Technology

Technology There are 50 questions in this paper.

PRACTICE PAPER 10A — READING Time allowed: 1 hour
Text 1 Read the extracts from the Technology News in Brief section below and then answer questions 1-13.
(19 marks)

Technology News in Brief

High-tech Hong Kong women

A survey of women in seven key Asian countries has found that Hong Kong women are the most
technologically-advanced in the region. Hong Kong women spend more time on the internet than
women in other Asian countries, and more of them own digital cameras (72 per cent), mp3 players
(65 per cent), PDAs (17 per cent) and 3G mobile phones (8 per cent) than elsewhere.

Robot nanny
A child-shaped robot that can recognise about 10,000 words and work as a house sitter is now on
sale in Japan. The robot can recognise the faces of as many as 10 people and talk to them. When
linked to mobile phones, it can monitor situations at home, such as when someone is ill. The
1 metre tall robot costs 1.58 million yen (HK$112,000).

Automated car park

A computerised car park in which vehicles are automatically put in place by conveyor belts and
forklifts went on display at the Polytechnic University yesterday. Unfortunately for motorists, it
was only a 1:43 scale model created by a team of mechanical engineering students. The students’
efforts were sponsored by electrical engineering and electronics company Siemens, which has
established a training facility at the university to encourage new ideas.

Young inventor
A young Hong Kong inventor Chan Yik-hei, 16, has won second place in an international science
and engineering competition. His waist-high robot, made from a rubbish bin, skateboard wheels
and a built-in camera, was designed to be a modern-day watchdog against intruders. “Chan Yik-hei
is fortunate to have parents who support him. We encourage all parents to support creative
thinking like this. Indeed too many parents are only concerned with exam results,” commented
Dr Wong of the Hong Kong New Generation Cultural Association.

Wind power
A British-based renewable energy company is planning to build Hong Kong’s first commercial
wind farm off Sai Kung. Under the plan, up to 50 massive wind turbines – described as being ‘as
tall as Jardine House with blades as long as a Boeing jet’ – will be built on Kwo Chau Kwan To.
The turbines could each produce 4MW of electricity to serve residents of Tseung Kwan O.

Student innovation
Five students found inspiration in art to win first prize in a science competition on Saturday – with
their innovative edible paint. The paint is designed for children of parents who are worried about
toxic substances. The invention won the Innovation category of the Hong Kong Student Science
Project competition. “We want Hong Kong schools to encourage more creative thinking in science,”
explained one of the judges. “There’s not enough of innovation going on in schools at present.”

‘Casual’ phone games linked to movies

Popular movie characters are likely to appear on mobile phones in ever-increasing numbers.
Simple or ‘casual’ games can be made quickly and are useful advertisements for major films, said
Kurt Chan Chun-fai, director of Mobile Gamer, which produced phone games of Infernal Affairs
and Kung Fu Hustle. He said it was a pity that some film companies had not yet understood the
benefits of film-based games for phones. ‘They’re missing an opportunity,’ he said.

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 Answer the following questions using information from Technology News in Brief.

Write the letter(s) (A – G) next to each question. The first has been done for you as an example.
(6 marks)

Which story would appeal to environmentalists? a. E

1. Which story describes an invention that will benefit children? 1.

2. Which story is about how Hong Kong people use technology now? 2.

3. Which invention is just for fun? 3.

4. Which invention provides improved security in the home? 4.

5. Which story is about a university science project? 5.

6. Which two stories are about robots? 6. and

Decide whether these statements are True, False or the information is Not Given in the news stories.
Put a tick in ONE box only for each statement. (5 marks)

True False Not Given

7. The wind turbines in Sai Kung will be the first in Hong Kong.
8. An experimental automated car park is in use at the
Polytechnic University.
9. Hong Kong women are the most keen on new technology in Asia.
10. The students’ ‘edible paint’ comes in three flavours.
11. The robot nanny can speak.

12. Which stories mention the problems of developing new ideas in Hong Kong? Fill in the table below.
(5 marks)

Stories Problems

Young inventor

13. What evidence is there in these news stories that many people and organisations in Hong Kong are
very keen to encourage new ideas in technology and science? Give reasons for your answer.
(3 marks)

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 Text 2 Read the following account and then answer questions 14 to 31. (20 marks)

The end of the light bulb

The light bulb may have been modified over the years but the basic technology
is still the one that Thomas Edison invented in 1878 – heating a very thin wire with
electricity until it glows brightly.

