Exam practice

I watch a film about once a week, usually on Saturday with my family, on television or on a phone. We go to a cinema hall only on special occasions, like Dashain.

I prefer comedies and family dramas, because they make me laugh and feel good, and the whole family can watch them together. I also like true stories, because I learn something real from them.

a. unwavering b. devotion c. commuter d. vendor e. adaptation f. reinforce g. passionate h. cinematic i. secular

• a.False. She wrote the review.
• b.True.
• c.True. It is based on the story of Hachikō in Japan.
• d.False. The reviewer calls it a strength.
• e.True.
• f.True. It has no crude jokes or bad language.

Hachi.

Lasse Hallström.

It was a relationship of deep love and loyalty: an unbreakable bond. Hachi walked Parker to the station every morning and met him every evening, and after Parker died, he went on waiting there for nine years.

To honor his faithfulness and loyalty: he waited for his dead master at Shibuya Station every day for years.

Any two that some viewers may dislike: the couple exchange a few kisses; they drink champagne together; they lie in bed together talking; some viewers objected to the number 8 on Hachi’s collar. (The reviewer herself finds them minor.)

Hachi’s loyalty, waiting at the station in heat and snow for nine years; the tender moments between Parker and the puppy (sharing popcorn, teaching him to fetch); the soft piano music; and the loving marriage of Parker and Cate.

• Why did you move the story from Japan to the United States?
• How did you show the dog’s feelings without any words?
• Did you change the ending of the true story? Why?
• How many dogs played Hachi, and how were they trained?

• a.five oh five nine, one oh two three
• b.five seven one eight, double three six nine
• c.two one four nine, eight triple seven
• d.triple five, three five two seven

a. nineteen eighty-four b. twenty twenty-two (or two thousand and twenty-two) c. eighteen hundred d. two thousand and five (American: two thousand five)

• a.one hundred thousand (= one lakh)
• b.four million, four hundred and fifty-six thousand, two hundred (= 44 lakh, 56 thousand, 2 hundred)
• c.fifty-six million, three hundred and twenty thousand, seven hundred and forty-nine (= 5 crore, 63 lakh, 20 thousand, 749)
• d.nine hundred and seven million, five hundred and forty-two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-one (= 90 crore, 75 lakh, 42 thousand, 991)

British English says and after hundred; American English often leaves it out. Never add s: ✗ four millions.

• a.What do you think of Nepali movies these days? — In my opinion, they’re getting better; the new ones tell real stories from our villages.
• b.How do you feel about social media? — Personally, I feel it’s useful for keeping in touch, but it wastes a lot of our time.
• c.What are your views on television? — As far as I’m concerned, TV is less important now; most people watch on their phones.
• d.Do you really think homework is necessary? — I think a little is useful for practice, but too much leaves no time to rest.
• e.What’s your opinion on examinations? — I believe exams are necessary, but they shouldn’t be the only way to judge students.
• f.What’s your feeling about politics? — It seems to me that young people should take more interest in it, because the decisions affect our future.

• a.How did you feel on the plane?
• b.What are the kids doing?
• c.Why didn’t you phone me?
• d.What did he find on the beach?
• e.What do your parents have for breakfast?
• f.What will the weather be like tomorrow?
• g.Did they have a nice time?
• h.Was your hotel near the beach?
• i.Has Rita ever visited Italy?
• j.Have you ever gone fishing? (been fishing is more common)

• a.Shall we go to a movie? / Why don’t we go to a movie? / How about going to a movie?
• b.Where does Simran live?
• c.Would you like to come to my home this Saturday?
• d.May I sit here? / Is this seat free?
• e.Have you seen my dog?
• f.How many books have you got, Bharat? / How many books do you have?
• g.Does your father cook every day or once a week?
• h.What will the weather be like tomorrow, sir?

1. Where do you live?
2. How old are you?
3. Did you go to school? (or Do you go to school?)
4. What are your interests?
5. What is the name of your school? / Which school do you go to?
6. What don’t you like about your school?

Facts (title, director, cast, genre, year); a short summary without the ending; two or three strengths; one weakness; a verdict: who should watch it, and a rating if you like.

Film review: Finding Nemo (2003)

Director: Andrew Stanton (co-director Lee Unkrich) Studio: Pixar

Voices: Albert Brooks (Marlin), Ellen DeGeneres (Dory)

Genre: animated adventure Running time: about 100 minutes

Finding Nemo is a funny and moving adventure under the sea. Marlin, a nervous clownfish, has only one son left, Nemo, and he worries about him all the time. When a diver catches Nemo and carries him off, Marlin sets out across the ocean to find him, with the help of Dory, a cheerful fish who forgets everything after a few seconds.

The film’s greatest strength is its characters: Dory is hilarious, and Marlin’s fear for his son is something every parent and child will understand. The ocean is stunning, full of color and light, and the journey is gripping from the first scene to the last. Beneath the jokes is a touching message: love means trusting the people you care about to grow up.

Its weakness is that the opening scene may frighten very young children.

Verdict: a clean, clever film the whole family can enjoy, again and again. It won the Academy Award for the best animated film, and I would give it five stars out of five.

The usual icons: Facebook (a white f on blue), Instagram (a camera outline on a pink-orange-purple square), TikTok (a musical note), YouTube (a white play triangle on red), X, formerly Twitter (a black X; once a blue bird), WhatsApp (a phone in a green speech bubble).

