writing part

reading part

reading passage 1
you should spend about 20 minutes on questions 1 ╟ 13 which are based on reading passage 1 below

sydney - population: 4 million
sexy, sultry sydney is a gold-medal city that glitters with sun-drenched attitude
and seduces with beaches and bodies beautiful. her olympic-sized heart charmed
the socks off the world during the 2000 games and continues to beat with passion
and pride. she is australia's premier city, the oldest settlement in australia,
the economic powerhouse of the nation and the country's capital in everything
but name. built on the shores of stunning port jackson, you would have to die and
go to heaven before you see a more spectacular setting for a city.
it's a vital, self-regarding metropolis, exuding both a devil-may-care urbanity and
a slavish obsession with global fads.
despite its brutal european beginnings as a british penal colony, the city's mixture
of pragmatic egalitarianism and plain indifference has transformed it into a
thriving multicultural society with an out-and-proud gay community.
the sydney area was originally the ancestral home of the eora tribe, and evidence
of its original aboriginal inhabitants survives in some 2000 rock engravings
and suburb names.

orientation

sydney wasn't a planned city and its layout is further complicated by its hills and
the numerous inlets of the harbour, the focal point of the city. the centre of sydney
is on the south shore of the harbour, about 7km (4mi) inland from the harbour
heads. skyscrapers in the central business district (cbd) vie for dominance
and harbour views, but the city's relentlessness is softened by shady hyde park
and the domain parkland to the east, darling harbour to the west and the
main harbour to the north. the sydney harbour bridge and the harbour tunnel link
the city centre with the satellite cbd of north sydney and the suburbs of the
north shore. the city's airport, kingsford smith (otherwise known as mascot),
is about 9km (6mi) south of the city centre. central station, sydney's main
train station, is in the south of the city centre, and the main bus terminal is just
outside it.
kings cross is the city's budget accommodation centre and has a
well-developed travellers grapevine. the less stressful alternatives are glebe,
bondi beach and manly. the international hotels are concentrated in the city and
the rocks. there are heaps of good restaurants in darlinghurst,
kings cross, paddington and glebe, and a few around circular quay. for cafes,
try oxford and victoria sts in darlinghurst, stanley st in east sydney, king st
in newtown or norton st in leichhardt. sydney's theatres are scattered around
the edge of the cbd, the opera house is on the edge of circular quay, the
mainstream cinema complexes are on the ugly neon strip of george st.
the best nightlife is centred on oxford st and in kings cross. the rocks are a
touristy area, and oxford st is the heart of sydney's gay and lesbian community.

when to go

the best times to visit are the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn, especially
around march-april or october-november. these seasons are a delight, with
clear, warm days and mild nights. sydney is blessed with a temperate climate
and averages summer temperatures of around 25°c (77°f). it can get up to
40°c (104°f) on a hot day and high humidity can make it oppressive, but
torrential downpours often break the heat between october and march. winters
are cool rather than cold. beach lovers unperturbed by the hazards of lizard-skin
and melanomas should come between december and february.

events

the huge sydney festival takes up most of january. it's the umbrella for a number
of events, from open-air concerts in the domain, to street theatre and
fireworks. the great ferry boat race celebrates australia day in january.
indie film festival tropfest happens in february, as does the outlandish
gay & lesbian mardi gras. the more traditional 12-day royal easter show
brings the country to the city in march/april. the sydney writers festival
brings international scribes into the city ?in may, and hot on its heels is the
sydney film festival, reeling in the crowds in june. around 20,000 compete
in the annual 14km (8.5mi) city to surf run in august. and sports fans are in
for a treat with the rugby league grand final in september.
the manly international jazz festival tunes up in october and in the same
month gets frivolous with the sydney comedy festival. the city's
christmas orphans traditionally gather on bondi beach on christmas day,
drinking up a storm and keeping the life-savers and police busier than they would
like to be ??on a public holiday. after a short nap, they do it all over again on
new years eve. those scared of the water usually do their end-of-the-year
hellraising in the rocks ?or kings cross. the sydney to hobart yacht race
starts in late december and continues through to january.

sydney harbour

the harbour is the defining characteristic of the city. criss-crossed by ferries
and carpeted with yachts on weekends, it is both the city playground and a
major port. its multiple sandstone headlands, dramatic cliffs, rocky islands
and stunning bays and beaches make it one of the most beautiful stretches of
water in the world, and offer a close-up of aussie beach culture at its best.
officially called port jackson, the harbour stretches some 20km (12mi) inland
to join the mouth of the parramatta river. the most scenic area is on the ocean
side of the bridge. the sydney harbour national park protects the scattered
pockets of bushland around the harbour and offers good walking tracks.
the best way to experience the harbour is to go sailing, but if you're lacking
nautical skills there are plenty of ways to enjoy it.
try catching the manly ferry, swimming at nielsen park, walking from manly
to spit bridge, having a drink at watsons bay, dining with a view at
milsons point, balmoral or circular quay, or cruising to the heads on the bounty.

sydney opera house

australia's most recognisable icon is dramatically situated on the eastern headland
of circular quay. it's famous sail and shell-like roofs were inspired by palm
fronds, according to architect j?rn utzon, but may remind you of turtles engaging
in sexual congress. the opera house is so unique that it has been photographed
a zillion times, appears on an army of cheap t-shirts, every other sydney
postcard and decorates the frames of dame edna's dramatic glasses.
it was built between 1959 and 1973, but plagued with construction delays
and political difficulties which culminated in the resignation of utzon in
1966. although some visitors are disappointed by the interior, designed by
a consortium of australians after utzon quit, it's a truly memorable place to see
a performance or to sit at one of its outdoor cafes with a bottle of white wine
and watch harbour life go by. the opera house hosts theatre, classical music,
ballet and film, as well as the seasonal opera performances. there is also a
venue called the studio, which stages contemporary arts events.
there is free music on the prow of the opera house on weekends and a craftmarketon the forecourt on sunday.

