CONTENTS

Prologue
[Page 2]

Paper I Revision
[Page 3 – 4]

Paper 2 Revision
[Page 5 – 10]

Paper 3 Revision
[Page 11]

REVISION

BOOKLET


for 2021-2022 First Term Examination

English Language









Prologue

Dear Form 4 Students,

Congratulations! You have reached the half-way point of the school term. It is never easy to cope with

the New NSS English curriculum. Throughout the first term, all of you have been reading, writing,

listening, and speaking diligently.

We design this booklet as an aid to help you do revision, as some of you may feel lost the day before the

exam. “What should I revise? How do I revise?” This mini booklet is a perfect starting point for you.

Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning and studying. Wish you all the best in

your first term examination!

Best regards,

Form 4 English Teachers

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 Paper One: Reading Skills

1. Ways to describe programmes / activities

Positive Negative

• productive • unproductive
• meaningful • meaningfulness
• manageable • frustrating

2. Referential questions
e.g. There are a lot of environmental problems in Hong Kong, such as air pollution, solid waste problems,
to name but a few. They have to be alleviated by all means …
à What does the “They” refer to in the above sentence? Ans: ______________________

3. Using suffixes to identify words with similar meaning

e.g. Which of the following word has the same meaning with the word “ways”?
A. style
B. means
C. problems
D. deoxyribonucleic

e.g. Which of the following word has the same meaning with the word “peers”?
A. cousin
B. tables
C. friends
D. naughty

4. Locate similar words in front of / behind the blanks to fill in the blank for summary cloze
e.g. Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks.

It is impossible to solve all communication problems within one night. Although there is no
panacea for it, you may try your best minimize the negative effects brought by
miscommunication.

You may think that it is not (1) ___________________ to deal with communication problems.
It is true that there is no (2) __________________ for it, but we may (3) __________________
the negative effects brought by it.

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5. Common vocabulary describing writer’s stance and attitudes

Positive Negative

• admire • criticize
• agree • hate
• subscribe to • dislike

6. Useful Vocabulary Items for 2021 – 2022 First Term Paper I

1. addict 成癮的人 2. apprehensive 擔憂的 3. minority 小數民族

4. arrest 逮捕 5. condone 寬恕 6. psychotherapy 心理治療

7. conventional 傳統的 8. dependent 依賴 9. relentlessly 不眠不休地

11. electronic gadgets 電子器

10. earn a living 賺錢生活 12. strained 緊張的
材

13. engulfed 吞噬 14. fictitious 虛構的 15. the convicted 被判罪的人

16. fortune 財富 17. high-calibre 高質素 18. rehabilitation 康復

19. litigation 訴訟 20. lucrative 有利可圖的 21. sober 清醒

22. lure 誘惑物 23. prospective 前途 24. substances 物質 / 藥物

25. treatment 療程

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 Paper Two: Writing Skills

2.1 Letter of Advice

Sample Question
You are Chris Wong. During yesterday’s dinner, your cousin William told you that currently he was
extremely frustrated with his parents, as they did not allow him to pursue his dream to be a singer. Write a
letter of advice suggesting what he could do to alleviate his parents’ worries.

A. Understanding the Writing Question

Writing Role Target Reader Writing Purpose

B. Setting the background for the writing question

“suggesting what could do to alleviate his parents’ worries” à What will possibly be parents worrying about?
² may not earn a stable income in the future
² takes a long time to become famous
² too expensive to have singing lessons with famous teachers
² the entertainment industry might be dangerous

C. Advice for teenagers to address parents’ worries

² Look for statistics to show that there’s a career prospect
² Ask teachers for professional advice
² Attend workshops with your parents
² Show your parents that you are mature enough to take the challenge

D. Essential Phrases / Paragraphs / Features

Sample Writing Points to Note

Dear William, ß Target audience

I am sorry to hear that you are facing a difficult situation recently. As you ß Show empathy
have mentioned, your parents’ disapproval is your biggest concern. While it
seems that things cannot be changed, I believe that there are different ways to ß Show positivity
persuade your parents. Here are some suggestions for you. ß Writing purpose

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 To begin with, it is important to understand your parents’ worries. One ß A paragraph
of your parents’ worries is that … Apart from that … summarizing parents’
concerns

To solve / address / alleviate / deal with / cope with your parents’ ß 3 paragraphs of
concerns, here is some advice for you. First, … Second, … Finally / Last but advice
not least …

Good luck! I’m sure that things will work out eventually. I’m always ß An encouraging
here to help. Let me know if you have any problems closing

Best regards, / Best wishes, ß Closing

Chris

2.2 Article

Sample Question
The reality TV show King Maker (on Viu TV) has been extremely popular recently. Many teenagers see
the participants as idols, hoping that one day they could be a famous pop star. You are writing an article for
Hong Kong Daily to talk about this issue. In your article, first, try to state the reasons of why teenagers want
to be popular. Then, you may highlight the pros and cons of being famous at an early age. You may conclude
your article by giving suggestions for those who dream to be a star.

A. Understanding the Writing Question

Writing Role Target Reader Writing Purpose

B. You do not need to set a background for the writing question as it is clearly stated!
² The reality TV show King Maker (on Viu TV) has been extremely popular recently.

