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Tuesday 30 June 2009

BACCALAUREATE EXAM EXERCISES : CONNECTORS / LINKING WORDS

BACCALAUREATE EXAM EXERCISES : CONNECTORS / LINKING WORDS

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER

01- Jack bought an MP3 player last week and he's been listening
to music….. .

A) For a while B) Though C) By then D) Ever since E) So far

02- You had better repeat your instructions carefully……. you
have written them down.

A) Until B) Since C) Unless D) Lest E) For fear that

03- Her apology may be utterly sincere, ………I don't think it will
be accepted.

A) So B) As a result C) Consequently D) In addition E) However

04- ………the beginning of the term , he has never attended to my class.

A) For B) During C) Since D) As E) Beside

05- Demand for the product diminished steadily over a period of four
years. …… the company had to reduce its work force.

A) As a result B) For fear that C) Nonetheless D) Seeing E) However

06- It's a long time……. I last saw her.

A) When B) Since C) As D) While E) For

07- I won't sell the painting that I bought last year at an auction……..
you offer $1000.

A) If B) Only if C) Whereas D) Until E) Even if

08- They went swimming….. the water was still rather cold.

A) As though B) Although C) Once D) As if E) If only

09- …….being constantly interrupted, the speaker finished his speech.

A) Although B) Owing to C) Despite D) Suppose E) For

10- …….we drove north; we could see that the old road was being rebuilt

A) Since B) Because C) As D) When E) Once

11- ……different your opinions may be from mine in some ways,I know
that we agree on the essential points.

A) No matter which B) If C) Although D) Unless E) However

12- Sam is extremely busy, as he is a member of various
committees, ……all his work.

A) Except B) for C) besides D) Though E) But

13- ………the fact that I studied perseveringly for the exam, I failed it.

A) Beside B) Although C) As if D) Whereas E) In spite of

14- I arranged to come early…… we should have time for a talk
before lunch.

A) In order to B) For C) as D) Seeing that E) So that

15- Jack didn't earn a great deal, and……. his wife decided to
take a job.

A) Nevertheless B) Although C) Lest D) In case E) Therefore

16- I can't understand why she expects us to believe her, ……
she thinks we are all fools.

A) If only B) Whenever C) Unless D) Until E) Provided

17- Everything he had done since he joined the company had failed disastrously, ……the manager decided to give him one more chance to prove himself.

A) Thus B) Therefore C) Although D) Nevertheless E) Besides

18- The guests don't look bored; …….. they seem to be having
a good time.

A) Therefore B) As a result C) On the contrary D) Accordingly F) Though

19- I admire her books very much, and…….. I cannot agree with
everything she says.

A) So B) Therefore C) Yet D) As a result E) Otherwise

20- They immediately recognized each other, …….. they
hadn't met for years.

A) When B) As C) Seeing D) Although E) The moment

21- They are likely to be delayed……. the traffic

A) Despite B) In spite of C) Due to D) In addition to E) With

22- …….difficult it may look, it's easy once you have the knack.

A) However B) Whenever C) Nonetheless D) Although E) Despite

23- She gave up hope of passing the examination…… she
had already failed it.

A) Since B) If only C) Although D) Before E) While

24- We decided to postpone the match…… the weather conditions were better
than they had been for weeks.

A) As though B) As if C) However D) Even though E) On the contrary

25- …….to saving energy, the new Metro will stimulate economic
development.

A) Besides B) On contrary C) In spite of D) For E) In addition

26- You look……. you had played in the match instead of watching it!

A) Even if B) As though C) Although D) Much as E) Seeing that

27- It has been argued that…… use a language appropriately in
social contexts, a background or world knowledge is necessary.

A) If B) In order to C) While D) Owing to E) In spite of

28- She didn't study very hard at school. ……….she's finding the
going very difficult.

A) Although B) Nevertheless C) Consequently D) For E) Otherwise

29- I know she is difficult to deal with, but it's no use treating
her….. she were a fool.

A) Even if B) Although C) Despite D) Whether E) As if

30- The team didn't really expect to win. …… they were disappointed at
their heavy defeat.

A) Nevertheless B) As a result C) In fact D) Though E) Therefore

Tuesday 16 June 2009

REPORTED SPEECH : WH QUESTIONS PART V

REPORTED SPEECH : WH QUESTIONS

PART V

C/ QUESTIONS

In reporting questions, whether “yes / no” or “wh” questions,

the tense shifts should be applied to any question except

for some sorts of questions with special meanings (requests,

commands, suggestions etc.)

Questions in English normally have a different word order

and some tenses involve the use of “helping verbs” as in

the simple present tense (do / does) and in the simple past

tense (did). And a question always ends with a question mark.

