I READING COMPREHENSION A Which sentences from the text suggest the following? Asian countries want to bridge the communication gap between East and West “Hello, my name is…” is the first phrase students learn in the English education wave that is sweeping Asia Native English speakers from western countries – particularly university students – are now working as teachers in countries like Korea, China, and Japan in order to feed the demand that’s grown in the East to learn English The “global village” is a term widely tossed around about the way business is evolving today As a result, Asian countries don’t want to miss out on business opportunities and foreign investment with wealthy western countries and companies In order to keep up, they need an English speaking workforce This means today’s primary, middle, senior and university students must prepare for a job in an English workplace English Education Jiao Li, 15, and Tony Zhao, 16, are two Chinese high school students, who opted to take English courses throughout the summer, while many of their classmates chose to stay home and relax over the holidays It’s a sacrifice they are willing to make in order to pass the country’s grueling national exam, which they complete during their final year of high school Students can choose to take a science- or arts-based exam, but they cannot opt out of the three most important and largest sections in the test: Chinese, Maths, and English “We need English because we should pass the exam, otherwise I can’t go to college,” said Zhao The scores students receive on the national exam determine whether they are eligible to study in a university In order to attend a high-calibre institution, students are also pressured by teachers and parents to achieve high scores The case is different in other Asian countries like Singapore and the Philippines, where all of the subjects are taught in English, according to the foreign English teacher Henry Chan, 46 He said English and Chinese are the most commonly spoken languages in Singapore, where his family is currently living English became one of the chief languages there because it was a former colony of England The children in Singapore start learning English in nursery school In www.academia.edu (adapted) 1) The number of Asian people wanting to learn English is increasing 2) Asian countries want to benefit financially from their investment in the English language 3) Students’ college admission depends on how well they perform in the national exam B Answer these questions on the text in your own words as far as possible 1) Why is learning English becoming so important in Asia? 2) In what way are students in Singapore in greater advantage concerning English learning? 3) Why has the English language such a great importance in Singapore? C Complete the following with ideas or words from the text 1) In order to bridge the communication gap, Asian students are given more opportunities … 2) Asian students are taught English by … 3) In order to pass the country’s national exam, Li and Zhao … 4) The most important subjects in an exam in China are … 5) Chinese students can’t go to college if they … D Match the following equivalents with the underlined words in the text 1) developing 2) main/principal 3) hard/difficult 4) spreading quickly 5) prepared/happy to 6) reduce the differences 7) rich 8) qualified II VOCABULARY Complete the statements below about the way people learn foreign languages with the words supplied Write the letters and missing words only listen I (a) a language school chat I (b) e-mails with my cyberfriends exchange I learn from (c) of films in the original version foreign I attend summer courses (d) record I read books and magazines in the (e) language attend I (f) with native speakers abroad I (g) closely to how native speakers pronounce certain words and sounds look up I (h) the words I need in a dictionary subtitles I (i) my own voice and listen to my pronunciation socialize I (j) online in forums or community sites or when playing games Choose from the list above (A to J) two ways of learning foreign languages you find most important Justify your two choices in a total of 30-40 words III GRAMMAR Can, May or Must? Complete the sentences below Use the negative of the verbs when necessary Write the letters and missing words only Mandarin dialects vary so much that people from different regions (a) understand each other If your C.V shows that you (b) speak Mandarin, you will have a better chance of getting the job You (c) fill in an application form Remember that for the interview you (d) lie about your skills or qualifications She (e) have understood him She doesn’t speak a word of Italian Choose the appropriate tense Write the letters and correct tense only Hi Ana, Sorry I (a) haven’t written / didn’t write for such a long time but I (b) have been / am really busy lately As you know I’m in the USA for my summer holidays and I (c) write / am writing you this e-mail to tell you all about it I (d) arrived / have arrived three days ago and (e) have already met / already met another Portuguese girl She (f) is speaking / speaks English quite well And guess what! We (g) stayed / are staying at the same youth hostel This makes things a lot easier for me  Yesterday, for example, while we (h) were going / went home, someone asked us for directions Imagine I was so nervous that I (i) didn’t know / don’t know what to say Since then my friend (j) did / has done all the talking, lol BFN H&K, Susana IV LISTENING Listen to the text “Myth and Realities about Language Learning” and complete the gaps Write the numbers and missing words only languages - myth and reality.mp3 Myth: There’s no point in learning languages when everyone can speak English! Reality: In fact there is a great and -1- demand in the workplace for people who can speak languages -2- English: ● -3-% of the world’s population not speak English ● Other -4- countries are aiming for skills in three languages ● -5-% of British trade is with non-English speaking countries ● British business has the -6- language skills in Europe ● To learn a -7- language is to see the world anew You are as many people as the languages you speak ● With the world becoming a -8- speaking only one language will definitely ‘shut you out.’ ● If your -9- shows that you can speak more than one language you will be chosen over other prospective -10that speak only one language ● The business world is in need of people who are -11- because of the global economy You will be an asset to any business with more than one language at your -12- Many -13- will even pay you more for this asset ● Learning a foreign language is easily done by anybody So, don’t worry if you haven’t got an “-14-” for learning a foreign language Desire is all you need along with the learning -15- V WRITING Write about 180-200 words on ONE of the following 1) You have been a student of English for over years now How important is learning English for you? Explain why/why not you like learning it and when/how you use it Also include some tips on how to learn a foreign language more effectively 2) “Speaking English not only enables us to communicate with the rest of the world more easily, it also makes us feel citizens of the world.” As a student, what is your opinion about this statement? KEY I A 1) (Native English speakers from western countries – particularly university students – are now working as teachers in countries like Korea, China, and Japan in order) to feed the demand that’s grown in the East to learn English 2) As a result, Asian countries don’t want to miss out on business opportunities and foreign investment with wealthy western countries and companies 3) The scores students receive on the national exam determine whether they are eligible to study in a university B 1) As English is the main language used in business around the world, Asian students are being prepared to communicate and work in an English-speaking work environment This way they have better chances of getting a job in international companies 2) They are at a greater advantage because all the subjects are taught in English and they start learning English at a very young age (in nursery school) 3) English has such a great importance in Singapore due to historical reasons – it is a former British colony C 1) to learn English 2) Native English speakers from western countries – particularly university students 3) took English courses throughout the summer 4) Chinese, Maths, and English 5) don’t pass the Chinese national exam D 1) evolving 2) chief 3) grueling 4) sweeping 5) willing 6) bridge 7) wealthy 8) eligible II 1.(a) attend (b) exchange (c) subtitles (d) abroad (e) foreign (f) socialize (g) listen (h) look up (i) record (j) chat personal answer III (a) may not (b) can (c) must (d) mustn’t (e) can’t a) haven’t written b) have been c) am writing d) arrived e) have already met f) speaks g) are staying h) were going i) didn’t know j) has done IV increasing C.V tools other than employees 75 European multilingual 60 poorest disposal foreign employers global village aptitude