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UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA FINAL EXAMINATION

COURSE

INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH / MAINSTREAM ENGLISH II

COURSE CODE EXAMINATION TIME

BEL260/250 MARCH 2010 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES 1. This question paper consists of two (2) parts: PART A : Section 1 (5 Questions) Section 2 (5 Questions) Section 3 (5 Questions) PART B : (1 Question )

2. 3.

Answer ALL questions from both parts in the Answer Booklet. Do not bring any material into the examination room unless permission is given by the invigilator. Please check to make sure that this examination pack consists of: i) Question Paper ii) Answer Booklet- provided by the Faculty

4.

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

This examination paper consists of 11 printed pages
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PART A: READING COMPREHENSION (20 MARKS) Section 1: Passage 1 (5 marks) Study the visual aid given below and answer the following questions. FLU PANDEMIC Spanish Flu (1918) Killed an estimated 50 million people and infected another 500 million which is about a third of the world's population. The most severely affected were young adults between the ages of 20 and 40 unlike other forms of flu which are serious among infants and the elderly. Spanish flu died out quickly as there were no new cases reported after the second wave. In 2005, the Spanish flu virus was reconstructed from pieces of genetic material retrieved from the lungs of people who had died 87 years ago. This virus is known as H1N1.

Asian Flu (1957) The Asian flu was first discovered in China. The global death toll was estimated at 2 million. Infection rates were highest among pregnant women, schoolchildren and young adults. The highest death rates were among the elderly. Advances in medical science led to the quick identification of the virus which is known as H2N2 and vaccines were developed for it.

Hong Kong Flu (1968-1969) Started in Hong Kong in 1968 and lasted until 1969. It spread to the United States of America and eventually killed about 1 million people worldwide. Considered the mildest flu of the 20th century. The virus known as H3N2 is still in circulation.

Adapted from: Health Today, July 2009

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1)

Infants and the elderly were greatly affected by the Spanish flu. a) b) c) TRUE FALSE NOT STATED

2)

The Spanish, Asian and Hong Kong flu outbreaks killed an estimated 53 million people worldwide. a) b) c) TRUE FALSE NOT STATED

3)

The Hong Kong flu has ceased to exist. a) b) c) TRUE FALSE NOT STATED

4)

Vaccines for the Asian flu were discovered in 1960. a) b) c) TRUE FALSE NOT STATED

5)

The Spanish flu is also known as H1N1.

a) b) c)

TRUE FALSE NOT STATED (5 marks)

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Section 2:Passage II (8 marks) Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. I Malaysia has to go green soon or risk completely using up its valuable resources. If this happens, its natural heritage will be reduced to nothing. To reduce the country's carbon footprint and damage to the local environment, the newly established Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry is now making a stand to promote green technology. The Secretary-General of the Ministry Datuk Dr Halim Man said that green technology means using resources such as energy and water minimally, if not efficiently, to develop and produce goods and services. II The Government's effort to develop green technology could be seen from two aspects, according to Dr Halim. "First is innovation, namely to create or develop green technology that is environmentally friendly and practical. It is vital to 10 5

encourage students to invent green technology that is simple. At the tertiary level, researchers could be encouraged to produce products that do not waste energy and water. These innovations could then be commercialised for local consumption and export," he said. Secondly, he added, the Government also wanted to 15

promote the use or application of green technology in both work processes and daily practices such as carrying drinking water from home in containers instead of buying bottled water. Another example is buy food using containers brought from home without relying on styroform or plastic containers which are environmentally unfriendly.

III

Furthermore, the Ministry is also working on an Energy Efficiency Master Plan to introduce labelling of energy efficient equipment, minimum energy, and energy performance standard to ensure that energy is used more efficiently in the country. This is similar to what Japan, Thailand and Germany have in dealing with their energy efficient appliances.

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In addition, a National Green Technology Policy will also be introduced by the Ministry. It will encourage more people to be trained in green technology through the local universities. The ministry is also looking into how it can collaborate with universities abroad on green technology since it had already collaborated with

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the Higher Education Ministry to come up with the syllabus on green technology.

