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MT_Reading_Writing_SetBF1.docx

SET F

NAME: ID. SEC.

PART III: READING COMPREHENSION (PAIRED PASSAGES) (20 MARKS)

Instructions: Read Passage 1 and Passage2 and answer the questions correctly.

Passage 1

[1] How much physical activity do you do in a week? Are you getting enough exercise? People who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers. Adults who do exercise for just 150 minutes a week can reduce their risk of serious illness by 50%. Regular exercise reduces the risk of early death by 30%. It also improves your mood, self-esteem and sleep quality. Today, we are much less active than in the past and our office jobs are far less physical than the manual labor our grandfathers used to do. In fact, many adults spend seven hours or more on a chair each day.

[2] This lack of regular physical activity means that people burn fewer calories than in the past, so we need to do something extra to use up all our energy. Adults need to do two and a half hours of moderate exercise per week. This could be fast walking or cycling on a flat road. In addition, you should do exercise to strengthen muscles twice a week. Exercise can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Team sports such as football, rugby or cricket can be cheap because all the players share the cost of the pitch. Joining a sports club is usually a cheap way of getting exercise and can be very sociable, too. Local leisure centers usually offer squash at cheap rates if you book a court at off-peak times, and you may be able to get cheap gym membership too. If the leisure center has a pool, swimming is also a great way to exercise.

[3] Alternatively, if you don’t want to spend any money at all, go for a run. The only equipment needed for this is a pair of trainers. Similarly, getting off the bus one stop early and walking the extra distance helps. Go to the park. Try getting a group of friends or family together and have a game of football in the park or play the sorts of running games you haven’t played since you were a child. This is a great way to get fit and you can enjoy the benefit of a nice garden and a tidy house, too! Although adults should do two and a half hours of exercise a week, you don’t have to do it all at one time. Split the time into ten-minute chunks! If you do ten minutes before work, ten minutes during your lunch break and ten minutes after work, five days a week, you’ve achieved the target! Alternatively, go swimming during your lunch hour two or three times a week and you’ve done it! There are many ways of getting firm and we should all recognize the value of doing this, because we will live longer and be healthier.

Passage 2

[1] Obesity is becoming a major problem in many parts of the world. In British alone, there was a 30% increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital with problems related to obesity last year. An estimated 60% of British adults are overweight. One way of tackling obesity is to eat less but to eat more healthily. An average man needs around 2,500 calories per day, while an average woman requires around 2,000 per day. We should eat a balanced diet which consists of a variety of foods in order to maintain a healthy weight. A healthy diet should include approximately 35% fruit and vegetables; 35% carbohydrates, such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta (or other starchy food); around 15% dairy products like milk and cheese; 10% protein, for example meat, fish, eggs and beans; and only around 5% should be sweet food – namely cakes or biscuits – especially those that are high in fat and sugar.

[2] In many countries, nutritional values are shown on food packaging. In Britain, there is a traffic light system to show more clearly how good or bad a particular food product is. Red next to ‘sugar’, for example, means that the product is high in that particular item; yellow means the product is neither high nor low in sugar; and green means the product only has a small amount of sugar in it. The traffic light system helps people to know immediately whether the food product is good for them. Some people argue that foods that are high in fat, such as pizza and potato chips, and those high in refined sugar, like chocolate and sweets, should be taxed. This would make junk food too expensive for people to buy in large quantities. In Denmark, there is now a tax on products that contain more than 2.3% of saturated fat. However, taxing fast food is difficult because fast food companies are rich and powerful. The role of advertising should not be forgotten. Advertising junk food at times when children are watching TV was banned in Malaysia in 2007. This was designed to better protect them from the influence of advertising while they learn how to choose between treats and food that are good for them. On the other hand, there have also been TV education campaigns to encourage people to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. It has been estimated that if people ate enough fruit and vegetables, up to 2.7% million lives per year could be saved.

[3] Governments need to promote healthy eating and the importance of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Similarly, they need to fight obesity by discouraging people from eating fat and sugar. They must also encourage people to be more active by providing opportunities for everyone to get fit, no matter how rich or poor they may be. If governments can change people’s habits, the world will be a healthier place in the future.