In reported questions, the normal word order of a question

referred to as “subject verb inversion” is reset to the usual

word order of a declarative / affirmative / positive sentence,

which means that the “subject verb inversion” is bypassed.

Additionally, the “helping verbs”, which are needed to ask

questions and of course to make negative sentences, are omitted

from the reported question.

b- WH QUESTIONS

Since we are dealing with questions, the reporting verbs

are “asked”, “wanted to know” and “wondered”.

Let’s have a look again at examples three and four in section 1

(simple present) I used in the previous lesson and turn them into

questions:

The sentences in the examples are:

“My father has a big car.”

“I speak three languages.”

The questions which we can form from the above stated examples are:

“What does your father have?”

“Who has a big car?”

“How many languages do you speak?”

As to the first question which we have just made, it can be reported

as follows:

Rachid asked, “What does your father have?” This is a direct quoted

question.

Rachid asked me what my father had.

Or

Rachid wanted to know what my father had.

Or

Rachid wondered what my father had.

A close look at the reported question will show :

1.That the word order of questions is reverted to normal sentence

word order,

2.The helping verb for making questions in the simple present

“does” is omitted,

3.And the tense shift from simple present to simple past is

applied to the new reported question.

Rachid asked, “How many languages do you speak?” Again this is

a direct quoted question.

Let’s report it.

Rachid asked me how many languages I spoke.

Or

Rachid wanted to know how many languages I spoke.

Or

Rachid wondered how many languages I spoke.


Let’s take another example from the previous lesson.

Look at example four from section five (simple past)

“The students wrote their compositions.”

Let’s ask questions now.

The teacher asked, “What did the students write?”

Of course “their compositions”

The teacher asked, “What did the students do?”

Certainly “wrote their compositions”

The teacher asked, “Who wrote the compositions?”

For sure “the students did”

Let’s take any of these questions and report it.

The teacher asked me / a colleague / a student / what the

students had written.

Another question

The teacher asked what had the students done.

The last question

The teacher wanted to know who had written the compositions.

Some more examples:

“Where do you live?” She wanted to know where I lived

“When do you usually get up?” He asked me when I usually got up.

“Where were you?” My father asked me where I had been.

“How does she look” He asked me how she looked.

“Why did you shout at me?” He wanted to know why I had shouted

at him.

REPORTED SPEECH EXERCISE : YES / NO QUESTIONS PART I

REPORTED SPEECH EXERCISE : YES / NO QUESTIONS

PART I

REPORT THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS USING AN APPROPRIATE REPORTING VERB LIKE
ASKED / WANTED TO KNOW / WONDERED

DO NOT FORGET THE PRONOUNS CONCORDANCE

EXAMPLE:

…asked me if I…
…asked him if he….
…asked her if she….
…asked us if we….
...asked them if they…


1. She asked, “Are you fine?”

2. My friend asked, “Is she happy with her life?”

3. She asked, “Are you ready to leave?”

4. My mother asked, “Is the child tired?”

5. She asked, “Are you angry?”

6. He asked, “Is this book yours or mine, Doha?”

7. He asked, “Do you like fried eggs?”

8. She asked, “Do you go to work by bus?”

9. He asked, “Do you want any help?”

10. She asked, “Do you speak English?”

11. He asked, “Does Amal work on Saturdays?”

12. She asked, “Does your uncle live in the country?”

13. He asked, “Does he always wear sunglasses?”

14. She asked, “Does he sleep in the afternoons?”

15. My father asked, “Are you listening to me?”

16. She asked, “Are you enjoying yourself?”

17. He asked, “Is Brahim coming to the party?”

18. My mother asked, “Is Jalal doing his homework?”

19. The husband asked, “Is the baby sleeping?”

20. She asked, “Are we going out tonight?”

Monday 15 June 2009

REPORTED SPEECH : YES / NO QUESTIONS

REPORTED SPEECH YES / NO QUESTIONS

PART IV

C/ QUESTIONS

In reporting questions, whether “yes / no” or “wh” questions, the tense shifts should be applied to any question except for some sorts of questions with special meanings (requests, commands, suggestions etc.)

Questions in English normally have a different word order and some tenses involve the use of “helping verbs” as in the simple present tense (do / does) and in the simple past tense (did). And a question always ends with a question mark.

In reported questions, the normal word order of a question referred to as “subject verb inversion” is reset to the usual word order of a declarative / affirmative / positive sentence, which means that the “subject verb inversion” is bypassed. Additionally, the “helping verbs”, which are needed to ask questions and of course to make negative sentences, are omitted from the reported question.

a. YES / NO QUESTIONS

In reported “yes / no” questions, we must introduce either “if” or “whether” after the reporting verb.

