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2 A
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C
Ready D
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Corrector

NAME: ____________________________SURNAME: ______________________________

Paper 4
SENIOR SIX FINAL EXAM Time allowed: 2h

SECTION A: Reading Comprehension

Read the text and decide if the sentences are true or false. Choose T (true) or F (false).

Technology: a service or a disservice?

There were lots of reasons why we pulled the plug on our electronic media… or I should say,
why I did, because my children would rather have volunteered to go without food, water, or hair
products. At ages 14, 15 and 18, my daughters Sussy and Anni and my son Bill don´t use media. They
inhabit media. And they do so exactly as fish inhabit a pond. They don´t remember a time before email,
or instant messaging, or Google.
When my children laugh, they don´t say “ha ha”. They say “LOL”. They download movies and
TV shows and when I remind them piracy is a crime, they look at one another and go “LOL”. These are
children who are indifferent when they lose their tablets, with all 5000 tunes plus video clips, feature
films, and “TV” shows (like, who watches TV on a television anymore?). “There´s plenty more where
that came from,” their attitude says. And the most irritating thing of all? They are right. The digital
content that powers their world can never truly be destroyed.
As a social scientist, journalist, and mother, I´ve always been an enthusiastic user of
information technology. But I was also beginning to have doubts about the power of media to improve
our lives – and even if it makes our lives easier. I´d noticed that the more we seemed to communicate
as individuals, the less we seemed to function together as a family. And on a broader scale, that the
more facts we have at our fingertips, the less we seem to know. That the “convenience” of messaging
media (email, SMS, IM) consumes ever larger amounts of our time. That as a culture we are practically
swimming in entertainment, yet remain more depressed than any people who have ever lived.
Our family´s self-imposed exile from the information age changed our lives infinitely for the
better. I watched as my children became more focused, logical thinkers. I watched as their attention
spans increased, allowing them to read for hours at a time; to hold longer and more complex
conversations with adults and among themselves; to improve their capacity to think beyond the present
moment. They probably did no more homework during The Experiment than they had done before, but
they all completed it far more efficiently and far more quickly.
The older children took the opportunity to go out more – shopping, visiting, or clubbing in Anni´s
case, and hanging out at the pool or playing saxophone in somebody´s garage in Bill´s. The
Experiment forced us to notice food more. Before, eating had been a side dish. Now it was the main
course, or at least one of them. Our approach to cooking changed, too, especially for the girls. They´d
started out as reasonably competent cooks, but by the end of The Experiment they were capable of
turning out entire meals with ease.
No amount of talking to Anni, Bill, and Sussy could ever have persuaded them of the extent of
their media dependence as eloquently as even a week without information technology. But by six
months, the time had come to return to what our culture (rightly or wrongly) has decided “normal”.
Adapted from: Ready for First LOL: Laugh out loud

1. The writer says her children “inhabit media” to show that electronic media are a natural part of their lives. T F
2. When her children lose their tablets their attitude shows they are concerned. T F
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3. The writer says that technology has created a number of contradictions. T F only
4. The writer suggests that “messaging media” is not as convenient as we seem to consider. T F
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5. The writer says that despite having unlimited entertainment the number of depressed people
has decreased. T F
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6. The writer says that the period without electronic media helped her children concentrate for longer
periods of time. T F
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7. The writer says that The Experiment enabled the children to spend more time doing more homework. T F
8. The Experiment didn't help the older children to show more interest in the world outside. T F
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9. The family´s relationship with food changed for the better. T F
10. It took six months for the children to experience the benefits of media independence. T F
SECTION B: Language in Use
I. Read the passage below. Choose the correct option for each gap and write it in the box.
Life through the Lens
Professional sky diver, extreme sports lover, and camera man James Boole is perhaps one of the (1) ___
men in the world. James was (2) ___ Russia making a TV documentary about sky divers (3) ___ he unexpectedly
came close to death. The 31-year-old was trying to get pictures of the divers jumping from a helicopter over an
(4) ___ volcano. James had to follow the divers out of the helicopter in order to get close-up footage of the jump,
a task which required all his concentration. (5) ___ the jump he failed to open his parachute on time due to a
communication error with his fellow diver and hit the ground at an unbelievable speed of 100kmph. James
suffered a broken back and rib as well as chipped teeth but amazingly he survived the (6) ___. The rescue team
found him in a one meter deep crater and he was taken to hospital before being flown to England (7) ___ he
made a full recovery. Twelve months later he was back in the skies making an incredible comeback. “(8) ___ I
was in hospital, I really feared I would have to change my life (9) __a sky diver. Sky diving is my number one
passion out of my three loves. I don´t know what my life (10) ___ like if I hadn´t recovered”
Adapted from PRIME TIME

