Reading/ Comprehension

Passage 01

Technology is great

London is a city that is continually changing; nowhere is this more apparent than in East
London. This part of the city was once famous for the bleak industrial slums of Dickens’
novels, the world’s largest port and heavy industry. All this is gone now and East London
has become famous for its creative industries and the latest fashions. Places like Hoxton,
Shoreditch and Bethnal Green have become home to a large number of art, fashion, design
and publishing companies. The area also has the cutting edge of London nightlife with many
clubs, bars, galleries and gigs every night of the week.

You may have heard of ‘Silicon Valley’ in California but since Wired magazine identified
85 tech start-up companies around Old Street tube station this part of London is now known
as ‘Silicon Roundabout’. These start-up companies include Last.fm, Moshi Monsters,
School of Everything and Tweetdeck. Last.fm is a site that allows people to share the music
they like listening to that has become so successful that it was bought up by CBS for
£140m. Moshi Monsters has become an online favourite of young children everywhere.
Tweetdeck is one of the most popular ways of using Twitter, while the School of Everything
helps students and teachers find each other.

The Prime Minister David Cameron recently announced the creation of a ‘Tech Hub’ in the
area where technology businesses, universities and financial institutions can combine to
create successful new products. London Tech City will stretch 4 miles east of Hoxton to
Stratford, which is where the 2012 Olympic Games will be held. The Government is
promising £200m of financial support along with a new entrepreneur visa to support
talented individuals who want to work in the technology sector.

The scheme has so far been supported by large international companies, such as Google,
Facebook, Intel, Vodafone and Cisco Systems, while finance will be provided by Barclays
and Imperial College London, University College London and Loughborough University are
also involved in the project. The Government hopes that this combination of finance,
technology and academia will lead to a thriving technology sector in London.
Task 01 : Answer the following questions (05 points)

1-Is Tech City a project about heavy industry, fashion, or IT.

2- True or False: East London has always been a centre for creative industries.
3- True or False: Silicon Valley is in London.
4-True or False: The Government is helping companies employ people from other countries.
5-True or False: Google is providing finance
Passage 02

Your digital footprint

Every time you go online you leave a trail. This is just like a real footprint. It reveals where
you’ve been, how long you stayed and what you’ve been doing there. Every time you
register for an online service, send an email, download a video or upload a photo, the
information can be accessed and your digital footprint can be revealed. This shouldn’t
necessarily be worrying but it is advisable to be aware of your digital footprint and to be
cautious and sensible when you are online.
Six top tips for taking care of your digital footprint

1. Don’t forget to log off when you leave a website, especially if you are using a shared
computer. If you don’t, someone can easily pretend to be you!
2. Don’t tell anyone your passwords and don’t write them down in an obvious place.
Make them more complex by using a combination of letters, numbers and
punctuation marks.
3. Tell an adult if you come across anything online that makes you upset, anxious or
concerned. There are ways to report inappropriate or abusive content and in most
cases web managers respond rapidly.
 4. Remember your favourite websites by using the history button and the bookmark
function on your computer or mobile device. This is a way that your digital footprint
can work in your favour, but remember to clear your browser history regularly.
5. If you want to post comments online, you don’t have to use your own name. Invent a
nickname to use instead. You can also use a picture instead of a real photo.
6. Protect your identity online. Be careful about who you share personal information
with and always think twice before sharing details like your email, home address,
school or phone number with someone.

Think about the future

All kinds of people are interested in your digital footprint. It's now quite common for
colleges, universities and employers to check out the online profiles of possible candidates
as part of their application process. There are cases of people having missed out on jobs and
places in college because their digital footprint didn’t impress the recruiters. So, remember:
keep safe, don’t put too much personal information online and always think carefully before
you post something. Ask yourself, ‘Would I be happy for absolutely everyone to see this?

Task 01 : Check your understanding: multiple choice (08 points)

Circle the best answer to these questions:

1- When you go online, you …

a. can choose what information is recorded about you.

b. leave a trail showing where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing.
c. send information to recruiters.

2-If people search for information about you, they can find your …

a. bookmarked websites.
b. passwords.
 c. digital footprint.

3- Someone could pretend to be you if you don’t log off when …

a. abandoning a site.
b. posting a comment.
c. sharing a photo

4-You should make your passwords difficult to guess by …

a. using all capital letters.

b. making them complex.
c. including a symbol.

5- If a user reports inappropriate content, …

a. web managers usually react immediately.

b. recruiters often respond.
c. other users want to read what they’ve said.

6- You should report abusive remarks on the internet …

a. if you think they are really serious.

b. in all cases.
c. if you can find the contact and have time.

7- To remember your favourite websites, you can use the …

a. browser.
b. bookmark function.
c. mobile device.

8- Think carefully before …

a.sharing your favourite website online.

 b.sharing your comments online.
c. sharing personal information online.

Task 02 : Give detailed definitions of the following words (03 points)

Hashtag:

Clickbait:

Microblogging

Writing :
Task 01: Writing an email (2,5)

Read the topic and write an email accordingly.

You are about to start a new internship and the company regulation asks candidate to work
in pairs and not individually. Write an email to a classmate and friend asking her or him to
consider joining your project and internship.

Your email should include all the necessay details.

Task 02 : Solving an IT failure (2,5 points)

IT consultants meet clients daily. These latter encounter many software

and hardware problems.

Task: A client comes with one of the issues listed below. Choose one
and write a paragraph detailing the instructions you will follow to solve
his problem. (Introduction/ body of the text/ conclusion)

-Audio issues (Glitches when listening to music or while trying to have a

conférence call_
-Blue screen

-General slowdown

-Fan noise and overheating

-PC Will not turn on

Good luck