Connectives

Fill in the blanks using the connectives: Besides, for example, firstly, secondly, lastly, next, then, similarly, However, Despite, Although, because, because of, so, so that, all in all, in deed.

1. ______All in all_______ it was a success.
2. ____Although_________ it is raining heavily, Paul went out to play football.
3. _______Despite_____ of the heavy rain, Paul went out to play football.
4. He is smart. _____However_______ he often makes careless mistakes.
5. Tourism is very important to Hong Kong. _____Similarly_______, Taiwan relies heavily on tourism.
6. We like John _____because____ he is polite.
7. We like John ______because_____ of his politeness.
8. He is very weak, ____so_____ he cannot carry the heavy box.
9. He wanted to be an actor ______so as to______ be famous.
10. He works longer hours ______so that______ he can make more money.
11. I am hungry; __In deed________ I am almost starving.
12. Hong Kong is a busy tourist centre. ____Besides________ it is an international financial centre.
13. He likes, _____for example_________ watching films, swimming and collecting coins.
14. ___First_____, peel the bananas. ___Secondly____, cut the bananas into small pieces, ____third___ warm the milk. _____Lastly______, add in sugar and vanilla essence.

Exam Items

1. Reading Comprehension
2. Tenses - Grammar Book Unit 1
3. Infinitives and Gerund – Grammar Book Unit 3
4. Reported Speech – Grammar Book Unit 6
5. Connectives – Grammar Book Unit 11
6. Vocabulary - Treasure Plus 3A Unit 1 and Unit 5
7. MC Cloze and Open Cloze
8. Proofreading
B. Writing (Time allowed: 1 hour)
1. Long Task – picture writing
2. Short Task- writing a speech
C. Listening (Time allowed: 45 minutes)
1. Short tasks – MC /filling in form / labeling / ordering
2. Integrated Task
3. TSA listening format
D. Oral
1. Individual Presentation ( 2 minutes)

A Hiking Trip

It was a sunny day. Albert and two of his friends went hiking. They started the trip at the foot of Dimond Hill. They passed some bushes, small paths and rocks. They heard birds singing and saw some colourful butterflies flying around them.

Joe, Albert's classmate, was taking photographs. Suddenly, he tipped on a small rock and twisted his ankle. He nearly fell along the slope. He cried for help. Albert held his arm and pulled him up.

The three friends decided to take a rest. Albert helped Joe to bind his bleeding wound with a bandage. John tried to collect a stick for Joe. After they took a rest for ten minutes, they continued their hiking. They were more careful to climb the mountian.

It took them nearly three hours to reach the top of the mountain. They were all very happy.

Reading Comprehension

Two Stages for Effective Reading Comprehension
Stage one - Skimming
1. Read the title of the comprehension passage and study the rubric of the question.
2. Read the sub-headings or read the first sentence of each paragraph.
3. Read and scribble the keywords or repeat reading the important information.
4. Read the MC or short questions one by one and answer the questions using the information you can remember.

Stage two - Scanning
1. Read the long questions one by one.
2. Answer the questions by scanning the relevant information from the passage.
3. Revisit the paragraph to extract the right information if you are not sure of the answer.

An Unforgetable Dating

Write a story for your school magazine. Use the 4 pictures. Give the story a title.

At recess, my classmate, David invited me to watch a movie on Saturday. David was a handsome prefect, and many of my classmates admired him. Some of them wanted to be his girlfriends. Being his girlfriend is something. I can be proud of. Without a second thought, I accepted his invitation. We agreed to meet at the entrance of the cinema on Saturday.

I wanted to give David a good impression. To have a good start, I decided to buy some new clothes to wear on Saturday. I also went to a hair salon to change my hair style. I was very happy with my new look.

It was the Saturday afternoon, I was very excited for the dating. I spent the whole afternoon dressing up myself. Then I said goodbye to my mum and I left home.

When I walked near to the cinema, I saw David waving his hand to me. I could see that he was excited, too. He wore a pink suit with a white tie. When we came close to each other, we couldn't stop laughing at ourselves.

