2011 Year 7 — Literacy preparation material
Reading and Viewing
Wait for your teacher.
Read page 2 of the magazine and then
answer questions 1–13.
Awesome Automotives
Check out these original vehicles. From the almost practical,
to the downright weird and wacky, these forms of transport
are sure to raise eyebrows.
Casual Lofa
Edd China is an English eccentric, with a passion for
cars. He is the creator of a number of extraordinary and
wacky vehicles.
Originally built to raise money for a Raleigh International
charity expedition, the Casual Lofa was Edd’s first major
project of note. In 1998, it set the Guinness World
Record for “fastest furniture” at an amazing 140 km/h.
Edd has also invented the Hot Desk, the Robomow and
the Trolleysaurus Rex.
re
befo
Wind Up
It looks like a circus trick, but this tiny set of wheels could
be the world's smallest roadworthy car. Roadworthy means
it can be registered as legal to be driven on the road.
after
The Wind Up, only 99.1 cm high and 66 cm wide,
started life as a Postman Pat stationary
children's ride. Car fanatic Perry Watkins has
transformed it into the most compact, if not
the most comfortable, car in the world.
Perry reinforced the fibreglass shell with a
steel frame and mounted it on a mini quad
bike.
GEN H-4
James Bond using a Jet Pack to escape from the bad
guys in the 007 movie "Thunderball" was cool. After
seeing something like that, everyone must have thought
“if only ...”. Now there is a more practical and comfortable
alternative, the GEN H-4 from Gene Corporation in
Japan. This is your personal helicopter!
The GEN H-4 can fly to a maximum height of 1000
metres at a top speed of 90 km/h for up to 30 minutes.
You don’t need a licence to fly the GEN H-4 in Japan and
the inventors claim it is as easy as riding a bicycle.
1
In the introduction, raise eyebrows suggests the reader should find the vehicles
practical.
delightful.
surprising.
frightening.
2
Shade one
bubble.
Edd China is described as eccentric because he
has an usual name.
is passionate about cars.
sets lots of world records.
makes odd forms of transport.
3
The Casual Lofa was originally built to
set a Guinness World Record.
participate in a charity event.
make money for its creator.
be a challenging project.
4
The Trolleysaurus Rex is most likely a shopping trolley that is
remote controlled.
a model kit dinosaur.
used in big supermarkets.
enormous and dominating.
1
5
A Postman Pat ride was converted into a
quad bike.
children’s toy.
roadworthy car.
comfortable vehicle.
6
this tiny set of wheels refers to
Shade one
bubble.
parts of a small car.
a children’s ride.
a circus vehicle.
the Wind Up.
7
Which of these is evidence that the Wind Up can legally be driven on the road?
8
Why did Watkins reinforce the shell?
to strengthen it
to make it larger
to make it comfortable
to make it fit on the quad
2
9
Everyone must have thought “if only …”
How does the writer expect the reader to complete his sentence?
if only … I had a GEN H-4.
if only … I had a Jet Pack.
if only … I was a bad guy.
if only … I was cool.
10
Now there is a more practical and comfortable alternative.
What does this reveal about the Jet Pack used in Thunderball?
It was practical and comfortable.
It was just a prop and not real.
It was an efficient vehicle.
It was awkward to use.
11
The phrase the inventors claim is used to
cast doubt about how easy the GEN H-4 is to fly.
prove that the flight speed and height are accurate.
make it clear that a licence isn’t needed to fly the GEN H-4.
show that the inventors of the personal helicopter are clever.
12
This text would most likely be found in
a popular magazine.
an adventure comic.
a science fiction book.
an engineering manual.
13
Why has the writer chosen to feature these three vehicles?
They prove that weird and wacky can also be practical.
They provide a timeline of transport developments.
They are incredible forms of transport.
They show the future of transport.
3
Read page 3 of the magazine and then
answer questions 14–25.
Greek myths tell of winged creatures known as Sirens, whose enchanting
singing and music lured sailors to crash their ships onto seaside cliffs.
