SECONDARY SCHOOL
Final Examination 2019/2020
S.3 General English Time allowed: 50 minutes
Name __________________________ ( ) Class: S.3____ Total Marks: 70
Instructions:
1. Write all your answers on the answer sheet provided.
2. This paper has two parts.
Part 1: Reading Comprehension (20 marks)
Part 2: Usage (50 marks)
1
Part I Reading Comprehension (20 marks)
Passage A (20 marks)
Read the following text and answer the questions that follow. Each question carries ONE mark
unless otherwise specified.
Robots in Our Lives
[1] Never have people been as fascinated by robots as they are today. Ever since science
fiction films began introducing robots like R2D2 and C3PO, in Star Wars, humans have
daydreamt about a future filled with robots to do all their work for them. Not only are robots
already part of daily life, they are becoming irreplaceable in factories, in space, in hospitals
5 and even in our homes.
[2] There is no doubt that robots can benefit humans in many ways. Scientists believe that in
the near future, robots will be doing many of our daily chores such as cleaning, doing repairs,
and serving meals. Having domestic robots to do jobs that people find boring and tiring could
give us more free time for entertainment and relaxation.
10 [3] Another way that robots could make the future better is by helping to take care of people
who are sick or elderly. If an elderly grandparent needed help getting out of bed, for example,
a robot could assist them, allowing them to live more independently. Hospitals are already
using robots in places like operating rooms. Surgeons rely on them to do safer and more
precise operations. Robots of the future will be used in more and more areas of medicine to
15 help keep people healthy.
[4] Scientists anticipate that many jobs now done by humans could easily be done by robots
within a few decades. Robot teachers would have unlimited knowledge, energy, and patience.
Robot police officers and soldiers would never hesitate to enter dangerous situations and they
could easily be replaced if damaged. Furthermore, robots do not need to be paid, so
20 governments would save lots of money!
[5] With so many positive effects of robots, rarely do people take time to consider any
negative effects. An important one is that they would take away human jobs. People who used
to make their living working in factories or being a nurse or a police officer would lose their
careers. Families would suffer and the government would have to support many more
25 unemployed people.
[6] Replacing humans with robots could also make people feel less valuable. The idea that you
are a healthy, capable person who can work and achieve things is an important part of living.
With robots taking more jobs, humans would have fewer places to use their skills and brains.
2
Not only would people like teachers feel useless, they might also feel less intelligent, since
30 newer robots have increasing levels of artificial intelligence.
[7] Robots doing more jobs would also lead to less interaction between people. A robot taking
care of a sick person or teaching children might be very efficient, but it could not ‘care’ or
share emotions like a human can. Moreover, people might become more attached to their
personal robots than to other humans.
35 [8] Obviously, robots offer great advantages to humans. Nevertheless, humans need to be
equally aware of the disadvantages of developing robots in order to make wise decisions about
their future role in society. In the meantime, there remains one unchangeable truth. We will
always need human involvement in our lives: it cannot be replaced.
Answer the following questions using complete sentences unless otherwise specified. For multiple
choice questions, choose the best option and write the letter A, B, C or D on the answer sheet.
1. According to paragraph 1, robots are _______.
A. already doing important jobs for humans
B. mostly found in movies
C. not very interesting to people nowadays
D. unlikely to ever become really useful
2. In what ways can robots benefit us? (2 marks)
3. Find a word in paragraph 3 that can be replaced with “aid”. (Give short answer)
4. According to paragraph 3, surgeons already ______ robots to help them do operations _____ .
A. need … quickly
B. trust … carefully and accurately
C. use … many times every day
D. wish for … more easily
5. In line 16, anticipate means ______.
A. to expect that something will happen and be ready for it
B. to do something before someone else
C. to feel happy and excited about something pleasant that will happen
D. none of the above
3
6. According to paragraph 4, what are the two advantages of having robot police officers and soldiers?
(2 marks)
7. Read paragraphs 4 and 5 and decide whether the following statements are true (T), false (F) or not
given (NG). Write T, F, or NG as the answers. (3 marks)
A. Robot teachers would be better than human teachers.
B. Robots could put people out of their jobs.
C. The disadvantages of using robots outweigh the advantages.
8. What word in paragraph 6 means “to have great worth”? (Give short answer)
9. According to the writer, humans will never _______ robots.
A. be able to pay the high cost for
B. be replaced completely by
C. develop
D. learn to care about
10. Fill in the blanks with words that appear in the passage (3 marks)
It may not occur as early as next year, but within a few (a) _____ robots could dramatically alter
the way we live. They could take over many of our common jobs, forcing the government to
provide for the vast number of (b) _____ people who cannot support themselves. If this happens,
the solution won’t be as simple as returning to a time without robots, because they will be more
productive than humans and make much of life more convenient. Indeed, the situation will be
(c) _____. Once it happens, there will be no going back!
11. In paragraph 8, the writer reveals the main point of this essay. What is her point?
12. Do you believe we should develop robots for our future use? Explain with at least two details.
(3 marks)
END OF PAPER
