Secondary 3

Second term
English Language (GE)
Mid-term test 3B (2018–19)

Name: ____________________________ ( ) Class: __________

Date: ____________________________ Marks: __________

QUESTION-ANSWER BOOK

________________________________________________________________________________

Instructions:

1 There are 10 pages in this Question-Answer Book.

2 There are 3 sections in this paper.

3 The full mark is 100.

4 Time allowed is 60 minutes.

5 Answer ALL questions in this Question-Answer Book.

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 Mid-term test 3B (2018–19)

Reading (30 marks)

Read the following biography.

Tragic beauty
1
Marilyn Monroe’s name is synonymous with beauty. The mere mention of her name brings to
mind a smiling blond bombshell, with the perfect curls, creamy skin and mysterious gaze. She was
the Mona Lisa of her era, with an expression that seemed to hide some great, sad secret.
2
Monroe was born as Norma Jeane Mortenson on 1 June, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Her
5 mother, who lived in poverty and could not support a child, left her in foster care until she was
seven years old. Then, her mother briefly took care of Monroe again, until she suffered a mental
breakdown. Monroe was then bounced between different foster families, and ended up in an
orphanage. During this tumultuous time in her life, Monroe sadly faced abuse and became a shy
and quiet child. At age 16, to escape life at the orphanage, Monroe married a factory worker named
10 James Dougherty.
3
When her husband went away to war, Monroe briefly worked at a factory before taking up
several modelling contracts. Soon afterward, she picked up her first film contract. To pursue this
path, she was forced to divorce Dougherty, who did not believe that wives should have careers.
She quickly dyed her natural brown hair to blond. Monroe passionately pursued acting, taking as
15 many classes as she could. Despite this, she was rejected by several film studios who weren’t
willing to give her a chance. Finally, though, 20th Century Fox signed her for a seven-year contract,
and the larger roles began pouring in.
4
Marilyn Monroe’s reached the height of her acting career in the early 1950s, starring in such
blockbuster hits as How to Marry a Millionaire, Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blonds.
20 An accomplished actor and comedian Marilyn Monroe became a household name. Monroe, though,
was not happy with her rise to fame. Frustrated at being typecast as either a dumb blond or a blond
bombshell, Monroe longed to be taken more seriously by film executives. In addition, she was paid
significantly less than her co-stars. She had to fight every step of the way to gain respect and proper
compensation. To make matters worse, in the first issue of Playboy, in 1953, Hugh Hefner
25 published nude photographs of Marilyn Monroe. These photographs, though, were published
without Monroe’s permission. In fact, they had been taken much earlier, when Monroe was young
and poverty-stricken.
5
Sadly, due to a combination of self-image issues, being overworked, and stress from
disagreements with film executives, Monroe began to use drugs to help her relax and sleep at night.
30 Her life slowly spiraled out of control. By the 1960s, Monroe was suffering from a severe drug
addiction, and also had to deal with health issues and depression.
6
On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe tragically ended her life by taking an overdose of
barbiturates. Though her funeral was small and only for invited guests, hundreds of fans lined the
streets outside. Marilyn Monroe was a true beauty of her time, but that beauty in many ways acted
35 as a cage for someone who dreamt of more.

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 Mid-term test 3B (2018–19)

Write your answers in the spaces provided. For multiple-choice questions, choose the best answer and
blacken one circle only.

1 Find a word in paragraph 1 that means ‘shares a meaning’. (1 mark) ____________________

2 i) Find an example of a metaphor in paragraph 1. (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________________________________

ii) Why does the writer make this comparison? (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________________________________

3 Use ONE word to complete each blank. (1 mark)

Marilyn Monroe had blond, _______________ hair and _______________skin.

4 Decide whether the following sentences are True (T), False (F), or the information is Not Given (NG)
based on the information in paragraph 2. (3 marks)

Statements T F NG
i) Monroe’s mother did not have enough money to raise a child properly.
ii) Marilyn Monroe did not see her mother after she was seven years old.
iii) Marilyn Monroe preferred being in the orphanage to being in foster care.