The song of the Sirens was said to be so irresistible that it caused the deaths
of many people who attempted to sail past their island home. Julia Golding
has brought these creatures to life by writing a story that uses the idea that
the Sirens might exist today.
A small blue boat chugged out to the rocks guarding the entrance to the bay.
The stone pillars, towering like giants cloaked against the elements, dwarfed the
vessel. Col cut the engine some twenty metres short and put on his ear protectors.
His passenger, an elderly man with ginger-streaked white hair, sitting with a flask
5 balanced on his lap, followed his example. They had rehearsed the next few moves
back on shore in the safety of the Anchor Tavern. All they had to do now was wait
for the other two boats to catch up — then they would be ready to face the worst,
maybe even death.
Col watched Dr Brock calmly pouring himself some tea. It was a beautiful if breezy
10 evening: the sky was still light, though it was almost nine; a sign that summer was
not yet forgotten. He wished he could enjoy it as serenely as his passenger, prove
his readiness for the test by keeping his nerve under pressure, but he could not
stop his heart galloping like a runaway horse as he contemplated the dangers
ahead. Their mission was vital: they suspected that people had already lost their
15 lives, lured to their deaths by the irresistible power of the creatures hiding in the
rocks. There was a distinct possibility that neither he nor Dr Brock would return.
In a few minutes, they might be driven out of their senses and drowned in the
merciless waters that surrounded them. With this prospect before him, Col gave up
on any attempt at tranquillity and allowed himself to shiver as he gripped the wheel.
14
The stone pillars described in line 2 are used to
describe the size of the Sirens.
show that the bay is very large.
emphasise the size of the boat.
dwarf the size of the ocean waves.
15
Col cuts the engine because he and Dr Brock are
finishing their tea.
gathering their courage.
deciding if they are safe.
setting their plan in motion.
16
Why does Col put on his ear protectors?
to prepare for a confrontation
to block out the engine noise
to protect his ears from the cold
to listen to Dr Brock’s instructions
17
The phrase followed his example (line 5) means that the old man
balanced a flask.
covered his ears.
turned off the boat.
practised his next move.
4
Shade one
bubble.
18
Col and Dr Brock appear to be
competitors.
close friends.
working together.
related to each other.
19
Why has the author included lines 9 and 10?
Write your answer
on the lines.
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20
The phrase keeping his nerve under pressure (line 12), means Col wants to
show courage in difficult situations.
stay tense in a tough situation.
stop his nerves from twitching.
pressure himself to show excitement.
21
How does Col feel about the dangers ahead? (lines 12 and 13)
ready
eager
anxious
suspicious
22
What prospect (line 18) is before Col?
a safe tavern
a tranquil voyage
a calm sea beyond the rocks
a death that others may have faced
5
23
Place the numbers 1 to 4 to show the order of events as described in the story.
Col accepts that he is afraid.
They began the journey by boat.
They practised moves at the tavern.
Dr Brock settled himself to drink his tea.
24
While Col and Dr Brock appear to be very different, what shared value connects
them?
common sense
preparedness
intelligence
power
25
Through whose eyes is the story told?
Write your answer
on the lines.
Use evidence from the text to justify your response.
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6
The fact that you are reading this means that you care deeply
about our planet.
But where is your effort and money best spent?
Change-the-future can help you find a cause that you will be
passionate about and link you to people who are already fighting
for that cause.
Environment |
Orangutans
Education
Human rights
Home
Of all the threatened species, orangutans stand out because of the rate of
their rush to extinction. Loss of all orangutans would be a true tragedy.
Furthermore, orangutan protection programs are based on safeguarding
forests and this protection may help many other threatened species at the
same time.
A truly valuable species
The name “orangutan” literally translates into English as “person of the
forest”. Indonesian mythology has it that orangutans have the ability to
speak but choose not to, fearing they would be forced to work if they were
ever caught. Legends aside, orangutans are extremely
intelligent creatures who clearly have the ability to
Borneo
reason and think. Their similarity to us is uncanny.
They cry when they’re hungry, whimper when
they’re hurt and express emotions just as we do:
joy, fear, surprise. It’s all there. They even share
96.4% of their DNA with humans.
