GMSS/3E/EL/P2/MYE2012

Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) Mid-Year Examination 2012

1128/02 ENGLISH LANGUAGE

3 Express Paper 2 Comprehension INSERT 1 hour 50 minutes

Setters :

Mdm Sng Swee Lian Mdm Hazel Eng Mr Chin Khai Ying

26 April 2012

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

This insert contains Text 1, Text 2 and Text 3.

This document consists of 6 printed pages and 0 blank page. [Turn over 2

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SECTION A Text 1 Study the advertisement below and answer Questions 1-3 in the Question Paper Booklet.

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Section B Text 2 Read the text below carefully and answer Questions 4 12 in the Question Booklet. 1 The old mans head fell into the nest of his pillow like some white bird tired from too long a flight. Squinting, I tried to reconstruct a younger face over the thin, blue-veined skin covering his skull. He took my hand in his translucent fingers and held it to his heart; I wondered if the strength of my body could seep into his by some strange osmosis. His mouth wrinkles spread out smoothly in a smile, and with that we understood each other completely; his ancient eyes told me he was a wise and tender sort, a frail and delicate shell being held together by only the core of his spirit. To him I was a kind of angel of mercy who would change his linen and give him pills, foolishly trying to fight off what he already knew was inescapable. He hoped I was not too young to know eighty-four-year-olds were still human. Hi, Mr Turk. Remember me? My names Echo. I took care of you briefly when you first came in. Please, call me Turk, he said in a voice that was pleasantly rough after a lifetime of words flowing over the same cords. Glad to see I didnt scare you away the first time, Ethel. I chuckled at the common mistake and bent down to speak directly into the old mans ear. Not Ethel, Echo like up in the mountains. Oh, my, how unusual, he said. I watched his red-rimmed eyes dart around the ceiling for a second. Of course, youre too young to know the song they wrote about you. Weakly he cleared his throat and held up a trembling, arthritic finger. In his wobbly old mans voice he began singing Little Sir Echo, a tune people had been crooning around me since the day I was born. I sang along with him to the end of the first verse when he let out a wheezing crackle. Whats so funny? I asked him. Am I off key? Turk shook his head and smiled a smile that was veiled by memory. Oh, no, you reminded me of someone when you started singing, your voice and the way your hair goes all fluffy by your neck there. He pointed to a few stray wisps of hair that had fallen from the knot of the top of my head. I watched the gleam in the mans eyes and thought about how much Id come to like old people. They were such treasuries of astonishing stories if one just took the time to pay attention. So few people listened to these walking, talking history books, except, of course, the children. In their brief time of wisdom, children knew the value of what the elderly had to say. 30 15 10

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And what was the ladys name? I asked, reaching over to smooth the covers away from his chin. Turks gaze was drawn to the ceiling again. Mulling over my question, he unconsciously rubbed the timeworn ring on his right hand. Gently I held it to the light to study it more closely. On the gold dome was etched an intricately detailed eagles head. It was easy to see the handiwork belonged to the era when people valued craftsmanship over mass production. Her real name was Nettie, but I used to call her Ned cause she really wasnt like a girl at all. Turk watched me inspect the ring and looked at it more closely himself for something he might have missed. She was one wild *filly for back in those days, Ill tell you. That girl could ride a horse and throw a rope as good as any of us boys And stubborn? Turk let out a long whistle and shook his head. Lord, nothing could get her to change it. Without disturbing Turks legs, I broke one of nursings numerous rules by sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked at me questioningly. Im getting comfortable for this one, I said, adding firmly, And I want the whole story, Turk. Dont leave out one word.

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*filly young female horse

(Adapted from Intensive Care, by Echo Heron)

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Section C Text 3 The text below compares life-style exercises with sweat-and-strain workouts. Read it carefully and answer Questions 13-19 in the Question Booklet. 1

To make you fitter, experts used to say, a workout had to last from 15 minutes to an hour; it had to be vigorous enough to get your heart rate to between 60 to 90 percent of its maximum; and you had to do it at least three times a week. But in 1994, scientists at the Centers for Diseases Control and the American College of Sports Medicine offered up an easy-does-it exercise alternative. Almost any physical activity pulling weeds, playing catch with kids could offer the same health benefits as a sweat-popping workout. Thirty minutes a day is all it takes. But no one really knew if a program of moderate-intensity exercise would work. The only way to find out was to put what scientists were now calling life-style exercises up against sweat-and-strain workouts and see how people fared. The first results were announced in June 1996. By almost every measure, volunteers in the life-style group are faring just as well as those in the traditional, structured gym regimen, said exercise psychologist Andrea Dunn. Over the first six months of the study, both groups saw their average blood pressure drop significantly. They lowered total cholesterol and improved the ratio of good to bad cholesterol by almost the same amount. According to Dunn, because high blood pressure and an unfavourable cholesterol ratio are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, its likely that these benefits will add up to a lower risk of heart disease, or to a longer life. As for the benefits reflected in the mirror, gym goers and life-style exercisers gained just about the same amount of muscle and lost the same amount of fat. And the life-style brigade burned about the same number of calories from its activities an average of 159 extra calories a day as the gym group did. Not that a life-style activities program is a snap. Working 30 minutes of it into a day requires real effort, and sustaining that is tougher than you might think. Were not talking about a leisurely walk here, Dunn tells volunteers. Were taking a brisk walk. By doing that she means an arms-pumping pace, fast enough to make most people breathe more quickly after a minute or two. The biggest appeal of a life-style exercise program is that you dont have to make the workout happen all at once. In 1990 Stanford University researcher Robet DeBusk asked a group of 40 men to take up jogging for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Some jogged for a half hour straight. The others divided the workout into three ten-minute jogs separated by at least four hours. To his surprise, DeBusk found that joggers of both styles notably increased their stamina over the eight-week period. All of them lowered their resting heart rates and lost about four pounds. If I like my gym workout, should I bother with life-style exercises? For Terry Anderson, variety has been the real glory of the Cooper program and the antidote to her inertia. Over the past two years shes tried out dancing, volleyball and inline skating. With a variety of activities to choose from, she say, its much easier to get charged up about exercise than when the only choice is going to the gym. 6

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In the end, Dunn suspects, the biggest advantage of moderate-intensity exercise may prove to be that people have an easier time sticking with it over the long haul. What really matters, she says, is making a lifelong habit of being more active, whatever way you choose.

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