5
 B y: Rob Penn 1- I stood in a field this week, listening to the first sounds of spring. It is a time when our hearts fill with hope, a time when our faith in the British countryside is renewed once again. I was surprised to read about a national campaign to warn retirees against moving from the city to the country. Mavis Cheek, prolific author and countryside dweller, is the mouthpiece of this campaign. She described rural life as "tough, a littl e bit dangerous and not for wimps*". 2- I moved to the countyside in a small farmhouse in the Black Mountains, south Wales, eight years ago. It wasn't a sparing integration. The fact that I ride a bicycle every day aroused suspicion. In the countryside you only use a bike if, well, something is wrong. The local hill farmers watched me pedal in and out of Abergavenny every day, and wondered. I'm lucky. I live in a place with a strong sense of community. My local pub is an active part of that. There are activities or meetings every night of the week   singing workshops, line dancing and keep-fit classes   as well as monthly films, occasional quiz nights and the odd touring play. 3- Before the move, I lived in London for a decade. There are many things I still miss about metropolitan life. If I ever had to move back to the city, though, I'd miss the countryside more: there are things I couldn't now live without   the woods, the landscape, the peace. In the city, you choose your community, your kids' school or your peers. It's unlikely, however, to include your neighbours. You may weave in and out of three or four different communities in the course of a weekend, and still not know the name of a single person who lives on your street. In the countryside, your neighbours are your only community. 4 My friend Jim Keates runs Cwmyoy Hall as a volunteer. He moved to the country 12 years ago, aged 61, "knowing virtually no one," he said. "Now I know everyone. It's a much more social place. People are far more prepared to share their lives, with honesty." To extract meaning and significance from the countryside, you have to dig the earth, grow vegetables and flowers, plant trees, pick sloes and blackberries, fashion a walking stick, cut the grass and make jam. There's a task for every age. "First the tool, then the book," Cheek’s campaign warns against old people becoming isolated in the countryside: you'd have to consciously choose to be, round here. The Observer , 4 March 2012 A wimp : a weak and cowardly or unadventurous person . END-OF TERM ENGLISH TEST N°3 May 2013 4 th FORM / ECO 2

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B y: Rob Penn 

1- I stood in a field this week, listening to the first sounds of spring. It is a time when our 

hearts fill with hope, a time when our faith in the British countryside is renewed once again. I

was surprised to read about a national campaign to warn retirees against moving from the city

to the country. Mavis Cheek, prolific author and countryside dweller, is the mouthpiece of this

campaign. She described rural life as "tough, a little bit dangerous and not for wimps*".

2- I moved to the countyside in a small farmhouse in the Black Mountains, south Wales, eight

years ago. It wasn't a sparing integration. The fact that I ride a bicycle every day arousedsuspicion. In the countryside you only use a bike if, well, something is wrong. The local hill

farmers watched me pedal in and out of Abergavenny every day, and wondered. I'm lucky. Ilive in a place with a strong sense of community. My local pub is an active part of that. There

are activities or meetings every night of the week  –  singing workshops, line dancing and

keep-fit classes – as well as monthly films, occasional quiz nights and the odd touring play.

3- Before the move, I lived in London for a decade. There are many things I still miss about

metropolitan life. If I ever had to move back to the city, though, I'd miss the countryside

more: there are things I couldn't now live without – the woods, the landscape, the peace. In the

city, you choose your community, your kids' school or your peers. It's unlikely, however, to

include your neighbours. You may weave in and out of three or four different communities in

the course of a weekend, and still not know the name of a single person who lives on your 

street. In the countryside, your neighbours are your only community.

4 My friend Jim Keates runs Cwmyoy Hall as a volunteer. He moved to the country 12 years

ago, aged 61, "knowing virtually no one," he said. "Now I know everyone. It's a much more

social place. People are far more prepared to share their lives, with honesty." To extract

meaning and significance from the countryside, you have to dig the earth, grow vegetables

and flowers, plant trees, pick sloes and blackberries, fashion a walking stick, cut the grass and

make jam. There's a task for every age. "First the tool, then the book," Cheek’s campaign

warns against old people becoming isolated in the countryside: you'd have to consciously

choose to be, round here.

