1

Reading Quiz.(1)
Duration:
S
u
b
j
e
c
t
:
E
n
g
l
i
s
h
a
s
a
S
e
c
o
n
d
L
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
Reading Paper

Class:______________ School:_________________________
Date:____/____/______ 0993_2A_C_17

Name:________________________________________

22
=
% For examiner's use only
Exercise (2)

9
Exercise (3)
7
Exercise (4)
6

Invigilator's Name and

Signature:_

1
 2

Exercise 1

Read the article about four people (A–D) who write a blog. Then answer Question 1(a)–(I).

Writing a blog
Four young people share their thoughts on writing a blog

A Francesca
I started writing my music blog two years ago. Recently, I had to stop writing it for a short time, just
because I was busy with other things, but apart from that, I’ve added a post every week. I’ve had
the aim of becoming a music journalist for a while. I’m sure that writing the blog helps me to develop
the specific skills I’ll need far more than the general writing we do at school. I try to make each post
really different, so I might write about a particular song one week, and then about the history of a
whole genre of music the next. It can make thinking of new things to write about a bit of a challenge,
but I find blogs that focus on one particular type of music a bit dull, to be honest. If enough people
read what bloggers write, they can actually make a small profit each month. I’m lucky enough to be
in that position now.

B Paulo
I love reading blogs, especially about fashion, so eighteen months ago I decided to start my own.
There weren’t many blogs on teenage fashion – they were mainly for adults and a lot of them were
pretty boring. I guess I expected to get about a million hits per blog post within a few weeks, but
of course that hasn’t happened. It would be nice to have a few more than a thousand sometimes,
though. It’d help if more students at my school knew about it, I suppose, but I can just imagine some
of the comments they’d make, so I’ve been a bit careful with who knows about it. I occasionally look
back on what I wrote in the first few months after I started. I’m actually quite impressed with some of
it, and the entries which aren’t so good at least show me how much better my writing has become in
the time I’ve been doing it.

C Amy
I’ve been posting my book review blog for the last two years, and quite a few people now follow it.
Some of the things I wrote when I first started seem a bit boring compared to my reviews these days.
But that’s to be expected, as I had no idea how to write critically about someone else’s work back
then. What’s interesting is how the grades I’m getting in several different subjects have got better
over the last two years. I really don’t think that can be a coincidence, and my teachers are really
pleased too, of course. I’ve never kept my blog a secret from anyone I know. In fact, I’m glad that so
many of my friends know about it, because I wouldn’t still be blogging today if they hadn’t convinced
me to continue after I got a few negative comments about my reviews. Knowing that I can learn from
other people’s opinions means I actually enjoy reading them these days.

D Rashid
After what I can only describe as a disappointing start, my football blog’s gaining popularity these
days. Although I’m still not quite at the point where I can make a bit of money out of it, I’m not that far
off, which I’m pretty happy with. When I think about the first few posts I made, I can see why the few
readers I had at that time wrote what they did about my blog, but that doesn’t make what they said
any easier to accept. Thankfully, I’m not the kind of person who just gives up when something like
that happens, and in a funny kind of way, it’s really helped me to develop as a writer. Given that I only
decided to have a go at blogging because I was stuck in the house with nothing to do one weekend,
I think it’s going pretty well, and I can imagine myself doing it for another few years at least.
 3

1 For each question write the correct letter A, B, C or D on the line.

Which person …
D
(a) started their blog because they were bored? .......... [1]

A
(b) earns a bit of money from their blog? .......... [1]

B
(c) finds value in reading their old blog posts? .......... [1]

C
(d) almost gave up writing their blog completely? .......... [1]

A
(e) sometimes finds it hard to think of ideas for blog posts? .......... [1]

D
(f) feels uncomfortable reading some of the comments on their posts? .......... [1]

B
(g) thinks that writing their blog has improved their performance at school? .......... [1]

A
(h) avoids telling certain people that they write a blog? .......... [1]

B
(i) believes that their blog will be useful for their future career? .......... [1]

[Total: 9]

[Turn over
 4

Exercise 2

Read the article about anime, which is the name for animation from Japan, and then complete the
notes.

The history of anime

Are you a fan of Japanese animation? If so, you may already know that anime, as Japanese
animation is commonly known, originally dates back to the birth of Japan’s film industry in the early
1900s. You might also be aware that anime has been one of Japan’s major international cultural
influences throughout the past century.

Much of the work done in the early years of anime used very basic film-making techniques, but
as technology gradually improved, the popularity of anime slowly began to grow. The first modern
anime productions, which were created in the late 1940s, had some similarities with American
animation, but they also had their own uniquely Japanese style. And it is this style which has come
to define anime. At this time, however, few people outside Japan knew about anime, and this lack of
international success limited its development.

One thing that really helped anime to expand and develop was the arrival of television in the 1950s,
which led to a sudden increase in the domestic market for animated shows. However, at that time,
TV stations in other countries showed little interest in anime, so only TV stations in Japan were
targeted by producers and filmmakers.

In fact, it wasn’t until 1963 that anime achieved international success. This came in the form of
a series called Astro Boy, which opened up the door for other anime programmes and films
internationally. What also helped greatly was the fact that anime began to be adapted to suit
non-Japanese audiences. It would be quite a long time before international audiences demanded to
be able to watch the original Japanese versions as a matter of principle.