The reporting verb in statements can be “said”, “told” or any other reporting verb as we will see later. But in reported questions, the reporting verb can be “asked”, “wanted to know” or “wondered”.

Let’s have a look at the first example in section 1(simple present) I used in the previous lesson and turn it into a question:

"I am happy."

Rachid asked, “Are you happy?”

The above question is reported as follows:

Rachid asked if I was / were happy. ( ……..whether I was happy.)

Or

Rachid asked me if I was / were happy. ( ……..whether I was happy.)

Or

Rachid wanted to know if I was / were happy. ( ……..whether I was happy.)

Or
Rachid wondered if I was / were happy. ( ……..whether I was happy.)

Look at sentence four from the same set of example 1:

Rachid asked, “Do you speak three languages?”

This question will be reported in the following way:

Rachid asked if I spoke three languages. (………whether I spoke three languages.)

Or

Rachid asked me if I spoke three languages. (………whether I spoke three languages.)

Or

Rachid wanted to know if I spoke three languages. (………whether I spoke three languages.)

Or

Rachid wondered if I spoke three languages. (………whether I spoke three languages.)

1.The tense shift / change is respected: “are” becomes “was / were”,
“speak” becomes “spoke”,

2.The “subject verb inversion” “are you…” is reset to normal “word order” “I was / were…”,

“do you speak” becomes “I spoke”,

3.The “helping verb” “do” is also omitted,

4.And finally the question mark “?” is omitted.

And these are the necessary changes needed in a reported speech transformation.

Look at section 5 (simple past), let’s take example four and change it into a question:

“The students wrote their compositions.”

The teacher asked, “Did the students write their compositions?”

This is a direct quote.

Let’s report this question / put this question into reported speech using the necessary / the appropriate tense shift:

The teacher asked if the students had written their compositions.

The direct question is in the simple past and the rule of reporting is applied, it changes into the past perfect

If you have a look at the last part of the reported question “…the students had written their compositions”, you would notice that it is a statement and not a question any more.

And the same rule applies to any question whatever the tense might be.


REPORTED SPEECH TENSE SHIFTS / TENSE CHANGES : MODALS / MODAL VERBS

REPORTED SPEECH TENSE SHIFTS / TENSE CHANGES

PART III

B/ MODALS / MODAL VERBS

Reported speech in general involves a backward shift into the past.
The same rule applies to modals.

Can…….….….could

He said, “I can swim.”

He said (that) he could swim

May….…….…might

He said, “I may go out for a walk.”


He said (that) he might go out for a walk.

Must………......had to / would have to

He said, “You must rest in bed.

He said (that) he had to rest in bed.

He said, “I must take the plane tomorrow.

He said (that) he would have to take the plane the following day.

Needn’t……….didn’t have to / didn’t need to

He said, “The children needn’t wake up early.”

He said (that) the children didn’t need to / didn’t have to wake up early.

Shall………….should

He said, “I shall be released soon.

He said (that) he should be released soon.

The following modals do not change:

Should………...should

She said, “You should be polite to her.”

She said (that) he should be polite to her.

Could…………could

She said, “I could come to the party.”

She said (that) she could come to the party.


Might…………might

He said, “It might rain in the evening.

He said (that) it might rain in the evening.

Ought to……...ought to

She said, “You ought to remain calm.

She said (that) he ought to remain calm.

Had better……had better

He said, “You had better cut down on black coffee.”

He said (that) he had better cut down on black coffee.

Used to………used to

She said, “I used to love him.”

She said (that) she used to love him.

REPORTED SPEECH TENSE SHIFTS / TENSE CHANGES : PART II

REPORTED SPEECH TENSE SHIFTS / TENSE CHANGES

PART II

I hope I would not give you a headache with all the details
I will be exposing hereafter.

As I previously explained, reported speech is all about some
tense shifts. And here they are:

A/ STATEMENTS

DIRECT SPEECH.................REPORTED / INDIRECT SPEECH


1. Simple Present............... Simple Past

(am / is / are) (was / were)

(have / has) (had)

(speak / speaks) (spoke)

Rachid said,"I am happy."
Rachid said (that) he was happy.

Rachid said, “I have a small car."
Rachid said (that) he had a small car.

Rachid said, “My father has a big car.”
Rachid said (that) his father had a big car.

Rachid said, “I speak three languages.”
Rachid said (that) he spoke three languages.

2. Present Continuous ......... Past Continuous

(am / is / are speaking) ( was / were speaking)

Amira said, “Talal is playing.”
Amira said (that) Talal was playing.

Amira said, “I am looking after Talal.”
Amira said (that) she was looking after Talal.

Amira said, “We are watching TV.”
Amira said (that) they were watching TV.

