Name :………………………………….

MOCK EXAM : ENGLISH Class :……………..

Timing: 2 hours

Final mark : Academic year : 2010- 2011

My experience with culture shock came to an abortive end when I returned

prematurely homesick from a year in Italy. I had never heard of culture shock. All I knew was
that I was unhappy and wanted to go home. That was twenty years ago, and since then,
culture shock has become an important field of study. It is now understood that any normal
person, finding him or hers elf for an extended time in a new culture, is in for trouble.
After all, our ideas on how to behave were formed in our early years. Nobody
explained that we were learning standards applicable only in our own culture, that across the
border, things were done differently. We were taught that we were learning how to do things
right. Consequently, when we turn up in a foreign land, the ways of others look simply wrong.
The process of “culture shock” is now recognized as so predictable that its various
stages have been codified. The first is the honeymoon stage, familiar to those of us who love
to travel, but never stay in one place long enough to find out what follows. The new country
and its people seem delightful. Everything is so different and charming, the people so nice,
the costumes so interesting.
Then the bloom comes off the rose. Now the people start to look shallow, selfish, and
stupid. The different ways of doing things don’t seem to be interesting any more – just
wearing. You start to feel tired all the time. Culture shock has set in. This response could not
be more natural. You are surrounded by people who grew up absorbing this culture. Even if
you speak the language, you simply cannot understand the way people behave. You have lost
a part of your identity, that self, who back at home, was confident.
The emotional response to culture shock can be extreme. Confusion, anxiety, and
resentment can all enter to varying degrees. You may become physically ill. Little things
seem terribly annoying. A perceived insult reduces you to tears. At this point, many
foreigners are tempted to retreat to sub-communities of foreigners. They can be of great
comfort, but also a danger, and may reinforce your negative feeling about the host country
and its people who will remain ever-strange to you. The shock may wear off, but you are still
uncomfortable and homesick.
The happier resolution is to move on to the next stage. The old hands among your
countrymen reassure you that they once felt as you do now. Rather than listing what is wrong
with the host people, you remind yourself that “right” and “wrong” are not meaningful terms
in cultural matters. Instead, try to keep an open mind, take time to learn about the host people
and mix with them. It is important at this stage not to stay at home and feel sorry for yourself.
Within six months or a year of arrival -longer for some people- you should be
moving into acceptance. At this point, you simply don’t think any more about the peculiarities
of the host people. You accept them as individuals. You have started to feel at home; you
know how to do things. You have not rejected your own culture, but the new ways have
settled upon you. You feel optimistic about your future.
I-Comprehension: (15pts)

A- Of the three alternatives suggested, only one is correct. Circle it: (2pts)
1. The text is about:
a)- the advantages of studying in a foreign country
b)- the experience that some people face when living in a foreign country
c)- the prejudices natives have against the foreigners living in their country
2. Living in sub-communities may:
a)- widen the gap between foreign residents and the natives.
b)- Improve your social status.
c)- Promote good relationship between natives and the foreign residents.
B- Are these sentences true or false? Justify: (4pts)
1. The writer had to shorten his stay in Italy……………………………………………….....
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….......
2. The first sign of culture shock is shown through lack of energy…………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….......
3. Knowing the language of the host country means understanding people’s attitudes…….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….......
4. Adaptation to another culture takes more time for some foreigners…………………….....
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………........

C- Complete the following sentence: (1pts)

1. Research has shown that any new resident in a foreign country is likely to…………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………………………...

D- Answer these questions: (2pts)

1. What is the best way to understand the host country’s culture? ……………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. What does the writer mean by “the bloom comes off the rose”? (Explain its explicit and
implicit meanings)…………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

E- Pick out from the text sentences or expressions which show that: (3pts)
1. Foreign residents make negative judgements about the host people’s behaviour.............
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. The writer associates the beginning of the stay in a foreign country with a wedding……….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Life becomes tasteless during the second stage of culture shock…………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

F- Find in the text words meaning the same as: (3pts)

1. Expected: (parag. 3) ……………………… 2. Superficial: (parag. 4)…………………...
3. Strange: (parag. 7)…….......................
II- LANGUAGE: (15 pts)

A- Give the correct and the form of modals in the following sentences: (1, 5 pt)
1. I………………….to meet you in London next Saturday.
2. Sorry, but I…………………………to look for the flight to Paris you wanted.
3. He…………………….to be home early so he drove along the coast road.
B- Rewrite the following sentences as suggested: (3 pts)
1. It is believed that the problem of litter is getting worse.
The problem of litter……………………………………………………………………………
2. Many countries sent letters of indignation to Egypt.
Letters of indignation……………………………………………………………………………
3. They had served dinner to the guest before the newly married couple arrived.
Dinner……………………………………………………………………………………………
C- Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form: (1, 5 pt)
1. At the end of next week, the minister (finish)………………..his negotiations with all the
political parties.
2. When I got to the office, Michael wasn’t there.
He (just /leave)………………………………………
3. The children looked very tired. They (watch)………………….the cartoons for more than
two hours.
E- Use gerund or infinitive in the following sentences: (1, 5 pt)
1. We are considering (to go)……………….to see that new play at the theatre next week.
2. They refused (to give)……………………us our money back even though the show was
cancelled.
3. I suggested (to take) ………………………. the children to the circus on Saturday
afternoon.
F- Match the sentences with the appropriate expressions: (2 pts)

1. Would mind sending me more information about that A- Expressing back of

university? understanding.
2. I beg your pardon? B- Asking for clarification
3. Certainly, I’ll send you the information you need C- Making a request
soon. D- Responding to request
4. Teacher! Please, I can’t get that idea.

G- Choose the right answer from the list given: (1, 5 pt)

Because- Thanks to- Consequently- Moreover- However- In addition- whereas

1…………………….an environmental association, our neighborhood has became a model of

cleanness.
2. We have heard of global warning for more than three years………………….nothing
serious has been done so far.
3. Avoiding eye contact in front of our elders is sign of respect in our
culture;………………….in other cultures it is a sign of indifference.
H- Rewrite the words between brackets by adding the right prefix o suffix: (4 pt)
1. An (war)………………. Campaign has taken place in Washington.
2. Officials know that such policy has (predict)………………… consequences.
3. The fans of the visitors team (number)…………………….. the fans of our team.
4. According t a (rely)……………………..source of information, thousands of demonstrators
took the streets to deter government from raising taxes.
III- Writing: (10 pts)
Choose one topic and write an essay:
Topic1:
The changes in the Moudouwana are to set solutions for the conflicts within the Moroccan
family.
Write are article for your school magazine in which you talk about people’s reaction towards
these improvements and how you see women’s future in the Moroccan society.
Topic2:
After you finish you studies and you get you diploma would you like to work in your country
or in another country?
Write an essay stating your preference and giving reasons for your choice.
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