The next development to transform the anime industry was video, which occurred in the 1980s. This
meant that viewers could watch their favourite anime shows whenever they wanted. This proved to
be hugely successful for anime. Yet few videos were distributed outside Japan, and therefore the
money-earning potential that this presented was not fully realised.

It was towards the end of the 1990s that another major development helped anime to reach an even
broader audience: the internet. This made watching and learning about an anime series or character
as easy as typing a name into a search engine.

However, a major threat to the success of anime was the fact that Japan’s economic growth slowed
considerably in the mid-1990s, in common with that in many other countries. The effects were felt
from around 1995 until well into the new millennium. The result of this was that less money was
invested in anime during this time, which signalled a turn towards productions that were guaranteed
to sell. This also meant that experimental work largely died out.

Despite all of these difficulties, anime continues to survive both at home in Japan as well as
internationally. Its future may not look quite as bright as it once did, but the chances are that it will
still be a source of fascination to all kinds of people around the world for many years to come.
 5

You are going to give a talk about the history of anime to your class at school.

Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your talk.

Make short notes under each heading.

2 What caused the growth in popularity of anime?

• technology gradually improved

...............................................................................................................................................

• international success
...............................................................................................................................................

• arrival of television in the 1950s

...............................................................................................................................................

• ..........................................................................................................................................
began to be adapted to suit non-Japanese audience. [4]

3 What factors negatively affected the growth of anime?

• ...............................................................................................................................................
Lack of international success limited its development

• ...............................................................................................................................................
TV stations in other countries showed little interest in anime

• few videos were distributed outside Japan

.......................................................................................................................................... [3]

[Total: 7]

[Turn over
 6
Exercise 3

4 Read the article about the Butterfly Highway project in North Carolina, USA.

The Butterfly Highway

In 2013, Angel Hjarding, who was working as a research assistant at the University of North
Carolina, realised that there were plenty of trees, grasses and shrubs in her local area. What it
lacked, however, was flowering plants, which are essential as they provide food for insects. Insects
such as bees and butterflies are just as important to the plants as they rely on these insects to be
able to produce fruit and seeds. Hjarding therefore set up the Butterfly Highway project to help both
insects and plants. The aim of this was to create a connected route or ‘highway’ of places where
butterflies and other insects can find food.

One of the things the project does is get residents to create flower gardens in their backyards. These
provide valuable food and habitat for butterflies and other insects. Hjarding explains that partnerships
are critical to achieving the project’s long-term conservation goals. The project is therefore working
with local businesses who are committed to protecting and conserving habitat for insects. Part of this
work includes getting businesses to install beehives, the wooden boxes that bees call home, on their
buildings and land.

Since the project began a few years ago, it has achieved success across the whole of the state of
North Carolina. It keeps a website that maps the feeding locations along the Butterfly Highway. More
than 2000 have now been registered. ‘No garden is too small to make an impact and all together
they are a part of the Butterfly Highway,’ explains Hjarding. The project also provides notices to
be put up at feeding locations, which tell people about the importance of growing flowers in their
gardens.

Hjarding explains that the decline in many bee and honeybee populations has made national news
headlines and has also brought attention to the troubles facing other insects, including a species
called the monarch butterfly. ‘Monarch butterflies were once commonly seen in the spring and
fall travelling through North Carolina but now sightings have become rarer due to the declining
population and available habitat.’ Numbers of butterflies have declined significantly during the last
50 years because of many of the same issues that are affecting bees.

The project not only educates people about the need to protect insects, but also offers a special seed
mix for people to buy and plant in their gardens. This includes important plants which provide food
for insects, such as groundsel and seaside goldenrod. The project provides a full list of beneficial
plants, so people know which are the best species to grow.

The idea of the project has spread and is no longer restricted to the North Carolina area. The project
is now persuading individuals and organisations in other countries to follow its example. The Butterfly
Highway project has come a long way in the short time it has been in existence. The next chapter in
the story is just beginning and it can’t wait to see what will happen, but there is still plenty of work to
be done.
 Comprehension Questions:
1 Why did Angel Hjarding initiate the Butterfly Highway project?
a) To study the population decline of butterflies
b) To create a connected route for insects to find food
c) To map feeding locations in North Carolina

2 What is the role of flowering plants in the ecosystem?

a) They provide shelter for insects
b) They produce fruit and seeds for butterflies
c) They create habitats for bees and other insects
3 How does the Butterfly Highway project involve local businesses?

a) By promoting the installation of beehives on their properties

b) By providing funding for businesses to create flower gardens
c) By organizing educational workshops for business owners
4 What has been the impact of the Butterfly Highway project in North Carolina?
a) Over 2000 flower gardens have been created
b) The population of monarch butterflies has significantly increased
c) Local businesses have pledged to protect insect habitats
5 What has contributed to the decline in butterfly populations?
a) The decrease in available habitat
b) The excessive growth of flowering plants
c) The migration of bees to other regions
6 Apart from educating people, what else does the Butterfly Highway project offer?
a) A website that maps butterfly sightings in North Carolina
b) Special seed mixtures containing beneficial plants for insects
c) Notices to raise awareness about the importance of insect conservation