1 ___ A. luckier B. lucky C. luckiest D. luck

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2 ___ A. at B. in C. on D. from only

3 ___ A. who B. what C. why D. when 1st

4 ___ A. active B. act C. acting D. acted

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5 ___ A. While B. During C. Meanwhile D. Although
6 ___ A. fallen B. fell C. fall D. felt 3rd
7 ___ A. where B. when C. why D. that
8 ___ A. Although B. During C. Meanwhile D. While R

9 ___ A. like B. ---- C. as D. for

10 ___ A. had been B. will be C. is D. would have been

II. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

Discovering Prague
I had always dreamt about living abroad. My dream came true after I left school. Browsing a

magazine, I found an opening and (1)________________ (get) a job as a baby sitter with a family

living in Prague. I (2) ________________ (never be) abroad before, and I didn´t speak any Czech, so

I was very nervous. I (3)________________ (have) one day off a week and at first I stayed close to
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home. But after (4)________________ (live) in the city for two months, I started getting more
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adventurous and soon I (5)________________ (discover ) more and more of Prague´s wonderful

sights. I visited the castle, went on long walks by the Vltava River and spent hours in Prague´s many 2nd

museums and art galleries. One of my favourite places was Old Town Square where I used (6) 3rd

_____________ (stop) for a coffee on my way home. Now I 7)________________ (be) back in
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England but I love Prague so much that I 8)________________ (learn) Czech. I enjoy the classes

very much. By the end of the summer, I 9)________________ (finish) the Advanced course. And

that´s not all. Next year, I will do a translation course at Charles University in Prague! After all, I

10)________________ (always love) languages.

Adapted from ON SCREEN

III. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using
the word given. You mustn’t change it.

1.Charlie is so tired that he didn’t go to the movies. HAVE

If Charlie ______________________________________________________________________to the movies.

2.“Why didn´t you attend school yesterday?” her friends asked Susan. SHE

Susan´s friends asked ______________________________________________________________________

3. Naomi is the girl who lent me a ruler during the exam. WHOSE

Naomi is the girl ______________________________________________________________ during the exam.

4. Peter´s graduation is scheduled for early May. GRADUATED

By the end of May, Peter____________________________________________________________________.

5. They adapted to life in the countryside very quickly. USED

They ____________________________________________________________ in the countryside very quickly.

6. “Monica lost my earrings,” Sandra said. ACCUSED

Sandra ____________________________________________________________________________ earrings.

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7. My parents don’t let me stay out later than 10 o’clock. ALLOWED only

I________________________________________________________________________ later than 10 o´clock. 1st

8.It annoys me when you play music so loud while I’m studying. WISH
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I __________________________________________________________________ so loud while I am studying.
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9. As Lucy gets older, she becomes more responsible. THE

The __________________________________________________________________________ she becomes. R

10. Ruth prefers going shopping to buying online. RATHER

Ruth _____________________________________________________________________________buy online.

SECTION C: Writing

Choose ONE of the following options. You must write between 180 and 230 words.

Option A: You have decided to enter a short story competition. The rules say that the narrative must
begin or end with the following words:
Margaret knew she had made the right choice.
Write your narrative.

Option B: Your teacher has asked you to write an essay giving your opinion on the following statement:
All students should study a second language in every school year.

Write your essay, giving your reasons for your point of view. Include examples if necessary.

Option C: You have received this email from your English-speaking friend, Tom.

After a marathon viewing of THE GOOD DOCTOR, I was wondering if you have ever had a favourite
series or TV show? If so, what is or was it about? Who is or was your favorite character? Why? Can
you describe him or her? When is or was the show on? Who do or did you watch it with? Would you
recommend it? Why?
Thanks, Tom

Write your email

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