LA SALLE COLLEGE
F.1 GENERAL ENGLISH & READING
EXAMINATION
All answers should be written on the answer sheets provided ※
Section I
/ (30%) /Reading Comprehension
Colour Talks
Colour is very important in our daily life. It can influence our choice of buying when we go shopping and can also affect the way we look and feel. A person can be naturally attracted to one particular colour while finding another colour repulsive. The influence of colour on human emotions and feelings is very powerful. Designers, advertisers, artists and even doctors use it in their professions for different purposes.
Every day, without even thinking about it, we use colour to communicate our feelings. For example, the colour we choose to wear is one way of expressing ourselves. It says something about the person, how he or she feels, and how he or she wants others to feel about the wearer. In other words, colour talks.
A person who wants to appear stylish and mature will usually wear dark colours or black. A person who wishes to appear youngish, pure and innocent dresses in white, thus the choice of a bride’s wedding gown.
Also, clothed in white are doctors, dentists, nurses and hospital in-patients as the colour expresses coolness, comfort, cleanliness and professionalism. Brown, navy blue or grey clothes are the usual colours worn by office workers so as not to draw unnecessary attention to themselves. They are, in a way conveying the message that they want to be noticed for their work, not their appearance. These particular colours reflect a serious and business-like attitude in the workplace. People who wear bright, strong colours like to be noticed and so, these colours are particularly popular with actresses, singers and partygoers.
In the past, common people were not allowed to wear certain colours. In Thailand, for example, only kings, queens and members of the royal family could wear purple while in ancient China, yellow was the colour reserved for the emperor and the empress. Nowadays, people can wear whatever colour they like or as they think appropriate.
IA.
/ Choose the most suitable answers for the following questions. Fill in the blanks with the/ correct letters. / (10%) / 1 mark @
1. The word “it” in line one means
a. influence / b. colourc. human / d. personal feeling
2. How does colour affect a product?
a. It is able to influence the consumers‘ choiceof purchase / b. It may make the purchasers work harder
c. It helps the product designer to express himself / d. It describes the product
3. Brides wear white because it is a colour for
a. coolness / b. professionalismc. purity / d. comfort
4. If a girl chooses to wear a red dress to a party, it implies that she wants to
a. look pretty / b. be an actressc. appear business-like / d. be noticed
5. According to the passage, which is the safest colour to wear if one works in an office?
a. white / b. pinkc. yellow / d. blue
6. According to the passage, dark-coloured clothes make a person look more
a. talented / b. sophisticatedc. young / d. pretty
7. The topic “ Colour Talks” means colour can
a. upgrade your language ability / b. make people talk with each otherc. express how one feels and wants / d. make people beautiful
8. If you want yourself appear to be younger, you should wear in
a. white / b. bluec. yellow / d. dark
9. In the past, the common Thais were not allowed to wear in
a. purple / b. bluec. yellow / d. dark
10. In ancient China, only emperor and empress could wear in
a. white / b. bluec. yellow / d. dark
IB.
/ Answer the following questions in complete sentences / (12%)- In what way can colour affect our daily lives? (3%)
- Why do you think nurse, doctors and dentists wear white? (3%)
- Actresses and singers usually wear bright, strong colours when they go on stage to perform, why? (2%)
- Why do the workers wear blue or grey clothes? (4%)
IC.
/ Fill in the blanks with words from the passage. Use one word for each blank only/ (8%) / 1 mark @
Colour has a powerful influence on man’s 1 and feelings. Very often, we use colours to 2 our feelings without even thinking about it. For example, people who wear in black usually wish to appear 3 and 4 . On the other hand, actresses and singers prefer 5 and 6 colours because they want themselves to be noticed for their
7 more than their 8 .
Section II / (50%) /Grammar
IIA.
/ Fill in the blanks with the correct forms and tenses of the words given below./ (8%) / 1 mark @
Do / Look / Stand / Is
Pour / Read / Wish / Excite
1 detective story is Tommy’s hobby. He 2 some day he could be a detective. One day, when he 3 ready for school, he saw a man 4 on the pavement. Since it 5 with rain outside, he took an umbrella and went near the man. “You want to cross the road, Sir, 6 you?” The man nodded with a smile. Tommy sheltered both of them with his umbrella and they crossed the road together.
A week later, when Tommy was on his way to attend the piano lesson, he met the man again. They chatted with each other. The man told him that he was a detective and he 7 for a missing child by that time. Tommy asked him all the particulars about the missing child and went on his way again. He felt 8 because he could make friends with a real detective.
IIB.
/Fill in the blanks with the correct tenses of the given verbs
/ (20%) / 2 mark @l She 1 (attend) classes to improve her shorthand since last month.
l I usually 2 (not wear) a coat because my office is so warm.
l The wind 3 (blow) strongly since this morning, people are afraid of going outside.
l He is recording his voice on the tape-recorder in a small room. No one 4 (be) to disturb him.
l As she was walking down the slope, she 5 (fall) down accidentally.
l He 6 (cut) his chin while he was shaving .
l He 7 (just complete) his job, he is going to have a rest.
l No rain 8 (fall) there for a month, the citizens are too happy to see dark clouds above today.
l They 9 (like) to read books by “Alvin Toffler”. They are reading “The Future Shock” now.
l Did you count the books before they 10 (be handed) in to the teacher?
IIC.
/ Fill in the blanks with “a”, “an”, “the”, “some” or “any”. Put in a cross “X” if no/ article is needed. / (10%) / 1 mark @
l 1 Chinese New Year is 2 grandest and 3 most important occasion to Chinese.
l By 4 way, have you seen 5 good films lately.
l 6 European man went into 7 shop one day to buy 8 “Anton” shirt.
l If 9 of my friends come by, tell them that I‘ll be back in 10 hour’s time.
IID.
/ A Form one student wrote an article about his experience to his teacher. However, some sentences are quite long. Make them shorter by using the following words to replace those phrases underlined./
Fill in the blanks with the correct letters
/ (12%) / 1 mark @A. bumped into / B. recommended / C. bossed me around / D. favourites
E. terrible / F. terrific / G. responsibility / H. spots
I. popular / J. got on well / K. extra-curricular activities / L. put off
Let me tell you a (1) very bad and unpleasant experience. Last week I went to a (2) great and excellent restaurant. A waiter (3) used many good words to introduce me a dish. He said it was (4)liked by most people. The dish was really an expensive one but I didn’t want myself to be (5) so reluctant to consider his suggestion; I ordered it. Later, I (6) saw someone walking in and he is my classmate. He asked me if I had ordered any of my (7) food which I liked best. I told him everything about the sincere waiter. He sat down and told me that he had got a very poor result in the previous examination. He realized that it was because he had joined too many (8) activities which are usually held after school. He knew that it was his (9) duty as a student to study harder but he got no time. He asked me if I had joined any activities after school. I told him that I had joined the basketball team once but I gave it up very soon because one fierce member often (10) ordered me to do a lot of extra work for him and for other team members as well. Fortunately, that fierce member and I (11) could establish a friendly relationship with each other later on. Then, my dish came. I tried to enjoy it as soon as possible but I couldn’t. It was because there were some (12) tiny dirty round black dots on the two pieces of pork chop.
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