Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education

DEPARTMENT FOR CURRICULUM LIFELONG LEARNING AND EMPLOYABILITY Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes Track 3 Educational Assessment Unit Annual Examinations for Middle Schools 2019 YEAR 7 READING COMPREHENSION TEXT 1 adapted from bionicdogblog.giles.wordpress.com English – Reading Comprehension – Year 7 – Track 3 – 2019 Page 1 of 2 TEXT 2 Pandas are the most adorable bears. They are loved because of the way they resemble teddy bears and babies. Two pandas whose names have become well known amongst animal lovers, are Qizai and Bei Bei. 5 Qizai, World's Only Captive Brown And White Panda With only about 1,800 specimens left in the wild, all giant pandas are precious. However, Qizai, a nine-year-old that resides at the Foping Panda Valley in China’s Shaanxi province, is even more so. That’s because he is amongst a 10 handful of giant pandas known to have brown and white fur instead of black and white. Being the only brown panda in captivity, he is now the superstar of the animal world. However, for Qizai, who now weighs 100 kilos, life has not always been easy. Born in 2010, Qizai was first discovered by researchers in the mountains when he was just two months old. It seems that his mother had abandoned him and returned to 15 the forest. The panda was weak and alone. They took him to the Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue Centre where he spent his early years. Once he had been nursed back to health, the giant panda cub was transferred to his current home so that he could be in the company of other giant pandas. Although he has eye-catching looks, the other bears appeared to realise that Qizai was “different” and often bullied him by stealing 20 his bamboo. The Centre’s officials have since moved him to his own enclosure and given him a full- time keeper. Qizai is slower than his black and white peers. He takes longer to answer when called by his name and also eats very slowly. But that does not stop him from eating a healthy diet of his favourite food: Chinese flour buns, milk and as 25 much as 20 kilos of bamboo every day. Adorable Giant Panda Bei Bei Turns Three! The Smithsonian’s National Zoo, in Washington DC, also houses a charismatic giant panda called Bei Bei. Bei Bei, who has won over millions of hearts with his playful behaviour and bold personality, turned three on August 22, 2018. To celebrate the 30 occasion, the Zoo’s youngest panda bear was given a massive iced cake, complete with the number 3, to feast on all by himself! Made by the Zoo’s department of nutrition sciences, the mouth-watering cake contained all of Bei Bei’s favourite foods. Its two tiers were crafted from a blend of diluted fruit juice and leaf-eater biscuit puree. The treat was filled and 35 decorated with fruit and vegetables and sugarcane stalks. He was given a toy as a present. Bei Bei surely enjoyed his special day! Now weighing almost 97 kilos, Bei Bei has been taking full advantage of his summer - splashing around in his big green tub, and napping in trees. Bei Bei was given his name by then First Lady Michelle Obama and Chinese First Lady 40 Madame Peng Liyuan. His name means “precious treasure,” in Mandarin Chinese. Unfortunately, Bei Bei’s fans will only get to enjoy one more birthday with the adorable panda. That’s because once he turns four, just like his older siblings, Bao Bao and Tai Shaun, Bei Bei will be sent to the Wolong National Nature Reserve in China to join the giant panda breeding programme. adapted from http://www.dogonews.com Page 2 of 2 English – Reading Comprehension – Year 7 – Track 3 – 2019 .

Load more