Read Text 1 and answer questions 1 – 14 in your Question-Answer Book.
Text 1 (40 marks)
You are looking for information to work on your project “Famous Athletes in China”. You come
across the following website.
The Queen on the Springboard – Guo Jingjing
[1] Whenever we talk about diving, we think of this
shining star immediately – the Diving Queen, Guo
Jingjing.
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[2] Guo Jingjing was born in Hebei, China in 1981.
She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 50kg. She took
up diving when she was six, so she spent most of her
childhood in water. When she was 11 years old, she
was chosen to dive for the China National Team. It
10 was not until 1996 that she first took part in the
Olympic Games.
[3] It was no exaggeration to say that Guo is the Diving Queen because she won
numerous prizes in different international diving events, namely the World Cup, the
Asian Games, World Championships and even the Olympic Games. She was the
15 five-time winner of the 3m Springboard and Synchronised Springboard at the World
Championships. She also won the gold medals in the same events in the Olympic
Games in 2004 and 2008. Her remarkable achievements have made her one of the most
legendary divers ever.
[4] In 2011, Guo retired from diving and got married in 2012. After that, she puts most
20 of her time to her family. However, her graceful movements on the springboard will
remain in people’s heart forever.
P. 1
Prince of Badminton – Lin Dan
[5] Lin Dan is a famous Chinese
badminton player. His nickname is
25 ‘Super Dan’. He was born in 1983 in
Fujian, China. He is 178cm tall and
weighs 78 kg. He has been a member of
the China National Badminton Team
since he was 18.
30 [6] In his early years, Lin was encouraged by his parents to play the piano. He didn’t like
their choice, and started to play badminton when he grew older. He showed his talent
for badminton when he was just a kid. He was often said to be aggressive, speedy and
offensive.
[7] Super Dan has won a lot of prizes in different badminton games over the years. He
35 beat numerous competitors in many international badminton competitions, including
the World Cup and World Championships. He also earned the Olympic gold medals in
2008 and 2012. He has become the most powerful badminton player in recent years.
[8] Lin and Xie Xingfang, who is also a famous Chinese badminton player, knew each
other when they were young and got engaged in 2010. In 2012, they were married and
40 formed a happy family.
[9] Since Lin Dan is supported by his family and many people around the world, he will
do even better in the future!
P. 2
Read Text 2 and answer questions 15 – 26 in your Question-Answer Book.
Text 2 (26 marks)
Lucy wrote the following email to her cousin, Daisy, about her 13th birthday party.
Dear Daisy,
[1] What are you going to do on your birthday next month? I hope you will have a good
one because I didn’t. Today is my 13th birthday. It is also the start of a new year. As you
were abroad and my parents needed to work overtime, I invited three friends to come
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to my home to celebrate this special day together.
[2] While I was waiting for my friends to arrive, I received their phone calls. My friends
said they were all stuck in traffic because many people went out to countdown. They
were sorry that they wouldn’t be able to come within two hours. When they came to
my home, it was already 12:30am. I couldn’t do the new year countdown with my
10 friends. I was really disappointed.
[3] To make matters worse, the pizzas I ordered earlier didn’t come on time. I wondered
why the ‘Pizza House’ delivery was so late, so I called it again. The staff apologized to
me that he had forgotten to place my order. He said he would prepare my food right
away, but it would take 45 minutes to do it. My friends and I were all very hungry.
15 [4] Suddenly, the whole flat was dark. There was a power cut for the whole building. As
a result, we ended up spending a dark cold night without electricity and food. We
couldn’t even play our favourite video games. It really spoilt our enjoyment.
[5] I felt extremely upset today. I don’t know why I was so unfortunate! I hope my bad
luck will go away tomorrow and never ever come back.
20 [6] Time for bed now. Do tell me about your birthday plans. Maybe we can go shopping
or ice-skating together.
Cheers,
Lucy
End of Reading Texts
P. 3