2013 Sec 1/2 English

Comprehension Practice

Miss Raja

Passage A
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Spend it like Beckham: the footballer donates salary to charity.

1

The worlds most famous footballer David Beckham has grabbed the headlines once again by
announcing that he is to give up his wages paid by his new club to a French childrens charity.

The 115-cap England veteran was unveiled as a Paris St Germain player on Friday to the frantic
pops and flashes of cameras as the worlds media trained its lens on the 37-year-old.

Where Beckham would eventually decide to play his football had been the subject of weeks of
speculation. But it was the revelation that the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player
would hand over what is likely to be eye-watering sums of money to charity that caught the
attention.

Footballers, while not commonly known for their charity work, often do spend time visiting
childrens hospitals or other worthy causes away from the media glare but Beckhams decision to
donate all of his pay to charity sets him apart.

While the money is nowhere near the vast sums donated by billionaire philanthropists Bill Gates,
the founder of Microsoft, or Warren Buffet, one of Americas most successful investors,
Beckhams move lifts him beyond the realms of simple footballing star status.

And yet there have been suggestions that the decision by the former England captain to give
away his salary was just part of a wider PR stunt that would boost both his and the Paris clubs
profile.

When asked who came up with the idea to donate his pay cheque to charity, Beckham said it was
a decision reached by both him and the club.

Its one of the things we talked about at the start. I have been very fortunate through my career.
Im fortunate that Im in the position Im in. I thought it would be good to give it to a childrens
charity, he said.

But the father of four refused to say how much the five month contract he had signed was worth,
before adding, Obviously its a very good figure. Its has never been about the biggest contract
and the amount of money. That doesnt interest me.

2013 Sec 1/2 English

Comprehension Practice

Miss Raja

1)Why is it surprising that Beckham donated his paycheck to charity?

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2)Why does the author think that this could be a 'PR stunt?
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Passage B
Read the following passage and list the collocations that you can find in it. Answer the questions that
follow.
Historic manuscripts and artefacts destroyed in Timbuktu
By William Stewart
Thousands of irreplaceable ancient manuscripts, dating back as far as the 12th century, have reportedly
been destroyed by "Islamist" militants retreating from Timbuktu.
The mayor of the desert city in Mali, west Africa, said they had set fire to the Ahmed Baba Institute,
which housed 20,000 valuable historic documents, as they fled last week to avoid advancing
government and French troops.
"It's truly alarming that this has happened," said mayor Ousmane Halle, yesterday. "They torched all
the important ancient manuscripts. The ancient books of geography and science. It is the history of
Timbuktu, of its people."
The militants, who imposed a strict fundamentalist and political version of Islam known as Islamism,
seized control of the city and much of northern Mali last April.
During their rule they systematically destroyed other cultural sites, including the ancient tombs of
saints from another version of Islam called Sufism.
They denounced the tombs as being contrary to Islam because they encouraged Muslims to venerate
saints instead of God.
In the past few days, Malian soldiers, working with the French army, have wrestled control of the city
back from the fundamentalists.
Timbuktu was founded in the 5th century on the southern edge of the Sahara desert. During the 15th
and 16th centuries it became a centre for spreading Islamic culture throughout Africa. The teachings of
Islam were set out in several hundred thousand manuscripts held in the city, which became a World
Heritage Site in 1988.
Some manuscripts had been removed from Timbuktu or hidden away for safekeeping from the

2013 Sec 1/2 English

Comprehension Practice

Miss Raja

Islamists.
But one expert Michael Covitt, chairman of the Malian Manuscript Foundation described the fire at
the Ahmed Baba Institute as a "desecration to humanity".
"These manuscripts are irreplaceable," he said. "They have the wisdom of the ages and it's the most
important find since the Dead Sea Scrolls."
The destruction is similar to the tactics used by another hard-line Islamic group the Taliban when it
controlled Afghanistan in 2001.
Taliban fighters blew up a pair of giant 6th century buddhas carved into a mountain and rampaged
through Afghanistan's national museum, smashing about 2,500 statues.
They targeted any art depicting the human form, because they considered it anti-Islamic.
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2013 Sec 1/2 English

Comprehension Practice

Miss Raja

1) How did the Malian army regain control of the city?

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2) Why does Michael Covitt call the fire at the Ahmed Baba Institute a 'desecration to humanity?'
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2013 Sec 1/2 English

Passage C

Comprehension Practice

Miss Raja

2013 Sec 1/2 English

Comprehension Practice

Miss Raja

Summarise the common misconceptions about lasik surgery and the truth about these misconceptions.
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