I

Fill in each blank  with a suitable  prepositions from the list given below. Use each preposition only once.

in , for , to,  down ,  out,  after, at,  out of,  around,  of

A husband and wife  were driving down a village  round  when they came (1)……………………. a muddy patch and the car get bogged (2)……………………. a minutes  (3)………………….trying to get the car (4)…………………they saw a  young  farmer coming (5)………………………. the  lane trying   some were before  him. The farmer  stopped when he saw the couple (6)…………..trouble   and offered to pull the car out of the mud (7)……………… Rs.250. The husband accepted and  minutes later the car was free. The farmer  turned to the  husband and said  “You know you are the tenth car I’ve helped (8)………………..the mud today. The husband looked (9)………………….. the field incredulity  and asked when do you have time to plough your land (10)……………………. Night is the time when I put water in the  hole.

(10 marks )

II

Fill in the blanks with  the correct  form of the verb given in brackets.

A  Priest was walking  down a village road and saw a young farmer struggling (1)…………………….. (load )  way back on to a cart after it (2)…………….(fall)  off. You (3)…………………(look) tired , my son said the priest why (4)………………….you…………………(wait) a moment  and I (5) …………………give you a hand.

“No thanks said the young man. My father……………………(not like ) it”. ” Don’t be silly the priest said . “Everyone (7)……………….(entitle ) to a  break. (8)………………… come and have  a drink of water. Again  the young man protested that his father would be upset (9)……………………(lose ) his patience, the priest said ” Your  father (10)……………….(be) a real salve driver. Tell me  why I can find well replied the young  farmer he is under the hay!

III

Construct questions to  get the  words in  bold print as answer.

1

Sunil is going to Gall next Monday.

2

Kamani has been making a cake since 8’O clock.

3

Amal visits his  relations once a month

4

I am going to buy some story books at the Book shop

5

Rani was crying because  she lost  her book.

IV

Rewrite the following phrases in the correct order to  construct  meaningful sentences

1

a lonely day/ but/for a walk /I am too tired/ It is

2

too late/ the application/ that it is/ I told him/ to send

3

not/theirs/is/ours/this house.

4

over there / an engineering/ in that section/are/ the

5

the best/ your paints/ the most/make/ so/have/ given/ you/ of your life

( 5  marks )

PART B COMPREHENSION

Of the options given below each sentence ( in bold print) under the  one that  expresses its meaning

(a)

I know a log more about   computers  than my sister does

1

I know a lot more about computers than my sister does

II

My sister does not know anything about computers but I know a lot

III

My sister know  somethings  about computers but  I know a lot.

IV

I know that my sister  does not anything about computers

(b)

There is likely to be rain everywhere today except in Colombo.

1

It rained everywhere today except in Colombo.

2

There will be no rain anywhere  today except in Colombo.

III

It may rain everywhere today except in Colombo.

IV

It is likely  that there will be rain in Colombo today.

(c)

I rarely read to go into the city centre except to do some shopping.

I

I always go into the city centre  but I don’t do any shipping there.

II

I rarely go into the city centre and I don’t do any shopping there.

III

It is mainly to do some shopping that I go into the city centre.

IV

I do not need to go into the city centre to do any shopping.

(d)

Despite fallen g midway through the race she won.

I

She could have won, the race if she had not fallen midway through the race.

II

She had already won the race when she fell down.

III

She won the race although she had fallen midway through the race

IV

She won the race as she fell down.

(e)

Gamini is not as clever as his brother Vipul.

I

Gamini is clever than Vipul.

II

Vipul is clever than Gamini.

III

Both Gamini and Vipul are equally clever.

IV

Both Gaminis and Vipul are not clever.

( 5 marks )

II

Read the following text and do the activities  that follow.

In North-west Cameroon in August 1986, there was a volcanic  eruption which caused a toxic gas leak that devastated the area. At least 1200 people were killed and many were left seriously ill with burns and respiratory infections. Nobody could escape because thee was no warning, just a loud explosion followed by a terrible smell like that of rotten eggs, and within a short time, the entire area around Lake Nios, which was the site of the eruption, was shrouded in fumes. It  was if a neutron bomb had exploded destroying nothing but killing all life. The occurrence was the worst incident of its kind and the second times such a disaster had struck this Western African nation.

A

Write true or false  beside each sentence in the space printed.

a

The volcanic eruption took place around Lake Nios……………………….

b

According to the passage a neutron bomb exploded in North West…………………….Cameroon immediately after the volcanic eruption………………………….

c

The government had given an alarming signal before this incident…………………..

