http://www.tut-world.com/p6_eng.

htm
http://www.grange.hants.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/712assessments/naplan/teachstrategies/yr2012/images/lr_infe_s45_12_w6.pdf

Grammar

(1.1)

Write the number of the correct answer in the brackets.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Ali is ________ of the twins.

(1) as old
(3) the older
(2) the oldest
(4) oldest

Science ________ my favourite subject all along.

(1) has been
(3) are
(2) is being
(4) is

Are you aware that ________ in enclosed buildings is prohibited?

(1) smoke
(3) smoking
(2) smoked
(4) smokes
(

Mr Lim ________ such a busy man that he has to work all day.
(1) is
(3) was
(2) was
(4) were
(

You needn't do it alone. Let ________ help.

(1) I
(3) you
(2) my
(4) me

He can either take a bus to town ________ hail a taxi.

(1) or
(3) and
(2) while
(4) yet

Although he is thirty-five, he looks young because he has a

________ face.
(1) boy
(3) boyish
(2) boyhood
(4) childlike
(

Most of us ________ our headmaster and we greet him whenever

we see him.

(1) respects
(2) respected
9.

10.

(3) respecting
(4) respect

I'm sure I ________ this movie before.

(1) seen
(3) was seeing
(2) have seen
(4) see

My neighbour found out that his car had lost two of ________
wheels.
(1) his
(3) it's
(
)
(2) their
(4) its

Vocabulary

(1.1)

Write the number of the correct answer in the brackets.

1.

2.

This is an excellent science magazine, you should ________ to it.

(1) order
(3) subscribe
(2) purchase
(4) charge
(

You need a doctor's ________ to buy this medicine.

(1) certificate
(3) prescription
(2) letter
(4) order

3.

In yesterday's football match, our defenders made a ________ which

resulted in an own goal.
(1) melee
(3) joke
(2) success
(4) blunder
(
)

4.

He has ________ many mistakes in his life but we must forgive him.
(1) made
(3) done
(2) performed
(4) dictated
(
)

5.

Sulin is ________ some cheese onto her plate of sphagetti.

(1) sprinkling
(3) throwing
(2) dropping
(4) showering
(

6.

We need a ________ engineer, otherwise we wouldn't be able to do

a proper job.
(1) educated
(3) degree
(2) loyal
(4) qualified
(
)

7.

After living three years in Singapore, John is now a ________

resident.
(1) qualified
(2) good
8.

9.

10.

(3) permanent
(4) respected

Mr Lim was feeling ________ at the party because he was a thorn

among the roses.
(1) good
(3) awkward
(2) happy
(4) strange
(

To prevent the snake's poison from spreading to other parts of the

body, the doctor needs to ________ his leg.
(1) chopped
(3) save
(2) amputate
(4) saw
(

James is asthmatic, you can hear him ________.

(1) breathing
(3) panting
(2) coughing
(4) wheezing

Sentence Construction & Punctuation

Sentence Structure & Punctuation

(3.1)

Rewrite each set of sentence into one sentence using the word(s)
provided.
1.

It was raining. They played basketball.

Although _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

2.

You were careless. You lost both your wallet and the keys.
_____________________________________________________
because ______________________________________________

3.

This is a pig sty. Pigs are kept in it.

_____________________________________________________
where _______________________________________________
4.

All the children went home. Meilin did not go home.

_____________________________________________________
except _______________________________________________

5.

The man could help Yuli. He did not help him.

Even though __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

6.

Andrew is tall and strong. Jeremy is taller and stronger.

_____________________________________________________
both _________________________________________________

7.

He is a good runner. He did not win the race.

_____________________________________________________
although _____________________________________________

8.

This is a golf course. People play golf on it.

_____________________________________________________
where _______________________________________________

9.

He worked very hard. He could not finish his homework.

However hard _________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

10.

My mother went to bed. She was very sleepy and tired.

_____________________________________________________
so __________________________________________________

Cloze Passage

(4.1)

Read the passage and fill in the blanks with the most suitable word.

Sang Nila Utama

The first king of Singapore was Sang Nila Utama. He was _____
in Sumatra. He came to Singapore in 1299. He ____________ as king
for forty-eight years.
Sang Nila Utama set ______________ from Sumatra in a ship to
Temasek, the __________ name of Singapore. On his ___________,
the ship met a fierce storm. He and his __________ had to throw their
possessions __________ to make their ship lighter. All this didn't help
___________ Sang Nila Utama threw his royal ___________ into the
sea. Immediately the storm ____________.
When Sang Nila Utama and his men came ______________ on
to the island of Temasek, they saw a strange animal. The animal was
strong and graceful, it was a lion. For this ___________ he called the
island Singapore which means "Lion City". He decided to stay behind
and became its king.
Up level the above paragraph, with at least ONE complex sentence

Read the passage and fill in the blanks with the most suitable word.