According to Dr Halim, it is important to create awareness and educate the public about why Malaysian homes and businesses have to switch to using renewable energy and energy-efficient sources. One of the key ways to switch to using green technology is through the Green Building Index (GBI), developed by the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) and Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM). Buildings that incorporate PAM's six key criteria - energy efficiency,

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indoor environmental quality, sustainable site planning and management, materials and resources used, water usage efficiency and innovation - will be given a GBI rating. Any building that meets these criteria will have a very low

carbon footprint, for instance, energy used to cool the building will be low. These criteria are all elements of design, so that buildings will not need cooling systems that consume a lot of energy. Buildings that are compliant with the ratings will be considered green buildings. 40

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Another related issue says Dr. Halim is that most people do not realise the extent of environmental-generated cost through home and industrial waste. This is the cost that people have to bear to control environmental damage such as plastic clogging the rivers and other water bodies. What is the environmental cost to mitigate these situations? For example, if the people drive, they are polluting the environment and it costs a lot to clean it up. Similarly when rubbish by the road and in rivers is visible they have to spend money to clean it up. 45

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Malaysians have to understand that sustainable development and care for the 50 environment must be given the attention now. Malaysia can develop without

damaging the environment. At the end of the day, it is not just about economic growth but also sustainable development. "Future generations must not have less than what we have now. We need to slow down the process of destruction of the environment. If we don't practise green technology now, it will be too late," Dr. 55 Halim said. Adapted from The Need To Go Green by Lester Kong http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/7/9/nation/4261960&sec=nation CONFIDENTIAL

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1)

What do the following words refer to? a) It (line 26)

b) This (line 44) (1 mark) 2) What does the phrase "risk completely using up its valuable resources" (lines 1 and 2) mean? (1 mark)

3)

State TWO steps made by the Government in their effort to encourage green technology in the Malaysian society. (1 mark)

4)

Write T if the statement is TRUE and F if the statement is FALSE in the answer booklet provided. a) Part of green technology is drinking bottled mineral instead of drinking water brought from home in our own containers. b) The Energy Efficiency Master Plan is similar to the plan Japan, Thailand and Germany have; it will introduce labelling of energy efficient equipment to ensure that energy is used more efficiently in the country. c) The Higher Education Ministry is already collaborating with universities abroad to come up with the syllabus on green technology. d) Buildings with a cooling system that consumes less energy will be automatically considered green building. (2 marks)

5)

List the criteria a building has to meet in order to be classified a "green building". (3 marks)

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Section 3: Passage III (7 marks) Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. I In the current global economic downturn, with people losing jobs and businesses suffering shrinking revenues, we may well see a more vigorous black economy. Black economy is also sometimes known as the hidden economy or the

underground economy, but in fact, a lot of it is right there in plain sight. Broadly, the term covers all unregistered and unregulated economic activities. Not all of these are sinister crimes that take place in the shadows. 5

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Your favourite chicken rice stallholder, who has never filed a tax return, is part of the black economy. So are the illegal car workshop just down the road and the factory in Balakong that makes knock-offs. And what about the handyman you turn to for household repairs, the accounts executive who earns some side income by giving tuition to your kids, and the professional who freelances outside office hours? If the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) knows nothing about their earnings, the trio come under the black economy banner as well. The foreign worker you see going around housing estates on weekends offering to cut grass is part of black economy too. And of course, how can we forget the pirated DVD seller who provides your weekly movie entertainment? 15 10

III

Conventional wisdom has it that in the current global economic environment, with many people losing jobs and businesses suffering shrinking revenues, we may well be seeing a more vigorous black economy. The perception is that in such desperate times, legal and ethical requirements are often likely to take a backseat. Individuals may be forced to moonlight, join the ranks of the self-employed or work outside the law, thus avoiding the income tax net. Companies may cut corners by sidestepping rules and regulations in areas such as taxes and duties, licensing and registration, and employee benefits. Copyright owners are among those who 25 20

believe that the infringement rate will rise in tandem with the economic slowdown.

