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Paul Sparks,
Sino-Canadian International College, Guangxi University, Online English Lesson Plans, Lesson Material and Ideas
for Semester 2 Reading Lessons...
Reading: Review of Semester
1 Final Exam
Reading - Grade II
Final Exam - Semester 1, 2003
Sino-Canadian International College
(Written
by: Felicity Speight, Sino-Canadian International College)
Section One (30%): Read the article on the
Cheetah's Struggle to Survive and answer the questions that follow.
Section Two (25%):
Short Story. Read the story "Are You Going to Help Me?" and answer
the questions that follow.
Section Three (20%):
Skim Reading - "School Excursions". Skim read the notice and
answer the questions that follow.
Section Four (25%):
Read EITHER the short story extract OR the news article and discuss why or
why not it is an effective piece of writing.
Section One (30%)
Read through the following reading and answer the questions that follow. You
should attempt all questions.
The Cheetah's Struggle
to Survive
The cheetah, a black-spotted golden cat, the size of a large dog, is
endangered today largely because human beings have taken over much of the
cat's habitat and killed off the small antelope the cheetah hunts for food.
People have also killed many cheetahs directly. By the early 1970's, the fur
trade had become a major threat to large cats such as tigers and cheetahs.
At the time, the United States alone was importing 25,000 large-cat skins
each year for fur coats, rugs, and other fashion items. Passage of several
international treaties in 1973 and 1975, gave the cats protected status and
reduced the trade in cheetah fur. Nevertheless, cheetahs are still routinely
shot by African farmers and ranchers who view the cats as a threat to
livestock. Africa's animal parks and game reserves protect many animals from
human beings.
However, cheetahs are
poorly suited to life in these reserves. Within the borders of a typical
game reserve, herd animals such as zebras, wildebeest, and antelope are
protected from human hunters and so thrive in numbers not normally seen on
the open savanna (grassland with scattered trees). As a result, populations
of the large or powerful predators that feed on herd animals - predators
such as lions, hyenas and leopards - also are high. But middle-sized
predators such as cheetahs and wild dogs suffer when they are forced to
compete in this crowded and confined landscape.
Cheetahs are
handicapped, for example, by the very fact that they can perform spectacular
high-speed chases. To catch its breath after making a kill, a cheetah may
need to lie panting for up to 30 minutes before it can even begin to eat.
During this resting period, hyenas, lions, leopards, and even flocks of
vultures may steal the winded cat's kill. According to Carol, 1 in 10
cheetah kills is lost this way. Moreover, unlike most of their competitors,
cheetahs will not eat carrion (rotting meat). If they lose a kill, they must
hunt again to get fresh meat.
Because the cheetah is
built for speed and not for fighting, the animal has little chance of
fending off lions or hyenas even when it is rested. Its bones are light and
its body is thin and elongated, making the cat a poor match for a heavier
adversary. And cheetahs are the only cats whose claws are always bared, like
those of a dog, rather than being pulled back into protective sheaths. This
feature gives cheetahs extra traction for running, but it also dulls the
claws and makes them relatively useless for fighting. In addition, the cat's
unusually broad nasal passages, which help the cheetah take in a large
supply of oxygen while running, leave less room in the skull for the roots
of long canines (tearing teeth), which are characteristic of lions and other
wild cats. As a result, the cheetah's fangs are too short to take on fierce
competitors.
As cheetah populations
have dwindled in the wild, biologists have felt mounting pressure to try to
breed cheetahs in captivity. Their task has seemed monumental. Indeed, Akbar
the Great unwittingly set a record that was to law 400 years when one of his
cheetahs gave birth to a litter of three cubs in the 1500's. Even with
thousands of the cats to work with, Akbar's cheetah keepers never recorded
producing a second litter. And no other captive births are on record until
1956, when a female in the Philadelphia Zoo also produced a litter of three,
all of which died in infancy. A handful of other cheetah births were
reported during the 1960's at zoos in Europe and the United States, but not
until the early 1970's did a captive-born cub survive to maturity and give
birth to a second generation of captive-born cubs. Zoos still had to
purchase wild-caught animals to restock their exhibits.
During the 1970's, zoos
began to realize the urgency of establishing a self-sustaining population of
captive cheetahs, both to avoid taking any more animals from the wild and to
build up a pool of cheetahs that might one day be used to restock Africa's
remaining savannas. The zoos redoubled their efforts, and the number of
captive births rose steadily. Most of these births, however, were at only a
few institutions, including the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the Columbus Zoo
in Ohio, and Wildlife Safari in Winston, Ore. By the end of the decade,
researchers at other zoos began to wonder whether their efforts were being
foiled by biological problems in the cheetahs themselves.
