Text A

An extract from Adventures of a young naturalist by David Attenborough, set in the 1950s

These days zoos don’t send out animal collectors on quests to ‘bring ’em back alive’. And quite
right too. The natural world is under more than enough pressure as it is, without being robbed of
its most beautiful, charismatic and rarest inhabitants. Now most of a zoo’s crowd-attracting 5
species – lions, tigers and rhinos – have been born in zoos and kept track of in registers, so
individual animals can be exchanged internationally without incurring problems of in-breeding1.
Zoos can then play a valuable part in familiarising visitors with the splendours of the natural
world and in explaining the importance and complexities of conservation.

But it was not always so. London Zoo was founded in 1828 by scientists who were concerned 10
with compiling a catalogue of all the species of animals alive. Some were sent to it from distant
parts of the world as dead specimens. Others arrived alive and were put on display in the zoo’s
gardens. But both kinds ended up as well-studied anatomical specimens and were carefully
preserved. Needless to say, special attention was paid to finding species that no other zoo had
ever possessed, and that ambition still lingered on even in the 1950s when I visited one of the 15
zoo’s curators, Jack Lester, with an idea for a new kind of television programme.

My plan was simple – a joint animal-collecting expedition on which we should both go. I would
direct film sequences showing Jack searching for and finally capturing a creature of particular
interest. We agreed on a jungle location without any difficulty.

Jack had been to Sierra Leone. He knew the country and he knew the fauna. I was convinced, 20
however, that if the television programmes were to be a success, the expedition should have
one particular objective – a rare creature that had never been seen in any zoo anywhere else in
the world; an animal so romantic, rare and exciting that the quest for it would keep viewers
watching programme after programme. We could call the series Quest for… but what?

It was a difficult bill to fill. The only animal Jack could think of in Sierra Leone that might 25
remotely qualify was a bird called Picathartes gymnocephalus. It seemed to me that raising the
public into a frenzy of excited anticipation to see a creature with such a name might be difficult.
Had it not got another, more romantic one? ‘Yes, indeed,’ Jack said helpfully, ‘its English name
is bare-headed rock fowl’. I decided to call the series Zoo Quest.

Glossary
1
in-breeding: breeding between closely related animals, which might cause birth defects

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Text B

Night Safari

Embark on an adventure after dark at the legendary Night Safari, an open-air zoo that goes
above and beyond the typical zoo experience. As dusk falls, the shutters open at the Night
Safari, welcoming you into a world of over 2500 creatures of the night and their mysterious 5
habitats.

Home to over 100 animal species, this is the world’s first nocturnal wildlife park. 41% of these
species are threatened, including many indigenous to the region, such as the Malayan tapir and
Malayan tiger.

Start with the Creatures of the Night Show, a 20-minute overview of the animals in the park 10
(starts 7.30pm, 8.30pm and, on weekends and holidays, 9.30pm, 10.30pm).

• For those who prefer exploring the park on wheels, a Tram Safari ride with live commentary
will then take you across six geographical zones of the world, from the rugged Himalayan
foothills to the jungles of Southeast Asia.

• Exploring the park on one of the four walking trails lets you see even more animals not 15
visible from the tram. Among them is the Fishing Cat Trail that recreates a night time trek
through the jungles of Singapore. Be sure to catch the newest arrival – the Armadillo – in
action along the trail while you’re there.

• Or maximise the benefits of both – get on board a buggy for the Adventure Tour where your
personal safari guide will show you the best kept secrets of the Night Safari on the popular 20
Leopard Trail.

Complete your night with a delightful meal at Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant (open 6:30pm to
11:00pm Fri & Sat). If you are a night owl, this 13-time Best Attraction Experience winner is the
place to be.

Open: Daily from 7.30pm to midnight (last admission at 11pm) 25

Phone: +65 6269 3411

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 Section A: Reading

Spend 30 minutes on this section.

Read Text A, an extract from an autobiography, in the insert, and then answer questions 1–5.

1 Look at the first paragraph (lines 3–9).

(a) Why are inverted commas ( ‘ ’ ) used? Tick () one box.

to show a quotation

to give an explanation

to emphasise information

to introduce a different opinion

[1]

(b) Why are dashes ( – ) used?

[1]

(c) Zoos make sure that captivity-born animals are not in-bred/related.
Give two ways they do this.
•

[2]

2 Look at the second paragraph (lines 10–16).

(a) Give one word in the first sentence that refers back to information in the first paragraph.

[1]

(b) Give one word or phrase that means ‘continued’.

[1]

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3 Look at the first two paragraphs.
Explain how the attitude of zoos towards animals has changed since the 1950s.

In the 1950s

Now
[2]

4 Look at the third and fourth paragraphs (lines 17–24).

(a) What is the writer’s main role when making the television programmes?

[1]

(b) Why was it easy for the curator and writer to choose the destination for their TV programme?
Tick () one box.

They were looking for a particular species.

The area was familiar to one of them.

They were told to go there by the zoo.

The area had many exotic species.

[1]

(c) Why are a dash ( – ) and a semi-colon ( ; ) used in the same sentence?
Tick () two boxes.

to introduce an opposite idea

to build up further detail

to connect two clauses on the same topic

to add a list of examples

to introduce an element of humour

[2]

(d) Why is an ellipsis ( … ) used?

[1]

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5 Look at the fifth paragraph (lines 25–29).

(a) What does it in It was a difficult bill to fill refer to?

[1]

(b) Explain why the writer finally settled on the name Zoo Quest for his new T.V. programme.
•

[2]

Read Text B, from a travel magazine, in the insert. Then answer questions 6–8.

6 Look at the first paragraph (lines 3–6).

[2]

7 The text is structured so that information is easy to access.

[2]

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8 (a) Complete the fact file below about a visit to the Night Safari.

Fact file: Night Safari

Contact Phone: +65 6269 3411

Admission times

Where to eat

Latest attraction

Where to go by vehicle
1

Where to go on foot

Any other entertainment

[3]

(b) Write a summary of up to 50 words about the main attractions of the Night Safari.
Include four points from the fact file.

[2]

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