Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Texts 2016
Texts 2016
technical side of human communities. They all had achievements that gradually transformed the destiny of
nations and turn them into highly organised groups having in their hands more efficient means that
enabled them to develop a better capacity in the fight for survival and therefore to lead a more
comfortable life.
The Chinese ,for example, were the first to show to the others how to combine intelligence and
discipline in order to construct a dynamic society able to offer its inhabitants prosperity and security. The
Egyptians in their turn managed to bring considerable improvements in the branches of farming,
architecture, medicine, writing and religion. Despite the hostile environment where they evolved, they
succeeded to impose their will-power and perseverance so as to gain their neighbours respect and
immortalize their name in history.
As for the Babylonians ,they devoted their skills to further the spheres of astronomy ,law-making,
building, cattle breeding and land-working .The Phoenicians , too, helped in accomplishing exceptional
advances in matters connected to ship-building, international trade and sailing across seas. When the
Greeks arrived, they promoted mathematics, philosophy and democracy. They also gave a strong impetus
to scientific research, rational thinking, mythology and artistic creations. In their wisdom, they went as far
as using sport as a channel through which to consolidate peace and harmony among tribes and races. The
Romans, as well, devoted themselves to elevate the fate of the human race. They dedicated their talent for
the pursuit of arts, the construction of towns and public works, the laying of rules and political bodies, the
expansion of commerce and the introduction of more effective strategies in the military field.
1 . Choose the answer that best completes each of the following sentences.
A . The civilizations of the past raised humangreatly.
a. feelings
b. culture
c. race.
B . The Egyptians like the Chinese could create..nations.
a. secure
b. weak
c. trading
C . The Phoenicians were experts at ..
a. sciences
b. farming
c. ship
building.
3 . Reorder the following sentences according to their occurrence in the text
a. Games were used to set up friendly relations among tribes.
b. The accomplishments of the ancient civilizations helped in the progress of societies in various fields .
c. It is by being skillful and obedient to their laws that people succeeded to turn into powerful nations.
d. They brought to mankind logical reasoning.
e. Their contribution to the improvement of human affairs involves the advances they made in things
connected with warfare.
f. Their strong determination to overcome the geological hardships of nature served as an example for the
other nations.
4 . Answer the following questions according to the text.
a. What did the Chinese teach to other nations?
b. How did the Greeks improve the life of societies?
B)
Text exploration.
(07pts)
1.
2.
Agree
4.
c. in spite of (2)
feel manage
mean
Groups means
Much about what we know about art and life in ancient Egypt has been preserved in the tombs that
were prepared for the protection of the dead. The Egyptians believed that the next life had to be provided
for in every detail and,as a result ,tombs were decorated with depictions of the deceased at his funerary
meal, activities of the estate and country side, and the abundant offerings necessary to sustain the spirit
Many surviving Egyptian works of art were created to be placed in the tombs of officials and their
families. Through the ritual of "opening the mouth",a statue of the deceased( known as Ka statue) was
thought to become a living repository of a person 's spirit. Wall paintings, relieves ,and models depict
pleasurable pastimes and occupations of daily life. Always these images have deeper meanings of magical
protection, sustenance, and rebirth. The mummy was surrounded with magic spells, amulets, and
representation of protection deities.
At the near of the coffin a goddess stands, her arms raised protectively. The hieroglyphic inscriptions
are magical requests for offerings and protection. Small magical amulets made of semiprecious stones or
faience were placed within the linen wrappings of the mummy. Many of them were hieroglyphic signs.
For Egyptians, the cycles of human life, rebirth, and afterlife mirrored the reproductive cycles that
surrounded them in the natural world. After death the Egyptians looked forward to continue their daily
lives as an invisible spirits among their descendents on Earth in Egypt , enjoying all the pleasurable of life
with none of its pain or hardships. This vision is vividly depicted in the sculptures , relief, and wall
paintings of Egyptian tombs, with the deceased portrayed in the way he or she wished to remain forever
accompanied by images of family and servants. These forms of art not only reflect the Egyptians' love of
life but also by
their very presence made the afterlife reality.
Schools and universities existed in Britain long before the government began to take interest in
education. There were public schools where the sons of upper and upper-middle classes were educated to
take up positions in the higher ranks of the army, in business and politics. In fact, those were private
schools for the privileged. Only very rich families could afford to pay for the studies, because the fees were
very high .They were free from state control and most of them were boarding. It goes without saying that
education there was of a high quality; the discipline was very strict. When the pupils from these schools
finished their education, they formed the ruling elite, retaining the distinctive habits and vocabulary which
they had learnt at school.
Some of the many changes that have taken place in British education in the second half of the
twentieth century simply reflect the wider social process of increased egalitarianism; education and its
possibilities for social advancement came within everybodys reach.
Before 1965, most children in the country had to take an exam at about the age of eleven, at the
end of their primary schooling. If they passed that exam, they went to a grammar school where they were
taught academic subjects to prepare them for university, the professions, management jobs and other
highly skilled jobs. If they failed, they went to modern school. Many people argue that it was wrong for a
persons life to be decided at so young an age. The children who went to secondary moderns tended to be
seen as failures.
Over the next decade, the division into grammar schools and secondary modern schools was
changed. These days, most eleven-year olds all go to the same local school. These schools are known as
co-educational comprehensive schools. In such schools, children of school age (5-16) study three core
subjects within their curriculum: English, Maths and Science and seven foundational ones: Technology,
History, Geography, Music, Art, Physical Education and a Foreign
Language.
1/ Read and choose the letter that best completes each statement.
I.
In Great Britain, public schools are schools.
a- private
b- free
c- state
II.
Children who attended public schools became..
a- educators
b- governors
cskilled workers
III.
Today, boys and girls attendschools.
a- different
b- the same
c- state
2/ Read and answer the following questions.
Who had the right to study in public schools in Britain?
Were there any changes in the British educational system after 1950? If so, mention them.
What did children study at a grammar school?
3. In which paragraph is the right to education for every British person mentioned?
3/ What do the underlined words refer to in the text? a) those(1*) b) there (1)* c) they (1*) d) which (1)* d)
their (3) * e) their (4)*
4/ give a suitable title for the text.
Text Exploration
1/ Find in the text the words whose definitions follow.
I. (1): receiving lodging during the school term.* II (3): to happen usually. * III (4): being attended by both boys
and girls. IV.
2/ Form nouns and adjectives of these words:
study / divide /prepare / civilize / educate
3/ Give the right form to the verbs in brackets. Nowadays, education (have) a lot to (gain) like information for
people who (prefer) knowledge
4/ Rephrase the following sentences.
1- I would not go abroad to study if I werent given the opportunity.
Unless..............
2- If Tom had visited the bookshop, he would have bought many novels. /
Unless
3- Jane read the advertisement in the newspaper, so she applied for the job.
If..
5/ divide these words into syllables and put stress: university corruption education economic
technology ethical