3. Present Perfect ............ Past Perfect

(have / has spoken) (had spoken)

Sami said, “The teacher has already left the classroom.”
Sami said (that) the teacher had already left the classroom.

Sami said, “We have gone there twice.”
Sami said (that) they had gone there twice.

4. Present Perfect continuous.......Past Perfect Continuous

(have / has been speaking) (had been speaking)

The passengers said, “We have been waiting for long.”
The passengers said (that) they had been waiting for long.

A passenger said, “The driver has been talking on the phone.
A passenger said (that) the driver had been talking on the phone.

5. Simple Past .............. Past Perfect

(was / were) (had been)

(had) (had had)

(spoke) (had spoken)

The teacher said, “I was in the classroom.”
The teacher said (that) he had been in the classroom.

The teacher said, “The students were there, too.”
The teacher said (that) the students had been there, too.

The teacher said, “The students had problems with the
computers.”
The teacher said (that) the students had had problems
with the computers.

The teacher said, “The students wrote their compositions.”
The teacher said (that) the students had written their
compositions.

6. Past Continuous............. Past Perfect Continuous

(was / were speaking) (had been speaking)

Jalal said, “I was doing my homework.”
Jalal said (that) she had been doing his homework.

Jalal said, “We were listening to the teacher.”
Jalal said (that) they had been listening to the teacher.

7. Past Perfect............... Past Perfect (No Change)

(had been) (had been)

(had had) (had had)

(had spoken) (had spoken)

The patient said, “I had been to the doctor’s.”
The patient said (that) he had been to the doctor’s.

The patient said, “I had had an operation before.”
The patient said (that) he had had an operation before.

The patient said, “I had already taken the pills."
The patient said (that) he / she had already taken the pills.

8. Past Perfect Continuous...Past Perfect Continuous (No Change)

(had been speaking) (had been speaking)

The technician said, “I had been repairing the PC."
The technician said (that) he had been repairing the PC.


9. Simple Future............. Present Conditional

(will be) (would be)

(will have) (would have)

(will speak) (would speak)

Shama said, “I will be at home in a few minutes.”
Shama said that she would be at home in a few minutes.

Shama said, “I will have a promotion.
Shama said (that) she would have a promotion.

Shama said, "It will rain."
Shama said (that) it would rain.

10. Future Continuous ... Present Conditional Continuous

(will be speaking) (would be speaking)

Salma said, “I will be visiting my family in Rabat.”
Salma said (that) she would be visiting her family in Rabat.

11. Future Perfect ............ Past Conditional

(will have spoken) (would have spoken)

The teacher said, “You will have mastered reported speech
by the end of the lesson.”
The teacher said (that) I / we / they would have mastered
reported speech by the end of the lesson

12. Future Perfect Continuous....Past Conditional Continuous .

(will have been speaking) (would have been speaking)

The teacher said, “I will have been explaining reported
speech for three pages long by the end of the lesson.”
The teacher said that he would have been explaining reported
speech for three pages long by the end of the lesson.

13. Be Going To ..................Be Going To ( in the past)

(am / is / are going to speak) (was / were going to speak)

The teacher said, “You are going to understand better with
a little more practice.”
The teacher said (that) I was / we were / they were going to
understand better with a little more practice.

REPORTED SPEECH / INDIRECT SPEECH : PART I

REPORTED SPEECH / INDIRECT SPEECH

PART I

DIRECT SPEECH

Direct speech is what people actually say in real life situations. Direct speech is referred to as quoted speech and involves repeating the exact words of what someone has said without removing the (“….”) the quotation marks.
For instance, when someone says: “I love my children.” can be quoted as follows:
He / she said, “I love my children.”

REPORTED SPEECH

Reported speech or indirect speech, as it is referred to sometimes, is repeating what someone said but sometime later and this of course involves some changes in the structure of the sentence or the quote in question.
For example, the previously mentioned quote “I love my children.” would be reported in the following ways:

1. He / she says (that) he / she loves his / her children.

2. He / she has said (that) he / she loves his / her children.

3. He / she said (that) he / she loved his / her children.

If you look at the three sentences, you will certainly notice the changes which the original quote underwent.

a. The quotation marks (“….”) were omitted,

b. The subject “I” changed into “he / she” because the speaker can be a man or a woman,

c. The verb “love” became in instances 1 and 2 “loves” because there must be a subject verb agreement,

d. The possessive adjective “my” changed to “his / her”. There must an agreement between the subject and the possessive,

e. In example 3, the verb “love” became “loved”. From a look at the reporting verb or the introductory verb “say” in the three examples, we can notice that in 1 it is in the present “says” , and in 2 it is in the present perfect “has said”.
This simply means that when the reporting verb is in the present or in the present perfect , the verb in the quote does not undergo any tense shift; it remains in its original tense form.

