Unit 4:

Translations and essay titles

Updated: March 2013

Try and complete as many translations and essays before the exam as possible.
Pass them on to CW or GF for marking.

Poynton High School


Section A - Translation
Try and complete as many translations as possible before the exam.
1. I come to the Glnans every year with my brother. This year, we took a windsurfing course. It
was great because we learned something new every time we were going in the sea. The teachers
had a lot of experience, they knew how to teach the basic techniques and make you feel confident.
Every morning, when I put my wetsuit on, I used to smile as I knew that I was lucky to be on the
course. My brother and I both think that it was an unbelievable experience.

2. You have to be more careful about what you what when you are young. You can eat meat, but
you must eat less fatty meat, like chicken. You must eat lots of fruit and vegetables every day, too.
You mustnt drink alcohol in order to impress your friends. You can drink something non-alcoholic
like cola, or water. If you smoke a lot of cannabis, it can have harmful effects. You can have
memory problem, difficulty concentrating, or suffer from depression.

3. Since a young age, my sister and I have wanted to own a restaurant but when we were at school,
our parents used to say: first, you must gain some experience. Therefore, we had to find small
jobs in the kitchens of a restaurant. After her A-Level, my sister trained as a chef, whereas I studied
business at university. Three years later, I saw an ad in the newspaper and we both got a job as
apprentice chef and manager. Thanks to the financial help from our parents, we were able to buy
the restaurant from the owners who had been the victims of a fire. The restaurant is very successful
and last year, we bought a second restaurant.


4. Whats important to me on holiday is relaxation. Normally we go to the seaside, in Spain, with my
family. I like to get up late, then I relax on the beach, we sunbathe, sometimes I swim a bit. When
Im on holiday I prefer to rest as much as possible. I remember once, when we went to Italy, we
visited a lot of monuments and we walked a lot. At the end of the day, I fell and I hurt my foot.
Moreover, Im not interested in history, so I got irritated.

5. In the future many things will be better. As far as health is concerned, we will be able to cure
serious illnesses like cancer and AIDS. Moreover, we will improve the education of people in the
developing world so they will have more opportunities. And thanks to the progress of technology,
more people will work from home. But in years to come there will be more unemployment. I will do
my best and try to find a well-paid job but it wont be easy. We will have to protect the environment
too; otherwise we will see more floods and hurricanes.

6. According to the research of the organisation Baromtre Jeunes de Mdiamtrie, the majority of
young people know about blogs. But girls are more attracted by blogs than boys. Three out of ten
young person aged 11-20 often use instant messaging, whereas the youngest tend to use the net to
chat. They connect to the net almost every day to do so.

7. Cannabis: worse than cigarettes
Smoking three joints is the equivalent of smoking a packet of cigarettes, with the same risks for the
heart or cancers. This is what shows the results of a test for the magazine 60 millions de
consommateurs. Cannabis is the illegal drug the most consumed in France and makes people
inhale seven times more tar and carbon monoxide than cigarettes.

8. In the world today, the concept of exclusive love, to stay faithful to only one partner for your
whole life isnt the norm anymore. En France, about one marriage out of two ends in divorce and the
number of people getting married decreases every year. However, teenagers claim they still believe
in love. Even if they dont all want to get married, the majority hope to find a partner for life. This
seems to coincide with the figures according to which one in ten couples, around 5 million French,
prefer living together to marriage.

9. In the 21
st
century, people want to live as much as possible without going out of home. They take
the lift instead of the stairs, the bus or the car instead of walking or riding a bike everywhere. You
can even do your shopping sat in front of your computer. The situation is even more worrying that it
is now recommended that people do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. You must add to this at
least one or two hours of sport a week. This is important if you want to avoid the problems of
obesity, diabetes and heart problems.


10. Too many children dont have breakfast before going to school; this is a factor that
contributes to obesity. If you dont have breakfast, you will tend to snack. If parents encouraged
their children to eat a bowl of cereals before they leave home, children would be less hungry during
the day.


