5Th Level Mock Exam

5TH LEVEL MOCK EXAM MARCH 2007

READING COMPREHENSION

REMEMBER TO WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET TASK 1: Read the following text which is a review of a film about illegal Chinese immigrants who were drowned as they were collecting seafood on the beach at Morecambe in the north-west of England. Fill the gaps with one of the options given. (1 POINT EACH)

FILM REVIEW: GHOSTS

The unscrupulous exploitation of foreigners’ labour was for centuries the shameful story of the British Empire, and a few years ago a calamity showed history repeating itself in 21st century Britain. In February 2004, 23 illegal Chinese immigrant workers picking cockles on the sands of Morecambe Bay drowned as the sea came in faster than any man can run. Three Chinese gangmasters were imprisoned, but none of ___(EXAMPLE)___ . The 58 Chinese immigrants found dead in a lorry in Dover three years earlier was horrifying enough, but this was a grotesque mass death, nurtured well within our national boundaries, cultivated by UK market forces ___1___ .

It is this disgraceful episode that is dramatised by documentary film-maker Nick Broomfield in a rare fiction feature. It is a gruelling journey comparable to Michael Winterbottom’s In This World, undertaken in the company of an illegal called Ai Qin from the Fujian province of China, played by first-timer Ai Qin Lin. Her fellow labourers are played by former Chinese illegal immigrants, on ___2___ , including, presumably, the scenes showing British employment agencies greedily expecting “presents” from gangmasters.

Broomfield begins and ends his movie on the Morecambe beach: not a haven for holidaymakers, but a huge, empty, cruel space which ___3___ . It seems as though Ai Qin and her wretched friends have been finally washed up on some vast shore in an underworld of unimaginable heartlessness and indifference. The “ghosts” of the title is how Chinese refer to the Anglo-Saxons, but ___4___ , dead in spirit, drifting unacknowledged through the UK's service industry.

The movie shows ___5___ - the England that the illegals see. Ai Qin awakes in her overcrowded, rented, two-bed house in a rundown housing estate to look on to a cheerless landscape into which globalisation has transplanted the chill of world poverty. Broomfield avoids the metropolitan clichés of neon-lit Chinatown with its seedy glamour and takes us instead to Thetford in Norfolk and then to Morecambe, places the English complacently assume to be homes of provincial decency. Instead, they look like ___6___ .

At first, Ai Qin works back-breakingly hard picking spring onions: her master informs her curtly these wares are for Sainsbury, Asda and Tesco - ___7___. Later, Ai Qin has the mortifying experience of shopping in a local supermarket and realising that she cannot afford a bunch of the spring onions that she had just that morning held in her hands, as plentiful as weeds. Then she is moved up north for even harsher, harder work. Her final nightmare in Morecambe is unwatchably grim, and surely very dangerous to film. The one unreality, it seems to me, is that ___8___ . In reality, the tragedy must have unfolded in pitch darkness. This is a bold venture into features for Nick Broomfield, though it is maybe unusual to have a Broomfield film without ___9___ - to get the drama straight, and not filtered through the director’s unmistakable questioning tone. He may not yet have the well- worked idiom of a Ken Loach, nor does this film, with ___10___ , have the agile dramatic power of films like the Dardennes brothers' The Child or Lukas Moodysson’s Lilya 4-Ever. But it is a valuably tactless, steady, clear-eyed look at the tragic and cruel lives of the underclass in the globalised labour market.

Adapted from The Guardian newspaper 2007

EXAMPLE: the English client-base was ever brought to justice

a. a new, alien, exotically grim England b. his trademark voiceover c. its austere and perhaps slow-paced narrative d. new centres of hypocrisy, brutality and racism e. looks like something from the end of the universe f. in the heart of picturesque seaside England g. the word is more comparable to the illegals themselves h. the workers’ terrified faces are lit i. the unfamiliar names invoked like those of the most brutal local barons j. whose testimonies Broomfield has based his script

TASK 2 Read the following text which is about a lady's opinion about today's fashions.

THE BIG FAT TRUTH ABOUT REAL FUR

It isn't often that my wardrobe is à la mode, but now I find that I am ahead of it. Suddenly, animal prints and waist-high trousers are modish, and so must I be. What a triumph. For years I have withstood Daughter's scorn and swamped myself and our home with leopard/tiger/zebra/cheetah patterns and fur (pretend, of course) swimming costumes, frocks, T-shirts, vest, shoes, cushions, duvets and pillows, dog beds, scarves, bag, animal-print-trimmed evening dress, glasses case and cardy dragged all the way back from Argentina by Rosemary. Imagine how charming my sofa looks, with the brindle-and-white dogs lying on the leopard/tiger cushions, the leaves of the banana plants waving through the window behind them, and me in my waist-high trousers, just like Kate Moss, in my own personal faux jungle. Bliss. How often has Daughter been shamed by these items and shunned me - on public beaches, in shops, at parties, on walkies? Countless times, but I have stuck to my guns, and now the rest of the world has caught up. And a new development: Daughter has started borrowing my clothes - a mixed blessing. But sadly my joy is short-lived, because who wants to be fashionable, when fashion is so vile? This year's efforts by the grand fashionistas are either super-bonkers or nothing in particular. Where are we? In Ann Summers or at D&G? Olivia comes round waving a colour supplement, nauseated by its content - the models prancing about in surgical boots, masks and spikes, shiny, high-cut knickers, legs mainly apart, pouty lips open, deeply silly hats, and all swamped in animal prints and real fur. Groo. It does them no favours. What is the matter with these grand fashion wallahs? How far up their own bottoms can they get? So here is my advice to them. There is something about real fur that they seem not to have considered. Never mind that it is sickening, cruel, bloody and fairly pointless now that we will all soon be living in a trans-world boilerhouse. The über- problem for you fancy dressers is this: a big, real, fabulously expensive, show-off fur coat, nine times out of 10, makes you look fat. Yes, fat, fat, fat like a Michelin man. Do stop wearing them. But I particularly don't want to end on a sour note today, because after nearly 13 years, this is to be my last column here. I feel sad and fairly terrified to be leaving, but luckily, I'm only going to another page. Phew. What a relief. I hope you think so too.

