TEXT 1

A very good afternoon to you, my beloved students,

I'm glad so many of you turned up for this afternoon's talk. At this moment, all your thoughts and activities are geared towards doing
well in your SPM examination. Once the SPM exams are over, some of you may feel lost. The purpose of my talk is to explain the
options which are open to you after you have sat for your SPM exams.

What you do after your SPM exams depends very much on whether you want to further your studies. For those who want to stop
schooling after SPM, it is important for you to pick up some skills that will enable you to get a job. Some of you may want to enrol
yourself for practical courses like tailoring and hairdressing. Others may want to become apprentices in electrical shops and car repair
shops. Some may choose to have a career in the fast food line. As for those who prefer to work in offices, it is essential for you to be
computer literate. Many offices are computerised. You need to learn word processing skills and perhaps, book keeping as well. When
you have formal training, you can get better pay for your services.

From an informal survey I did among the Form Five students in this school, I found that the majority of you want to continue your
studies after your SPM. Many options are open to you. You can join a twinning program. This program enables you to complete one or
two years of tertiary education in Malaysia and the rest in a university overseas. Many private colleges cater for this segment of the
student population. For example, Inti, Metropolitan, Stamford, and KDU. One of the selling points of twinning programs is that you can
get a degree of your choice in a shorter time. It is like a short cut which bypasses STPM. Well, go ahead if your parents can support
you.

What about the rest of you who do not want to get a degree overseas? If you want to get a degree from a local university, you can
either choose to do your STPM or apply for a place in the Matriculation or Diploma programs. If you opt for Matriculation or Diploma
programs, you do not need to go through STPM. I know many of you feel that it is futile to go through two years of STPM and later not
qualify for a place in local universities. I've heard groans that it is difficult to score in STPM. Well, a grown-up baby no longer solely
depends on milk. As you move from Form Five to Form Six, you cannot depend on memorizing to score. In fact, STPM is a very well-
coordinated pre-university education program. It would stand you in good stead regardless of whether you get your tertiary education in
Malaysia or overseas.

For those of you who are not able to make it to a university, don't lose heart. STPM is part of a foundational education for everyone. In
these years, you develop critical thinking skills which prepares you for working life. At the end of the two years, you get a certificate
which entitles you to a higher salary scale than an SPM-holder.

SPM is a stepping stone to other achievements in life. Ponder upon what I've said and be clear about what you want to do after SPM. A
clear goal is like a lighthouse in a storm.

Thank you.

Answer the following questions using complete sentences

1. Why would some students feel lost after the SPM exams are over ?
2. How do practical skills help SPM-leavers looking for jobs ?
3. How do most of the Form Five students feel about stopping their studies after their SPM ?
4. Why do some students prefer twining programs to a tertiary education in a local university ?
5. Give two ways in which students can get a degree without going through STPM.
6. Why do most students do badly in STPM ?
7. According to the passage, why is STPM worth taking ? Give two reasons to support your answer.
Fill in the blanks with one correct word from the passage.
8. You are given four ______ to choose from : A, B, C and D.
9. The ______ of oil palm fruits must be done as soon as the fruits are harvested to prevent them from turning bad.
10. The old man who was knocked down by a lorry is in a ______ condition, and may die if he does not respond to the treatment
given.
TEXT 2

Someone sent a chimpanzee to Gerald Durrell, asking him to escort it to England.

A small van drew up outside the camp one morning, and in the back of it was an enormous wooden crate. It was big enough, I thought,
o house an elephant. I wondered what on earth could be inside, and when the driver told me that it contained the chimpanzee,
Cholmondely, that I would be escorting to England, I remembered thinking how silly his owner was to send such a small chimpanzee in
such a huge crate. I opened the door and looked inside and there sat Cholmondely. Just one glance at him and I realised my mistake: I
would not be taking charge of a baby chimpanzee but a fully-grown one, about eight or nine years old.

