Writing - Paper 1B; Listening & Integrated Skills

1. Writing an introduction about yourself.
2. Writing a description of a person.
3. Writing an informal letter.
4. Writing an article about a festival.
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Students need to listen, organize, differentiate and write down information in different forms including tables, charts, maps,

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 Coco,

I'm very stressed these days. Let me share with you what have happened, so you may give me some advice.

In the past two weeks, our school was preparing for the open days. I was one of the choir members and I needed to stay two days after the school for the choir practice. At the same time, I also needed to help to decorate the classrooms for the open days. It took me two more days after school.

The problem is I was so tired 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

1. Use two adjectives to describe the personality of Scrooge and give ONE reason to support each of your descriptions.

Self-fish - he only thought of himself not the others. He did not celebrate Christmas and he wanted Bob Cratchit to stay at office and continued to work.

Stingy - he is unwilling to spend money even to the poor. He earned a lot of money but he did not want to spend any money. He did not want to donate any money to the charity even he was asked to.

Foolish - he was not wise in using his time and money. He did not know how to enjoy his life. He spent all his time in his office. He worked busily everyday. He did not even know his own problem.

Cold-hearted - He had no sympathy to other people around him. He did not donate any money to the charity. Owing more money was the only purpose of his life, so he became cold-hearted. He would not show sympathy even to his nephew and his family members.

Unkind - He showed no love to people in need. He did not love any people around him. He was rude and unkind not to donate money at Christmas.

2. describe FOUR strange things happened when Marley first appeared in the story.

a. Marley’s face was lit with a strange, pale light. It was not angry or fierce. It looked at Scrooge sadly.

b. Marley’s glasses were pushed up into its hair.

c. Marley’s hair was moving. It moved as if there was a soft wind blowing very gently, or hot air rising from below.

d. Marley’s eyes were wide open, but they were still. They looked straight at Scrooge.

3. According to scrooge, why was he so afraid of his own thoughts of believing in ghosts? Give three examples to support your reasons.

It was because a little thing could easily change his thoughts and made them strange. Firstly, he saw Marley’s ghost. The voice of the Ghost had frightened him until he shook with fear. Secondly, he saw Marley wearing the chain. He shook with fear more and more. Lastly, when he heard that Marley’s Ghost would help him, and he did not need to become like Marley. The thought was not a pleasant one to Scrooge.

4. Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not? Please give ONE Bible verse to support your reason.

I don’t believe in the ghosts described in the Christmas Carol. But I believe that there is life after death. Normally, ghosts are seen as the souls of dead people. In Luke 24:39, when Jesus raised from death, He said to his disciples “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

5. Why did the Ghost of Christmas Past come to Scrooge? Where did the Ghost take scrooge to? What were Scrooge’s immediate actions when the Ghost took him there?

It was because Scrooge needed the ghost’s help to know and see himself as a child. He was brought back in time. He then saw himself as young boy reading quietly. This reminded him for his lack of mercy towards the boy who sang a Christmas Carol at his door last night. He started feeling sorry for the boy and himself.

http://www.charlesdickens.ca/carol/stave1.htm

Vocabulary Items

1. wicked
   
2. whitewash
3. unwillingly
4. whispered
5. terrible
   
6. pirate
7. homesick
8. funeral service
9. pretended
   
10. regret ?
    

Story Questions and Answers

1a. Describe the graveyard.
The graveyard was about half an hour's walk from the village. It was on a hill in a very lonely spot. Round it was an old broken fence. The graves were very, very old. Wooden crosses marked the graves. The crosses were so old that they were falling down. Grass was growing everywhere.

1b. Who were the three men in the graveyard?
The three men in the graveyard were Muff Potter, Red Joe and the young Doctor Robinson.

1c. Who was killed and who was the murderer?
The young doctor Robinson was killed and Red Joe was the murderer.

2a. Why did Tom and Joe run away from home?
Tom is angry with his aunt, teacher, and Becky. He thought when he was famous and rich, he would come back and the others would be kinder to him. They would be afraid of him, Joe was angry with his mother, so they decided to run away.

