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Reading Comprehension

BACCALAUREATE LEVEL   -   MOCK EXAM
Stream: science
                                                             
Designed  by: Hicham Astaifi

Full name: …………………………..                     Time allotted: 2 hours

America is well-known for its equality, liberty, fraternity. Everyone is very friendly and informal. Children often call their parents by their first names and at work subordinates do not normally use "Mister" when addressing their supervisors. To those visitors who come from a more rigid and stratified society, such casualness can be confusing, leading to egregious blunders. Conversely, many worldly, sophisticated Americans appear mortified because they feel America is not "civilized," with a capital "C." However, we know of terribly embarrassing incidents from mistakes which only an innocent foreigner would have made.
 Public displays of affection between the sexes are very common, unlike perhaps where you have come from. In many cities, especially San Francisco, homosexuality is an accepted way of life. You may therefore see men being affectionate with men and women with women. You may of course disapprove of that because of your religious or cultural beliefs. However add to it that many couples live together without being married-and may never marry. But you must realize their bond is probably “as strong as” the bond of marriage. So don't think one of them is available for a "date."
 America is a notoriously "open" society, and to most foreigners Americans often appear exceptionally and "instantly" friendly. But sometimes such openness can lead to serious misunderstanding, especially between men and women. A casual invitation to have drinks and/or dinner does not mean that your American host also wants to become "intimate" with you afterwards. So be careful not to read too much into a friendly invitation.
A) COMPREHENSION (15pts)
(All answers should be based on the text)
1- WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WOULD BE THE BEST TITLE FOR THE PASSAGE? (1pt)
a- America and the world
b- American customs
c- American policy

2- ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY. (3pts)
American behaviour is not necessarily confusing to people coming from different societies.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Being affectionate to the opposite sex is usual in cities like San Francisco.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

3- ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR OWN WORDS. (6pts)

c. What evidence can you find in the text showing that Americans are casual people? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b. Do all couples marry? Give a reason for your answer. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
d. Why can openness lead to misunderstanding in America? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4- FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS: (3pts)

  ………………
Stupid careless mistake. (P1)
  ………………
Show (P. 2)
  ………………
State of being joined or together. (P.3)

5) WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (2pts)
Their (p.1):………………..
That (p. 2):…………………

B) LANGUAGE (15pts)
1) MATCH THE WORDS WITH THE CORRESPONDING DEFINITIONS (3pts)
optimism/informal education/ developing countries/ feminism/ polygamy/
…………………refers to countries with a low standard of living.
…………………refers to a movement that advocates the rights of women to have equal opportunities to those possessed by men.
…………………refers to a learning that occurs outside of school-like settings in the context of daily life and work.

2) FILL IN THE GAP WITH THE APPROPRIATE COLLOCATION. (3pts)
/uniform / backgrounds / lessons/ stereotype/ investigation

- Participants from different cultural ………………….attended the last conference on “Dialogue between different civilisation.
- Some of my classmates do not listen attentively to the explanations of our teachers which makes them resort to private ……………….if they wanted to succeed.
- The school staff do not allow us to get into the classroom if we don’t wear the school …………...

3) REWRITE THE SENTENCES BEGINNING WITH THE WORDS GIVEN. (3pts)

a. Because he didn’t behave himself, Yassine was sent to bed early last night.
Yassine wouldn’t ……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
c. “I’ll buy you a new scooter if your school results are better”
The father told his son…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

4) GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (3pts)
a- When Tom woke up in the morning, his mother (already/prepare) ………… …………..breakfast.
b- By 2020, our population (increase)…………………………enormously.


5) MATCH EACH SENTENCE WITH ITS APPRORIATE FUNCTION. (3pts)
giving opinion / apologising / making a complaint
- I’m terribly sorry for not coming to the farewell party.
- I’m sorry to say this but you haven’t given m back my book.
- It seems to me that this exercise is easy.
……………………………………
…………………………………….
…………………………………….

C) WRITING (10 pts)
You have just received an email from your English key-pal in which he talks about his country’s habits and cultural values, and wants you to talk about your country.
Write him an email and give him information about your country’s traditions and culture.
(write between 15 and 20 lines)
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