ENGLISH WRITTEN TEST – YEAR 11 – OCTOBER 2016

Read the following text carefully.

Cashed-up teenagers are letting loose on

spending sprees averaging $5000 a year
Well-meaning mums and dads are showering kids with
money and financial freedom so they don't go without, A. Match the words from the text with
experts say. But parents have been warned to ensure teens their corresponding meaning. (16p)
earn some of their keep through household chores such as 1. cashed-up 2. well-meaning
mowing lawns and cleaning, or encourage part-time 3. showering … with 4. shelling out
employment, to keep greed at bay. 5. swallow 6. enabling
"There should be a small base allowance of about $10 a 7. reluctant 8. haphazardly
week. Anything after that should be earned so they can
develop a sense of saving and learn that money doesn't a) giving a lot b) allowing
grow on trees," psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack said. c) consume / use up d) without care
Market Research Company TNS's Tru Study found that e) having plenty of money f) spending
young consumers have become a spending force in their g) unwilling h) having good
own right, shelling out on average $96 a week. Clothes, intentions
electronics and fast food swallow the most cash. Parents,
part-time jobs, gifts and allowances are their main income B. Answer the following questions in your
source. own words as far as possible. (32p)
The report also revealed children are being introduced
to the seductive power of plastic from a tender age, with 1. What are parents advised to do in the first
one in 10 saying they regularly used credit to make paragraph?
purchases. 2. Why is it important for teens to earn some
"Teenagers are receiving money from their parents of their own money?
regularly, enabling them to have constant buying power," 3. Where do young consumers mostly get
the report states further. Average weekly spending ranged their money from?
from $56 for 12 and 13-year-olds to $192 for 18 and 19-year- 4. Why do some parents give their children so
olds. One in four aged 16-plus combined study with a part- much money?
time job. Boys with a love of expensive techno toys and
video games had a bigger budget than girls, outlaying an C. Reread paragraphs 3 – 5 and complete
average $54 a week more. the following accordingly. (35p)
Ms McCormack said many adults who had tightened 1. Young people spend their money mostly
their belts because of cost-of-living pressures were on…
reluctant to deprive their children. Some gave money to 2. Only a small percentage of teens claim to…
avoid conflict at the expense of teaching valuable 3. Teens are able to spend continuously due to
budgeting skills. "We give a very poor message to children if …
we haphazardly give them money for immediate 4. Young consumers spend up to…
gratification," Ms McCormack said. 5. Some teens work while…
Karen Collier, Sunday Herald Sun, October28, 2012
6. Boys can afford to … than girls because…

D. Look at the idioms below and match them with their corresponding meaning. (12p)

1. Cashed-up teenagers are letting loose on spending sprees. a) preventing something from causing
2. Teens should try to keep greed at bay. problems
3. Many adults had to tighten their belts because of rising costs. b) not having any money
4. Most families have to live from hand to mouth. c) having just enough for the basic needs
5. Young people today tend to go Dutch when they go out d) sharing the cost of something
together. e) doing something in a way that is not
6. Her salary is so low that she finds it hard to make ends meet. controlled
f) reducing expenditure
E. TENSES – Use an appropriate present tense of the verbs in brackets. (15p)

1. Every morning Linda (drive) her children to the shopping centre.

2. (you/be) to the new clothes shop yet?
3. I (spend) way too much on clothes these days.
4. Since the Industrial Revolution, the world (consume) at a higher rate than ever before.
5. I (not buy) anything lately.

F. CLAUSES OF CONTRAST – Match the beginnings of the sentences to their endings. (20p)

1. It is difficult to quantify how much children are
affected by their parents' attitudes towards
spending,
2. Rich teens own everything they want;
3. Some people usually pay cash
4. Although many people dislike credit cards,
5. Despite having learnt about debt from their
parents,
6. Credit cards may cause irresponsible spending
patterns;
a) they can’t live without them anymore.
b) however, they never seem to have enough.
c) many teens still don’t know how to manage
their money.
d) whereas others prefer to use a credit card.
e) nonetheless they allow people to buy things
that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
f) but it must have an impact on them for sure.

G. WRITING (50p)

Comment on the following quotation by Ivan Illich (Austrian philosopher, 1926 – 2002) in about 180
words.
“In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners
of envy.”

H. LISTENING (20p)

Listen to the text and complete the gaps.

HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE A SHOPAHOLIC

If you are one of the -1- million people that shop compulsively, consider the following steps:
If you are one of the -1- million people that shop compulsively, consider the following steps:
Step 1 – Go shopping only for the right -2-. You should definitely avoid going shopping after you
Step 1 – Go shopping only for
have received yourthe
-3-. right -2-. You should definitely avoid going shopping after you have
received your -3-.
Step 2 – Consider how shopping makes you feel. Do you experience a feeling of -4- after the initial
-5-?
Step 2 – Consider how shopping makes you feel. Do you experience a feeling of -4- after the initial -5-?

Step 3 –Step 3 – Check

Check if the items
if the items you have
you have at home
at home areare really
really thingsyou
things you-6-
-6-or
or just
just stuff
stuffyou
you-7-.
-7-.

Step 4 –Step 4 – Go through

Go through yourDo
your -8-. -8-.your
Do your clothes
clothes stillstill
have have theprice
the price-9-?
-9-?

Step 5 – Don’t -10- from others the things you buy, nor -11- about how much money you’ve spent.

Step 6 – Assess your -12-. See if you can -13- temptation when your -14- are maxed out.

Step 7 –Key
Get- help. Gettingteenagers
CASHED-UP -15- is a great
areway for loose
letting you toon
understand the problems
spending sprees behind
averaging your
$5000 -16-.
a year
A. 1e) 2h) 3a) 4f) 5c) 6b) 7g) 8d)
B.
1. Parents should make their children work (part-time or do small chores) to earn extra
money/their own money.
2. This is important so that teens learn to save and manage their money better – they
need to know that “money doesn’t grow on trees” and so spend more wisely.
3. They mostly get their money from their parents, part-time jobs, gifts and allowances.
4. Some parents give them so much money in order to avoid conflicts and guarantee
children’s instant satisfaction (to make them happy) – so they don’t want to deprive their
children of anything.
C.
1. clothes, electronics and fast food.
2. use credit (cards) / plastic regularly to make purchases / buy things.
3. the money their get from their parents.
4. $192 a week.
5. (they are) still at school/ (they are still) studying.
6. spend more money (on expensive techno toys and video games) / they have a bigger
budget.
D. 1e) 2a) 3f) 4b) 5d) 6c)
E.
1. drives 2. Have you been 3. am spending 4. has been consuming 5. haven’t bought
F. 1f) 2b) 3d) 4a) 5c) 6e)
H.
B. 1) 17 2) reasons 3) paycheck 4) guilt 5) rush 6) needed 7) wanted 8)
closets/wardrobe 9) tags 10) hide 11) lie 12) willpower 13) resist 14) credit cards 15)
therapy 16) compulsive spending

Audio file can be downloaded at - http://filecloud.io/oc6ip3tk7