Mock Mid-Term Examination

STUDENT’S NAME: ………………………………….

STUDENT’S ID: ………………………………….

DATE: ………………………………….

MOCK MID-TERM EXAMINATION

COURSE: English for Academic Purposes – ENG 122

SEMESTER: Fall 2011

DEPARTMENT: ……………………………………

FACULTY: ……………………………………

INSTRUCTORS: Androulla Athanasiou

Dimitrios Boglou

Marilia Constantinides

Panayiota Hadjiconstantinou

Stavroula Hadjiconstantinou

Elis Kakoulli-Constantinou

Anastasia Mouskou-Peck

Maro Neophytou

Anna Nicolaou

Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

DURATION: 90 Minutes

Instructions to students:

@ Read the instructions carefully, and answer ALL questions using a blue or black pen.

@ Credit will be given for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar

º Budget your time wisely. You have one and a half hours to complete the exam.

@ When you finish, check your work carefully.

J Good luck!

PART I: Reading Comprehension (35 points)

Read the following passage and answer the questions.

The Urban Crisis

A One goal of many Americans and Europeans is to move out of a busy urban area such as New York City and London. They say that they want to escape from pollution and they want to get away from crime. They’re tired of the crowds of people each day on the mass-transit systems – buses, commuter trains, and subways. Or, if they have cars, they would like to avoid the traffic that they get into when they commute daily from their homes to their offices and back. These people believe that life would be better in the suburbs – the areas just outside the city – or even farther away, in the countryside.

B However, this dream of a better life may take various forms in different parts of the world. In some areas, there is a movement to the countryside; in contrast, millions of people are moving away from rural areas in other countries. In other words, in much of the world there is an exodus from the countryside to the cities. Therefore, the urban population in most developing countries is increasing very fast.

C There are several reasons for this enormous population growth. There is a general increase in the world population because modern medicine and new methods of food production allow adults to live longer and babies to survive. In Latin America, where seven out of ten people already live in cities, most future growth will be from this natural increase. But in many other countries millions of people are moving to urban areas because they must find work. There simply aren’t jobs in the countryside. Moreover, there isn’t enough good farmland for large families in rural areas. These problems are worsening, so more and more people are leaving their homes to find a better life in cities.

D Is life better in cities? Probably not. Many people find that the city of their dreams has become a nightmare. Population growth is causing unbelievable overcrowding. This overcrowding causes many serious problems: traffic, pollution, sickness, and crime. There isn’t enough water, transportation, or housing. There aren’t enough sewers. Perhaps most serious of all, there aren’t enough jobs. One-third to one-half of the people in many cities in developing nations cannot find work or can find only part-time jobs. Millions of these people are hungry, homeless, sick, and afraid. The crisis is worsening daily; this time danger and difficulty is becoming more horrible every day.

E The situation seems hopeless, but perhaps it isn’t as there seems to be a solution to the urban crisis. The answer to the problem is to provide jobs for the people in the places where they live, where they were born. Beijing, Cairo, New Delhi, and other urban centers are trying to create smaller cities, in the countryside, with jobs and housing. The hope is to slow the exodus of rural people to the already overcrowded cities.

1. Look back at the text “The Urban Crisis”. There are five paragraphs A-E.

From the list of headings below, choose the most suitable heading for each

paragraph. Write the appropriate numbers 1-5 next to each. (5 points – 1 point each)

List of Headings

1 Conditions in crowded cities

2 People who are moving to urban areas

3 Reasons for the increase in population in many urban areas

4 A possible solution

5 People who want to escape from the problems of cities

Paragraph A _____5_____

Paragraph B _____2_____

Paragraph C _____3_____

Paragraph D _____1_____

Paragraph E _____4_____

2. What is the main idea of the passage? Circle the letter. (2 points)

a. People everywhere want to move to cities.

b. There are many people who can’t find work in big cities.

c. The world population is growing fast because of modern medicine and new methods of food production.

d. Overpopulation is causing the beginning of a crisis, especially in cities in developing nations.

3. Topic sentence, reason, example. (12 points – 2 points each)

Read paragraph C again and answer the following questions:

a. Which is the topic sentence?

There are several reasons for this enormous population growth.

b. Which reason is supported by an example?

Of course, there is a general increase in the world population because modern

medicine and new methods of food production allow adults to live longer and babies

to survive.

c. What example does the author use to support the above reason?

