PART A

Read Text 1 and answer questions 1-17 on pages 2-4 of the Question-Answer Book (Part A).

Text 1

Lonely Planet –
Your new best friend

1 [1] Want to travel around the world, but you too. Like in some places, it is rude to shake hands
haven’t got the foggiest idea where to go? You 40 with the opposite sex and it is abnormal for
need to get yourself a Lonely Planet guide book. It women to show their hair. Religious belief largely
is the best travel guide, giving you every piece of affects the food and the way people behave in
5 information you need. Lonely Planet is actually a some areas and so, information like this can help
series of guides about many different cities or you avoid making silly mistakes or offending
countries around the world, covering a huge 45 local people.
amount of information, from religion and culture
to food and the best places to stay. It is simply a [5] Transport is another area that is worth noting.
10 book that independent travelers cannot do without. For every place, there is a “How to get there’
section which tells you how to go to places.
[2] Many tourists, wherever they go, bring a copy Firstly, it tells you where to catch the bus, train or
of Lonely Planet with them. It can be easily 50 boat, then it tells you how much it is. After that, it
understood. Unlike other travel guides, Lonely reminds you about how much you are expected to
Planet does not accept advertising, nor does it pay a taxi driver as tips and at the end there is
15 accept any sponsorship from restaurants, bars, even a column which tells you how the taxi driver
hotels etc. The writers do not even accept might rip you off.
discounts. This helps guarantee that the book is
trustworthy and there is no conflict of interest. 55 [6] The short phrases of the local language given
on the back cover of the book are also extremely
[3] Travellers usually find the information given useful. They are usually the most common lines
20 on accommodation the most useful. It gives details for greeting people, asking for directions or
about a lot of different kinds of hotels and hostels, asking about the price of something, and can
from cheap and cheerful, to expensive and 60 sometimes save your life!
luxurious. Backpackers often find the book helpful
as it tells them where they can find the remote and [7] For the adventurous type, Lonely Planet is
25 undiscovered places. Besides addresses, there are also perfectly suitable. Water sports, like scuba
maps, routes and suggested itineraries for travelers diving and the extreme bungee jumping and
to do. Prices are frequently updated too. skydiving activities are suggested too. There are
65 also expensive kinds of sports like parachuting.
[4] Some even prefer a copy of Lonely Planet to a The safety conditions like the qualifications of the
real tour guide as the book gives very detailed instructors and the standard of the equipment are
30 information about a tourist destination. For also given so that you can plan which one is right
beaches, they are marked from the most crowded for you.
and popular ones to the deserted ones. For eating,
not only are the details of the restaurants given, the 70 [8] On their official website,
customs are also there as reminders. For example, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/, there are weekly
35 in some countries, you have to eat with chopsticks advisory highlights which tell you about recent
while in others, knives and forks are used, and events that may affect travelers around the world.
there are places where people eat with their hands Together with this up-to-date information, the
too. Religious and cultural habits are pointed out 75 Lonely Planet guide will ensure that your trip is
one to remember.

END OF PART A READING PASSAGE

2
PART B
Read Text 2 and answer questions 18-35 on pages 5-7 of the Question-Answer Book (Part B).
Text 2
Below is a letter sent to the Editor of Hong Kong Morning Post.

1 Dear Sir / Madam,

[2] First of all, by changing from normal or incandescent light bulbs to energy-efficient ones, a surprising
amount of electricity is saved. America has now banned old-fashioned light bulbs. Hong Kong has not,
but we can voluntarily follow suit, by replacing our energy-wasting light bulbs with new low-wattage
ones. Even though these are relatively expensive, they have a much longer life and use 75 % less energy.

10 [3] As electrical shops now sell appliances with information about energy efficiency, it is important to
choose energy-efficient appliances. The grading-type energy label on the appliances tells you how much
energy an appliance is likely to consume in a year of average use. It also grades energy efficiency on a
scale of one to five, with one being the most efficient and five the least efficient. If we can take a look at
the ratings of the appliances, we can make better purchasing decisions. At the same time, we can be
15 responsible consumers without too much effort or expense.

[4] A third action we can take is to break our bad habits. Do you always leave the power of your personal
computer and other devices on when they are idle? Do you clean the filters of your air-conditioners
regularly so that the air-conditioners do not need to consume more electricity to keep the same room
temperature? Although these habits look simple, they can save or waste a lot of electricity. So, starting
20 from today, check the air-con filters from time to time and switch off appliances that are not in use or
after use. You should also use appliances with timer-control or automatic power-off functions. You should
not leave them in standby mode for a long period of time.

[5] For people who think it is not a big deal, here is something to consider. If you can buy an item at a
lower price, are you willing to pay three times for an item that serves the same function in the market?
25 No, of course not. Yet, what we may not know is that we will lose out more in the end. Why? It is
because we have to pay for a higher electricity bill for the energy consumed. In addition, coal, which
generates energy, is an irreplaceable natural resource. If we do not treasure it, we are actually losing our
natural resource, and which, at the same time, causes damage to the precious environment. What a waste!

[6] Does it make sense to carry on like this? Each small act of ours can contribute to a brighter future.

30 Yours faithfully,
Paul Knight

END OF PART B READING PASSAGE