Section One Questions
1. What is the main idea
of this reading? (10 marks)
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2. There are several
factors affecting the decline of the cheetah. Identify TWO causes and TWO
effects as mentioned in the reading. (4 marks)
A. Cause
A. Effect
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
B. Cause
B. Effect
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
3. Underline the word(s)
closest in meaning as used in the context of this article. (1 mark each)
A. Handicapped
disabled
skilled
clever
B. Endangered
At risk
Extinct
Starving
C. Traction
speed
grip
strength
D. Populations
Numbers
species
zoos
E. Urgency
Desire
lateness
importance
F. Predators
Killers
animals
reserves
4. The following is a
summary of the reading. Choose words from the box below and refer to the
reading to fill the gaps. (1 mark each)
The cheetah is
struggling to survive. Because cheetah numbers have
already been seriously
___________________, their only hope for
surviving remains on
_____________________ and human efforts to
____________________
them in captivity. Even in protected areas,
however, the cheetah has
a hard time surviving simply because of how
his
______________________ is designed. His _________________,
for example, are always
bared to help increase speed. But this also
means that the cheetah
cannot _____________________ himself very
well. Cheetahs also have
less room for _______________________
because of their large
__________________cavity, which helps them
take in large amounts of
_________________ while running. Part of
the struggle of the
cheetah to_______________, therefore, is because
of his biology.
Zoos breed
air
survive nose
decreased
Claws increased
teeth
Body reserves
defend
Nasal food
breathing
Section Two (25%)
Read through the following story and answer the questions that follow. You
should attempt ALL questions.
Are You Going to Help
Me?
By Mark V. Hansen
In 1989 an 8.2
earthquake almost flattened Armenia, killing over 30,000 people in less than
four minutes.
In the midst of utter devastation and chaos, a father left his wife securely
at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to
discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.
After the traumatic initial shock, he remembered the promise he had made to
his son: "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" And tears
began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of debris that once was the
school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his commitment to his
son.
He began to concentrate on where he walked his son to class at school each
morning. Remember his son's classroom would be in the back right corner of
the building, he rushed there and started digging through the rubble.
As he was digging, other forlorn parents arrived, clutching their hearts,
saying: "My son!" "My daughter!" Other well meaning
parents tried to pull him off of what was left of the school saying:
"It's too late!"
"They're dead!"
"You can't help!"
"Go home!"
"Come on, face reality, there's nothing you can do!"
"You're just going to make things worse!"
To each parent he responded with one line: "Are you going to help me
now?" And then he proceeded to dig for his son, stone by stone.
The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off of the school's debris
saying "Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere.
You're in danger. We'll take care of it. Go home." To which this
loving, caring, Armenian father asked, "Are you going to help me
now?"
The police came and said, "You're angry, distraught and it's over.
You're endangering others. Go home. We'll handle it!" To which he
replied, "Are you going to help me now?" No one helped.
Courageously he proceeded alone because he needed to know for himself:
"Is my boy alive or is he dead?"
He dug for eight hoursˇ 12 hoursˇ 24 hoursˇ 36 hoursˇ then, in
the 38th hour, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son's voice. He
screamed his son's name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad!?!
It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told 'em that if you
were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You
promised, 'No matter what, I'll always be there for you!' You did it,
Dad!"
"What's going on in there? How is it?" the father asked.
"There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're scared, hungry, thirsty
and thankful you're here. When the building collapsed, it made a wedge, like
a triangle, and it saved us."
"Come on out, boy!"
"No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, 'cause I know you'll get me! No
matter what, I know you'll be there for me!"
Section Two Questions
1. Multiple choice -
Underline the correct answer (2 marks each)
A. How many children
survived the earthquake?
i. 33
ii. 14
iii. 8.2
iv. 30,000
B. The father promised
his son that he wouldˇ
i. always be there for him
ii. save him in an earthquake
iii. endanger others
iv. leave his wife at home
C. What did the other
parents do?
i. helped the father
ii. called the fire brigade
iii. encouraged the father
iv. tried to make him leave the school
D. Where is the story
set?
i. Armand
ii. Armenia
iii. Armenian
iv. China
E. The father was spoken
to byˇ
i. the police
ii. the fire chief
iii. Armand
iv. all of the above
2. Short Answer
Questions (3 marks each)
i. No one helped the father. Why?
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ii. Why did the boy
survive?
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iii. What did the father
do after he left his wife?
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iv. Why didn't the boy
leave the building first?
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_________________________________________________________
v. What dangers was the
father warned about?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Section Three (20%)
SKIM READ the following notice which gives information about school
excursions. Each excursion is labeled A-J. Answer all the questions that
follow.
School Excursions
A. Aviation Hall of Fame
This museum is dedicated to the preservation of New Jersey's aviation and
space heritage.
B. Brightwood Park
Take your scouts up to Westfield's natural preserve for a short hike or to
practice skipping stone in the large pond. The boys can look for deer and
other woodland animals or go on a nature treasure hunt.
C. Big Sky Bread Company
Big Sky offers tours of the bakery along with a demonstration on bread
making.