11. My dad keeps on repeating: you must work at school, Talia. You must make a lot of effort
because you must go to university. I know he is right but I think some things should change at
school. First, we should have fewer lessons. Then, teachers should be more enthusiastic and make
their lessons more exciting. I think it is urgent that smaller groups are created so we can participate
more often. Finally, there should be a room where you can freely access the internet, another one
where you could listen to music or dance.


12. I am a boarder at my school. I study from 17.00 to 19.00. I work hard and quickly so I can
play table football after dinner. Although they put the lights out at 10.30, you can continue working,
provided that you arrange it with the supervisor. I like being a boarder. I am autonomous and,
although I dont often see my family, I dont feel lonely because I have made good friends there.


13. Last summer I went to Canada to discover more about Quebec. I wanted to find a summer
job and at the same time pay for my trip. I had to get a work permit at the Canadian embassy which
was a complicated process but I managed to obtain a temporary work authorisation. It allowed me
to work in a bar.


14. Holidays are good for your morale but they are not always good for the environment. The flux
of tourists in the countries of the south puts unnecessary pressure on resources such as water, the
management of rubbish, the use of energy and the landscape of magnificent natural sites.
Moreover, tourism and leisure activities create about 10% of the glasshouse effect gases. Around
three quarters of these are linked to transport between the home and the holiday destination. More
and more people try to be eco-tourists in France.


15. Daoudi would have never been so happy if he had not become a soldier. Like more and more
of his friends, he chose training that would offer a secure and interesting job. A growing number of
second-generation immigrants have avoided unemployment, especially in the Parisian suburbs, by
going into the Navy or the Air Force. Perhaps there are not too many who have made the same
choice as Daoudi. However, his experience has shown that many different trades exist in the army
for someone who wants to work hard.


16. Sample material 2008 (French)
I left school ten years ago and recently I tried to contact some school friends with whom I had spent
a lot of time when I was young. By using the Internet I discovered the addresses of two or three of
them. Last Friday we met in a restaurant and had a meal together. I learnt that they had all found a
good job and were living a comfortable life. If I had worked harder at school, perhaps I would have
had the same success.


17. June 2010 (French examination)
Although the situation is now different, it has never been easy to be an immigrant in a foreign
country. My grandparents came here soon after the war from one of our former colonies. When they
left the boat, they were immediately arrested. However, after a while the authorities realised that
they had the necessary documents and freed them. My grandfather found work in a factory and he
succeeded in learning the language but for his wife it was harder to become integrated into the local
community.

18. June 2010 (French examination)
Although the situation is now different, it has never been easy to be an immigrant in a
foreign country. My grandparents came here soon after the war from one of our former
colonies. When they left the boat, they were immediately arrested. However, after a while
the authorities realised that they had the necessary documents and freed them. My
grandfather found work in a factory and he succeeded in learning the language but for his wife it
was harder to become integrated into the local community

19. June 2011 (French examniation)
My son is at present in his last year at school and soon he will be going to university.
Provided he gets good marks in his exams, he is going to study medicine in London.
He has told us that he intends to share a flat with three friends. I hope he will be able to cope,
because he has never learnt to cook or do the housework. If he had gone to a boarding school,
perhaps he would have become more independent.


20. June 2012 (French examination)
After a very hard winter everyone is waiting impatiently for the arrival of spring. Because of the
dreadful conditions many people found it hard to get to work. Although young people, especially
those who live in the country, enjoyed themselves by playing in the snow, because their schools
had been shut, the elderly had great difficulties. They could not go out to buy provisions and often
they did not have enough money to heat their houses sufficiently. Lets hope that the summer will be
more pleasant.

From other languages:

21. EDEXCEL TEXTBOOK(Spanish)
Scientists are warning us that we must take urgent action to put global warming right before it is too
late. As a result, all over the world green groups are being set up. Political leaders in the west are
urging countries with growing economies, like India and China, to make drastic cuts in the
emissions of greenhouse gases. These countries say, however, that it is impossible for them to do
what the rich countries want and, in any case, it is not up to them alone to save the world from
disaster. Moreover, if they made the cuts that had been proposed this would affect their future
prosperity.

