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HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 1

Mock Test 4
Reading Passages

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Write all your answers in the Question-Answer Book.

2. DO NOT write any answers in this booklet because they will not be marked.

© 雅集出版社有限公司 保留版權
Aristo Educational Press Ltd.
All Rights Reserved 2010
Book 5 • Set A
5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 1
Part A – This is the compulsory part. Answer all questions in this part.
Read the following article and then answer questions 1-36 on pages 2-8 of the Question-Answer Book.
(56 marks)
Q1
Lamenting a lost decade

[1] Over the past ten years, there have been notable Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee – won democratic elections.
Q10 Q6b
changes in Hong Kong. These changes have But even with this increased understanding of
affected the landscape, the health systems, the politics, not everyone thinks that Hong Kong has
Q6c
Q4 political system and popular culture. For some become a more open and fairer society.
5 people, these changes are evidence of progress;
for others, sad signs of regression – moving 45 [6] Former secretary for security in 1999, Regina
Q15(a)
backwards. Ip Lau Suk-yee is now an elected lawmaker. She
remembers the last ten years well and feels strongly
[2] Hong Kong’s famous harbourfront is that some aspects of Hong Kong society seem to
undergoing many changes. These changes are have regressed. She calls the last ten years ‘the lost
Q16D
10 related to the enormous land reclamation needed 50 decade’. ‘Flashback to 1999 … our new airport
Q16A
for the Central Wanchai Bypass. The Star Ferry opened. Macau celebrated its reunification with the Q11
pier has moved, the iconic clock tower is no more, mainland. The main threat to our well-being at that
the new Star Ferry pier looks like a mock Disney time was the millennium bug … We entered the
attraction and the International Finance Centre has new millennium with high hopes and considerable
15 replaced the Bank of China Tower as Hong Kong’s 55 optimism. Ten years on, all relevant social and
tallest building. economic data point to a widening wealth gap and
rising frustration and even anger on the part of the
[3] Health care and attitudes towards health issues have-nots. My feeling is definitely that Hong Kong
Q3a
have also changed substantially. In 1997, scientists has regressed in social mobility.’
were puzzling over an avian flu virus that had
20 jumped across species from chickens to human 60 [7] New lawmaker, Tanya Chan, also feels Hong
Q5
beings. They were worried that this was a sign of Kong is not progressing; ‘There’s a feeling of
something that could have serious repercussions in helplessness and young people can’t see a future.
the future. Q8 This is not the Hong Kong spirit.’

[4] They were right. As a result of this virus, any [8] And what about changes within culture and the
25 reports of influenza (flu) are treated with alarm 65 arts? The West Kowloon Cultural District seems to
Q15(b)
nowadays. Lo Wing-lok, an infectious-diseases offer hope of cultural progress, even though it has
Q15(c)
expert, remembers how in the 1980s and early received a great deal of criticism. However, Danny
1990s, hospitals and medical research centres Yung, founder and artistic director of Zuni
Q3b Q12
neglected the need to increase awareness and Icosahedron, believes that the West Kowloon
30 understanding of infectious diseases among the 70 Cultural District project has ‘placed cultural affairs
public in Hong Kong. ‘Then there was the SARS on the forefront of the government’s agenda for the Q9
outbreak, and there was chaos,’ he said. ‘People first time’.
did not even know how to wash their hands Q15(d)
Q3c Q12
properly.’ Nowadays, there are systems in place to [9] According to fashion designer William Tang
35 deal with outbreaks of infectious diseases. Tat-chi, morale in the creative industry is low, and
75 Hong Kong might lose some of its talent overseas.
[5] Hong Kong continues to see changes in its He says that he has not seen any new independent
political system. Large demonstrations are more designers come forward in the last ten years. He
Q6a
common and the chief executive election has been blames this on expensive rents in Hong Kong. He
Q14
contested for the first time. In addition, two former thinks that high rental prices discourage young
40 colonial servants – Anson Chan Fang On-sang and 80 designers from producing their own lines.

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 2

 [10] Are rents really so high? According to
provisional data from the Ratings and Valuation
Department, average monthly rents in October
were HK$99.70 per square foot on Hong Kong
Q7
85 Island compared with HK$71.90 per square foot in
1999. Average property prices on Hong Kong
Island have increased from HK$4 097 per square
foot in 1999 to HK$6 599 this year.

