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De La Salle College

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Class : 10th BCD

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

0510/2
Paper 2 Reading and Writing (Extended)
Candidates answer on the Question Paper.

Answer all questions.

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Exercise 1

Read the reviews written by four people (A – D) who went on a group holiday in Iceland. Then answer
Question 9 (a) – (j).

Iceland Adventures
Four people review the holiday

A Lise Janssen
What an amazing place to visit! There were twelve of us in the group, plus our tour guide and driver.
We all got along really well, which helped to make the trip so enjoyable. I had wondered beforehand
whether ten days might be too long, but I needn’t have worried. The sights were incredible, and in
particular I enjoyed seeing a lake full of icebergs, and walking on black sand beaches. We had one
free day, when some of the group went on a boat trip and saw whales. Their photos were incredible.
I went to a huge waterfall instead, which was stunning, though I think the others probably made the
better choice. We stayed in different hotels each night because we travelled around the island. The
standard varied, and some of the rooms were really small, but I didn’t mind that. And breakfasts and
dinners couldn’t have been better – we all agreed on that.

B Ed Marshall
Our group ranged in age from 19 to 73 – I’d imagined this type of trip wouldn’t appeal to older
travellers, but everyone thought it was great. We travelled around the island by bus and stayed in
different places each night, apart from the first and last nights when we were in the same hotel in
the capital. If you get a room at the back on the first night, as I did, try asking the staff nicely for a
room which has a sea view for the final night. It worked for me! Even though I knew the trip would be
expensive, I really didn’t expect to be charged more for a sandwich than I’d pay for a three-course
meal at home. It was all great though – including the optional glacier walk, which several people
didn’t do but wished they had afterwards. My only real criticism was the free day at the end of the
trip, when there weren’t any group activities organised. I’d actually have preferred to leave a day
earlier.

C Maki Takahashi
I’d wanted to go to Iceland for ages, but had been put off by the cost – hotels, meals and transport are
all really expensive. When I found out about this trip, I spent quite a while looking at the information,
to make sure it’d be worth it. It was – I was delighted to see so much in the short space of time.
Anyone who wants to spend longer in each place should perhaps consider a different trip instead.
I’d heard that driving in Iceland can be a bit scary, so I was unsure about having to spend hours on
the bus. But our driver made us feel totally safe, so I could enjoy looking at the views and listening
to the guide telling us all about the places we were visiting. He also tried teaching us a few words of
Icelandic. Most of the words seemed to have three times as many syllables as in my language! At
least I managed to say ‘thank you’ a few times.

D Juan Sanchez
I booked this trip at the last minute, and I’m very glad I did – I had a fantastic time. The others in the
group were really friendly, which was a relief! I was surprised that a couple were in their 70s, but
actually they were fitter than some of the younger people in the group. Our guide turned up late on
the first day, which gave me a slightly bad impression of him. But then he more than made up for
it with his knowledge of the island and the fact that he made us laugh all the time. Our driver didn’t
speak much English, but that wasn’t a problem. He taught me how to pronounce the name of one of
the volcanos, Eyjafjallajökull. It looks such a long word, but actually it isn’t that hard to say it. The trip
was expensive, but well worth it, and I had no complaints about the booking or the details I received
beforehand – everything turned out just as promised.
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For each question, write the correct letter A, B, C or D on the line.

Which person…

(a) makes a suggestion regarding accommodation? ………

(b) mentions having confidence in the bus driver’s ability? ………

(c) admits to being surprised about costs in Iceland? ………

(d) comments on the accuracy of the information sent before the trip? ………

(e) was particularly impressed by the meals included in the trip? ………

(f) feels that the length of the trip should be altered? ………

(g) suggests that the language was difficult to cope with? ………

(h) comments on an appealing characteristic of the tour guide? ………

(i) regrets not taking part in one activity during the trip? ………

(j) suggests that the holiday might be unsuitable for certain people? ………

[Total:5]

[Turn over]
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Exercise 2

Read the article about a woman who changed her career, and then complete the notes.

All change!
From sales and marketing to making objects from wood

Four years ago, 27-year-old Hannah Billen and three of her friends signed up for a weekend
outdoor survival course – two days in the outdoors, learning survival skills such as making fires,
building shelters, using tools like knives and axes, and finding food and water. When she got home
and was telling her parents about the experience, she realised that she couldn’t imagine spending
the rest of her working life in an office. She told them how great the course was. ‘I learned how
to safely use an axe and a saw to remove branches from trees, and I spent a lot of time making
things – mostly simple spoons.’ Her parents were so impressed with what she had made that they
suggested she could make money from working with wood. She immediately felt that this was a
possibility.