Proofreading

A.__________ Many students spend a lot of their spare times
B.__________ alone in home. They play computer games, watch
C.__________ TV or listen music.

We need to spend more
D.__________ time with our family, and more time outdoors.
E.__________ We need to get out more and active.

F.__________ Doing PE lessons one or twice a week at school
G.__________ do not provide us with enough exercise.

H.__________ Time spend with other people, and time spent
I.__________ exercise, is good for our health.

J.__________ Go for hike with your parent, or even just go
K.__________ shopping. Spend time talk to them, and get
L.__________ know them better.

A Letter of Advice Your friend, Amy is sending you a letter sharing with you some unhappy experience. She wants to ask for your help. Read the letter and reply her with your suggestions.

• Hi Alvin
  
• I'm very stressed these days. Let me share with you what have happened, so you may give me some advice.
  
• These days, our school is preparing for the open days. I am one of the choir members and I need to stay two days after the school for the choir practice. At the same time, I also need to help to decorate the classrooms for the open days. It takes me two more days after school. The problem is I was so tried after I came home. I went straight to bed. I couldn't manage to study and revise for the tests. So, I failed two tests in the past two weeks. I felt very bad about the results. What shall I do? Please help me. Best Wishes, Amy

Hi Amy!

I am sorry to know that you have failed two tests in the past two weeks. I can understand how bad you feel about the poor result of the test.

From your letter, I can see the problem was caused by your busy preparation for the open day. You spent four days to help out for the school open days. So you should tell the teacher about your busy schedle. I am sure she will understand the situation. Then ask your teacher if she can give you another chance to redo the test.

I hope my suggestion will be helpful to solve your problem. Please write to me again to tell me the resullt of your request. Good luck.

Best wishes,

Alvin

Letter of Advice

A Letter of Advice

Your friend, Amy is sending you a letter sharing with you some unhappy experience. She wants to ask for your help. Read the letter and reply her with your suggestions.

• Hi Alvin
  
• I'm very stressed these days. Let me share with you what have happened, so you may give me some advice.
  
• These days, our school is preparing for the open days. I am one of the choir members and I need to stay two days after the school for the choir practice. At the same time, I also need to help to decorate the classrooms for the open days. It takes me two more days after school.
  
• The problem is I was so tried after I came home. I went straight to bed. I couldn't manage to study and revise for the tests. So, I failed two tests in the past two weeks. I felt very bad about the results.
  
• What shall I do? Please help me.
  
• 
  
• Best Wishes,
  
• Amy

Proofreading Task

A.___the_____ Where is V best place to overlook
B.____of_____ the beauty Victoria Harbour, the most famous V
C._____in____ tourist attraction at Hong Kong? No doubt
D.___selects___ the Peak is the best option. Local Eyes select a
E.___on______ hiking route that starts in the Peak and
F._____go____ went all the way down to Pok Fu Lam Reservoir.

G._____and___ To begin, go to the Peak Tower when
H._____for____ find Lugard Road, our starting point to
I.___along_____ the hike. The scenery by the way is super.

J.____by______Passing on Harlech Road and Lung Fu Shan
K.___will______ View Compass, you may reach Pok Fu Lam
L.____route____ Reservior at the end of the road. It
M.____take____ took about 2.5 hours to walk the 8km trail.

proofreading

1) articles => a/an/the/some/any/singular&plural

2) Subject verb agreement

3) Tenses => active/passive

4) conjunctions => and/but/or/when/since

5) prepositions => in/ on/at/through/past/along/by /from/to/ for/into/with/because of/ due to/

6) 8 parts of speech

7) spelling

8) choice of Vocabulary (collocation)
relevant/related ; ideal/idle;
9) phrasal verb

10) modal verbs => shall/may/might/could/can/should/would/will

11) sentence structure => subject + verb + object + adjunct

12) relative clause =>Tom who is the tallest in the class was sick yesterday; the place where you can find water is the Nile River

Sentence Linking

Join the sentences with the conjunctions or phrases in brackets.

