3 UNIT TEST NAME: Mark:

Optional Reading
Read the text and answer the questions that follow.

Gangnam Style
I In 2011, Psy was a popular South Korean entertainer. By the end of 2012, he had become an international
celebrity. And the reason for his international success? A hit song, Gangnam Style, which took the world by storm
in 2012, becoming the most watched YouTube video of all time, with over a billion hits.
II The Gangnam Style video is colourful, energetic and entertaining. It is most famous for the singer’s original dance
moves as he “rides” an invisible horse. This dance is now danced all over the world.
III Psy’s sudden rise to stardom is all the more remarkable when we note how difficult it has always been for Eastern
entertainers to make it in the West, the dominant and influential force in the entertainment world. Songs performed
by major performing stars from England and North America are memorised and sung by fans everywhere, even if
they don’t understand the words. Yet, for stars from the East it is not quite so easy. In the past, if Eastern
entertainers wanted to succeed in crossing over to the rest of the world, they had to translate their lyrics into
English and leave their home country.
IV The success of Gangnam Style, which is performed in Korean, demonstrates how much times have changed.
Without leaving Seoul, Psy became a worldwide sensation within a few weeks.
V There are a number of reasons to explain this phenomenon. Most obviously, because of the Internet it is now
possible for individuals to reach vast numbers of people from all over the world in a relatively short period of
time. Yet perhaps more significantly, the Gangnam Style video arrived at a time when Eastern culture was
becoming increasingly fashionable in the West. Today, many people in the West eat Eastern foods like sushi, and
use Eastern therapies such as acupuncture when treating disease.
VI Today, Psy continues to be busy on the music scene. And if his success with Gangnam Style is anything to go by,
he looks set to be a major player on the international music scene for many years to come.

1 Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to justify your answers.
(3 x 3 = 9 points)
...... 1. Before 2012, Psy was completely unknown.
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
...... 2. There is a horse in the Gangnam Style video.
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
...... 3. For a song to become popular, people have to understand the lyrics.
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................

2 Complete the sentences. (2 x 3 = 6 points)

1. Unlike other Eastern entertainers, Psy ...................................................
............................................................................................................... .
2. Acupuncture and sushi are mentioned in the text because ....................
............................................................................................................... .

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3 Answer the question. (4 points)

In the past, how did recording artists in the East differ from recording artists in the West?
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................

4 Choose the correct answer. (2 points)

The writer believes that ...... .
a. Psy will have a successful international career
b. Gangnam Style will be Psy’s only successful song
c. Psy will remain a celebrity for a short period of time
d. Psy will be forced to change the way he does things

5 Find words or expressions in the text that mean the same as: (4 x 1 = 4 points)
1. amazing (paragraph III) ....................................................................
2. succeed (paragraph III) ....................................................................
3. huge (paragraph V) ....................................................................
4. judge (paragraph VI) ....................................................................