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HKDSE English Language

Paper 1 Reading
Reading Skill – Reference (Part A)
Each question carries 1 mark unless otherwise stated.

2021 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q1

2021 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q5

2020 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q8

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2020 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q16

(Ms / Miss) Winnie // Yeung // Winnie Yeung

the prison (in Central) // Tai Kwun (in Central) //
(the) Victoria Prison (in Central)
2019 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q2

(this) tangle of commitment

2019 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q7

Piling up (of) paper (on your/ their desk) // being messy

2019 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q13

(our/ people’s/ effective) organizational/ organizational systems

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2018 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q5
[1] Many people listen to music while they’re carrying out a task, whether they’re studying for an exam, driving a
vehicle or even reading a book. Many of these people argue that background music helps them focus.
5 [2]When you think about it, that doesn’t make much sense. Why would having two things to concentrate on make
you more focused, not less? Some people even go far as to say that not having music on is more distracting.

(the idea that) (background) music helps people focus

2018 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q9

15 [4] The trouble is, while our conscious attention is focused on the task in hand, the unconscious attention system
Doesn’t shut down; it’s still very much online, scanning for anything important in your peripheral senses. And if
what we’re doing is unpleasant or dull – so you’re already having to force your attention to stay fixed on it – the
unconscious attention system is even more potent. This means that a distraction doesn’t need to be as stimulating to
divert your attention to something else.

(the) unpleasant / dull task // (the) task in hand // what we are doing

2018 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q16

35 [9] Music also has a big impact on mood – truly bleak music could sap your enthusiasm for your task. Something
else to look out for is music with catchy lyrics. Musical pieces without words might be better working companions,
as human speech and vocalization is something our brains pay particular attention to.

musical pieces without words we listen while working/ doing a task

2017 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A N/A

2016 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q15

Section 5. Positive Scepticism
After ten years of scientific research, my work has revealed a radically new way of looking at luck and the
vital role that it plays in our lives. It demonstrates that much of the good and bad fortune we encounter is a
result of our thoughts and behaviour. More importantly, it represents the potential for change, and has
produced an effective way of increasing the luck people experience in their daily lives. The research is no
simply about debunking superstitious thinking and behavior. Instead, it is about encouraging people to
move away from a magical way of thinking and toward a more rational view of luck. Perhaps most
important of all, it is about using science and skepticism to increase the level of luck, happiness, and
success in people’s lives.
(scientific) research // ‘my’/ his/ Wiseman’s research/ work //
radically new way of looking at luck
(*Not accept: luck // the role that luck plays in our lives)

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2015 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q4

(other) westerners (in Korea) // the west/ westerners //

people (living) in western/ other countries // (other) journalists // (other) writers
(*Not accept: (most) people (in general) // Koreans)
2015 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q8

Jeong/ han are uniquely Korean/ exclusive concepts to Korea

(*Not accept: Korea has words to describe these things)

2015 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q12

(members of) 3rd Line Butterfly

(*Not accept: a band// Korean Music/ culture)

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2015 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q24

Daniel (Tudor) // the writer himself

2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q5

“We worked together at CommaTech, then he got
a great job at Future Industries. I applied to work
28 there, but they never called back.”

Future Industries
5. Who does ‘they’ (line 28) refer to? ______________________________________________

2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q7

An identicard reader on its slide lit up. “Please
confirm your identity.”
Winston pulled his card from his wallet and waved
35 it over the reader.

The (identi)card // Winston’s / his (ID) card

7. What does ‘it’ (line 35) refer to? ____________________________________________

2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q15

65 He had wanted that job so badly back then. But if
he’d gotten it, then Future Industries would be his
life. Not Elizabeth. Not Rachel, who right now
was poking a plastic magic wand at the robot from
underneath the coffee table.

(the) job at Future Industries

15. What does ‘it’ (line 66) refer to? ____________________________________________

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2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q18
65 He had wanted that job so badly back then. But if
he’d gotten it, then Future Industries would be his
life. Not Elizabeth. Not Rachel, who right now
was poking a plastic magic wand at the robot from
underneath the coffee table.

70 Elizabeth was right. Things had worked out just

fine. Better, even. She saw the big picture, like
she always did. It was one of the reasons he
loved her.

18. What does ‘the big picture’ (line 71) refer to?
A. The robot’s video screen.
B. The apology from Karl.
C. The things Elizabeth had always wanted.
D. The complete view of Winston’s life.

