HKDSE

ENG LANG

PAPER 1
Q-A Book
HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION A
COMPULSORY

Mock Test 2
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 1
PART A
Reading Passages
1 hour 30 minutes
(for both Parts A and B)

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

(1) This paper consists of two parts (A and B). Students should attempt Part A. ln Part B, you
should attempt either Part B1 (easy section) OR Part B2 (difficult section). Students who attempt
Parts A and B2 will be able to attain the full range of levels, while Level 4 will be the highest
level attainable for students who attempt Parts A and B1.

(2) Enter your answers in the Question-Answer Section in the correct spaces provided. Answers
written in the margins will not be marked.

(3) Blacken the appropriate circle with a pencil to indicate your answer for multiple-choice
questions. Mark only ONE answer to each question. NO MARKS will be given to questions with
two or more answers.

(4) Supplementary answer sheets will be supplied upon request. You need to write your Candidate
Number and mark the question number box.

(5) Put down your pen and stop work altogether upon the ‘Time is up’ announcement. No extra
time will be given to students for filling in the question number boxes.

lNSTRUCTIONS FOR PART A

Attempt ALL questions in Part A. Each question carries ONE mark unless otherwise stated.

© 雅集出版社有限公司 保留版權 Not to be taken away before the

Aristo Educational Press Ltd.
end of the examination session
All Rights Reserved 2017

1 Book 4 • Set A
 Developing Skills for HKDSE ‒ Papers 1 & 2
Book 4 (2017 Edition) Mock Test 2 Paper 1 - for HKDSE -

PART A
Text 1
Read Text 1 and answer questions 1-18 on pages 1-4 of the Question-Answer Section for Part A. (40 marks)

Disruptions: Texting your feelings, symbol by symbol

[1] I recently had to sit my friend down for a modern-day digital intervention. It wasn’t that he was using his phone at dinner, or
that he was hitting ‘reply all’ on e-mail threads. No, this was much worse.

[2] A few weeks ago my friend, Michael Galpert, was visiting the West Coast for work. I set him up on a date with a friend who
lives in Los Angeles. The first date went well and the two decided to see each other again.

5 [3] When Michael returned to New York, he and his new romantic interest started text messaging, and were communicating via
emoji. As my colleague Jenna Wortham explained in this column earlier this year, emoji are the cartoonlike and more elaborate
cousins of emoticons – those combinations of colons, parentheses and other punctuation that can convey expressions like a
smile or a wink. ;-)

[4] The woman Michael was courting would type sweet nothings to him using emoji icons – a lady dancing, high heels or
10 a martini with an olive – and this is where things went awry. Michael would respond with the ‘thumbs up’ emoji, a hand that
looks as if it belongs to an inflated cartoon character. When she would text ‘I’m excited to see you,’ followed by a heart,
Michael would respond with a thumbs up.

[5] The woman confided to me and a friend that she believed that based on his use of emoji, Michael was clearly not interested
in her and just wanted to be friends. ‘It’s like he’s saying “Hey, dude” or “Sure, bro” when he sends me that emoji,’ she told me.
15 ‘It’s not cute.’

[6] That’s when I had to intervene. Sure, it might sound a bit odd that a new, long-distance relationship could fizzle out because
a tiny icon was misused, yet this type of messaging miscommunication happens often (though perhaps not quite as comically).
The emoji icons can be baffling to the American adults who, whether they realize it or not, are taking their social cues from
Japanese teenagers.

20 [7] But American adults are not the first grown-ups with a tin ear for emoji. ‘In Japan, there was a similar, interesting moment
when you started to see older folks and men start using these kind of cute aspects that originally came from middle-school girl
mobile-phone culture,’ said Mimi Ito, a cultural anthropologist at the University of California, Irvine.

[8] Emoji date back to 1995, when people used pagers instead of smartphones and NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s biggest cellular
phone operator, added a small heart icon to its pagers. The heart spread rapidly among Japanese teenagers because it allowed
25 them to express an emotion that was almost impossible to portray in small snippets of text.

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 2

 Developing Skills for HKDSE ‒ Papers 1 & 2
Book 4 (2017 Edition) Mock Test 2 Paper 1 - for HKDSE -

[9] While emoji made their way to America a few years later, not many people used them until 2011, when Apple included the
symbols in iOS 5, the company’s mobile operating system. But Apple was not trying to woo American customers when it
introduced the colorful pictorial icons. It was going after Japanese teenage consumers, said Fred Benenson, a data engineer at
Kickstarter and the author of Emoji Dick, a recreation of Herman Melville’s classic novel, Moby Dick, told entirely in emoji.