B

Write one word for each blank selecting from the passage which  means the same as each of the given phrases.

a

Sudden grant misfortune…………………………..

b

Giving information about the future  danger……………………..

( 5 marks )

II

Read the following news item and do the activity that follows.

Parachutist wins place of honour our at jump

Even experts were  a little surprised when a man of 62 turned up at a parachute training  school and said he was interested I n learning to become a parachutist.

They agreed to put him through the course, but only after giving him a series of test to prove that he was fit enough.

Mr.Archie Macfarlane completed the course successfully, surprising everyone  with his ability and toughness.

A  few weeks later, when he was ready for his first jump, he confessed to the chief instructor

“I told you a bit of a lie.  I am really 75″

That was six years ago and yesterday Archie Macfarlane made his 18th jump. He was given the place of honour at a weekend meeting for parachutists over 40 years old.

Archie’s interest in parachuting is just one of the hobbies that his wife has to worry  about. He also enjoys mountaineering.

Last year he fell while climbing on snow don, and had to be rescued by a helicopter.  His daughter said”sometimes” I think he ought to give it all up. But as my mother says, so long as he’s happy, it is better than being miserable.”

Now Archie is thinking of taking up water-skin.

III

Fill in the blanks in the following passage   base on the information in the above news item. Don’t use  more than two words in each blanks.

Archie Macfarlane is an unusual person . When the first  learnt parachute jumping, he pretended that he was only (1)…………………….. in fact he was much (II)………………….. than that . Although he is an old man he is  interested in very tough activates like parachuting. (III)…………………..and  wanted skiing. Recently he was given the place of honour at a parachutists  treating . After he  marked his 18th jump[ at the  age of (IV)………………………  his wife and (V)………………….. are worried but think it is best for him to do things that make him happy.

( 5 marks )

IV

Read the following poem and do the activities that follow.

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went down town

We people on the pavement looked at him

He was a gentleman from sole to crown.

Clean favoured, and imperil slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,

and he was always human when he talked;

But still he fluttered pulses when he said,

‘Good morning’ and he glittered when  he walked

And he was rich – richer than a king –

And admirably schooled in every grace;

In fine, we thought he was everything

To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,

And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;

And Richard Cory, one calm summer nigh,

Went  home and put a bullet through his head.

(Edwin A.Robinson )

A

Write true or false  beside each sentence in the space provided.

a

According to the poet, Richard Cory insulted the others very often when he talked (…………………)

b

Richard Cory was a very rich person(…………………)

c

Richard cory was shot dead by unknown person(…………………)

d

Write one word from the poem which  means the same.

( 5 marks )

As each of the following

(1) Not  widely/not excited or agitated……………………….

(2) Dressed

   PART C – SUMMARIZING

I

Write a summary of the following text. You may use any number of sentences but do not use more than thirty (30) words. Write only one word in each cage.

A woman was walking down the street one day when she happened to see a man holding a monkey.

The woman asked the man, “where did you find that monkey ?”

The man answered “In the street . Why?”

The woman said ” You should take him to the zoo”

The man said, “That is a good idea”

The next day the woman saw the man with the monkey again. She said, ‘ I thought you were going to take him to the zoo”

The mans answered “Oh, I did, and he really enjoyed it. So,, today I’m going to take him to the movies”

II

Write a summary of the following text. You may use any number of sentences but do not use more than twenty (20) words. Write only one word I  each cage.

An old patient called on the doctor and said, “Remember me, doctor ? You cured me of my rheumatism last year and you told me to be careful about getting myself wet?”

“Oh, yes, I do” said the doctor, face lighting up with recognition. ” What can I do for you now?”

“Nothing much doctor,” said the patient.”But I was just wondering whether it’s safe for me to now take a bath !”

PART D WRITING  ( 30 MARKS )

1

Imagine that you visited a friend of  your  living in a distant place and stayed  there for a  week during the last vacation  with the letter you would send him/her after you return home. You should include the following in your letter.

-Remind him/her of some pleasant memories during your stay

-Thank him/her for all arrangements to make you happy.

-Invite him/her   to visit you during the next vacation.

-Explain what you plan to do when he/she come

Use about 60 words.

II

Imagine that your father has given you Rs. 5000/- to buy a couple of books.  You want to buy several books   whicch are not locally available . Write to the book shop advertised  book (pages) Find out  from them whether Rs. 5000/- will be enough  for the books you want the books by the beginning of January

(10 marks )

PART E – DIALOGUE

I

Fill in appropriately the missing parts of the following dialogues. You should use at lease one sentence for each response.

