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GOZO COLLEGE

Half Yearly Examination for Secondary Schools 2012-2013

FORM 3 ENGLISH LISTENING COMPREHENSION Time: 15 mins

Name: _____________________________ Index No:_________ Class: ___________

A. Put a tick () in the correct column to show whether the following statements are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F). 3 marks [ ]

a. Hurricane Sandy cost billions, not millions of dollars of damage.

b. America’s west coast was badly hit by the hurricane.

c. Climate change wasn’t such a hot topic before Sandy.

d. An ex-Vice President of the USA said there was no need to take immediate action.

e. Mr. Gore suggested that the use of coal and gas brings bad weather.

f. A specialist on the climate warned of what he called “Dracula-storms”.

B. Fill in the gaps with a word from the passage. 4 marks [ ]

1. The __________________ of killer winds and crushing storm surges will grow by the year

unless we get serious about tackling ___________________ gases.

2. Scientists say that ___________ temperatures and ___________ sea levels were probably

not the reason for the hurricane.

3. Kevin Trenberth said that a lot of different ___________ conditions that lined up caused

what we might call a meteorological ___________.

4. Sandy is certain to get politicians once again asking questions about ___________ fuels and

___________.

C. Match column A with column B 3 marks [ ]

Column A Column B

1 There is growing evidence that Americans makes for more extreme storm surges.

2 Sea-level rise, due to climate change, live in coastal areas.

3 About 100 million Americans are increasingly vulnerable to such

events.

T F

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GOZO COLLEGE

Half Yearly Examination for Secondary Schools 2012-2013

FORM 3 ENGLISH Listening Comprehension Teacher’s Paper

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy killed at least 62 people and caused billions of dollars of damage to

America's east coast. Water from the superstorm, which hit on Tuesday night, has flooded

subways and tunnels in New York City and cut off electricity to millions of homes. Politicians

and scientists are now asking whether America and the world are ready for such devastating

and deadly weather events. Sandy has firmly put climate change back onto the agenda of

the 2012 presidential election. Former U.S. vice president Al Gore told reporters: "Hurricane

Sandy is a disturbing sign of things to come. We must pay attention to this warning and act

quickly to solve the climate crisis." Mr Gore added: "Dirty energy makes dirty weather."

Climate expert Dr Shaye Wolf warned of "a future full of Frankenstorms". He said: "Climate

change raises sea levels and super-sized storms. The threat of killer winds and crushing

storm surges will grow by the year unless we get serious about tackling greenhouse gas."

Other scientists say a mixture of rare weather systems caused Sandy. They say that warmer

temperatures and rising sea levels were probably not the reason for the hurricane.

Meteorologist Kevin Trenberth said of Sandy: "A lot of different weather conditions that

lined up caused what we might call a meteorological bomb." Sandy is certain to get

politicians once again asking questions about fossil fuels and pollution.

In addition, there is growing evidence that Americans are increasingly vulnerable to such

severe events. Sea-level rise, due to climate change, makes for more extreme storm surges.

And sea-level rise in the north-eastern US is occurring three or four times faster than the

global average, putting more Americans in harm's way. About 100 million Americans live in

coastal areas within three feet of mean sea level in cities such as Boston and Miami as well

as New York.

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H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 1 of 8

GOZO COLLEGE

Half Yearly Examination for Secondary Schools 2012-2013

FORM 3 ENGLISH Time: 2 hours

Name: ________________________ Index No: ______ Class:____________

Oral Assessment

10

Listening

10

Written Paper

80

TOTAL

100

SECTION A - LANGUAGE

A. Fill each gap with the correct form of the verb given in brackets. The first one (0)

has been done for you. 10 marks [ ]

0 Have you ever flown (ever / you / fly) to America? Kevin is lucky; he 1________________ (can) visit

his cousin Amy Baxter last year. Yesterday, while Kevin 2________________ (read) a book, his mother 3 _______________ (come) in and gave him a letter from Amy. He read: “Hi Kevin, I hope you 4

_____________________ (not / forget) me yet. 5 __________________ (you / remember) how much

fun we 6_____________________ (have) last year? What 7 ____________________________ (you /

do) since then?

Well, let me tell you the chaotic story of my trip to the Poconos. I 8 _______________ (want) to spend

a nice weekend with my friend Jane. She 9______________________ (live) in Manhattan for some

months now. “I’m sure we 10________________________ (have) lots of fun,” Jane said while I 11

_______________________ (unpack) my things. “If the weather 12_______________ (be) fine

tomorrow we 13___________________ (go) on a trip to the Poconos.”

“I think this is a fantastic idea,” I agreed. “I 14____________________ (climb) the highest mountains.”

While we 15______________________ (drive) along Interstate 95, the next day, we noticed a red light

in Jane’s mother’s car. “I think, we 16 __________________ (need) some help first,” Jane’s mother

said. “ I 17___________________ (read / never) the handbook, so I don’t have any idea what’s wrong.”