22. EDEXCEL TEXTBOOK(Spanish)
Probably few people foresaw what that the US government set up at the end of the seventies to
improve its army equipment would become, twenty years later, a technology that would become
popular with the civilian population. Without a doubt, the GPS navigation equipment, especially the
portable type, is today a technological product more and more in demand, comparable to MP3
players or LCD televisions. However, one of the most controversial aspects is the risk of

23. EDEXCEL TEXTBOOK(Spanish)
Advertisements often show a woman as unthinking beings, whose only interest in life is to give
pleasure to men. The advertising industry insults womens intelligence by portraying them as an
object of desire, prepared to be abused physically by men. Indeed, some companies lack subtlety
altogether: one which promotes the sale of cattle recently produced an advertisement that placed a
naked black woman next to a bull for breeding. The company was forced to withdraw the
advertisement when the press began to ask why blatant machismo of this kind was permitted.



24. Examination June 2010(Spanish)
I shall never forget my first experience of work in France. I had just finished my exams when I
received a letter from my uncle who has lived in France for five years. He was inviting me to spend
the summer with him. If I had been given permission to leave three weeks earlier, I would have
been able to take a cheap flight. However, I travelled by coach and then spent five weeks working in
my uncles business. I hope it may be possible to return next year.

25. Sample assessment material 2008 (Spanish)
When I was young I used to spend the summer holidays with my family here in England. I didnt
enjoy them. I got bored quickly and the weather was often cold. If wed been better off we could at
least have gone to a country with a warmer climate. Since I got a job everything has changed.
Three months ago I flew to Peru with some friends and we went up the mountains to Cuzco, the old
Inca capital. What a wonderful experience! I intend to return whenever I can.

26. June 2008(Spanish)
Obesity is a growing problem in many countries in the Western world. Not only can it cause a
variety of illnesses but it is also a major cause of deaths. The children of today generally spend too
much time sitting down watching T.V. or playing computer games.
According to many different bodies, if children ate more healthily they would not suffer from being
overweight later in life. It is essential that health organisations create a strategy that works for all.

27. June 2009(Spanish)
If we want to do more to protect the planet we must be prepared to pay higher taxes. It is also
important for us to realise that toxic emissions from vehicles are a major cause of the problem and it
is essential that renewable fuels be found to replace petrol before temperatures rise even more. At
the same time we need to adapt our lifestyle to save energy in the home as well as at work.

28. Old Specification January 2010(Spanish)
Unfortunately our present-day society creates noise. It is a growing environmental problem that
increasingly affects all the citizens of developed countries. During our daily lives we have to put up
with noisy surroundings. People want to enjoy themselves, but local residents deserve to live in
peace. Unless local authorities take positive measures to control noise pollution, there will be more
complaints and hostility. Whether we like it or not, society demands that we are all aware of others.



From Heinemann, Assessment materials:

29. Ah, the pleasure of reading a good book! Marie said to herself, as she looked at the
books before her in the town library. Recently she had spent a lot of time reading biographies of
famous people but now she felt that she would return to the classic novels. She particularly liked
stories in which the author studies the personalities of the characters and describes the society in
which they live. She found plays less interesting. She preferred to see them in the theatre or even
on television.

30. Do you like art? Miriam said to her friend Annie, after they had sat down at a table in the
caf at the Centre Pompidou. I have to admit that I find modern art strange, she replied. Whatever
the subject of the painting is, I never understand what the artist is trying to tell me. But I adore the
Impressionists. I love the way in which they paint the effects of light on water. In that case,
tomorrow we shall visit the Muse dOrsay. It is near our hotel.

31. It is surprising that in most modern cities you see so many homeless people. Often
accompanied by a dog, which also looks sad and abandoned, they sleep in the street, under a
bridge or by the side of a canal. Many of them are young but it seems they have neither hope nor
ambition and they live thanks to the food provided by charities. It is difficult to imagine why they
have chosen to leave their home and their family to lead such an uncomfortable life.

32. Although it is becoming more and more difficult to protect local traditions against the
uniformity of modern life, most governments encourage their citizens to preserve such traditions as
much as possible. Tourists have always wanted to see the traditional way of life and it is often for
the tourists that people prepare their regional specialities, put on their pretty costumes and take part
in activities which have not changed for centuries. If these traditions did not exist, many places
would be less interesting.