In Latin America, where seven out of ten people already live in cities, most future growth will be from natural increase.

Now read paragraph E again and answer the following questions:

a. Which is the topic sentence?

The situation seems hopeless, but perhaps it isn’t as there seems to be a solution to

the urban crisis.

b. What reason does the author give to support his point of view?

The answer to the problem is to provide jobs for them where they live, where they were born.

c. What example does the author use?

Beijing, Cairo, New Delhi, and other urban centers are trying to create smaller cities, in the countryside, with jobs and housing.

4. Transitional expressions (8 points – 2 points each)

Look back at the reading and find four transitional expressions.

Write them on the lines.

and, or, however, in other words, therefore, but, moreover, so, in contrast.

5. Answer these questions about the passage. (8 points – 4 points each)

What are some problems of overpopulation?

Possible answers: traffic, pollution, sickness, crime, there isn’t enough water, transportation, or housing, there aren’t enough sewers, there aren’t enough jobs, people are hungry, homeless, sick, afraid.

What are some solutions of overpopulation?

To provide jobs for people where they live, where they were born.

PART II: Vocabulary (20 points)

1. Explain the following words / expressions as they are defined in the text (4 points – 2 points each)

(a) mass-transit systems:

buses, commuter trains, and subways

(b) suburbs

the areas just outside the city

2. Find a word in the passage for each definition below. (4 points – 1 point each)

(a) aim, intention (par. A) goal

(b) becoming bigger, rising (par. B) increasing

(d) bad, helpless (par. E) hopeless

3. Fill in each blank with the best word from the list below. (6 points – 1 point each)

adapt hierarchy values

infrastructure manners nomadic

a. Nomadic hunters and gatherers have a pure traditional economic system, in which economic decisions are based on customs, beliefs, and religion.

b. Values are people’s basic beliefs about what is right and wrong, important and unimportant.

c. When Kim moved here, she had to adapt to our customs.

d. Table manners are quite different in different countries. When I travel, in order to be polite, I pay attention to other people at the table and do as they do.

e. International businesses need to consider a country's economic infrastructure such as transportation, communications, and energy.

f. Mr. Tanner is my boss’s boss. I guess he is at the top of the office hierarchy.

4. Match the words to the definitions. Write the correct letters on the lines. (6 points – 1 point each)

c 1. acquaintance a. work

d 2. enterprise b. a person who buys goods or services

e 3. costly c. someone you know – but not a close friend

f 4. purchase d. business

b 5. customer e. expensive

a 6. labour f. to buy something

PART III: Reading and Writing (15 points)

Read the following information:

Helen Ioannou is a student at Cyprus University of Technology. She is studying Environmental Management in the Faculty of Geotechnical Sciences and Environmental Management.

Helen finished school in May and the following month she took the University entrance exams and got a place in CUT. She will be 19 years old on 15th November 2010. She used to live with her parents in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, but since September she has been living in Limassol. She lives in a block of flats, near the university at Komis Court, Fl. 11, 12 Athanasiou Diakhou Str, Limassol and her phone is 99392486. She does not have a computer at home, but she can use the computers at the university. Her email address is . Her father has promised her to buy her a laptop for her birthday.

Helen is very interested in the environment. At school, she won several competitions about the environment and she is currently trying to set up the university’s environment club. She has organized two meetings so far, with other students who are interested in the environment too. They have created leaflets that will inform the other students and they are trying to register members. Last weekend, she tried to attract more people by organising a three day trip to Akamas in Paphos.

The university fully supports this club and has asked everyone to offer help and some suggestions about how to organise the club. Helen thinks that the club should have a committee, with different students doing different things. Also, she believes that the teachers should get more involved, and help to raise money for the club’s activities.

Helen is available every Monday all day, Friday afternoon and Saturday all day to help at the club, but not on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday all day and Friday morning because she has classes.

The teachers have asked everyone who is interested in helping the club to complete an application form and to include the name of someone who can support their application. Helen has asked her English teacher, Ms Maria Georgiou, to do this for her. In order to make it easier for students to fill in the form, Helen has completed a form with her own details as an example.

Imagine you are Helen. Complete the following application form.

PART IV: Academic Writing (30 points)

Write an expository paragraph on the following topic:

What is one thing that multinational companies should understand about your culture if they want to be successful?

(for example, you could write about an element of Language, Religion, Customs, or Material Culture)

Write about 150 words

______