5 i) Why did Marilyn Monroe first get married? (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________________________________

ii) Why did she divorce her husband? (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

6 Complete the following summary of paragraph 3. Use ONE word to complete each blank. (5 marks)

Monroe worked in a factory during the war. Then, she worked as a (i) ____________________ briefly
before picking up a film contract. By (ii) ____________________ her hair blond, Monroe created a
new image for herself. She also took a lot of acting (iii) ____________________ in order to improve
in her new field. Despite her hard work, Monroe was (iv) _______________ by several film studios.
At last, however, 20th Century Fox gave her a contract for seven (v) ____________________.

7 Name three films that Marilyn Monroe acted in. (3 marks)

i) ___________________________________________________________________________________

ii) __________________________________________________________________________________

iii) __________________________________________________________________________________

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8 What are two reasons that Marilyn Monroe was unhappy about her film career? (2 mark)

i) ___________________________________________________________________________________

ii) __________________________________________________________________________________

9 What does ‘they’ refer to in line 26? (1 mark) ____________________

10 What led to Marilyn Monroe’s life spiraling out of control? (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________________

11 What are barbiturates? (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________________

12 How was beauty ‘a cage’ (line 35) for Marilyn Monroe? (2 marks)

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

13 Was Marilyn Monroe admired at the time of her death? Use information from the text to support your
response. (2 marks)

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

14 Match the main points (A–C) with one of the paragraphs on the left. Write the correct letter (A–C) on
the line next to the paragraph number. (3 marks)

Paragraph no. Main point

i) Paragraph 2 _____ A Trouble at the top
ii) Paragraph 3 _____ B A rough beginning
iii) Paragraph 4 _____ C The beginning of the rise to fame

15 What is the tone of this text? (1 mark)

A optimistic
B argumentative
C informative A B C D
D gloomy

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Vocabulary (20 marks)

Part 1 (10 marks)
You are writing an advice column in an entertainment magazine. Complete the column using the correct
form of the words from the box below and by underlining the correct words in brackets.

acrobat magic show play standing ovation

let-down opera singer puppet show unconvincing

Get out of your head, and into the spotlight

by Ursula Chan

When you are a performer, nothing feels better than getting a/an (1) ______________________ at

the end of your performance. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an actor in a Shakespeare’s

(2) ______________________, a/an (3) ______________________ belting out the songs of

Carmen, or a comedian telling jokes on stage, receiving (4) (compliments /complements) from

reviewers and the audience feels great.

As a beginner, though, this may feel like an impossible dream.

When I started out doing (5) ______________________ in front of audiences, I was more worried

about their opinion of the show than the actual card tricks I was performing. Would they feel excited?
Or they were just (6) (board/bored) with my acts? This caused me to appear distracted and

self-conscious, making the whole performance feel (7) ______________________.

Here’s my advice: forget the audience. Do you think that a/an (8) ______________________,

flying high above the rest of the circus, is thinking about how she or he looks to the audience? No!

It takes 100% focus. This same idea can be applied to every type of performance. Even a puppeteer

must pay full attention to his or her art in order to make the (9) ______________________

enjoyable.

The moment you think about what the audience thinks of you is the moment you fail as a performer.

So, if you don’t want your art to be a/an (10) ______________________, forget who’s in the

crowd, and make your performance great for its own sake.

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Part 2 (10 marks)

You are writing a report about a debate competition for your school newspaper. Complete the report using
the correct form of the words from the box below.