[11] And so what about Hong Kong’s future? Hong

90 Kong’s government knows that Hong Kong should
not rely on methods and strategies that have been
used before. This is why they have announced the
development of six new pillar industries. But this
announcement has not impressed everyone. Regina
95 Ip Lau Suk-yee notes, ‘The attempt at launching
the six new industries was hastily put together and
was not properly thought through. They have a
great chance of failure than success.’

[word count: 728/title included]

Source: adapted from Albert Wong’s ‘Lamentations for a lost decade’, South China Morning Post, 31 Dec 2009

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 3

Part B – Choose EITHER Section 1 (easier) OR Section 2 (more difficult).
Section 1
Here are some comments posted to www.foodfever.com.hk. Read them carefully and answer questions 37-50 on
pages 9-12 of your Question-Answer Book. (45 marks)

Hong Kong – a food paradise?

Known as the food capital of Asia, Hong Kong prides itself on its food culture. Visitors and residents can
Q38
find something to satisfy even the most finicky eater.

Have you eaten in any of Hong Kong’s restaurants? Write in and let us know about your dining experiences
in Hong Kong!

A.
Q39a
5 When I visited my pen pal in Hong Kong last year, he took me to a beautifully decorated restaurant that he said
serves the best dim sum in the city. This restaurant offers a wide range of mouth-watering treats, including
Q41 Q41, Q49(b)
Shanghai dumplings and Beijing onion cakes. The only problem I had was trying to choose what to eat! I think
this must be the best restaurant in Hong Kong – check it out, it’s called Heavenly Dim Sum and it’s in Mong
Kok.
Jeff T. (Canada)

B.
10 Is it just me or have Hong Kong’s service standards in restaurants become somewhat inconsistent? I read a web
review about an Italian restaurant that was said to be Hong Kong’s most promising Italian dining place. I decided
Q41 Q41
to try it out. When I arrived, I ordered a pizza. I thought that while I waited for it, I would be given some bread
Q40, Q49(f)
sticks to eat. I didn’t get any, and the pizza arrived 2-3 minutes later. It was still frozen in the middle! To make
things worse, the waiter sighed when I pointed this out! There is no way that this is Hong Kong’s most promising
15 Italian dining place.
Mr Wong (Hong Kong)

C.
When I visited Hong Kong last year, I was asked if I wanted porridge for breakfast. I thought this would be the
Q42 Q49(g)
same porridge as in Scotland and would be made with oats and hot water. However, in Hong Kong, porridge is a
kind of rice gruel! I adored it and ate it every day for breakfast! I highly recommend trying porridge if you visit
Hong Kong – you’ll love it!
H. M. (UK)

D.
Q43
20 As a strict vegetarian, I’m very careful about what I eat. My favourite restaurant is called Veggie’s Rule! and I
Q49(d)
found it quite by accident. It’s always busy because the food is so good, and it’s also exceptionally good value. I
never need to worry about there being meat in my food, and because the kitchens are open, I get to see the chefs
preparing all the dishes. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, this is definitely a place to go to.
Q49(d)
Jim T. (HK)

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 4

 E.
Q44a
Are you looking for a cheap but cheerful place to go to with your friends? Try Wonderland in Wanchai. I found
Q44b
25 this
Q44c
great place quite by accident when I was an exchange student in Hong Kong. This trendy restaurant has a
Q49(h)
loyal following. It’s full of comfortable armchairs and there are loads of magazines to read. You can so easily
spend an entire afternoon there, sipping delicious coffee and eating tasty muffins while reading a magazine!
Q44d Q49(h) Q44e
Trevor M. (US)

F.
Sorry, but for me Hong Kong isn’t the food capital of Asia. I’ve yet to find a restaurant that has good food and
good service – it seems to be either one or the other! Yes, I’ve had some lovely meals, but usually I’ve had to ask
Q46a
30 for my water glass to be refilled and have had to stop staff from taking my plate away before I’ve finished. When
I’ve had attentive and pleasant waiting staff, the food has been unimpressive. Am I being too fussy? I don’t think
Q46b Q46c Q49(c)
so.
Xiao Zhang (Shanghai)

