Part 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Arriving in Singapore by plane
Baggage claim
You can refer to the flight information television screens on Level Two for the allocation of your baggage claim belt.Free trolleys are available near all baggage claim belts and our friendly porters are at your service on request. Should you require their assistance with carrying luggage, please ask at the Information Desk.You can proceed to the Lost and Found Counter for advice if you cannot find your baggage or would like to report damaged baggage.
Customs clearance
Please use the Green Channel for your baggage clearance if you do not have controlled or prohibited items to declare, or have not exceeded your Duty-Free Concession. Please use the Red Channel if you have items to declare or are in doubt.
Hotel reservations
You can make these at the Hotel Reservation Counter with a S$10.00 per reservation deposit, deductible from your hotel bill at the end of your stay. These counters do not handle the transit hotels. For these, go to the Reception Desk on Level Three.
Questions 1 – 5
Which places would you go to in the following situations?
Match each statemcnt with the correct place, A-H.
Choose the correct word and move it into the gap.
You find after your flight that your suitcase has split1
You want to reserve a room at a transit hotel2
You are not sure if you have bought too much in the duty-free shop3
You are not sure where to collect your luggage after your flight4
You need someone to help you with your suitcases5
List of Places
A. Information, Desk
B. Hotel, Reservation, Counter
C. Lost, Found, Counter
D. Red, Channel
E. Green, Channel
F. Level, Two
G. Reception, Desk
H. Baggage, Claim, Belt
Singapore Airport
Goods and Services Tax (GST) relief
A 3% Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied on the sale of all goods imported into Singapore. If you are a visitor, returning citizen or permanent resident of Singapore, you may be granted GST relief under certain conditions.
Tax-free shopping
As a tourist or visitor,you can apply for a refund at Customs of the 3% GST on goods purchased during your stay in Singapore, provided you:
• shop at stores with the ‘Tax Free Shopping’ logo
• spend a minimum amount of S$100 at any one shop, and at least S$300 in total
• obtain a Global Refund Cheque from the place of purchase.
When collecting your refund you have several choices – cash, bank cheque, or Changi Airport Shopping Voucher, which comes with an additional 10% in value.
Please note that a handling fee will be deducted from the GST amount for the refund service.
Questions 6 – 10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?
Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text, choose FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, or choose NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
6Everyone is obliged to pay 3% tax on goods they bring into Singapore.
7You can only reclaim tax on purchases made in certain shops.
8lf you have spent a total of S$150 on your purchases, you can get a tax refund.
9You have to reclaim your tax within a certain amount of time.
10You will be charged a certain amount for administration when you get the tax back.
Singapore Guide
A walk around the Orchard Road district
The route begins just opposite the Orchard MRT station at the Singapore Marriott Hotel. This eye-catching landmark has a distinctive Chinese-styled green roof and red pillars.
In 1958 a former lace-pedlar, C.K. Tang, foresaw that the area could become a bustling shopping centre, since residents in the neighbouring Tanglin district had to pass en-route to work at the commercial centre,Raffles Place. So with roof tiles brought in from his hometown in the Swatow city of China,Tang built a department store on what was then a cheap, isolated plot of land.The plot faced a cemetery, which could be considered a bad omen.His foresight paid off. Today, Tangs is one of Singapore’s most prominent and recognised home-grown department stores, proudly showcasing local fashion and household products.Even when the original building was torn down in 1982 to give way to the present superstore and skyscraper hotel, it retained its unique Chinese architecture.
From the foyer at Tangs, turn left to Lucky Plaza.One of the oldest along Orchard Road, this mall is a perennial favourite with shoppers.Be amazed by the staggering array of cosmetics, jewellery, leather goods and hi-fi equipment. Prices, though, are not always fixed, so bring along a good set of bargaining skills.
Coming out of Lucky Plaza, continue along Orchard Road and enter the Paragon Shopping Centre.Apart from a wide range of shops and restaurants, there is also a Singapore Airlines Service Centre to facilitate bookings and offer information to tourists.Also available are a number of computer terminals for self-booking. Check out the life-sized sculptures by a well-known sculptor, Sun Yu-li, outside the shopping centre.These were inspired by depictions of life in rock paintings dating back 20,000 years ago in Inner Mongolia.
Questions 11 – 14
Complete the notes below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in each gap.
The Singapore Marriott Hotel is described as an 11___________.
The land that Tang bought was located opposite a 12___________.
The 13___________ of the new Tang building is very similar to that of the original building.
Access to several 14___________at the Singapore Airlines Service Centre means that you don’t need to wait for assistance.
