Answers 1. celebrate   2. in   3. come   4. both   5. at   6. game   7. made   8. filled   9. with   10. begins   11. place   12. each   13. given   14. best   15. later   16. out   17. down   18. about   19. possible   20. around Birthdays are very special occasions. We like to celebrate these occasions by having birthday cakes and presents. We also take delight in throwing birthday parties and inviting our friends to come over. During these parties, games like Treasure Hunt, Charades or Musical Chairs are enjoyed by both the young and the young at heart. In Latin America, there is a popular birthday game called 'Breaking the Pinata'.

A pinata is a fairly large, round object made from hardened newspapers and paste. It has a hollow center which is filled with sweets, chocolates and toys that children love. The outside of the pinata is lavishly decorated with colorful strips of paper. Before the party begins, the pinata is usually hung in a high place such as the ceiling of a room.

During the party, each child would be blindfolded and given a long stick. The children would then use the stick to poke hard at the pinata and try their best to break it. Sooner or later, the pinata will break. When this happens, the contents of its hollow center would spill out and come tumbling down. The delighted children would then scramble about to collect as many presents as possible. As they are still blindfolded, they will have to grope around for these gifts. What an enjoyable way to celebrate a birthday ! 

1. Unlike   2. member   3. together   4. rest   5. in   6. other   7. collect   8. that   9. into   10. after   11. hatched   12. with   13. male   14. such   15. span   16. During   17. laid   18. When   19. over   20. latter The honey bee is a very unusual kind of insect. Unlike other insects which live alone, the honey bee lives as a member of a community. These bees live together in what is known as a bee colony.

The head of the colony is called the queen bee. She is larger than the rest of the bees. Her main task in the colony is to lay eggs. Most of the other bees are the worker bees. These bees collect nectar and pollen from flowers. The nectar that is carried by the worker bees is deposited on the hive and then converted into honey. The worker bees also help look after the young bees. as soon as the eggs are hatched, the worker bees feed the young bees with pollen and nectar. The third type of bee found in the colony is the drone or male bee. The main task of such a bee is to mate with a new queen.

The queen bee has a life span of about three years. During this period, she would have laid more than half a million eggs. When the queen bee is dying, a new queen would be groomed. This new queen would eventually take over the 'duties' of the old queen when

the latter dies.

1. whom   2. stop/bother   3. away   4. to   5. in   6. snowing   7. which   8. face   9. its   10. look   11. were   12. out   13. late   14. driver   15. time   16. safety   17. onto   18. picked   19. home   20. one "Would you like to buy a box of matchsticks, mister ?" the little girl asked. The manwhom she approached did not even stop/bother to answer her. He shuffled away in his great coat, eager to get home to his cosy fireplace.

The girl was shivering in the cold. It had been snowing continuously for the past two days. The girl's shoes, which were already thin were thoroughly soaked. Yet, her sweet, angelic face did not lose its innocent smile. It only made her look more pathetic when she knitted her brows sometimes. Her feet were sore with painful chilblains.

Someone shouted, "Watch out, girl !"

It was too late ! The coach was going too fast and the driver had not seen her earlier. There was barely enough time for the little girl to take a step back. In her hurry to get to safety, the basket of matchsticks fell onto the snow.

She picked them up, wet and dirty from a puddle of melted snow. The matchstick couldn't be used now. as she began to make her way home, she realised that she had lost one of her shoes in the snow.

1. full   2. saw   3. used   4. mine   5. out   6. take   7. rid   8. on   9. something   10. as   11. have   12. out   13. it   14. on   15. in   16. air   17. up   18. together   19. broken   20. now It was midnight when the last guest left. I sighed heavily as I looked around. The living room was full of cigarette smell and stale perfume. As I looked around, I saw wet patches of spilt beer on my best Persian carpet. My antique vases were totally smashed. They had even used my antique oak tables as ashtrays. These guests ofmine had done their best to destroy my expensively decorated living room ! What a night this had turned out to be.

I shook my head. The mess would take hours to clear. Getting rid of the smell would require days. My housekeeper would had resigned on the spot if she saw the mess. i had to do something fast. I could not afford to lose her as she is the best cook Ihave ever had

I had no choice. I went to the bookshelf, took out the book 'The Evolution of Man' by Charles Darwin and pressed on the wall behind it. A small hole in the wall appeared on my right. I

reached in and took out a long object. Then I waved it in theair. The room started to clean itself up. Even the antique vases started fitting themselves together so well that one could not tell they had been broken. As you might have guessed by now, the long object is a wand, and I am what they call a witch.

