SECTION A: READING
Read the following texts carefully and then answer Section A in the Question Paper.
Text 1:
First impressions – an Englishman in New York
In the passage, the writer describes his first experience of New York.
In May of 2011 I fulfilled one of my many travel
goals by travelling to New York for the first time.
With a place to stay (a friend’s apartment in
Manhattan, no less) I was looking forward to
seeing what the city was really like. Despite a
rather rough flight over and the first signs of
jetlag kicking in, my spirits were as high as the
skyscrapers poked through the clouds as we
descended.
The approach to JFK
The views when circling the city and coming in to land at JFK airport are spectacular;
having flown over Long Island I could clearly make out several of the most famous
buildings of central New York. As I was right at the back of the plane I decided not to
stress about getting out quickly. I took my time and was the last to disembark which was
a mistake as I was then at the back of the queue when we’d passed through the sweaty
tunnels on the way to the immigration hall.
The immigration process
I could see it was going to take time as the entire human content of our 747 was waiting
in line in front of me. There was little to do except wait. We were at least entertained by a
video selling the delights of New York on a continuous loop on one of several television
screens. The actual passport check procedure was quick and painless, although I did find
it unusual to be both photographed and finger-printed.
The view on the way from the airport
Terminal 7, which British Airways use at JFK, is a little run-down but small and
manageable. The first sight to greet me on exiting the baggage hall was of a Starbucks
and a McDonald’s. Years ago this would have seemed like a ‘Welcome to the USA’ in
itself but these days it could be practically anywhere in the world. With both signs and
announcements warning not to use dodgy taxis but to go to the taxi office, I took the hint
and found a classic yellow cab to take me into Manhattan. On the way I noticed how most
Americans drive the same kind of cars as we do in Europe, although there were a few
big Jeeps, a couple of stretch limousines and lots of those vans favoured by FBI agents
running surveillance. But the real ‘wow’ moment was when I saw that iconic Manhattan
skyline as we crossed the Queensboro Bridge with the sun setting. I had arrived…
The skyscrapers
I woke early the next day in my host’s
apartment. The view from the living room was
certainly not quite what I was used to, being 29
floors up as opposed to one. The Midtown
location was amazing, right round the corner
from the UN building and surrounded by even
taller buildings. I think this is the first and most
obvious sign of someone who has just arrived in
New York – that they keep looking up all the
time. Now it was time to check out the city in
daylight – and with the benefit of a few hours sleep.
The feeling of being on a film set
This is a classic cliché that most people who have been to New York talk about – but like
a lot of clichés it’s also true. The Big Apple is of course the backdrop to countless movies
and TV shows and you’ll find something that you recognise or which looks familiar round
most corners. You’ll see those yellow fire hydrants, newspaper vending machines and
‘Walk/Don’t Walk’ signs.
The sheer level of noise on the streets
When you walk along the busy streets of New York it’s like somebody turned the
volume up. It’s also (to my ears) amazing how people just do not care who hears their
conversations, whether in person or on the phone. You get a fascinating insight into the
private lives of New Yorkers in the form of ten second clips as you pass and they move
out of range.
The scale of the place
Finally, it’s only when you get up high that you fully appreciate how mind-blowing New
York architecture really is. Both the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center offer
fantastic views and both are recommended. Next time I’m planning to save my money
for a helicopter ride over the city; that would be the ultimate way to see New York. As my
plane left the tarmac for my return flight I was already thinking about coming back. New
York lived up to – and in fact exceeded my expectations – it should be on everyone’s list
of places to visit.
Text 2: Notes from a Small Island
In the passage, the writer describes the journey to Dover in England.
In the morning, I breakfasted early, settled my
bill and stepped out to another promising
day. Clutching an inadequate little map that
came with my ferry ticket, I set off in search of
the ferry terminal. On the map it looked to be
quite nearby, practically in the town centre,
but in reality it was a good 2 miles away at the
far end of a bewildering wasteland of oil
refineries, derelict factories, and acres of waste ground strewn with old girders and piles
of jagged concrete. I found myself squeezing through holes in chainlink fences and
picking my way between rusting railway carriages with broken windows. I don’t know
how other people get to the ferry at Calais, but I had the distinct feeling that no one had
ever done it this way before. And all the while I walked I was uncomfortably aware –
actually in a whimpering panic – that the departure time was drawing nigh and that the
ferry terminal, though always visible, never actually seemed to get any closer. Eventually,
after dodging across a dual carriageway and clambering up an embankment, I arrived
breathless and late and looking like someone who’d just survived a mining disaster, and
was hustled aboard a shuttle bus by an officious woman.
I boarded the ship perspiring freely and with a certain disquiet. I’m not a good sailor, I
freely admit. I get sick on a rowing boat. The boat was crammed with people, all of them
English. I spent the first quarter of an hour wandering around wondering how they had
got there without getting filthy, inserted myself briefly into the mayhem that was the
duty-free shop and as quickly found my way out again, strolled around the cafeteria
with a tray looking at the food, searched for a seat among hordes of dementedly lively
children, and finally found my way out onto the breezy deck where people with blue lips
and dancing hair were trying to convince themselves that because the sun was shining
they couldn’t possibly be cold.
