ثانية بكالوريا أداب وعلوم " الموضوع التاسع "

READING COMPREHENSION+ LANGUAGE Sample 9
Ten years have passed since the AIDS epidemic started spreading in the USA. The disease is so contagious that it affects the young and the old in frightening proportions. Statistics give us an indication of the extent of the contagion even among the smallest victims –more than 2,500 cases of AIDS in children in the U.S.A under age 5 have been reported to the Federal Centres For Disease Control.


Four-year-old Stephie knows she’s sick because her mother ,a heroin addict who abandoned her and fled to Arizona, had the AIDS Virus. Edie Shaefer, the child’s grandmother worked and was unable to find a nursery school willing to accept an infected child, so she decided to stay at home and take care of the baby.


Stephie, a cheerful little girl, has become a celebrity. She has been on T.V talks since she was less than a year. « I feel if we can help one or two other people, then Stephie will not die in vain, » said the grandmother. « that what gives me strength and keeps me going.


Stephie’s bedroom is full of toys, many of then are gifts from strangers. One of her favourite toys is a child’s tape-recorder with a microphone, in which she records the songs she knows by heart. « I can be anything I dtream ; Here in my own world, it’s only up to me ». She sings and smiles.


The child sometimes seems healthy, but her grandmother has no illusions : « we talk about god and she knows someday she’ll go to a better beautiful place where angels live. « like Stephie, six years old Tom is infected with AIDS virus. Unlike Edie Sheafer, Tom’s mother has chosen to keep his infection secret from his teachers, classmates and even from Tom. His mother doesn’t want to tell him about his illness because she thinks he isn’t old enough to undestand, but she’ll have to do it someday. » I hope I’ll find the right words to tell him, » She said.



I- COMPREHENSION





A- Answer these questions fully from the text ( 2 marks )



1. Is Stephanie aware of how serious her illnes is ? explain.

………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………



2. What do you think of the attitude of Tom’s mother.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………


B- Complete the sentences according to the text ( 2 marks )



1- Thanks to the news and TV talks ……………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

2- Despite her illness………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………..


C- Find in the text words meaning the same as the following :(1m



1- A disease that spreads rapidly among the population :……………

2- Of the kind of microbes and bacteria :……………


D- Find in the text the opposites of the following words ( 1 m )



1. sick :…………………………..

2. weakness :…………………………..


II- LANGUAGE




A- Replace the underlined words by similar ones (3 marks)





1- Tom’s mother should tell him about his illness.

………………………………………………………………………………….……………….

2- Stephie’s mother mustn’t have abandoned her.

………………………………………………………………………………….……………….

3- Stephie’s grandmother has to stay at home and take care of her.

………………………………………………………………………………….……………….



B- Fill the blanks with (illicit/elicit/biology/chronic/geology/censor/censure ) (4 marks)



1- Because of the Aids, her lungs have been damaged. She coughs continually, she has a …………………. Cough.

2- Stephie’s grandmother does research on life of the plants and animals, she’s expert on …………………………

3- Selling contaminated blood is an………………….. and forbidden business.

4- The government shouldn’t………………….documentaries and films that talk about and sensitize people to the danger of extra marital sexual relations.



C- Put the right article in the blanks. ( 2 marks )

………… first case of ………..AIDS in …………Morocco was reported in………year 1987.

………….blood analysis is necessary to depict …………..virus that destroys ……… immune system of ………… body.