Sitting hunched up in the dark crate, he looked as though he were about twice as big as I, and from the expression on his face, I
gathered that the trip had not been to his liking. Before I could shut the door of the box, however, Cholmondely had extended a long
hairy arm, clasped my hand in his and shaken it warmly. Then he turned round and gathered up a great length of chain (one end of
which was fastened to a collar round his neck), draped it carefully over his arm, and stepped down, out of the box. he stood there for a
moment and, after surveying me carefully, examined the camp with great interest, whereupon he held out his hand, looking at me
enquiringly. I took it in mine and we walked into the marquee together.

Cholmondely immediately went and seated himself on one of the chairs by the camp table, dropped his chain on the floor and sat back
and crossed his legs. He gazed round the tent for a few minutes then looked at me enquiringly again. Obviously, he wanted me to offer
him something after his tiring journey. I had been told, before h arrived, that he liked to drink tea, and so I called out to the cook and told
him to make a pot of tea. Then I went out and had a look in Cholmondely's crate, and in the bottom, I found an enormous and very
battered tin mug. When I returned to the tent with this. Cholmondely was quite overjoyed and praised me for my cleverness in finding it,
by uttering a few cheerful 'hoo hoo' noises.

While we were waiting for the tea to arrive, I sat down opposite Cholmondely and lit a cigarette. To my surprise, he became very
excited and held out his hand across the table to me. Wondering what he would do, I handed him the cigarette packet. he opened it,
took out a cigarette and put it between his lips. He hen reached out his hand again and I gave him the matches; to my astonishment,
he took one out of the box, struck it, lit his cigarette and threw the box down on the table. Lying back in his chair, he blew out clouds of
smoke in the most professional manner. No one had told me that Cholmondely smoked. I wondered rather anxiously what other
undesirable habits he might have which his master had not warned me about.

Just at that moment, the tea was brought in and Cholmondely greeted its appearance with loud hoots of joy. He watched me carefully
while I half-filled his mug with milk and then added the tea. I had been told that he had a very sweet tooth so I put in six large spoons of
sugar, an action which he greeted with grunts of satisfaction. He placed his cigarette on the table and seized the mug with both hands;
then he stuck out his lower lip very carefully and dipped it into the tea to make sure it was not too hot. As it was a little warm, he sat
there blowing on it vigorously until it was cool enough, and then he drank it all down without stopping once. When he had drained the
last drops, he peered into the mug and scooped out all the sugar he could with his forefinger. After that, he tipped the mug up on his
nose and sat with it like that for about five minutes until the very last of he sugar had trickled down into his mouth. For a few minutes,
he was in a world of his own, far away from the threat of civilized man.

From paragraph 1 :
1. What mistaken idea did Durrell have about the age of the chimpanzee that he was asked to escort to England ?
From paragraph 2 :
2. (a) What told Durrell that the chimpanzee had been upset by the trip in the crate ?
(b) Why did Durrell end up holding hands with the chimpanzee ?
From paragraph 3 :
3. (a) Give two reasons why Durrell decided to offer some tea to the chimpanzee.
(b) Why did the chimpanzee suddenly become so overjoyed that it made cheerful hooting noises ?
From paragraph 4 :
4. (a) What effect did Durrell's lighting of a cigarette have on the chimpanzee ?
(b) Which phrase in paragraph 4 suggests that Durrell actually considered it bad for the chimpanzee to smoke ?
 From paragraph 5 :
5. (a) Explain the phrase "had a sweet tooth."
(b) Find a word that means "with great energy".

TEXT 3

The earth is losing its forests. Presently, trees cover about 30 percent of the earth's surface, but they are being destroyed at an
alarming rate, especially in the tropics. Timber harvesting is a major reason for the destruction of the forests. Trees are used for
building houses, making furniture, and providing pulp for paper products, such as newspapers and magazines. At least 40 hectares of
rainforest are being felled every minute, mostly in order to extract the valuable timber.