SET B

A. Back References (2 MARKS):

1. The word ‘their’ in paragraph 1 of passage 1 refers to _______________. (0.5 mark)

2. The word ‘it’ in paragraph 2 of passage 1 refers to ________________. (0.5 mark)

3. The word ‘them’ in paragraph 2 of passage 2 refers to _________________. (0.5 mark)

4. The word ‘they’ in paragraph 3 of passage 2 refers to ________________. (0.5 mark)

B. Vocabulary: Complete the sentences below with the words in red from the passages. (4 MARKS)

5. I didn’t __________________ her when she was in disguise.

6. Healthy consumers look for food which has good _____________ quality.

7. Even __________________ amounts of alcohol can be dangerous.

8. The media had a powerful _________________ on public opinion.

C. Comprehension Questions (6 MARKS): Write answers in your own words.

1. What messages do passages 1 and 2 share in common? Answer in about 40 words. (Content = 2, Grammar = 1)

2. According to passage 2, why are the governments interested in fighting obesity? Answer in about 40 words. (Content = 2, Grammar = 1)

D. Interpretation Questions (8 MARKS):

3. According to passage 1, do you think doing sport is the best way to keep fit? Why or why not? Explain in about 40 words. (Content = 3 marks, Grammar = 1 mark)

4. After reading passage 2, do you agree that governments should charge a tax on products that are bad for people’s health? Why or why not? Explain in about 40 words. (Content = 3 marks, Grammar = 1 mark)

PART IV: WRITING (20 MARKS)

Instructions: Write a well-organized arguing for-or-against paragraph with at least 3 supporting reasons in about 200 words. Use appropriate transitions and underline your topic sentence and concluding sentence .

“Students should turn on their camera in every online lesson?”

Writing Rubric for Midterm (20 marks)

Band (B1+)	Writing Mark Scheme
Content	· All content is relevant to the task. · Target reader is fully informed.
	· Minor irrelevances and/or omissions may be present. · Target reader is on the whole informed.
	· Irrelevances and misinterpretation of task may be present. · Target reader is minimally informed.
	· Content is totally irrelevant. · Target reader is not informed.
	5	4	3	2	1	0
Communicative Achievement	· Uses the conventions of the communicative task to hold the target reader’s attention and communicate straightforward ideas.
	· Uses the conventions of the communicative task in generally appropriate ways to communicate straightforward idea. · Holds the reader’s attention; Structure simple and easy to follow; purpose stated clearly.
	5	4	3	2	1	0
Organization	· Text is generally well organized and coherent, using a variety of linking words and cohesive devices. · Have a clear, relevant topic sentence. Have a clear, relevant concluding sentence. · Both a topic sentence and a concluding sentence are underlined.
	· Text is connected using basic, high-frequency linking words. · Have a slightly clear, relevant topic sentence and/ or a concluding sentence.
	· Lack of clear, relevant topic sentence and a concluding sentence.
	5	4	3	2	1	0
Language	· Uses a range of everyday vocabulary appropriately. · Use a range of vocabulary with occasional inappropriate use of less common lexis. · Uses a range of simple and some complex grammatical forms with a good degree of control. · Errors do not impede communication.
	· Uses everyday vocabulary generally appropriately, while occasionally overusing certain lexis. · Uses simple grammatical forms with a good degree of control. · While errors are noticeable, meaning can still be determined.
	· Uses basic vocabulary reasonably appropriately. · Uses simple grammatical forms with some degree of control. · Errors may impede meaning at times.
	5	4	3	2	1	0
Total Mark	___________

Note: Any form of Plagiarism is given 0 mark.

Writing irrelevant to the topics/ instructions, give maximum 2 marks for the consolation.

Writing Too short or too long, take off 2-5 marks from the total marks.

Students who submit their work during the extended 10-minute period is considered as Late Submission.

Late Submission, take off 2-5 marks from the total marks.

Remark:

< 0.5 round down ≥ 0.5 round up

Additional Comments:

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