THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

There is a joke going around at the moment: ‘War’s about to break in Britain.' ‘How do you know?’ ‘Because Kate Adie flew into Heathrow this morning.’ No one’s suggesting she’s a trouble-maker. But it seems that no disaster, in any part of the world, is complete without the distinctive voice of the BBC’s star reporter bringing the news to us from the middle of a danger zone.

Wherever the bombs fall and the bullets fly is where you’ll find Kate Adie .And nearer home too, covering national tragedies such as Zeebrugge and Hillsborough disasters. But it’s her cool, objective reporting that people most praise. The reporter, whose sensible haircut and pearl ear – rings make her look more like a school perfect than a war correspondent, admits that her job rules her life. She’s never off-duty. She recalls the time when her telephone rang in the middle of a dinner party. ‘I had to turn to everyone and say , “could anybody finish cooking dinner?” And she rang off to cover the Brixton riots.

There’s a price to pay of course. Single at 43 , she’s described as being married to BBC. Certainly, it would be a very tolerant man who would stay at home while Kate rushed off on an assignment .It’s not a life that most people would choose. And it’s one where you find few women.

Being the first woman to make it as a front – line TV reporter has its own problems , however .When she got her first foreign assignment she was terrified that the camera crew would think she was a stilly , frilly girl’. That’s the reason why she crammed everything she needed into a tiny bag witch would fit underneath her plane seat. She was amazed to see the cameraman stagger into the airport with a trunk. Now she knows that it’s her appearance as well as her words that matter.

She used to get letters from viewers saying, “You look a real mess. Haven’t you got a hair dresser?” So she decided to include a hair dryer in a holdall that she now takes everywhere. But as she said, ‘Can you imagine getting out a hairbrush when someone’s pointing a rifle at you?’

She’s often worked in dangerous situations but she says she’s not a heroine.’ I don’t get a buzz or wonderful feeling when I go into a danger, ‘she says. ‘I am a 5 7chicken (1.70m) and I run fast. You’re not there to fight. You are there to report’.

However, despite all the drawbacks, she wouldn’t change her life for the word. ‘It’s an incredible job. You go to places you’d never dream of going to’. So could she ever give it up? I don’t tend to plan ahead', her days. ‘I just bump along from one story to another. But I suppose one of these days I’ll have to stop climbing over walls when arthritis sets in

I – COMPREHENSION

BASE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT

A – ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

1- What events does Kate report on?

2- What do people appreciate about Kate’s reporting?

3- Why did she have to leaver her guests during the dinner party?

4- What type of person could be a suitable husband for Kate?

B- ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY

1- Kate took a little luggage on her first assignment abroad.

2- Kate wouldn’t leave her job unless she got a health problem.

C – CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE ANSWER FROM THE LIST BELOW

1- A suitable title for this text would be:

a) Living dangerously

b) Fighting fiercely

c) Flying comfortably

2- Kate’s attitudes towards her job could be described as:

a) Hostile

b) Negative

c) Favourable

3- The lesson we can learn from this text is:

a) Work is a nuisance

b) Work is boring

c) Work should come first

D- FIND THE TEXT WORDS OR PHRASES WHICH MEAN THE SAME AS:

1- Practical ( paragraph 2) :…………………

2- Walk in are uncontrolled way ( paragraph 4) :………………………

E- PICK OUT OF THE TEXT EXPRESSIONS WHICH SHOW THAT :

1- Kate’s job takes up all her time.

2- Both Kate’s serious look and professional competence contribute to her success.

F- WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO ( WORDS IN BOLD TYPE AND ITALICS )

1- Us (Paragraph 1): ……………..

2- There ( paragraph 6)…………….

II – LANGUAGE

A- FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST

Ejected / under / which / survivor / rescued / who

Hotel rescue

A Chinese woman ….………… spent nearly 80 hours trapped ……………………… The ruins of Singapore’s collapsed New World Hotel was ……………..yesterday by mining engineers. Police said she may be the last……………..…..of the disaster

II – LANGUAGE

A-GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS

1-The negotiating team had to make a number of (concede) ……………..before agreement could be reached.

2-The worldis now concerned about the (destroy) …………….of the rain forests.

3-The current economic crisis is the cause of the widespread (employ)…………..

B-FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD. THE FIRST LETTER BIS GIVEN

1-Peter Smith works part time. He does o…………..…. jobs for people who ask him.

2-It’s illegal to use chemical w………..…... they cause harmful damage to humanity.

3-John Parker has been working as qualified engineer in a food factory. He intends to leave his job and r…………..his own business.

4-Mr. Smith has to work at weekends to be able to s……………his large family

C-PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRAKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE

1-By the end of next year, the workers (complete)…………………the project.

2-If you had shown me how to use the new computer, I (do)……………..all the work.

3-Many old buildings (restore)……………. In the medina since last year.

III- WRITING

Children shouldn’t leave school and start to work at an early age. What do you think?

Write an article to Youth Magazine expressing your opinion and giving arguments against children at work. Make suggestions on how this social problem could be solved.

You are required to write an essay of about 200 words, make sure that it is well organized, that your opinions and arguments are clear, your use of vocabulary is appropriate and that your grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct.