NAME:_______________________

KGL Contest in English

2020

B2
Time: 60 minutes

Answer all 40 questions.

Use black ball-point pen on your answer sheet. Do NOT use pencil.
At the end of the test the supervisor will collect your paper and answer sheet.
Instructions may also be given in your language by your supervisor.

Good luck!
 ▪ Part 1 ▪
Questions 1–10
Complete the gaps in the text. Choose A, B, C or D

Should parents use GPS apps to spy on their children?

Do you ever feel your parents are watching your (1) __________ move?
According to an Australian survey, maybe they are.

In the survey, one in three parents in Australia said they use Global
Positioning System (GPS) tracking apps to see (2) __________ their children are. More shocking
perhaps is that one in ten would go so (3) __________ as to consider microchipping their children
with ‘tech implants’.

A very large percentage, in fact almost 60%, of parents say they believe it’s their ‘parental right’ to
know what’s happening.

Experts say that microchipping your child is (4) __________ the same as tagging a dog and will
result in serious trust issues between you and your child. Although not yet approved, there have
been lots of requests by parents wanting to get their children the tracker implants, according to
Sinead Karan from the Chip Me Now Company in Sydney.

Other parents responded that they would (5) __________ tracking their children even though they
don’t do so now. Some parents claim they are worried that their children might be (6) __________
or lost and they just want to make sure they’re safe.

Child psychologist Dr Martin Care has said that monitoring children with implants is not

(7) __________ and that parents should stop treating their children like brainless creatures. ‘They
have to understand the greatest (8) __________ is in fact what’s between the ears of their
children,’ he said.

Many parents of children with smartphones say they use Find My Phone or similar apps to

(9) __________ their children when they are out. Celine, a 14-year-old, said she feels

(10) __________ when her mum knows where she is all the time. ‘If I get in trouble, I know she can
find where I am and make sure I’m okay,’ she said. However, experts insist that this kind of remote
parenting is just madness and should not be allowed.

Turn to the next page

 1 A) everyday B) secret C) every D) private

2 A) how B) if C) who D) where

3 A) extent B) much C) far D) lengths

4 A) virtually B) reality C) equal D) identical

5 A) think B) certainly C) consider D) have considered

6 A) run away B) taken in C) kidnapped D) disappeared

7 A) common B) new C) enough D) acceptable

8 A) controls B) benefit C) care D) protection

9 A) spy B) identify C) look at D) locate

10 A) healthier B) secured C) safer D) afraid

▪ Part 2 ▪
Questions 11–18
Read four opinions on studying and answer the questions. Choose A, B, C or D

Is studying really so important in life?

A
Paul

When the first man in the jungle learnt to create fire, he understood the importance of having his
own light. It was very useful against predators and made him feel safe. Others also found it
useful and wanted to learn how to create their own fire.
Imagine if the first man had never shared the knowledge and kept it selfishly to himself or the
others didn't find it useful and decided not to learn how to create fire, where would the human
species be? For our evolution, education is very important.
If one is ambitious and wants to achieve something in life he or she has to learn how to reach
their goal.
Behind achieving anything in life there are certain steps to be taken and education gives us
precise steps which can help us reach our goals in less time without wasting a lot of time in trial
and error. Any person who does not understand how important education is, will simply waste
precious time going round in circles.
And that is the failure of our education system which is unable to teach our students the
importance of education and learning.

Turn to the next page

B
Helena
This is a topic close to my heart. Study is sometimes just the gathering of facts and basic skills like
adding and subtracting, which can be useful when running a business etc. It’s true that the early
stages of study are like this. It’s also true that study is a preparation for being an adult and a
productive citizen and parent.
But the accumulation of facts and skills is not a good method for higher forms of education. I see
higher study as the development of a highly sophisticated toolbox. In this toolbox are ways of
thinking, and ways of approaching the world.
You learn history in order to understand why your standard tools are the way they are today, and to
be alert to the fact that they could be otherwise (and were once otherwise). You study language
not just to be able to write, but to influence others.
With such a toolbox, and the skills to use the tools in it, you can:
• go out and shape the world
• shape your relationship with others
• reshape yourself.
To me, this aspect of study is more fundamental than issues of prosperity or spirituality, because
study underlies them both. Whatever you seek to do, study enables it.
I'm not sure, however, if it is the most important thing in life.
Is it more important than relationships, helping others, creativity or enjoying life?
Maybe there isn't a single answer. But one thing I know for certain - studying a textbook is NOT the
most important part of life.

C
Maurice

NO, SLEEPING IS. Let me explain!

Getting enough sleep is an undervalued but essential part of learning. Contrary to students’ belief
that staying up all night to cram for an exam will lead to higher scores, the truth is, the need for a
good night’s rest is even more important than finishing homework or studying for a test.
A recent study in the journal Child Development showed that sacrificing sleep in order to study will
actually backfire. The study followed 535 high school students for 14 days, tracking how long they
slept, as well as how well they understood material being taught in class and how they performed
on a test, quiz, or homework. Yet, even with the well-documented evidence that sleep is necessary
to learning, there is little evidence that the vast number of demands on students is decreasing.

