I.

READING COMPREHENSION

A. Which sentences from the text suggest the

following?

1) The number of Asian people wanting to learn

English is increasing.
2) Asian countries want to benefit financially
Asian countries want to bridge the communication gap from their investment in the English language.
between East and West. 3) Students’ college admission depends on how
“Hello, my name is…” is the first phrase students learn in the well they perform in the national exam.
English education wave that is sweeping Asia. Native English
speakers from western countries – particularly university
students – are now working as teachers in countries like B. Answer these questions on the text in your
Korea, China, and Japan in order to feed the demand that’s own words as far as possible.
grown in the East to learn English.
The “global village” is a term widely tossed around about the 1) Why is learning English becoming so
way business is evolving today. As a result, Asian countries important in Asia?
don’t want to miss out on business opportunities and foreign 2) In what way are students in Singapore in
investment with wealthy western countries and companies. greater advantage concerning English learning?
In order to keep up, they need an English speaking 3) Why has the English language such a great
workforce. This means today’s primary, middle, senior and importance in Singapore?
university students must prepare for a job in an English
workplace.
C. Complete the following with ideas or words
English Education
from the text.
Jiao Li, 15, and Tony Zhao, 16, are two Chinese high school
students, who opted to take English courses throughout the
summer, while many of their classmates chose to stay home 1) In order to bridge the communication gap,
and relax over the holidays. It’s a sacrifice they are willing to Asian students are given more opportunities …
make in order to pass the country’s grueling national exam, 2) Asian students are taught English by …
which they complete during their final year of high school. 3) In order to pass the country’s national exam,
Students can choose to take a science- or arts-based exam, Li and Zhao …
but they cannot opt out of the three most important and 4) The most important subjects in an exam in
largest sections in the test: Chinese, Maths, and English. “We China are …
need English because we should pass the exam, otherwise I 5) Chinese students can’t go to college if they …
can’t go to college,” said Zhao. The scores students receive
on the national exam determine whether they are eligible to
study in a university. In order to attend a high-calibre D. Match the following equivalents with the
institution, students are also pressured by teachers and underlined words in the text.
parents to achieve high scores.
The case is different in other Asian countries like Singapore 1) developing
and the Philippines, where all of the subjects are taught in 2) main/principal
English, according to the foreign English teacher Henry Chan, 3) hard/difficult
46. He said English and Chinese are the most commonly 4) spreading quickly
spoken languages in Singapore, where his family is currently 5) prepared/happy to do
living. English became one of the chief languages there 6) reduce the differences
because it was a former colony of England. The children in 7) rich
Singapore start learning English in nursery school. 8) qualified
In www.academia.edu (adapted)

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II. VOCABULARY

1. Complete the statements below about the way people learn foreign languages with the words supplied.
Write the letters and missing words only.
I (a) a language school. listen
I (b) e-mails with my cyberfriends. chat
I learn from (c) of films in the original version. exchange
I attend summer courses (d). foreign
I read books and magazines in the (e) language. record
I (f) with native speakers. attend
I (g) closely to how native speakers pronounce certain words and sounds. abroad
I (h) the words I need in a dictionary. look up
I (i) my own voice and listen to my pronunciation. subtitles
I (j) online in forums or community sites or when playing games. socialize

2. Choose from the list above (A to J) two ways of learning foreign languages you find most important.
Justify your two choices in a total of 30-40 words.

III. GRAMMAR

1. Can, May or Must? Complete the sentences below. Use the negative of the verbs when necessary.
Write the letters and missing words only.
Mandarin dialects vary so much that people from different regions (a) understand each other.
If your C.V. shows that you (b) speak Mandarin, you will have a better chance of getting the job.
You (c) fill in an application form. Remember that for the interview you (d) lie about your skills or qualifications.
She (e) have understood him. She doesn’t speak a word of Italian.

2. Choose the appropriate tense. Write the letters and correct tense only.
Hi Ana,
Sorry I (a) haven’t written / didn’t write for such a long time but I (b) have been / am really busy lately. As you
know I’m in the USA for my summer holidays and I (c) write / am writing you this e-mail to tell you all about it.
I (d) arrived / have arrived three days ago and (e) have already met / already met another Portuguese girl. She (f)
is speaking / speaks English quite well. And guess what! We (g) stayed / are staying at the same youth hostel. This
makes things a lot easier for me. Yesterday, for example, while we (h) were going / went home, someone asked us
for directions. Imagine I was so nervous that I (i) didn’t know / don’t know what to say. Since then my friend (j) did /
has done all the talking, lol. BFN. H&K, Susana

IV. LISTENING

Listen to the text “Myth and Realities about Language Learning” and complete the gaps.
Write the numbers and missing words only.
languages - myth and reality.mp3

Myth: There’s no point in learning languages when everyone can speak English!
Reality: In fact there is a great and -1- demand in the workplace for people who can speak languages -2- English:
● -3-% of the world’s population do not speak English.
● Other -4- countries are aiming for skills in three languages.
● -5-% of British trade is with non-English speaking countries.
● British business has the -6- language skills in Europe.
● To learn a -7- language is to see the world anew. You are as many people as the languages you speak.
● With the world becoming a -8- speaking only one language will definitely ‘shut you out.’
● If your -9- shows that you can speak more than one language you will be chosen over other prospective -10-
that speak only one language.
● The business world is in need of people who are -11- because of the global economy. You will be an asset to
any business with more than one language at your -12-. Many -13- will even pay you more for this asset.
● Learning a foreign language is easily done by anybody. So, don’t worry if you haven’t got an “-14-” for learning
a foreign language. Desire is all you need along with the learning -15-.

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V. WRITING

Write about 180-200 words on ONE of the following.

1) You have been a student of English for over 6 years now. How important is learning English for you? Explain
why/why not you like learning it and when/how you use it. Also include some tips on how to learn a foreign
language more effectively.
2) “Speaking English not only enables us to communicate with the rest of the world more easily, it also makes us
feel citizens of the world.”
As a student, what is your opinion about this statement?

KEY
I. A.
1) (Native English speakers from western countries – particularly university students – are now working as
teachers in countries like Korea, China, and Japan in order) to feed the demand that’s grown in the East to learn
English.
2) As a result, Asian countries don’t want to miss out on business opportunities and foreign investment with
wealthy western countries and companies.
3) The scores students receive on the national exam determine whether they are eligible to study in a university.
B.
1) As English is the main language used in business around the world, Asian students are being prepared to
communicate and work in an English-speaking work environment. This way they have better chances of getting
a job in international companies.
2) They are at a greater advantage because all the subjects are taught in English and they start learning English
at a very young age (in nursery school).
3) English has such a great importance in Singapore due to historical reasons – it is a former British colony.
C.
1) to learn English.
2) Native English speakers from western countries – particularly university students.
3) took English courses throughout the summer.
4) Chinese, Maths, and English.
5) don’t pass the Chinese national exam.
D.
1) evolving 2) chief 3) grueling 4) sweeping
5) willing 6) bridge 7) wealthy 8) eligible
II
1.(a) attend (b) exchange (c) subtitles (d) abroad (e) foreign (f) socialize (g) listen
(h) look up (i) record (j) chat
2. personal answer
III.
1. (a) may not (b) can (c) must (d) mustn’t (e) can’t
2.
a) haven’t written b) have been c) am writing d) arrived e) have already met
f) speaks g) are staying h) were going i) didn’t know j) has done
IV.
increasing other than 75 European 60 poorest foreign global village
C.V. employees multilingual disposal employers aptitude
tools

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