1. one   2. goes   3. when   4. crying   5. face   6. to   7. so   8. sorry   9. up/forward   10. turned   11. saw   12. on   13. For   14. fast   15. came   16. inside   17. with   18. down   19. up   20. like You must have heard of many ghost stories, but have you heard of this one from Japan ? The story goes like this; one moonlit night, a man was walking home along the river when he saw a woman crying on the bridge. He could not see her face because she was sitting with her back to him. However, he could see that she was crying sohysterically that her whole body was shaking. The man felt ___sorry___ for her. when he went ___up/forward___ to comfort her, she suddenly ___turned___ around. To his horror, the man I ___saw___ that she had no eyes, no nose and no mouth ___on___ her face ! ___For___ a while the man stood frozen. Then he turned and ran away as fast as he could until he ___came___ to the nearest inn.

Once ___inside___, he began to stammer out what he had seen, for he was trembling ___with___ fear. The proprietor of the inn, who had been bending ___down___ to clean the tables, straightened ___up___ and asked him, "Did she look ___like___ this ?" His face, too, was egg-like.

The man fainted !

1. weighing   2. one   3. same   4. wife   5. about/on   6. not   7. believe   8. on   9. find   10. inserted   11. sound   12. later   13. read   14. talented   15. every   16. of   17. when   18. Wherever   19. for   20. wrong It was a Saturday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs Kerugesu were window shopping at a shopping centre. As they stood outside a boutique, Mr. Kerugesu spotted a shiny newweighing machine.

"Look ! It's one of those modern computerized machines that tells your weight and gives you your fortune at the same time. I think I shall try it," he told his wife.

Mrs Kerugesu, however, was not too keen about/on the idea.

"Let's not bother. I don't believe in fortune telling," she said.

Mr. Kerugesu, however, insisted on trying the machine. He was very curious to findout his 'fortune'. He stepped on the machine and inserted a fifty cent coin. There was a soft

buzzing sound from the machine. A few seconds later, a slip of paper emerged. Mrs. Kerugesu took the slip and read it out to her husband :

"Your fortune : You are a clever and talented person. If you are working, you will become an employee that every boss would be proud of. You will become a good leader of men. Everyone will listen to you when you speak. Wherever you lead, everyone will follow."

Mrs. Kerugesu paused for breath.

"It's got your weight wrong too," she added. 

1. sight   2. an   3. to   4. with   5. time   6. too   7. for   8. in   9. with   10. required   11. of   12. both   13. mind   14. as   15. placed   16. another   17. because/for   18. other   19. on   20. after Sandwiches make a delicious snack any time. They are a common sight at picnics and teas. Interestingly enough, the sandwich is the invention of an eighteen century English Earl called John Montagu. Montagu was addicted to card games. he would play these games with his friends for long stretches of time. Often, he even found ittoo bothersome to stop his games for meals.

One day, in the middle of a game, Montagu was served a meal of sliced meat withbread. At that time, Montagu was playing the game that required its players to cover cards one on top of another. As Montagu looked at both the game and his food, an idea came to his mind.

"I can do the same with my food as well," he thought.

He took a slice of bread, placed a piece of meat on it and covered that with anotherslice of bread. Montagu was very pleased with his invention because/for it allowed him to play cards with one hand and eat his meal with the other.

Montagu's friends quickly caught on to his idea and they named the new inventionafter him. As Montagu's full title was 'the Earl of Sandwich', the new invention became known as a 'sandwich'.

1. from   2. after   3. to   4. for   5. over   6. refused   7. hands   8. and   9. again   10. still   11. behind/after   12. nap/sleep   13. wanted   14. pinched   15. up   16. to   17. from   18. with   19. since   20. happen "I will never forgive her," Anne muttered as she walked away from the class. Panting and running after her, Lilian came up to her and apologised profusely for accidentally spilling chocolate milk all over Anne's new bag. Anne refused to listen to Lilian. She cupped

her hands over her ears, glared at Lilian and screamed.

"I'll never talk to you again !" Then she ran away.

Anne was still angry when she reached home. She banged the door hardbehind/after her and woke Granny from her afternoon nap/sleep. She was rude to Mother when Mother asked her what she wanted for dinner. She pinched little Tony when she found that he had messed up her room again. Tony ran howling to Mother. His poor arm was red from Anne's pinching.

"What's the matter with you today, Anne ?" Mother came into the room and asked. "You've made everybody upset since you stepped into the house. Did somethinghappen in school ?"

1. that   2. along   3. Before   4. visit   5. from   6. of   7. by   8. me   9. to   10. showing/having   11. stay   12. with   13. reading   14. and   15. bored   16. also   17. too/by   18. returned   19. as   20. worth I will always remember the trip I made to the zoo in 1988. It was then that I caught measles from one of my friends, Peter, who had gone along too. Before he met us at the zoo, he had gone to visit his cousin who was recovering from measles. The next day, Peter was complaining of a sore throat, a bad cold and high fever. When he was diagnosed by a doctor as having measles, his parents rang me up to warn me that I had been exposed to measles too. By the next day,  I was also showing/having the same symptoms. My doctor advised me to stay at home for the next two weeks.

