THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, has some of the worst traffic jams in the world. The situation is so bad that psychiatrists have now begun to give advice to commuters about what to do when they are in a traffic jam. The advice includes the following: read a newspaper or listen to music, but not fight with anyone.

The number of car owners is Caracas has increased dramatically and this led to blocked motorways and jammed side-streets from early morning till late at night. Entire districts are paralysed and the situation is driving some motorists crazy.

People who try to avoid heavy traffic by leaving home at 5:00 a.m. were warned that they may suffer from lack of sleep which will reduce productivity, make them irritable and have a negative effect on their life.

The rapid increase in vehicle ownership in Venezuela is the result of huge profit from the sale of Venezuelan oil. Last year, car sales doubled to 300,000. There are no new roads, so growing numbers of drivers take damaged streets that have been neglected for years. The government, with plenty of money from the sale of oil, has started a programme of building bridges, but many of these are unfinished, including one connecting Caracas to the airport. As a result, drivers have to take detours that can turn the 16-mile trip into a five-hour terrifying experience.

Everyone agrees that the traffic jams are getting worse every month. Taxi drivers say their income has fallen dramatically. Fares are down from an average of five to three a day. ”It’s impossible. If someone asks me to go into especially heavy traffic I say no because it will take up half my day,” said Freddy Afanador, a local taxi driver.

I- COMPREHENSION

BASE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT

A- Choose the right answer from the list given:

1-This text is probably taken from:

a- A medical review

b- A government report

c- A newspaper article

2- A suitable title for this text is:

a- The advantages of living in Caracas

b- The effects of traffic jam in Caracas

c- Car sales in Caracas

B- ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

1- State two ways psychiatrists suggest to help drivers in traffic jams.

……………………………………………………………………

2- Why did care sales increase in Caracas?

……………………………………………………………………

3- Why does Freddy sometimes refuse to take passengers in heavy traffic?

……………………………………………………………………

C- COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES:

1- To avoid heavy traffic, some people ……………………………

2- In order to help solve traffic jam problems, the Venezuelan government………………………………………………………...

3- Productivity may be reduced as a result of ……………………..

D- FIND WORDS OR PHRASES IN THE TEXT THAT MY MEAN THE SAME AS:

1- People who travel to and from work each day (paragraph 1) : ……………

2- Getting angry easily (paragraph 3) : ………………………

3- Very big (paragraph 4) : ………………………

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

1- This: (paragraph 2) ………………………………

2- One: (paragraph 4) ………………………………

3- Me: (paragraph 5) ………………………………

II- LANGUAGE

A- GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS:

Immigration from Africa contributes to the (wealthy) ……………….. and well-being of Europe. However, they aren’t easily (integration) ………………………… in the host countries and suffer from (discriminate) …………………………….

B- PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT FORM:

1-“You must make up your mind as quickly as possible. If you (not to send) …………………………………. your application soon, it (not to be) …………………………………………… accepted”, the director said.

2- By the end of the year, many people (lose) ……………………… their jobs in Europe.

3- Last month, some of the biggest banks in the USA (go) …………………… bankrupt.

C- REWRITE THESE SENTENCES BEGINNING WITH THE WORDS GIVEN:

1- Many employers are still recruiting children.

Children………………………………………………………………

2- He had an accident because the traffic was heavy.

If ……………………………………………………………………

3- He lost his car because he was drunk.

He wishes ……………………………………………………………

4-“Why don’t you go on foot instead of taking a taxi?” the mother said.

The mother advised her son …………………………..……………

5-“Shall we live in the country?” the husband said.

The husband suggested ………………………………………………

D- FUNCTION

You ask your friend to lend you his / her English notebook but he / she refuses.

What do you say?

You: ………………………………………………………………

What does your friend say?

Your friend: .………………………………………………………

III- WRITING

Some people think that scientific and technological inventions have had many positive effects on our way of life.

Write an article to your school magazine, expressing your opinion. Give examples of these inventions, describing some of their advantages and disadvantages. (Approximately 150 words)