D. Brunswick Edison Bowl
This bowling alley will take a reservation from Cub Scout dens. If they are
not too busy, they will give the boys a tour of the machine area (it's loud
in there) as part of the visit. The boys may even come home with a souvenir
bowling pin!
E. Canoeing and Kayaking
The Somerset County Park Commission offers a variety of canoeing and
kayaking programs from introductory classes to guided paddling trips on New
Jersey rivers and streams. The Introductory Canoe program teaches adults and
children, ages 6 and over, to learn to canoe. An adult must accompany
children, and paddlers must be at least 8 years old. Each canoe can
accommodate two paddlers and a child passenger.
F. Cheesequake State
Park
The Cheesequake State Park features 1,284 acres of open fields, saltwater
and freshwater marshes, Pine Barrens, a hardwood forest, a White Cedar
swamp, a multitude of wildlife and close to 200 species of birds. Activities
for scouts include hiking, boating, canoeing, swimming and a variety of
winter sports. An Interpretive Center provides live wildlife exhibits and
environmental education programs, including nature walks.
G. Edison National
Historic Site
This is a great place for scouts to realize the genius of one of America's
great inventors (1,093 patents). Edison worked at this laboratory for the
last 44 years of his life, developing improvements in storage batteries, the
phonograph and motion pictures. Visitors can tour the Main Lab, the
Chemistry Lab and the Powerhouse, which, today, houses a Museum and a
Visitors Center. See also Edison National Historic Site.
H. Fosterfields Living
Historical Farm
Learn about farming as it was done 100 years ago at Fosterfields Living
Historical Farm. There are weekend demonstrations on planting, cultivating
and harvesting crops as well as special programs held throughout the year.
Some of these include wheelwright and carpentry demonstrations, sheep
shearing and carriage driving.
I. The Model Railroad
Club
The model Railroad Club is an activity of the Union County Park System. The
Club is open to visitors every Saturday afternoon for viewing the HO and
N-scale model train layouts. Every fall, the Club sponsors a Light and Sound
show that will delight the model train enthusiasts in your den.
J. Newark Airport
The Airport offers free tours covering the history of the airport, terminal
operations, and emergency vehicles and equipment for groups of 15 to 30
persons. The tours are geared for students in grades 3 and above. See also
Newark International Airport.
Section Three Questions
1. Answer questions 1-5
below by writing the appropriate letter A-J next to each question. (2 marks
each)
i. Which excursion is
good for playing a sport where each
player throws a large ball at ten pins?
ii. On which excursion
could you learn more about materials to use when building a setting for your
train set?
iii. On which excursion
can you spend time riding down a river?
iv. Where could you
learn more about the history of inventions?
v. On which excursion
can you learn more about baking?
vi. Which excursion
would you attend if you were interested in airplanes?
vii. On which excursion
can you learn about driving a horse and carriage?
viii. On which excursion
can you play a game looking for treasure?
ix. On which excursion
can you look for deer?
x. On which excursion
can you shear sheep?
Section Four (25%)
Choose ONE of the following readings. Write a short paragraph discussing why
or why not it is an effective piece of writing. You may wish to discuss
style, structure, vocabulary, tone, grammar, punctuation, point of view,
language techniques etc. (25 marks)
EITHER
Reading A Taken from
"The Bomb" by M. Plat
The sky had never spoken to me like that before. It was as if God had given
it a voice box. No, a yelling box. The clouds were screaming at me "go
home!" But I wasn't sure where home was anymore.
Yesterday it had all
seemed so simple. My life was easy, fulfilling and complete. Living the life
of a quiet bachelor on a beautiful island, going to work, coming home,
eating dinner, going to bed, no complaints. But that was before the sky
spoke to me. Its voice a myriad of stunning colours - blues, blacks, and
greys with flashes of silver like the sea after a summer storm. Only this
was different. Death was falling from the sky and shards of glass were
scratching at my lungs.
OR
Reading B Taken from
Reuters "NY Xmas Carolers Break World Record"
Five hundred nineteen Christmas carolers braved the New York cold and
fa-la-la-la-la'd themselves into the Guinness World Records Book with the
largest carol service, breaking the previous record of 517.
"My fingers froze
but, hey, we broke the record," said city resident Norman Ellis who
joined the sing-along on Saturday on the steps of Manhattan's General Post
Office across the street from Madison Square Garden.
Guinness officials had
12 marshals on the scene to make sure all carolers were actually singing and
not just moving their lips to traditional Christmas songs such as Jingle
Bells and Deck the Halls.
Guinness required that
all participants knew the words to the carols and that the singing went on
for at least 15 uninterrupted minutes. Saturday's effort lasted 16 minutes
and 17 seconds.
"It was
great," said Alex Camacho of Long Island, who sang along with his wife
and children. "It just gets you into the Christmas spirit."
1. The reading I will
discuss is reading A/B (cross out one)
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