I was quite pleased with the doctor's instruction. I spent the time reading storybooks, listening to music and watching television. When I get bored, I would call up Peter, who also had to spend two weeks at home, for a chat. Unfortunately, the two weeks passed too/by quickly. When we returned to school, we had to work twice as hard to catch up with our classmates. It was definitely not worth the 'holiday'. 

1. but   2. work   3. at   4. escape/avoid   5. group   6. When   7. sip   8. content   9. fallen   10. woke   11. himself   12. made   13. more   14. anyone   15. did   16. dressed   17. down   18. grown   19. making   20. to Once upon a time, there was a man called Rip Van Winkle. He was a likeable butlazy man who never did an ounce of work in his life. His wife was always nagging athim for being so lazy.

One day, to escape/avoid his wife's nagging, Rip Van Winkle took a stroll in the woods. In these mysterious woods, he encountered a group of old men with long beards. When they saw Rip Van Winkle, they offered him a drink from a flask. Rip Van Winkle took a sip and found the drink delicious. As he was very thirsty, he drank to his heart's content. Immediately after the

drink, he felt his eyelids becoming heavy. Before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, the sun was shining brightly.

"I must have slept the whole night," he thought to himself.

As Rip Van Winkle made his way home, he discovered, to his astonishment, that the landscape around him had changed. As he approached his village, he was even moredumbfounded. He found that he could not recognise anyone in the village ! Not onlydid the people look different, they were also dressed  in a different fashion. Everyone was staring at his chin. As Rip Van Winkle looked down at his own chin, he realised, to his surprise, that he had grown a very long beard.

After making some enquiries, Rip Van Winkle realised that one hundred years had passed from the time he drank the liquid to the time he woke up. This meant that he had been asleep for one hundred years ! 

1. blowing   2. drops   3. from   4. mind   5. better   6. sun   7. feeling   8. when   9. practising   10. since   11. against   12. by   13. scored   14. score   15. past   16. kick   17. get   18. heavily   19. across   20. through/down The sky was getting darker by the minute and strong wind was blowing across the field. Soon, drops of water were falling down from the overcast sky.

Peter did not mind the rain at all. It was better than playing under the hot sun. He liked the feeling of rain on his face and the cold sensation when it soaked through his football jersey.

His team had been practising hard for the tournament. It had been two years sincethey last won the Inter-Constituency Football Cup. Last year, in the game againstRockingham, their team had lost by just one goal. They were determined to win the Cup back this year.

"Goal !"

His team had scored again. Peter wanted to score the next goal. If only he could getpast the two defenders, he would be able to kick the ball into the goal easily.

He did not get to score his goal because the rain was pouring too heavily and the field was getting too wet. As the boys ended their game and walked across the field, Peter sneezed. he felt and unpleasant tingle of coldness running through/down his body.

1. out   2. between   3. on   4. cause   5. because   6. and   7. because   8. who   9. take   10. spread   11. feet   12. parts   13. Although   14. can   15. for   16. keep   17. when   18. as   19. more   20. stop The next time you come out of the shower, be careful to dry thoroughly the areasbetween your toes before you put on your socks or shoes. Otherwise, fungi might grow on your feet and cause itchy blisters to appear. This is because fungi grow best in warm and moist surroundings. This disease is known as Athlete's Foot because it often affects people who exercise regularly and do not take care of their personal hygiene. The fungi can spread to the soles of your feet if you are not careful. They can even spread to the other parts of your body if you scratch the blisters.

Although Athlete's Foot is rarely painful and serious, it can be quite a nuisance. The treatment for Athlete's Foot is to keep the skin dry, especially in hot weather whenthe skin sweats more. Dust your feet with powder as a precaution before you go out of your house. In more serious cases, fungicides and antibiotics are used to stop the growth of fungi.

1. when   2. turned   3. over   4. with   5. myself   6. Having   7. wrong   8. poured   9. up   10. over   11. in   12. near   13. seemed   14. stopped   15. next   16. learn   17. still   18. of   19. rather   20. finishes When I was young, I used to enjoy watching Mother cook, especially when she was preparing my favourite omelettes. When the eggs turned golden and Mother flipped them over, I would jump and clap my hands with glee.

Once, when Mother was not in, I decided to fry an egg by myself. Having watched Mother do it so many times before, I thought I could not go wrong. First, I washed the pan. Then I poured some oil into the pan. However, as the oil heated up, it splattered all over the stove. Some of it got on my face and arms, and I cried out inpain. I was terrified and did not even try to go near the pan ! After what seemed like eternity, the sizzling oil stopped hissing. I then turned off the stove and spent the nexthour cleaning up the mess.

After that incident, I never wanted to learn cooking. Up till now, I still have not learnt the art of frying anything. I would rather help Mother wash the cooking utensils after she finishes cooking !

1. already   2. were   3. on   4. himself   5. servants   6. at   7. in   8. net   9. eyes   10. that   11. rich   12. true   13. mind   14. boat   15. weight   16. too   17. into   18. continued   19. sank   20. with An Indonesian folktale tells the story of a fisherman who always wanted more than what

he already had.