But when the reporting verb is in the past “said”, “told”, “asked”, “wanted to know” and so on, the tense shifts then must be applied to the letter except when the sentence in question expresses certain notions such as request, command, advice, promise and so forth.

To conclude, reported speech or indirect speech simply means applying the necessary tense shifts when the reporting verb is in the simple past as in example 3.

Tuesday 2 June 2009

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM SC JUNE 2009

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM SC JUNE 2009

الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو 2009


CORRECTION

I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS)

A. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3 pts)

1. Why did Othmane become one of the street children?

Othmane became one of the street children because he could not bear to see his mother struggling to get him and his five brothers bread to live.

OR
…..because he could no longer see his mother struggling / fighting to get him and his five brothers bread.

2. What does he do to earn money?

So as to earn money, Othmane carries bags of vegetables and other purchases for customers at a nearby market.

3. What has been done to solve the problem of street children?

The Moroccan government and many non-governmental organisations have adopted a strategy of building centres to shelter some of these street children and reintegrate them into schools and families.

B. PICK OUT FROM THE TEXT EXPRESSIONS OR PHRASES WHICH SHOW THAT: (2 pts)

1. Othmane doesn't like living in the street. (paragraph 2 )

“ The street is not a better place to live in.”

2. There is a need to build more centres for street children. (paragraph 5 )

“ The challenge is enormous.The number of children usually exceeds the centres’ capacities.”

OR

“ There are not enough beds for all of them, and urgent is the need to act at once to save those children.”

C. FILL IN THE CHART WITH THE RIGHT INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT. (3 pts)

Place of residence for street children The opportunity it offers

1. The port================================ …provides them with the opportunity to emigrate.

2. The wholesale market====================== ….gives them the chance to work as porters.

3. The train station ========================== …makes them able to earn little money from helping passengers or by begging from tourists.

D. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS WHICH MEAN THE SAME AS: (4 pts)

1. Origin (paragraph 1) = root

2. Clients (paragraph 2 ) = customers

3. Without a place to live in (paragraph 3 ) = homeless

4. A plan (paragraph 5) = strategy

E. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO ( IN ITALICS )? (3 pts)

1. Its: ( paragraph 1 ) = the problem / the problem of street children

2. She: ( paragraph 2 ) = Othmane’s mother

3. Them: ( paragraph 4 ) = street children / the homeless


II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)

A. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)

non-formal / cooperation / labour I non-profit I conference

UNESCO is a ……… non-profit ……….. organisation which contributes to peace and security by promoting international ……… cooperation ………through education, science and culture


B. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE PHRASAL VERBS. (2 pts)

put on / set up / turn down / write down / make up

1. How could you …… turn down …….such an interesting job offer?

2. ……… put on ………………..your coat; it's cold in here.


C. MATCH THE WORDS THAT GO TOGETHER TO MAKE APPROPRIATE COLLOCATIONS.
(2pts)

a. opportunities

1. equal b. diversity

2. problem c. mistake

d. solving

1:……… equal opportunities . 2:… problem solving

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

1. The government should take measures to reintegrate street children into society.
Measures should be taken by the government to reintegrate street children into society.

2. "I will take her suggestions into consideration," Jack said.
Jack promised to take her suggestions into consideration.

OR

Jack promised that he would take her suggestions into consideration.

3. Younes said: "I regret having accepted my first cigarette."
"If only I hadn’t accepted my first cigarette." Younes said.

E. PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE. (3 pts)

"Our son (run away)…….ran away…….from home last week. We (still / look for)......are still looking for....... him. His best
friend says that he (not see)……hasn’t seen….. him for two weeks," the father said.

F. MATCH EACH SENTENCE ( 1/2/3 ) WITH ITS APPROPRIATE FUNCTION ( a/b/c/d ). (3 pts)

1. Mrs Simpson took her medication. Yet, she didn't feel better.

2. My friend Tarik is saving money so as to buy a computer.

3. Because of poverty, children's schooling is still a problem in many African countries.

a. Cause and effect

b. Concession

c. Defining

d. Purpose

1: …b. concession…………2: ……d. purpose………….3: ……a. cause and effect……….

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM LM JUNE 2009 الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM LM JUNE 2009

الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو 2009

Traditionally, the idea of a working woman was not accepted by many people; they saw it as a radical change in family life. The reasons were simple: a woman's place is at home. Who is going to clean, cook, feed the kids and look after them?

Batool, a 29-year-old Kuwaiti pharmacist and mother of two children says: "I feel guilty. Now that my eldest daughter is going to school, I'm starting to have second thoughts about being a career woman." She says that when she was a kid, her mother would wake her up every morning for school. "She made us breakfast, me and five other siblings, whereas 1 find difficulty taking care of only two daughters," she added.

