AQA Level 1/2 Certificate Foundation Tier January 2015

Transcription

1 AQA Level 1/2 Certificate Foundation Tier January 2015 English Language Paper /1F Thursday 8 January am to am For this paper you must have: an AQA 8-page answer book. Time allowed 2 hours Instructions Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 8705/1F. Answer six questions. Answer all questions from Section A. Answer one question from Section B. Write your answers in the answer book provided. Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work that you do not want to be marked. You must not use a dictionary. Information The marks for questions are shown in brackets. The maximum mark for this paper is 50. You should: use good English organise information clearly use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Advice You are advised to spend about one hour on Section A and about one hour on Section B. IB/M/Jan15/E3 8705/1F

2 2 SECTION A: READING Answer all questions from this section. Spend about one hour on this section. A man from America is on a bus tour in China. Read lines 1-10 then answer Question 01. We had been travelling for more than ten hours through central China s lush countryside, and were somewhere between the cities of Xi an and Luoyang. Petrol fumes permeated the crowded bus, making me feel sick. I wanted my day s journey to end. I was travelling with a group of Chinese college professors and students on a weekend trip to the temple where Chinese Buddhism began, taking in some nearby Buddhist caves and the birthplace of Chinese martial arts along the way. At around midnight, the bus driver pulled over to a roadside latrine (where we could go to the toilet) to let his passengers use the facilities a few brick walls near a field of vegetables. I stumbled off to stretch my legs, breathe the fresh country air and enjoy the relaxing evening; I also wanted to find a quiet corner where I could relieve myself Question What have you learnt about the man from America? [3 marks] Now read lines and then answer Question 02. Several women ducked behind the latrine s wall, while the men stood on the edge of the field, away from the headlights of the bus. As an American I wanted privacy, and I wandered around until I spotted the latrine s back wall. The isolated area seemed like the perfect place. As I walked toward it, fatigued from the day s long and bouncy bus trip, and the nauseous fumes, I stared dozily at the wall s faint outline in the moonlight. Within seconds I heard a splash, and found myself walking through a shallow pond. One sniff of the stench snapped me out of my stupor. My brain instantly fired off a message: Get out, quick! Do you know what happened? I asked a colleague in loud, exasperated tones as I climbed out of the hole. Do you know what happened? She did and so did the other passengers. When you re the only person to tumble into a Chinese latrine on a clear, quiet evening and climb out yelling in English, people just know Question What happened to the man and why? [3 marks] Now read lines and then answer Question 03. As news spread through the group, my fellow passengers fired a cacophony of unanswerable questions, as though they were my know-it-all relatives. Why didn t you see the hole? How could you do a thing like that? 25

3 3 I think it was their way of showing they cared about my safety, even though their comments couldn t reverse my plunge and remove my newly acquired scent. They probably wondered how I, a Westerner, could survive travelling in the world s mostpopulous country. I mean, if I couldn t stay out of a Chinese countryside toilet at night when they were with me, what could happen when they weren t around to look out for me? I grabbed my backpack from the bus and searched for any article of dry and clean clothing I could find. I finally found my long underwear, a pair of shorts and my river-rafting sandals. By then, the college official responsible for the group s safety was standing next to me. Why didn t you go to the bathroom like the rest of the men? he yelled at me, as I peeled off my pants and threw a wet sock on the ground. The other men were by the side of the road facing the field. That s where it was safe and dry. He kept pointing at them. I understood his concern. When the Chinese go on group tours, one person is often responsible for everyone s safety. And with three Chinese Americans as guests on this tour, he had to make sure that he protected our safety at all costs. I put my boots, socks and pants into a plastic bag and approached the bus, not caring where I dumped my clothing. I just wanted the night to be over. But the driver cared, hastily stowing my bag in an outside compartment. When I boarded the bus, the passengers continued to stare and whisper amongst themselves. As I walked down the aisle looking for a seat, I was like Moses, parting a sea of Chinese students and professors on my left and right. They re talking about you, my friend whispered to me Question How did the other people on the bus react to what had happened? [5 marks] Now read lines and then answer Question 04 and Question 05. I suspected that. But again, what could I say? It would have been pointless to say what all travellers who want to smooth things over an awkward or embarrassing situation say to locals: Your country is so beautiful! It has a long history! The food is so delicious! The people are so friendly! I think I ll return next year! It was dark. I had been woozy. I had missed a step. There was no use getting upset. There was one positive outcome: my fellow passengers learned some new English words to describe what happened. A Chinese American friend, who taught English at the college, discussed bodily gases, fluids and solids and the Western street language used to explain what the body rejects. Having changed my clothing, I had hoped that I would smell better. But as I took that long walk down the bus aisle in search of a place to sit, a young woman sitting next to an empty seat looked up and politely said, This seat has a person. It didn t, so I sat down. But for the rest of the trip, I slid my hands under my thighs and tried to keep my feet and legs away from nearby passengers. For the first time in my life, I was glad that several men on the bus were puffing on cigarettes, the smoke lingering in the air above our heads. So, if you ever visit China, please heed this advice: watch your step. The country is different in many ways. It has some spectacular scenery, a 5000-year history and the Great Wall. It also has some big holes in the ground Turn over

4 4 And if your long-distance bus pulls over for a midnight toilet stop, do what I should have done: follow the locals very closely. You may also want to carry some cologne or perfume. It may help Question Refer to the whole passage. What have you learnt about China and its people? [7 marks] Question Consider the whole passage. How has the writer tried to make the story interesting for readers? [7 marks]

5 5 SECTION B: WRITING Answer one question from this section. Spend about one hour on this section. Remember to: At the end: plan read paragraph check communicate clearly. correct. EITHER Question Argue for or against the idea that There is no place like home. OR [25 marks] Question Describe an embarrassing situation. [25 marks] OR Question Write a story inspired by this photograph. [25 marks] END OF QUESTIONS Turn over

6 6 There are no questions printed on this page

7 7 There are no questions printed on this page Turn over

8 8 There are no questions printed on this page Acknowledgement of copyright-holders and publishers. Permission to reproduce all copyright materials has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements in future papers if notified. Section A Source: Reproduced with permission from Lonely Planet Unpacked, Jennifer Brewer et al 1999 Lonely Planet Section B Source: Getty Image Copyright 2015 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.