1. Money is very important. Love is very important too. (Both...and...)
Both mney and love are very important.

2. Tom is not at school. His friends are not at school. (Neither... nor..)
Neither Tom nor his friends is at school.

3. Mr Chan teaches us Maths. Mr Chan is our class teacher. ( .... as well as being ...)
Mr Chan, as well as being our class teacher, teaches us Maths.

4. The school team is playing football. Some teachers are playing football too. (Not only .... but also ...)
Not only the school but also some teachers are playing football.

Letter to A Friend

Dear John

How are you? How did you spend your summer? Did you go anywhere? For me, it is an unforgetable summer. I spent two weeks in Japan. The trip is a birthday gift from my parents. Let me share with you some unlucky experiences that I had in Tokyo.

I left Hong Kong on the first of August with my parents and my little sister. We brought our luggage to the airport. The luggage was checked in two hours before we boarded onto the plane. The plane was very full that day.

After four hours, we arrived Tokyo Airport. At the airport, we waited for nearly three hours to claim our luggage. Unfortunately, one of the luggage briefcase was missing. We were told by the air line staff the luggage would be sent to our hotel if they found it.

We waited for a whole day but the airline did not call us. It was very disappointing. We couldn't go out for my birthday party. We all had to spend the day in the hotel. To make thing worse, most of the tickets were in the lost briefcase.

I think it is surely an unpleasant experience. I'll tell you the details when I am back to Hong Kong.

See you soon!

Yours
Alvin

Golf Playing

I love golf playing. Golf playing is interesting to me. I play golf twice a month with my father. My father is good at it. He instructs me how to do the swing. Swinging is the basic skill that I must learn before I can learn other golf skills.

I think golf playing is an interesting game because it is not difficult to learn but it is difficult to be very good at it. It also requires patience. Without patience, we can never be good at it.

I believe we must also practice playing golf regularly. I play golf twice a month but my father plays more frequently. So he can play better than me. I enjoy talking with my father when we play together.

There are a number of skills and rules in golf playing. I have learned swinging the golf ball for about one year. Playing the ball from the teeing ground into a hole by a stroke or successive strokes will take me another year.

Anyway, I really enjoy playing golf. It helps me become more patience. I also make new friends. I believe I will be better at playing golf if I continue playing golf with my father.

Superstition Belief

My grandparents were born in China. They moved to Hong Kong when they got married. But they have some beliefs that are superstitious to us. We think their thoughts are not always based on reason. One of the superstitious things that we don't believe in is the worship of ancestors.

Tenses

1. Many social changes have redefined men's roles in the family. (present perfect)
2. Before the 1970s, few men had studied cooking in school.
3. Women traditionally have had most of the responsibility for keeping house and raising children.
4. The new courses in this area, introduced in recent years, have appealed to more and more boys.
5. By the year 2025, many men as well as women will have used these skills at home and in their careers.

Things to Study

Part A Reading and Grammar Usage：

1. Reading Comprehension

2. Tenses - Grammar Book Unit 1

(simple present / present continuous / present perfect / simple

past / past continues / past perfect / simple future )

