Exam aboutthe American Billionaire ;Charles Simonyi

V.I.P

Reading comprehension ( 12 marks )
1/ Tick ( √ ) the correct alternative ( 1 mark )
The textis : □ Narrative □ Expository □ Argumentative
2/ Pick out details from the text to justifythat these statements are false ( 4 marks )
a /()()() to his first paid trip, Simonyi was experienced enough to goon a second trip(paragraph1)
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b / The future of space market is doubtful ( paragraph 2 )
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c / Before his 2007 flight, Simonyi had no interest in going to space (paragraph3)
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d / The price of space flight has increased since Simonyi’s spaceflight achieved a big success(paragraph4 )
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3 / Circle the correct explanation of theunderlined expression( 1 marks )
“ an awe inspiring experience” ( paragraph 2 )
a / magnificent b/disappointing c / tiring
4 / Complete the following paragraph with wordsfrom paragraph3.One word in each blank(3marks )
Charles Simonyi paid more than $ 20 million to fly into space as a spacetourist charged of a ………………. Simonyi was considered the first touristexperiencing a private ……………………… twice . But this was hard for Simonyi as he …………………long before going on his second spaceflight.
6 / What do the underlined words in the textrefer to ( 2 marks )
è He ( paragraph 2) : ………………..
è That time ( paragraph 3 ) : ………………..
7 / Give a justified answer to the followingquestion ( 1 mark )
If you were Simonyi, would you miss Earth luxuries while enjoying aspaceflight? Why ? Why not?
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Language ( 6 marks )

1/ Put the words in the correct tense/form ( 3marks )
St. Valentine’s day is noted for roses,but the holiday always reminds me that my wife’s favorite flower is the tulip.As a gift last spring, I ( take ) …………………. my wife to one of my favorite Canadian cities, Ottawa, which ( host )…………………. an annual Tulip Festival thatshowcases both the city and this wonderful flower. The eighteen day festivaleach May has become the (large) …………………. Tulip Festival in the world, hostingthousands of tourists viewing millions of tulips spread throughout the city.The event which ( grow ) …………………. in scope,and features musical concerts, ( compete ) …………………. and a formal tulip ball. The amazing variety of colors of thetulips encourages any visitor to experience the rest of the things this cityhas to offer. Ottawa serves as the national capital and contains the officialbuildings. You can take a scenic walk across the Alexandra Bridge and visit theCanadian Museum which includes an IMAX theatre. In all, Ottawa provides acompact and multicultural experience ( easy ) …………………. explored in a long weekend.
2/ Fill inthe blanks with 6 words from the list ( 3 marks )

for / extremely / houses /show / remarkable / exhibitions / with / schedule

I believe that the Vancouver ArtGallery has a responsibility to reflect the wealth of the city. The Gallerystands in the centre of the city and it serves as a portal for the artists’ …………………. achievements while furthering British Columbia'sartistic legacy. The Gallery also …………………. themagnificent works of significant historical artists, including the mostextensive collection of the work of Canada's beloved Emily Carr. The VancouverArt Gallery’s 2009 exhibition …………………. is one of the most ambitious in theinstitution’s history. This year the Gallery will open its doors to solo …………………. by internationally renowned artists from Canada and around the world.The Gallery is also …………………. proud to be the only international presenter of the Golden Age of DutchArt: Masterpieces from the Rijksmuseumwhich are a landmark exhibition of 17th century Dutch masterworksorganized by the Vancouver Art Gallery in collaboration …………………. the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Writing : ( 12 marks)
1. Guided Writing ( 4 marks)
As a guide, the hotel where you work is organizing a long-day walking tour of Hammamet,the Port and Medina. Use the following hints to tell a group of tourists aboutthe tour in a four - line paragraph:
-Departure :9 :00 am, in front of the hotel.
-Morning :Dar Sebastian / attend a cultural show of your choice.
-Lunch :Pirates Restaurant (on board).
-AfterLunch : visit Medina (shopping) ; Carthage Land(amusement).
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2. Letter: ( 8 marks)
You have just returned from a holiday organizedby « Easyjet Holidays ». Since you are very satisfied with yourholiday, you decided to write a letter to your friend to speak about thequality of the service and the facilities available and to advise him to take apackage holiday with the same travel agency.
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Grading : content : …/2 coherence : …/1 fluency : …/1 grammar& vocab : …./2 sp & pun: …/2

The text
1/ WASHINGTON - American billionaire Charles Simonyi, a computer softwareexecutive who paid more than $20 million to fly to the International SpaceStation aboard a Russian-built Soyuz capsule in spring 2007, will train for asecond Soyuz trip to the space station in spring 2009.
2/ Virginia -based Space Adventures announced Tuesday that Simonyi will be thefirst repeat customer since the company began organizing space missions forprivate citizens in 2001.
Thecompany's sixth customer, Richard Garriott, son of NASA astronaut OwenGarriott, is scheduled to launch to the space station Oct. 12. Heis paying about $30 million under an agreement between Russia's Federal SpaceAgency and Space Adventures.
"Havinga repeat orbital client demonstrates to the world that participating in a spacemission is truly an awe-inspiring experience," EricAnderson, president and chief executive of Space Adventures, said in a Tuesdaystatement. "It is also an excellent example that the marketplace is evenlarger than previously anticipated because of the potential occurrence ofclients who fly on multiple occasions."
3/ A native of Hungary, Simonyi trained for six months before his 13-day missionto the International Space Station in April 2007. The flight set a world recordfor the longest privately paid human spaceflight. Reaching space was a lifelongdream, he said at that time, adding that he had representedHungary as a Junior Astronaut during a trip to Moscow at age 13.
Duringthe mission, he answered hundreds of questions submitted to his Web site, and testedhigh-definition camera components. He also collected samples of microbes livingaboard the space station for a European Space Agency experiment. Swimming inthe weightless environment of space was extremely pleasant, though by the endof his spaceflight Simonyi said he was missing Earthly luxuries such as hotelsand hamburgers.4 / While Simonyi's paid between $20 million and$25 million for his first spaceflight, the cost of such trips to the spacestation has risen to no less than $30 million due to inflation and increasingcosts in recent years, Space Adventures officials have said.

Remark: The exam was found on the net.