We left the expressway and soon saw the sign of a car repair garage. The mechanic quickly checked

the car and smiled. “Lady,” he said, “I 18 _______________________ (see) this problem many times

before. I’m sorry, but a mechanic is not what you need. If you 19______________________ (not / fill)

up the tank, you 20 _____________________ (get / never) to the Poconos.”

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H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 2 of 8

B. Use the word given in capitals at the end of the line to form a word that fits in the

space in the same line. The first one has been done for you. 5 marks [ ]

Movie Review

Contact is probably one of the (0) best science fiction films of recent years and GOOD

deserves a place alongside the classics. This (1)………….…….......……… of Sagan’s ADAPT

(2) best- …………………… 1985 novel is (3)…..….……………… well suited to the big SELL / EXCEPTION

screen and the special effects are (4) ……………….……. It is expertly directed by STAGGER

Robert Zemeckis, and Sagan himself worked on the movie script. The (5) ………………. CENTRE

character is Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), a young (6) …….…………..………… SCIENCE

who discovers a message from an alien (7)……..………..……….. 26 light years away. CIVILISE

The film focuses on her attempts to make contact and the (8) ……………………… VARY

obstacles that are put in her way. The story works on (9) ………………… levels and DIFFER

raises serious issues about science, religion and (10) ………………… and our place in SPIRITUAL

the universe.

C. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only

ONE word in each space. The first one has been done for you. 5 marks [ ]

Mobile Mania

The love affair (0) between the Maltese public and the mobile phone has

reached new heights, according (1)_________ a survey published recently. Not

so long ago, the purchase of a mobile phone was nothing short (2) __________

extravagant for youngsters (3)__________ no income whatsoever. Nowadays,

(4) ___________, you can pick up the latest model (5) ___________ the same price as a cassette

player or a meal in a restaurant. (6) ___________ the global recession and massive cuts

(7)____________ the mobile industry, the number of Maltese households owning at least one

phone has leapt (8)__________ almost 80%. It appears that the recent boom in sales has been

brought (9) ___________ by the demand for pre-paid mobile phones, which in turn, is being driven

(10) ___________ 16 to 17-year-old consumers. The results guarantee Malta’s status as one of

Europe’s most enthusiastic mobile markets.

H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 1 of 2

GOZO COLLEGE

Half Yearly Examination for Secondary Schools 2012-2013

FORM 3 ENGLISH COMPREHENSION TEXT

My Cabin Companion

Everyone on the ship was completely dotty, but none, as it turned out, was quite as dotty as my

cabin companion, U.N. Savory. The first sign of his dottiness was revealed to me one evening as

our ship was running between Malta and Port Said. It had been a stifling afternoon and I was having

a brief rest on my upper berth before dressing for dinner…

5 I lay still on my bunk with my eyes half open. Below me U.N. Savory was getting dressed. There

wasn’t room in the cabin for two of us to change our clothes simultaneously, so we took it in turns to

go first. It was his turn to dress first tonight. I was watching him through half-

closed eyes. He put on his black dinner jacket and then reached into his

sponge-bag and took out a small carton. He took the lid off and dipped his

fingers into it. The fingers came out with a pinch of white powder, and this

stuff he proceeded to sprinkle very carefully over the shoulders of his dinner-

jacket.

13 Suddenly I was fully alert. What on earth was the man up to? I didn’t want him to know I had seen,

so I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Really I was trying to figure out why U.N. Savory

should be going around and trying to kid everyone he had dandruff. Three days later I had the

answer.

17 I decided to go on deck and smoke a pipe before dinner. I stood up and felt for my pipe. I realised I

had left it in our cabin. I stood up and made my way downstairs to the cabin and opened the door.

There was a strange man sitting in shirtsleeves on U.N. Savory bunk and as I stepped inside, the man

gave a queer little yelp and jumped to his feet as though a cracker had gone off in the seat of his

pants.

22 The stranger was totally bald and that is why it took me a second or two to realise that he was in fact

none other than U.N. Savory himself. It is extraordinary how hair on the head or the lack of I will

completely change a person’s appearance. U.N. Savory looked like a different man. To start with, he

looked fifteen years older, and in some subtle way he seemed to have diminished, grown much

shorter and smaller. As I said, he was almost totally bald, and the dome of his head was as pink and

shiny as a ripe peach. He was standing up now and holding in his two hands the wig he had been

about to put on as I walked in. “You had no right to come back,” he shouted. “You said you’d

finished.” Little sparks of fury were flashing in his eyes.

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H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 2 of 2

30 “I’m … I’m most awfully sorry,” I stammered. “I forgot my pipe.”

He stood there glaring at me with that dark, malevolent glint in his eye and I could see little droplets

of perspiration oozing out of his pores on his bald head. I felt bad. I didn’t know what to say next.

“Just let me get my pipe and I’ll clear out,” I mumbled.

“Oh, no you don’t!” he shouted. “You’ve seen it now and you’re not leaving this room until you’ve

35 made me a promise. Promise me you won’t tell a soul.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” I said. “I give you my word.”