2b.What did the boys do on Jackon's Island?
They made a camp. They sat in front of a big fire and ate meat, fish and bread. They ate a great meal and felt very happy. They talked on until they felt tired. They they felt a little sad, but after some time they all fell asleep.

3a) Tom told aunt Polly that he had had a dream. Was Tom speaking the truth?
No Tom wasn't speaking the truth.

3b. How do you know that he is/isn't speaking the truth?
It's not a dream, he really saw it.

3c. If you were Tom, what would you do and why?
If I were Tom, I would not do so because it is not good to lie.

4a. What made Tom jealous?
Becky sat down near Alfred Temple. They began to look at a picture book together. They both laughed loudly over the pictures. Tom heard them laughing. He became jealous.

4b. What did Alfred do to hurt Tom?
Alfred opened Tom's spelling book at the page for next lesson. Then he poured ink all over the page.

4c. Will you do it that way? Please explain.
I will not do it that way, because we should appreciate each other but not hate each other. We are all parts of the same body and if a part suffers, the other parts suffer, too.

A Link to Literature - Tom Sawyer

A Brief Profile of Beethoven

Beethoven was one of the most famous pianist and composer of the classical period of the 18th century. He was born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany; and died in 1827.

He lived somewhat a tragic life because his mother was an alcoholic, and later his father too. He took on the role of raising his younger brothers. He became deaf in his 20's. Beethoven became more introverted. He was always looking for ways to improve the music he had already written.

His symphony proved to be master pieces along with his other works. Beethoven loved a woman named Fanny, but never married. In 1827, he died of dropsy.

M-o-t-h-e-r Poem

Mum, Mother's Day is coming.

On Mother's Day, I'll try my best to make you happy.

To give you a bunch of carnations represents my honour to you.

Honouring mother is what the Bible tells me to.

Effect you have on me is your love and care.

Remembering your instruction leads me to the right path.

Animals

Template for writing strange sentences

• A duck yucked in the blue pond in the afternoon.
• A bee wheed in the feild in the morning.
• A cow wowed in the farm at night.
• A buck clucked in the bush at dawn.
• An owl howled in the meadow in the evening.
  
  
  Strange sentence 1 ( Who1 + What4 + Where3 + When5) ----> A duck clucked in the farm in the evening.
  Strange sentence 2 ( Who3 + What2 + Where4 + When1) ----> A cow wheed in the bush in the afternoon.
  Strange sentence 3 ( Who4 + What5 + Where1 + When2) ----> A buck howled in the blue pond in the morning.
  Strange sentence 4 ( Who2 + What1 + Where5 + When3) ---->A bee yucked in the meadow at night
• Strange sentence 5 ( Who5 + What3 + Where2 + When4) ----> An owl wowed in the feild at dawn.
• Ha Ha Ha...

A Yes-Mom Girl

Michelle is a witty girl. She has many friends. One day, her friends came to visit her. They invited her to watch a movie. Michelle asked her mom for the movie money.

Michelle's mom is a silly woman. She is only interested in herself. When Michelle asked her mother for movie money, she asked her some questions. She said,"Have you emptied the dishwasher? And have you done your homework? "Michelle said,"Yes,mom."

Her mom then asked if she young for her age and if all her friends thought she was witty and smart. She even asked if she was the best mother in the whole world. In order to please her mom, Michelle said yes to all her mom's questions.

At last, Michelle's mom decided to give her the movie money and asked her to be home by five. All her friends heard their comversation and did not like Michelle's lies.

Noun Phrases in Sentence Writing

Today, I learnt 4 collocation patterns of a noun phrase.

1. Noun + Noun + Noun (main)
2. Adverb + Adjective + Noun
3. Adjective + Preposition + Noun
4. Noun + Preposition +Noun

Examples

1. computer mouse
2. very lovely computer mouse
3. white in colour
4. computer mouse with a wire

Sentences
I have a computer mouse.
I have a very lovely computer mouse.
The computer mouse is white in colour.

Welcome to Carol's Blog

Hi everyone,

I'm so glad to have my own blog.
I will try to write as frequent as I can though I am busy with my school work, piano practice, and basket ball training.
Please help me write by giving me your comments on the messages I will post soon.

Have a nice day!