questions 1 ╟ 5
choose the appropriate letters a ╟ d and write them in boxes 1 ╟ 5 on your answer sheet
1 which word used in the article to describe sydney, is analogous with gold
a metal
b glitter
c sunny
d bronze
2 sydney was said to have charmed the ____off the world during the olympics
a shirt
b pants
c socks
d shoes
3 sydney is the ____settlement in australia
a youngest
b best
c wealthiest
d oldest
4 sydney is termed an____powerhouse.
a economic
b electrical
c ergonomic
d energetic
5 port jackson is described as____?
a stunning
b stolid
c staid
d stoic

questions 6 ╟ 13
do the following statements agree with the information in reading passage 2?
in boxes 6 ╟ 13 on your answer sheet write
yes if the statement agrees with the information
no if the statement contradicts with the information
notgiven if there is no information on this in the passage
6 sydney is the capital of australia.
7 sydney people pay little attention to their city.
8 sydney began as a prison settlement.
9 sydney is a host to many cultures.
10 nothing survives to remind that the original inhabitants were aboriginal
11 the city of sydney is flat and the harbour has many inlets.
12 there is a large population of waterbirds noticeable in sydney harbour.
13 few passenger ships enter the harbour now that air traffic is more common

reading passage 2
you should spend about 20 minutes on questions 14 ╟ 26 which are based on reading passage 2 below

questions 14 ╟ 17
complete each of the following statements in questions 14 ╟ 17 with words taken from reading passage 2.
write no more than three words for each answer.
write your answers in boxes 14 ╟ 17 on your answer sheet.
14 the university of western sydney (uws) has a ____________
excellence, offering courses across a range of fields including bachelor, master
and phd programs.
15 the university has 22 schools in its four colleges that provide a ____________range of courses to a student population of over 35,000.
16 it is a place where each person's background, ____________are equally
respected.
17 uws is a dynamic, rapidly growing university located in sydney, a ____________and tourist destination of the southern hemisphere.

questions 18 ╟ 20
choose the appropriate letters a ╟ d and write them in boxes 18 ╟ 20 on your answer sheet
18 uws has achieved a reputation for innovation and relevance in ____________ and research
a study methods
b laboratory standards
c teaching
d academic matters
19 more than 90 courses offered are ____________?
a available to post-graduates
b master level or higher
c unique to uws
d government accredited.
20 coursework degrees are designed in consultation with ____________?
a industry
b students
c international universities
d government

questions 21 ╟ 26
complete each of the following statements questions 21 ╟ 26 with words taken from reading passage 2
write no more than three words for each answer.
write your answers in boxes 21-26 on your answer sheet.
21 ‘rote’ learning, which is described as ____________is generally considered less important than other methods.
22 a feature of uws teaching method is the requirement of students to and apply
concepts and theories and critically examine and present a range of arguments in order to ____________?
23 lecturers and tutors will frequently provoke arguments and discussions to help
them ____________being studied?
24 all students are required to be at lectures and tutorials at ____________?
25 in order to give students the best opportunities to succeed, the university provides ____________to those students who begin studies and encounter difficulties.
26 students who have already completed one year of any degree course cannot be
____________to a combined law program at uws.

reading passage 3
you should spend about 20 minutes on questions 27 ╟ 40 which are based on reading passage 3 below

rare heavy snowfalls resultant from a severe cold front have delayed more than 30 flights at tianhe airport in wuhan city, capital of central china's hubei province. airport authorities said unexpected snowfall late monday night, coupled with a sudden drastic drop in temperatures, forced the closure of the airport, situated in wuhan's huangpi district. by 8 a.m. tuesday, the airport had reopened. however, many airplanes could not take off as scheduled because of icing. china southern airlines hubei branch used two ice-breaking machines to remove ice from two of its planes bound for harbin city in the country's northernmost heilongjiang province and for xiamen city in eastern fujian province. by noon tuesday the two planes had taken off from tianhe airport, according to sources with the airport. it seldom snows during winter time in the city of wuhan, located on the middle reaches of the yangtze river, a major business and industrial city as well as the most crucial communications hub in central china. by 1 p.m. tuesday, however, it still snowed heavily and the accumulated snow was ankle-deep, said local sources.

questions 27 ╟ 32
do the following statements agree with the information in reading passage 3?
in boxes 27 ╟ 32 on your answer sheet write
yes if the statement agrees with the information
no if the statement contradicts with the information
notgiven if there is no information on this in the passage
27 runway ice is a problem in winter when snowfalls are heaviest.
28 tianhe airport is wuhan city’s main airport.
29 ice breaking machines are often employed to control ice on planes.
30 china southern airlines routinely uses ice breaking equipment at tianhe airport
31 china southern airlines ice affected planes were both bound for harbin.
32 no further planes took off from tianhe on tuesday after 1pm.

questions 33 ╟ 40
using no more than three words from the passage answer the following questions. write your answer in boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet
33 the stated cause of the rare snowfalls was a ____________?
34 the part of wuhan that the airport is located in is called ____________?
35 after the airport reopened scheduled take-offs were delayed because of____________?
36 the destination of the two china southern airlines planes discussed in the article
was____________?
37 sources at tianhe airport stated the ice affected planes had taken of by……………....?
38 it seldom snows in wuhan in____________?
39 wuhan is considered chinas most crucial____________?
40 after heavy snowfalls on tuesday afternoon the____________snow was ankle-deep ?

reading answer key
each question correctly answered scores 1 mark