Michele Hanson Monday October 16, 2006

The Guardian Say whether the following statements are True or False? (1 POINT EACH)

11. At the moment most of the writer’s clothes are old-fashioned. 12. The writer’s daughter did not really like her mother’s taste in clothes. 13. The writer gave in to pressure from people around her and changed her style. 14. The writer does not think highly of this year’s fashion. 15. The writer won’t write another column for the Guardian.

Find the words or phrases in the text with a similar meaning to the following (1 POINT EACH):

16. fill with a great deal of something (paragraph 1) 17. great happiness (paragraph 1) 18. continue with one’s own attitude (paragraph 2) 19. a situation that has both advantages and disadvantages (paragraph 2) 20. unpleasant (paragraph 5) TASK 3 Read the following opinions people have written about bookshops in the north-east of England. Look at the questions below and decide which bookshop they refer to. Some bookshops may have more than one question asked about them. (1 POINT EACH)

NORTH-EASTERN BOOKSHOPS a) Salafi Bookstore, Bradford 147 Lumb Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD8 7SP 01274 395007 It has an enticing shop front and just gets better when you step inside. This very contemporary looking shop is one of the very few bookshops in which Muslims and non- Muslims can come and learn about authentic Islam. It has a great selection of books for children and adults; even more impressive is the range of free literature available, dispelling many misunderstandings regarding this religion - a truly enlightening experience. With a serene atmosphere and very friendly staff, this wonderful bookstore is a 'must-see' even if you aren't remotely interested in Islam. Be sure to pass by! b) The Idle Hour, Leeds 94a Town Street, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 4AP 0113 2819889 Since opening its doors nearly a year ago, this delightful little shop has become the most welcome addition to Horsforth for quite some time, with a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a superb children's section. The owner, Anys, is incredibly helpful and patient and will find the book you want with even the scantest information (even when it's out of print)! She hosts talks by local authors, runs numerous book groups (including two for under 16s) and has story-time for little ones on Saturday afternoons. All this and fantastic music too! Now I don't have to brave the town centre any more, just pop down the road for a browse and a chat. Lovely! Anon c) David Bell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 45 High Street, Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 4AA 0191 284 6524 Small, but my god it's perfectly formed. This one-room bookshop is a tremendous asset to the local area, was the first none-chain bookshop I ever went to, and taught me how to appreciate a great bookshop when I found one. In a city dominated by two branches of Waterstone's glaring at one another over the central square, it's crucial that tiny, perfect bookshops such as this continue to thrive. David Bell's selection is necessarily limited but extremely thoughtfully chosen, and naturally if they don't have it they'll order it in. I'd recommend it to anyone. Jonathan Price d) Barter Books, Alnwick Alnwick Station, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 2NP 01665604888 My favourite bookshop since moving back to Northumberland. Barter Books have an enormous collection of second-hand books and music, real fires, ginger parkins, coffee and huge old sofas in which to curl up and read – somewhere where you can take your love of books and bask in its sunny glow for hours on end. The owners have commissioned wonderful murals and paintings for the inside of the station. A great trip out for book lovers of any age. I'm going there next week. Jane Hakin Stewart e) The Bookworm, Amble 43 Queen Street, Amble, Northumberland, NE65 0DA 01665 713444 A newly opened bookshop run by Beryl Hewson. Although small, it's packed with up-to- the-minute paperback and hardback fiction and biographies. Their speciality is books on Northumberland, and they also offer a free search facility for new and out of print books and knock spots off the larger chain booksellers for their friendly and helpful attitude. Long may they flourish! Kathy Black f) Bridge Street Bookshop, Berwick-upon-Tweed 41 Bridge Street, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 1JE 01289 304 986 Run by Chris and Do Shaw, who usually stock one copy of each title but will get you any book you want, often within 24 hours. They also have second-hand books, some above ground, more in the low-wattage basement, and a small selection of CDs. The Shaws buy books they like themselves, and of course, those they think their customers will like. No blockbusters, though. Any time you go into the shop, somebody will be in there chatting away. Chris and Do know about all the books they stock, and will make recommendations. In this smallish shop, when trying to buy presents, you always come away with something really suitable, and often unusual too. Cara Byfield

(The Guardian)

Which bookshop… 21. is the smallest? 22. specialises in religious literature? 23. is ideal for taking your kids to? 24. is on several floors? 25. has books on the local area? 26. runs activities for its customers? 27. has the latest books out? 28. is extremely comfortable? 29. has competition from other big bookshops in the city? 30. doesn’t charge for some of its reading material?