But that technology is about to change. Some time soon, light bulbs will be
5 replaced by an electronic device that is smaller, lasts longer and could save tens of
millions of dollars a year in electricity bills. The device is a ‘light-emitting diode’, or LED,
which converts electricity into light without heating up. (Light bulbs, by contrast, waste
much of their energy consumption through heat.) LED lamps are so energy-efficient
that they consume up to 85% less power than standard light bulbs and last 16 times
10 longer.

LEDs have been in use since 1962, but only in certain colours. First red, then
orange, yellow and yellowish green. To replace the light bulb, however, a final colour
was required – blue. Without a bright blue LED, it was not possible to make white light,
which is a mixture of the colours. Top scientists were competing to be the first to make
15 a blue LED, and to make millions from their discovery.

Finally, in 1993, a blue LED was developed – followed in 1995 by a white one. The
scientific world was amazed that the discoverer was a young unknown researcher,
working in a small Japanese company of which most people – even people in the
lighting industry in Japan – had never heard.

20 The researcher’s name was Shuji Nakamura and he worked for Nichia Chemicals,
a family-owned business. He persuaded Nobu Ogawa, the founder of the company,
to fund research into producing a blue LED from the chemical compound gallium
nitride. Researchers in other companies had already decided that gallium nitride was
not the answer to the problem, but Ogawa decided that the risk was worth taking. Ogawa
25 recognised that his approach was unconventional for a Japanese company: “We don’t
do things by the book.” He gave Nakamura HK$21.25million to study gallium nitride and
to build the necessary production equipment.

Nakamura was extremely fortunate to receive such strong support, and he

was soon to benefit from another piece of good luck. Just as he was beginning his
30 research, a Japanese scientist made a breakthrough with gallium nitride which made
the compound much easier to use to make a blue LED. Within four years he had pro-
duced a blue LED, then a white one. In the next year, using the same technology, he
produced a blue laser which had a wide range of other potential uses.

The first use for the blue and white LEDs was in the huge mobile display screens
35 seen at sporting events and at pop concerts. This relatively small but profitable market
has now been overtaken by a potentially massive global demand for LED traffic lights. It
is estimated that just replacing all the traffic lights in the USA with LEDs would save up
to HK$1,562 million in electricity every year. In 1999 Singapore awarded a HK$175
million contract to convert all of the island’s 59,000 traffic lights to LEDs.

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40 Meanwhile, the blue laser is also set to be a money-spinner. Replacing the red
laser currently used in a video disc player with a blue one will allow four times as much
information to be stored on each disc. Nichia has sent samples of such lasers, worth
HK$ 15,000 each, to the major electronics firms, and production of the first blue LED
video disc player cannot be far away.

45 As more and more uses are found for LEDs, the numbers produced will increase,
and so the unit costs will be reduced. At the moment LEDs are still too expensive to
replace the common light bulb, but as prices come down this will definitely happen
soon. We lived the 20th century using lighting designed by Thomas Edison, but Shiji
Nakamura will light up the 21st.

14. The main point in paragraph 1 is that ....

A. the first light bulb was a poor design.
B. Edison improved light bulb design.
C. the design of the light bulb has not changed very much.
D. Edison’s light bulb was too hot. 14.

15. In line 4, ‘that technology’ refers to

16. Which one of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 as an advantage of an LED, compared
with a light bulb?
A. It is cheaper to buy.
B. It does not get hot.
C. It is more economical.
D. It is longer-lasting. 16.

17. According to paragraph 3, scientists needed to discover a blue LED mainly because

18. Which phrase in paragraph 3 suggests that the discovery of a blue LED would be very profitable?

19. The scientific world was ‘amazed’ (line 17) because

20. Look at the word ‘heard’ in line 19. Now look at the dictionary entry for ‘hear’ below. Which
meaning corresponds to the meaning in line 19? Write the correct number in the box provided.
hear n 1 to perceive sound with the ears, e.g She doesn’t hear very well. 2
to be told or informed about something, e.g. Have you head the news? PHR
V 3 hear from sb to receive a letter, phone call, e.g. How often do you hear
from her? 4 hear of sb/sth to be told about or have knowledge of sth, e.g.
I’ve never heard of the place. 5 not hear of sth (usu with will or would) to
refuse to allow something, e.g. He wouldn’t hear of my walking home alone.
20.