affirmative argument ignorant oppose stress

apathetic earnest motion rebut unbiased

Mackenzie Secondary School team wins Inter-School Debate Championship

Candice Wu and Winston Chu have emerged as the winners of this year’s Inter-School Debate
Championship, held at Kowloon University on 20 March.
The (1) ____________________ being argued was ‘Fashion houses should not hire teenagers as
models.’ While arguing the (2) ____________________ side in their first debate of the day, Wu
made the (3) ____________________ that modelling can be very harmful to teenagers’ mental and
physical health. She spoke in a/an (4) ____________________ and impassioned way about the
difficulties faced by teenage models. The opponent on the other team (5) ____________________
this point by suggesting that not all teenage models have a negative experience, but overall, he was
(6) ____________________ in his speech and wrapped up his points without detailed explanation.
When Chu challenged one of the main points, the other team was (7) ____________________ of the
current research on eating disorders in the modelling community.
The judges, who are (8) ____________________ and determine the winners based on their
performance and arguments, declared Wu and Chu the winners of this first round.
In the finals, Wu and Chu faced tougher opponents in Charles Li and Patricia Chan from King Hill
Secondary School. In this round, Wu and Chu had to (9) ____________________ the motion,
saying that fashion houses should be able to hire teenage models. When his turn came, Chu
(10) ____________________ that teenagers should have the right to pursue their passions. Though
both teams argued brilliantly in the final round, the judges decided in Wu and Chu’s favour.

Grammar (50 marks)

Part 1 (10 marks)

You are writing an advertisement for an orchestra performance at your school. Complete the advertisement
using the present or past participle form of the verbs in brackets.

Orchestra performance
Prepare to be (1) __________________ (entertain) at the annual Kwun Tong College orchestra
performance. At 7 p.m. on 12 September in the auditorium, watch as our (2) __________________
(astonish) musicians play string, percussion and wind instruments.
One of our musicians, Tim Cho, will even play a (3) __________________ (long forget) instrument
called the cromorne. Other musicians will beautifully play more (4) __________________ (know
well) instruments such as violins, oboes and clarinets. We can promise the performance will be
anything but (5) __________________ (bore).
The orchestra will play Mozart’s (6) __________________ (inspire) Sonata no. 17 in C. The
orchestra has been perfecting this (7) __________________ (challenge) piece of music all year, and
you will absolutely be (8) __________________ (thrill) by the results.

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If you don’t want to be (9) __________________ (disappoint), then get your tickets early, as we
sell out every year. This (10) __________________ (stimulate) orchestra performance comes only
once per year!

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Part 2 (10 marks)

You are editing a blog entry about a beauty vlogger. Rewrite the underlined sentences using present and
past participle phrases.

Beauty redefined
One of my favourite beauty vloggers is Jasmine Ng. (1) Ng suffers from a rare disorder called
progeria. Ng looks a lot older than she actually is. Yet, she doesn’t let that get her down. (2) Ng
posts videos with fun and colourful make-up because she is not held back by her aged appearance.
It wasn’t always like that, though. (3) Ng used to hide her face behind layers of ordinary make-up
since she was embarrassed by her looks.
‘I didn’t see myself as attractive,’ Ng once said, ‘and I just wanted to hide.’ Later, (4) Ng realized
that beauty comes from within. She wanted to highlight her true personality with bright colours.
In the past, I’ve struggled with self-confidence issues. (5) I was convinced that I was ugly. As a
result, I hid behind a mask of make-up. I think every teenager goes through stages like this. Ng
taught me that make-up should be a way to expose your true self, rather than a way to hide.
(6) I wanted to be as confident as her, so I followed her advice.
I watched one of Ng’s videos about eye shadow. (7) She wasn’t afraid of mixing and matching
colours, she created many artistic designs on her eyelids. (8) Because I was amazed by her advanced
techniques, I kept revisiting the video. However, I finally mastered the look after one week.
(9) As I entered the school with my new look, I felt very nervous. However, my fears were quickly
put to rest. My friends quickly commented on how cool and fashionable I looked. (10) I could walk
through the hallways with confidence. My friends supported me.

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Part 3 (10 marks)

You wrote a speech about the importance of playing music. You want to use inversion to emphasize some of
the sentences. Rewrite the underlined sentences using inversion.