G.
I was just taken by my boyfriend to one of the worst sushi bars ever! The crockery was chipped and my tea cup
had old, smudged lipstick on it! Needless to say, we didn’t stay and we didn’t eat anything. How do restaurants
35 like this think they’ll stay in business? I don’t mind cheap décor and a limited menu, but basic standards of
Q47, Q49(a)
hygiene are essential. This place was disgusting.
Kathy S. (HK)

H.
Q48 Q48 Q49(e)
If you like spicy food then you should go to Spicy Delights in Sai Kung, where you can enjoy delicious Indian
food. It regularly gets great reviews in the local press, who always comment on the quality of the food and the
Q48
high level of customer service. For me, the pleasure of eating authentic cuisine is second to none! My family and
40 I spent a delightfully long and relaxing afternoon there last month.
Otto J. (Hong Kong)

[word count: 741/title and foreword included]

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 5

Section 2
Read the following poem and the article. Then answer questions 51-68 on pages 13-18 of the Question-Answer
Book. (54 marks)

Q51
The Immigrants
by Margaret Atwood

They are allowed to inherit

the sidewalks involved as palmlines, bricks
Q55a
exhausted and soft, the deep
lawnsmells, orchards whorled
Q55b
5 to the land’s contours, the inflected weather
Q55c
only to be told they are too poor
to keep it up, or someone
has noticed and wants to kill them; or the towns
pass laws which declare them obsolete.

10 I see them coming

up from the hold smelling of vomit, Q57
infested, emaciated*, their skins grey
Q55d
with travel; as they step on shore

the old countries recede, become

15 perfect, thumbnail castles preserved Q52(b)
like gallstones* in a glass bottle, the
towns dwindle upon the hillsides
in a light paperweight-clear.

They carry their carpetbags and trunks*

20 with clothes, dishes, the family pictures;
they think they will make an order
Q52(c)
like the old one, sow miniature orchards,
Q54
carve children and flocks out of wood

but always they are too poor, the sky

25 is flat, the green fruit shrivels
Q54 Q52(d)
in the prairie sun, wood is for burning;
and if they go back, the towns

*emaciated: bony and weak, underweight

*gallstones: hard and abnormal masses formed in the gallbladder (an organ in the body)
*carpet bags and trunks: a carpet bag is an old-fashioned large bag used when travelling;
a trunk is a large box used for storing and/or transporting clothing

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 6

 in time have crumbled, their tongues
stumble among awkward teeth, their ears
30 are filled with the sound of breaking glass.
I wish I could forget them
Q52(a)
and so forget myself:

my mind is a wide pink map

across which move year after year
35 arrows and dotted lines, further and further,
people in railway cars

their heads stuck out of the windows

Q58
at stations, drinking milk or singing,
their features hidden with beards or shawls Q52(e)
40 day and night riding across an ocean of unknown
land to an unknown land.

[word count: 259/title included]

Source: ‘ Poems 1965-1975’ (part of Eating Fire) by Margaret Atwood, published by Virago,
an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group. Reproduced with permission of Curtis
Brown Ltd, London on behalf of Margaret Atwood Copyright © O.W. Toad 1976