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21. Using information from paragraphs 1 to 5, complete this table of key dates in the discovery of light
bulbs and LEDs. (2 marks — 1/2 mark for each date)
Discoveries Dates
the light bulb
the white LED
the red LED
the blue LED

22. In line 24, ‘the risk’ refers to

23. In line 26, ‘do things by the book’ means

24. According to paragraph 6, in what TWO ways was Nishi Nakamura ‘fortunate’ (line 28)? (2 marks)
a)
b)

25. In line 31, ‘the compound’ refers to

26. In paragraph 7, ‘this relatively small but profitable market’ refers to

27. The writer implies that the market for LEDs for traffic lights is ....
A. small but profitable.
B. smaller than the market for mobile display screens.
C. increasing rapidly.
D. likely to be enormous. 27.

28. Cities are interested in converting to LED traffic lights because ....
A. they are brighter.
B. they are safer.
C. they are cheaper to run.
D. they are cheaper to buy. 28.

29. In paragraph 8, which phrase means ‘a very profitable product’?

30. According to paragraph 9, LEDs will start to replace light bulbs when the biggest companies make
them.
True False Not stated

31. An alternative title for this article could be ....

A. High costs stop LED from becoming popular.
B. Blue laser technology is the future for video discs
C. Small Japanese company lights the way to the future.
D. Singapore is slow to adopt new LED technology. 31.

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 Text 3 Read the following interview and then answer questions 32 to 50. (23 marks)

Did life start on Mars?

Dr Peter Jones is a member of a team of 10 international scientists who have developed a
new theory about how life began on Earth. Stephen Chan interviewed him.

SC: Dr Jones, before we discuss your new theory about how life began on Earth,
can you briefly tell us what the current theory is?
5 Dr J: Well, the standard theory is that life on Earth began with a single ‘ancestral
cell’, similar to modern bacteria, which later developed into plants, animals and
humans.

SC: I see. And how long ago was that?

Dr J: Most people think that the first cell appeared on Earth 3.5 to 3.8 billion years
10 ago.

SC: I see. Well, what is wrong with that theory?

Dr J: Nothing, really. It could be true. But we think that the chemical conditions on
Earth 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago were not yet suitable for life to start. So we
think that it’s more likely life arrived on Earth from outside.

15 SC: How do you mean ‘outside’?

Dr J: Our theory is that life may have started first on Mars, and then travelled to
Earth inside a piece of rock.

SC: Really? Why do you think it started on Mars?

Dr J: Well, Mars is smaller and farther from the Sun than the Earth. So it cooled
20 down more quickly than us. Mars therefore became suitable for life while the
Earth was still molten hot.

SC: Yes, but you need water for life to start, don’t you? Mars doesn’t have any
water.
Dr J: That’s true. Mars doesn’t have any water now – it is too cold – but in the early
25 days it did. In late 1999, one of NASA’s satellites discovered traces of a large
Martian ocean.

SC: OK. But if life did start on Mars, how did it get to Earth? It’s a long way…
Dr J: Well, it’s not that difficult. Actually, we already know that millions of pieces of
rock have made the journey from Mars to Earth. We call them ‘meteorites’.
30 Any of them could have had live bacteria inside.

SC: Really? (a) ?

Dr J: They were blasted off the surface of Mars by comets and asteroids hitting the
planet. Thousands of them have been picked up in the Antarctic in the past
decade.

35 SC: Oh yes. I think I heard about one special meteorite which still had bacteria
living inside.
Dr J: Yes that’s right. It’s called ALH84001. Unfortunately we now think that the
bacteria grew inside the rock after it reached Earth. So it doesn’t prove our
theory.

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40 SC: OK, but even if life did start on Mars, (47) ? I mean, space is a very
dangerous place. It’s very cold. There’s no air. Or water. And there’s lots of
deadly radiation.
Dr J: Yes, space is dangerous. But bacteria are very, very tough. In fact, we already
know for certain that bacteria can survive in space. An American team left
45 some bacteria in space for six years and some of the organisms survived.