For sharing photos, videos, news and thoughts; messaging and video calls; following friends, famous people and organizations; learning; business and advertising; and entertainment.

a – iii, b – iv, c – i, d – ii, e – vii, f – vi, g – viii, h – v

a. social media b. Ocean Spray cranberry juice c. Facebook d. the somersaulting talent (their gymnastic skill) e. WeRateDogs f. Twitter

Himself skateboarding to work, drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice and lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac’s song “Dreams”.

Yes. His happy video made millions of people smile in a hard year, and it gave Ocean Spray huge free publicity. He had also lost his transport, so a new truck was the perfect thank-you.

Her aunt’s Facebook post asking people to make the day special was shared widely, and strangers sent her 173 cards and 15 parcels, which made her birthday extra special even without a party.

It paid for a wheelchair for a 12-year-old golden retriever. Matt shared the dog’s fundraising (GoFundMe) page with his followers on WeRateDogs, and they gave the money in a few hours.

Madeleine posted a photo of the injured hawk on Twitter asking for help. Two Special Operations officers came, caught it carefully, and took it to an animal sanctuary, where it recovered fully.

During the floods in our district last monsoon, a family’s house was washed away. A local youth club posted photos of them on Facebook with a phone number for help. Within two days, people from as far away as Qatar and Korea had sent money, clothes and food, and the family moved into a rented room before school started. The club posted every receipt, so people knew their money had been used honestly.

• a.A cinema hall (a movie theater), with its seats facing the screen.
• b.At the ticket counter (the box office), or online, through the cinema’s website or an app, paying by card or a digital wallet; some cinemas also take bookings by phone.

a – iv (Don’t Open the Door), b – ii (Ships in the Night), c – i (Street Match: The Return), d – iii (Lulu! It’s a Dog’s Life)

• a.2 (1 is for information, 3 for the operator)
• b.adults (3.50 euros for children under 14)
• c.four
• d.her boyfriend (they have split up, so she goes on a cruise)
• e.a little dog who leaves home and goes to the big city to become famous

I would like to watch Lulu! It’s a Dog’s Life, because it is a cartoon from the makers of Shrek, so it should be funny, and I love stories about animals. It shows at 3, 6 and 8:45, so I could go after school.

In each pair, the first sentence focuses on the thing done (thing + past participle) and doesn’t say who did it, while the second names the person who did it (have + person + base verb, get + person + to + verb).
In c, the first is active (I forced her; make + person + base verb), and the second is passive (was made to walk), which brings back to and doesn’t say who forced her.

a. play b. pay c. painted d. to buy e. to deliver f. cry g. understand h. tell i. to help j. fix k. trimmed l. to wash

At the scout camp in Kakani last winter, the leaders made us get up at five every morning and had us run round the field before breakfast. They let us cook our own dal bhat on a wood fire, which was the best part. One evening they got the older students to teach us knots. We had our photos taken in front of the mountains on the last day. But we weren’t allowed to use our phones, and we were made to wash our own plates after every meal.

Introduction: the issue and your view. Two body paragraphs: the good side, then the bad side, each with examples. A paragraph saying which side wins for you, and what would help. A conclusion that repeats your view in new words.

Social Media: A Bridge or a Trap?

Today, more than half of the world’s people use social media, and in Nepal it is hard to find a young person without a Facebook or TikTok account. Some say these sites are ruining our minds and our society; others say they have brought the world closer. In my opinion, social media is a powerful tool: it does great good when we use it wisely, and great harm when it uses us.

On the positive side, social media connects people. Nepali workers in the Gulf, Malaysia and Korea talk to their families every day on video calls, free of cost. Small businesses, from a pickle maker in Bhaktapur to a homestay in Mustang, find customers without paying for advertisements. In emergencies, such as the 2015 earthquake or the floods every monsoon, posts spread news and gather help faster than any office could. Students learn from free videos on every subject.

On the other hand, the harms are real. Many of us scroll for hours, losing sleep and study time. Rumors and fake news spread faster than the truth, because they make people angry or afraid. Some young people are bullied online, and others feel sad comparing their lives with the perfect photos they see. Criminals use fake profiles to cheat people of money.

So who is to blame, the tool or the user? I believe the problem is not social media itself but how we use it. If we set limits on our screen time, check before we share, keep our accounts private, and report bullying, we can enjoy the benefits and avoid most of the harm. Schools and parents should teach these habits as early as they teach road safety.

In conclusion, social media is like fire: it can cook our food or burn our house. It has connected the world as never before, but it is up to each of us to use it with care.

• a.one oh oh (or one zero zero; many Nepalis just say one hundred)
• b.triple five, oh one double oh
• c.triple five, oh one double nine

(Films use 555 numbers because the 555-0100 to 555-0199 range is kept for fiction, so no real person gets calls.)

Because of his loyalty and devotion: he went on waiting for his master to come back on the evening train, every day for nine years, not understanding that he had died.

• a.When was the film released?
• b.Who played Parker? (who is the subject: no did)
• c.How long did Hachi wait?
• d.Where did they go?
• e.What was Nathan doing?

• a.I had my motorbike repaired (by a mechanic).
• b.My mother got my brother to wash the car.
• c.Our teacher made us rewrite the essay.
• d.My parents let me go to the concert.

Name, what kind of program, who makes or presents it; what it is about; two strengths; one weakness; your verdict and who you would recommend it to.