P1 Definitions of Words

(A)
The zombies are everywhere. They wander the streets, shopping malls and MTR corridors,
heads down and oblivious to the world around them. For fear of making contact, we sidestep
them as they tap on their smart devices playing Candy Crush, messaging friends, watching
videos or ‘liking’ Facebook posts and Instagram photos. They won’t eat you — but they will
probably gnaw at your nerves.
3. In line 5, what does ‘oblivious to’ mean?

A. angry at
B. focused on
C. interested in A B C D
D. unaware of    

4. If people ‘gnaw at your nerves’ (lines 10–11), they ... you.

A. annoy
B. attack
C. frighten A B C D
D. message    

More than 80 percent of Hongkongers between the ages of fifteen and thirty-four own a
smartphone, according to research company Ipsos Group, with this percentage trailing off to
less than a third of the population fifty and over. Many of us would rather give up television
than our mobile device, one survey found. Smartphone culture has become so deep-rooted
that it has even spawned a Cantonese colloquialism — dai tau juk, or ‘head-down tribe’. The
tribe’s culture is having widespread ramifications.

7. Find a word in paragraph 2 that means ‘expression’.

colloquialism

[3] Local neurosurgeon Dr Harold Cheng Kin-ming warned last month of the excessive
pressure head-tilting exerts on the cervical vertebrae, and the number of cases reported by the
Health Department is rising. As well as being a pain in the neck, being absorbed in our
phones while on our feet — known as ‘distracted walking’ — can also be a public nuisance.
‘It’s annoying and selfish,’ says Warren Collins, a daily MTR commuter. The MTR
Corporation has asked commuters not to ‘look down at your mobile phone’ on escalators, but
Collins observes that this advice is widely ignored. Besides, smartphone zombies also linger
at the bottom of escalators to answer messages, walk blindly off trains while reading or halt
abruptly in corridors to check notifications.

9. Find a word in paragraph 3 that can be replaced by ‘suddenly’.

abruptly
Entrepreneur and motorist Jonathan Fong says that he notices people eyeballing their phones
on the road ‘all the time’ when he is driving. ‘I see a lot of office ladies, for example, crossing
the road to the office, and they’re still watching their Korean dramas, or whatever, on their
phones,’ he says.

21. What does ‘eyeballing’ mean in line 104?

gazing at / looking at / staring at

[1] Few things are more rewarding than welcoming a new pet into your home and heart, but
when it comes to saying goodbye, the anguish can seem unbearable. ‘There’s so much
excitement when we get a puppy or a kitten. The last thing we think about is that in twelve,
fifteen, eighteen or more years’ time, our beloved pet’s life will come to an end,’ says
veterinarian Dr Lloyd Kenda, of Valley Veterinary Centre.

29. Find a word in paragraph 1 that means ‘suffering’.

anguish

It has been almost a decade since Mai Tian first arrived in Beijing to realise his ambition of
becoming a successful film-maker. ‘No one would dismiss you as a dummy if you [said you’d]
come to Beijing to pursue your dream,’ says Mai, describing the capital as a ‘city of dreams’.

56. Which of the following is closest in meaning to ‘realise’ (line 4)?

A. achieve
B. complete
C. recognise A B C D
D. understand    

[2] Housed within an artfully converted loft building in Sanjianfang, it is located in the heart
of an emerging fashion and media enclave just east of Chaoyang district and within easy
access of the prestigious Communication University of China. A cluster of trophies sitting on
a table highlights some of Mai’s triumphs: Best Film and Best Actress awards for I Was Good
Here; and Best Screenplay and Best Actors prizes for Love Interest at the China University
Microfilm Festival.

60. In line 15, what does ‘heart’ mean?

centre / middle
61. Find a word in paragraph 2 that means ‘respected’.

prestigious
However, changes that could fundamentally reshape China’s online film sector appear to be
on the horizon. One of the first signs emerged last year when Beijing Enlight Media Group, a
company engaged in TV and film investment, production and distribution, announced a joint
venture with mainland tech giant Qihoo 360 to launch an online video business.

