LYCEE……………………………….

School year: 2013-2014

CLASSES:3M/TM/GE/Sc.Exp.) Duration: …………
3AS ENGLISH EXAM ‫للشعب العلمية و التقنية‬
Part One: Reading (15points )
Read the text carefully then do the activities.

Text: Asteroids

In our solar system today there are over 30 000 asteroids flying around in all directions colliding with
other asteroids and planets not caring about the destruction they might convey. Our planet Earth is caught right
in the middle of all of this action and is liable to entire extinction of any life forms on the planet if a large
enough asteroid crosses its path. Any one single asteroid has the possibility to erase thousands of years of
history and wipeout the human race as we know it.

Asteroids are large or small chunks of rock and metal flying around space up to speeds of 80 000 km/h.
These chunks were believed to have formed millions of years ago during the "big bang". These rocks didn’t
form any planets and were stuck floating around space on their own or in the gravitation of the asteroid belt.
This belt is approximately 300 million miles from the Sun and it contains thousands of asteroids some being
miles in diameter. Another theory of the formation of asteroids is that a planet between Mars and Jupiter once
existed and after many years it exploded into thousands of pieces that are still revolving around the sun in the
form of an asteroid belt. Other asteroids are formed when large meteors collide with large asteroids creating
more small ones. These meteors can also collide with planets breaking off chunks of the crust into space. Ceres
is believed to be the biggest asteroid that was in space at one point in time. Ceres was believed to be 600 miles
wide making up 1/3 of the total mass of all asteroids. It was the first asteroid discovered and was found in
1801. (-- from:www.goldenessays.com)

A)-Comprehension (08points)
1- Circle the letter that corresponds to the right answer:
The text is: a)- descriptive b)- argumentative c)- narrative
2-Write the letter which corresponds to the right answer.
A. Asteroids are……………………………….
a. great masses of Helium gas.
b. chunky and metallic space objects.
c. the coldest areas on the moon.
B. The largest asteroid can go beyond……………….in diameter.
a. 10000 miles.
b. 550 miles.
c. 3 million light years.
C. Asteroids are floating …………………………….
a. around the planet Neptune.
b. in Venus gravitational field.
c. in a sphere called “asteroid belt”.
3- True or False according to the text?
a)-The planet Earth is caught in a sphere where other asteroids and planets are flying. (………)
b)-Any impact with a large asteroid may be disastrous for the planet Earth and its inhabitants. (……..)
c)- Ceres is the biggest asteroid ever discovered by astronomers in 1801. (………)
d)-Small asteroids are formed when meteors collide with the moon. (……….)
4-Answer the following question according to the text:
a)- What are asteroids?
b)- Is Ceres a meteor?
c)-How do large asteroids represent a menace for Earth’s inhabitants?
5-Who or what do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a. they (§ 1)=……………. b. its (§1)=……………… c. it (§2)=…………… d. it(§2)=………….
B)-TEXT EXPLORATION: (07points)
1-Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to the following :
a. hitting (§1)=……………… b. nearly (§2)=………………… c. rotating (§2)=……………….
2-Complete the chart as shown in the example :
Verb Noun Adjective
To invent Invention /inventor inventive
……………………………. .................................... exploratory
...................................... orbit …………………………….
To rotate ………………………………. ……………………………
…………………………… observation …………………………
3)- Ask questions which the underlined words answer.
Johannes Kepler used a powerful telescope in the 17th century.
1 2 3
3-Connect each pair of sentences using the connector in brackets. Make any necessary
changes :
a. Astrophysics studies the chemical and physical condition of heavenly bodies. Cosmology studies the
origin ,structure and nature of the universe. (whereas)
b. Some large meteors collide with large asteroids that’s why many small asteroids are formed. (therefore)
c. Meteors are celestial bodies. Asteroids are celestial bodies. (Both of )
4-Complete sentence (b) so that it means the same as sentence (a).
► a. I shall take many pictures providing that I participate in an exploratory space mission.
b. If……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
►a. The scientist said, “Ancient peoples noticed the regular movement of the Sun many years ago”.
b.The scientist said that…………………………………………………………………………………..
►a. “ Have you seen the solar eclipse ?”, my friend asked me.
b. My friend asked me…………………………………………………………..
4-Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of their final “s”:

Spaceships – collisions – asteroids – crosses – chunks - stars

/s/ /z/ /iz/

5-Fill in each gap with one word from the list below :
distant – from -- are -- supposition

The Expanding Universe theory is merely a……1……. by astronomers that all the galaxies in the universe
…….2……moving away from the earth. The more……3…… the galaxy the faster it’s moving away
…….4……us.
Part Two :Written Expression (05 points): Choose ONE of the following topics.
Write a composition of about 120-150 words on one of the following topics.

Topic one: You have been asked to write the text above about “ Asteroids” differently using your own style
and words . Try to answer the following questions in your composition.

--In which scientific branch we often read about “Asteroids” ?

--What are asteroids?
--What is their approximate number?
--Are they floating in a specific place?
--How are they formed?
--What is the biggest asteroid ever discovered by astronomers?
--Are they risky for the life of the human race?
(Note: Do not copy sentences as they are in the text)

Topic two: Surely you’ve been attracted by some kind of advertisement and you’ve bought the
product. Towards which type of advertisements you are more trustful? Justify by giving your personal reasons?

GOOD LUCK Teacher; Nourdine Bir