Another way that man is destroying the world's forests is by burning them down. In the Amazon, for example, rainforests are being
burnt down at a rate of 20 hectares a minutes. The main reason for this is to clear the land for farming. Farmers in rainforest countries
are often poor and cannot afford to buy land. Instead, these farmers clear rainforest h land to raise their animals or grow their crops.
Because tropical rainforest soil is so poor in nutrients, framers cannot reuse the same land year after year. In the following years,
farmers just clear more land, destroying the forest piece by piece. Already more than 30 tropical countries have reached a critical level
of forest destruction and one-time exporters of timber such as Nigeria and Thailand now have to import timber for their domestic needs.

Should we get all excited and worried about the loss of the forests? Yes, we should. Healthy trees are a vital part of the environment,
and keep the entire balance of the atmosphere agreeable to all life forms. Forests are catchment areas for rainwater, holding the
rainwater in the leaves of the trees, so that it will not sink so quickly into the earth's crust. Furthermore, the forests help maintain the
water cycles in the area. The masses of cloud that provide the rain are formed over the moist forests. Thus, the destruction of forests
may also lead to a reduction in rainfall over the area, resulting in drought.

Forests also protect and feed the earth's fragile mantle of soil. Tees curb soil erosion. Without the tree cover, the land is totally exposed
to the agents of erosion, such as strong winds and heavy rainfall. The strong winds blow away the top layers of the soil and he flowing
water carries it away into the rivers, lakes or sea. Consequently, the once fertile land is converted into a barren wasteland. In
addition, denuded hill slopes are vulnerable to landslides, which can be catastrophic disasters, resulting in the loss of homes and lives.

Apart from preventing soil erosion and landslides, forests, with their abundant supply of leaves, give compost back to the land, thus
helping it to remain fertile. the leaves of the trees and the droppings of the birds, animals and insects which live in them, fall to the
ground, where they decay and replenish the soil with mulch, minerals and manure.

Forests are rich in flora and fauna. The rainforests are home to over half of the entire species of the world, which are being destroyed
with the rainforests; and some of those species that are killed will never return again. Plants and creatures are god's gift to us and they
serve mankind, each in its own way. For example, plants are the source of our clothes; and the rubber used for tyres comes from trees.
Plants are also the source of sugar, coffee, tea, rice, wheat and many delicious and nutritious fruit.

In addition, most of the medicines that have been used by men are derived from plants and animals. Most of the Chinese medicines,
for example, such as ginseng and ginkgo, are herb-based. An example from the realm of modern Western medicine is the drug
'vincristine'. This drug, which is derived from a jungle plant, is used in the treatment of leukemia. Many of those species that have not
yet been discovered may very likely cure cancer, AIDS, and many of the other diseases and virus-based illnesses of today. In fact, one
research scientist in the field of botany has concluded that in Costa Rica's forests alone, 15 percent of the plant species may have the
potential as a treatment for cancer. What potential life-saving medicines are we losing each day as the forests are being destroyed ?

Apart from all this, let us keep in mind the most basic function of trees, which is that they provide oxygen. All living creatures need to
breathe oxygen in order to stay alive. A treeless planet will be an airless and, therefore, a dead one.

From paragraph 1-2 :

1. (a) State two main ways that forests are being destroyed.
(b) What is the main purpose for the burning of the trees in the forests of the Amazon ?
From paragraph 2 :
 2. What point is the writer trying to show in mentioning the fact that Nigeria and Thailand have to import timber ?
From paragraph 3 :
3. (a) Explain why the destruction of forests may lead to drought.

(b) Find a word in this paragraph which means "very important".

From paragraph 4 :
4. (a) Why is soil erosion a greater problem in areas that have been cleared of forests ?
(b) Explain the meaning of "... denuded hill slopes ..." without using the italicised word.
From paragraph 7 :
5. What is 'vincristine' ?

TEXT 4

Mary Ellen recounts the challenges she faced in her bid to win a medal as a platform diver.

Diving is my passion, my life. I have been doing it since I was a kid, starting out with somersaults on the trampoline, and graduating to
the springboard of our neighborhood pool. I was taught by my dad, who had been a diver at the University o Pennsylvania.

Later, I attended Pennsylvania State University, where I became a platform diver. A 10-meter platform is as high as a three-storey
building. You hit the water like a bullet. My first time on the platform, it took me a half hour standing at he edge before I got up the nerve
to dive. I have never looked back since.