“It’s business,” he said. “I do it purely for business reasons. I work in Amritsar, in the Punjab. That

is the homeland of the Sikhs. To a Sikh, hair is a sort of religion. A Sikh never cuts his hair. He either

rolls it up on the top of his head or in a turban. A Sikh doesn’t respect a bald man.”

40 “In that case I think it’s very clever of you to wear a wig.” I had to live in the cabin with U.N. Savory

for several days yet and I didn’t want a row. “It’s quite brilliant,” I added.

“Do you honestly think so?” he said, melting.

“It’s a stroke of pure genius.”

“I go to a lot of trouble to convince all those Sikh wallahs it’s my own hair,” he went on.

“You mean the dandruff bit?”

“You saw it then?”

“Of course I saw it. It was brilliant.”

The man was potty as a pilchard.

(Adapted from Going Solo by Roald Dahl)

H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 3 of 8

SECTION B - COMPREHENSION 20 Marks

1. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F). Give a reason for your answer. 4 marks [ ]

a) U.N. Savory was crazier than the other passengers on the ship.

This statement is______ because ___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

b) The cabin the author shared with U.N. Savory was very small.

This statement is _______ because __________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

c) U.N. Savory had dandruff.

This statement is _______ because _________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

d) Sikhs have short hair.

This statement is _______ because _________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. How did the writer find out that U.N. Savory was completely dotty? 2 marks [ ]

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. What feeling is implied in the statement the man gave a queer little yelp (line 29)? Why did

U.N. Savory feel like this? 2 marks [ ]

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 4 of 8

4. State the TWO effects which the wig had on U.N. Savory’s appearance. 2 marks [ ]

(i)___________________________________________________________________________

(ii)___________________________________________________________________________

5. Why did U.N. Savory make the author promise not to tell a soul that he was bald?

2 marks [ ]

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

6. Quote the single word in the passage which best suggests that U.N. Savory was no longer

angry with the writer. 1 mark [ ]

______________________________________________________________________________

7. What is the writer’s attitude towards his cabin companion? Back up your answer. 2 marks [ ]

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

8. In his writing, Roald Dahl uses adjectives and similes to make his description clear and

interesting. Quote a simile which he uses to describe U.N. Savory. 1 mark [ ]

_____________________________________________________________________________

9. What does it refer to in line 34? 1 mark [ ]

__________________________________________________________________________

H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 5 of 8

10. Say what the following words mean as they are used in the passage. 3 marks [ ]

(i) alert (line 13) __________________________________________________________

(ii) kid (line 15) __________________________________________________________

(iii) mumbled (line 33) ______________________________________________________

Total 20 marks

SECTION C - LITERATURE Answer EVERY part of this section.

PART 1 – PROSE and DRAMA 7 marks

Which was the most interesting novel or play you read in class this year? Give reasons for your answer. ________________________________________________________________________________

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H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 6 of 8

PART 2 – UNPREPARED TEXT 6 marks

My Dog Has Got No Manners

My dog has got no manners. I think he’s very rude. He always whines at dinnertime while we are eating food. And when he’s feeling thirsty and wants to take a drink, he takes it from the toilet instead of from the sink. He never wears a pair of pants. He doesn’t wear a shirt. But worse, he will not shower to wash away the dirt. He’s not polite to strangers. He bites them on the rear. And when I’m on the telephone, he barks so I can’t hear. When I complained to Mommy, she said, "I thought you knew: the reason that his manners stink—

he learns by watching you." Bruce Lansky

1. Underline the correct answers 1 mark [ ]

The dog annoys the poet because it: a) makes a lot of noise while they are eating. b) obeys strangers c) bites people on the back d) barks loudly

2. What does the dog in the poem do to strangers? 1 mark [ ]

___________________________________________________________________________

3. Work out the rhyme scheme of the poem. 1 mark [ ]

____________________________________________________________________________

4. Why does the dog have no manners? 1 mark [ ]

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. Explain how the ‘poet’s whine’ could be the same as the ‘dog’s whine’ at dinnertime. 2 marks [ ]

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

H Y Exam English - Track 3 - Form 3 Secondary – 2012/13 Page 7 of 8

PART 3 – POETRY 7 marks

Compare any TWO poems you covered in class this year. You may choose to write about

different aspects, including the theme, figures of speech, literary devices, rhythm and form.

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SECTION D - COMPOSITION 20 marks

Write a composition of about 250 words on ONE of the following:

1. Write a story about someone who is or was bullied at school. You should write from the point

of view of either the victim or the bully.

2. Continue the following dialogue:

Ann: It’s bad news, I’m afraid. I won’t be able to come.

John: It’s a pity…

3. Write an email to your friend describing a memorable school event or outing.

4. Prize Day at your school is fast approaching. The Headmistress/master wants you to nominate

the student you think best deserves the Special Prize. Write a description of this boy/girl and

make sure you include his/her outstanding qualities and the reasons why you are

recommending him/her.

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