A

You have bought a TV set from Daya Electronic Pvt Ltd , Bambalapitiya. After few months , you find that the TV set has developed certain faults. You telephone the Service Manager of the company , Mr.Somarathnam, the Service Manager speaks.  Complete your part of the dialogue.

You:……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mr.Somarathna : Yes speaking , how can I help you?

You:……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mr.Somarathnam: Well , what’s wrong with it ?

You:……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mr.Somarathnam : Are you sure it is not a problem with your antenna ?

You:……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mr.Somarathnam : OK. May I know your name and mm.tell me when you purchased this TV set ?

You:……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mr.Somarathna: Could you please bring  TV set over here. We’ll get our technician to check it.

You: OK I’ll bring it this evening. Thank you.

(5 marks )

B

You find the following advertisement in a local newspaper. You decide to obtain a loan from this bank to start self-employment  after you’re a/L examination. You meet Mr.N.Premadasa, the Bank Manager to get some  information  complete your part of the dialogue.

II

Dr.M.N.S.Mohideen is the cardio list in Panadura General Hospital. Sagarika’s mother was admitted to this hospital following  severe chest pain.  She has not been diagnosed as having some cardiac ( heart ) disorder. Sagarika meets Dr.Mohideen and inquires him about  her mother’s health. The doctor says that there is no immediate risk but the patient should be carefully looked after; in fact she should take rest for a few months. Write conversation that took place  between Samaria and the doctor.  in the form of 

PART F – VOCABULARY

I

Underline the correct word ending selecting from those given in brackets.

1

An explo(de,sive, sion ) was found at the Pettah bus stand this morning.

2

Kumar is an inteli ( gent,  gence, gently ) boy.

3

Every country in this world has its own cultur (-ed, al, ally ) identity.

4

Sri Lankans are well know for their  hospit ( able,  ably,  ality )

5

An infect ( ious, ed, ion ) computer file contains a computer virus.

II

Give the meaning of the words in bold print as they appear in the text.

It is a mistake to  regard English as  a relic of foreign domination. English is now as vital as computer science, which seems to be everyone’s favorite subject in school these days.

Having laboured for 19 years to teach English as a second language, who knows better than I what hopes and fears underprivileged children harbour ?

I have taught children who sometimes had just one uniform to wear and had not electricity  in their homes. They were malnourished and could hardly afford  fees. Yet they were being sent to private schools by parents  who   could ill afford to do so simply because of the higher level of English they felt was being taught in these schools. Alternately, a wealth parent entered his daughter into such a school just to give her a final polish in English.

Academic achievement was of minimal value, but English was everyone’s prime consideration. All languages idea eventually. But English is in a unique position of being a language that one out of 15 people in the world speaks. English is the language of every conceivable science. It is  language number one at the UNO. Anyone who does not speak it is deprived, think many leading scholars.

1. regard

2.vital

3 laboured

4 underprivileged

5 malnourished

6 wealthy

7 minimal

8 prime

9 eventually

10 unique

III

Select any of the five words  from the list given below and  use each of them  in a sentence to bring out its meaning clearly. You may use the verbs in any tense.

Conflict

Survive

Distance

remind

populative

smart

slowly

suspect

suspect

fresh

IV

1

They suspected for in the telephone catalogue/register/directory )

2

It is almost impossible to ( tell/say ) the difference between the original and the  copy.

3

Applicants should have ( experiences/ experience )in maintaining computer software.

4

It suddenly started raining  ( hard/ hardly )

5

Some artists are very ( sensible/sensitive ) to criticism.

( 5 marks )

PART C – COMPREHENSION

Read the following memorandum  and answer the questions given below.

Balasuriya Brothers Pvt Ltd

418 A, Galle Road, Bambalapitiya , 2345543-6

Memorandum

To  : All employees

From : Pramoda Balasuriya , MD

Date : 22 May 2008

Subject : Take over of the company

You are probably aware from the reports in the press that Balasuriya Brothers Pvt Ltd has been taken over by Margo Industries  and is now a part of the Margo Group of Companies.

Details of the take over and how it will affect  employees will be notified before the end of this month. However, this memorandum assures the following.

Salaries and wages will not be affected.

There will be no redundancies as a result of the take over, although there will be some reorganization will take place over the next year as Margago intends to expand the products of Balasuriya  Brothers Pvt Ltd so that it will become a major electronic component supplier to their own industries.

