Read Texts 1 and 2 and answer questions 1-23 in the Question-Answer Book for Part A.
[1] Four trees collapsed in Hong Kong on Monday morning following a night of heavy rain. This comes after the government’s controversial decision to cut down four century-old Chinese banyans after several similar trees fell from stone walls during recent storms.
[2] The report of the fallen trees comes days after experts expressed anger over the Highways Department’s controversial felling of four century-old banyan trees in Sai Ying Pun, without consulting a panel advising the government on tree management.
[3] The government cited ‘unforeseen’ circumstances and considerations of public safety, after a giant banyan tree growing out of a masonry wall in Sai Ying Pun collapsed on 22 July. A neighbouring tree was cut down immediately as cracks were found in the wall behind it.
[4] The Head of the Developments Bureau’s Tree Management Office said the trees in Sai Ying Pun were rooted in old stone masonry walls on a slope of almost 80 degrees.
[5] Following the collapse on 22 July, the Highways Department’s contractor inspected the remaining trees and carried out major trimming work. But by midweek last week, cracks were found in the wall behind the trees and were seen to have worsened.
[6] “Since the trees were growing on this wall, we could not evaluate the trees and the wall separately,” said the Head of the Tree Management Office. “We agree with the department that the trees had to be removed immediately. They could have collapsed and pulled the wall with them.”