Turn to the next page

D
Sharon

Your passion is the only thing that matters in your life. And the most important part of your life is
when you realise what it is. You just need to keep looking until you know this is it. In my opinion,
there can be more than one field of interest but always go for the one which is the most interesting
to you. Once you realise this, all your hard work and all your goals will be focused on achieving
excellence in that passion. You will be thirsty; thirsty for knowledge, thirsty to perform well, thirsty
for work or thirsty for results. It is your thirst that keeps you going.
Never let people’s opinions cloud you real passion. Go for what feels right. That is what matters.
Your rank doesn't stay with you but your interests do.

11 What does Paul say about learning?

A) Creating fire was the first formal education on the planet.
B) Sharing knowledge is necessary for evolution.
C) Man would not have fire today if we hadn’t formally studied it.
D) Man only evolved because of fire.
12 One idea stated in the article is that________.
A) a lack of understanding of education means we learn only basic skills
B) our education system does not teach the importance of learning
C) accumulation of facts might be a good method for higher education
D) students who sleep a lot are more intelligent
13 Maurice says that _________.
A) you can only get better scores if you sleep for at least six hours
B) you can learn better if you listen to his advice
C) it is important to sleep longer during examination periods
D) sleep is more valuable than finishing homework
14 What does Sharon say about passion?
A) You should follow it even if you don’t find it.
B) It should not be followed if you have many interests.
C) When you find your passion you will focus on being excellent in that passion.
D) Passion can result in a good life.
15 Which of these ideas is not expressed in the article?
A) Education is important.
B) Students have huge demands on their time.
C) Learning basic skills is also important.
D) Studying is more important than relationships. Turn to the next page
 For questions 16-18 choose the correct answer A, B, C or D
In which review does the writer_______________?

feel that studying can help you fit into society 16

suggest it’s not easy to say what the most important thing in life is 17

say that your interests will not leave you 18

▪ Part 3 ▪
Questions 19–25
Read the article and answer the questions. Choose A, B, C or D

Our earth after humans

Our planet is 4.5 billion years old. Life is said to have come
into existence about 4.1 billion years ago, and humans some
250 thousand years ago.
A logical outcome here is that life existed and flourished in the
world even before humans appeared. For example, dinosaurs
lived on earth for 160 million years. It was only due to some natural catastrophe that
they became extinct.

Now what would happen if humans suddenly disappeared? This is how scientists say
things would evolve.

Two days after the disappearance of humans many places would be without electricity.
Power plants need fuel to generate electricity and without people to supply the fuel we
would see most of the world without electricity and fall into darkness. Many cities with
underground train systems would completely flood as there would be no electricity to
operate the water pumps which today take the water away and prevent flooding.

The emergency systems in nuclear reactors would shut off the production of electricity
due to the build-up of unused electricity and the planet would be in total darkness in
about ten days.
And, of course, no more likes on Facebook!

Animal numbers would begin to increase and use buildings for shelter and protection
against the cold weather. With no heat, pipes would burst all over towns in colder
zones. Buildings would groan as their walls expand and contract; joints between walls
and roof lines would separate. Without heating many building would start to have
problems after about two years.

Turn to the next page

 After about 20 years the water-soaked steel columns that support the streets above
New York would corrode and collapse. The Panama Canal would have closed, reuniting
the Americas. Common garden vegetables would have reverted to unpalatable wild
forms.

The number of elephants would increase at least twenty fold as there would be no ivory
trade.
Populations of small predators, raccoons, weasels, and foxes would be reduced due to
competition from savage housecats, left behind by humans. Cats would be the new
rulers!

World famous bridges would fall after about 300 years. Dams worldwide would have
overflowed and toppled. Cities such as Paris, and those built in river deltas, would have
been washed away.
We would see forests and trees where once there were suburbs and the scenery would
begin to resemble what it was like before developers started to build or farmers began
to exploit the land.

Among the greenery you would find aluminium parts of household appliances and stainless
steel cookware, their plastic handless splitting but still solid. All this after about 500 years.
It would take thousands of years for any stone walls still standing to be finally swept
away by glaciers. The only intact human structures left would be those originally built
deep underground, such as the English Channel’s “Chunnel.”
Only after hundreds of thousands of years would microbes evolve to biodegrade plastic.

Bronze sculptures would still be recognizable after 7 million years. Perhaps you really
should try to make one of yourself now and put it in your backyard, so maybe aliens
would find you and think you were some sort of god!

Life, in forms we probably wouldn’t dream of, would still thrive on Earth in about three
billion years. The earth would finally begin to warm after about four and a half billion
years and Microbial life – probably resembling the first life on Earth would outlast every
other form of life.

Then, in approximately, 5 billion years the Earth would burn as the dying sun swells to
consume the inner planets. Knowing this, is one of the reasons scientists search for a
way to travel to other planets and galaxies although some consider we still have a very
good stretch of time in which to make it possible.
However, our radio and television broadcasts, fragmented as they may be, would still
be travelling outward into deep space so if an alien civilization actually gets to travel
towards earth they could receive these transmissions and try to understand what our
civilization was like and why we faded away. Now this is quite impressive!