Hannah had been working in sales and marketing for the past five years, and she was starting
to find that her job was becoming more and more stressful. She began making up for her days in
the office with relaxing evenings making spoons and various other objects out of wood: chopping
boards, butter knives, coffee scoops, bowls and other kitchenware. Then, in 2014, she lost her job.
‘This turned out to be the push I needed to turn my part-time craft into a full-time career,’ she said.

She was accepted on to the Get Started Programme, a scheme to support young people who are
planning to start their own business. She was given guidance to produce a business plan. Once
this was in place, she approached her bank and was surprised that she was immediately given a
low-cost start-up loan. Four months later, her new company, Wood For Life, was born.

Initially, she was given the use of her parents’ garage, although she now has her very own studio.
This is big enough for all her equipment, has a large work surface, and is very light and airy – a
pleasant and inspiring place to work. Although it is not traditional to do so, she has started to
use an electric saw rather than an axe to create the basic shape of an object. ‘You can only use
an axe if you’re working with green wood – that’s wood that has recently been cut from a tree –
which is what I used when I started doing this as a hobby. But I didn’t have a big enough supply of
green wood,’ she explains. Instead, she has switched to using recycled wood, from old buildings,
factories and warehouses. ‘That is much harder to carve, so I need to use the electric saw.’

Hannah has recently started organising workshops for people who want to try out her skill. These
are very popular, and a good way of earning money, but she’s happiest when she’s working alone
in the studio, when she aims to make around ten items a day. It’s an exciting time for her growing
business, and she has plans to write a book about getting back to nature.
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You are going to give a talk about Hannah Billen’s change of career to your class at school.

Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your talk.

Make short notes under each heading.

$ What made Hannah decide to change her career after doing an outdoor survival course:

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% What help Hannah was given to set up her company:

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& How Hannah’s business has changed since she started her company:

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[Total: 5]

[Turn over]
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Exercise 3

Read the following article about the use of artificial light at night-time.

Write a summary about the negative aspects of light pollution in our world.

Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You
should use your own words as far as possible.

You will receive up to 8 marks for the content of your summary and up to 7 marks for the style and
accuracy of your language.

TURNING NIGHT INTO DAY

If humans were really comfortable under the light of the moon and stars, we would happily go around
at night without any artificial light. We would be able to see the world in the same way as the many
species that exist in darkness are able to see it. The fact is that we are daytime creatures, with eyes
adapted to living in the sunlight.

In order to create a longer day we have lit up the night. We have changed it to suit our purposes
by filling the darkness with light. This kind of action disturbs human and natural life and comes with
disadvantages as well as benefits. By artificially increasing the amount of light in our world, we have
produced light pollution.

Most of us live in towns and suburbs, which suffer from too much light coming from homes, offices,
factories and roads. In these areas, we are often unable to control the light that invades our homes
and private lives. In most cities, the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars. Many of us
have grown up seeing nothing more than a hazy sky, and we have never enjoyed the wonderful
sight of a clear night sky, full of beautiful stars.

Humans have selfishly lit up the night assuming that it has no effect on any living creature. Nothing
could be further from the truth. The number of species that are busy in the darkness is astonishing.
By increasing the amount of artificial light, we have confused and harmed many creatures. Some
birds now sing at unnatural hours in the presence of artificial light. Sea turtles, which much prefer
dark beaches to build their nests, find fewer and fewer suitable places.

Like most other creatures, we need darkness. It is as essential to our well-being as light itself. By
reducing the amount of darkness each day, we are upsetting the regular timing and rhythm of waking
and sleeping. This means that we rarely get enough sleep at the right time.

It was once thought that light pollution only affected astronomers, who needed to see the night sky
in all its glorious clarity. In fact, some of the earliest efforts to try and control light pollution were
made to protect the view from the Lowell Observatory, situated high above the city of Flagstaff, USA.
In 2001, Flagstaff was declared the first International Dark Sky City. Now, more and more cities and
even whole countries have committed themselves to reducing unwanted artificial light.

Finally, we must not ignore the amount of energy that is wasted throughout the world as a result
of our desire for extra light. It is arguable that, of all the different types of pollution, light pollution is
perhaps the easiest to reduce. Simple changes in lighting design and installation produce immediate
changes in the amount of light lost in the atmosphere and, often, provide immediate energy savings.
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[Turn over]
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Exercise 4

Your school recently organised a ‘work experience week’, when each student spent one week
working in a different local business. Your teacher has asked you to write a report about the work
experience week.

In your report, say what you and your classmates learned during the week, and suggest how the
experience could be improved if it is repeated next year.

Here are two comments from your classmates:

One week was too long. I really enjoyed working

in a team.

Write a report for your teacher, giving your views.

The comments above may give you some ideas, and you can also use some ideas of your own.

Your report should be between 150 and 200 words long.

You will receive up to 8 marks for the content of your report, and up to 7 marks for the
language used.
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[Total: 15]

END OF EXAM