Fresh Official Exam: The Mayan Civilisation

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الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية
وزارة التربية الوطنية
المفتشية العامة للبيداغوجيا
الموضوع رقم (01) لتحضير امتحان البكالوريا
الشعبة : : لغات أجنبية المادة :انجليزية

Part One: Reading (14 points)
A) Comprehension ( 7points)

Read the text carefully and do the activities

The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people whose achievements were many. They had farms, beautiful palaces, and cities with many buildings. The Mayan people knew a lot about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time, because they could use it to make their lives more comfortable and rewarding. Knowledge about tools and farming, for instance, made their work easier and more productive.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of corn, beans, and other crops around it. To clear the land for farms, the Maya cut down trees with stone axes. They planted seeds by digging holes in the ground with pointed sticks. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced food for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were cloth makers, builders, or priests.
The Maya believed in many gods. The people built large temples to honor the Mayan gods. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult for them to construct these cities, because they had no horses to carry the heavy stone they used to build with. Workers had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.
The Mayan priests studied the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets. They made a calendar from what they learned. The year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each with five days left over. The Mayan calendar was far more accurate than the European calendars of the time.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from an infectious disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. Archaeologists are still trying to find the lost secrets of the Maya. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.

1. Are the following statements true or false? Write ‘T’ or ‘F’next to the letter corresponding to the statement.
a) The Maya used pointed sticks to dig holes.
b) The Maya used horses to carry the heavy stone.
c) The Mayan temples are damaged.
d) The Mayan year is composed of 18 months.

2. In which paragraph is it mentioned that the Maya practised other jobs than farming?

3. What or who do the underlined words in the text refer to?
a) it (§1) b) themselves (§3) c) They (§4) d) They (§5)

4. Answer the following questions according to the text.
a) Did the Maya live in Mexico before the 1500s?
b) What made the Maya work easier and more productive?
c) What did the Maya use to cut down trees?
d) According to the text, why did the Maya leave their villages?

4. Give a title to the text.

b) Text Exploration (7points)

1. Find in the text words closest in meaning to the following:
a) successes (§1) b) many (§2) c) to build (§3) d) precise (§4)

2. Which nouns can be derived from the following words?
a) beautiful b) to divide c) great d)to grow

3. Complete sentence (b) so that it means the same as sentence (a).
1. a)The Mayan priests used to live in cities while the other people lived in small villages.
b) Unlike…………………………………………………………
2. a) Workers had to carry all of the building materials themselves.
b) All of the building materials …………………………………. .
3. a) He wanted to know why the Maya had left their villages.
b) He wanted to know, “…………………………………?”
4. a) Life in Mayan Civilization was so fascinating that I want to live that period.
b) I wish I ………………………………………………….

4. Underline the stressed syllable in the following words?
economics - civilization - culture - achievements

5. Fill in the gaps with four words from the list below.
done - rapid -civilization - learn - decline - culture
Why did this great civilization fall? The history of humankind has been marked by patterns of growth and ......... . Some declines have been gradual, occurring over centuries. Others have been ........., occurring over the course of a few years. War, drought, natural disaster, disease, overpopulation, and economic disruption: any of these can bring about the collapse of a ............. . Internal causes can combine with external causes to bring about a collapse. What does this mean for modern civilizations? What can we .......... from the past?

Part Two: Written Expression(6 points)

Choose ONE of the following topics:
Either Topic 1: Using the following notes, write a composition of about 100 words on the Phoenician Civilization.
- Origin: Jordan / Moved to Phoenicia / Lebanon
- Nomadic life at first / Became skilful sailors and traders
- Started trade with Egypt and Syria /Expanded to the Mediterranean basin / built cities in North Africa (like Carthage and Icosium)/ spread knowledge and inventions...
-

Or Topic 2: Write a composition of about 100 words on the following topic:
In addition to the Mayan and Phoenician Civilizations, which other civilization do you know best? The following questions might help you.
What’s its name? / Where did it start? / Where was it established? / Who were its famous rulers?
What was it famous for? / Why and when did it decline?

Head of the Forum

Thank you a bunch , Sir!