Reading - K - exam tasks

TASK 1In this article about parents going to school some parts of sentences have been left out. Your task is to reconstruct the story by filling in the gaps from the list. SINGAPORE: PARENTS TAKE PRIMARY SCHOOL MATHS CLASSESParents in Singapore dust off their calculators: they are going back to school (1) so they can understand their children's homework.They are taking primary school maths classes (2) in order to understand what their children go through. Adults are signing up for courses (3) so that they can be helpful when their children have questions, the My Paper website reports. Parents at a "mastery workshop" pay $700 (£463) (4) to spend eight hours learning how to solve maths problems, the website says. It's part of a growing trend in Singapore.Parents (5) who decide to take part in the course are divided into groups depending on their existing knowledge and ability. "Some parents come to the workshop with zero maths knowledge, (6) so we have to go very slowly," says Nur Hidayah Ismail, the principal of the Genius Young Minds centre.Some parents say it has helped them to understand their children's struggles. But for others (7) who left the subject behind many years ago, things are trickier. Mohd Yusof Maruwi, (8) who attended a class with his wife, found most of the questions surprisingly difficult. "Luckily, she could understand what was going on," he says. TASK 2Read this article about a young man and his girlfriend and then read the half sentences that follow the text. Your task is to match the half sentences based on the information in the article.MARRIAGE PROPOSAL MAPPED OUT BY PORTSMOUTH JOGGER'S APPA Portsmouth runner has proposed to his girlfriend by spelling out "Will You Marry Me" using a GPS tracking application. The couple met through a mutual friend on Facebook when they commented on a post and then started chatting.Ben Chudley, 28, used a running app to track his progress around the city's streets before posting the route on Facebook. When he posted it on Tuesday evening, his girlfriend Olivia Abdul saw it and accepted his proposal. Mr Chudley, who had also drawn dinosaurs and cartoon characters in the same way, said the idea was "very me".He explained he had carefully designed his route using online mapping and had run the 5.71mile (9km) route. Mr Chudley told his girlfriend he was going out for a run before posting the map on Facebook and returning, with flowers and a ring, to hear her response. He admitted that posting it publicly "could have been very embarrassing if she had said no."Mr Chudley had started a Facebook group of similar 'drawings'. In the past, he had attempted a seahorse and a dinosaur but said Portsmouth's regular street layout made it easier to form letters. He added that making a wrong turn halfway through a run can be "heartbreaking" as it means having to start the tracking again.Surprised Olivia, who was given a gold and diamond engagement ring, said: "I was so happy.”The bride-to-be said the couple had been flooded with well-wishes from friends and family. Modern technology was used to create a message. The app had already been used by the young man. The proposal was posted on a community website. The letters were written on a map. A mistake might make the whole thing much longer. Friends have been informed about the event. Mr Chudley had carefully planned the event. TASK 3In the following interview with Chris Guillebeau, the person who has travelled most widely in the world, the questions have been removed. Your task is to reconstruct the interview by filling in the gaps from the list. Chris Guillebeau achieved something most people only dream of: visiting every country in the world. Impressive? Here is an interview:1) Where do you call home?CG: I travel at least 100 days a year, but when I’m not on the road I live in Portland, Oregon.2) Is there a place that draws you back again and again? Why?CG: There are many, but for me, I think the act of travel itself has a thrilling effect. I just love being on the road.3) Why is travel important? How has it changed you?CG: Travel forces you to think differently. I live a fairly routine life, and I like the element of adventure that travel brings. When I’m on the road I feel like a different person.4) What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in your travels?CG: A dead cow in the back of a taxi in Sierra Leone would probably be high on the list.5) What do you never leave at home?CG: I’m pretty basic. Everything goes in my cabin suitcase and my laptop bag. In addition to taking my computer everywhere I go, I also use a paper notebook to make notes along the way.6) What’s the best travel advice you can share with us?CG: Just go out and do it! Travel gives me confidence. The more I travel, the more I relax and stop stressing out.7) What are you working on right now?CG: I’m planning more trips, of course! There’s always more to be done and more places to visit—which is exactly the way I like it. TASK 4Read this article about a person who is afraid of nothing and then read the statements following it. Your task is to decide whether the statements are TRUE, FALSE, or WE DO NOT KNOW because the text does not say it. THE WOMAN WHO IS UNABLE TO FEEL FEARMary, a woman from the United States, cannot feel the emotion of fear, because of a very rare genetic condition. She has never been interviewed before because her doctors say that people could easily take advantage of her if her identity was made public.She says that she remembers being scared just once in her life. She was still a young girl and her father was fishing and caught a catfish. She was frightened because she didn’t want it to bite her. In fact, that was the only time she can remember experiencing fear.Once, when her sons were small and she was out for a walk, a man called her over. He grabbed her by the shirt, and he held a knife to her throat and told her he was going to cut her. She said, “Go ahead and do it”. The man let her go, and she went home, but she didn’t call the police, as she didn’t see the danger.She is also unable to recognize a fearful expression on the face of another person. Still, she has normal intelligence and recognizes other emotions such as joy, or anger in the same way as others.If she sees a poisonous snake that would make most people really scared, Mary will touch it without any problem. She isn’t afraid in such situations and has no bad memories afterward.‘If you have no fear, many more terrible things will happen to you,’ one of her doctors explained to journalists. ‘However, if you have a lot of fear, fewer bad things will probably happen.’So is it better to be fearful or fearless? Mary has been different from other people ever since she was born. true false the text does not say Her story has already appeared in newspapers in the past. true false the text does not say She hasn’t felt fear since she was a child. true false the text does not say Her father stopped fishing after the catfish incident. true false the text does not say The police had to save her when a man attacked her in a park. true false the text does not say Mary can understand that you are happy if you smile at her. true false the text does not say It is difficult for her to remember faces. true false the text does not say According to her doctor people like Mary experience more bad things than most people. true false the text does not say