I N D O N E S I A
Sumatra
Rapidly heading for extinction
In prehistoric times, orangutans lived in rainforests
throughout Asia. Today, deforestation and the spread of
humans have limited Asian rainforests to just a few remaining areas in
Borneo and Sumatra, but even here the forest is rapidly disappearing.
As orangutans are arboreal, which means that they live most of their lives
in trees, deforestation could spell the end for all wild orangutans.
For both the Bornean and Sumatran orangutans the situation is now acute.
In Borneo, fewer than 40 000 orangutans are believed to remain.
In Sumatra, orangutan numbers have been drastically reduced from 12 000
in 1993 to only 6500 today. Both species appear on the International Union
for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) endangered list. This shows the
seriousness of this conservation emergency.
Saving the orangutan!
It is clear that orangutans are an invaluable part of the world we share. To avoid their extinction we
must act now. How? The key to saving the orangutan is saving their forest homes. Change-thefuture recommends that readers in Australia give direct assistance to the programs that are trying to
prevent forest destruction and to re-forest damaged areas. Our research suggests that while rescue
centres are extremely important, orangutans are best served by saving their true home.
Visit one of these recommended websites now and start changing the future today.
www.rainforestrescue.org.au
www.palmoilaction.org.au
26
In which section of the Change-the-future website is the
webpage located?
http://redapes.org
www.savetheorangutan.org.uk
Shade one
bubble.
Forests
Animals
Home page
Environment
27
Change-the-Future:
The fact that you are reading this means that you care deeply
about our planet.
But where is your effort and money best spent?
Change-the-future can help you find a cause that you will be
passionate about and link you to people who are already fighting
for that cause.
What is the effect of using the vocabulary care deeply, passionate and fighting for?
to make the text sound controversial
to emphasise the effects of deforestation
to show recognition of the reader’s values
to describe the problems facing orangutans
28
This website is for people who
live in Indonesia.
want to support a cause.
want to learn about forests.
are worried about climate change.
7
www.flickr.com/photos/ktlindsay/214280845
Change-the-Future:
25/01/2011 www.flickr.com/photos/wak1/68686213
Read page 4 of the magazine and then
answer questions 26–38.
29
Orangutan protection programs may help many other threatened
species at the same time (paragraph 1).
Shade one
bubble.
The writer has included this information to
persuade people that helping orangutans has other benefits.
demonstrate to people that it is too late to save orangutans.
appeal to people who don’t believe orangutans are threatened.
convince people that other protection programs are unnecessary.
30
The section A truly valuable species supports the writer’s position by
defining the problem.
showing that orangutans are human-like.
demonstrating the cost of saving animals.
summarising the main points of the webpage.
31
According to the text, orangutans are mainly at risk because they are
confined to only two islands.
badly adapted to forest life.
losing their forest homes.
being hunted.
32
For both the Bornean and Sumatran orangutans the situation is now acute.
Which of these words is most similar in meaning to acute?
sharp
clever
urgent
irregular
33
According to the text, how many Sumatran orangutans remain?
around 1993
only 6500
approximately 12000
fewer than 40000
8
34
Information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature
has been included to
Shade one
bubble.
show that it is the only organisation keeping records about orangutans.
support the writer’s claims about the threat of extinction.
indicate that orangutans are an international species.
show what the abbreviation IUCN stands for.
35
What is the question How? in the final paragraph asking?
How can orangutans be saved?
How can the listed websites help?
How can this possibly be happening?
How can we put a value on orangutans?
36
What does the writer of Orangutans want readers to do next?
donate money to rescue centres
tell others about the risks orangutans face
click on a weblink to visit a recommended website
agree that this is an issue to be passionate about
9
37
Why has this image
been used on the website, instead of this one
?
Write your answer
on the lines.
........................................................................................................
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38
The most suitable caption for the map would be
Asia.
Indonesia’s National Parks.
Orangutan Rescue Centres.
Location of Orangutan Populations.
10
Shade one
bubble.