Ms Cheung and fellow students,

(1) I realized how important playing an instrument is only after I quit my piano lessons. These lessons
used to feel like a chore. (2) I never wanted to sit down and practise my technique. (3) I in no way
thought that piano lessons had a positive effect on my life.
However, after I quit, I immediately felt something was missing from my life. (4) Piano lessons not only
gave me a creative outlet, they helped me to define myself. (5) When people asked me what I did in my
spare time, I no longer had an interesting answer. (6) If I had known how much piano playing was a part
of my personality, I wouldn’t have given up on it.
In addition, having artistic pursuits helps develop creative thinking. Studies show that music practice
can actually improve your grades (besides looking good on a university admission form). (7) Relaxing
hobbies seldom have such a positive effect on people’s lives. Music also helps to relieve stress.
(8) When I was playing music, I never felt anxious.
But perhaps it’s time for me to try something new. (9) My life will feel complete again only when I have
a new instrument in my hands. I’m thinking that drums may be the right fit. (10) I will not only gain the
benefits of playing an instrument, but I will also have a chance to join a rock band!
Thank you for listening.

1 _____________________________________________________________________________________
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2 _____________________________________________________________________________________
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3 _____________________________________________________________________________________
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4 _____________________________________________________________________________________
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5 _____________________________________________________________________________________
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6 _____________________________________________________________________________________
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10 _____________________________________________________________________________________
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Part 4 (10 marks)

You are writing a diary entry about some of your past regrets. Complete the diary entry using ‘wish’ or ‘if
only’ and the correct form of the verbs in the box below. You may need to form negatives by adding ‘not’.

enter forget inherit play read

feel grow learn pick spend

Dear diary,

There are a lot of things that I wish I’d done differently in my life. Here are some things I wish I’d
done differently …

Looks

(1) ____________________________________ my hair long when I was younger. Then, I’d have the
long ponytail I want now! (2) ____________________________________ at my pimples when I used
to have acne, because it gave me scars. (3) ____________________________________ how to style
curly hair sooner, so I wouldn’t have had such crazy hairstyles in old school photos!
(4) ____________________________________ so embarrassed by my hair when I was younger.

Music

(5) ____________________________________ more time practising trombone, so I could be in the

school band today. (6) ____________________________________ the school talent show last year,
so I wouldn’t be given the ugly nickname ‘Screechy’. (7) ____________________________________
a good voice from my parents!

Family

(8) ____________________________________ more often with my brother when he was still a kid.
He’s too old for it now! (9) ____________________________________ books to my grandma when
she was in the hospital, so she wouldn’t have been so bored.
(10) ____________________________________ my mum’s birthday last year. I’ll definitely
celebrate her coming birthday this year.

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Part 5 (10 marks)

Your cousin wrote a review of a comedy show, but he is having trouble with conditional sentences. Help him
complete the review using conditional sentences and the clues in brackets. Make sure the sentences are
written in the correct order of the clues.

Hard to know whether to laugh or cry

Casey Lester’s comedy show last night at the Vogue Theatre was one of the worst performances
I have ever seen. (1) _________________________________________________________________
(I not pay so much for the ticket, I not stay for the entire show). His jokes were simply terrible.
(2) ______________________________________________________________________________
(I not laugh once during the one-hour performance, he not fall down clumsily).

Lester’s jokes were mostly about the differences between men and women. (3) __________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
(I not hear these jokes a million times before, I think they are original). He became quite angry when
the audience didn’t laugh. Well, (4) ____________________________________________________
___________________________________________ (his jokes have punchlines, the audience laugh).

There were a few other problems with the show. Lester was nearly 30 minutes late for his set.
(5) ______________________________________________________________________________
(audience not in a bad mood, he be on time). Also, his microphone wasn’t working for the first
10 minutes, but maybe (6) ____________________________________________________________
(the show be better, the microphone not start working)!

On the positive side, the opening act, Karen Cheung, was quite good. (7) _______________________
_______________________________________________________ (she hit the headlines, I not have
negative comments) about the comedy performance. Her jokes were mostly about her past career being
a fitness instructor in Hong Kong. (8) ____________________________________________________
________________________________ (I feel worried about appearing in her jokes, I attend her gym).
Some of the jokes were quite brutal, but also sharp and hilarious.

I learnt a valuable lesson from the Casey Lester show. (9) ___________________________________
_______________________________ (I watched online videos of his material, I not go to his show).
But I suppose I should look at the silver lining. (10) _______________________________________
______________________ (I not find out about Karen Cheung, he not choose her as an opening act).

END OF PAPER

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