After I graduated, I moved to Florida to train with legendary diving coach, Ron O'Brien. Coach O'Brien said I stood a chance of making
the US Olympic team that would compete in the Barcelona summer games.

Training is grueling. The impact of hitting the water at high velocity again and again takes its toll on the body. But all the training was
wroth it. When I was named to the US Olympic Diving team, I called back home immediately: "I made it, Dad !"

Though I had good news, Dad had bad. He was scheduled for open-heart surgery. My first impulse was to skip the Olympics so I could
stay with him. Dad would not hear of it. "After all, Mare," he reassured me, "isn't this what I got you started on ? Remember ?"

Through all my years of competition, one image I kept close was that of my father bending me into the proper dive position on the
springboard when I was little.

Now, hugging me goodbye before I left for Barcelona, my father said, "I'll be watching you on TV, Mare." Dad, who had taken all seven
of us children to church every Sunday, kept a strong faith that would sustain him through whatever lay ahead. On the plane, I prayed
and received the strong impression he would be all right.

Soon I was faced with another dilemma. The opening ceremonies were scheduled to take place between 8.00 pm and 1.00 am the
night before my first event. I would get only a few hours' sleep if I marched with the other US Olympians. "We can always watch it on
TV back at the Olympic village," Coach said.

I recalled Dad's words: "I'll be watching you on TV." I had got word he had come through his surgery nicely and was recovering well. It
would make him very proud to see me with the other Americans. So I marched, the only platform diver at the ceremonies.

After the next day's competition, I was in second place. My coach said I was "a dark horse for a medal". the Russian and Chinese
divers had been heavily favored. At 29, I had been written off by most people as too old to win. "Maybe you should march before all
your events," Coach joked.

But my next-to-last dive was a disaster and plunged me into fifth place. I had one final shot at a medal. As I stood on the platform ready
to take my last dive, I paused a bit longer than usual. The announcement came over the loudspeaker. "Mary Ellen Clark of the United
States, doing a backward one-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twists.

I stepped up to the edge of the platform and turned my back to the water. With a quick prayer and an incredible sense of lightness, I
was airborne, arcing out over the pool, twisting and tumbling, the Barcelona skyline flashing by. A micro-instant later, I ripped into the
water. I knew I had nailed the dive. When I shot back to the surface, Coach O'Brien was yelling, "Bronze, Mary Ellen, bronze !"

As I stood on the awards platform to accept my medal, I knew Dad was watching. This is for you, Dad, I thought. What an incredible
feeling !

From paragraph 1-2 :

1. (a) Who had been Mary Ellen's first diving coach ?
(b) Mary Ellen loved platform diving and yet, she found it a frightening thing to do at first. Quote a phrase that expresses how
frightening this experience was.
From paragraph 4-5 :
2. Why did Mary Ellen consider missing the Olympics ?
From paragraph 8-9 :
3. (a) Mary Ellen was the only platform diver at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Give the main reason why the other platform
divers had missed the ceremonies.
(b) Why did she finally decide to take part in the opening ceremonies ?
From paragraph 10 :
4. Mary Ellen's coach said she was "a dark horse for a medal".
(a) Explain what this phrase means.
(b) State two reasons why he called her "a dark horse for a medal".
From paragraph 11-13 :
5. Express in your own words how Mary Ellen had performed for her last two dives.
TEXT 5

It was more like swimming in a pool rather than the deep ocean waters in Kauai, Hawaii. The waves were small and inconsistent, and I
was just rolling along with them, relaxing on my surfboard with my left arm dangling in the cool water. I remember thinking, I hope the
surf picks up soon, when suddenly there was a flash of grey.

That was all it took: a split second. I felt a sudden great pressure and a couple of fast tugs. I saw the jaws of a four-and-a-half-meter
tiger shark cover the top of my board and my left arm. Then I watched in shock as the water around me turned bright red. My left arm
was gone almost to the armpit, along with a huge, crescent-shaped chunk of my red, white and blue surfboard.