2013 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q4

20 [3] It usually takes Yang and her co-workers
many days to transform a heap of clay
fragments into a full size warrior, but today they
are lucky, accomplishing the task in a matter of
hours.

Transform(ing)/ rebuilding/ repairing a heap of clay fragments into a (full-size) warrior//

Reassemble(ing) an army of (terra-cotta) warriors// piecing together terra-cotta warriors.
2012 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q4
[1] In what many people will greet with a huge sigh of relief, a café at the Crystal Design Centre is low-tech,
switched off, unplugged. Patrons don’t sit at computer terminals and race virtual hotrods – they sit at
tables and play board games.
[2] Board games. You know – cardboard and little pieces of plastic you move around, maybe a pair of dice
too. How about a guessing game with picture cards?
[3] What is the world coming to? (Or going back to?)

(a time) when people played board games/ when board games were popular / when
people were without technology/ video games

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2012 HKDSE English Language Paper 1A Q10
50 ‘Germany is the pioneer when it comes to
new and interesting board games,’ says Dee.
‘It has a prestigious award for creativity called
the Spiel Des Jahres.’

Germany
10. What does ‘It’ (line 52) refer to? ____________________________________________

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HKDSE English Language
Paper 1 Reading
Reading Skill – Reference (Part B2)
Each question carries 1 mark unless otherwise stated.

2021 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q60

(a/ the) planetary park system (approach) // (a/the) planetary park system (that would bar the
landing of spacecraft in protected areas) (to prevent destruction of the environment)
2021 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q62

(all) human beings // (all) humans // humankind // mankind // the human race

2021 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q64

2020 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q47

Her friends // (a/ the) librarian’s friends //friends of (a/ the) librarian (from Manchester)
* NOT accept: librarian’s friends from Manchester
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2020 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q55

Fun // (the) fun + (time(s) / moment(s) / experience(s) / life / thing(s)) + (he/ David) +
(may/ might/ will would) + (have/ experience/ see) + (in Sweden/ Europe)
2019 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q43

Caning // (the six) strokes (of the cane/ in the corridor/ to Thommo/ to slow him down) //
corporal/ physical punishment (given/ imparted/ delivered by the Deputy Head)
2019 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q52

(his) classmates’ // (other) students’ (eyes) // (eyes of the whole) class

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2019 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q53

(his four) strokes / caning / being caned / physical punishment / corporal

punishment (by teacher) // caned by teacher

Being socially accepted // getting respect from classmates / peers //

Proving himself as being rebellious

2019 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q59

Nola / Huthnance and Gail / Thorpe

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2018 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q65

(the) sting
2017 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q53 (iii)

53.

Culture/ society/ environment that is dominated by technology // The world of technology //

The digital world // Age of technology // Society of modern technology
(*Not accept: (present/ modern) society // modern technology // technology they use //
earth // world )
2016 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q49

(David) Schillace and (Thomas) Kelly //

the owner / partners / co-founders (of the food truck)
2016 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q68

Injera (with tilapia) // Ethiopian food // the nosh //

the food from the truck
2015 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q60

Having strong critical thinking skills // being critical (*Not accept: being smart /
strong critical skills)

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2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q69

Celebrity // celebrities // famous people (*Not accept: people wanting to be famous)

2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q71(i)

(the cultures of) venerating/ to venerate a pack of talentless nobodies (who offer no moral,
spiritual or intellectual sustenance and no discernable gifts beyond unthreatening photogeneity) //
the culture of worshipping celebrities who look good but don’t have much talent
2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q73

(apoplectic) bores // the kind of people who most object

to (the childishness and cheapness of) celebrity culture

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2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q80

2014 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q82

Anyone // everyone // people in general (*Not accept: the reader // those who want to be famous)
2013 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q47
Line 1-8:
[1] Dystopia is an imaginary place or condition in which everything is bad, and in dystopian fiction, this has
traditionally been characterized by an authoritarian government or some kind of oppressive control. For
young readers, dystopia isn’t a future to be averted; it is a version of what’s already happening in the world
they inhabit.

Dystopia

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2013 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q62

(children) not having control in the world // don’t run the world

2012 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q48

2012 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q55

(long hours of) piano practice // playing (the) piano // piano skills

(doing) homework

2012 HKDSE English Language Paper 1B2 Q59

Americans // people in the West // western countries

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