Part 1 = — Comprehension Passage A. Read the passage and then answer questions 1-12. . Our endangered coral reefs Coral reefs are perhaps the most beautiful of the earth's treasures — full of fantastic colours, shapes and creatures. To a visitor from land, it might as well be a visit to another planet. The variety of awesome life forms is endless. Although corals cover only 0.17 per cent of the ocean floor, they provide homes for about 25 per cent of, all marine species. Only the tropical rain forests contain more species. Coral reefs, however, are one of the most threatened ecosystems on earth. The coral reefs are fragile and very sensitive to changes in climate and to pollution. Humans have already damaged or destroyed coral reefs of the coasts of 93 countries, including Hong Kong, and conservationists predict that at the present rate of destruction most of the world’s reefs will be gone within 50 years. Man has already caused the death of five to ten per cent of the world’s coral reefs and another 60 per cent will be gone in another twenty to forty years, Coral reefs offer us more than just some of nature’s greatest works of art. About ten per cent of the worldwide fish catch comes from coral reefs — over four million tons per year. For many people in the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, southern Asia and eastern Africa, fish from coral reefs are the main source of food. Many of the fish inhabiting the coral reefs are there only because of the corals. ‘The tropical waters in which the reefs form do not have enough nutrients to permit such diversity of marine life. Corals provide these nutrients, by forming a symbiotic relationship with tiny algae — that is, they depend on each other for life. The algae live in the corals’ clear tissues and use the abundant tropical sunlight to provide food and oxygen for the corals through photosynthesis. The corals, in return, produce carbon dioxide and other materials the algae require. Although corals provide some food for other organisms, their most important function in the ecosystem is to provide a home for the other organisms. The other organisms provide various services in return: some fish clean the coral of seaweed which could otherwise prevent valuable sunshine from getting through to the algae; others help control the fish that eat the corals; still others keep the bigger fish healthy by cleaning bacteria from them. It is an interdependent ecosystem, with the fish dependent on the coral and vice versa. If one link in this system is broken, the entire system can be damaged and even disappear. For example, corals are very sensitive to cloudy water which may result from dredging or dumping. This stress causes them to expel their algae, and the corals will die if the stress is not relieved. When the corals die, the reef dies. The greatest killer of reefs is sedimentation — soils that wash into coastal waters onto reefs. The sediments block out sunlight, reducing photosynthesis among the algae so that they produce less energy for the corals. In Hong Kong, sedimentation is usually due to dredging and dumping, but in other coastal areas it may be due to logging, farming and mining. As wooded areas along coastlines are cleared for these three purposes, there is nothing to prevent soils from eroding and washing into the oceans. 58 10 20 30 40 Anothe! really is unde temperatures. above normal when the Ell America’s Pa Rica, Panam Islands, died The goc Further goo protecting th riority over governments ate, 1. Inline7 A B. c D. carel delic dam soft. In parag reefs, A. B. c D. are art. aret man are 2 food are In lines relations A B. i D. they they they they 4.In Tine 20 gop> cora cora nut core‘Another great danger to corals is changing water temperatures. If global warmin ally is under way as some scientists maintain, it is likely to produce a rise in emperatures. High water temperatures have a devastating effect on corals. Even bove normal for just a few hours can virtually destroy a reef. For example, in 1982-83, hen the El Nino current changed direction, sending warm water up from South America’s Pacific coast, up to 70-90 per cent of the corals off the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia, and over 95 per cent of the corals off the Galapa slands, died! ‘The good new's is that corals can recover very quickly when conditions are good. Further good news is that most coastal nations are aware of the importance of >rotecting their coral reefs. However, only in rare cases does conservation receive riority over development. After all, even in Hong Kong, with one of the riche: >vernments in the world, development pressures are killing our corals at an alarming, te. ea In line 7 “fragile” means. 5. In paragraph 4 the key role of the A. careful corals is. B. delicate. ‘A. to produce algae. C. damaging B. to produce carbon dioxide. D. soft, C. to provide a home for other organisms. 