ENGLISH EXAM INTERMEDIATE

Name_______________________
1/ COMPRÉHENSION ÉCRITE
Texte de compréhension n°1
Green internet warms people’s homes

“The cloud” is a real place. The pictures you post on Instagram, the comments you leave on
Facebook, and the TV shows you stream on Netflix aren’t living in a ball of condensation in the sky.
They live on a massive series of servers – all connected together in rows and towers in giant
warehouses.

In the Swedish capital of Stockholm, these information labyrinths are not only housing data but
helping to warm homes in the city. Computers get hot. Imagine the heat that your laptop generates,
but multiplied across an entire warehouse; thousands of computers all connected together running
non-stop.

How it works: cold water is fed into the data centre, where it’s used to cool the servers to keep them
from overheating. The water, which has been heated by the cooling process, then runs back out
where it is distributed for heating homes.

Stockholm Data Parks is expecting to generate enough heat to warm 2,500 residential apartments by
2018, but the long term goal is to meet 10% of the entire heating needs of Stockholm by 2035.

1. According to the text, what is “The Cloud”? a. cooling fans

a. a real place in the sky
b. a ball containing Facebook, Instagram and
Netflix
c. where online data is stored and streamed from
d. a server in a warehouse
2. The warehouses do not contain:
a. data
b. a massive series of servers
c. thousands of computers
d. Stockholm Data Parks
3. What stops the computers from getting too
hot?
b. heated water
c. cold water
d. an entire warehouse
4. What do they hope will be possible?
a. to heat residential apartments by 2018 and
10% of Stockholm 17 years later
b. to heat 2500 buildings and 10% of Stockholm
c. generate enough heat to warm 10% of
residential apartments by 2035
d. generate enough warmth to heat 2500
residences by 2018 and 10% by 2035

Texte de compréhension n°2

The Crisis of American Consumerism

Some people buy inflatable Santa Clauses to put on the rooftop. You ask if they really need that,
they chuckle and say “no, no, of course not.” But, when you ask them about flat screen TVs,
nobody chuckles anymore, people feel uncomfortable.

The truth is that we are obsessed with the acquisition of things we don’t need - but want. There has
been a drastic increase in consumption and people will do almost anything to find the money to do
it. They will buy homes beyond their means and think nothing of running up credit-card debt
Large numbers of people in society firmly believe that they are working to make ends meet but if
you go through their shopping lists and closets, you’ll see that a large proportion of income is spent
on expensive branded goods.

As long as consumption is focused on satisfying basic human needs — safety, shelter, food,
clothing, health care, education — it is not consumerism. But when, on attempts to satisfy these
needs through the simple purchase of goods and services, consumption turns into consumerism —
and consumerism becomes a social disease.

5. A synonym for “chuckle” is:
a. smile
b. laugh
c. frown
d. cry
6. According to the article Americans are:
a. buying only the things they need
b. buying nothing they want
c. buying homes on credit-cards
d. buying things they can’t afford
7. Large numbers of people firmly believe they
are working:
a. to only pay for the things they want
b. to only pay for the things they need
c. to join two ends together
d. to consume without limits
8. Is consumption a bad thing?
a. yes, it is a social disease
b. yes, because it turns into consumerism
c. not if it is used to meet basic human needs
d. no, the purchase of goods and services is
simple

2/ CONNAISSANCES LEXICALES ET GRAMMATICALES

9. Much of the debate on how to _______ the

economy is based on wishful thinking. 13. I __________ delivered the report by 4 PM
a. fax tomorrow.
b. stick a. will be
c. fix b. will has
d. repatriate c. will have
d. will had
10. Sign up to receive a monthly newsletter
__________ our company.
a. to 14. They said he saw her ________________
b. in just as the clock struck nine.
c. form a. got in the taxi
d. from b. got the taxi
c. getting taxi
11. The teacher had __________ arrived when d. getting into the taxi
you entered the room.
a. yet 15. The negotiations ________________ on for
b. since six months before they reached an agreement.
c. already a. had been going
d. before b. have been going
c. having been going
12. What do you want to cook __________ d. had been gone
dinner tonight?
a. of 16. Would you be __________ pour me glass of
b. by water?
c. for a. kindly enough to
d. at b. best enough to
c. enough to
d. kind enough to 24. Guests should __________ all valuables in
the hotel safe.
17. I do not wish to participate __________ a. pose
debate. b. put
a. from the c. putting
b. in the d. has put
c. to the
d. for the 25. The electorate of Catalonia __________
return to the polls in December.
18. He __________ buy a new pair of running a. will has to
shoes this summer. b. will have to
a. want to c. are musting
b. wants to d. will must
c. wanting to
d. to want 26. There has been __________that the
company will soon go bankrupt.
19. This application might be rejected a. prospection
__________ numerous flaws in it. b. inspection
a. due to c. speculation
b. want to d. instigation
c. today
d. because to 27. __________ is the process of organizing
activities to achieve a desired goal.
20. Independence day processions will a. Postulating
__________ the city center. b. Hypothesizing
a. march through c. Encrypting
b. march with d. Planning
c. march for
d. march to 28. Customer’s rights organizations prevent
companies from __________ advertising.
21. Microsoft are planning ____________ an a. misleading
update to Windows 10 this Spring. b. misjudging
a. to release c. mishandling
b. to exit d. mismanaging
c. released
d. to releasing 29. In my view, Obama was a far ___________
22. This translator __________ translations in 3 president than Trump will ever be.
languages. a. more good
a. seller b. best
b. deals c. better
c. proposes d. more best
d. offers
23. The article is __________ making an 30. The thieves were seen driving away in a
impact, not money. ___________ car.
a. for subject a. big, red, Italian, sports
b. talk about b. red, Italian, sports, big
c. speak to c. Italian, big, sports, red
d. about d. sports, big, red, Italian

31 A product used in home is a b. house product

a. home’s product c. household product
d. house apparel a. first activities
b. primary industries
32. Real Estate is another term for c. extract activities
a. business franchise d. first industries
b. property 37 Healthcare in French is:
c. companies a. le secteur des soins
d. State company b. le système de médicaments
33. The ________ is elected by the __________ c. le secteur médical
a. Secretariat / members d. le système de santé
b. Headquaters / delegates 38. A place where you buy shares:
c. Head / managers a. stock option
d. Board / shareholders b. stock trading
34. A SME is a(n)... c. stock market
a. essential company d. stock business
b. huge enterprise 39. Acquisition is the same as:
c. small business a. rachet
d. a partnership b. takeover
35. A sole trader is the same as.. c. selling
a. self-employer d. merger
b. self-employed 40. A ________________ is a business in the UK
c. self-worker whose shares can be sold to the public
d. self-servicer a. SOE
36. _________ include agriculture and mining b. INC
are types of: c. PLC
d. SME
3/ COMPRÉHENSION ORALE
Speech One: Polytechnic
Question 1 – What is the abbreviation of the name of
the university? Question 4 – What injuries do the protesters have?

Question 2 – Who are the police arresting? Question 5 – Who has tried to convince the
protesters to leave?

Question 3 – How are the protesters feeling?

Speech Two: Smartphones

Question 1 – Which event radically changed every Question 3 – How do older people feel about the
aspect of teenagers’ lives? smartphone craze?

Question 2 – Amongst which teenagers does the Question 4 – What is the aim of a generational
trend appear? study?
Question 5 – Are most generational changes positive
or negative?

4/ WRITING SKILLS
Give your opinion to the following question in 100 words minimum: (20 p.)
ARE NEW TECHNOLOGIES A BLESSING OR A CURSE? Support your arguments

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