HPF2dec

There's no place like home

[1] Some people dream of having a home 'just like the ones in
decorating magazines'. That sort of beautifully stylish home may be
nice, but for a truly special place to live, why not choose a home
unlike any other in the neighourhood? The unique houses that will be
introduced to you challenge people to reconsider what a home is
supposed to look like.
[2] Environmentally friendly homes are getting a lot of attention these days. Earthships, for example, are
unusual homes made from materials like mud, straw and reused wood. The designers of earthships
combine these natural materials with recycled items that would otherwise end up in landfills, such as
bottles, aluminium cans and old tyres. The way they design these homes demonstrates their belief that,
when it comes to saving the environment 'if you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.'
[3] Additionally many of these homes use wind or solar power. They are designed to collect and recycle
water, and the people who live in them often add a greenhouse to grow food. As a result, if you live in
an earthship, your monthly living costs drop to almost zero. For people who want to try one out, the
Phoenix Earthship in the US is available as holiday accommodation.
[4] Shipping containers are now being reused to make another type of environmentally friendly home. A
number of architects have started converting individual containers into holiday homes. Alternatively
they can be combined to make office blocks and block of flats, such as those at Container City in
London, England.
[5] In crowded places like Hong Kong, many people are looking for homes that maximize the use of
space. Architect Gary Chang has achieved this by using a clever system of sliding walls and fold-out
furniture to create a 24-in-1 Apartment. If you slide a wall into a new position, you create a new room.
In this way, his 344 sq ft apartment can have twenty-four possible rooms!
[6] With all of these examples of imaginative homes, it is clear that people no longer need to settle for
ordinary living spaces. One thing is sure: people living in homes that look as strange as these never have
to give anyone their address. They can just say, 'Look for the weird house. You'll know it when you see
it.'

1. According to paragraph 1, if you 'challenge people to reconsider', you _____________.

A ask them to believe you B cause them to think again
C disagree with them D make it difficult for them to think

2. Earthships are made from ____________.

A new and recycled materials B old ships
C recycled and natural materials D shipping containers

3. What does 'they' in line 9 refer to? _______________________

4. According to the article, what are the benefits for people living in an earthship?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

5. Which of the following in TRUE? Shipping containers ____________.

A are always the same colour B can be used for homes or offices
C cannot be placed on top of each other D look like ordinary houses
6. Gary Chang decided to change his flat because he ____________.
A thought it was crowded B thought it was boring
C is an architect D wanted a bigger home

7. According to the article, what is clever about Gary Chang's apartment?

1 The furniture can be folded away. 2 The rooms are tiny.
3 The size can be changed. 4 The walls can be moved
A 1 and 4 B 2 and 3 C 3 and 4 D all of the above

8. Decide if the following statements are true (T), false (F), or not given (NG).
a) Container cities are being built all around the world. ___
b) Shipping containers are being turned into cottages for people to stay at
during vacations. ___
c) Gary Chang's home is much larger now than it was before. ___

9. What do all of the homes mentioned in the article have in common?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

10. Based on the information in the article, complete the summary by writing ONE word from the
article to fill in each blank. You should make sure that your answers are grammatically correct,
paying attention to word form, plurals, etc.

Both earthships and container homes are meant to be good for the ________________. For
instance, designers of earthships would _______________ items like bottles, aluminium cans and
old tyres and use materials from ______________ such as mud, straw and wood to build homes.
Moreover, architects of container cities would reuse, ________________ and combine shipping
containers to make office blocks or blocks of flats.
In cities like Hong Kong, where there is an evident lack of _______________, homes like
Gary Chang's 24-in-1 Apartment are being built to create more spacious and less _______________
accommodations.

11. Which type of home mentioned in the article would you like to try living in the most? Why?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
HPF2dec

The Statue
1 The story's told of long ago
About a statue with a head of gold
And its breast did silver shine
And brassness at lower spine
5 Now iron did make the legs so strong
And at its base was all made wrong
For it was built of miry clay
And reinforced with iron sway
It stood upon sand which did give way
10 When the base was hit by a stone that day
The great image built sixty high
Summed three sixes from its front side
And through it was only six wide
It bare the mark of beastly pride
15 But the beast did crumble and was blown away
Like shaft in the wind forever gone to stay
And that stone hewn by no man's hand
Became a mountain forever to stand.

1. Find a rhyming pair in stanza one.

____________________________________________

3. Write down what the statue's body parts were made of.

a) head _________________ b) breast __________________

c) spine _________________ d) legs __________________

4. Find a word / phrase in stanzas 2-3 that mean the same as the following:

a) strengthened ________________ b) fall down __________________

5. In stanzas 3-4, find two other words that are used to refer to the 'statue'. (Not including the
pronoun 'it')

___________________ ____________________

6. Decide if the following statements are true (T), false (F), or not given (NG).
a) The speaker knew the statue's height. ___
b) A man threw the stone at the statue. ___
c) The statue is a statue of a beast. ___
A. Vocabulary
Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. The first letter of each word has been given to you.

