Title VSTEP-Reading test 1.docx ✅

Code 1 - Page 1 of 14 READING PAPER 1 Time permitted: 60 minutes Number of questions: 40 _______________________________________________________________________ Directions:In this section you will read FOUR different passages. Each one is followed by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D, to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage. You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. PASSAGE 1 – Questions 1-10 Hong Kong is the name of an island off the coast of mainland China. The biggest and most important city on Hong Kong is Vitoria, but not many people use this name. People usually call the city Hong Kong too. Even though Hong Kong is small, only about 1000 square kilometers, around seven million people live there today. Hong Kong has a very interesting history. Many years ago the island of Hong Kong belonged to China and now it belongs to China again. However, for more than 150 years, Hong Kong was ruled by the British. Hong Kong has a very good port and in the middle of the 19th century, British ships often stopped there. They came to China to trade. However, in 1839 a war began between China and Britain which continued for three years. In 1842 the Chinese and the British held a meeting which ended the war. At the meeting, the island of Hong Kong was given to Britain. Fifty years later, 1898, China gave the area around Hong Kong to the British for 99 years. In 1997 the British returned Hong Kong to China but it was a very different place from the deserted island of 150 years ago. Not many people lived in Hong Kong when it was first given to Britain. Most of the people were Chinese farmers and fishermen and soon more Chinese arrived. Some of them left China because they could not find work there and others came to Hong Kong when there was a war in China. All of these people came to find a better life for themselves and their children. Beside the Chinese, many other people came. They came from India, Britain,
Code 1 - Page 2 of 14 Holland and many other countries. After some years they began to think of Hong Kong as their home and they began to work hard for their new home. They too wanted to make a better life for their families. People began to build factories and many kinds of things were produced such as clothes, medicines, machines and radios. These things were not only sold in Hong Kong but also to many other countries. Hong Kong soon became famous as a world centre for buying and selling, and it has continued to get stronger and stronger. 7A In 1997, When Britain returned Hong Kong to China, there were many differences between the Hong Kong way of life and the Chinese way of life and people thought there might be some problems. 7B Many people from Hong Kong didn’t want to live by the Chinese rules. 7CMeetings between the leaders of both countries were held and it was decided that Hong Kong would be ruled by “One country, two systems”. 7D Today, Hong Kong is a world centre for trade and banking. There are world famous universities teaching in both English and in the Chinese language of Cantonese. The port is one the the finest in the world and the beautiful city of Victoria is built surrounding hills. For the visistor Hong Kong offers both East and West. You can go shopping, try food from many different countries, visit interesting places, and have a great time. 1. What does “this” in paragraph 1 refers to A. Hong Kong B. Victoria C. city D. the coast 2. There was a meeting between Britain and China because A. They were fighting each other. B. Britain wanted to buy Hong Kong. C. China and Britain were friends. D. China and Britain wanted to attack Hong Kong. 3. The word “deserted” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by
Code 1 - Page 3 of 14 A. crowded B. rich C. poor D. abandoned 4. The main idea of the third paragraph is A. How Hong Kong became a colony of Britain B. Why Britain wanted Hong Kong C. When China gave Hong Kong to Britain D. Why Britain returned Hong Kong to China. 5. Before the British came to Hong Kong, A. there were many Chinese universities. B. there were only a few English schools. C. there were many English schools. D.There were a few people living on the island. 6. What does the author imply when stating “one country, two systems”? A. Hong Kong is not ruled by China because it has different way of life. B. Hong Kong still belongs to Britain, but follows Chinese way of life. C. Hong Kong is a part of China, but has its own way of life. D. Hong Kong does not want to be a part of China. 7. Look at paragraph 5, where the following sentence can be added? This meant that Hong Kong people could continue to live in the way that they had, while being a part of of China. A. 7A B. 7B C. 7C D. 7D 8. How is the information in the passage organized? A. in order of importance B. in order of space C. in chronological order D. causes and effects
Code 1 - Page 4 of 14 9. In what paragaph does the author mention the jobs people in Hong Kong were mainly doing when it started to be an official colony of Britain? A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragaph 2 C. Paragraph 3 D. Paragraph 4 10. What is the main purpose of the author when writing this passage? A. To explain why Hong Kong didn’t want to become a part of China B. To help the readers understand more about the history of Hong Kong C. To persuade foreigners to visit Hong Kong D. To explain why Hong Kong is a powerful island PASSAGE 2 - Questions 11 –20 Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. Over many thousands of years, human beings living on the Earth have looked up and seen the shapes of people, animals and everyday objects - they 'joined the dots' of the stars to form patterns in the sky. They gave these shapes names, some of which we still use today. But why did they bother with constellations at all? One reason is that having constellations makes it easier to find your way around the sky. This is useful for finding north, or working out the date or the time. When there were no compasses, clocks or watches, this was all very important. There is another reason why constellations were so important. Imagine going back to a time before paper and pencil had been invented. Life was sparse. If you wanted to draw a picture, you had to scratch it out on a dark cave wall or write it in sand that could blow away. But at night an amazing pattern of bright specks of light would appear above your head. By joining the dots you could see almost any picture you wanted. You could imagine seeing your favourite shapes in the sky. You might tell others about the constellations you have made up. They might tell others, and your constellation could be passed down from generation to generation for hundreds or even thousands of years. This is how many of the constellations got the names we use. You don't see exactly the same part of the sky every night, though between one night and the next you won't see much of a difference. Over a few weeks you'll definitely notice that