Barbara is from a small town in California. Some months ago, she had a terrible argument
with her parents. She read an advert in a magazine about becoming a movie actress in Hollywood
and thought her dream would finally come true. She did not expect her parents to refuse. “If you
were eighteen,” they told her, “you could answer the advert, and you could go for an interview –
or even a casting – and try your luck in Hollywood. But you’re too young! You have to finish your
studies first. You can’t give up your studies now!”
Determined to realise her dream, Barbara decided to run away
from home. She hitch-hiked to Los Angeles where she expected to
live with some friends who had left about a year before. But she
was surprised to discover that her friends had no jobs and nowhere
really decent to live in. She was also disappointed to know that she
had no talent to become an actress according to the Hollywood
casting committee. At first, she did part-time jobs; she was an extra
in a war film last month, but there was no permanent job for people
like her without qualifications.
Barbara has been living in Los Angeles for six months now. She has been begging in the
street and sleeping wherever she can - sometimes on park benches or in cheap hotels. She used to
say Los Angeles is a wonderful place. Now she wonders how she could have thought such a thing.
In fact, she hates it. “There’s nothing interesting about it; the people are cold and indifferent, and
the place is expensive and uninviting,” she thought to herself.
When Barbara reached a desperate point, she went to a local centre for the homeless. She now
thinks about returning home; she misses her parents very much. But she thinks that even if she
asked them to return home, they would not take her back. Two months later, she saw her parents
on a TV proramme about missing teenagers urging her to come back home. She knew then that she
was still the dear little Barbara.
I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS)
BASE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT
A. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY. (3 pts)
1. Barbara’s parents did not want her to leave school.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Barbara took part in a film.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Barbara finds the people in Los Angeles friendly and kind.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
B. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3pts)
1. How did Barbara know about the casting? …………………………………………………………..……
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. How did she get to Los Angeles? ………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….
3. What did she do when she felt desperate? ………………………………………..……………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
C. PUT THE FOLLOWING EVENTS IN THE CORRECT ORDER ACCORDING TO THE TEXT.
(2pts; 0.5 pt for each)
EVENTS
- Barbara was not accepted in the casting.
- Barbara had an argument with her parents.
- She saw her parents on TV.
- She had to beg money in the street.
- She went to Hollywood.
Correct order
1. Barbara had an argument with her parents.
2. ………………………………………………………..
3. ……………………………………………………….
4. ……………………………………………………….
5. ……………………………………………………….
D. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES. (2pts)
1. Although her parents refused to let her go to Los Angeles, Barbara ...........................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................…...
2. Barbara was not selected by the casting committee because ......................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN ALMOST THE SAME AS : (3 pts)
1. film (paragraph 1) …………………………...
2. find out (paragraph 2) …………………………...
3. fantastic (paragraph 3) …………………………….
F. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (2 pts)
1. they : ………………………..
2. it : ………………………..
II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)
A. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE PHRASAL VERBS. (3 pts)
look up - turn down - hand out - take off - take care - set up
1. Mrs Baker couldn’t find someone to ……………………..… of her grandmother during her absence.
2. Because of the heavy rain, the plane could not …………………………..…..
3. In my view, you shouldn’t …………………………… such a well-paid job.
B. REWRITE THE SENTENCES AS SUGGESTED. ( 4 pts)
1. “I will repair the computer,” Harvey said.
……………………………………………. Harvey promised
2. Rogers lost all his money in the lottery the other day.
…………………………………. He wishes
3.The Smiths didn’t send their daughter to university as they couldn’t pay for her studies.
……………………………………. Because
4.The students finished the school project in time.
…………………………………….The school projecT
C. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST. (3 pts)
1. “You ……………………break the law,” the policeman told the motorist.
might not - mustn’t - needn’t
2. Tahar Benjelloun, …………………… got the Dublin Literary Award in 2004, is a Moroccan writer.
whose - whom - who
3. Laura doesn’t really regret …………………… the opportunity to marry.
miss - missing - missed
D. MATCH EACH STATEMENT WITH ITS APPROPRIATE FUNCTION. (4 pts)
1. “I’m sorry, I took your keys by mistake,” he said.
2. Nancy took up English lessons to increase her chances to get the job.
3. “Would you like a cup of tea?” he asked me.
4. Mr Baker attended the meeting despite his sickness.
a. concession
b. apology
c. offering
d. purpose
1. →…………………….. 2.→……………………. 3.→…………………….. 4.→…………………
E. FILL IN THE GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST. (1 pt; 0.5 pt each)
care - subject - gap - attention - access
1. Many people in the countryside now have ……………………… to water and electricity.
2. “Which school ………………………… do you find most interesting?” Dad asked me.