The Board of Directors Management and union representatives have already met with Mr.P.Selvadurai the Deputy Chairman of the Margo Group of Companies, who has given us the above undertakings both  verbally and in writing. However, if you have any doubt  on the above matters, you may contact the Directors.

1. Who send the memo ?

2. To whom is it sent ?

3. What is the purpose of this memo?

4. The writer assumes that the employees already know about the  change. From where did they get the information ?

5. After the take over of the company, will the production be cut down or increased ?

6. Who or what do the following pronounce underlined in the text refer to ?

I

It……………………………………………………………………………………………….

ii

Their ………………………………………………………………………………………

III

Who………………………………………………………………………………………….

7. What do the following words in bold print in the memo mean ?

I

redundancies ……………………………………………………………………………..

II

verbally……………………………………………………………………………………….

Read the following text and do the activities that follow it.

                                            Tighten your Belt                    

(From an article Isaac Asmoy )

The fact is that energy crisis , which has suddenly been officially announced , has been with us for a long time now, and will be with us for an even longer time. Whether Arab oil flows freely or not it is clear to everyone that world industry cannot be allowed to depend on so fragile a base. The  supply of oil can be shut off at whim  at any time, and  in any case , the oil wells will run dry in thirty years or so at the present rate of use.

New sources of energy must be found and this will  take time, but it is not likely to result in any situation that will ever  restore that sense of cheap and copious energy we have had in the times  past.

To make the situation  worse, there is, as yet no sign that any slowing of the world’s population is in sight. Although the birthrate has dropped in some nations, the population of the world is rising than ever  the food supply will not increase nearly to match this which means that we are heading into a crisis in the matter of producing and marketing ford. Therefore, the world food supply is going to become steadily tighter over  the next few years and it will be difficult to expand food  production to fill the additional mouths. 

Taking all this into account, what might we reasonably estimate supermarkets to be like in the year 2020 ?

First, we can look forward to an end to the “natural food” trend. It is not a wave of the future. All the “unnatural” things we do to food are required to produce more of the food in the first place, and  to make it last longer afterward. It is for that purpose that we  need and use chemical fertilizers and pesticides while the food is growing and add preservatives afterwards. In fact, as food items will  tend to decline in quality and decrease  in variety, there is very likely to be increasing use of favoured addictives.

Then, two there will be a steady trend  toward vegetarianism. A given quantity of ground can provide plant food for man or it can provide part food for animals which  are later slaughtered for meat. Man will realize  that  land developed to food will support ten times as many human being as land devoted to animal food. It is this that  forces overcrowded populations into vegetarianism.

Another point is that it is not only energy that is in short supply. A shortage of oil means a shortage of plastics; a shortage of electricity means a shortage of aluminium. We are also experiencing a shortage of paper and most other raw materials . This means that our generosity in wrapping, bagging and packing will have to recede. There will have to be at least a partial return in supermarkets to the old days where goods were supplied in bulk and labeled out in bags to order.

1

Write True or False according to the passage  beside each sentence in the space provided

a

In finding solution to the present energy crisis, we must not depend only on oil base

b

There is slowing of world’s population with the drop of birthrate in many nations.

c

If we find new sources of energy, we will be able to restore that sense of cheap and copious energy we have had in the times past.

d

Land could be better used for cultivation  than for breeding animals.

2

Why will the world experience  a crisis in food production ?

3

Underline the statement which best expresses the main idea of the text.

a

New sources of  energy must be found as a solution  to the present energy crisis.

b

In future, the food items will decline in quality and there will be a steady  trend  toward vegetarianism.

c

The energy crisis, worsened by rapid growth of population, will bring drastic  changes in producing and marketing  food.

d

Population growth is a major cause which worsens the present energy crisis.

4

According to the writer, why do we need and use chemicals and artificial preservatives  in food industry ?

5

As a result of shortage of paper, what changes are more likely to occur in our future supermarkets ?

6

Give the meanings of the following words, highlighted in the passage, as they appear in the text.

a) Fragile

b) Decline

c) Steady

d) Slaughtered

e) Recede

7

Who or what do the following words, underlined in the passage refer to ?

a) this

b)it

c) which

PART D – WRITING

I

The Social Service Association of your School has decided to collect some educational aids and distribute them among the students of Kumbukweva primary School in Padaviya educational region. As the secretary of this Association, write a notice to be displayed in your School notice board asking for any educational aids. Use about 40 words.

II

Write an essay using about 200 words for your school magazine on the  topic ” Communication Then and No “. Your essay should include the following :

?What communication means, how people communicated in the past, how communication methods developed over the years., how people communicate today etc.