30 [10] ‘There are these blind spots with emoji, as a lot of choices for the icons are biased towards Japanese culture,’ he said.
There are plenty of emoji for Japanese food and hallmark backgrounds like sushi, ramen noodles, mochi balls on a skewer
and the Mount Fuji icon. On the other hand, emoji that showcase American culture like American football, the Mount
Rushmore National Memorial (featuring the giant sculpted heads of four US presidents on the granite face of Mount
Rushmore), tacos and hot dogs are hard to find.

35 [11] American social networking service companies like Facebook have only recently taken to emoji, and they have been
learning that the billion-plus people who communicate across their social network not only speak many different languages but
also use emoji differently. Greg Marra, a Facebook product manager, recently traveled to India and Japan to better understand
the differences.

[12] ‘We discovered that in Asian cultures, the expression on an emoji face isn’t necessarily what conveys emotion. It’s the
40 context of where that face is located,’ Mr Marra said.

[13] In Asian cultures, an emoji face in thick black clouds would show that someone is feeling dark and sad, and possibly
having a bad day. A face on a beach with the sun glaring means they are happy. In the United States, the emotion on the face
tells the story, not the surroundings.

[14] Eventually, though, Americans will catch on. ‘Usually we see about a 10-year lag from when a new communication is
45 adopted and when it becomes a norm,’ Ms Ito said. ‘We’re somewhere in the middle of that curve right now as an
American-specific emoji culture forms in the US.’

[15] As for Michael, things didn’t work out with the woman he was inadvertently insulting. But he mused that he learnt a lesson
along the way. ‘I’m no longer using the thumbs up emoji,’ he said recently. ‘I’ve switched it for the star emoji.’ It’s obvious
Michael still has a long way to go before mastering emoji.

Source: adapted from Nick Bilton’s ‘Disruptions: Texting Your Feelings, Symbol by Symbol’
From The New York Times, 18 Aug 2013 © 2013 The New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by
the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express
written permission is prohibited.

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 3

 This is a blank page.

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 4

HKDSE
ENG LANG

PAPER 1
Q-A Book
HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION B1
EASY SECTION

Mock Test 2
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 1
PART B1
Reading Passages
1 hour 30 minutes
(for both Parts A and B)

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Refer to the General Instructions on the cover page of Part A.

lNSTRUCTIONS FOR PART B1

Students who choose Part B1 should attempt all questions in this part. Each question carries
ONE mark unless otherwise stated.

© 雅集出版社有限公司 保留版權 Not to be taken away before the

Aristo Educational Press Ltd.
end of the examination session
All Rights Reserved 2017
5
 Developing Skills for HKDSE ‒ Papers 1 & 2
Book 4 (2017 Edition) Mock Test 2 Paper 1 - for HKDSE -

PART B1
Text 2
Read Text 2 and answer questions 19-31 on pages 5-6 of the Question-Answer Book for Part B1. (21 marks)

The perils of drinking

Posted by Leslie
June 21, 20 _ _
(L = Leslie K = Koren)

L: [1] Hi, this is Leslie. Welcome to the Teens Online podcast. Today, our guest on the show, Koren Zailckas, will share her
insights into teen drinking. Alcohol abuse is a topic close to her heart for it caused a lot of pain and damage during her
teen years. Shortly after Koren turned 14, her happy family life was turned upside down. The nightmare haunted
everyone for eight long years. Now she lectures youngsters on the dangers of alcohol. She has also turned her past
5 suffering into a book, Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood. It is a moving tale with valuable messages for teenagers –
especially girls, as well as their parents.

L: [2] Welcome, Koren. Tell me, why are there more teenage girl drinkers now than in the past?

K: [3] The alcohol industry plays a major role. I found articles from the 1990s that describe wine merchants pushing for
a more ‘co-ed’ marketing approach. If you look at whisky ads from the 1980s, they clearly targeted men. This changed,
10 and more young women, even those in their teens, began to drink.

L: [4] Are certain kinds of teens at higher risk of starting heavy drinking?

K: [5] I’d say teens in general are, as they are always looking for ways to fit in. Cosmetic products and diet pills hold the
same promise as the bottle – you can change from an ugly duckling to a swan overnight.

L: [6] Why did you, personally, start drinking?

15 K: [7] Like most teenagers, I didn’t have a clear sense of who I was – one week I was the smart girl, the next week, the bad
girl … The girl who drinks was another role to try – a more adult role, I thought. Also, I drank more when I felt bored.
When I went to college, I was unprepared for the amount of free time I suddenly had. Finding something you like doing
that makes you feel good about yourself is a difficult process, especially when parents aren’t around.

