12 APRIL 2017 MUET
Audio script (To listen to the recordings, go to https://www.facebook.com/niebrats) Track 1 Voice 1:
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This test consists of three parts: Part I, Part II and Part III. Each part comprises a recording. You will listen to each recording twice. Answer the questions as you listen. Circle or write your answers on the question paper. Answers comprising more than the specified number of words will be marked incorrect. You are given one minute to read all the questions when the test begins. Part I. Listen to a news report. Based on the report, answer Questions 1 to 8. Every couple of months or so, the story of violence against children rears its ugly head. The murder at Paya Nahu in Sungai Petani, Kedah, is another reminder that the Child (Amendment) Act 2016 should quickly be put in force so that perpetrators would be taken to task. At 1.25am on Nov 24, a resident at Paya Nahu flats called the police to report a case of child abuse. The police arrived at 2am. A mother of a four-year-old girl told the police that her boyfriend had abused her daughter. The little girl had bruises all over her body and they looked serious. She also told the police that her two-year-old son had been beaten to death. Police found the body of the toddler wrapped in a blanket inside a cooler box. The investigation stretched till 6am with the arrest of the mother and her companion. Her daughter was sent to the hospital for treatment. It was reported that the man would lock the woman and her two children in their three-room flat every day before leaving. However, he forgot to do so on that fateful day. The 26-year-old woman, cradled her critically injured daughter and ran to her neighbour for help, telling her that she “cannot stand the 34-year-old unemployed man anymore”. About a year ago, Sunday Star Says expressed hope that the Child (Amendment) Bill would help the Government ensure that children in Malaysia have better protection and welfare. One key change is the replacement of the Coordinating Council for the Protection of Children with the National Council for Children, which will better deal with issues and aspects relating to children’s protection, care, rehabilitation, development and participation. Parliament has passed the bill and the Child (Amendment) Act 2016 was gazetted in July. However, it is not yet in force. We shall see if it will lead to measures that effectively shield our children from the evil that men do. (Adapted from Chilling and never-ending cases of child abuse, Sunday Star, Nov 27, 2016) You are now given one minute to answer Questions 1 to 8. (Pause one minute) You will listen to the recording again. As you listen, check your answers. (Repeat recording)
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Part II. Listen to a news report. Based on the report, answer Questions 9 to 14. PETALING JAYA: Barely a year after convicted paedophile Richard Huckle was sentenced to jail, Malaysian parents seem to have forgotten, and remain blasé in their actions that continue to expose their children and families to this danger, said a paediatrician. Senior consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar Singh said many parents happily posted images of their children on social media such as Facebook and Twitter or use their child’s image as a profile image on messaging platforms, WhatsApp or WeChat. “This provides a rich source of images of children for paedophiles to access and use. One Australian study found that 50% of all images used by websites frequented and maintained by paedophiles came from social media sites,” he said in a statement yesterday. Dr Amar, who works at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh, Perak, said even parents with a professional background have made few changes in their lives to protect their children. “I see a significant number of my paediatric colleagues, who should know better, also behaving in the same unsafe way. As Malaysians, we are offering paedophiles a ‘supermarket’ of our children’s images to browse and access,” he said. “The biggest danger will be the hardcore individuals who will use this easy access to identify children to target for actual physical contact and sexual abuse. This is easy given the largely unlimited access to social media many parents give to children via their handphones and easy Internet access,” he said. According to Dr Amar, a study in Perak conducted among two-year-olds in 2015 showed that more than 60% had unsupervised access to the Internet via handphones or tablets and older children have even greater access. “Are Malaysian parents ignorant or just plain careless? This includes medical professionals. The world is rapidly changing and we need to change to support our children. This fascination with sharing our images online, especially those of our children, must stop,” he said. (Adapted from Parents still exposing kids to predators, The Star, Jan 13, 2017) You are now given one minute to answer Questions 9 to 14. (Pause one minute) You will listen to the recording again. As you listen, check your answers. (Repeat recording)
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Part III. Listen to a news report. Based on the report, answer Questions 15 and 16. GEORGE TOWN: The lack of parenting skills coupled with possible drug or alcohol abuse could have led to the death of the two-year-old boy, says criminologist Assoc Prof Dr P. Sundramoorthy. “The larger picture is that our society may lack proper knowledge about raising children and we resort to violence. “The public might tolerate things like caning or slapping but from there, things can escalate to something much worse. “It will be for the police to determine if drugs, alcohol or the mental health of the remanded couple played a role in this senseless murder,” he said. Dr Sundramoorthy added that such factors could agitate people into reacting violently to any sort of irritating behaviour which, in this case, could be that of the two-year-old toddler. “Policy makers need to address society’s acceptance of physically punishing children because it might sow the seed for such terrible crimes,” he said. (Adapted from Poor parenting skills to blame, The Star, Nov 25, 2016) You are now given one minute to answer Questions 15 to 16. (Pause one minute) You will listen to the recording again. As you listen, check your answers. (Repeat recording)
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Listen to an excerpt of a Letter to the Editor by James Nayagam, the chairman of Suriana Welfare Society Malaysia. Based on the excerpt, answer Questions 17 and 18. There were far too many signs that went unheeded concerning the case of two children and their father who were found dead. There were visible signs of long-term abuse yet nobody reported the matter to the authorities. The incident shows how much we as a society suffer from social isolation, the state where people in urban dwellings keep to themselves and do not want to be involved in the affairs of their neighbours. In the case of the family, they lived in an apartment where there were lots of neighbours around. Yet, according to the mother, she could not call the police because she did not have credit on her phone. But she could have run to the neighbours or told someone, so why didn’t she? The children had scars, indicating that they were victims of abuse. Yet, why were the relatives, neighbours and even teachers unable to see these marks? The mother appears to have suffered in silence at the hands of an abusive husband but lacked an avenue to voice her problems. It also looks like she had no moral support from relatives and friends. (Adapted from Far too many signs that went unheeded, The Star, Oct 3, 2016) You are now given one minute to answer Questions 17 to 18. (Pause one minute) You will listen to the recording again. As you listen, check your answers. (Repeat recording)
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Listen to an excerpt of a Letter to the Editor by James Nayagam, the chairman of Suriana Welfare Society Malaysia. Based on the excerpt, answer Questions 19 and 20. Research shows that child abuse is more prevalent in developed and developing countries and one of the contributing factors is the stress level of the parents. What is going to happen to the two surviving children? According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, their well-being and best interests must be prioritised. I hope they have been sent to hospital for medical care and investigation. As for the public, we all must be vigilant and learn from this tragic event. We can start by talking to our neighbours. Let this tragedy or any form of child abuse never occur again. (Adapted from Far too many signs that went unheeded, The Star, Oct 3, 2016) You are now given one minute to answer Questions 19 to 20. (Pause one minute) You will listen to the recording again. As you listen, check your answers. (Repeat recording) The test ends.
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