74. In lines 108–109, what does ‘on the horizon’ mean?

approaching / coming / forthcoming / imminent / impending / upcoming

It has been widely noted that the rapid growth of online gaming and fiction has begun to spill
into online film, and film producers are keeping a close eye on developments in order to snap
up the rights to popular content that they can then translate into online video.

78. Which word is closest in meaning to ‘snap up’ (line 133)?

A. buy
B. lose
C. see A B C D
D. sell    

[1] Fifteen years after the handover to

mainland China, Hong Kong residents worry that
their identity—and their freedoms—are slipping
away. At the edge of the South China Sea, the
5 metropolis of Hong Kong flickers and glows, its
iconic skyscrapers like molten columns, the bay
reflecting all the cool blues and fuchsias of the
city’s desire. With little available flatland and the
most skyscrapers in the world, Hong Kong is so
10 dense with buildings, up to a hundred storeys
high, that they rise from the mountainsides as if
full of helium.
 [7] Already stick-thin with a spray of stubble
on his chin, Wong is 24 hours into his 64-hour
hunger strike to mark the Tiananmen anniversary.
He is joined by 18 other youthful protesters in an
95 improvised tent city replete with brochures and
sing-alongs that include lyrics calling for China
to be more democratic and to release imprisoned
political dissidents. Shoppers stream past, barely
taking note.

Despite China’s promise of “one

country, two systems,” which guarantees Hong
Kong’s right to an autonomous political and
120 economic system until 2047, residents cringe at
the specter of China’s control, limiting the
freedoms and freewheeling ways of the past,
imposing its will, subsuming what is
quintessentially different about Hong Kong, and
125 recasting the city in its image.

For many years, people have criticised the fashion industry for promoting the idea that
women must be thin to be beautiful. However, their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
Fashion designers continue to use ultra-thin models to display their clothes because they think
skinny models’ gaunt frames make clothes look better. Unfortunately, this means that many
clothes are designed to suit unnaturally thin body shapes, causing many normal-sized women
to feel that they are too fat to be fashionable. Critics believe that this effect on women’s self
esteem can lead to increased risk of eating disorders and unhealthy weight loss.

5. In paragraph 2, which phrase means ‘been ignored’?

fallen on deaf ears
To make things worse, the message that thin equals beautiful is not limited to fashion shows.
It is being constantly reinforced by the media. Every day, women are exposed to thousands of
advertisements featuring skinny fashion models and messages about the importance of losing
weight so as to appear more attractive. In addition, many clothing shops and boutiques only
display the smallest sizes, and do not stock larger sizes. What’s more, the sizes that they do
stock are likely to run small, meaning that even a normal-sized woman may have difficulty
fitting into a large-sized garment.

8. In paragraph 3, which word means ‘item of clothing’?

garment

The belief that thin is beautiful is obviously very damaging to women’s mental and
emotional health. It is also harmful to their physical health as it encourages unhealthy
weight loss and increases the risk of developing a potentially fatal eating disorder like
anorexia nervosa. The HKEDA is working hard to help Hong Kong women avoid
eating disorders, but its task is made much harder by the irresponsible actions of the
local fashion and slimming industries.

14. Find an adjective in paragraph 5 that means ‘causing death’?

fatal

Unfortunately, due to the nature of Hong Kong’s legislative system, it is unlikely that the
Government will be able to pass any laws to restrict the use of super-thin models in Hong
Kong.
17. Look at the word ‘nature’ in line 38. The word has different meanings. Read the
dictionary entry for ‘nature’ below and decide which meaning corresponds to the
meaning in line 38.

nature (Noun)
A. Everything in the physical world that is not controlled by humans, such as
wild plants and animals, earth and rocks, and the weather.
B. Someone’s character.
C. The qualities or features that something has.
D. A particular kind of thing.
C
Although it is not a new concept, posting video clips on the Internet has never been as
popular as it is now. With recent advances in mobile phone technology, people are
capturing a record number of reality-based video clips with their 3G mobile phones
and then flocking to any number of web hosts in order to share their personal videos
with the rest of the world. In most cases, this global exposure is achieved with little
more than a few clicks of a mouse.
2. Look at the word ‘capturing’ in line 3. Now look at the dictionary entry for
‘capture’ below. Which meaning corresponds to the meaning in line 3? Write the
correct number in the box provided.