Before long, the White Cliffs of Dover rose from the sea and began creeping towards us
and in no time at all, it seemed, we were sailing into Dover Harbour and clumsily nuzzling
up to the dock. I was eager to see Dover again after all these years. I strode into the
centre along Marine Parade and with a small cry of pleasure spied the shelter I’d slept
in those many years ago. It was covered in about eleven more layers of bile-green paint
but otherwise unchanged. The view out to sea was likewise unchanged, though the
water was bluer and more glittery than when I’d last seen it. But everything else looked
different. Where I recalled there being a row of elegant Georgian terraces there was now
a vast and unbecoming brick apartment block. Townwall Street, the main through road
to the west, was wider and more menacing with traffic than I remembered, and there was
now a subway to the town centre, which itself was unrecognizable.
The main shopping street had been pedestrianised and the Market Square had been
turned into a kind of piazza with show-off paving and the usual array of cast-iron
trimmings. The whole town centre seemed uncomfortably squeezed by busy, wide roads
of which I had no recollection and there was now a big tourist attraction called the White
Cliffs Experience, where, I presume from the name, you can discover what it feels like to be
800-million-year-old chalk. I didn’t recognize anything. The trouble with English towns is
that they are so indistinguishable one from another. They all have a Boots and W.H. Smith
and Marks & Spencer1
. You could be anywhere really.
I plodded distractedly through the streets, unhappy that a place so central to my
memories was so unfamiliar. Then, on my third grumbling pass through the town centre,
on a lane I would swear I had never walked before, I came across the cinema, still
recognizable despite refurbishment, and everything suddenly became clear. Now that I
had a fixed point of reference, I knew precisely where I was. I strode purposefully 500
yards north and then west – now I could almost have done it blindfolded – and found
myself square in front of Mrs Smith’s establishment. It was still a hotel and looked
substantially unchanged, as far as I could remember, except for the addition of a parking
area in the front garden and a plastic sign announcing colour TVs and en-suite
bathrooms. I thought about knocking at the door, but there didn’t seem much point. The
dragon-like Mrs Smith must be long since gone. She couldn’t possibly have coped with
the modern age of British guesthouses, with their en-suite bathrooms and coffee-making
facilities and people having pizzas delivered to their rooms.
Cheered by this thought, I strolled up the Folkestone Road to the station and bought a
ticket for the next train to London.
1
Typical British shops
Questions
SECTION A: Reading
Answer ALL questions in this section.
You should spend 1 hour on this section.
Read Text 1 in the Extracts Booklet, from First Impressions – an Englishman in New York, which is about a man’s first experience of New York.
1 In lines 16–20 the writer describes the immigration process.
Identify one point the writer makes about the experience.
(Total for Question 1 = 1 mark)
2 In lines 21–30, the writer leaves the airport and travels into the city.
State one thing the writer sees.
(Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
3 Explain how the writer presents his impressions of New York.
You should support your answer with close reference to the passage, including
brief quotations.
(10)
Read Text 2 in the Extracts Booklet, from Notes from a Small Island, which is about a
journey the writer makes to Dover in England.
4 In lines 1–18, the writer describes his journey to the ferry terminal.
State one of the difficulties the writer experienced.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
5 In lines 19–27, the writer describes the ferry crossing.
Name two things the writer finds unpleasant.
1
2
(Total for Question 5 = 2 marks)
6 How does the writer describe his thoughts and feelings about his trip to Dover?
You should support your answer with close reference to the passage, including
brief quotations.
(10)
Refer to BOTH Text 1 AND Text 2 to answer the following question.
7 Compare how the writers of Text 1 and Text 2 convey their ideas and experiences.
Support your answer with examples from both texts.
(15)
SECTION B:
Reading and Writing
Answer the question in this section.
You should spend 1 hour on this section.
Use ideas from BOTH Text 1 and Text 2 in the Extracts Booklet to answer this question.
8 A friend of yours is going abroad for the first time.
Write a letter to your friend explaining what it might be like.
You should include:
• what might be seen or experienced
• what might be enjoyable
• what might be disappointing.
Think carefully about the purpose of your letter and the audience for whom
it is intended.
(30)
SECTION C:
Writing
Answer ONE question from this section.
You should spend 1 hour on your chosen question.
Begin your answer on page 23.
Do not re-tell events from Text One or Text Two in the Extracts Booklet.
Write approximately 400 words on one of the following:
EITHER
9 ‘To travel is better than to arrive.’ Discuss.
(Total for Question 9 = 30 marks)
OR
10 Write a story (true or imaginary) entitled ‘The Beginning’.
(Total for Question 10 = 30 marks)
OR
11 Describe a place that has made an impression on you.
(Total for Question 11 = 30 marks)
