PART ONE / READIND AND INTERPRETING (15pts)
Read the text carefully then do the activities.
Will this week's mission to venus help mankind prevent the Earth from becoming a similar hellish inferno of acid clouds and 200mph winds?
All being well ,Mankind will launch another visit to this planet from hell on Wednesday when the European Space Agency is due to blast off its first probe to the Morning star.
"The Venus express",which has a large British input and which well cost in total about £140 million , is designed to discover how a planet that should be so similar to our own has , in fact turned to be so different .
Until recently , most astronomers thought Venus was very like Earth. It is a planet roughly the same size.Merely a couple of hundred miles less in diameter-with prety much the same material.The two planets are assumed to be the same age,and both have thick cloudy atmosphere.
For a long time , Venus was supposed to be covered with swamps and forests. Indeed , the first Russian probes which were sent to the planet were designed with much of these beliefs in mind . Because it was thought that much of the surface might be covered with deep carbonated oceans , the probes were designed to float.
So no swamps , no oceans , no forests , no dinasaurs . Instead , a crushind , toxic , carbon dioxide atmosphere so thick that a man suitably protected could strap in some stubly wings and fly in it with ease...
( From Daily Mail , Monday,November 7th2005 )
A/COMPREHENSION/INTERPRETATION
1) Choose the answer (a,b or c) that best completes the following statements: (2pts)
A)-This text deals with: a) similarities only ; b) differences only ; c) both similarities and differences.
B)-This text is : a) expository ; b) descriptive ; c) narrative.
C)-This text is : a) an interview ; b) a letter ;c) an article.
D)-The best title to this text is : a)Mission to a Planet ; b)Mission to a star ; c)Mission to a moon
2) Are these statements True or False ; Correct the wrong sentences . (3pts)
a)- "The Venus Express" will cost about $140 million.
b)- Most astronomers thought Venus was similar to the Earth .
c)- Venus and the Earth have approximately the same diameter and and the same age .
d)- There are lots of swamps,oceans and dinosaurs on Venus.
3) Answer the following questions according to the text : (2 pts)
a) What is the purpose of "Venus Express"?
b) What did most astronomers think about Venus?quote from the text to justify your answer .
4) Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to: (1pt)
a) human being §1 = .............................. b) to find out §3 = ..........................
c) approximately §4 = ............................... d) large §4 =...................................
B/ TEXT EXPLORATION
5) Which nouns can be derived from the following words? (1pt)
follow the example: eg: Astrology → Astrologer
geology – teach – theory – direct .
6) Classify these words into "stative" and "dynamic"verbs in the following table; follow the ewample
to like ; to work ; to understand ; to see ; to make ; to travel . (1.5)
7) Give the correct form of the verbs in brackets: (1.5 pt)
a) If there were oxygen on Venus ,people ( live ) there .
b) If a craft orbits the planet Venus , it ( find ) out why Venus is so awful .
c) If there had been a space programme , dinasaurs ( not disappear ) .
Reorder the following words to make a coherent sentence : (1.5 pt)
years / million / Venus / ago / might / Three / have / much / like / more / been / oceans / the /
with / life / and / even. / Earth
9) Join the pairs that rhyme : (1.5)
a) Space / followed / particular /.
b) Borrowed / similar / race /.
PART TWO/ WRITTEN EXPRESSION(5 pts)
Choose one of the following topics :
Topic one : Would you like to travel to another planet provided that there it were possible? What would you do there ?How would you feel living there ? Write a paragraph of about 10 lines.
Topic two : Suppose a comet collided with the Earth, what would happen then ?
Using the following notes, write a paragraph in which you tell us about the consequences of such a collision.
- impact on the Earth surface
- cause a deep crater
- volcanoes errupt
- cause floading
- cause Tsunami if near ocean
- violent earthquakes from now and then
- climate change
- great freeze/very cold/ level of temperature very low
- life become impossible
- extinction of human kind and all other species.
