The Final English Exam

For second year scientific stream only.

Serdou Abdelkader High School School year :2008/2009

Duration: 2 hours

Second year Scientific Stream



Final English Exam



Part one: A/ Reading and Interpreting

Read the text then do the activities



The earthquake of December 2004 resulted in one of the worst natural disasters in living memory. It was a massive underwater quake and occurred in the Indian Ocean. This caused a huge tidal-wave (a tsunami) to cross the Indian Ocean. It destroyed coastlines, communities and brought death and destruction to many people. Thousands of people were killed as the wave travelled miles across the ocean to distant beaches. Whole families were swept out to sea or drowned as the sea invaded the land the survivors need fresh water, food and shelter as well as medical help. People from all over the world are giving lots of money so that towns and villages can be rebuilt. Why do earthquake happen?



The surface of the earth has not always looked as it does today; it is moving continuously

(although very slowly) and has done so for billions of years. This is one cause of earthquake, when one section of the earth (tectonic plate) collides with another. Scientists can predict where (but not when) this might happen and the area between plates is called a fault line. On one fault line in Kobe, Japan in 1923 over 200,000 people were killed. However, earthquakes do not always happen on fault lines, that is why they are so dangerous and unpredictable.





1- Are these statements true or false? Write T or F next to the letter corresponding to the statement. (02pts)

a- The earthquake described in the text happened in the sea.

b- The big wave caused death and destruction

c- The people who did not die lost everything

d- Scientists can predict where and when an earthquake happens.

2- In which paragraph is it mentioned that many people were killed? (1pt)



3- Answer the questions according to the text. (04pts)

a- Where did the earthquake happen and when?

b- How do we call this kind of earthquake?

c-What is the cause of an earthquake?

d- How many people died in the earthquake?



4- What do the following words refer to in the text? (01pt)

a-It (§1) b-They ( §

















B/ Text Exploration



1- a- Find in the text words, phrases which are closest in meaning to the following.

Very big=……. Very far =…………. (01pt)



b- Find in the text words , phrases which are opposite in meaning to the following .



The best ≠…….. Artificial≠…………(01pt



2- Rewrite the second sentence so that it means the same as the one given . ( 1,5 pts)



1-a- The earthquake killed thousands of people.

b- Thousands of people………………….



2- a- “The survivors need water , food and shelter,” he says

b- He says that……………………………..



3- a- “People are giving much money to rebuild the towns,” they told

b- They told that……………………………..



3- Fill in the blanks with one word only. (1,5 pts)



A hurricane …1… an extremely strong storm and often …2….in the Caribbean. It causes high winds , huge waves , and heavy flooding . in 1998 Hurricane Gilbert produced 160 miles an hour winds. It killed 318 people, and ……3…a .big part of Jamaica.



4- Underline the silent letters of the following words. (02pts)

Where - Might - Scientists - Moving



Part two : Written Expression ( 05pts)



Choose one of the following topics



Topic one: Suppose you were a journalist and you were asked to write a report about the earthquake in Boumerdes. Show in your report:

- What people felt during the earthquake.

- What happened to the people and their houses

- How people helped one another





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**Your teacher**