"If only I were rich !" was the thought constantly on his mind. He would never have to fish again. He would build a large house for himself and have hordes of servants to wait on him.

One day, when the fisherman was at sea, something heavy got entangled in his fishing net. Cursing his bad luck, he hauled the net in. Something shiny caught his eyes - it was a gold chain that was 'caught' in the net !

"Gold ! I'll be rich !" Visions of his day dreams coming true raced through his mindas he began to pull in the gold chain. His small boat began to sink due to the weightof the gold, but the man was too greedy to stop. Soon, water was rushing into the boat.

Still, the man continued pulling in the never ending gold chain. The boat eventually capsized and the gold chain sank to the bottom of the sea, taking the greedy fisherman with it. 

1. which   2. important   3. wear   4. and   5. travelling   6. Without   7. also   8. the   9. along   10. only   11. road   12. on   13. pieces   14. way   15. off   16. thought   17. from   18. to   19. against   20. down If you go horse-riding, you may notice that horses wear 'horseshoes' on their hooves. These U-shaped shoes, which are made of hard metal, are very important to the horses. If horses do not have these shoes, their hooves will wear out quickly on hardand brittle roads. Hence, horses travelling on rough roads tend to become lame often. Without shoes, horses carrying heavy loads also become injured easily.

In the olden days, horses did not always wear shoes. Instead, horse riders would carry the horseshoes along with them. These shoes would be worn only if the horses were trotting on a hard or bumpy road. They were usually fastened on the 'horses' feet with small pieces of wire. However, riders soon discovered that this way of having horses 'wear shoes' was difficult and clumsy. Often, the shoes would come off.

In the ninth century, riders thought of a way of preventing the shoes from coming off. The metallic horse shoes were heated up to a high temperature and then pressedagainst the horse's hooves. By nailing the shoes down, they were securely fastened onto the hooves.

1. spend   2. realise   3. not   4. took   5. for   6. kept   7. that   8. back   9. down   10. to   11. telling   12. remembered   13. pair   14. drawn   15. after   16. too   17. gone   18. just   19. bear   20. out/away I cleaned up the family attic last week. I had been prepared to spend at least three days finishing

the job. Little did I realise that much more time was required.

It was not the accumulated junk to be tidied that took up most of the time that I had bargained for. What kept me preoccupied was discovering the things that had sentimental value, and reliving the memories that came flooding back. I spent the greater part of my time running up and down the stairs, yelling to my wife, son or daughter, telling them the history of every little item.

I found my high school photographs and remembered the good old days of accidentally breaking windows with baseballs. I found my son's first pair of shoes. Then there was the painting of me that my daughter had drawn in kindergarten. My wife's knitting, which she aborted after trying to knit me a sweater, lies among the junk too.

So, it was this incessant reminiscing of times gone by which hindered my progress. I suspect that a the end of it all, I have just as much junk as before, for I could not bearto throw most of the things out/away. 

1. decorated   2. along   3. most   4. with   5. are   6. and   7. which   8. end   9. platform   10. with   11. three   12. participants/contestants   13. up   14. off   15. all   16. line   17. cheer   18. take   19. receive   20. winners On Sports Day, the field is decorated with banners. Little coloured triangular flags are stuck in the ground along the length of the track. The pavilion is the most decorated area, especially with its lavish display of rosettes and banners. In front of the pavilionare three long wooden tables displaying the cups, trophies and other medals whichwould be given to the winners at the end of the meet. A three-levelled platform stand opposite the pavilion with the figures 1,2 and 3 clearly marked on the three different levels.

All the participants/contestants feel very nervous as they warm up for their events. Bang ! As the gun goes off for each race, the contestants would run with all their strength. As the runners come near the finishing line the crowd would cheer the runners on. At the end of the day, the prize-winning ceremony would take place. All the winners are called to step onto the platform to receive their medals. Usually, a well-known person is asked to present the medals to the winners.

1. if   2. who   3. one   4. deals   5. type   6. their   7. bother   8. when   9. time   10. with   11. these   12. put   13. end   14. altogether   15. from   16. hopes   17. towards   18. matter/offence   19. Under   20. abusing/ill-treating. Not long ago, a kitten was tied in a plastic bag and then flung into a canal. It would have died if it had not been rescued by a kind soul who brought it to the Society for the Prevention of

cruelty to Animals ( SPCA ). The throwing of this kitten into the canal is just one instance of an act of cruelty towards animals.

Every month, the SPCA deals with animals that have been ill-treated by their owners. A common type of animal abuse occurs when these pets are badly neglected by theirowners. Some pet owners do not bother to look after their pets when the poor animals are ill. By the time these animals are brought to the SPCA, they are usually infected with diseases. Some of these diseases are so severe that it would be more humane to put these animals to sleep just to end their suffering. Then there are other pet owners who abandon their pets altogether. These pets often suffer from hunger and diseases.