IV Indeed, there are several big-picture reasons to justify governments taking a deeper interest in the growth of the black economy. Number one is that the

informal sector is unrepresented in the official statistics and data. This may lead to
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information gaps and flawed policies. Says Professor Dr Jeyapalan Kasipillai of the Monash University Sunway Campus' School of Business, "The existence of the hidden economy has an important implication in determining macroeconomic variables, the functioning of the national economy and the implementation of economic policy. From this point of view, some observations of the hidden economy and knowing something about where it occurs is an extremely useful research exercise. When the Government decided to give a cash rebate to salve the pain from the substantial jump in petrol and diesel prices last June, it opted to rely on the Road Transport Department's database to maximise the number of people who ought to receive the rebate. Some observers say a better way to provide relief to the rakyat is to grant tax credits because this would be based on income levels. The snag is that it is difficult to rely on the tax system as those involved in the black economy do not pay any tax. 40 35 30

In an interview with StarBizWeek in November 2008, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop acknowledged that the idea of giving tax credits is good but difficult to execute. "We have about 12 million people who work. Only about two million are registered with the IRB, and over one million pay tax. So we have another 10 million of the working population who are not registered taxpayers," he explained. Here is a clear argument for doing more to ensure that individuals and businesses are included in the formal economy. Another drawback of the black economy is that its players are usually small-scale, inefficient and relatively unproductive. 50 45

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Governments have to realise that factors such as red tape, burdensome taxes and regulatory requirements, and loose enforcement hasten the growth of the black economy. There is an eternal conflict between the authorities' instinct to let

enterprise runs its course and the cold logic that the black economy should be driven to the surface. It's a taut interplay of many forces. Eventually, something has 55 got to give. An example: Lately, there has been talk that copyright owners, frustrated by rampant piracy, may push for Malaysia to be bumped from the US Trade Representative's watch list (for IP rights protection and enforcement) to the priority watch list. That will bring us a step closer to trade sanctions. Although this
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is a remote possibility at the moment, such a step will be a rude wake-up call for 60 the Government. The black economy should never have such power to make life difficult for law-abiding citizens. Adapted from The Black Economy by Errol Oh, Star Biz Week http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/10/business/2945119&sec=business 1) Give the meaning of the following words as they are used in the passage. a) b) c) d) shrinking (line 2) vigorous (line 19) snag (line 40) rampant (line 57) (2 marks) 2) Write T if the statement is TRUE and F if the statement is FALSE in the answer booklet provided. a) b) Black economy is a result of the current economic downturn. Your favourite chicken rice stall holder who has always filed a tax return, is part of black economy. c) Companies must adhere to rules and regulations in areas such as taxes and duties, licensing and registration, to avoid doing illegal businesses. d) The players in the black economy are usually small scale, inefficient but relatively productive. (2 marks) 3) "Two million are registered with the IRB, and over one million pay tax. So we have another 10 million of the working population who are not registered taxpayers." (lines 4 5 - 4 6 ) What logical conclusion can we make from this statement? (1 mark)

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4) Identify the correct statement. a) Black economy involves people losing jobs and businesses suffering shrinking revenues. b) A part time worker going around housing estates on weekends offering to cut grass comes under the category of black economy. c) d) There are two million people who pay tax in Malaysia. Some observers say a better way to provide relief to the rakyat is to grant tax credits because it is based on income levels and the tax system is easily accessible. (1mark)

5)".... in such desperate times, legal and ethical requirements are often likely to take a backseat." (lines 1 9 - 2 0 ) Explain in your own words why is the author saying this. (1mark)

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PART B: WRITING (20 MARKS)

QUESTION 1 Co-curricular activities should be made compulsory for every student in the university. Do you agree? State your opinion in an essay of at least 350 words.

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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