L: [8] Can parents help steer their kids away from alcohol?

20 K: [9] Studies have shown that parents’ attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol use greatly impact teens’ decisions about
the subject, so yes. Besides, they can help them find their identity. More broadly, teens need to know they can talk to their
parents without fear of judgement or punishment.
© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 6
 Developing Skills for HKDSE ‒ Papers 1 & 2
Book 4 (2017 Edition) Mock Test 2 Paper 1 - for HKDSE -

L: [10] Koren, what would be your final message to our audience?

K: [11] Alcohol is not the answer to your problems. And, girls especially: be careful. Women generally have less water in
25 their bodies, due to their smaller size, so we are at greater risk of death by alcohol poisoning.

L: [12] Thank you, Koren. That’s it for this week’s show.

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 7

 Developing Skills for HKDSE ‒ Papers 1 & 2
Book 4 (2017 Edition) Mock Test 2 Paper 1 - for HKDSE -

Text 3
Read Text 3 and answer questions 32-40 on pages 7-8 of the Question-Answer Section for Part B1. (19 marks)

Consume these documentaries responsibly

Our roundup of addiction documentaries to watch now

OxyContin: Time Bomb (2014)

[13] When most people think of drug addiction, they think of tiny packs of white powder or pills slipped into sweaty palms in
seedy back alleys. However, some of the most dangerous drugs around today are actually manufactured in standardized
factories and can be bought openly over the counter with a prescription from a doctor. One of these is OxyContin, which has
5 gained a huge share of the market for painkillers. Partly because of its powerful effects on severe pain, and partly because of
highly successful marketing campaigns and networking, it commands a huge following. This documentary explores those PR
efforts, and their effects. Easily accessible and affordable, OxyContin has become a gateway drug that often leads to other street
drugs like heroin, or to overdose and death.

Dope Sick Love (2005)

10 [14] This documentary looks into the lifestyle that heroin addiction leads to by following an addicted couple around New York
on their never-ending hunt for new highs. Heroin costs money and, as addicts, they’ve already spent theirs on past highs.
Getting a new hit means getting more cash, and they turn to robbery. Watch this movie for an unbiased view of the pure,
overpowering drive of addiction – from the inside.

Ben: Diary of a Heroin Addict (2008)

15 [15] At first glance, this docu seems a lot like the last one – a true story about the hardship caused by heroin addiction. But look
more closely: the footage was shot by Ben, the addict, himself. He wanted to document his physical and mental suffering
honestly as he faced death. Sadly, the courage and effort it took to film his own life was still not enough to hold back his heroin
use. Ben died two years after filming began.

Kids on Ice (2015)

20 [16] This documentary focuses on a different addicted population: teenagers in small-town Australia and the problematic drug
is methamphetamine (meth). Like heroin, it’s highly addictive and damaging to the body. This documentary looks at meth’s
effects on a rural community – its ability to tear families and relationships apart, and the difficulty of stopping its spread. It also
details the familiar struggles the addicts themselves and their loved ones go through – broken promises, violence and crime – all
before they reach adulthood.

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 8

HKDSE
ENG LANG

PAPER 1
Q-A Book
HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION B2
DIFFICULT SECTION

Mock Test 2
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 1
PART B2
Reading Passages
1 hour 30 minutes
(for both Parts A and B)

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Refer to the General Instructions on the cover page of Part A.

lNSTRUCTIONS FOR PART B2

Students who choose Part B2 should attempt all questions in this part. Each question carries
ONE mark unless otherwise stated.

© 雅集出版社有限公司 保留版權 Not to be taken away before the

Aristo Educational Press Ltd.
end of the examination session
All Rights Reserved 2017
9
 Developing Skills for HKDSE ‒ Papers 1 & 2
Book 4 (2017 Edition) Mock Test 2 Paper 1 - for HKDSE -

PART B2
Text 4
Read Text 4 and answer questions 41-61 on pages 9-12 of the Question-Answer Section for Part B2. (42 marks)

Geek power rising

[1] The word ‘geek’ was once seen as a grave insult reserved for a fool or crazy person. Nowadays it has become a badge of
honour for clever minds with time-consuming pursuits, often in science or technology. Unlike the geeks before them, they are
not social outcasts. Indeed, quite a few of their leading lights have become so influential that the general public keenly copy
their looks and behaviour.

5 [2] Are we entering the age of the geek? After the debut of ‘geek chic’ in the Oxford Dictionaries Online in 2013, some people
now claim that ‘geek’ has become the new ‘cool’. Moreover, ‘geek’ in the new millennium is a term that expresses intelligence,
commitment and focus.

