THE HASHEMITEKINGDOM OF JORDAN_MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

GENERAL SECONDARY CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION _2016

GENERAL ENGLISH

المستوى الثالث / الامتحان التجريبي

DATE : THURSDAY,8th DEC,2016 TIME: 1 HOUR AND A HALF

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ملحوظات : 1- أجب عن أسئلة الورقة جميعها 2- عدد الأسئلة : ( 5 ) , وعدد الصفحات : ( 4 ) 3- للمتقدمين في الفروع الأكاديمية

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Read the following text carefully , and then in your ANSWER BOOKLET answer all the questions that follow. Your answer should be based on the text

Question Number One (20 Points)

Ibn Bassal was a writer, a scientist and an engineer. He worked in the court of Al-Ma’mun, who was the King of Toledo. His great passions were botany, which is the study of plants, and agriculture. Although he was a great scholar, he was also a practical man and all of his writing came from his own ‘hands-on’ experience of working the land.

One of the many things which Ibn Bassal achieved was A Book ofAgriculture. The book consistedof sixteen chapters which explain how best to grow trees, fruit and vegetables, as well as herbs and sweet-smelling flowers; perhaps the most famous chapter of all was the one that described how to treat differenttypes of soil. Ibn Bassal also worked out how to irrigate the land by finding underground water and digging wells. He designed water pumps and irrigation systems. All of these things were passed on through his writing.

The influence of Ibn Bassal’s book was enormous. As farmers down the generations followed his instructions and advice, the land became wonderfully fertile and produced more than enough food for the fast-growing population. The irrigation systems that he and his followers put in placeare still in evidence in Spain. Although his name is not widely known, Ibn Bassal’s legacy to the world has been great.

  1. Ibn Bassal achieved many things . Write down two of his achievements. (2 points)
  2. Write down the sentence which shows that Iban Bassal was a true polymath. (3 points)
  3. Ibn Bassal discovered two methods of irrigation . Write them down . (2 points)
  4. Find out a word that means " the science of farming " (2points)
  5. The effect of Ibn Bassal's book was huge. Give an evidence from the text. (2 points)
  6. What does the underlined word who refer to? (2 points)
  1. According to a report by the World Wildlife fund and the Zoological Society of London, wildlife populations around the world have been reduced by 52 per cent on average since 1970. Think of this statement and, in two sentences, write down your point of view. (2points)

B. Literature Spot (5 points)

1. Read the following lines, from" I Remember" , then answerthe question that follow :

The fir trees dark and high,

I used to think their slender tops ,

Were close against the sky :

It was a childish ignorance .

What was the poet ignorant about? (2 point )

2. Read the following extract from "The Old Man and the Sea " , then answer the questions that follows :

The next morning, Manolin finds Santiago in his hut and cries over the old man's injuries. Manolin reassures Santiago that the great fish didn't beat him and they will fish together again. He tells him that the old man still has much to teach him.

  1. What does the underlined word "reassures" mean ? (1 point )
  2. How does Manolin try to encourage Santiago not to give up fishing ? (2 points)

Question Number Two (15 Points)

  1. Choose the suitable item from those given in the box to complete each of the following sentences . There are more words than you need . Write the answers down in your ANSWER BOOKLET. (8 points)
  1. I enjoy painting and sculpture so I decided to do a degree in ………..
  2. The King Hussein Cancer Centre is Jordan's only ……….. cancer treatment centre.
  3. Modern computers can run a lot of ……………………. at the same time .
  4. Neuroscientists confirmed that it is possible to communicate with some patients in a …..

B. Complete the following sentences with suitable words derived from the words in brackets and write the answers down in your ANSWER BOOKLIET (4points)

1. ……… is the process of removing salt from sea water . (desalinate )

2. Jerash is an important …………….. site in Jordan . (archaeology)

C . Study the following sentence and answer the question that follows . Write the answers in your ANSWER BOOKLET (3points)

I was shocked when I heard the news. It came completely out of the blue.

What does the underlined color idiom mean ?

Question Number Three (12 Points)

  1. Correct the verbs between brackets then write your answers down in your ANSWER BOOKLIET (6points)
  1. Our neighbours …….. recently ………. to Aqaba . (move)
  2. ……. She ……… her first story when she was seven ? (write)
  3. I didn't fix my computer , I had it ……….. . (fix)
  4. My cousin is used to ………. In London . (live)
  5. The letter ………….. yesterday . (type )
  6. The book you ordered …………………… by the end of the week . (not , arrive)
  1. Complete each of the following items so the new item has a similar meaning to the one before it , and write it down in your ANSWER BOOKLIET.(6points)
  1. "He was able to visit his friend three days ago".

Tamer said that ……………………………………………………..

  1. Nawal went to the library last week .

The person ………………………………………………………….

  1. Ahmad checked his emails , and then he started his work .

Before ………………………………………………………………

Question Number Four (8 Points)

  1. The underlined words in the following sentences are not used correctly. Replace these words with the correct ones, and write the answers in your ANSWER BOOKLIET.

A stars and planets are things where astronomers study. (2points)

  1. The following sentences are in British English ,rewrite them in American English, and write them in your ANSWER BOOKLIET. (2points)
  1. Have you seen Leo anywhere before ?
  2. I'd like to have a break .
  1. The following sentences are in American English , re write them in British English, and write them in your ANSWER BOOKLIET. (2points)
  1. Gosh , you mixed these natural colors beautifully .
  2. They practice three times a week .
  1. Study the following sentence and answer the questions that follow . (2 points)

Tablet computers are available for students to use in class. Therefore, they can use them to do many tasks .

What is the function of using therefore in the above sentence ?

Question Number Five (15 Points)

A.EDITING (4points)

Imagine you are an editor in the Jordan Times. You are asked to edit the following lines that have 4 mistakes . ( One grammar mistake and one punctuation mistake and two spelling mistakes) . Find out thesemistakes and correct them . Write the correct answers in your ANSWER BOOKLET.

B.GUDIED WRITING : (4points)

A. Read the information below, and then in your ANSWER BOOKLIET, write two sentences about Charles Dickens . Use the appropriate linking words such as : and, moreover , in addition to , ….etc

Name : Charles Dickens.

Date of Birth : 7th February,1812.

Date of Death : 8th June,1870.

Professions: writer and journalist

Achievements : Great Expectations and Oliver Twist .

C. FREE WRITING : (7points)

In your ANSWER BOOKLIST, write a composition of about 80 words on ONE of the following :

  1. Write a three- paragraph essayabout things you do to improve your English language.
  2. Every morning, so many people buy newspapers to read while others prefer to navigate the internet for the same purpose. Write an essay comparing the two choices , mentioning the way you prefer and the reasons for choosing it.

THE END

Dr. Areej Masadeh

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