III.WRITING (10 POINTS)
Some students leave school earlier for different reasons.
Write an article for your school magazine stating some of these reasons and the effects
of dropping out of school. (Approximately 200 words)
These cues may help you:
some reasons some effects
- school far from home
- no motivation to learn
- family problems
- ...... etc.
- poor knowledge(languages, literacy skills,...)
- no proper education
- no good job in the future
KEY
I. COMPREHENSION 15 POINTS (Candidates shouldn’t be penalised for grammar or spelling mistakes)
A. TRUE OR FALSE+ JUSTIFICATION. (3 pts: 1 pt for each correct and justified answer )
1. T you have to finish your studies/you can’t give up your studies /...
2. T she was an extra in a war film.
3. F people are cold and indifferent.
B. WH QUESTIONS. (3 pts: 1 pt for each appropriate answer )
1. She read an advert in a magazine……………………………...
2. She hitch-hiked to Los Angeles.
3. She went to a local centre for the homeless.
C. CORRECT ORDER. (2 pts : 0.5 pt for each appropriate answer )
2. She went to Hollywood. 4. She had to beg money in the street.
3. Barbara was not accepted in the casting. 5. She saw her parents on TV.
D. SENTENCE COMPLETION. (2 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer)
1. ……………….. was determined to realise her dream and/or decided to run away/……………
2. ……………… she had no talent…./had no qualifications/……….
E. WORD MEANING: (3pts: 1 pt for each correct answer)
1. movie 2. discover 3. wonderful
F. WORD REFERENCE. (2 pts)
1. Barbara’s parents 2. Los Angeles
II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)
A. BLANK FILLING. (3 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer)
1. take care 2. take off 3. turn down
B. SENTENCE REWRITING: (4 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer )
1. …….to repair the computer/that he would repair ………..
2. ……he hadn’t/had not lost all his money………...
3. Because the Smiths couldn’t pay for their daughter’s studies/…, they didn’t send her to university.
4. …………was finished in time.
C. GAP FILLING. (3 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer )
1. mustn’t 2. who 3. missing
D. FUNCTIONS (4 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer )
1.b apology 2. d purpose 3.c offering 4.a concession
E. GAP FILLING (1 pt, 0.5pt each correct answer)
1. access 2. subject
III. WRITING (10 POINTS
with her parents. She read an advert in a magazine about becoming a movie actress in Hollywood
and thought her dream would finally come true. She did not expect her parents to refuse. “If you
were eighteen,” they told her, “you could answer the advert, and you could go for an interview –
or even a casting – and try your luck in Hollywood. But you’re too young! You have to finish your
studies first. You can’t give up your studies now!”
Determined to realise her dream, Barbara decided to run away
from home. She hitch-hiked to Los Angeles where she expected to
live with some friends who had left about a year before. But she
was surprised to discover that her friends had no jobs and nowhere
really decent to live in. She was also disappointed to know that she
had no talent to become an actress according to the Hollywood
casting committee. At first, she did part-time jobs; she was an extra
in a war film last month, but there was no permanent job for people
like her without qualifications.
Barbara has been living in Los Angeles for six months now. She has been begging in the
street and sleeping wherever she can - sometimes on park benches or in cheap hotels. She used to
say Los Angeles is a wonderful place. Now she wonders how she could have thought such a thing.
In fact, she hates it. “There’s nothing interesting about it; the people are cold and indifferent, and
the place is expensive and uninviting,” she thought to herself.
When Barbara reached a desperate point, she went to a local centre for the homeless. She now
thinks about returning home; she misses her parents very much. But she thinks that even if she
asked them to return home, they would not take her back. Two months later, she saw her parents
on a TV proramme about missing teenagers urging her to come back home. She knew then that she
was still the dear little Barbara.
I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS)
BASE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT
A. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY. (3 pts)
1. Barbara’s parents did not want her to leave school.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Barbara took part in a film.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Barbara finds the people in Los Angeles friendly and kind.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
B. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3pts)
1. How did Barbara know about the casting? …………………………………………………………..……
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. How did she get to Los Angeles? ………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….
3. What did she do when she felt desperate? ………………………………………..……………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
C. PUT THE FOLLOWING EVENTS IN THE CORRECT ORDER ACCORDING TO THE TEXT.
(2pts; 0.5 pt for each)
EVENTS
- Barbara was not accepted in the casting.
- Barbara had an argument with her parents.
- She saw her parents on TV.
- She had to beg money in the street.
- She went to Hollywood.
Correct order
1. Barbara had an argument with her parents.
2. ………………………………………………………..
3. ……………………………………………………….
