Eng.

301/Unified Tracks /First Semester/January 2017 The exam consists of 7 pages Page 1 of 8

Kingdom of Bahrain
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DIRECTORATE OF EXAMINATION/EXAMINATION SECTION
FIRST SEMESTER EXAM 2016/2017
COURSE NAME: English Language TRACK: Unified Tracks
COURSE CODE: Eng.301 TIME: 2 Hours
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Listening 1: (5 Marks)
You will hear five people talking about what they do for the environment.
Match the speakers (1 - 5) to the correct statements (A - F). Note that there is
.an extra statement

Statements Speakers

A. I got into charity work because of a family member.

B. I made friends doing volunteer work.

C. I use the Internet to tell others about environmental problems.

D. I help kids learn more about the importance of the environment.

E. I rescue whales and dolphins.

F . I think people my age don’t worry about global problems.

Listening 2: (5 Marks)

Listen to a programme about "Laughter Yoga" and state whether the following
statements are true (  ) or false ( X ). ( 5 Marks)

1. Dr Madan Kataria has devised an exercise which combines laughter with breathing. ( )

2. Endorphins increase pain and make us feel stressed. ( )

3. Dr Gore Bredan trusts that laughter improves the immune system and burns calories. ( )

4. We can't laugh for no reason, we need jokes or a sense of humor to practice this yoga.( )

5. Kate thinks she could suggest to her boss doing laughter yoga in lunch breaks. ( )
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Reading 1 (10 Marks)

Read the following article then answer the following questions accordingly.

We Found The ONE Reason Why Your Hotel Bed Is So Perfect

You know the feeling: you wake up after a long night’s sleep in a hotel bed, slip into your fuzzy
hotel-issued slippers and hotel-issued robe, step onto the fluffy hotel carpet and think “WHY is
this so amazing?!” The question is certainly intriguing. So we asked a handful of editors for their
favourite hotel bed experiences. And the more we researched, the more we realized that all
blissful hotel experiences have one important detail in common. All the best hotel beds are white.

You’ve probably never thought about it, but try to imagine an ideal hotel bed that isn’t white, and
you’ll see what we mean. And yet we all spend time trying to find colorful quilts and crazy
bohemian-print sheets for our bedrooms at home... what’s the deal? Turns out white is a symbol
of luxury, and the bet is that you’ll feel more luxurious — and sleep more luxuriously! — in a white
bed.

“Visually, the idea of the white bed is important,” said Erin Hoover, vice president of design for
Westin and Sheraton hotels. “Something about an all-white bed connotes luxury and a good
night’s sleep.” When Westin pioneered its now-famous Heavenly Bed in the 1990s, Hoover says,
the idea of an all-white hotel bed was an unpopular one — hotels mostly used colored
bedspreads, which were easier to keep clean. But after seeing the results of trial testing, Westin
designers were convinced there was only one way to go. “The all-white bed created this halo
effect — people thought a room had been renovated, even if it was just the bed that had been
changed,” Hoover explained. “It had a huge impact.”

It’s not just Westin that features an all-white bed as the centerpiece of a perfect hotel room. The
Miraval, Hilton and Park Hyatt — home to some of our editors’ other favourite rooms — feature
white beds, too. It seems to be a move toward simplification, a subtle sign that hotels are the
place to leave your worries and the clutter of the world behind. “Park Hyatt moved toward a
clean, white bed and away from show pillows to present guests with a simple, clean and inviting
place to lay their heads,” said Sybil Pool, a spokesperson for Hyatt’s luxury brand. She stresses
that a central part of the experience is “clean, white, high-thread-count sheets.”

And while there aren’t exactly scientific studies to prove you get a better night’s sleep in a nice
hotel, we’re using experience as proof that those all-white wonders; really do work the best kind
of magic. Welcome to the new identity for hotels' beds. Goodnight!
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A. Circle the correct answer according to the article. Choose a, b, or c. (5 Marks)

1. According to the article, what does the colour white stand for?
a. Long sleep.
b. Blissing.
c. Luxury.
2. Which hotel started using white beds first?
a. Hilton.
b. Westin.
c. Park Hyatt.
3. Hotels avoided using white beds at first because they were:
a. not easy to clean.
b. easy to clean.
c. neither a or b.
4. After staying in a room with a white bed, guests felt that:
a. the test will check the results.
b. the room had been renewed.
c. the bed was huge.
5. The writers of the article are:
a. in favour of using white beds.
b. not in favour of using white beds.
c. not sure of using white beds.