Animals
Many people love fur coats __________ they don't think of where the
fur comes from. Even when there are laws which ____________ the killing
of wild animals, many animals are still being __________ for their skins.
Today there are many people who feel upset at the ____________ of
killing wild animals to __________ coats and other goods. There are many
ways to keep us warm, why must we kill animals for just this __________?
We can use plastic, canvas and other man-made materials to __________
bags and shoes. We don't _________ real animal skins at all. If we choose
not to buy products _________ from animal skins than these animals need
not be killed for this purpose.
In 1908, the Queen of England ___________ that she didn't want any
of her subjects to ____________ their hats with feathers. Soon women all
over the world stopped wearing hats with feathers. Since the __________
of feathers stopped so did the killing of birds.
Up level the above paragraph, with at least ONE complex sentence
SNU
overboard until ruled crown born ashore men journey stopped old sail reason
Animal Fur
Vocabulary: hunted purchase said manufacture because make made require
wearing ban idea purpose

Holiday homework: is it really necessary?

For many children, Christmas holidays will often include lots of homework. But if schools are teaching correctly, the majority of homework is
irrelevant, says John Walmsley

If schools are teaching correctly and engaging students, the majority of homework becomes irrelevant Photo: Getty Images

By John Walmsley

8:00AM GMT 20 Dec 2013

Regardless of your personal beliefs, I hope that your Christmas will be a time for family, friends and festivities. However, as a teacher and a parent, I must regrettably admit that for too
many pupils, these Christmas holidays will also include no small amount of homework.

>> Homework: parents have a lot to learn, too

The debate around holiday homework has raged for years and its a topic which divides teachers, parents and pupils alike. Recently, the discussion has been brought to the fore by a
number of new free and academy schools who have declared that they would not issue homework.

The increasing trend of primary and secondary schools announcing they would ban homework only seemed to fuel the debate- it even made the Education Secretary sit up and take
notice.

Michael Goves decision to rethink national guidelines on homework was a wise move. If educators and parents cant agree, what chance was there for a consistent Government
opinion on how much time children should spend on homework each night?

Related Articles

Extra-curricular activities

26 Sep 2013

Parents have a lot to learn, too

11 Oct 2013

Parents paid 600 'to help their children with homework'

15 Nov 2013

School bans homework to allow family time

05 Jun 2013

'Do away with grammar schools; they won't fix our education system'

18 Dec 2013

Testing and educating can we do both intensively?

12 Dec 2013

Personally, my view is that homework is totally unnecessary for primary school pupils and those in the first three years of secondary school education. However, I will concede that it is
necessary when students reach their crucial exam years.

At that stage from year 10 and higher homework assignments serve a purpose; they provide opportunities for students to develop valuable skills in independent research, academic
citing, and the fundamental principles of academic honesty.

>> Parents paid 600 'to help their children with homework'

Ultimately each school, teacher and parent will draw their own line in the sand when determining the correct age for pupils to be given homework; but discussions over homework should
not stop there.

What must be asked is the value homework provides to students and, in my opinion, that debate should be based upon three questions:

Is that homework beneficial for the students personal education goals?

 Will homework assignments help to develop the students independent learning skills?

How can educators guard against placing undue pressure on students and help parents support their childs learning?

Today, league tables and exam results have created a mechanistic education system. Schools, pupils and teachers are too often focused on achieving scores and targets.

In my view, this underpins the homework debate, and it completely negates the truest goal of education, which is to inspire and nurture a students love for learning.

For parents, when it comes to homework, there is a fine line between helping your children and doing the work for them. Just as teachers should avoid placing unwarranted pressure on
their students, parents should appreciate that by doing the work for them, they are in fact hindering their childs ability to think independently.

Homework becomes an exercise in futility if children arent allowed to take charge of their own learning. Instead, parents should put their efforts into providing an environment which
helps to instil a real desire to learn.

>> School bans homework to give pupils more 'family time'

As I have already stated, there will always be times, such as exam preparation, when parents and teachers need to ensure students are studying at home. In my opinion, the true issue
isnt whether students should work at home, its whether homework should be routinely assigned?

If schools are teaching correctly and engaging students, the majority of homework becomes irrelevant. In my experience, engaged students regardless of age will, on their own initiative,
actively seek to advance their knowledge and learning outside of school. In such cases the teacher and parent roles should then act to support this drive in whatever way they can.

In my own school (which I should mention is an international sixth-form boarding school), we try to use experiential learning to engage and enthuse our students. We do this by providing
a dual programme which sees students split their school time equally between academics and corresponding extra-curricular activities.

Frequently, students themselves will take the lead in setting up extra-curricular activities outside of school hours.

>> Extra-curricular activities are worth the extra effort

Having taught in many kinds of schools in the UK and abroad, I can honestly say that no-other curriculum does more to encourage students to become actively involved in their own
learning.

While I accept that not every school will have the luxury of adopting a co-curricular programme to the extent we have; its an option I actively encourage them to try, and I believe it would
be more readily welcomed by their students.

Personally, I dont think schools should routinely issue students with homework (particularly below GCSE classes). Ultimately, as a parent your question shouldnt be why are schools
giving so much homework? but rather, is this homework relevant, interesting and does it encourage independent thinking?

John Walmsley is principal of UWC Atlantic College