FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
ENGLISH – READING
LEVEL 2
Source Booklet
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This source booklet contains three texts for the level 2 reading exam
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The exam questions are based on this material
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You must hand in this source booklet at the end of the exam, along with your question
and answer paper
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The level 2 reading exam will assess your ability to:
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select, read, understand and compare texts and use them to gather information, ideas,
arguments and opinions
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select and use different types of texts to obtain and utilise relevant information
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read and summarise succinctly information/ideas from different sources
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identify the purposes of texts and comment on how meaning is conveyed
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detect point of view, implicit meaning and/or bias
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analyse texts in relation to audience needs and consider suitable responses
Functional Skills English – Reading Level 2
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Functional Skills English – Reading Level 2
Level 2 Reading Texts
What makes you angry in this world?
Have you ever been on a protest march?
More and more young people are starting to protest. The following texts are all about how some
people choose to protest about issues they would like to change.
Text 1 is taken from a news account of an incident which occurred at an anti-whaling protest in
the Southern Ocean.
Text 2 is taken from an article describing the increased participation of young people in
protesting.
Text 3 is taken from the House of Commons website. It gives information about how the UK
Government deals with petitions from the public.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6939571/Anti-whaling-ship-sinks-after-collisionwith-Japanese-vessel.html
Anti-whaling ship sinks after collision
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an anti-whaling protest group. It claimed that the Ady
Gil, its 78 ft protest powerboat, was “sliced in half” by the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru 2.
Jeff Hansen, of SSCS, insisted that the Ady Gil was trying to get out of the way when it was hit. The Ady
Gil has been cut, hit by one of the harpoon ships,” Hansen said. “Ady Gil was stationary at the time. It
tried to back out of the way but Shonan Maru 2 came through and took off a section at the front.” All six
crew members were rescued and transferred to another Sea Shepherd ship.
The Shonan Maru 2 was brought in to protect the Japanese ships. Japan’s government-backed Institute
of Cetacean Research (ICR) has accused the protesters of causing the collision. “The Sea Shepherd
activists regularly use stink bombs, ropes to tangle propellers and high-tech sound equipment in an
attempt to halt the harpooning of whales. Everyone aboard the Ady Gil is safe. We’ve managed to get
everyone off and they’re ok. We have it all on film and we’re getting onto all the authorities at the
moment.”
Commercial whaling is banned in the Southern Ocean, but the Japanese have found a legal loophole to
continue whaling for “scientific purposes”. This season the Japanese fleet aims to harpoon up to 935
Minke whales and 50 Fin whales, both of which are classified as endangered.
The clash was the most serious in the six years that Sea Shepherd activists have been [harassing] the
Japanese fleet. The group claim to have saved the lives of hundreds of whales during their exploits.
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Are demos becoming cool?
Having a good cause has suddenly become the fashion
Adapted from Fleur Britten
“You’ve changed,” I said to my friend, Emily. “Is it a new boyfriend?”
No. Practically overnight, Emily’s gone and got herself a cause. Or
several. Climate change, human rights, antiwar, anti-supermarket —
only the hottest, sexiest causes for Emily. “I wanted more meaning in
my life,” she explained. “I found that I was seen as being shallow, and it
wound me up.”
Previously, “meaning” to Emily meant shopping. This season, her
favourite “fashion accessory” is having something to say for herself.
Emily is not alone. The Free Tibet campaign has seen an almost 20%
increase in support in the past year. In the past three months, Amnesty
International’s followers on Facebook, Bebo and Twitter have doubled.
The G20 Protests were full of hip young professionals, many protesting
for the very first time, all dressed in look-at-me frocks and trendy
parkas.
The new fashion for protest has a whole new set of rules. “The look is
really stylish,” says one insider. “But it’s important to get it right. You
want to get noticed and look good, but you need to look like you don’t
care about your appearance.” Now that any public action ends up on Facebook or Twitter, no wonder
appearance is all-important.
Protests can be as much about socialising as demonstrating. “But,” says one experienced campaigner,
“at least the kids are involved. If the people who they’re bumping into can educate them, all the better.”
So what is the motivation for this trend? The branding expert, Neil Boorman, says, “When you have tons
of money in your pocket, you can afford to be carefree. Now, it’s a different matter. For young people
now, caring is a badge of honour, a novelty. It’s simply another brand of lifestyle – protesting makes you
look and feel a certain away.”
But has everyone forgotten the cause itself? Are these protestors actually making a difference?
The answer to that is complicated. The impact is hard to measure. But lifestyle change is a huge step in
the right direction. To get ‘the look’, Emily has sold the sports car and has taken up cycling, recycling and
growing vegetables!
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article6185985.ece
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http://www.parliament.uk/getinvolved/joinin/petitioning.cfm
Petitioning
The seats in the House of Commons
The public can petition the House of Commons to make MPs aware of their opinion on an issue
and to request action.
Petitioning is a formal process involving sending a written appeal to an MP, following a set format, which
is then presented to the Commons by the MP.
Who petitions Parliament?
Anyone can petition Parliament. All that’s needed is that the petition is properly set out and has the
signature and address of at least one person.
What happens when the MP gets the petition?
Generally, MPs will present all petitions they receive from their constituents. However, MPs aren't
compelled to present petitions and doing so does not imply that they support the action the petition is
calling for.
Formal or informal presentation
MPs present petitions by either giving a short statement in the debating chamber of the House of
Commons or by simply placing the petition in the Petition Bag (which hangs on the back of the Speaker’s
Chair).
After presentation
The Votes and Proceedings publication for the day the petition was presented will record:
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the petition’s subject matter
description of the petitioners
whether the petition was presented formally or informally.
A copy of the petition is sent to the appropriate government department. For example, a petition against
smoking would be sent to the Department of Health.
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