B. Match the words in the box with their definitions according to the article. Write the
answer in the space provided. There is one extra definition. (5 Marks)

fluffy bohemian impact centerpiece subtle

1. ……………………… the most important item of a room.

2. ……………………… gentle and presented in a clever way.

3. ……………………… soft and like fur.

4. ……………………… the person in charge of a company.

5. ……………………… informal type of art that does not follow rules.

6. ……………………… powerful effect.

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Reading 2 (10 Marks)

Read the following article then answer the following questions accordingly.
The Rise Of The Vloggers
Vlogging is short for video blogging. A blog that uses video is called a
vlog. Vloggers post their videos online. The first vlog was posted by
American Adam Kontras in 2000, but vlogging only became popular
after 2005, when YouTube was created.

Charlie McDonnell was the first British online superstar- he got into vlogging in 2007,
when he was a shy sixteen-year-old schoolboy, and since then his videos have been
viewed more than 250 million times. His viewers recognise him in the street and when he
attends vlogging events, thousands of fans come so that they can see 'the real him'. His
vlogs have been so successful that when he was eighteen, instead of going to university,
he decided to make a living from his vlogs. He became a full-time vlogger and now earns
more than his parents. His vlogs cover all sorts of topics, including 'How to make tea' and
'How to speak English'.

Alex Day is twenty-five-year-old vlogger and talented singer-songwriter. He is

McDonnell's friend and housemate. He created his YouTube channel Nerimon for fun. He
uploads songs and music videos and his single, "forever yours", reached number four in
the UK charts. Without having a recording contract with a major music label, his first two
royalty cheques came to more than £100,000. His success is because of his musical
talent alone. He did not have the marketing department of a big company behind him, but
simply used social networking to publicise his music.

Maybe you've come across Lex Croucher? She's a twenty-two-year-old student. The
number of subscribers to her channel Tyrannosauruslexxx comes to 76,000. She got into
vlogging because she was bored. When she started out, her vlogs were autobiographical.
But then they became serious discussions of issues. For example, her university course
did not live up to her expectations, so she vlogged about it. It's hard to imagine how she
keeps up with her studies as she not only vlogs, but you can also see her on Twitter,
Tumblr and Facebook. But she manages to come up with amusing and interesting vlogs.
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Her success is based on her talent, but also her choice of topics that other teenagers can
relate to.

A. Match the following statements with the correct person. Write Charlie, Alex
or Lex in the space provided. ( 5 Marks)

Which person:

1. went to university? …………….

2. helps people learn a language? …………….

3. directs his/her vlogs at a certain age group? …………….

4. used vlogging to advertise something he/she created? …………….

5. was not originally very outgoing? …………….

B. State whether the following statements are true (  ) or false ( X )

according to the article. (5 Marks)

1. Famous vloggers never have a chance to meet their viewers. ( )

2. Charlie McDonnell continued vlogging at university. ( )

3. Charlie McDonnell lives with Alex Day. ( )

4. Alex Day wouldn't have had a hit single without the help of a big company. (

5. Lex Croucher's blogs are successful because they focus on various matters. ( )
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Writing 1 (10 Marks) You MUST answer this question

You have been offered a place to study English at California University. Write a
reply (200 words) to the university giving information about yourself,
learning experience, language needs and what you hope to gain. Your
name is Noor Ali. NO NEED TO WRITE ADDRESSES.
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Task Focus 2½ Language Accuracy 2½ Appropriateness 2½ Organisation 2½ Total 10

Writing 2 (10 Marks) Choose ONE Question ONLY

(Write about 250-300 words)
A. The number of refugees is increasing worldwide in recent years. Write a
report about this serious problem and recommend solutions.
OR
B. Visiting relatives, neighbours and friends is becoming less. Write an article
to your school magazine highlighting this matter, its importance, what is
happening and saying what you think.
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Task Focus 2½ Language Accuracy 2½ Appropriateness 2½ Organisation 2½ Total (10)

End of Exam