Second Year (Scientific, Maths and Economic Management Streams) Timing: 2Hours

FIRST ENGLISH EXAM

Part one: Reading and Interpreting:

A-Reading Comprehension: Read the following text and then do the activities

Human activities have had tremendous impact on forests. Since agriculture began 11,000 years ago,
large forest areas have been cleared for farms and cities. Beginning in the 1800’s, great expanses of forest
have also been eliminated because of industrial needs. The destruction and degrading of forests is called
deforestation.

Severe deforestation now occurs around the world, even in the most remote rain forests. Until the late
1940’s, rain forests covered about 8, 7 million square miles (22, 5 million square kilometres) of the earth’s
land. Today, they cover less than half that area. Millions of acres or hectares of rain forests are destroyed each
year. Since1800, huge areas of temperate forests have also been cleared. Many parts of eastern North
America, for example, have less than two percent of even degraded forests remaining.

Industrial pollution is a chief cause of deforestation. Factories often release poisonous gases into the air
and dangerous wastes into the lakes and rivers. Air pollution may combine with rain or other precipitations
and fall to earth as acid rain. The latter and polluted water can restrict plant growth or even kill most plants
in a forest.

1-suggest a title to the text? ………………………………………………………………………...………0.5pt

a- The importance of forests
b- Deforestation
c- Industrial pollution
d- 2-Are the following statements true or false, justify the wrong
ones?.............................................2pts
1- Human activities have harmless effects on the environment.
2- All over the world, forests are pulled down.
3- Each year, millions of trees are planted.
4- Pollution is another factor that may lead to deforestation.
3-answer the following questions:……………………………………………………………...……….…1.5pts
1- Why do people cut down trees?
2- Are rain forests increasing or decreasing? Justify your answer?
3- How can air pollution affect forests?
4-What do the underlined words refer to in the text?..................................................................................1pts
They the latter
5-Find in the text words opposites to the following:……………………………………………………...…1pt
Preservation≠ Separate ≠
6-Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to: ………………………………………………...…1pt
Cut down= discharge=
B-Text Exploration:
1-copmplete sentence ‘b’ so that it means the same as sentence ‘a’:……………..……………..……… 5pts

1- a-Deforestation is causing changes in the climate.

b- Changes in the climate……

2) a- Trees absorb carbon dioxide.

b- Carbon dioxide………

3) a) large forest areas have been cleared for farms and cities.
b) – they ……………………………………………………….…………
4) a- Oil and chemicals can kill fish.

b- Fish………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5) a- People must find a solution to the problem of pollution.

b- A solution to the problem of pollution……………………………………………………………….

2- Use the following words to complete the paragraph: -national-were- declared- the.………………...1 pts

In 1970, Coretta King widow, of Martin L. King made a memorial center in ATLANTA, Georgia.
In……..…1980’s there…………..many debates about making Martin L. King Day a ……………..holiday. In
1986, President Ronald Reagan……………the third Monday in January, MartinL.King Day.

3-Add the right prefix to form the opposites of the following words:……………………………………...1pt
Obey-developed-familiar-accurate-qualified
F- Classify the words according to the pronunciation of the final “s” /S/, /Z/, /iz/......................................1pt
Descends- Defences- brings- - levels.

/S/ /Z/ /IZ/

Part two: Part two: Written Expression: choose only one topic:………………………..………………….5pts

Topic one: write a short paragraph about the importance of trees and the effects of deforestation.

Topic two: use the information below to write a short biography about Martin Luther King
 He was born on January 15th, 1929.
 At the age of 31 he received his doctorate degree in theology.
 he organised a boycott of buses because black people had to sit in the back of the bus.
 In 1957 he created an organisation to fight for the rights of black people with non-violent protests in
Atlanta.
 On August23, 1963 he organized a march on Washington.
 In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed. The Act gave all people equal rights in housing, public
facilities (restaurants, bus stations and bathrooms), voting and public schools.
 In 1968, Martin Luther King was killed.

Good-luck