Like many other young Kuwaiti women, Batool finds it necessary to be taking a share in the household finances. "It's not as easy as it used to be with my mother's generation," explained Batool. "A woman now has to have her own income, if not to support her family, then to satisfy her needs. Life is too expensive compared to twenty or thirty years ago." The number of working women in Kuwait is continuously increasing, with 42 percent participating in the total of Kuwait's working force, according to a recent study conducted by the Arab Planning Institute.

Reem, a student, says: "I'm studying hard to get a degree, have a good career and make a difference. Moreover, at this point in my life, I don't want to have any kids. Maybe five years after my marriage, I will start to consider it. But I want to do my master's degree abroad and I can't do that unless I'm married; otherwise my dad won't permit it."

Aisha, a 51-year-old mother, has been a housewife all her life. She says: "I got married when I was seventeen and didn't have time to finish high school. Most of my friends studied further. Some of them are successful in their careers."

Staying at home to take care of children or working to increase the family's income is apparently a personal choice. "I believe that you can do well in what you believe in if you have your family supporting you," says Aisha. The debate over working women versus housewives is one that has been going on for generations. This is the issue that women around the world have to deal with. They are under the pressure of supporting a household with an additional income and the guilt of not being available for the kids. Finding the balance between both worlds is what is expected of women, something that is not always feasible.

I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS)

BASE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT

A. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WOULD BE THE BEST TITLE FOR THE PASSAGE? (2 pts)

TICK (V ) THE APPROPRIATE BOX

o The problem of illiterate women in Kuwait

o The problem of working women in Kuwait

o The problem of housewives in Kuwait


B. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY. (2 pts)

1. Reem will be able to study abroad if she gets married.

2. Aisha has never had a chance to work.

C. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3 pts)

1. According to Batool, why is it important for a woman to have her own income?

2. What is Reem doing for the moment?

3. According to the author, what is expected of working women?

D. COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES. (2 pts)

1. Unlike her mother, Batool finds it difficult to………….

2.The study by the Arab Planning institute shows that……………

E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS: (3 pts)

1. Child (paragraph 2)=

2. Allow (paragraph 4)=

3. Look after (paragraph 6)=

F. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? ( words in italics ) (3 pts)

1. It ( paragraph 1 )=

2. She ( paragraph 2 )=

3. Them ( paragraph 5 )=

II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)

A. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE APPROPRIATE COLLOCATIONS FROM THE LIST. (3 pts)
film making / have access / take place / have fun / note taking / take care

1. Many people do not …………..to the Internet in the countryside.

2. Listening and …………….are important skills to understand presentations at the university.

3. "Where will the next conference…………………." the journalist asked.

B. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (3 pts)

Parents often worry about their children's(addict).....to computer games.They think that playing games for a long time can be (harm)......to their children's health.They are also afraid of changes that might occur in their (behave)......

C. PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE. (1.5 pts)

Last Monday, while firemen (try)………………..to put out the fire in the forest, two helicopters (join) ……..them. Unfortunately, most of the trees were destroyed. We hope that by the end of 2011, the local authorities (replant) ..................... the forest.

D. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST. (1.5 pis)
where / which / who / whom / whose

Many Moroccan immigrants ……………live abroad would like to return to Morocco................. they can invest their money. They have promising projects …………..will certainly help to improve the local economy.

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

1. "I won't be able to attend the wedding party."
Kamal said……………..

2. The association has funded many social projects.
Many social projects……………..

3. Mounir dropped out of school at an early age.
Mounir wishes………………….

F. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS FROM THE LIST. (3 pts)
whereas - due to - as a result - despite - though - so as to

1. Jane was often absent from work ; ……………, her director dismissed her.

2. I'll try to find some time to see you this afternoon…………………. I have so many things to do.

3. Thousands of people are driven out of their homes ……………………..civil wars in many parts of the world.

III. WRITING (10 POINTS)

Young people often face various problems at home or at school.

Write an e-mail to a friend telling him/her about a problem that you or one of your friends once had. (Approximately 250 words)

(Don't write your name).

What was the problem? When was it?
Who was involved?( father, mother, teacher, headmaster, classmates etc)
Was the problem solved? How?
How did you or your friend feel?

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM LM / HSC JUNE 2009الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM LM/HSC JUNE 2009

الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو2009

Dropping out of school is a serious problem in Morocco. Each year, nearly 200,000 children leave school before completing their primary education. A new government initiative in Morocco offers some measures to reduce the number of students who withdraw from school. This initiative is part of an awareness campaign targeting parents.