PART ONE / READIND AND INTERPRETING (14pts)
Read the text carefully then do the activities.
After rising steadily for almost a century, standards of education in the public schools of Europe and North America have come to a standstill. In fact, in the opinion of many parents and employers, they are actually falling. More and more children are leaving school at an early age. Naturally, they have very little knowledge of reading and writing. Thus, the number of illiterate people is increasing, bringing about a social problem once again. With dropout rates of twenty-seven per cent in high schools and fifty per cent in colleges, the American education system is clearly in trouble. In Europe, the number of children who leave school is going up too, though lower than that in the United States.
There are various factors that cause the decrease in educational standards. Some people say that overcrowding and lack of discipline are major factors. Others say that much importance has been given to subjects like art and drama. However, more practical subjects have been neglected. For many teachers, on the other hand, the problem is not of falling standards but of rising expectations of parents and employers. According to these teachers, the demands of parents and employers are getting higher and this is causing the problem.
Whether or not standards in public schools are actually falling,many parents feel that the only way to secure a good education for their children is to send them to private schools, which generally have smaller classes and stricter discipline. The popularity of such schools is growing steadily, despite the high tuition fees. In the United States, for example, eleven per cent of all school children attend private schools; in Europe, over sixteen per cent do so.
A/ Comprehension/Interpretation
1-Circle the choice (a,b and c ) that best completes statements A,B and C
A. The aim of the passage is to: a- inform, b- argue a point, c- instruct.
B. The text is addressed to: a- children, b- specialists, c- general reader
C. The text consists of : a- 3 paragraphs, b-4 paragraphs, c- 5 paragraphs
2-Are the following statements true or false ? Quote from the text to justify your choice about false ones
a- the number of children leaving school in the USA is increasing.
b- The number of children leaving school in the USA is lower than that of both North America and Europe.
c- For some people,the problem is that parents' demands are getting higher.
d- More and more parents are sending their children to private schools.
3-Choose the most suitable title for the reading passage .
a- Education in the USA
b- Standards Of Eduation
c- Public Schools and Private Schools.
2/1
4-Answer the following questions according to the text
a- " the American education system is clearly in trouble". Which argument does the author give to support his statement ?
b- What are the causes of the decrease in educational standards according to people ?
5-Find in the text the words whose definitions follow:
c- a situation in which there is no movement or activity at all .§1 =……………………..
d- to make something happen [cause] .§1 = ……………………………
e- the money you pay for being taught.§3= …………………………….
B/ Text Exploration
6-Fill in the table with the missing word category
7-Combine the following statements using the connectors in brackets,making the necessary changes
a- Some Parents don't care about their children's education. Specialist shoud raise their awareness about the importance of education for their children (therefore)
b- More and more parents are sending their children to private schools. They spend high tuition fees (in spite of the fact that )
8-Write differently
a- More practical subjects have been neglected.
b- They .................................
a- The old educational system set different subjects for all state schools.The present system sets the
same subjects.
b- Unlike ...........................................................................................................
09.Cross out the silent letters in the following words
Psychology , column ; awareness; comfortable
10-Underline the stressed syllable in each word
To attend ; decrease ; educational ; American
PART TWO/ WRITTEN EXPRESSION(6pts)
*Choose one of the following topics :
Topic one : Many children are leaving school at an early age.
Write a composition of about 10 lines on the statement above using the following notes:
Causes: - subjects not interesting
- lack of discipline
- overcrowded classes
- learners not motivated
- lack of awareness
- children leave school to support their families
- family problems
Solutions: - raise parent's awareness
- encourge parents to send their children to school
- government offer financial support to students.
- Compulsory education
- Allow the pupils choose the subjects they like best
- Exams be
- Reward the pupils
Topic two : If you were given a choice between the public school and the private school,which one
woud you choose? Justify your choice
الجمعة 23 مايو 2008 - 15:40