33. December 25
th
has always been a special time for our family. When we were young, the
whole house was decorated a week before and we would switch on the little coloured lights and
wonder what presents we were going to get. We were never disappointed. After getting up early on
Christmas Day, we went downstairs and found that the parcels had been placed under the tree.
Mine were on the left and my brothers on the right and there were always the same number of
presents for each of us.

34. When youre older, Michel, youll appreciate the importance of religion, his father had told
him, when he was about sixteen. If the young man had listened more attentively, perhaps he would
have made fewer errors later in his life. But Michel thought that religion caused wars and brought
misery to millions. Now, although he has not completely changed his opinion, he realises that
religion brings happiness to many people. His wife would like their children to have a greater
interest in religion but Michel allows them to decide for themselves.

35. The differences between the generations are very obvious in everything which concerns
modern technology. Young people easily accept all the changes which new gadgets bring to our
daily lives. Older people, however, are often afraid of these technological innovations. They think
that, if they bought something on the Internet, the details on their credit card would immediately be
stolen. Primary school pupils can use a computer with no difficulty but their parents and
grandparents cannot even send an e-mail or find information about transport or the price of a hotel
room.

36. Almost everyone is interested in sport, but many people think that professional sport has
become too commercialised. Footballers, golfers and tennis players all earn enormous sums of
money and large sporting events like the Olympic Games are very expensive for the countries in
which they take place. What is more, some sportsmen, for whom the desire to win is more important
than the pleasure of participating, have been accused of taking drugs to improve their chances of
succeeding. Cycling in particular has suffered because of these scandals.

37. During the Second World War many buildings had been destroyed in the countries most
affected. France, for example, needed workers to help to rebuild the houses and blocks of flats
which had disappeared and much of the work was done by immigrants who came from
neighbouring countries such as Italy, Spain and Portugal. Many of these foreigners decided to
remain in France and they did not have much difficulty integrating into society, because they had
the same culture and the same religion as the French.




Practice essays
Section B - Discursive Essay
There are 4 titles to chose from in the exam.
Rpondez en franais une des questions suivantes. crivez entre 240 et 270 mots.
(45 marks)

a) votre avis, les jeunes daujourdhui sont-ils obsds par des choses qui nont pas
dimportance, comme la musique pop et la mode? Justifiez votre rponse.

b) Pensez-vous que les organisations caritatives aient plus de responsabilits que le
gouvernement en ce qui concerne les dfavoriss? Expliquez votre rponse.

c) Le conflit des gnrations semble exister depuis toujours. votre avis, ce conflit entre les
jeunes et les gens plus gs est-il invitable? Expliquez votre rponse.

d) Devrait-on tre optimiste ou pessimiste en ce qui concerne lavenir? votre rponse.

e) Il est temps de contrler plus strictement limmigration dans les pays dvelopps. Jusqu
quel point partagez-vous cette opinion?

f) Les mtiers dont on a le plus besoin sont justement ceux qui ont une image dfavorable
parmi les jeunes. tes-vous daccord? Justifiez votre rponse.

g) Les habitudes alimentaires changent et ce nest pas forcment bon pour la sant. votre
avis, est-ce vrai? Expliquez votre rponse.
























Section C- Research-based essay
Try and complete as many essays as possible before the exam.
There are 4 titles to chose from in the exam (but only one for each topic).
Rpondez en franais une des questions suivantes. crivez entre 240 et 270 mots.
(45 marks)
tude historique
1. Quelles parties de la population franaise ont connu le plus grand nombre de problmes pendant
la priode que vous avez tudi? Jusqu quel point ont-elles russi surmonter ces problmes?
2. Dcrivez le point tournant pour la France dans la priode que vous avez tudie. Expliquez
limportance de ce point tournant.
3. Dcrivez le changement social le plus important en France dans la priode que vous avez
tudie. Pourquoi ce changement a-t-il eu lieu, votre avis, et quelles en ont t les
consquences pour la France?
4. Comparez deux personnes que vous avez tudies. Dans quelle mesure leur contribution
lHistoire est-elle diffrente/similaire votre avis?