Researchers and government officials largely attribute the phenomenon to the ignorance of poor parents who do not realise the importance of education. Some parents, for example, withdraw their children from school due to the competing demands for household income which often push children to work. Drop-out rates are higher among children of illiterate parents. These rates can be reduced if we sensitise parents about the importance of sending their children to school. In 2006,
Morocco launched a number of awareness campaigns to address this growing problem. These campaigns aim at introducing a national programme which encourages school children to make a list of non-registered children and children who have dropped out. More than 14,000 teachers and headmasters will also be responsible for implementing this plan.

The initiative is considered a logical one because it will get children who have dropped out back into the school system, and it will act as a preventive measure because it raises students' awareness to the negative consequences of dropping out. The initiative was tested last year in a few regions. Fatima Lharti, a twelve-year-old schoolgirl from Tangiers, says she managed to stop approximately one dozen children from dropping out and persuaded a number of others who had already dropped out to come back to school. "The most difficult part of the work is convincing
parents." However, "when they hear children - the same age as their own - talking about the consequences of taking their children out of school, most of them come around within a few minutes," Fatima proudly told Magharebia website reporter.

Samir EI Garoumi missed a year of school to work for his family. He is now back in school and has struck a healthy balance between work and studies. In the morning, he goes to school and in the evening, he helps his father in his workshop. This year,he is taking part in the initiative to make a list of children who are not in school. He also advises parents in his family circle to allow their children to finish their education. (Adapted from: www.magharebia.com)

I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS)

BASE YOURANSWERS ON THE TEXT

A. CHOOSE THE RIGHT ANSWER FROM THE LIST GIVEN. (1 pt)

TICK ( V ) THE RIGHT ANSWER.

The text is taken from

o a magazine.

o the Internet.

o a newspaper .

B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. (3 pts)

1. How many students drop out of primary school in Morocco every year?

2. Why do poor parents withdraw their children from school?

3. How can drop-out rates be reduced?

C. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY. (3 pts)

1. The programme encourages parents to make lists of children who have dropped out of school.

2. Fatima Lharti convinced nearly one dozen children to stay at school.

3. Samir studies and helps his father as well.

D. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES. (2 pts)

1. As a preventive measure, the initiative aims at………

2. Fatima Lharti found it difficult to………………..

E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN ALMOST THE SAME AS: (3 pts)

1. minimise (paragraph 1)=

2. money we get from work or investment (paragraph 2)=

3. participating (paragraph 4)=

F. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS IN THE TEXT REFER TO ( words in italics )? (3 pts)

1. The phenomenon ( paragraph 2 )=

2. They ( paragraph 3 )=

3. He ( paragraph 4 )=

II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)

A. PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE. (3 pts)

Najib Sidqi (get) …..his degree in marketing before he started work at the bank. In 2007, he (conduct) ……..a piece of research on developing customer services. Now, he (be) ………..the manager of a bank agency.

B. REWRITE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES AS SUGGESTED. (3 pts)

1. The government launched an educational programme in 2006.
An educational programme ……………………….

2. "The film has attracted a lot of viewers," the film director said.
The film director said that ………..

3. Saida left school at an early age.
The teacher wishes ……………………………

C. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (3 pts)

1. Reducing the rates of drop-outs in Morocco will be an important (achieve)…………

2. Fatima will be (promotion) ………………….for her hard work.

3. Many NGOs contribute to the (develop) ………………..of citizenship values.

D. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE RIGHT PHRASAL VERBS FROM THE LIST. (1.5 pts)
stand for / fill in / bring about / look up / get off / apply for

1. The father encouraged his son to ……………………another job.

2. The letters VIP ………………………….Very Important Person.

3. The new initiative tries to …………………….change in education.

E. JOIN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES USING THE WORDS GIVEN. (3 pts)

1. Hamid did a great job. He was not offered a better position. (though)

2. Souad did not come to the show. She was sick. (because of)

3. We were unable to get financial support. We had to abandon the project. (therefore)

F. MATCH THE WORDS THAT GO TOGETHER TO MAKE APPROPRIATE COLLOCATIONS. (1.5 pts)
( 1 / 2 / 3 ) with ( a / b/ c / d / e )

1. natural

2. formal

3. brain

a. priority

b. disaster

c. gain

d. education

e. opportunity

1= …………………………..2= ………………………………. 3=………………………………..

III. WRITING (10POINTS)

A lot of people in developing countries suffer from illiteracy.
Write a short essay about the causes and consequences of this phenomenon and suggest some solutions. (Approximately 250)

Here are some suggestions to help you:

- poverty/ parents' ignorance,
- lack of awareness to the importance of education,
- remote schools in rural areas,
- role of youth organisations, NGOs, government, ..etc.