capture v past tense and past participle captured

1 PERSON to catch a person and keep him or her as a prisoner:
Government troops have succeeded in capturing the rebel leader.
2 PLACE / THING to get control of a place or object that
previously belonged to an enemy during a war: The city was
captured after a siege that lasted for ten days.
3 FEELING / ATMOSPHERE to succeed in accurately
expressing a feeling or atmosphere using a picture, movie, piece of
writing etc: The poem captured the sadness of the lovers.
4 MAKE SB INTERESTED to make someone feel very
interested in something: His stories about travelling captured my
imagination.
5 BUSINESS / POLITICS to get something that previously
belonged to one of your competitors: We aim to capture eight per
cent of the wine market in the UK.
6 COMPUTER to put something in a form that a computer can
use: The data is captured by an optical scanner. 2. 6

The most famous video clip to appear on the Internet in recent months is known simply as
‘Bus Uncle’. The six-minute-long video clip depicts a row between two men on a bus in Hong
Kong. In the video, the younger man taps the older man on the shoulder and asks him not to
speak so loudly on his mobile phone. In response, the older man explodes in anger letting
loose a series of outbursts. His comment of ‘I face pressure! You face pressure!’ has become
a catchphrase in Hong Kong. When the young man expresses his desire to end the argument,
the older man screams, ‘This is not resolved! This is not resolved! This is not resolved!’ The
video, recorded discreetly on the mobile phone of a nearby passenger, was viewed nearly two
million times in the first three weeks of its posting, causing the two men to become instant
celebrities in Hong Kong and around the world.

4. In paragraph 2, which word means ‘popular saying’? catchphrase

The fact is that the increasing popularity of mobile phones with video capabilities and web
sites that offer free uploading and downloading services have encouraged many people to
disregard basic privacy laws. With video clips like that of Bus Uncle gaining such a huge
Internet audience, it seems likely that Mr Ho will be joined by many more reluctant ‘stars’ in
the future.

13. In line 33, what does ‘reluctant’ mean? unwilling

When a recent dust storm gusted down from the barren plains of northern China and
deposited more than 300,000 tons of yellow sand and dust on Beijing and its
inhabitants, meteorologists at the Beijing Weather Modification Office did what they
have been doing for decades — they made their own rain. The storm, reportedly the
worst of its kind to hit the region in five years, caused health officials to advise
children and people suffering from respiratory ailments to stay indoors. However, in a
matter of hours after the rainmaking, the dust had cleared, the sky began to reappear
above Beijing, and it was once again safe to venture outside.

1. In paragraph 1, which word means ‘illnesses’? ailments

However, the potential and even the validity of the artificial rainmaking technology have yet
to be recognised by most other countries around the world. Critics in the scientific
community, who remain sceptical of China’s rainmaking success, insist on referring to cloud-
seeding as an ‘unclear’ and ‘questionable’ science.
4. Look at the word ‘recognised’ in line 22. Now look at the dictionary entry for
‘recognise’ below. Which meaning corresponds to the meaning in line 22? Write
the correct number in the box provided.

recognise v
1 to know who someone is or what something is,
because you have seen, heard, experienced or learned
about them in the past: I didn’t recognise you in your
uniform.
2 to officially accept that an organisation,
government, document etc has legal or official
authority: British medical qualifications are
recognised in Canada.
3 to accept or admit that something is true: One must
recognise that homesickness is natural.
4 if something is recognised by people, they realise
that it is important or very good: Alexander tried to
get his work recognised by the medical profession.
5 to officially and publicly thank someone for
something they have done, by giving them a special
honour: He was recognised for having saved many
lives.
4. 4
Even though the sometimes unpredictable results of cloud-seeding have become a source of
contention within China and the technology remains a debatable topic among scientists
around the world, Chinese meteorologists maintain that the results from cloud-seeding speak
for themselves. For the 3,000-plus people employed in the rainmaking field throughout China,
the technology is not ‘unclear’ or ‘questionable’. To them, the only thing that is unclear or
questionable is why the rest of the world is not embracing the technology and making their
own rain.