The SPCA hopes to educate pet owners to be more responsible towards their pets. Cruelty towards animals is a serious matter/offence. Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act, anyone found abusing/ill-treating an animal can either be jailed up to six months, fined up to five hundred dollars, or both. 

1. have   2. saw   3. knew   4. was   5. least   6. placed   7. waited   8. order   9. decided   10. took   11. before   12. served   13. for/upon   14. heads   15. that   16. listening   17. into   18. out   19. but   20. continue One day, an old and fussy millionaire entered a plush restaurant to have a meal. The staff of the restaurant sighed when they saw him. They knew he was a man who wanted the best but was only willing to pay the least.

A menu was placed in Mr. John's hands, and the waiter waited patiently as the millionaire kept changing his order. Finally, he decided to order a bowl of oxtail soup. Relieved, the waiter took the order and promptly disappeared before Mr. John changed his mind again.

When the dish was served to the millionaire, Mr. John called for/upon the waiter again. The staff shook their heads. They knew Mr. John was going to ask for proofthat the soup was made with real ox tail. However, the clever waiter just smiled. He was prepared for this situation. After listening to the complaint, the waiter went intothe kitchen and dragged out an ox with a bandaged tail. Speechless, the millionaire had no choice but to continue with his meal.

1. whose   2. landed   3. with   4. ended   5. into   6. As   7. to   8. in   9. same   10. taking   11. lived   12. back   13. was   14. recovered   15. out   16. promised   17. back   18. destroyed   19. who   20. of A young soldier, whose plane was shot at during the war, landed his plane in a forest and escaped with minor injuries. He tried to make his way out of the forest but endedup walking deeper and deeper into it. As he wandered around, he came to an old cottage. It seemed

strange to him that a solitary cottage should exist in the heart of the forest. All the same, he thanked Fortune for taking pity on him.

An elderly couple lived in the cottage. They took the soldier in and nursed him carefully back to health. They treated him as if he was their own son. When he was fully recovered, they gave him precise directions to get out of the forest. He was grateful to them and promised to visit them again.

The soldier reported back to camp and told his captain of the old couple's hospitality. The soldier was shocked when the captain revealed that the forest bad beendestroyed by bombs much earlier in the war. The elderly couple, who were officially listed as dead in their records, were the parents of one of their young soldiers who had died in the war. 

1. place   2. one   3. in   4. fall   5. quiet   6. find   7. instead   8. set   9. aim   10. when   11. hard   12. period   13. yourself   14. while   15. feel   16. lose   17. take   18. on   19. lift   20. soothe Getting good results in your studies comes from developing good study habits. The best place to study is a comfortable room with good lighting. The best chair for studying should be one which you would be comfortable in, but not so comfortable that you may fall asleep on it after a while ! Before you study, look for a quietenvironment with no distractions. If you find your home too noisy for studying, try the library or community centre instead.

When you study, set realistic targets for yourself to achieve. For example, do not aimto study five chapters of Geography in one sitting when you know that you take more than an hour to read one chapter. Furthermore, remember not to push yourself toohard. When you have studied for a period of time, reward yourself by taking a short break. You could perhaps take a short walk or listen to some music for a  while.

If you begin to feel sleepy when studying, do not force yourself to go o as you maylose your power of concentration. Instead, you may want to take a short nap to refresh yourself. Studying may also be strenuous on the eyes. When you study, it may be a good idea to lift your eyes away from your books occasionally. Looking at objects at a distance or at greenery can help soothe tired eyes.

1. all   2. likely   3. spreads   4. When   5. hands   6. on   7. or   8. these   9. prevent   10. advice   11. so   12. no   13. cure   14. better   15. get   16. from   17. plenty   18. yourself   19. drink   20. and When you catch a cold, you tend to feel miserable. You are tired of sneezing and blowing your nose all the time. When someone in your house has a cold, you arelikely to get it too. This is because the cold virus spreads easily. When a person who has a cold blows his nose,

his hands could carry the cold virus. This virus is then deposited on whatever he touches such as doorknobs, telephone handles or shower handles. people who also touch the surfaces of these things and then clean their nose would obtain the virus as well. To prevent your cold from spreading, here is a piece of good advice : wash your hands with soap and water frequently so that the cold virus would have no chance to survive.

There is no actual cure for the common cold. The medicine that you take makes you feel better but it cannot get rid of the cold virus completely. Most people tend to recover from colds within a week. When you have a cold, the best thing to do is to get plenty of rest. You should go to bed early and not over exert yourself. Your must also drink more water as fluids help to cool the throat and relieve nasal passages. 

1. little   2. do/live   3. periods   4. to   5. One   6. Like   7. through   8. down   9. other/some   10. by   11. During   12. from   13. into   14. and   15. returns/comes/arrives   16. well   17. example   18. stored   19. include   20. all A desert is a special region where only certain kinds of plants and animals can survive. All deserts have very little water. This means that only animals and plants that cando/live without water for long periods of time can exist in the desert.