Lying on my surfboard, watching my blood spread in the water around me, I said to my friends nearby, in a loud, yet calm voice, "I've
just got attacked by a shark."

Byron and Holt got to me in a flash. Holt's face was white, and his eyes were wide with shock. But, he took control of the situation: he
pushed me by the tail of my board, and I caught a small wave that washed me over the reef. Fortunately, it was high tide. If it had been
low tide, we would have had to go all the way around the reef to get to shore. As it was, the beach was still about 400 meters away.

My arm was bleeding badly, but not spewing blood like it should with a major artery open. I know now that wounds like mine often
cause the arteries to roll back and tighten. I was praying like crazy: "Please, God, help me. Let me get to the beach," over and over
again.

Holt took off his grey long-sleeved shirt. The reef was shallow now, less than a meter deep, so he stood and tied the shirt around the
stub of my arm to act as a tourniquet. Then he had me grab onto the bottom of his swimming trunks and hold on tight as he paddled
both of us towards the shore. Byron was already ahead of us, stroking like crazy to the beach to call an ambulance. Holt kept having
me answer questions like, "Bethany, are you still with me ? How are you doing ?" I think he wanted to make sure that I did not pass out
in the middle of the ocean. So I was talking, just answering his questions, praying out loud an watching the beach get closer and closer.

Once we reached the shore, Holt lifted me off the surfboard and laid me on the sand. He then tied a surfboard leash around my arm to
stop the bleeding. At that point, everything went black, and I was not sure how long I was out of it. I kept drifting in and out of
consciousness. what happened after that was confusing, a mix of sights, sounds and feelings. I remember being cold.

I heard this happens when you lose a lot of blood. People brought beach towels and wrapped me up in them.

I remember starting to feel pain in my stump and thinking, This hurts a lot. And I know I said, "I want my mum !" I remember being very
thirsty and asking Alana for water. So she ran up to a visitor, Fred Murray, who had heard cries for help and dashed to the beach while
the rest of his group, here on Kauai for a family reunion, relaxed at a beachfront rental home.

"Come with me !" he yelled, and they both raced back to get one of his family members, a man named Paul Wheeler, who was a
captain and a paramedic at a Californian fire station. Alana explained to him, as best as she could in her state of shock, what had
happened and that I needed water.

Paul did not hesitate. He bolted out the door to be by my side. I remember his face and the compassion in his voice. I think everyone
was relieved that there was a professional on the scene; I know it comforted me. Paul examined the wound. Alana came with water, but
Paul advised against it. "I know you're thirsty," he told me, "but you're going to need surgery, and you will need an empty stomach."

A neighbor brought a small first-aid kit, and Paul slipped on gloves so that he could wrap my wound in gauze to keep it clean. I
remember wincing as he covered it up, but I knew he had to do it. Paul felt my pulse. He shook his head. "She's lost a lot of blood," he
said quietly.

I remember thinking, Why is the ambulance taking so long to get here ? Please, please hurry ! Holt decided we could not wait any
longer. He, Paula and Fred Murray lifted me onto Holt's surfboard and carried me to the car park where they put me in the back of the
Blanchards' truck. Again, I kept passing out, only catching glimpses of what was going on and bits of frantic conversation. Then, at
some point, emergency vehicles arrived. I remember their sirens, high-pitched and shrill. I remember being jabbed with needles and
being slid onto a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. I remember most clearly what the Kauai paramedic said to me. He
spoke softly and held my hand as we were pulling out of the Tunnels parking lot. "God will never leave you or forsake you."

P[[pFrom paragraph 1-2 :

1. (a) Where did this incident take place ?
(b) What had attacked the writer, Bethany ?
(c) What injuries were inflicted on Bethany from this attack ?
From paragraph 4 :
2. Explain briefly why it was fortunate that it was high tide at that time.
From paragraph 6 :
3. Give a two-word phrase that means the same as 'faint'.
From paragraph 7-8 :
4. State two physical symptoms that Bethany experienced due to the loss of blood.
From paragraph 9-12 :
5. (a) Why was everyone especially comforted over the presence of Paul Wheeler ?
(b) How do you think Bethany was taken to hospital ?
TEXT 6

Most people know about Spanish bullfighting. Less commonly known is the pastime called "bull-baiting", which is done
before the fights, mainly for fun but also to test the character of the bulls. In the incident described below, the Marques, the
owner of the bulls, brings some friends and relatives to try out this pastime.

