EPREUVE D'ANGLAIS - Durée : 1h30 I - STRUCTURE OF THE LANGUAGE AND VOCABULARY 1) "You are absolutely right ; I agree more !. (A) might (B) shan’t (C) couldn’t (D) won’t 2) She said Prince William should be next king of England. (A) the / Ø (B) the / a (C) a / the (D) Ø / the 3) In his speech the speaker didn’t concentrate on the negative points in case some people feel depressed. (A) might (B) were to (C) were able to (D) were capable of 4) Mary wanted to make Jennifer her mind. (A) changed (B) change (C) changing (D) to change 5) In England we are used to Guy Fawkes Day. (A) celebrating (B) celebrate (C) be celebrated (D) being celebrated 6) I will be pleased to answer your questions you need more information. (A) but (B) although (C) should (D) would 7) What all night to look such an awful wreck this morning ?. (A) have you been doing (B) have you done (C) did you do (D) would you have done 8) He had hang-ups about being tall guy. (A) so (B) a so (C) so a (D) such a 9) We shouldn’t rush ; we have time. (A) much (B) little (C) plenty of (D) some 10) World War II out 50 years . (A) broke / ago (B) has broken / ago (C) has been breaking / since (D) broke / since 11) What do you suggest ?. (A) us to do (B) for us to do (C) we do (D) we would do 12) Do you think he will ever be famous scientist ?. (A) the (B) a (C) Ø (D) any 13) I can’t with you ; you’re walking too fast !. (A) put up (B) look up (C) call up (D) keep up 14) Alan took her in his arms in order to her pain. (A) weaken (B) deaden (C) soothe (D) ease 15) You’d better add this up; I am not good at . (A) characters (B) summaries (C) figures (D) counters 16) They went to the fair although their parents hadn’t given them their . (A) consent (B) permit (C) grant (D) allowance 17) She pointed that the meeting should have started at 6 o’clock. (A) off (B) up (C) out (D) over 18) You can’t keep for the rest of your life !. (A) lying (B) laying (C) to lie (D) to lay 19) Nobody could find Jane in the morning : she was in bed. (A) rolled up (B) tucked up (C) wrapped (D) covered 20) After the party the whole room was . (A) topsy-turvy (B) silent (C) inside out (D) devastated 21) I can you that the parcel will be delivered by Monday. (A) assure (B) insure (C) confirm (D) insist 22) He is all he did it himself. (A) the prouder than (B) the proudest because (C) the proudest as (D) the prouder as 23) Congratulations passing your driving test. (A) for (B) on (C) with (D) to 24) We went on holiday together but I haven’t heard from them . (A) then (B) since (C) from now on (D) in the long run 25) The day will come when you sorry about it. (A) felt (B) are feeling (C) will feel (D) will be feeling 26) If you a rainbow in the sky after a storm, the weather nice the next day. (A) see / will be (B) saw / will be (C) would see / will be (D) should see / would be 27) Never seen such an evolution. (A) we are (B) we have (C) had we (D) are we 28) "What a pity Sheila didn’t come to the party last night !". "I am sure she to but she couldn’t !". (A) would have loved (B) should have loved (C) should love (D) would love 29) After the bomb exploded there were dead bodies everywhere ; it was a real . (A) fantasy (B) horror (C) nightmare (D) drudgery 30) Sam wished Anna so foolish as to believe it. (A) hasn’t been (B) hadn’t been (C) wasn’t being (D) wouldn’t be
2 II - EQUIVALENT EXPRESSIONS Find the word which is closest in meaning to the underlined one : 31) Henry VIII was a whimsical king. (A) capricious (B) moody (C) irritable (D) quick-tempered 32) By dint of hard work the Pilgrims managed to pay back the merchants who had advanced money for their enterprise. (A) thanks to (B) even with (C) with regard to (D) due to 33) Eventually, he was able to smile about it. (A) possibly (B) finally (C) now (D) actually 34) She was so shy that she couldn’t utter a word. (A) pronounce (B) tell (C) speak (D) say 35) Have you worked out the sum yet ?. (A) solved (B) planned (C) designed (D) calculated 36) This music conjures up our last holiday in Spain. (A) reminds (B) depicts (C) evokes (D) sums up 37) Americans have more maize in their diet than the French. (A) corn (B) flour (C) wheat (D) oats 38) They live in Dartmoor, well off the beaten track. (A) near sports facilities (B) in a beautiful place (C) in the suburbs of a city (D) in a remote place 39) Ted belongs to a mountain rescue team ; he is a brave man. (A) superior (B) courageous (C) tall (D) sympathetic 40) Peggy is a careful woman, she can’t have made that blunder. (A) absurdity (B) jargon (C) mistake (D) disbelief
III - IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND PROVERBS 41) If you hear : "Don’t move yours eyes or you’ll give the game away !". does that mean : (A) you’ll get more wrinkles (B) you’ll show you are giving up (C) you’ll reveal the secret (D) they’ll win the game 42) If you hear : "I think you’ll do very well if you mind your P’s and Q’s". do you understand : (A) if you are dressed well (B) if you "mind your own business" (C) if you don’t make any spelling mistakes (D) if you are polite 43) "Year in, year out he wastes money in casinos". does that mean : (A) every single year he goes to casinos (B) he can’t help losing money in casinos (C) once a year he wastes money in casinos (D) every other year he wastes money in casinos 44) "A watched pot never boils". means : (A) for a project to be successful you need time (B) water never boils if it is watched for a long time (C) you’ll never act if you think too much (D) time seems so long when you are waiting for something to happen 45) "We take most of what he says with a pinch of salt". means : (A) we analyse what he says because he is a liar (B) we accept what he says but with some reservations (C) we never believe what he says (D) we accept what he says because he is funny 46) "Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched". means : (A) don’t say things that you might regret afterwards (B) don’t take anything for granted until you are sure of it (C) don’t act foolishly without thinking first (D) don’t spend money before you get it IV - COMPREHENSION Fill in the gaps with the most suitable word : "Too many Americans have lost their way, their will and their sense of historic 47 . It is time for a new generation of leadership- new men to 48 new problems and new opportunities. I stand tonight facing west on what was 49 the last frontier. From the lands that stretch 3,000 miles behind me, the pioneers of old gave up their safety, their comfort and sometimes their lives to build a new world here in the West. They were not the captives of their own doubts, the prisoners of their own price tags. Their 50 was not "every man for himself" but "all for the common cause". They were determined to make that new world strong and free, to 51 its hazards and its hardships, to conquer the enemies that threatened 52 without and within. But I tell you the New Frontier is here, 53 we seek it or not. Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space,unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered pockets of ignorance and 54 , unanswered questions of poverty and surplus.
3 Can we carry through in an age where we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction-but also a race for the mastery of the sky and the rain, the oceans and the tides, the far side of space and the inside of men’s minds? Are we 55 to the task ?. Are we equal to the challenge ?. That is the question of the New Frontier. All mankind waits upon our decision. A whole world looks to see what we will do.We cannot 56 their trust ; we cannot fail to try". JOHN F. KENNEDY (Acceptance Address -July 15, 1960) 47) (A) faith (B) idea (C) purpose (D) dream 48) (A) support (B) cope with (C) stand out (D) supervise 49) (A) once (B) then (C) at last (D) now 50) (A) saying (B) motto (C) verse (D) device 51) (A) exceed (B) project (C) trespass (D) overcome 52) (A) from (B) but (C) for (D) and 53) (A) although (B) but (C) once (D) whether 54) (A) knowledge (B) pride (C) prejudice (D) truth 55) (A) up (B) with (C) ready (D) apt 56) (A) leave (B) deceive (C) disapoint (D) fail Read the following texts and for each of them choose the answer which you think best fits the text. Give only one answer per question. GERMAN FLOWER POWER "Fill your tank with sunlight,water and earth", proclaim the posters for 'bio-diesel'- an adapted form of rapeseed oil that can be used in cars. The blurb is designed to appeal to the consciences of Germany’s environmentally minded drivers. Will it catch on ?. Both greens and the energy industry would love to know. Bio-diesel’s fans note that it is a renewable source of energy and that exhaust emissions from cars using it are far lower than those from other cars. Bio-diesel is usually cheaper, too. But there are snags. Manufacturing bio-diesel can have nasty environmental side-effects. It is also much more expensive to produce than the conventional stuff ; only a tax break and other hidden subsidies make it competitive. Methanol in the fuel can dissolve some car’s gaskets and rubber hoses. Fitting more durable parts costs