4. ……………………………………………………….
5. ……………………………………………………….
D. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES. (2pts)
1. Although her parents refused to let her go to Los Angeles, Barbara ...........................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................…...
2. Barbara was not selected by the casting committee because ......................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN ALMOST THE SAME AS : (3 pts)
1. film (paragraph 1) …………………………...
2. find out (paragraph 2) …………………………...
3. fantastic (paragraph 3) …………………………….
F. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (2 pts)
1. they : ………………………..
2. it : ………………………..
II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)
A. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE PHRASAL VERBS. (3 pts)
look up - turn down - hand out - take off - take care - set up
1. Mrs Baker couldn’t find someone to ……………………..… of her grandmother during her absence.
2. Because of the heavy rain, the plane could not …………………………..…..
3. In my view, you shouldn’t …………………………… such a well-paid job.
B. REWRITE THE SENTENCES AS SUGGESTED. ( 4 pts)
1. “I will repair the computer,” Harvey said.
……………………………………………. Harvey promised
2. Rogers lost all his money in the lottery the other day.
…………………………………. He wishes
3.The Smiths didn’t send their daughter to university as they couldn’t pay for her studies.
……………………………………. Because
4.The students finished the school project in time.
…………………………………….The school projecT
C. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST. (3 pts)
1. “You ……………………break the law,” the policeman told the motorist.
might not - mustn’t - needn’t
2. Tahar Benjelloun, …………………… got the Dublin Literary Award in 2004, is a Moroccan writer.
whose - whom - who
3. Laura doesn’t really regret …………………… the opportunity to marry.
miss - missing - missed
D. MATCH EACH STATEMENT WITH ITS APPROPRIATE FUNCTION. (4 pts)
1. “I’m sorry, I took your keys by mistake,” he said.
2. Nancy took up English lessons to increase her chances to get the job.
3. “Would you like a cup of tea?” he asked me.
4. Mr Baker attended the meeting despite his sickness.
a. concession
b. apology
c. offering
d. purpose
1. →…………………….. 2.→……………………. 3.→…………………….. 4.→…………………
E. FILL IN THE GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST. (1 pt; 0.5 pt each)
care - subject - gap - attention - access
1. Many people in the countryside now have ……………………… to water and electricity.
2. “Which school ………………………… do you find most interesting?” Dad asked me.
III.WRITING (10 POINTS)
Some students leave school earlier for different reasons.
Write an article for your school magazine stating some of these reasons and the effects
of dropping out of school. (Approximately 200 words)
These cues may help you:
some reasons some effects
- school far from home
- no motivation to learn
- family problems
- ...... etc.
- poor knowledge(languages, literacy skills,...)
- no proper education
- no good job in the future
KEY
I. COMPREHENSION 15 POINTS (Candidates shouldn’t be penalised for grammar or spelling mistakes)
A. TRUE OR FALSE+ JUSTIFICATION. (3 pts: 1 pt for each correct and justified answer )
1. T you have to finish your studies/you can’t give up your studies /...
2. T she was an extra in a war film.
3. F people are cold and indifferent.
B. WH QUESTIONS. (3 pts: 1 pt for each appropriate answer )
1. She read an advert in a magazine……………………………...
2. She hitch-hiked to Los Angeles.
3. She went to a local centre for the homeless.
C. CORRECT ORDER. (2 pts : 0.5 pt for each appropriate answer )
2. She went to Hollywood. 4. She had to beg money in the street.
3. Barbara was not accepted in the casting. 5. She saw her parents on TV.
D. SENTENCE COMPLETION. (2 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer)
1. ……………….. was determined to realise her dream and/or decided to run away/……………
2. ……………… she had no talent…./had no qualifications/……….
E. WORD MEANING: (3pts: 1 pt for each correct answer)
1. movie 2. discover 3. wonderful
F. WORD REFERENCE. (2 pts)
1. Barbara’s parents 2. Los Angeles
II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)
A. BLANK FILLING. (3 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer)
1. take care 2. take off 3. turn down
B. SENTENCE REWRITING: (4 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer )
1. …….to repair the computer/that he would repair ………..
2. ……he hadn’t/had not lost all his money………...
3. Because the Smiths couldn’t pay for their daughter’s studies/…, they didn’t send her to university.
4. …………was finished in time.
C. GAP FILLING. (3 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer )
1. mustn’t 2. who 3. missing
D. FUNCTIONS (4 pts: 1 pt for each correct answer )
1.b apology 2. d purpose 3.c offering 4.a concession
E. GAP FILLING (1 pt, 0.5pt each correct answer)
1. access 2. subject
III. WRITING (10 POINTS