TemasekSec 2023 Prelim 4NA EL P2 Insert

Name: __________________________ Index Number: _______ Class: ____ TEMASEK SECONDARY SCHOOL Preliminary Examination 2023 Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) Level ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1190/02 Paper 2 Comprehension 1 hour 50 minutes INSERT READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Do not open the booklet until you are told to do so. This insert contains Text 1, Text 2, Text 3 and Text 4. This document consists of 6 printed pages and 2 blank pages

2 Section A Study the advertisement (Text 1) and the extract from a website (Text 2) and answer Questions 1–4 in Question Booklet 1. Text 1 is taken from an advertisement from IKEA’s website. Text 2 is taken from a website which posts articles about fashion news. Luxury fashi on brand Balenciaga may call its ‘innovative’ new giant blue bag the “Arena Extra-Large Shopper Tote Bag”, but there is no mistaking its similarity to IKEA bags’ oversized trapezoidal shape and glossy blue veneer. The bag is expensiv e — clocking in at $2,145 — but in all honesty, not outrageously expensive for a designer piece. One also cannot deny the enormous leap upward in quality – it is crafted entirely of leather and handmade in Italy. However, whether it is worth buying a lookalike of a 99-cent bag is really up to the purchaser. 1) Shake it. If it rustles, it’s the real deal. 2) Throw it in the dirt. A true FRAKTA is simply rinsed off with a garden hose when dirty. 3) High-capacity. It can carry hocky gear, bricks, and even water. 4) Price tag. Only $0.99.

3 Section B Text 3 The text below is about a woman who escaped from a hitch-hiker. Read the text carefully and answer Questions 5–15 in Question Booklet 1. 1 During the seventy -minute train ride home, Carole looked up now and then to peer out of the window into the darkness. Beyond, she could see the black shadows of trees alongside the line stirring in the wind. She reflected that even the tamest countryside c ould seem intimidating at night a nd especially in bad weather. Out there in the blackness, she imagined sudden attacks taking place, the silent screams of pain, blood and death. This late at night, the normally tolerable trip could seem endless. 5 2 By the time she reached her des tination, the weather had become wild. She was the only passenger to alight, making her feel slightly at risk. Her car had been parked among the furthest from the entrance. Though it was too dark to see more than a few metres ahead, she knew exactly where her car was and walked unfalteringly to it. As she put the key in the lock, she heard a soft voice directly behind her. 10 3 For a second her heart seemed to stop entirely. Then her brain began to function, offering reassurance that it was a woman’s voice. Even so, she turned with fear curdling in her stomach, but as the person came closer, she relaxed. An elderly lady stood there, dressed rather shabbily. 15 4 “Excuse me, Miss. Can you help me? I arranged for a taxi to meet me from my train and it is not here. I saw your car and thought the driver would be able to help me. Are you going towards town?” 20 5 “Yes. I’m going to town.” Carole began to feel distinctly sorry for the old lady to be stuck in the station at this time and in such weather condition, waiting for transport that obviously was not going to come. “Where do you live?” 6 “Well, it’s almost in the town itself. You could drop me without going out of your way. Would you mind?” 25 7 Carole agreed and let the old lady into the car. When they were both settled, Carole leaned over and opened the glove compartment on the passen ger’s side and happened to glance down. She froze. The illumination from the glove compartment revealed that the backs of her passenger’s hands we re covered in a thick growth of dark hairs! Carole’s mind screamed at her: It’s a man! Oh my God, it’s a man! Somehow she managed to remain outwardly calm, while her mind raced, trying to plan an escape. 30

4 8 Carole pretended to turn the ignition key a few times to start the car but it would not start. Feigning annoyance, she apologetically asked her passenger to give the car a tiny push to start it off. Surprisingly, her passenger agreed and went out of the car, leaving her handbag in it . Carole waited breathlessly as the passenger closed the door and went round to the back of her car. Instantly, she snapped down the inside locks, started the car, roared across the car park and onto the road. 35 9 After a mile or so, the mad f luttering of Car ole’s heart slowed. By the time she reached town, she was in a terrible quandary about the whole incident. Had she survived an encounter with a homicidal maniac or had her irrational fear led her to act in a t erribly unkind manner? Either way, she decided her best course of action was to go to the local police station. As she reported to the sergeant on duty, she became increasingly sure that she had acted cruelly and stupidly. It had been an old lady; hairy ha nds were no sign of malice. She h ad left the old lady at the station with no means of getting home. 40 45 10 The sergeant agreed that it was probably the case and sent someone to the train station to investigate. In the meantime, he suggested to op en the old lady’s handbag to se e who she wa s, in case she had left the train station. He snapped open the clasp of the bag to reveal a shaft of an axe that had been sawn short so that it would fit into the bag. It was the only thing there. 50

5 Section C Text 4 The article below is about over-tourism in Japan. Read the article carefully and answer Questions 16–21 in Question Booklet 2. 1 Over-tourism in Japan has led the locals to coin a new phrase: kanko kogai, or tourism pollution, to refer to t he issue. Will Tokyo be the next Rome, with streets littered with rubbish and noisy tourists drowning out the local culture? Or will Kyoto be the next Taj Mahal, its peace and tranquility stomped out by the busy hustle and bustle of large groups of people brandishing selfie sticks? 5 2 It is no secret that Japan is a fiercely mono -ethnic nation, with incredibly low levels of immigration and external cultural influence. This relative lack of diversity means that Japan has an extremely well-preserved and rich cultural heritage, and they ar e in no hurry to water this down, or blend it with other cultures in any way. It is obvious that tourists are fascinated by this culture, and flock to the island nation in the millions. In 2014, Japan received over 13 million inb ound visitors. That number skyrocketed to almost 32 million just five years later. By 2020, the Japanese government welcome d 40 million visitors for the Tokyo Olympics – that is over 25 percent more tourists than the 28 million that visited the island nation in 2017. 10 15 3 What many believe is that Japan does not need more tourists. It needs more mindful tourists. With the influx of visitors to Japan, it became clear that a large proportion of tourists had little idea of local customs and do no t put in the effort to b etter understand Japanese culture. It seemed many issues stemmed from tourists being disrespectful in order to gain validation on social media. 20 4 Geishas in training were harassed by tourists for selfies wh ile on their way to work, leaving them in tears. The wonderful bamboo groves in Arashiyama, a UNESCO World Heritage site, were defaced by tourists etching their names into the bamboo. Inconsiderat e tourists walked into restaurants just to take photos to post online, then left without ordering anything. 25 5 6 Seeing what unfolded in Japan ca