[3] Yet the beginnings of the ‘geek’ were lowly – the word originally referred to the dumb. In the early 20th century it became a
name for circus sidekicks who entertained with tasteless tricks, such as biting the heads off small mammals and creepy-crawlies.
10 Family-friendly fun? I don’t think so!

[4] During the 1980s and 1990s, the unkind tag returned as technology boomed. ‘Geek’ described a new generation of misfits
and weirdos. Group members were mainly male and technology-obsessed. To a certain extent they were not unlike their
predecessors, except that they probably had no time for, or interest at all for animal acts. They remained unattractive with a
lowly social status that could easily be brushed aside. Clearly, their moment still had not quite arrived.

15 [5] In popular media, such as comics and TV sitcoms, geeks back then were included only for laughs. They were typically
males with thick glasses – boring characters with rigid routines, no social skills to speak of and hobbies that were either
uncommon or tech-related, or both (e.g. trainspotting and computer programming). Some geeks avoided ‘normals’ and only
hung out with one another.

[6] Geeks started to see their status rise in the early 2000s, coinciding with the Net era. The early Internet had been created by
20 geeks; suddenly everyone else was exposed to it. What’s more, they were suddenly in demand. A 2013 global manpower survey
showed a shortage of information technology (IT) staff that continues today. Still, how did geeks actually become cool?

[7] Credit is due to two of the most distinguished citizens of geekdom, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, tech geniuses whose
tremendous fame and power generated great publicity for their fellow geeks. Their big successes helped geeks hold their heads
up and say, ‘I’m intelligent and proud.’

25 [8] When Bill Gates spoke to Caroline Graham of the UK’s Daily Mail, he admitted, ‘if being a geek means you’re willing to
take a 400-page book on vaccines … and you use that to challenge people to learn more, then absolutely. I’m a geek.’ With this
admission, Gates showed the world that geekiness stands for serious hard work.

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 10

 Developing Skills for HKDSE ‒ Papers 1 & 2
Book 4 (2017 Edition) Mock Test 2 Paper 1 - for HKDSE -

[9] Born in the same year (1955) as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs helped establish geek chic by presenting cool new gadgets while
wearing an unchanging outfit: high-necked jumper, black tee, jeans, trainers, and intellectual (geeky) glasses. Jobs was the
30 perfect model and his signature outfit became fashionable. What’s more, the technology itself became hip. Like their inventors,
Apple and Microsoft products were purposefully down-to-earth and user-oriented to attract the mass market, departing from
what had characterized the early techno-geeks.

[10] There are now plenty of pretenders around as geeky behaviour becomes the new chic. In an ironic fashion twist, more
and more wannabe geeks are trying to fake a geeky look by wearing thick-framed glasses – even if they have perfect eyesight.
35 They show off the little tech knowledge they have using geeky jargon they painstakingly memorize. It really is hard work
pretending to be clever.

[11] Even as normies turn nerdy, a curious opposing trend seems to be taking place. Lately tech CEOs – all lifelong geeks – are
keenly transforming themselves into the jocks they never were. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was surely never captain of
the high school football team, but that did not stop him from training for a triathlon. In 2016 he planned to cover 365 miles by
40 December 31, and met his running goal by July. Other tech gurus favour tennis, bodybuilding or roller hockey, and the
emergence of high-end gyms dotting San Francisco proves it’s not just the tech bosses working out – it’s the tech workers too.

[12] If nerds really are starting to exercise instead of eating crisps, drinking soda and playing video games all day, then why?
To beat back their teenage insecurities? To look good wearing swimwear in beach-filled California’s health-conscious culture?
Does new-found wealth come with the cultural attitudes of the wealthy, not to mention the ability to purchase fancy equipment
45 and hire expert trainers? One thing is clear: even when geeks do something non-geeky, like sport, they do it in a geeky,
obsessive way.

[13] Being a geek is now mainstream. Ignoring people instead of phones is the new normal. No one bothers with the real world
now that it is ‘cool’ to be an outsider.

[14] However, in the East, old views remain. Otaku, a Japanese word similar to ‘geek’, still suggests negative ideas. This
50 difference between East and West can be understood if we examine cultural trends. In fast-paced societies such as Japan and
Hong Kong, being able to name superheroes is not seen as productive; it shows the hobbyist as someone ‘toxic’ to avoid.

[15] So Asia awaits its own geeky heroes or heroines to turn their obsessions into success stories by following in the footsteps
of the great geeks of the West. Taking a bold step forward involves risks, but didn’t Steve Jobs and Bill Gates take plenty?
Geeks, be brave!

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 2017 11

First published November, 2017