Name:

Class : 12
Term Paper Date : the 10th of May 2013
-The Second Semester-

I . You are going to read a magazine article about a rescue. For questions 1-10, choose the answer (A, B
or C ) which you think fits best according to the text. (20 points)

It was just after 9.30 on a cold, wet February morning that I got a call from my 17-year-old son
Matthew. ‘Mum, I’m at the hospital’ , he said. Terrible thoughts started going through my head but before
I really had a chance to worry, he added ‘ I’ve just saved a baby girl from drowning’. What I didn’t know
at that stage was that he had put his own life at risk in order to save her.
Matthew loves fishing and you’ll find him by the River Medway in Maidstone in his spare time.
That day the water was high and dangerous because there had been a lot of rain. Matthew was sitting by
the river when he heard a woman scream, ‘My baby, my baby, she’s dying!’ He looked over to see a
woman and a young girl by the water’s edge. He ran up to them to see if there was anything he could do
to help. In the water he saw an upside down pushchair. Without thinking, Matthew dived in and went
underwater to push the chair up towards the little girl’s mum.
At the local hospital, the doctors praised Matthew for reacting so quickly. They said that if little
Emily had been in the freezing water for just another three seconds, the outcome could have been horribly
different. But it wasn’t only Emily that was lucky to be alive. A few days later I was reading the local
paper when I saw a danger warning for the river. It was only then that I realized I could have lost my son,
too.
Soon afterwards, Matthew, myself and my too younger daughters went along to Emily’s second
birthday party. There, her grandmother drank a toast to Matthew. She thanked him for saving Emily’s life
and said they’d think of him on every one of her birthdays. It sent a shiver down my spine and it still
makes me go all funny thinking about it now. He was hailed as a hero and received a lot of attention from
the media. He made the front page of the local paper and even appeared on television. I’m proud of my
son. He’s a caring lad who puts other people before himself. And he had obviously got a level head – I
think I’d have panicked. He’ll always be my river hero.

1. Matthew managed to save Emily from drowning

a. in a lake b. in a fountain c. in a river

2. Before jumping into the water, Matthew

a. did a lot of thinking b. called for help c. didn’t have any time to think about what he was doing

3. In the water, Matthew saw

a. Emily b.an upside down pushchair c. a baby

4. Matthew’s mother had realized that she could have lost her son when
a. she read about the warning for the river b. Matthew called her c. Emily fell into the water

5. If the girl had been in the water for a longer period of time, she would have
a. died b. survived c. lost her consciousness

6. The doctors congratulated Matthew for

a. his quick reaction b. jumping into the freezing cold water c. his hesitation

1
7. At Emily’s second birthday party, there were also
a. Matthew’s brothers b. Matthew’s sisters c. Matthew’s cousins

8. Matthew appeared on
a. the radio b. the local newspaper c. the local magazine

9. Matthew’s mother felt

a. bad about the situation b. happy for having such a caring son c. upset with her son

10. Matthew’s mother says about herself that she

a. is as brave as her son b. would have been really scared c. would have jumped into the water

II . For questions 1-15, read the text below and choose the word which best fits each space. Use only one
word in each space. In this exercise, each missing word is a preposition. There is an example at the
beginning (0) in , for, with, on, at, without, about, of, from. (30 points)

Chatting to babies in a particular way boosts their intelligence and gives them a head start (0) in
life, a new study has found. Speech and language therapist Dr Sally Ward selected 140 nine-month-old
children from Manchaster. She then gave 70 of the parents detailed advice (1)__
the best way to communicate (2)____ their child and left the other 70 without guidance. The
‘communicating’ parents were told to spend at least 30 minutes every day talking to their child,
(3)______ any background noise, about subjects which their infant might take an interest (4)___.
More than six years later, and after regular checks had been kept (5)____ their progress, the children had
IQ tests. Those in the talking group were, (6)____ average, a year and three months ahead (7)____ the
other group. Nine children had IQs in the gifted category, whereas none in the non-talking group was
bright.
In a separate study at the American Academy of Paediatrics, experts have warned (8)____
the dangers of children under the age of two watching television. Research has shown that exposure to
television is responsible (9)____ anything from delayed speech to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder. The problem (10)____ television is that it confuses infants, who block out the background noise
coming (11)____ it. They consequently learn to ignore all noise and this includes speech. Paediatric and
language specialists also disapprove (12)____ radio, which has much the same effect (13)____ a child’s
development.
The main finding of the report was that (14)____ very early ages children should not be allowed to
watch any television at all. Parents have good reasons (15)____ ignoring their youngsters’ protests and
simply switching off.

III . Choose the correct form and underline it: (10 points)

1. It took him years to become successful / successing.

2. We don’t know whose / whom car is the one parked over there.
3. Sandra says that she feels really good about itself / herself.
4. Is your / yours friend the one we saw yesterday?
5. Tom told me that Mavis sings beautiful / beautifully.

IV . Music is very important in one’s life. Write an opinion essay to enlarge upon your position. Use
relevant arguments and examples to support your ideas. Write your essay in 180-200 words. (30 points)

+ 10 points