InstructionsRead each question carefully before you answer.
Answer each question in the space provided.
If you make a mistake, cross out the wrong answer and write the correct
answer clearly underneath.
When you have finished, check your answers.
Key CompetencesWorksheet 1
ReadingExercise 1
Read the article and look at pictures A–D on page 2. Which picture does not belong with the article? ________________________________
Whale seen in central LondonHana Patel, LondonA bottle-nosed whale swam along the River Thames in central London yesterday.
Hundreds of people came to the river to see the five-metre long whale.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ said Scott Bradley from West London. ‘You don’t expect to see whales in central London! It was amazing!’
People left work early and took their cameras to the river to photograph the unusual sight.
Bottle-nosed whales usually live in the Arctic and North Atlantic Ocean. Marine scientist Susan Bailey said, ‘We don’t know why the whale is so far from home.
They usually stay in very deep water. One thing is certain — it is going to be very difficult to get the whale back to the sea. A rescue boat is following the whale along the river and we hope that the whale will swim in the right direction.’ The rescue boat is trying to keep the whale in the deepest part of the river. If the whale swims near the edge, it will probably get stuck.
Vets think that the whale looks healthy, but they are worried that it is suffering from stress. It is very noisy and there are a lot of boats in the river.
In the past, dolphins and seals have swum into the Thames, but experts think this is the first whale to arrive in Britain.
Read the text again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 The text is about a whale in Britain.
2 People in London are frightened of the whale.
3 Bottle-nosed whales are not common in the sea around Britain.
4 Susan Bailey is sure that the whale will return to the sea.
5 The whale is very ill.
Exercise 3
The writer of the article on page 1 interviewed some people who saw the whale. Read statements 1–4. Are they facts or opinions? Put an 7 in the correct box.
Imagine you went to the Thames to take photographs of the whale. Write an email (40–60 words) to your friend Ali describing what you saw and how you felt.
Remember:* Use informal language.* Use a suitable phrase to start and finish the email.
Topic links Current affairs (UK); natural sciences
Key competences Competence in linguistic communication Competence in social skills and citizenship Competence in processing information and use of ICT
Exercise 1 1 mark
AnswerPicture C does not belong with the article.
Competence in linguistic communication • processing information
This exercise tests students’ ability to process information and understand different types of text.
Exercise 2 5 marks
Answers1 T 2 F 3 T 4 F 5 F
Competence in linguistic communication • processing information
This exercise tests students’ ability to process information and understand different types of text.
Exercise 3 4 marks
Answers1 fact 2 fact 3 opinion 4 opinion
Competence in linguistic communication • processing information
This exercise tests students’ ability to understand the communicative intention of the author and assess information critically.
Exercise 4 10 marks
AnswerStudents’ own answers.
Competence in linguistic communication • processing information and use of ICT
This exercise tests students’ ability to process information and express ideas and feelings appropriately. It shows their ability to compose a particular text type (email) and show an understanding of the intended audience when producing written texts. It also helps them to understand the nature of ICT in everyday contexts.
Exercise 5 12 marks
Answers1 b 2 c 3 b 4 a 5 c 6 a
Competence in linguistic communication
This exercise tests students’ ability to understand different types of text (oral narrative) and understand the communicative intention of the speakers.
Exercise 6 8 marks
• Divide students into pairs.
• Read the instructions.
• Ask students to look at the photos and read through the useful language together.
• Give students time to think about what they want to say.
• Give students two minutes to do the task.
• Circulate, monitor and assess.
AnswerStudents’ own answers.
Competence in linguistic communication • social skills and citizenship
This exercise tests students’ ability to express ideas and feelings appropriately. It also tests their ability to communicate with speakers of other languages.
6
Key Compentencies.indd 6 2/4/09 12:10:33
Tapescripts
Track 1 Worksheet 1: Exercise 5
Newsreader And finally, here’s a report from Angela Burnett in Newtown who went to visit the new Sea Park Marine Centre today.
Angela Burnett I’m here at the Sea Park Marine Centre which will open for the first time next week here in Newtown. The building looks like a giant ship and inside there are more than 500 species of fish and sea creatures. I spoke to Dave Whitehall, the centre manager, about some of the main attractions.
Dave Whitehall We’ve got some amazing creatures here at Sea Park. We’ve got penguins, seals, and many types of fish, but our star attraction is the whale sharks that we’re standing in front of here. Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the world. This one is about four metres long, but it’s still growing.
Angela Burnett Wow! And it has an enormous mouth. I don’t think I’d like to be in the water with those guys. They look quite aggressive.
Dave Whitehall They look scary, but they are very peaceful creatures. They aren’t dangerous to humans. Although their mouths can be 1.4 metres wide and they have around 300 tiny teeth, they eat only small fish and squid. We hope that we can learn a lot more about the whale shark’s habits by studying them here at Sea Park
Angela Burnett Well, everyone is having a lot of fun watching these amazing creatures and learning something as well.
This is Angela Burnett, Channel 8 News, Sea Park, Newtown.
Newsreader Thanks, Angela. We’re now just one week away from the grand opening of Sea Park on Saturday 5th. If you’d like to learn more about the whale sharks’ journey from the Pacific to Newtown then Angela will be back tomorrow with a special report. But that’s all for now from the Channel 8 News team. Now the weather with ...