Andrew Tang is a famous TV presenter in Hong Kong. Before he rose to fame, he was a very shy
person. "I was so timid that I tried to avoid having c________________with others. It was because when
I talked to people, I couldn't help f________________ . It was very embarrassing as people would think
you do not respect them if you kept moving your body during a chat," said Tang in a recent interview
with Hong Kong Post.
To t_______________ this problem, Tang read a lot of self-help books on how to improve
communication skills. He gradually gained confidence in speaking in front of a crowd. He now thinks
talking to people is no longer a burden, but an e_______________. He likes the interaction with the
audience and they like him as well. He started off byhosting some small shows in malls and they were
all well received. Eventually, a lot of companies and organizations invite him to be emcee of parties or
events. You can now see him f_______________ on television because he is always one of the hosts for
charity shows and TV award ceremonies. His face is now so r_______________ that almost every
Hongkonger knows him!
For those who don't know Tang may think that he is a cold person as he looks s_______________
when he is not smiling. Yet, Tang actually has a good sense of humour. Indeed, his success is largely
because of his ability to make the audience laugh all the time.
Apart from his showbiz career, Tang has opened 2 training centers to teach people how to do public
speaking and presentations. They have a_______________ so many customers that people have to wait
for months to enroll in a course. When asked if he planned to open the third centre to cope with the
demand, Tang replied 'no' without thinking. "Q______________ is everything to
me. I need to ensure all tutors in my centers are excellent speakers themselves, as well as excellent
trainers. So far there's a lack of talents so I have no plan to do so." Tang explained.
Lastly, Tang has e_______________ readers to take initiatives to talk to people. "I know it is hard for
some people to socialize with strangers. I was one of them. But after you've started the chat, naturally
you know what to say next. Be bold, and you'll find they joy in it." Tang added.
D. Conditional Sentences
Complete the passage below by changing the form of the verbs given in brackets to form conditionals.

Freddie : Do you have any plan for dinner? If you _______________ (want) to eat out, I
_______________ (book) the recently opened Indian restaurant. One of my friends told me
that the food there is nice.
Mary : Not really. I think I will cook tonight. There's box of frozen turkey in the freezer. I put it
there for a week. If we _________________ (not/eat) it, I'm afraid it _______________ (go)
off soon.
Freddie : It's hard to say. Last time we ate Bolognese with a box of mince that had been kept in the
freezer for a month but we were totally fine. Anyway, it's better to eat it. So do we need to
defrost it? Oh, it's as hard as stone now.
Mary : Of course we need to! Do you think it _______________ (defrost) completely before 7 p.m.
if we _______________ (place) it on the kitchen bench now?
Freddie : No! You can't simply place it on the bench! I watched a TV episode last night. Food
scientists say that we need to defrost meat in the fridge. They find that bacteria in mea
_______________ (multiply) 2 times faster when it ______________ (be) left to
melt in room temperature when compared with defrosting in the fridge.
Mary : You mean that if I ______________ (leave) the meat on the bench, I ______________ (get)
stomachache after eating it, right?
Freddie : Probably. So let me book the Indian restaurant now. We can have turkey tomorrow.

E. Rewriting Sentences
Rewrite the sentences following the instructions given in the brackets. The original meaning of the
sentences must be kept.

e.g. John drank some black coffee. He wanted to keep himself awake. (Use...in order to)
John drank some black coffee in order to keep himself awake.

1. Miss Chan was tired. She fell asleep when she was marking. ( Use... so...that)

______________________________________________________________________________

2. It was a hot day. We had to keep our air-conditioning on all day long. (Use...such...that)

______________________________________________________________________________

3. You will fall seriously ill if you don't stop smoking. (Use... unless)

_________________________________________________________________________________
4. People all stayed indoors yesterday because the storm was horrible. (Use... because of)

_________________________________________________________________________________

5. Factories in China emit too much exhaust gases. Air pollution there is very serious. (Use... and thus)

_________________________________________________________________________________

6. You need to have detention unless you hand in homework on time. (Use... if...not)

_________________________________________________________________________________

F. Passive Voice
Rewrite the sentences using passive voice. Do NOT include the doer/ agent of the action if it is unknown.

Pro-establishment candidate Chan Hoi-yan was elected to the Legislative Council in Sunday's by-
election, taking the seat for the Kowloon West constituency.
The newly-elected lawmaker said that (1) a "zero homework policy" can reduce the pressure on
Hong Kong students.
In Chan's manifesto, she notes that Hong Kong's education system is very exam-oriented, and the
heavy workload has led to high levels of stress among both students and parents.
(2) Chan proposes a "zero homework policy" because (3) it can give students more free time after
school. She also wants schools to set aside time within the school day specifically for students to finish
their schoolwork under teachers' supervision. According to Chan, (4) in-class teaching activities should
replace homework. In this way, (4) students will enjoy more play time at home.
(5) Chan received 106,457 votes in the election. While many students are happy to hear her proposal,
Chan doesn't mention in her manifesto how to achieve these goals.

1. _________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________________________________________