3. Agreement – Grammar Book Unit 2

4. Connectives – Grammar Book Unit 11

5. Vocabulary - Treasure Plus 3A Unit 1 and Unit 3

6. Open Cloze and MC Cloze

7. Proofreading

Part B Writing：

Short Writing Task

Tenses Exercise

A. Fill in the right forms of the verb in the blanks.

1. He __washes_______ (wash) his bike by himself.
2. My friend sometimes ___plays_______ (play) with his uncle.
3. I like to _talk_________ ( talk ) with the actor.
4. My friend often _goes_________ (go) shopping.
5. My mother __cooked_________ (cook) the dinner last weekend.
6. My coaches ____are swimming_____________ (swim) in the sea.
7. We _finish_____(finish) doing our homework before dinner everyday.
8. My younger brother ___ate______ (eat) three apples yesterday.
9. One of my friends ___likes________ (like ) to play the guitar.
10. Can you _run_ (run) two miles ?
11. The teacher __had___ (have) a headache.
12. They ___watch_________ (watch) a movie every week.
13. Does it __snow___ (snow) outside?
14. He often _takes______ (take) his umbrella with him.
15. My good friends __stayed________ (stay) in a good hotel last week.
16. I was very happy to __play_______ ( play ) in the park yesterday.
17. My friends often _bring_________ (bring) his books to read.
18. The workers _washed__________ (wash) his car last weekend.
19. Tom and Jerry _are climbing____ (climb) the hill.
20. I _finish_____(finish) practice playing piano before dinner everyday
21. My aunt _cooked___ ( cook) lunch with me yesterday.
22. One of my uncles _doesn't like_ (not like ) to play the guitar.
23. Did you _fly___ (fly) by plane last week ?
24. The teacher __doesn't have__ (not have) a headache.
25. They __don't watch______ ( not watch) a movie every week.
26. Did it __rain______ ( rain) outside?
27. He often _rides________ (ride) bike by himself.
28. My best friend _lives_________ (live) with his uncle.
29. I like to _travel_________ ( travel ) to USA.
30. My friends often __go____ (go) shopping.

Preposition Task

Fill in the blanks with the right prepositions.

Dear Mr Lam,

Re: Cleanliness _on___ staircase around the lobby _of___ Whamco Gardens

I am writing to complain about the uncleaned building and not regularly removed rubbish _around__ the lobby of our building.

I would like to draw your attention _to____ the fact that the staircase and lobby have not been cleaned _for_____ at least ten days. Therefore, they are very dirty. Besides, the rubbish collection has not been improved. __On_______ Sundays when we are _at__ home, there is rubbish piling __up_____ the staircase all day _until______ evening. We find that such an environment is very unpleasant to live __in_____.

Could you please inform us what the regular cleaning schedule and rubbish collection schedule __for__ the building are? We would also like to know whether there is any provision _for_____ extra cleaning in the case _of_____ bad weather or construction work _in___ the building.

We are paying what seems to be a hight amount _of____ management fees considering the standard _of_____ service that we receive.

I await your answer and a considerable improvement _in____ the cleaning service urgently.

Yours sincerely,


Signature

Sentence Structures

1. Simple sentence (one verb only)
One day Tortoise went for a walk.
She saw a hippopotamus by the river.

2. Compound sentence (two or three verbs combined by and, but, or)
I felt so good, I decided to sell flags myself.


3. Complex sentence (more than two or more verbs linked by because, when, that, who)
Last month, my friend was very sad because her pet died.

A complaint letter

Dear Sir,

Re: A complaint about holes along the pavement outside Block 4, Site 4 of Whampoa Garden

I am writing to complain about a number of holes dug along the pavement outside Block4, Site4, of the Whampoa Garden.

On September 17, I saw a number of big holes dug by the heavy truck entering the podium of Block 4. Since the truck was carrying a number of iron rods, it made some big holes outside the residential block. I found it was dangerous for the walk-by people. I reported it to the guards and asked them to fill up the holes.

My friend and his family visited me on October 13, his son and my son played outside Block4. My son hurt his left leg because he fell into the big holes. After that I reported the event to the estate management office but they did not respond to my complaint.

Could you please give us a reason why your Department has not done anything to fill up big holes for about a month? It can be very dangerous and it can cause accident! I would also like to complain about the staff's attitude.

I am waiting for your answer and I hope the holes will be filled very soon.

Thank you for your help.

Yours Sincerely,

Grammar - Active or Passive

Put the verb into the correct form, present simple tense, active or passive.