2. Inparagraph 3 we are told that coral D. to provide food for other species. reefs. A. are not important as works of 6. “This stress” in line 32 refers to. art. A. too much algae. B. are the main source of food for B. cloudy water. many people. C. too much pressure. C. are an insignificant source of D. their sensitivity food. D. are worth a lot of money. 7. Inline 35 “sedimentation” means... A. poisonous soils. 3. Inlines 19-20 “symbiotic B. very dark soils relationship” mean A. they live side-by-side. B. they eat each other. C. they work well together. 8 D. dead corals. In line 38 “it” refers to. D. they are interdependent. A. dredging and dumping. B. dumping, 4. In line 20 “each other” refers to. C. coastal areas. A. corals and algae. D. sedimentation. B. corals and nutrients. C. nutrients and algae. 9 D. corals and symbiotic. In lines 39-40, the writer implies that. logging increases erosion. B. trees increase erosion C. wooded areas contribute to D. > sedimentation, buildings would be more effect erosion. C. soils that wash over coral reefs. ve than trees at preventing10. In lines 44, the Galapagos corals died 12. The final sentence implies that. was an orp because of... A. the Hong Kong government ep it in a cz A. sedimentation. considers development more ressive),’h B. global warming. important than coral reef ound a large C. development pressures. conservation. ot here. It li D. Above-normal water B. Hong Kong's riches will help Royal So temperatures. protect her coral reefs. Dennis Jones C. the Hong Kong government tries th round, ap 11. We can infer from the passage that to stop developers from killing slow-moving a one important way of protecting the corals. itin their n coral reefs would be to. D. in Hong Kong conservation nd they find A. plant trees along the coastlines receives priority over terest...and bordering coral reefs development. monkeys were B. eliminate coral-eating fish The fame CC. stop all fishing around coral natives of Aus reefs. But their nu nds and rest imposter: hey are releas sy park staff. | D. write letters to the newspapers. Passage B. Read the passage and then answer questions 13-23. ad appeared | . . several month A wild time on the home front Kowloot pond was r Heard the one about the giant tarantula spider that bred a similar giant family season aroun in the New York subway? What about the boa constrictor — one of the world’s largest rom the anim snakes — that emerged from a toilet in London at just that awkward moment for the __And the tenant? Or the 1.5 metre-long crocodile that lived six years in a Sha Tin flat and exercised thin five mi its jaw on dead chickens? "To rele The first two are unconfirmed, but the third is a safe bet. It was confirmed by Hong Ki Agricultural and Fisheries Department (AFD) senior conservation officer Richard Chan nto the park's Ping-kwong, who should know — he helped to seize it from its loving owner in 1989. ployment ¢ “We received a complaint from an old couple who said there was a creature next door,” he said. The “creature” turned out to be an animal known in the wild for its 10 cunning, aggression and liking for meals of people. Mr Chan was trying to remember 3. In lines 4- the most unusual “pet” he had encountered following the huge haul of endangered means... reptiles seized from a Mongkok pet shop in late October. The shop was unlicensed, A. tortur and a prosecution is expected. The crocodile owner, a paralysed 61-year-old, had no B. preye licence and the animal, cooped up in a cage so small that its snout had grown deformed, Cc. playe later died of an infection, despite being removed to the Chinese University for D. ate. rehabilitation. There have been a few oddball pets held legally in the territory, but the AFD needs 4. Inline 6, ‘ a special reason for people wanting to have such an animal before issuing a licence, A. said Mr Chan. “There are not hundreds of them. We don’t encourage people to keep 20 B. endangered species even if they can legally do so.” C. cruel The problems come when the baby animals grow up and become dangerous, D. asafe too expensive to feed, or simply too big to handle. “A man brought in a monkey a couple of months ago which had become aggressive after reaching sexual maturity,” said Tony Holmes, owner of the Green Cross Veterinary Clinic in Waterloo, Kowloon. 25‘it was an orphan in another country that he'd taken p keep it in a cage now, although castration would be an optio aggressive),” he said. “We get the add exotic bird or primate, and an oc [found a large koi carp wobbling about in a plastic bag behind the clinic I got here. It lived for several years in our tank in the clinic.” Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals chief superinter Dennis Jones said his most recent unexpected visitor was a slow loris — the monkey with round, appealing eyes — dumped at the society. “They're aptly named. They are SJow-moving and they even bite slowly. They take your finger gently and then slowly atitin their mouth and they won't let go. It’s very painful. People get these animals ond they find they just can’t cope. They don’t know the correct diet, they lose terest’ and we usually find them dumped at our centre.” Sacks of snakes and monkeys were the most common, he said ‘The famous Sulphur Crested Cockatoos that scream over Hong Kong Park are natives of Australia thought to have been released from an aviary during World War 40 1 But their numbers are dwarfed by those of turtles and terrapins released into park ONS> UNw> UNE> UOE>Part2 — Usage Decide which of the choices given below would best complete the passage if inserted in the blanks. The highly prized rhino horn Rhinoceros horn is __24___ valued in traditional Chinese medicine for its ability 25 fever and for its reputation as an aphrodisiac —a __26 __ that causes sexta} excitement. It has become so rare,__27__, that in Hong Kong it sells for almost HIK$200,000 a kilogram. This has made rhino-poaching and the rhino-horn trade _2¢ profitable, with the result __29__ the African black rhinoceros is now almost extinc Today there 30 only about 3,000 black rhinos _31___ in Africa. _32 were 20 to 30 times many thirty years ago. _34__ 1976 there has been an international __35 —_ on rhino-horn trading. Hong Kong __36__ banned the import and export of rhino horns since 1979 and in 1989 Hong Kong made even _37___sales of thino products __38__._39__ these laws, rhino products _40___still widely sold in local pharmacies selling traditional medicines. In 1994, the Environmental Intelligence ‘Agency released the results of a survey that __4]__ that 59 out of 90 Chinese pharmacies in Hong Kong sold rhino products. 42. local demand for rhino horn is_43___ small __44___ the high price, Hong Kong seems to be the _45__of the international trade since the U.S. __46. Hong Kong as the primary exporter of rhino medicines intercepted __47___U.S. Customs. While education 48 _ the key to reducing demand for rhino horn — a local expert claims that at least 27 plants have __49_ medicinal properties to those found in rhino parts — some African conservationists recommend __50__ the international ban on rhino horn trading, and farming rhinos on private reserves. Since rhino horns grow back at a rate of five centimetres a year, conservationists favour farming the horn _31 save the rhino. 24. A. high 29. A. of 34. A. From 39. A. Inspite B. highly B. find B. Since B. Despite C. strong Cis C. Until C. Contrary to D. good D. that D. In D. Contradicting 25. A. to reduce 30. A. be 35. A. ban 40. A. are B. reducing B. are B. law B. is C. to make C. have C. emphasis C. had been D. toimprove D. has D. criticism D. being 26. A. medicinal 31. A. left 36. A. having 41. A. prove B. medical B. leaving B. will have B. show C. medicine C. staying C. have C. showing D. problem D. lying D. has D. showed 27. A. but 32. A. These 37. A. locally 42. A. Even B. although B. Those B. domesticated B. Being C. too C. Some C. domestic C. Since D. however D. There D. internally D. While 28. A. extremely 33. A. this 38. A. unfair 43. A. supposing to be B. extreme B. as B. illegal B. must be C. quiet C. so CC. criminal C. said to be D. real D. too D. illegally D. sure 6344. A. resulting of 46. A. looked for 48. A. shall be 50. A. to lift PuiLing: P B. because of B. identified B maybe B. lifting C. since C. had identified © are’ C. lift ere aP D. causing D. found D. has D. to remove 45, A. centre 47. A. from 49. A. similar 51. A. inorder to PuiLing: I B. beginning, B. to B. same B. soto - C. start C by C. opposite C. therefore " D. ban D. with D. close D. then Customer: C PuiLing: Y Fill in each blank in the dialogue below with ONE word zohich best completes the menning. The first 4 four have been done for you as examples. Customer: T y Pui Ling has been working at her summer job for two weeks. She has found the shop Pui Ling: C is very popular with tourists. Fill in each blank in the dialogue with ONE word which best . completes the meaning, The first four have been done for you as examples. Customer: C PuiLing: 4 ‘Customer: Excuse me, mi s,_(a)_ can’t find my — Customer: / Pui Ling: What size are you looking _(b) _, Pui Ling: Customer: Thirty-four waist PuiLing: Are you sure 34 is your size, sir? You look more like a 36. Customer: Customer: I beg your pardon. I think I should _(c)__ my size better than you. PuiLing: | PuiLing: Perhaps, but I have _(d) _ very good eye. el @ Customer: You're saying I'm _(52)_. 52, eee PuiLing: No, sir. Of course _(53)_! You're very slim 53. and handsome. Here's a 34, Would you like to tuy them _G4)_? 54 Customer: Thank you. | won't be _(55)_. 55. Pui Ling: Wow! The pants look great. Customer: They're a bit tight, don’t _(56)__ think? 56.