1 Read the passage and decide where the following phrases/clauses/sentences go.

Indicate
your choice by giving the number of the line where you think the phrase/clause/sentence
should be inserted. GIVE ONLY ONE ANSWER.

a) , which might be as short as two months _________

b) It could also be found growing naturally in Africa, the Caribbean

and Latin America.
_________

c) Bob told me that he had become fascinated by bamboo when, as a student, he went on
an agricultural study trip to Asia.
_________

d) – ideal scaffolding material then for a country prone to typhoons

_________

e) ‘They’re low in fat and calories, and a good source of fibre and
potassium,’ said Bob. _________

2 Provide the referent for the following words and phrases. GIVE ONLY ONE ANSWER.

one line 4

That line 17

it line 29

This line 37

ever since line 46

3 Write one or two well-formed sentences expressing the main idea of the text.
Abbreviations, fragments, and arrows are not accepted. Do not quote from the text. GIVE
ONLY ONE ANSWER.
4 Decide whether the following statements are TRUE, or FALSE or there is NO
EVIDENCE for them in the passage. Indicate your decision with capital letters T, F or NE.
Justify your opinion in one or two well-formed sentences. Do not quote from the text.
Abbreviations, fragments, and arrows will not be accepted.

a) There are lots of objects made of bamboo in Bob’s home.

b) Bamboo is among the fastest growing trees in the world.

c) Some varieties of bamboo grow more than half a metre overnight.

d) The first time Robert Butler saw bamboo was when he went to Asia as a student.

e) Bamboo is used when building skyscrapers.

f) Bob served some vegetables, bamboo shoots and some crisps for lunch.

5 Find words or expressions in the text that correspond with the following meanings and
explanations. GIVE ONLY ONE ANSWER.

1. immediately (lines 1-20)

2. amazing (lines 1-20)
3. worried, anxious (lines 21-33)
4. remember (lines 21-33)
5. moving from side to side (lines 34-53)
6. very hot (lines 34-53)
7. lasting long (lines 34-53)
8. enthusiastic (lines 34-53)
 1 Robert Butler is known as ‘Bamboo Bob’ by his friends: he’s a botanist, an
2 agriculturalist and a leading expert on the bamboo plant. I went to ask him why he thinks
3 bamboo is the most important plant in the world.
4 I found him at home in his garden but before I could ask any questions Bob had one
5 for me. ‘Is there any bamboo in your home?’ I replied instantly that of course there wasn’t,
6 but he made me think again. Then I remembered that I had some lampshades made of bamboo
7 in the bedroom, some bamboo canes in the garden to support my plants against the wind, and
8 a bamboo tray. ‘Bamboo,’ said Bob ‘can be used for almost anything.’
9 Before I could ask for some more examples he had another question for me – ‘What
10 do you know about bamboo?’ I replied that I thought it was a beautiful tree, very tall and
11 graceful with delicate leaves. I knew that it was one of the fastest growing plants in the world
12 and that pandas liked eating it. Then Bob surprised me by saying that bamboo was not a tree
13 at all but a grass, and that it could vary in height from dwarf, 30cm plants to giant timber
14 bamboos that grow to well over 30m. ‘And just how fast can they grow?’ he asked. I really
15 had no idea – 10 or perhaps 20cm a day? Well, apparently a Japanese scientist had measured
16 the growth of one variety of bamboo and claimed it had grown 60cm over a 24-hour period!
17 That would have been in ideal conditions of heat, humidity and fertile soil explained Bob, but
18 even in his garden he’d seen bamboo grow half that in a day. What was more remarkable, he
19 added, was that some 20m tall bamboos reach that height in one growing season! Now that is
20 fast!
21 ‘And where does bamboo grow?’ asked Bob. I felt more confident with my answer
22 this time: It grew in Asia. Yes, agreed Bob, it grew in most Asian countries including India
23 (with the largest bamboo forests), China and Vietnam. It grew in both tropical and subtropical
24 climates, in jungles and high on mountains. In fact it could be found on all the continents
25 except Antarctica.
26 While in Vietnam, he had stayed in a stilt house and after climbing the stairs to the
27 first (and only) floor he was surprised, and a little alarmed, to discover the floor was made
28 with strips of bamboo. ‘I could see through the floor very easily,’ recalls Bob ‘and the strips
29 were quite narrow, not whole poles of bamboo, I just knew I was going to fall through it!’
30 Instead the bamboo held his weight quite easily. ‘I then discovered that there are hundreds of
31 millions of people who live in houses made from bamboo,’ said Bob. ‘In Bangladesh, most
32 people live in bamboo houses. It provides not only walls and floors but also window frames,
33 ceilings and roofs. It’s amazing!’
34 Then in Hong Kong he witnessed another scene that confirmed how strong bamboo
35 was. ‘I was watching some men building one of those skyscrapers and I realised that the
36 scaffolding was swaying in the wind. Then getting nearer I saw that the men weren’t using
37 steel scaffolding, but bamboo!’ Astonished by this, he spoke to the foreman who explained
38 that bamboo was much better to use than steel, iron or aluminium. There were three reasons:
39 it was almost as strong as steel, but it was lightweight, so easy to transport and set up, and
40 very flexible too, so that it bent in strong winds without breaking. ‘With the added benefit of
41 not getting too hot to touch in the scorching sun either!’ grinned Bob.
42 Finally it was in Japan that Bob found out how durable the plant was too. ‘There I
43 discovered that some bamboo plants which had been growing near ground zero at Hiroshima
44 in 1945 had survived the atomic blast and sent up new shoots within days.’ Bob also saw
45 bamboo used for building bridges, for musical instruments and furniture. Inspired, he returned
46 home and has been an ardent fan of bamboo ever since, growing it, writing books about it and
47 studying it. ‘There are about 1,500 documented traditional uses for bamboo, from fishing
48 baskets to flowerpots, from flagpoles to fences, from firewood to fodder,’ said Bob. “Which
49 reminds me – come and have lunch with me.’
50 We went inside and sat down to eat. I wasn’t surprised that the food was presented in
51 beautiful bamboo bowls. What I hadn’t expected was that to the vegetables he had added
52 some bamboo - bamboo shoots! As I ate the crisp, tasty shoots I thought perhaps Bob was
53 right – bamboo is the most important plant in the world after all!’