1. The problems _____are caused______ (cause) by the careless staff.
   
2. The staff ________causes_______ (cause) the problems.
   
3. The company is not independent. It _____is owned_______ (own) by a much larger company.
   
4. The goods __________are delivered__________ (deliver) by the transportation company.
   
5. The school _________cancels_______ (cancel) the outdoor games because of the bad weather.
   
6. The park gates ____are locked_______ (lock) at 6:30 p.m. every evening.
   
7. The house ______is surrounded________ (surround) by trees.
   
8. The company ___________employs_______ (employ) two hundred people.
   
9. Two hundred people ________are employed________ (employ) by the company.
   
10. Usually, some goods _________are destroyed___________ (destroy) during the transportation process.

Verb Forms

base
-s form
past
past participle
-ing form

call
calls
called
called
calling

clean
cleans
cleaned
cleaned
cleaning

look
looks
looked
looked
looking

talk
talks
talked
talked
talking

end
ends
ended
ended
ending

wait
waits
waited
waited
waiting

kiss
kisses
kissed
kissed
kissing

wash
washes
washed
washed
washing

live
lives
lived
lived
living

love
loves
loved
loved
loving

beg
begs
begged
begged
begging

sin
sins
sinned
sinned
sinning

play
plays
played
played
playing

stay
stays
stayed
stayed
staying

cry
cries
cried
cried
crying

study
studies
studied
studied
studying

die
dies
died
died
dying

tie
ties
tied
tied
tying

Tenses

A. Fill in the right forms of the verb in the blanks.

1.)I often ___drive______ (drive) car by myself.
2.)My best friend____lived______ (live) with me last year.
3.)I like to _____play_____ (play) basketball.
4.)My sister often ______goes____ (go) shopping.
5.)I wish I could have _____washed______ (wash) my car last weekend.
6.)My father often enjoys ________swimming_________ (swim)
7.)Did you finish _____doing_____ (do) your homework?
8.)My younger brother ____eats_____ (eat) lunch with me every day.
9.)One of my teachers ______likes_____ (like ) to play the guitar.
10.)Were you able ___to swim_______ (swim) yesterday afternoon?
11.)She _____has had______ (have) a headache for several hours.
12.)I _____was watching_______ (watch) a movie when you called last night.
13.)Do you think it ______will rain________ (rain) tomorrow?
14.)Where's Tom? He said he ______would be____ (be) here at 4:30 PM.
15.)I'm really looking forward to ______taking____ (take) a vacation!
16.)I'm hungry because I ______have not eaten______ (have not ) breakfast or lunch.
17.)By the time I got to Lucy's house, she ______has already left___ (already leave) for work.

Comprehension Task 1 - Seven Tips for Test

Comprehension Task1 Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Seven Tips for Test
When you have tests, sometimes you will be very scared because you think you may fail in the test, and you may even be scolded by your parents if you fail. The following tips can help you solve the problem.

1. Before the Test - The first tip is to do revision as much as you can before the test. You, of course, must spend a lot of time to prepare for it. But after studying for about thirty minutes, you need to take a rest or eat something to relax yourself. You should also go to sleep before ten o'clock; if not, you will not have enough energy to answer the questions in the test. The revision that you did the night before will become useless if you cannot recall them during the test.
2. In the Test -The second tip is the way you answer questions in the test. There are usually a lot questions to answer in the test. You have to answer all the questions even though you are not sure of some. But remember that if you are not sure of the answers, do not spend too much time on them. Otherwise you will not have enough time to finish all the questions. Your overall marks will then be affected if you cannot make a good use of your time.
3. Time Control -The third tip is about your time control. Try first to answer the questions that you know best. Use the remaining time to work on the answers you are not so sure of. Always estimate how much time you can spend and work accordingly.
4. Mark Distribution -The fourth tip is about paying attention to the mark distribution. This will help you get high marks. Try to answer the questions that contain more marks if you don't have sufficient time to finish all the questions. Pay more attention and spend more time on the sections that have a higher percentage of grades.
5. Be Calm -The fifth tip is to be calm and not to be nervous. Some students get nervous and they do badly in their test. Some students who are calm in the exams and can usually answer the difficult questions, so they get higher marks. A calm mind can concentrate better. With a clear mind, you can easily recall most information you have studied.
6. Check Answers -The sixth tip is to check your answers when you have finished your test. Every student will make some silly or careless mistakes in the test. You have to check your answers to make sure you have not made the careless mistakes, otherwise marks will be deducted. These silly mistakes can even make you fail!
7. After the Test - The final tip is what to do when you know the result of the test. Try not to be too sad if you fail or get low marks. You should learn from mistakes. Recall your experience. Reflect on the bad ones so you won't make the same mistakes next time. When you get good marks, don't be too proud or boastful because that may upset people and you will lose friends. Also you may get lower marks in the next exam because you think you are the best and do not need to try hard.