The Observer , 

4 March 2012

A wimp : a weak and cowardly or unadventurous person. 

END-OF TERM ENGLISH TEST N°3

May 2013

4th FORM / ECO 2

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READING COMPREHENSION (12 marks)

I/ Tick the correct option (1 mark)

The message conveyed by Rob Penn is that: 

a/ Country life is richer than city living, whatever your age

 b/ All British are faithful to their countrysidec/ Sringtime is better in the countryside

II/ Focus on paragraph 1 and complete the following sentences (3 marks)

 A new campaign warns…………………. against the 'dangers' of retiring to thecountryside. Mavis Check, herself a countryside …………………., is the mouthpieceof the campaign draws the …………………… life as hard and dangerous. 

III/Pick out the advantages of the country life mentioned in the text as opposite to the

drawbacks of the city life given to you in the table below (3 mark)Advantages of the country life Drawbacks of the city life

………………………………… 

(paragraph 3)

Dangerous life

………………………………… 

(paragraph 2)

No interaction between

neighbours

…………………………………. 

(paragraph 4)

Unfriendly society

IV/ Correct the following false statements with reference to the text ( 3 marks)

a-  Rob’s adaptation to the country life was easy (§ 2) 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………  b-  Once he moved from London, Rob forgot all about it (§ 3)

………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 

c-  People don’t care about each other’s private lives (§ 4) 

………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 

V/ Focus on paragraph 1 and find a word means the same as the following  (1 mark) * belief = …………………………… 

VI/ What does the underlined word in the text refer to ( 1 mark )

a-  It § 4 ………………………………………………. 

END-OF TERM ENGLISH TEST N°3

Name: ………………………………………….. 

Class: ………………… 

…… / 30

……. / 20

May 2013

4th Form

ECO

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LANGUAGE (6 marks)

1/ Fill in the blanks with 6 words from the box. You have 2 extra items. (3

marks)

also / minimizes / heat / atmosphere / with / ecodriving / doing / more

People are doing many things to try to stop global warming. One thingpeople are …………………… is carpooling. Carpooling is driving …………………….. someone to a place that you are both going to. This……………………… the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a

car.Now, …………………….. people are even riding busses, walking to school,and riding their bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in theair. Planting trees and recycling ………………………… helps. If yourecycle, less trash goes to the dump, and less trash gets burned. As aresult, there are fewer greenhouse gasses in our ……………………… .

2/ Circle the correct alternative (3 marks)

Here on Canada’s west coast, the end of February usually means we aremoving into warmer days and spring flowers and away from cold andsnow. Usually, we have a (few / lot / couple) days of snow in earlyJanuary, and that’s it. But this year, some areas around the lowermainland have had snow on the ground continuously (on / since / that) December. This must be some kind of record for us. And every time Ithink we’re finally moving on, the (seasonal / congestions /temperatures) drop again. Even my daughter, who normally loves snow,was dismayed to see snow flakes (have to fall / falling / was falling) again last night and another soccer practice cancelled.

I woke up this morning to ground covered yet again by (a white blanket/ a blanket white / white a blanket). However, the sun was out, andafter working on my novel for a (wish / pleasure / while) I went for awalk to visit my favourite tree in my old neighbourhood, a big oldsycamore.

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Writing (12 marks)1/ Develop the following notes into a biography about Phil Collins (4 marks)

Born: January 31, 1951London, England

Professional music career / begin / drummer, group: the Real Thing / future wife, Andrea.

Join the Genesis group / drummer and vocalist in 1970

In 1975, Collins / become / the face of Genesis

1980 / release / Duke / successful album

Collins / start / solo work. / 1981 / first record, Face Value.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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2/ Energy consumption is increasing. Unfortunately, one day we may run the risk of not

having enough energy supplies as they are not renewable.

Write an article to your school magazine to suggest practical solutions to save energy. (8

marks)

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