Dona Sol put spurs to her horse, which had been plunging about in terror of the bulls. The Marques wanted to go with her, but she
would not let him. No, she would rather have Gallardo, who, after all, was a matador, a professional bullfighter. Gallardo took his place
beside her. They galloped together straight towards the herd. Gallardo waved his garrocha, roaring loudly at the bulls. It was easy
enough to cut off one animal from the herd. It was a white bull with sharp pointed horns. It galloped to the far end of the enclosure.
Dona Sol galloped after it, followed by Gallardo.

"Take care, Senora," Gallardo shouted. "It's an old bull, and may be tricky ! Be careful it doesn't turn on you ?"

This was exactly what happened. As Dona Sol was preparing to make the same stroke as her uncle's, turning her horse at an angle so
as to plant the garrocha in the bull's rump, the bull suddenly doubled back and faced its attacker. It started to charge forward !

Dona Sol's horse was rushing on at such a pace that she could not control it, with the bull charging at her -- no longer pursued, but
pursuing. Dona Sol had no thought of flight. Thousands of people were watching her ! She had no intention of looking foolish. Anyway,
Dona Sol had never in her life believed that she would be the loser in any situation. She reined back her horse and confronted the bull.
She drove her garrocha into the neck of the animal s it rushed forward bellowing, with lowered head. A stream of blood reddened the
bull's shoulders, but still it rushed forward, till it got its horn under the horse's belly, and lifted it off the ground.

The rider was thrown from her saddle and a cry of horror was heard from the hundreds of onlookers. The horse forced itself from the
horns, and galloped away, with its stomach stained with blood. The bull turned to follow it; but at that very moment something nearby
attracted its attention. It was Dona Sol, who had got to her feet, picked up her garrocha and was bravely preparing to challenge the bull
once more. It was an action of insane courage, but her thoughts were on her audience. Better death, rather than the ridicule of the
crowd ! the crowd stood paralyzed in terrified silence.

The bull was already lowering its head to attack the small figure who dared to threaten it. One blow of those horns and all would be
over. But, at this moment, a fierce roar distracted the bull's attention and something red passed before its eyes.

It was Gallardo, who had thrown himself of his horse and dropped his garrochaso as to snatch the coat from his saddlebow.

"Eeeh ! Come on !

The bull came on. It found the crimson coat-lining a worthier adversary than the small figure in purple and black, still standing there.

"Don't be afraid, Dona Sol. I've got him now," said the matador. With no other weapon but his coat, he played the bull, gradually
drawing it away from the lady, and avoiding its furious attacks by twisting and turning his body.

The crowd forgot its recent alarm and began to applaud loudly. The matador forgot Dona Sol and everything else, concentrating entirely
on defending himself. The infuriated beast, finding that the man had again slipped away unharmed from between its horns, turned and
charged again, only to come up against the shield of red cloth. At last, tired out, it stood still on trembling legs, with its head hanging
and muzzle covered in foam. Gallardo took advantage of its bewilderment to take off his hat and lay it between the horns.

From paragraph 1 :
1. Why did Dona Sol refuse to allow the Marques to go with her ?
From paragraph 4 :
2. (a) Although the bull was pursuing her, Dona Sol did not run away. Give two reasons why she made this decision.
(b) Give evidence that shows that Dona Sol was successful in stabbing the bull.
(c) What effect did this stabbing have on the bull ?
 From paragraph 5 :
3. Find a word in this paragraph which means "unable to move due to being terrified".
From paragraph 6-9 :
4. How was Gallardo able to attract the bull's attention away from Dona Sol ? Give two ways.
From paragraph 10-11 :
5. (a) Quote evidence that shows the bull was tired out from Gallardo's actions.
(b) Explain how Gallardo made the bull tired.