19. In paragraph 5, which word means ‘disagreement’? contention

In the demonstration, several subjects lay inside an MRI scanner and then made ‘rock’,
‘scissor’ and ‘paper’ shapes with their right hand.

3. Look at the word ‘subjects’ in line 8. Now look at the dictionary entry for
‘subject’ below. Which meaning corresponds to the meaning in line 8? Write the
correct number in the box provided.

subject n plural subjects

1 THING TALKED ABOUT the thing you are
talking about or considering in a conversation,
discussion, book, film etc: Paul has strong opinions on
most subjects.
2 AT SCHOOL an area of knowledge that you
study at a school, college, university etc: My favourite
subject is chemistry.
3 IN ART the thing or person that you show when
you paint a picture, take a photograph etc: Monet loved
to use gardens as his subjects.
4 IN A TEST a person or animal that is used in a
test, experiment, demonstration etc: The subjects of the
experiment were all middle-aged men.
5 GRAMMAR a noun, noun phrase or pronoun that
usually comes before a main verb and represents the
person or thing that performs the action of the verb, or
about which something is stated: Can you tell me which
word is the subject of the sentence?

6 CITIZEN someone who was born in a country that

has a king or queen, or someone who has a right to live
there: John is a British subject.
3. 4
A team of Japanese researchers from ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in
Kyoto and the Honda Research Institute in Saitama recently demonstrated the functionality of
a thought-controlled robotic hand. The robotic hand reproduces the various movements of a
human hand by interpreting the real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of a
person’s brain activity. The demonstration represents a giant step in the advancement of
artificial limbs and robotics that can be controlled by a person’s thoughts.

1. In paragraph 1, which word means ‘copies’? reproduces

Although the current technology is slow, bulky and expensive, ATR researcher Yukiyasu
Kamitani is confident that it will help scientists to bolster their understanding of the brain and
its complex functions. ‘From a practical point of view, for the time being, the technology is
too costly and slow,’ admits Kamitani. He has no doubts, though, about the technology’s
potential.

5. In line 17, what does ‘bolster’ mean? improve / strengthen / advance

5 The BBCI allows users to type messages into a computer screen by mentally controlling
the movement of a cursor. Wearing a cap filled with electrodes that measure their brain’s
electrical activity, known as an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal, users simply imagine
moving their left or right arm in order to manoeuvre the cursor across the screen. ‘It’s a very
strange sensation,’ says Professor Gabriel Curio, a senior researcher at Charité. Curio explains
that a user can operate the computer after going through 150 cursor movements in his or her
mind. Like the thought-controlled robotic hand developed by Kamitani and his team, the
thought-controlled computer learns how to interpret the user’s brain activity, and then to
associate it with various movements of the cursor.
6 However, unlike the Japanese developers, the German researchers feel that their
technology is ready for commercial adaptation. They have even begun to develop a cap that
does not need to be attached directly to a user’s scalp in order to make the device less bulky
and more comfortable to wear. Industry insiders foresee that the technology behind the
thought-controlled computer will appear on the global market — in one form or another — in
the near future. As for Japan’s thought-controlled robotic hand, experts agree that the wait
will be considerably longer, although they insist that it is not a matter of if but when. In both
cases, therefore, it is clearly only a matter of time before the phrase ‘mind over matter’
becomes more than just an abstract expression.

From paragraphs 5 and 6, choose the most suitable synonym for each of the words
below. Write the synonyms in the spaces provided. One has been done as an example.
(5 marks)
14. feeling sensation

15. obviously clearly

16. large bulky

17. predict foresee

18. move manoeuvre