'
announcement.
The two Question-Answer Books and the Reading Passages Booklet will be collected separately
at the end of the examination.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Part A (52 marks)
Read Text 1 and answer questions 1-23.
1. Which of the following best describes the portrayal of South Korean school life in The Heirs?
A. authentic
B. fantastic
C. realistic
Who are the uninitiated' (line 8)?
Describe the TWO 'harsh realities' (lines 10-11) of school life in South Korea mentioned in
paragraph 1.
4. What description is given in paragraph 2 that tells of South Korean students' fatigue?
Yoo-kyung Do has no time for a romantic relationship.
5. Decide whether the following statements are True, False, or the information is Not Given in
paragraphs 1-3. Blacken ONE circle only for each statement.
ii) Yoo-kyung Do's parents pressure her to attend extra classes. O
iii) Students who attend hagwons have a higher chance of
university admission.
South Korean
in South Korea where students
pay a hefty sum for their children's
prepare for the
that determines whether they can be admitted to
Complete the following sentence using words that can be found in paragraphs 2 and 4. Use ONE
word only for each blank. (Hyphenated words count as one word.)
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.
a) Who are the world's leading economic powers' (lines 52-53) mentioned in paragraph 5
who 'turn green with envy' (lines 53-54)?
b) What is the reason for their reaction?
What does 'its' (line 63) refer to?
In lines 69-70, the phrase 'the leading lights' refers to ...
A. top students.
B. policymakers.
C. school teachers.
D. wealthy parents.
10. What does 'the shadow' (line 60) refer to?
i) In South Korea, self-inflicted harm is the third leading
cause of death among the under-40s.
ii) At one point, Mr X's parents had trouble financing their
son's after-school tuition.
11. Decide whether the following statements are True, False, or the information is Not Given in
paragraphs 6 ad 7.Blacken ONE drcle only for each satement.
iii) Most South Korean students continue their studies at
universities overseas.
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.