Plants in the deserts are particularly adapted to the dry and hot environment. Onewell-known desert plant is the cactus. Like many desert plants, this plant has very tiny leaves. As plants lose most of their water through their leaves, the small leaves of the cactus help to cut down water evaporation. There are other/some desert plants that do not have leaves at all.

Some desert plants survive by avoiding the dry season altogether. During the dry season, this plant remains as a seed and does not emerge from the soil at all. When the rains come, this seed would grow very quickly into a plant. It would bloom rapidlyand then scatter its seeds before the dry season returns/comes/arrives.

Desert animals have also learnt to adapt well to life in this region. The camel, forexample, survives well in the desert because water can be stored in its body. Other desert animals include rodents such as mice. These animals need very little water as they can get all the water they require from their food.

1. made   2. out   3. racked   4. up   5. lesson   6. time   7. only   8. able   9. more   10. for   11. with   12. agreed   13. passed   14. on   15. kept   16. since   17. changing   18. of   19. that   20. at Once upon a time there was a king who loved to wear new clothes. He wanted a new outfit made for himself every day, until finally, the royal tailor ran out of ideas for his wardrobe.

The tailor racked his brains and then came up with a plot to teach the vain king alesson. He told the king that he would make him a special robe this time. It would be the most beautiful robe in the world, but only intelligent people would be able to see it. The foolish, however, would not be able to see or feel the robe. To make his story sound even more credible, the tailor requested for a week to finish his masterpiece. The king, fascinated with the idea of owning the most beautiful robe in the worldagreed readily to his request.

The week passed quickly. The king tried on the robe enthusiastically. To his horror, he could not see it ! Yet, he kept quiet, fearing that others would say he was foolishsince he could not see the robe. He pretended that he was really changing into the new robe and echoed the tailor's praises of the beautiful robe. Finally, he paraded down the streets unclothed, not realising that all the subjects of his kingdom were laughing at him, including the tailor !

1. end   2. much   3. look   4. shown   5. contains   6. cause   7. make   8. all   9. in   10. produce   11. down   12. by   13. possible   14. for   15. with   16. If   17. between   18. and   19. times   20. apply You have spent a day at the seaside. At the end of the day, everyone tells you howmuch darker you look. You are proud of your tan; it makes you look healthy.

However, studies have shown that too much sunlight can be damaging to your skin. Sunlight contains harmful rays known as ultraviolet rays. Over exposure to these rays can cause your skin to become dry and wrinkled. It may even make you age faster ! Worst of all, too much sunlight may even result in skin cancer.

Our bodies produce a kind of pigment called melanin. When the sun blazes down on you, the melanin pigment helps protect your skin by absorbing as much ultraviolet rays as possible. However, if you stay in the sun for too long, this pigment is unable to 'cope with' the strong rays of the sun.

If you do want to go swimming, you should take the following precautions. First, try to avoid swimming between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon. These are the times when the sun is the strongest. It may also be a good idea to apply a sun protection lotion when you go out in the sun.

1. near   2. is   3. off   4. produce   5. out   6. cause   7. into   8. before   9. gives   10. doing   11. When   12. to   13. still   14. ready   15. legs   16. on   17. know   18. make   19. in   20. life The skunk is a creature which you probably do not want to go near. What makes this animal unpopular is the terrible odour it gives off. The skunk has two scent glands under its tail. These

glands produce a smelly fluid called musk. When it meets an enemy, the skunk squirts out musk in a spray. This spray is overpowering and maycause sickness in the stomach. If the spray accidentally gets into your eyes, you will also get temporary blindness.

The skunk does not strike before giving its victims plenty of warning first. the first warning the skunk gives is to stamp its feet, as if it were doing a little dance. Whenthis warning fails, the skunk would shake its head from side to side. If the intruder stilldoes not leave, the skunk would get ready to spray. Some skunks stand on their hindlegs to spray. Others remain on all fours.

Many people do not know that the skunk is actually a friendly creature. In fact, it would make a good pet. The skunk only sprays in self-defence. It uses its spray when it feels that its life is being threatened. 

1. other   2. for   3. length   4. looks   5. legs   6. never   7. easily   8. by   9. stays   10. feeds   11. with   12. gives   13. poses   14. by   15. skin   16. run   17. faster   18. into   19. with   20. until The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. Like other mammals, it has only seven bones in its neck; its height is accounted for by the extraordinary length of the bones.

Because of its long neck, the giraffe looks very clumsy when it spreads out its fourlegs and bends down to drink. It never enters deep forests where it can easily be caught, or even be strangled by tree branches. It stays only in grassland and open country and plains. It feeds on leaves and not grass; picking the leaves from treeswith in tongue.

The soft, dark eyes of the giraffe gives a giraffe its gentle look. Indeed, a giraffe in the wild poses no harm to other animals. Instead, it is hunted by the lion for food and by man for its skin which makes good leather. The giraffe can run at more than forty-five kilometers per hour, even faster than a horse.

