Exam: 11

Arab Republic of Egypt

Ministry of Education

General secondary Education Certificate Examination, 2006

[First Stage- First Session]

First Foreign Language: English (1)_______________________Time: 3 hours

اللغة الأجنبية الأولى: الإنجليزية (1)

                                                    A- Language Functions

1- Supply the missing parts in the following dialogue on the phone between the owner of an advertised house for sale and you:

Owner     : Hello !

You          : Good morning. I'm calling about the house advertised for sale.

Owner     : Oh, Yes.

You         : I wonder……………………(1)…………………………. .

Owner    : Of course. What would you like to know ?

You         : ……………………(2)……………………………. ?

Owner    : It's at 20 Shehab Street, Dokki.

You         : Do all the bedrooms have built-in wardrobes ?

Owner    : No, only the largest room.

You         : One last question: …………….(3)…………………… ?

Owner    : Oh, definitely. It's large enough for two cars.

You         : …………………(4)………………. . When do you think I could see it ?

Owner    : How about 5 o'clock this evening ?

You        : That's fine. See you then.

2- Supply the missing parts in the following mini-dialogues:

1-It's hot. You politely ask the man sitting by the bus window to open it.

    You     : Would you mind opening the window, please ?

    The man     : …………………….(1)………………………… .

2-You are interviewed for a job.

    Interviewer : …………………….(2)………………………… ?

    You     : I have good command of both English and French.

3-Your father and you are making predictions about the winner of the Football World Cup.

   a)      : ……………………….(3)………………………… .

   b)      : ……………………….(4)………………………… .

B- Vocabulary and Structure

 3-Choose the correct answer from a, b, c or d:

1-The………………status of a person shows whether he/she is married.

   a) social                        b) financial                   c) marital                     d) mental

2-The barter system is an…………………way to buy things.

   a) illegal                    b) inconvenient                      c) invisible                   d) intolerant

3-I got the drift of what he was saying. This means that I………………….him.

   a) misunderstood                  b) missed                   c) understood                 d) realized

4-The Olympic Games are a…………….festival which is held every four years.

   a) sports                b) sport                     c) sport's                      d) sports'

5-Our…………….should be decreased for the good of our economy.

   a) production              b) consumption             c) deduction            d) construction

6-……………his disability, he reached his goal in life.

   a) Despite                   b) Due to                c) Even if                 d) Even though

7-I'm working……………..a  science project.

   a) in                   b) at                     c) for                     d) on

8-Going by plane is…………….more expensive than going by bus.

   a) a lot                 b) a lot of                      c) lots of              d) many

9-Nurses…………….the surgeon's instruments before an operation.

   a) modernize                 b) sterilize                      c) specialize              d) dramatize

10-…………………to be successful in her work.

     a) It is said                 b) It says                c) She says                d) She is said

11-A……………….is a long period of hot dry weather with no rain at all.

     a) heatwave             b) drought                  c) tornado                     d) hurricane

12-The car enables me to reach my……………..quickly.

     a) location           b) situation                  c) accommodation               d) destination

13-Pilots won't be able to fly a plane unless they……………….. .

     a) will train            b) had trained                c) are trained               d) were trained

14-Don't go……………….at night. It is dangerous.

     a) swimming                     b) to swim                   c) swim                  d) to swimming

15-Environmental pollution……………diseases and endangers our life.

     a) causes                      b) prevents                    c) leads                     d) results

16-Egypt is the land……………….people of different cultures can live peacefully.

     a) who                      b) whose                      c) where                     d) which

4-Rewrite the following sentences using the word(s) in brackets without changing the

   meaning:

1-Ali told the teacher that he was sorry he had forgotten his book.      (apologized)

2-It is a fortunate fact that computers store a lot of information.         (One advantage)

3-Eating rich food sometimes leads to indigestion.                     (If)

4-We discussed our plan for a long time.                       (discussion)

5-Another fine sunny day is forecast for tomorrow.            (going to)

C-Reading Comprehension

5-Read and then write notes on the passage:                            

            Is our planet a safe place for animals ? Unfortunately, it does not seem like it. Thousands of species have become extinct and many more are now endangered.

             We need to do something fast before it is too late for them. Measures need to be taken to protect our wildlife. We should create more national parks and conservation areas. This would allow animals to live and breed safely in their natural habits. As a result, their numbers would increase and species wouldn't die out.

 1-Animal protection measures: ……………………. .

      2-Reasons for taking such measures: …………………. .

      3-Animal protection results: …………………. .

6-Read the following passage and then answer the questions:

            For most of us, the idea of soup which stops us getting ill, or crisps which relax us seems like something from a science-fiction film. However, these are not foods of the future. In fact, they are part of a new group of food products known as "functional foods", and they may already be on your supermarket's shelves.

            In today's world, we all know that our diet affects our health and more people are watching what they eat. Food companies are taking advantage of this fact. They have already started to use ingredients in their products which will offer extra health benefits to their customers. For example, orange juice already contains vitamin C, but now you can buy orange juice with added calcium to strengthen your bones and teeth, so it is even better for you than ever before.

             Of course, there are people who believe that functional foods are a bad idea. They claim that products such as these can be dangerous, as people may end up taking more vitamins than they need and may damage their bodies as a result. Nevertheless, functional foods are becoming increasingly popular, and supporters feel that it won't be long before there are foods which prevent cancer, protect eyesight and much more.

A) Answer the following questions:

     1- Why are some people against functional foods ?

     2- What are the advantages of functional foods ?

     3- Would you like your regular meals to include functional foods ? Why ?

     4- Find words in the passage which mean the following:

             a) Practical and useful.

             b) Any of the foods that are combined to make a particular dish.

B) Choose the correct answer:

       5- Functional foods are……………………… .

            a) imaginary products                                   b) real products

            c) science-fiction products                            d) science-fiction films

       6- Some food companies benefit from functional foods by…………….. .

            a) offering extra health advantages to their customers.

            b) reducing vitamins in their products.

            c) helping customers save more money.

            d) helping customers consume more food.

       7- A suitable title for the passage can be:…………………….. .

            a) "The Advantages of Functional Foods"

            b) "The Disadvantages of Functional Foods"

            c) "Functional Foods in Science Fiction"

            d) "A New Type of Foods"

D- Novel

7-A) Answer the following questions:

1-What did Ayman wish he hadn't done ?

2-Explain why the townspeople in ancient Egypt gave up hope and left the town ?

3-What did professor Malcolm Jones think of spiders ? Why ?

        B) Read the following quotation and then answer the questions:

          “I feel like a new person with a new future."

               4- Who said this to whom ?

               5- Where did the speaker say this ?

               6- Why did the speaker feel that ?

  C) Complete the following sentences:

           7-Being a botanist, Wafaa Sultan………………. .

           8-When its leg was caught, the female spider………………….. .

           9-Everyone was talking about Ayman because………………….. .

E- Writing

8- Write a paragraph of eight sentences about:

         The African Cup of Nations was a well-organized, successful festival which was held in Egypt early this year.

     Guiding points:

- Facilities                     : playgrounds – transportation – accommodation

- Football fans               : flags – new styles of support – cheers of the crowd

- Egypt's achievements : strong competition – international reputation – victorious players

F- Translation

9- A) Translate into Arabic:

          There are many things to be said in favour of technological advancement. It undoubtedly makes people's lives easier. Without the benefits that technology brings, the world would be a much harder place to live in.

    B) Translate into English:

تدعو الديانات السماوية كلها إلى الحب و السلام و التسامح و نبذ العنف.