19 It is said that the first form of human life on earth was_______.

A) approximately 250 years ago
B) about 4.1 billion years ago
C) around a quarter of a million years ago
D) just over 5 billion years ago

Turn to the next page

20 The earth would be in total darkness ________.
A) the moment power plants ran out of fuel
B) when the nuclear reactors had unused electricity
C) in less than two weeks
D) as soon as all the fuel on the earth was used up

21 Why would many underground train systems flood?

A) As a result of flooding in the streets.
B) The current system of pumping out the water would no longer operate.
C) The water pumps would not be able to cope with the large amount of water.
D) Without electricity nobody would be able to start the pumps.

22 After about two years________.

A) animal numbers would start to get out of control
B buildings and bridges would collapse
C) steel columns in New York would corrode and collapse
D) the first signs of structural damage would appear

23 The number of elephants would increase significantly because________.

A) people would no longer want to buy ivory
B) there would no longer be a danger from other animals
C) the elephant population would no longer be controlled
D) there would no longer be elephant hunters

24 What would happen after 5 billion years?

A) The sun would shrink and consume the inner planets.
B) The sun would get larger and consume the inner planets.
C) The earth would be pushed into space by the hot sun.
D) The earth would burn everything on it before it cooled down again.

25 The writer says while scientists search for ways of travelling to other planets, _______.
A) some people think there really is no urgency to find a solution
B) our TV signals will continue to be broadcast into space
C) it may also be necessary to look at other galaxies
D) it is disappointing that we are still unable to do so

Turn to the next page

 ▪ Part 4 ▪
For questions 26–31 choose the word(s) closest in meaning to the underlined word(s)
For questions 32–35 choose A, B, C or D

What is it like to be rich?

It depends. I became wealthy quite recently. I suppose very rich people wouldn’t consider me rich
but let’s say I’m in the top 5% of the richest people in the world. I won't have to work ever again.
The one thing I've realised is that being rich pretty much amplifies who you already are. As
someone who was raised not even close to being rich, and has had a lifelong (irrational) fear of
falling into (26) abject poverty, I find that my new wealthy life is pretty much like it used to be. Yes,
sure I have some slightly nicer stuff but, by and large, most of my efforts are put into protecting and
amplifying my wealth and securing that position through rain or shine, for me and my future family.
The anxiety I always felt about money is still there. It's (27) undeniably nice to have no debt, not to
worry about healthcare costs, etc. but it hasn’t really changed my life.
However, I see other people - born into money or who always expected to be rich – and for them it
has changed their lives (28) substantially. I also think that when you get rich has a lot to do with it.
I'm 38 - not old, but definitely old enough to understand what money means. I have a friend just out
of college who made €10 million really fast and it (29) appals me what he does with his money and
how he sees it.
I also have two very wealthy friends who were born into money - one (30) rebels against it, lives a
life of poverty and charity, and the other one doesn't give it a second thought and acts as if it is his
right to have a lot of money.
I suppose the answer is that it feels like all the other blessings we have in life. When times are
(31) tough - we know that they are blessings. We try not to take things for granted, but when
we're feeling down we can quickly forget our blessings. It's like having a beautiful friend or
wonderful parents.
And for me, at least, I can say with absolute certainty it has not made me any happier.

26 A) worthy
B) known
C) miserable
D) tricky

27 A) disputable
B) vague
C) unreliably
D) obviously
Turn to the next page
28 A) slightly
B) considerably
C) insignificantly
D) not much

29 A) comforts
B) encourages
C) horrifies
D) reassures

30 A) supports
B) fights
C) shows loyalty
D) exploits

31 A) pure
B) strong
C) happy
D) hard

32 The author grew up _________.

A) close to being rich but not really rich
B) living a long way from the rich
C) as someone you would not consider rich
D) richer than most people close to him

33 Why does the writer imply that when you become rich is important?
A) It can determine how you view and treat money.
B) If you are 38 you are old enough to have money.
C) He wants to show that if you become rich younger you spend it all.
D) He knows from his rich friends that you should be born into money.

34 How does the writer want to use his money?

A) He will save every cent until he has enough for all his family and future family.
B) He wants to make it grow even more for himself and his family.
C) He wants to pay all his debts.
D) He wants to amplify it to bring him happiness.

35 Overall, the author believes _________,

A) that happiness comes from having enough money to pay for health costs
B) that money can only buy some happiness
C) he was happier when he wasn’t so rich
D) money has not added to his level of happiness

Turn to the next page

 ▪ Part 5 ▪
Questions 36 – 40
Complete the sentences with the word that is spelt correctly. Choose A, B or C

36 My grandfather was born in the last __________ but that doesn’t mean he’s old.
A) millennium B) millenium C) millinnium

37 He spent most of his time doing research in the __________.

A) Artic B) Arctic C) Arktic

38 He spent years studying the biological __________ of penguins.

A) rhythms B) rythyms C) rhythems

39 It never __________ to him that it was a difficult job, because he loved it.
A) occured B) ocurred C) occurred

40 I read his research papers but I can’t remember the different types of penguins there are.
Even the ___________ of the names is difficult for me.
A) pronuonciation B) pronounciation C) pronunciation