TEXT A — FUKUSHIMA WATER

Japan has decided to begin the release of a million tonnes of water from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant almost 12 years after a magnitude-9 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan's north-east coast.

The water will be gradually discharged into the Pacific Ocean via a tunnel after being treated and diluted. The plan's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), has said its water treatment technology can remove all radioactive materials from water except tritium, which it says is harmless in small amounts. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also pointed out that nuclear plants around the world use a similar process to dispose of wastewater containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides.

South Korea and China have voiced concern about the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum has said recently that Japan "should hold off on any such release until we are certain about the implications of this proposal on the environment and on human health, especially recognising that the majority of our Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and that the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living."

The South Korean government, which has yet to lift its ban on Fukushima seafood, has said that releasing the water would pose a "grave threat" to marine life. Fishing unions in the area oppose the release, warning it would cause alarm among consumers and derail more than a decade of efforts to reassure the public that Fukushima seafood is safe to eat.

Adapted from an article by Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 13-1-2.023

A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)

a. How will the release be done?

b. Why are fishing unions against the release?

A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)

a. Tritium may sometimes be a dangerous radioactive material.

b. Fukushima nuclear plant is the only one that processes wastewater containing tritium.

c. Most Pacific peoples live on what they get from the ocean.

A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)

Options: release, remove, dispose, concern, hold off, ban

a. extract

b. prohibition

c. postpone

d. worry

A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)

1. The Fukushima water treatment will be done by...
a) Tokyo Electric Power.
b) the International Atomic Energy Agency.
c) both Tokyo Electric Power and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

2. South Korea and China want Japan to...
a) explain the effects of the release on the environment.
b) release the wastewater into Pacific coastal areas.
c) refrain from the release into the Pacific Ocean.

3. South Koreans are...
a) allowed to eat Fukushima seafood.
b) not allowed to eat Fukushima fish.
c) sure Fukushima seafood is safe to eat.

A5. Do you think green energy is the energy source for the future? Give reasons. (130 to 150 words approximately) (4 points)

TEXT B — FINE, I ADMIT IT – I AM A "DRY TEXTER"

I've recently become aware of the phenomenon of dry texting: the short, single-word responses (Yes, No, OK, Lol) to messages that are viewed as inadequate, hostile or hurtful.

Our family chat is arid. Most messages are "k" or "OK." Supposedly interesting messages sent by those of us who are keen to maintain a feeling of connection go uncommented on; sometimes even unopened. I can be a dry texter myself: short responses to friends who send three-paragraph messages. It's partly a lack of mental capacity for more writing outside the day job. If I could bring myself to get into emojis – I can't – I would absolutely be the "single thumbs-up" kind of texter.

The other reason I dry text is I can't write anything without horribly getting my typing wrong and being cruelly provoked by autocorrect. When I try to fix it, I end up hitting the M instead of delete, so most of my messages read: "We we're mmmmmmmm."

I quite like dry texting anyway: there's an economical poetry to it. My last four messages from my stepfather are "Yes," "OK," "Good" and "OK." The conversation thread between me and my husband is mainly "Dog?" "Where are you?" "Kfé?" (coffee) and "Yep." He used a single emoji back in January and I'm still getting over it. It makes the more expansive messages extra special, too, such as when my husband spontaneously says he's missing me. Those in textual relationships with more extensive typing style will never know that thrill.

Adapted from an article by Emma Beddington, The Guardian, 23-2-2.023

B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)

a. What is "dry texting"?

b. Why does the author use that kind of text?

B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)

a. The author opens all the messages that she receives on her mobile.

b. The author's typing ability adds to her tendency to dry texting.

c. The author always prefers her husband to dry text her.

B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)

Options: hurtful, maintain, bring, fix, extensive, thrill

a. persuade

b. considerable

c. upsetting

d. keep

B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)

1. Something that causes the author's dry texting is her...
a) habit of never replying to substantial messages.
b) mental exhaustion after writing in her job.
c) inability to use emojis alongside typed texts.

2. Autocorrect...
a) gets in the way of the author's typing.
b) suggests more words than the author is willing to type.
c) makes the author consider using emojis.

3. The author's conversations with her husband are...
a) only extensive when typing about feelings.
b) managed with an exchange of a lot of words.
c) sometimes special when he is not dry texting.

B5. Are you a regular dry texter? Give reasons. (130 to 150 words approximately) (4 points)