1 霹雳怡保培南独立中学 POI LAM HIGH SCHOOL (SUWA) IPOH MID-YEAR EXAMINATION 2023 ENGLISH LANGUAGE DATE: 14th JUNE 2023 TIME: 0825-1005 (1h 40m) ______________________________ NAME: ________________________________ REG NO: ______________ CLASS: S1ZH / S1RE ___________________________________________________________________________ INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Paper 1 (50%) Paper1 consists of 2 sections: Section A: Summary Writing (15%), Section B: Essay Writing (35%) Your composition will be assessed on content, grammar, organization, spelling and punctuation. Write the question number or the topic you have chosen at the top of your answer sheet. Do Not Turn Over This Page Until You Are Told To Do So ____________________________________________________________________________ This paper consists of 3 printed pages Prepared by: Checked by: …………………………… …………………… Ms. ANNIE SYLVIA Ms. SURVIN Paper 1[WRITING]
2 Section A: Summary Writing (15%) Read the following passage carefully. Then write a summary of the passage, highlighting ⚫ the different types of vegetation found ⚫ the importance of the Amazon rain forest Your summary should be in continuous writing and should not be longer than 150 words. Credit will be given for the use of your own words. State in brackets the number of words used. The Amazon rain forest, the world’s largest tropical rain forest covers, approximately 5.2 million square kilometers in the Amazon River Basin of South America. About two-thirds of the rain forest lies in Brazil while the rest covers parts of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela. It receives an average annual rainfall of 130-445centrimetres an temperatures average about 27 degrees Centigrade (80 degrees Fahrenheit). The trees in this rain forest grow in several distinct layers. The emergent, tower above the rest of the forest and may reach heights of over 50 meters. The upper canopy generally grows to about 20-50 meters high. Plants that thrive in this layer include ferns, mosses and orchids. One or two lower canopies consists of saplings of trees found in the upper canopy as well as in smaller trees and shrubs. Liana, woody vines, wind around the tree trunks an branches, right from the ground to the upper canopy. The canopies get sunlight most of the year but their thick foliage prevents light from reaching the forest floor. The Amazon rain forest has a wider variety of plant and animal life than any other place in the world. Tens of thousands of different plant species thrive here. A one hectare area of the forest land may contain more than 280 species of trees. Many economically important plants are found and this yield products like Brazil nuts, cocoa, rubber and pineapples, as well as medicinal herbs and roots or bark to be used as drugs. It carries more than 1,500 species of birds and the rivers contain almost 3,000 different fish. Besides, scientists believe almost 30 million insect species can be found here. The world’s rapid population growth and the high demands for natural resources have greatly threatened the Amazon rain forest. Loggers cut down trees for wood products while ranchers and farmers clear the land for grazing beef cattle growing crops. Areas that have been cleared and regenerate but there will be much less diversity of plant life compared to the original forest. About 10% of the forest has been destroyed. Deforestation, development and also gold mining pose serious threats to the native who depend on the forest for their livelihood and who are in fact the rightful guardians of the amazing land. Finally, it goes without saying that we have to be more mindful of the world’s forests as they are the ‘lungs’ of the atmosphere, providing fresh clean air for our survival. The Amazon River, the world’s second longest and the chief river in South America and tributaries, run through this rain forest. The fierce flesh- eating piranha and the arapaima, one of the largest freshwater fish of South America, thrive here. Alligators, anacondas, monkeys, parrots, sloths and insects inhabit the Amazon basin area.
3 Section B: Essay Writing (35%) Write a composition of not fewer than 350 words on ONE (1) of the following topics. 1. Being your own boss is better than working for others. Do you agree? 2. How to study effectively for the examination. 3. The importance of conserving marine life. 4. Should parents spank their children as a way to discipline them? Discuss. 5. Compare and contrast the jungle animals and the desert animals. You may give an example of an animal each for your comparison.
