June 2017 THAMES EXAMINATIONS LEVEL SEVEN SECTION A : READING SECTION B : WRITING SECTION C : ENGLISH USAGE 2 Parts (20 marks) 2 Parts (20 marks) 2 Parts (20 marks) 2.5 HOURS Please answer ALL the questions Please use CAPITAL LETTERS Family name First name Date of birth Candidate number Town DO NOT START UNTIL THE INVIGILATOR TELLS YOU TO
THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 1 SECTION A: READING Part 1 10 marks K-POP One of the most popular videos on YouTube is Gangnam Style by Psy, who is a Korean singer, rapper, songwriter and music producer. This particular video was the first to get one billion views on the famous video-sharing website. First released in 2012, Gangnam Style is an example of a type of Korean music called K-pop (K means Korea). K-pop is actually a mix of musical styles, including rock, hip-hop, R&B and jazz as well as traditional Korean music. Pop music from the USA and Europe has always been popular in Korea, but in the early 1990s, a new form of home-grown pop music began to appear when a group called Seo Taiji and Boys experimented with different musical styles. This new style of Korean pop music entered the Japanese market at the beginning of the 21 st century and rapidly grew in popularity among teenagers and young adults all over East Asia. The spread of K-pop as well as Korean films and TV series has also been seen in Latin America, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe and has been called the Korean Wave. K-pop singers often use English words and phrases in their songs. Jin Dal Yong, a Korean music writer, suggests that this is because Korean- Americans and Koreans who have studied in the USA use their cultural knowledge and fluency in English to distinguish themselves from artists raised and educated in Korea only. In 1995, the percentage of song titles using English in the Korean pop music charts was 8%. This varied between 30% in 2000, 18% in 2005 and 44% in 2010. Similarly, increasing numbers of K-pop bands use English names rather than Korean ones, which allows artists to reach a wider audience. Interestingly, foreign songwriters and music producers now go to Korea to work with K-pop artists. Also, American rappers such as Ludacris, Kanye West and Snoop Dogg have featured in K-pop songs. This suggests that K- pop is becoming more and more popular internationally.
THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 2 Decide if these 10 sentences are TRUE or FALSE, according to the text. The first one is an example. TRUE FALSE 0 The text is about Chinese pop music. 1 Gangnam Style is the most popular video on YouTube. 2 Psy works in the music industry. 3 K-pop is partly based on traditional Korean music. 4 K-pop first appeared in 2012. 5 Seo Taiji and Boys is a Korean pop group. 6 K-pop took a long time to become popular in East Asia. 7 The term Korean Wave means the spread of Korean entertainment. 8 Some K-pop artists use English to make themselves the same as other artists. 9 The Korean pop music charts saw an increase in English song titles from 1995 to 2010. 10 Some American rappers have included K-pop artists in their songs.
THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 3 SECTION A: READING Part 2 10 marks HOW FAST CAN WE GO? The greatest race in the Summer Olympic Games is the 100-metres. This race, however, involves much more than athletes running very fast over a short distance. The things that happen to the human body during this sporting event are so complex that scientists are still trying to fully understand them. A team at the University of Dallas, led by Professor Peter Weyand, has been researching how the human body and brain work before and during a 100- metre race. Members of the team have identified five phases in the 100- metre sprint. The first occurs just before the starting gun is fired. During this phase, the runners have to forget everything else, concentrate and keep still. This is followed by the second phase, in which the brain sends a signal to the muscles to begin working. Also, the runners bodies remain close to the ground and their muscles shrink to create the power needed to push them forward. The third phase is when the athletes begin to run. Every time one of their feet hits the ground there is a slight braking before the foot pushes off again. This allows the runners to gain speed. As their speed increases, the runners reach maximum velocity, which is the fourth phase. This is when the foot hits the ground with a force equal to more than three times an athlete s body weight. Towards the end of the race, the final phase occurs. During this phase, the runners energy levels fall and they begin to lose speed. It may look as though the winner of the race is running faster than the others at this stage but, in fact, he or she is just slowing down less quickly. Professor Weyand suggests that top class 100-metre sprinters can run faster than other people because they have very long legs. For example, the world s fastest man, Usain Bolt, runs forty-one steps in a 100-metre race when most of his rivals use forty-five. Professor Weyand also says that 100- metre runners could become even faster in the future if scientists can find a way to reduce contact time between the foot and the ground.
THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 4 Choose the best answer (A, B or C), according to the text. Then put your answers in the box at the bottom of the page. The first one is an example. 0. Which is correct? A. The text is about swimming. B. The text is about tennis. C. The text is about running. 1. Which is correct? A. What happens to the body during a race is fully understood. B. What happens to the body during a race is partly understood. C. What happens to the body during a race is simple. 2. Which is correct? A. The first phase of the 100 metres is just after the race has begun. B. In the first phase of the 100 metres, runners should move. C. The runners concentration is important in the first phase of a race. 3. Which is correct? A. In the second phase, the muscles receive a message from the brain. B. In the second phase of a race, runners stand tall. C. Runners muscles get bigger in the second phase of a race. 4. Which is correct? A. In the fourth phase, a runner s foot hardly touches the ground. B. In the fourth phase, runners reach top speed. C. The fourth phase occurs near the end of the 100 metres. 5. Which is correct? A. Most 100-metre sprinters take 45 steps during a race. B. Running faster requires more contact between the ground and the foot. C. Being able to run fast depends on the size of a runner s feet. 0 1 2 3 4 5 C
THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 5 SECTION B: WRITING Part 1 10 marks Choose ONE of the composition titles below and write about 200 words. 1. You have decided to enter a short story competition organised by an online magazine for young people. The competition rules state that your story must begin or end with the following words: I decided I would do things differently next time. 2. Your class has recently had a discussion about village life. Your teacher has now asked you to write an essay on the advantages and disadvantages of living in a village. 3. At school, you recently studied the topic of online bullying. Write an article for an international student website in which you discuss some of the problems connected with online bullying and suggest possible solutions.
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THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 8 SECTION B: WRITING Part 2 10 marks You see this advert on an English language website for young people: WIN A SIGHTSEEING HOLIDAY! We are giving away ten prizes of 5,000 to spend on a sightseeing holiday of your choice. Send a letter of about 150 words to the address below, in which you introduce yourself and explain where you would choose to go and why. The Editor English International PO Box 100 London WC1A 4WW United Kingdom
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THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 11 SECTION C: ENGLISH USAGE Part 1 10 marks Complete each sentence, using the words given, so that it has the same meaning as the original sentence. The first one is an example. 0. Linda likes coffee, but she doesn t like tea. Linda likes coffee. However, she doesn t like tea. 1. The photo shop in town took their passport photos. They had 2. I m sorry I forgot your birthday, John. Maria apologised 3. Elizabeth speaks French and Spanish. Not only 4. Paul did not go to his best friend s party yesterday. Paul should 5. I regret eating that fish at lunch time. If only
THAMES EXAMINATIONS Level Seven 2017 Page 12 SECTION C: ENGLISH USAGE Part 2 10 marks Complete the text below using the correct form of the word in brackets. Write your answers in the box. The first one is an example. ALBERT EINSTEIN Albert Einstein was a (0) (fame) scientist and (1) (philosophy). He was born in (2) (German) in 1879 and died in the USA at the age of seventy-six. Einstein developed the most well-known equation in the world (E = mc 2 ) and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his (3) (discover) of the Law of Photoelectric Effect. Albert Einstein came from a Jewish family and decided to leave his country of (4) (born) because of the (5) (politics) situation there in 1933. He first moved to Belgium, then to (6) (English) and (7) (final) to the USA, where he was given American (8) (national) in 1940. Einstein was also a highly musical person. He played the violin (9) (extreme) well and joined several orchestras. He once said, I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my whole (10) (live) in music. Answers: 0 famous 1 6 2 7 3 8 4 9 5 10
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