Follow these seven tips. They provide you with some useful ideas to perform well in the test. I am sure you can improve your marks if you follow the advices!

1. Why are some students scared of the tests or exams?
Ans.) Students are scared of the tests because if they fail the tests, their parent will scold them.

2. What should students do when they study and revise for the test or exam?
Ans.) They should do revision as much as they can. They should also take a rest after every 30 minutes of study. They should also go to sleep early the night before the test.

3. What are the reasons that student should answer all the questions?
Ans.) If students answer all the question even they are not sure of the answer, they will have a chance to gain more marks. In other words, if they don't answer all questions, their overall mark will be affected.
4. How can students control their time in the exam or test?
Ans.) To control their time, students can first answer the questions that are easy to them and use the remaining time to answer other questions. They should also estimate the time they can spend, so they can work accordingly.

5. What should students do to get high marks in the test or exam?
Ans.) They should answer the questions that contain more marks first. Spend more time to answer them.

6. How do calm students work better in the exam or test?
Ans.) A calm mind can concentrate better, so students can easily recall most information they have studied.

7. Why should students check their answers after the test or exam?
Ans.) It is because checking answers can help to detect silly mistakes. Avoiding mistakes is important in getting high marks.

8. What are the ways that students can deal with their poor grades?
Ans.) Students can learn from their mistakes and get some experience to deal with the mistakes.

Today's Lesson - Reading and Understanding

I learnt three things about reading comprehension today.

1. Reading and thinking must happen at the same time. This is very important to help me remember what I read.
2. Thinking cannot happen without listening to and knowing the subject area of my reading.
3. Repeating can help me to focus on the subject matter.

I need to do the following tasks for next week.

• Read aloud the messages post on the blog.
• Finish two comprehension tasks to be post on my blog.
• Read aloud the comprehension passages

Today's Lesson

I learnt three things today.

1. To repeat and to recite the new words and the sentences can help me remember what I want to learn.
2. To relax and feel good about learning can create good brainy wave to strengthen memory
3. To use sound, images, and even taste can also help remember English words and sentences.

I need to do the following tasks for next week.

1. Read the story, The Clever Old Principal", and identify (find out) the plots used by the author to present her story.
2. Find 10 vocabulary words from each plot in the story.
3. Read aloud the messages post on the blog.
4. Spell and remember the vocabulary items of last week.

To Do list

Planning how to spend your time wisely can help live a successful live. You may start your day by planning things you would like to finish in the morning.

Write a to-do-list. It can help you better use your time.

Try to fill in the list to help you organise your day. See the sample list below.

Date: ______________

1. to read-aloud my blog message twice a day
2. to write down and spell the words I don't really know
3. to watch TV news in both Chinese and English
4. to finish 2 pieces of summer homework everyday.

Check the list at the end of the day. See how many items you have finished working on them.

1. literacy
2. warning
3. researchers
4. the internet
5. messages
6. adverse effect
7. conducted
8. advancement
9. language
10.education
11. research
12. university
13. involved
14. performance
15. private
16. tutorial
18. associate
19. dean
20. faculty
21. offered
22. reduces
23. worse

Words extracted from:

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=68340&sid=19698273&con_type=1&d_str=20080710

Study sends literacy warning

Researchers have found time spent on the internet, playing computer games and sending messages through mobile phones and computers has an adverse affect on students' reading and writing skills.

The study was conducted by the Centre for Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research at Hong Kong University last year and involved 40 primary schools.

It also found the reading performance of students taught in the classroom is better than those who have private tutorial help.

Tse Shek-kam, associate dean of the university's education faculty, said private tuition usually covers checking children's homework, repeating the teaching offered in schools and pre-teaching.
"Private tutoring reduces students' time for reading. It does not improve the reading performance of children, infact, it makes their performance worse," he said.

BY GLORIA LAI

Story Plot

I learnt today that there are eight types of plot in story.

The eight types of plot can be planned and mapped from:
1. problem to solution,
2. mystery to solution,
3. conflict to peace,
4. danger to safety,
5. confusion to order,
6. dilemma to decision,
7. ignorance to knowledge, and
8. questions to answers.