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM SC JUNE الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو2009

BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM SC JUNE الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو2009

الامتحان الوطني الموحد للبكالوريا دورة يونيو2009

Morocco's street children live a difficult life, often filled with harmful drugs and crime. Efforts to reintegrate them into families and schools are somewhat successful but experts say the problem is large and its root lies in poverty and difficult social circumstances.

Othmane left his home and school at the age of fourteen to live on the street He no longer wanted to see his mother fight the daily battle to get bread for his five little siblings and pay for his school expenses. "The street is not a better place to live in," Othmane says, "but at least she will not have to think about my daily living. In the meantime, I may be able to help her." Othmane carries bags of vegetables and other purchases for customers at a nearby market. In this way, he earns a few dirhams a day, enough to bring a little money back home.

Othmane is one of the growing number of street children in Morocco. These are the homeless and marginalized youths without identity or family. The sidewalks, public gardens, and the buildings doorsteps are their beds.

In Casablanca, these children's main residences are alleys in the old city, the port, the train station, and the fruits and vegetables wholesale market. The port provides them with an opportunity to emigrate illegally. The wholesale market gives them the chance to work as porters. At the train station, they can earn little money from helping passengers or by begging from tourists.

According to the most recent statistics, 7,000 street children live in Casablanca Wilaya alone. 8,800 more live in other major cities such as Marrakesh, Fez, and Meknes. The government and many non-governmental organisations have adopted a strategy of building centres to shelter some of these street children and reintegrate them into schools and families, but the challenge is enormous. The number of children usually exceeds the centres' capacities; there are not enough beds for all of them, and urgent is the need to act at once to save those children!

I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS)

BASE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT.

A. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3 pts)

1. Why did Othmane become one of the street children? .

2. What does he do to earn money?

3. What has been done to solve the problem of street children?

B. PICK OUT FROM THE TEXT EXPRESSIONS OR PHRASES WHICH SHOW THAT: (2 pts)

1. Othmane doesn't like living in the street. (parag 2) ………………………………………………

2. There is a need to build more centres for street children. (parag 5) ………………………………


C. FILL IN THE CHART WITH THE RIGHT INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT. (3 pts)

Place of residence for street children The opportunities it offers

1. The port==================================> …………………………………………..

2. The wholesale market========================> …………………………………………..

3. The train station ============================> ………………………………………….

D. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS WHICH MEAN THE SAME AS: (4 pts)

1. origin (parag 1) =…………………………………….

2. clients (parag 2) =……………………………………

3. without a place to live in (parag 3) =………………..

4. a plan (parag5) =…………………………………….

E. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO ( IN ITALICS )? (3 pts)

1. Its: ( paragraph 1 )…………………………………………….

2. She: ( paragraph 2 )…………………………………………..

3. Them: ( paragraph 4 )………………………………………..

II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)

A. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)

non-formal / cooperation / labour I non-profit I conference

UNESCO is a ……………….. organisation which contributes to peace and security by promoting international ………………through education, science and culture

B. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE PHRASAL VERBS. (2 pts)

put on / set up / turn down / write down / make up

1. How could you ………….such an interesting job offer?

2. ………………………..your coat; it's cold in here.

C. MATCH THE WORDS THAT GO TOGETHER TO MAKE APPROPRIATE COLLOCATIONS.
(2pts) ( 1 / 2 ) with ( a / b/ c/ d )



1. equal

2. problem

a. opportunities

b. diversity

c. mistake

d. solving

1:………………………………….. . 2:…………………………

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

1. The government should take measures to reintegrate street children into society.

Measures………………………….

2. "I will take her suggestions into consideration," Jack said.

Jack promised………………………………..

3. Younes said: "I regret having accepted my first cigarette."

"If only I………………………………………………………………………..," Younes said.

E. PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE. (3 pts)

"Our son (run away)………………….. from home last week. We (still /look for)........... him. His best friend says that he (not see)………………….. him for two weeks," the father said.

F. MATCH EACH SENTENCE ( 1/2/3 ) WITH ITS APPROPRIATE FUNCTION ( a/b/c/d ). (3 pts)

1. Mrs Simpson took her medication. Yet, she didn't feel better.

2. My friend Tarik is saving money so as to buy a computer.

3. Because of poverty, children's schooling is still a problem in many African countries.

a. Cause and effect
b. Concession
c. Defining
d. Purpose

1: …………………………2: ……………………………….3: …………………………………….


III. WRITING (10 POINTS)

Taking drugs is dangerous.

Write a short article to your school magazine about the consequences of drug-taking on youths' health and education. (Approximately 150 words)

These questions may help you:

- Why do you think young people take drugs?
- What effects do these drugs have on their health and education?
- What solutions do you suggest for them?