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 7

 Interracial families

[1] Whenever Shanghai-based Simon Chang eats US noted the number of interracial couples
with his friends at a Chinese restaurant, they always quadrupling in the United States, with one in 19
Q61
think that he’ll want to eat a Western dish. Simon children nowadays being interracial. But regardless
adores Chinese food and likes to drink Chinese tea of where they live, the challenges that interracial
5 with his meal. What prompts these ideas? Simon is 50 children face are similar. Their life experiences
interracial. when growing up can be very different from those
of their mono-racial friends.
[2] Chang, who left his native Taiwan at 18 to study
in Washington, said when it comes to food [7] Brian Strebel, whose mother is Chinese and
Q67(b)
preferences for example, his tastes tend to be Asian, father Irish and German, chose to leave his New
10 but most people expect them to be Western. And it’s 55 York City job earlier this year to work in Shanghai.
Q62(a)
not just food that presumptions are made about; He very much enjoys weaving in and out of different
‘Here in China, when I’m doing business with cultural boundaries, but he notes that there are also
Q60(b)
locals, the majority think I’m a foreigner.’ complexities that on occasion can be difficult to
address. ‘It’s still hard to mix my friends,’ he said.
[3] Simon Chang has worked in Shanghai for the 60 ‘I have expat friends and Chinese friends – and they
Q67(a)
15 last eight years, having moved there from Taipei. all like to do different things and talk about different
He describes his Chinese-German heritage as things, so I tend to hang out with them separately,
Q60(a)
difficult for some, and even on occasion leading to which isn’t ideal.’
misunderstanding as a result of presumptions being
made. As he notes, ‘What annoys me are the small [8] Interracial children typically go through their
Q64
20 things; the assumptions that are made just because 65 own adjustment period. They then settle into a
of my appearance.’ comfort zone, according to Laura Cowan, a
counsellor who works for Shanghai Community
[4] Having lived in both the East and the West, Center and Shanghai American School. Once they
Chang considers Shanghai his second home. But, find a balance between the two worlds they live in,
he muses, in a year or so, after having lived there for 70 they often excel quickly because of their early
25 a decade, he will be ready to return to Taiwan, where exposure to more than one language and culture,
he feels most at home. she explained. Others highlight that awareness of
the stereotypes of a child’s racial backgrounds helps
[5] ‘It’s hard to put into words,’ he said. ‘I know my show that there are many different aspects to people,
own identity, but there’s always going to be time 75 with race being only one of these. In fact, it is often
when I feel conflicted about where I feel most noted that parents of interracial children are more
Q63(a)
30 comfortable, whether it’s my Taiwanese side, aware of this. As a result, they better educate their
German side, or American side – and I’m okay with children to appreciate the beauty of all races of
that.’ people. This helps them embrace the richness and
80 diversity of different customs, languages and
[6] Interracial children have been a feature of cultures.
populations around the world for a considerable Q67(c)
35 period of time. However, in China mixed-race [9] Joshua Wong, 13, was born and raised in
marriages and interracial children are relatively Chicago before his family moved to Shanghai three
new. Indeed, while social misconceptions remain years ago. He admits it took him a long time to get
common when it comes to interracial children in 85 used to his new home, but that he now feels part of
China, most Chinese attitudes towards interracial his community. ‘When I lived in the US, I didn’t
40 children are more approving these days. In recent know what it was like to be Chinese,’ he noted. ‘But
Q63(b)
years, there has been a significant increase in the since I’ve been here, I really feel like I am Chinese.’
number of mixed-race relationships. Last year there Wong likes that his dual heritage allows him to
were close to 2600 registered in Shanghai 90 have, in his mind, the best of both worlds in
Q62(b)
– a 5 percent increase from 2007’s figures. In Shanghai.
45 comparison, between the years 1970 and 1995, the

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 8

 [10] Interracial children appear to be more open to ‘No one knows where we will go in five years; we
other cultures and experiences. They also are more probably won’t stay in China. Our children need to
sensitive to breaking down preconceived notions 110 be internationally-minded because we want them to
Q60(c)
95 because they see different cultures interacting in be able to go wherever they want in the future,’
Q63(c)
their own homes, notes Laura Cowan. ‘They look at explained Gronen.
similarities as opposed to differences. The world is
getting more globally-minded so those who can [12] Terms such as ‘global citizen’ and ‘multi-
respect and get into the mindset of another culture cultural’ are very common nowadays, and the
100 are going to be successful.’ 115 world’s population is far more mobile and as a
result, far more diverse. Interracial relationships
[11] Shanghainese Jenny Wang and her German Q63(d) and families are a feature of modern times. Even
Q65
husband Thomas Gronen believe this strong sense though stereotypes and boundaries based on race
of cultural awareness must be taught to their unfortunately remain a factor, multi-racial families
Q60(d)
children. Not only are their children learning two 120 provide convincing evidence that different races
105 home languages (Chinese and German), the children can coexist in the same neighbourhoods, in the same
are also learning to appreciate the world from a homes, in the same cities and in the same countries.
more international and open-minded perspective.

[word count: 941/title included]

Source: adapted from ‘ Getting into the mix’, China Daily, 10 Oct 2009

END OF READING PASSAGES

5A Mock Test 4 • (Reading) 9