Name: Date: reading (10 marks) 1

short 

 time in office, Ms Pillar became a much-respected leader.

 3 These 

are 

different 

 issues, and should not be discussed together.

  4  In this country, it is not usual 

 for people to walk barefoot in the streets.

  5  Should children be allowed to use study materials in some 

 exams?

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING (10 marks)

7  Rewrite each sentence, using the words in the boxes to add interest. 2 marks for each correct answer.

  1  Japanese people often like to know what your position is. 

in your company  in a business meeting  before they talk to you

 

 

 

 

  2  Traditions are respected in the areas where little has changed.

generations for rural

 

 

 

 

  3  When the couple leave the church, guests throw confetti and take photographs.

paper  a lot of  of them

 

 

 

 

  4  I told my florist I wanted the flowers to look as if just cut. 

been  the bouquet had  very natural

 

 

 

 

---

  5  Muriel wanted a cake for her wedding.

iced that in 

May pink Susan 

told 

me

 

 

 

 

ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS (10 marks)

8  Put the paragraphs (a–e) in the correct order to form a complete essay. 2 marks for each correct 

answer.

 a  

The couple may serve tea to the bride’s parents before the wedding ceremony. The ceremony itself 

is quite simple and the most important event is the wedding reception and dinner. The wedding 

dinner may have ten courses. At the end of the reception, the guests line up and the bride and 

groom say goodbye to them all individually. 

 b  

Weddings are one of the most important occasions in Chinese life. There are many traditions in a 

Chinese wedding, some of which are still common today. 

 c  

Weddings are special in most cultures and Chinese weddings are also very important events for the 

families involved.

 d  

Before the wedding, the bride spends some time with her close friends and sometimes she has 

a special person who helps her to do her hair on the day of the wedding. The groom’s parents 

dress him on the day of the wedding and then there is a procession from his house to the bride’s 

house to collect her and take her back to his parents’ house or to the wedding venue. For fun, the 

bridesmaids may try to block the way for the groom and ask him lots of questions about the bride. 

 e  

In the past, marriages were arranged between the parents. The groom’s family would take 

presents to the bride’s family before the wedding. Then, three days before the wedding, the 

bride’s family would take gifts to the groom’s house. The groom would also buy a marriage bed 

for his new wife. The gifts would be wrapped in red paper as a symbol of joy. It is still normal to 

exchange gifts but arranged marriages are much less common and not everyone can afford to buy 

a new bed, so they may just buy new bed linen instead.

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