C. Reasons of why teenagers want to be famous

² They want to become a star
² Low confidence and self-esteem
² Want to be praised
² Lack of family and peer support

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D. Pro and Cons of being famous at an early age

Pros Cons
² They can get a lot of opportunities to show ² Immature and unready to own so much
their talents money
² Getting special treatment ² May not be able to maintain a normal school
² Become rich easily (since they will get a lot life
of jobs) ² Will be judged by the public
² Their talent / hard work will be recognized ² Have no privacy
² Have huge fan base ² Might be dangerous as they may attract
stalkers

E. Suggestions
² Get prepared mentally
² Try to ask for parents’ / teachers’ advice
² Try to participate in the interschool talent show
² Think twice

F. Essential Phrases / Paragraphs / Features

Sample Writing Points to Note

Recently, there has been heated debate on the reality TV show King ß Background
Maker. While some audience think that it is an interesting show, some viewers ß Positive
express their worries about promoting wrong values. In this article, we will be ß Negative
discussing the reasons of why teenagers want to be famous, the advantages and ß Writing purpose
disadvantages of being famous.

- To begin with / To start with, many teenagers want to be famous because ß Reasons
they want to be a star.
- First …

- Indeed, there are a lot of benefits of being famous. To begin with … ß Benefits
- Moreover … / Furthermore … / Apart from that … / In addition …

- To sum up / To conclude / In short, we should be very careful with the bad ß Concluding sentence
effects brought by reality TV shows. Let’s hope that there will be more ß Future vision
educational reality TV shows in the future.

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2.3 Letter to the Editor

Sample Question
A local newspaper has recently published an article about an environmental problem you are concerned
about. As a secondary school student, you want to write a letter to the editor to suggest things different
parties can do to alleviate this environmental problem. You should begin your letter by stating some of the
causes of different types of pollution nowadays.

A. Understanding the Writing Question

Writing Role Target Reader Writing Purpose

B. You do not need to set a background for the writing question as it is clearly stated!
² A local newspaper has recently published an article about an environmental problem you are concerned
about.

C. Causes of pollution
² The burning of fossil fuels
² Transportation
² Construction
² Waste in landfills

D. Ways to solve pollution problems

² 4Rs à Reuse / Reduce / Recycle / Replace
² Reduce the use of plastic bags
² Use of fans instead of air conditioner
² Use public transport
² Turn off electrical appliances when they are not in use

E. Essential Phrases / Paragraphs / Features

Sample Writing Points to Note

Dear Editor, ß Target audience

Recently, a newspaper article about pollution in Hong Kong has initiated ß Background
discussion. As a secondary school student, I agree to the article’s idea that

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 different parties have the responsibility to solve pollution. In the following ß Stance
paragraphs, I will illustrate the causes different types of pollution and measures ß Preview
of solving it.

There are a number causes which lead to pollution problems. ß A paragraph

To begin with, … summarizing the
Apart from that … pollution problems

As pollution problems are serious in Hong Kong, we should step up and take ß 3 paragraphs of
measures to solve / address / alleviate / deal with / cope these problems. suggestions
First, … Second, … Finally / Last but not least …

To conclude, there are a number of reasons leading to pollution in Hong ß Conclusion

Kong. Let’s hope that our future generation could enjoy this beautiful city. ß Future vision

Yours faithfully, ß Closing

Chris

2.4 Speech

Sample Question
You are preparing for a speech in an upcoming conference for young people aged 13 – 18 years old. The
topic of your speech will be about the joys of being a teenager in Hong Kong. Write about 300 words.

A. Understanding the Writing Question

Writing Role Target Reader Writing Purpose

B. Reasons of why being a teenager in Hong Kong is a joy

² Education is free in Hong Kong
² Different activities are provided for Hong Kong teenagers
² A great variety of entertainment facilities are provided
² Experience different cultures in Hong Kong as it is the confluence of the East and the West
² …

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D. Essential Phrases / Paragraphs / Features

Sample Writing Points to Note

Good morning, everyone. Today, I am glad to be given an opportunity to ß Greetings

share my joy as a teenager in Hong Kong. In the next couple of minutes, I will ß Express gratitude
share and explain the reasons of why being a teenager in Hong Kong is so ß Purpose + Preview
enjoyable.

First, … Second, … Finally / Last but not least … ß 3 paragraphs and 3

reasons

Growing up in Hong Kong in the 21st century is a blessing to me and ß Conclusion

many of you in Hong Kong. I hope we can cherish and be grateful for the ß Future vision
things we are granted. Thank you very much. ß Thank your audeince

Extensive Newspaper Articles

6 Biggest Environmental Issues in Hong Kong in 10 things you can do to help save our planet
2021

Should Hong Kong follow mainland China’s Hong Kong youth team star Karri Chan signs
tightened gaming time limits for kids? One party for Manchester City women under-19s
thinks so

Face off: Does going to university abroad do Most kids today dream of influencer fame, but
more good than harm? YouTubers are warning their young fans about
anxiety, exploitation, and burnout.

Page 10
 Paper Three: Listening and Integrated Skills

§ Useful Vocabulary Items for 2021 – 2022 First Term Paper III

1. argument (n.) 2. arts and crafts materials (n.)

3. avoid (v.) 4. barbecue (n.)

5. communicating (v.) 6. contacts (n.)

7. cracked screen (n.) 8. damage (v.)

9. defend (v.) 10. honestly (adv.)

11. immediately (adv.) 12. meals (n.)

13. microphones (n.) 14. penfriend (n.)

15. President (n.) 16. receive (v.)

17. repair (v.) 18. repeat (v.)

19. sports equipment (n.) 20. summarize (v.)

21. valid (adj.) 22. warranty (n.)

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