SC: Amazing! (48) being blasted off Mars and then crashing into Earth? That
would kill anything, wouldn’t it?
Dr J: Again, people have done experiments to test the effects of shock and gravity.
Some Swedish researchers used a rocket gun to subject bacteria to a
50 massive 35,000 Gs. Remember — one G is the normal force of gravity on
Earth. And some of those bacteria survived too!

SC: Incredible. But, what about heat? (49) , don’t they?

Dr J: Yes, they do. But some bacteria actually like very, very hot conditions. For
example, here on Earth we can find bacteria living inside volcanoes. And also
55 around the mouths of boiling volcanic cracks in the bottom of the ocean –
under massive pressure too. So we really do think that bacteria could have
survived the trip from Mars.

SC: Very interesting, Dr Jones. Thank you.

Dr J: You’re welcome!

32. Look at the word ‘current’ in line 4. Now look at the dictionary entry for ‘current’ below. Which
meaning corresponds to the meaning in line 4? Write the correct number in the box provided.
current n 1 a movement of water or air, e.g. The swimmer was swept away
by the current. 2 a flow of electricity, e.g. a surge of current blew up the
computer. 3 the course of events, opinions, etc., e.g. The government was
unable to influence the current of public opinion.
current adj 4 of the present time, e.g. Her parents don’t like her current
boyfriend.
32.

33. According to paragraph 1 most scientists think that all life on Earth evolved from just one cell.
True False Not stated

34. In line 8, ‘that’ refers to

35. Dr Jones does not agree with the standard theory because he thinks

36. In line 15, ‘outside’ is in quotation marks because

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 37. According to Dr Jones in paragraph 5, life started on Mars first because ....
A. Mars was warmer than the Earth:
B. Mars was closer to Earth than the sun.
C. The Earth was smaller at that time.
D. Mars reached the right temperature first. 37.

38. In line 25, ‘did’ is short for

39. Which word in paragraph 6 means ‘signs’?

40. In line 29, ‘meteorites’ are

41. According to paragraph 8, we know that meteorites have reached the Earth from Mars because

42. According to paragraph 9, the meteorite ALH84001 contained bacteria from Mars.
True False Not stated

43. Complete this diagram using information in the text. (4 marks)

The dangers of space for bacteria

dangers

44. The American experiment mentioned in paragraph 10 proved that

45. The Swedish experiment mentioned in paragraph 11 proved that

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46. The examples mentioned in paragraph 12 show that

Phrases are missing from some of Stephen Chan’s questions. From the five phrases (A – E) below, choose
the four which best complete the blanks 47 – 49 in the text. Write the letters in the spaces provided. One
has been done for you as an example. (3 marks)

a) E

47.

48.

49.

A. But/but what about the shock of

B. How/how did it survive the journey through space
C. Why/why did this happen
D. Meteorites/meteorites burn red hot when they reach Earth
E. How/how did these meteorites get here

50. Do you agree that in this article Dr Jones proves that life began on Mars? Give reasons for your
answer. (2 marks)

END OF PAPER

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 PRACTICE PAPER 10B — WRITING

Complete both tasks. Time allowed: 11/2 hours

Task 1 (100 words)

You are the Secretary of your school’s astronomy society. The Society has agreed to invite Dr Peter Jones
to give a talk about how life started on Earth. Your job is to write an invitation letter to Dr Jones. You have
made some notes of the information you need to give to Dr Jones, and some information you need to ask
him.

Information about Society

35 members, F1 – F5
Meetings: every Wednesday 5.30 in term time, in a classroom
Date of his talk — any Wednesday in May would suit us

Information needed from him

Can he come in May?
What equipment would he need?

You have begun the letter. Proofread the first paragraph and correct the mistakes underlined by your
teacher. She has put in some correction symbols to help you. Afterwards, complete the letter. Write about
100 words, using the notes above and adding anything else that you think is appropriate.
.
W = choice of word or part of speech
T = tense
S = spelling
N = number
= missing word

Dear Dr Jones
S
My name is Chris Wong, and I am the Secretry of Kowloon School Astronomy Society.
N W S T
The members of the Society is very interest in your theorys about how life had started on
W W W N
Earth and we are like to inviting you to come and talk to us at one of our weekly meeting.

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Task 2

Write about 250 words on ONE of the following topics.

1. Does science do more harm than good? Write a composition outlining the benefits and disadvantages
of scientific advances, and give your own opinion.

2. Write a story based on this picture.

END OF PAPER

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