The giraffe occasionally fights. It does so swinging its head and horns into its opponent's neck. When two giraffes disagree with each other, they will sometimes fight until one of their necks is broken or dislocated. 

1. of   2. opposite   3. after   4. surprising   5. had   6. among   7. but   8. anyone   9. as   10. because   11. On   12. begged   13. marry   14. listen   15. itself   16. nowhere   17. for   18. either   19. dead   20. floating Many years ago, there lived a couple who had a very beautiful daughter. While the husband was a man of violent temper, his wife was just the opposite. She was always sweet and gentle. The

daughter, Alitaptap, took after her mother. So it was notsurprising that she had many admirers.

Now, among the men who wanted to marry her was Meopin, a rich man, but a rascal. He also had a violent temper. He did not like anyone to argue with him. He was picked as Alitaptap's future husband because of his great wealth. On learning this, Alitaptap wept bitterly and begged her father not to marry her to Meopin. Her father refused to listen.

The wedding day was fixed. On the big day itself, Alitaptap was nowhere to be found. At first, her parents and relatives looked for her in the house, but she was not there. Then they looked for her in the village. She was not there either. So the villagers organized a big search party. At last they found Alitaptap, but she was dead. She was floating face down in a river nearby. 

1. playful   2. curiosity   3. cranny   4. insect   5. fish   6. pleasure   7. grow   8. kill   9. useful   10. amusement Kittens are very playful animals. They can spend the whole day playing with a ball of wool. Kittens are also full of curiosity. They tend to check every nook and crannylooking for something to play with. If they find a cockroach, they would probably kill the insect by just playing with it. Kittens are usually fed with milk or cooked fish. They always show their pleasure or happiness by purring softly and rubbing against the owner.

As they grow bigger, they are called cats. They are able to catch mice and lizards. But not all cats like eating mice, they tend to kill the mice and leave them there. Cats are really useful pets. They not only provide us with amusement but also keep our homes free from pests like mice and lizards. 

1. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 1

2. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 2 Section A [20 marks] [Time suggested : 15 minutes] Questions 1 - 10 are based on the text . The first and the last lines are correct .For the remaining lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. Underline the error and write the correct word in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence. There are no spelling errors in this text. There once live a poor country mouse and a rich town mouse. The rich mouse was a good friend of the country mouse. The poor country mouse invited he friend, the town mouse, to his home for dinner. The town mouse arrive all dressed up. As he looked around the countryside, he

muttered to himself, "What a different place this is! There is neither carriages nor stores. I saw nothing but old-looking houses and fields." He was then led into an hut. Sweet corn, peas, barley and small pieces of cheese was placed in front of the guest who was grumbling with disgust. "Please help yourself, though it's not many of a meal," said the country mouse. Taking a bit of barley, the town mouse said to the host mouse, "How can you stand living on such poor food? Why don't you visit I in my town house. I will treat you for a big feast." e.g lived 1._______________ 2._______________ 3._______________ 4._______________ 5._______________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8._______________ 9._______________ 10.______________ [20 marks]

3. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 3 Section A [20 marks] [Time suggested : 15 minutes] Questions 1 - 10 are based on the text . The first and the last lines are correct .For the remaining lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. Underline the error and write the correct word in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence. There are no spelling errors in this text. One delightful summer's day, a duck sit on her nest waiting for her eggs to hatch. A shell cracked. Than one after another, the sweet creatures hatched. When the largest egg do not break, the mother duck became worried. A nosy old duck paid her a visit or said, "This one must be a turkey's egg. Just leave them." At last, the larger egg cracked and out jumped a large duckling. "How ugly ! No doubt this is a turkey's children. If you put it in the water it will never learn to swim," the old duck say. As it was such a sunny day, the mother duck decided to take she family for a swim. She jump into the water and the little ducklings followed her, splashing about. The ugly duckling also jumped in and paddled along happily from his family. e.g sat 1._______________ 2._______________ 3._______________ 4._______________ 5._______________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8._______________ 9._______________ 10._______________ [20 marks]

4. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 4 Section A [20 marks] [Time suggested : 15 minutes] Questions 1 - 10 are based on the text . The first and the last lines are correct .For the remaining lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. Underline the error and write the correct word in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence. There are no spelling errors in this text. Suthasinee Noi-in is better known by she nickname Mae Tiew

(Mother Tiew) among the AIDS/HIV orphans live in Home Hug Orphanage. Though she established it on 1987, it took her more than ten years to turn what was once a makeshift shelter into a properly run orphanage in Yasothon in the northeastern province off Thailand. Suthasinee’s devotion to her cause come under the national limelight in 2007 when her story were turned into a TV commercial for a life insurance company. The popular ad show the 54-year-old dedicating herself to maintaining and supporting these children despite suffering by cancer herself. But “fragile” is not a word you would use to describe that average-sized, dark-skinned woman who seems to glow even without some make-up. If she were, hundreds of children might not be alive today. Her desire to helping others started over 25 years ago at university when she joined a volunteer camp to help poor farmers in the province. e.g her 1._______________ 2._______________ 3._______________ 4._______________ 5._______________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8._______________ 9.________________ 10._______________ [20 marks]

5. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 5 Section A [20 marks] [Time suggested : 15 minutes] Questions 1 - 10 are based on the text . The first and the last lines are correct .For the remaining lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. Underline the error and write the correct word in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence. There are no spelling errors in this text. After the morning hustle and bustle, the atmosphere on Tai-tung county’s Central Market quietens as every stall shuts for the day and their owners return to the comfort of their homes. A lone lamp shines on a vegetable stall. With head bowed, Chen Shu- Chu silently sorts out the vegetable leaves as she waits for the occasional afternoon customer. Decades of hard working have caused the fingers on the right hand to curl and joints to swell; her feet have deformed slightly. Chen lead her life with a daily routine – waking on at three in the morning, she makes her way to the vegetable wholesaler and sets up her stall, whom she tends till seven or eight in the evening. Being the first to arrive and last to leave, the other stall owners has fondly given her the title of ‘market manager’. In the dark and damp market, Chen, nearing hers sixties, holds the stall her father left her dearly. Yuan-Jin Vegetables is her everything. With her vegetables sells at “a bundle for 30 dollars, three bundles for 50”, Chen earns only marginal profits. Yet, her frugality has allow her to donate about NT$10 million ($321,550) towards various charitable cause, including helping schools, orphanages and poor children. e.g at 1._______________

2._______________ 3._______________ 4._______________ 5._______________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8._______________ 9._______________ 10.______________ [20 marks]

6. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 6 Section A [20 marks] [Time suggested : 15 minutes] Questions 1 - 10 are based on the text . The first and the last lines are correct .For the remaining lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. Underline the error and write the correct word in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence. There are no spelling errors in this text. In 2001, Fernandes was the vice president for ASEAN on Warner Music South East Asia. One night, he saw a Easy Jet television ad and got interested in the concept off low-cost carriers. He realised that was what he wanted to do. He called his wife and told her of his plan, and she couldn’t stop laughing.Fernandes mortgage his house and then rallied a couple of he buddies in the music industry to set up Tune Air Sdn. Bhd. The Malaysian government, however, turned up the license application. Fernandes quickly arranged a meet with then Prime Minister Dr Tun Mahathir Mohamad. Dr Mahathir suggested that, instead of getting an license, Fernandes should buy the fledgling AirAsia, a heavy indebted subsidiary of a government-owned conglomerate.With youthful audacity he announced, “I will buys AirAsia for one Malaysian ringgit!” He got this reply: “Yes, you can buy it tomorrow.” e.g at 1._______________ 2._______________ 3._______________ 4._______________ 5._______________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8._______________ 9.______________ 10.______________ [20 marks]

7. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 7 Section A [20 marks] [Time suggested : 15 minutes] Questions 1 - 10 are based on the text . The first and the last lines are correct .For the remaining lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. Underline the error and write the correct word in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence. There are no spelling errors in this text. A flood is a overflow of water that submerges land which is usually dry. Floods can happen in flat or low-lying areas when the ground is saturated and water either cannot run of or cannot run off quickly enough to stop accumulating. This may be followed by a river flood as water moves away from the floodplain onto local rivers and stream. Floods will also occur if water falls on an impermeable surface, such as concrete, paving and frozen ground, and cannot rapidly dissipate into the ground. Localized

heavy rain from a series of storms moving beneath the same area can cause areal flash flood when the rate of rainfall exceeds the drainage capacity of the area. When these occurs on tilled fields, it can result in a muddy flood where sediments are picked up by run off and carry as suspended matter or bed load. e.g an 1.___________ 2.___________ 3.___________ 4.___________ 5.___________ 6.___________ 7.___________ 8.___________ 9.___________ 10.___________ [20 marks]

8. 7 sample exercises for revision purposes only Page 8 Section A [20 marks] [Time suggested : 15 minutes] Questions 1 - 10 are based on the text . The first and the last lines are correct .For the remaining lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. Underline the error and write the correct word in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence. There are no spelling errors in this text. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious diseases of humans and other animals cause by parasitic protozoans (a type of unicellular microorganism) of the genus Plasmodium. Commonly, the disease is transmitted by a biting from an infected female Anopheles mosquito, who introduces the organisms from its saliva into a person's circulatory system. In the blood, the parasites travel from the liver to mature or reproduce. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever and headache, which in severe cases will progress to coma or death. Disease transmission can be reduced by preventing mosqiuto bites by using mosquito nets and insect repellents, or with mosquito-control measure such as spraying insecticides and draining stand water. The disease is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions at a broad band around the equator, including much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas. e.g disease 1.____________ 2.____________ 3.____________ 4.____________ 5.____________ 6.____________ 7.____________ 8.____________ 9.___________ 10.___________ [20 marks]