Test paper

Unit IV(gr._____)

Date Variant I
Name Total score ___/80
Mark ______
Teacher:

SECTION I. THE ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (30 points)

Read the text and do the tasks below the text.

Consumerism
A couple of days ago, the battery in my smartphone died. The sad thing is that I knew it
was going to happen since I bought it more that three years ago. “A pity”, a friend reacted, “ you
will have to buy a new one.” It is sad. Why? Because business models like Apple’s force
consumers to think it is natural to purchase new devices after only a couple of years. Indeed, the
life of batteries in consumer devices is astonishingly short. In addition, “old” devices, like the
iPhone 4 or iPad 1, are incompatible with the newest versions. Back to my dead smartphone
battery: I was not only frustrated because it is expensive, but also because producing a
smartphone is costly to the environment.
There are many examples of how electronics hurt the environment. The assembly of
iPhones is done in China. The components, however, come from a variety of suppliers based in
the United States, Taiwan, Italy, Japan and a range of other sources. There is a cost to the
environment, in transporting these components in the form of emissions. More costs are incurred
by the environment when these electronic products are thrown away. This is called e-waste.
Electronic devices contain a number of chemicals: lead, mercury, and poly-brominated flame
retardants. To recycle electronic devices, they need to be carefully dissembled and the chemicals
disposed of carefully. Otherwise they are harmful to both human health and the environment.
Unfortunately, this is an expensive task which means that many companies choose to avoid
looking for ways of spending this money judiciously. They choose to harm the environment
instead.
Instead of paying for the labour and the proper careful disposal of these dangerous
chemicals, many companies choose to send the electronics to “developing” countries. These
countries have cheap labour force and fewer laws to protect the environment. When e-waste is
dissembled without using environmentally friendly processes, chemicals may seep into the
groundwater and plastic may often be burned, sending toxic gases into the air and endangering
the health of people in these poor countries.
Consumerism, which is defined by Oxford Dictionary as “the preoccupation of society
with the acquisition of goods,” has increasingly put pressure on the natural environment of our
Earth. Consumers hardly realize that by continuing to purchase these goods so frequently, they
affect the environment by increasing levels of pollution.

No Item Score

Answer the following questions according to the text. (Total: 6points) 2

a) According to the text, what is consumerism? 1
Consumerism is the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of goods 0
 A

b) According to the text, why do people have to buy new devices? 2

People have to buy new devices because the life of batteries in consumer 1
devices is astonishingly short and old devices are incompatible with the
0
newest versions.
A
c) According to the text, why the author of the text was frustrated? 2
The author of the text was frustrated because producing a smartphone is costly 1
to the environment
0
A
2. Circle the correct answer according to the text. (Total: 4 points) 2
1) The purpose of this text is 0
a. to make people buy new devices. A
b. to persuade the reader that the production of devices hurts the environment
c. to discuss about the environmental problems.
2) The word cost in the text is closest in meaning to 2
a. price. 0
b. damage. A
c. value.
d. charge.
3. Based on the text, write if the sentences are True or False. Justify your choice. 3
(Total: 6 points)
1
a) They choose to harm the environment T
0
because this is an expensive task which means that many companies choose to
A
avoid looking for ways of spending this money judiciously.

b) Electronic devices don’t need to be carefully dissembled F

because Electronic devices contain a number of chemicals: lead, mercury and
poly-brominated flame retardants.
3
1
0
A
4. Find in the text the synonyms for the word and the expression given below. 4
 (Total: 4 points) 2
a) expensive (adj.)- Costly 0
b) purchase (v)- Buy
A
5. Give another title to the text. (Total: 2 points) 2
Electronic devices 1
0
A
6. Explain the message of the text in 35-40 words. (Total: 8 points) 6
The author convey that consumers hardly realize that by continuing to 4
purchase these goods so frequently, they affect the environment by increasing
levels of pollutions and many companies choose to harm the environment 2
instead by producing electronic devices. 0
A
2
1
0
A

SECTION II. THE ASSESSMENT OF LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE (20 points)

Fill in the gaps with the corresponding personal pronouns.

No Item Score
20
I did not realize that I was a computer addict until _________-----_________ 18
(in/on/-) last Thursday, when my computer broke down and the computer repair
16
person took it away (took away it/took it away/it took away). It is
Tuesday now, so I have been living (live/have been living/am living) without 14
a computer for four days. I have been looking for things to do while it has
being repaired (is repaired/repaired/has being repaired). I have been 12
talking to friends on the phone. They sound quite boring. I have watched eleven 10
films. They are so dull. I have had a tattoo and paid a shocking sum of money
for it. Something (Nothing/Anything/Something) makes me feel better. 8
I have spent many hours thinking (to think/thinking/to thinking) about
the games that I would play (will play/would play/play) if I had my 6
computer back. Of course, I regret arguing (to argue/arguing/to 4
arguing) with my brother over nothing, simply because I am so stressed
(stressed/stressful/stressing) out. The computer makes my life much more 2
(a lot/more/many) exciting. If the repair person does not bring my computer
 back soon, I will go crazy! 0
A

SECTION III. THE ASSESSMENT OF PRAGMATIC AND CIVIC COMPETENCES

(30 points)
Write a 180-200 coherent text expressing your attitude on the given topic.

No Item Score
Do you agree with the following statement: „Every voice is a voice to be heard”. 2
Present examples. Use the following plan: 1
∙ introduction; 0
∙ body;
∙ conclusion. 2
1
Human rights are like armor: they protect you, they are like rules 0
because they tell you how to behave and they are like judges because you
can appeal to them.
2
The concept of human rights is based on two main values: the first is
1
human dignity and second is quality.
0
First of all, many others can be inferred from these two main values and
with their help it is possible to define more precisely how people and
societies should exist in practice, for example: freedom, respect for others, 4
personal opinion, inadmissibility of discrimination and justice. 3

Secondly, in modern society, the usual channels and forms of expression 2

of public opinion are: elections of government bodies, participation of the 1
population in legislative and executive activities, mass media, meetings and 0
demonstrations.
One man who achieved equality between people was Martin Luther King.
3
Martin participated in and led marches for black’s civil rights. King helped
2
organize the 1963 march on Washington, where he delivered his famous “I
have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 1

From my point of view, any citizen has the right to express his opinion 0
and if there is evidence of a violation of the law, to prevent it.
Finally, I can say that public opinion is a form of mass consciousness in 2
which the attitude of various groups of people to events and processes of
1
real lif that affect their interest and needs is manifested.
0

1
0

3
2
1
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4
3
2
1
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7
6
5
4
3
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1
0