around DM500($323) per car. Worse, the exhaust fumes can be very smelly : 'like a mobile chip-fryer' says one expert. A catalyst solves the problem, but can cost DM2,000. All this explains why, even in green-minded Germany, bio-diesel accounts for less than 1% of the country’s annual diesel consumption of 26.2m tonnes (196.5m barrels), and none of the big filling-station chains offers it. This is changing. Many new cars and trucks now come ready-fitted for bio-diesel. The stuff is also easier to buy, thanks to independent filling-stations which find that they can attract new business by selling it. More customers are also becoming interested. For example, the new Reichstag building in Berlin will be heated with bio-diesel. And some taxis are switching to it in a bid to distinguish themselves from rivals. Ifo, an economic research institute, believes that bio-diesel production could reach 2m tonnes a year by 2010. That could tempt oil companies on to the bandwagon : Elf, a French oil firm, already has a joint venture distributing bio-diesel in Germany. For now, bio-diesel’s greatest fans are an un-ecological bunch. A tankful or two can help smoke-belching old bangers pass Germany’s tough tests on exhaust emissions -and save their owners thousands of D-marks in compulsory repairs. "After that we never see them again" says Berlin’s biggest bio-diesel dealer. THE ECONOMIST, 4.1.97 57) 'Blurb' (paragraph 1) refers to : (A) an advertising slogan (B) a new fuel for cars (C) an environmentally-minded driver (D) an energy source that can be recycled 58) Bio-diesel is not used by the majority of Germans as : (A) few garages stock it (B) cars may require special parts to be able to use it efficiently (C) producing it is technically difficult (D) its price is uncompetitive 59) Some taxis are interested in bio-diesel because : (A) it is the fuel of the future (B) 'green' German clients are interested in it (C) they want to be competitive (D) it can be used to insulate cars 60) 'That' (paragraph 5) refers to : (A) Elf’s joint venture (B) future predictions about bio-diesel production (C) the overall increase of interest in bio-diesel (D) the fact that the Reichstag building is to use bio-diesel for heating 61) At the moment bio-diesel is of most interest to : (A) major oil companies (B) environmentally-minded German drivers (C) people with mechanically deficient cars (D) its dealers AT YOUR SERVICE. Over the past ten years, according to government figures, the fastest-growing category of consumer spending has been domestic service. In 1985, Britons spent the equivalent of £1.45 billion today on all kinds of home help. Last year, this
4 had more than doubled to £3.89 billion ($6.1 billion). As a share of total household expenditure, domestic service rose from 0.4% to 0.9%. The growth in income inequality is, presumably, partly responsible. The services of those at the bottom of the pile are more affordable to those at the top than they used to be. Growing labour mobility probably has something to do with it: Britain is flooded with young foreigners short on skills but eager for work. And at the end of the age range, growing unemployment among older people means a supply of more mature, reliable types, who find it hard to get jobs in companies. The steady increase in the proportion of women working has also pushed up the demand. Over half of women with a child under ten now work. Compared with most other European countries, Britain’s state provides little non-school child-care, leaving parents to buy it for themselves. Recruitment agencies such as Hutchinsons Domestic Staff in London report a steady increase in demand at the top end of the servant range, save for a dip in the recession of the early 1990s. Hutchinsons provides live-in butlers, whose annual salary is about £18,000 and housekeepers, who earn about £16,000. But most of the rise in expenditure is not by the rich on old-fashioned, starched-collar service, but by middle-class, double-income families on part-time help. Child-minders, cleaners, gardeners, dog-walkers and a bustle of other helpers are taking over the domestic chores of Britain’s exhausted couples. Plenty of the work is arranged informally and wages paid in cash, so evading tax, but an increasing share of contracts go through agencies. Setting up an agency, has become easy since licencing requirements were abolished two years ago. Some established firms complain that deregulation has let in fly-by-night operations funnelling illegal immigrants into exploitative contracts. Certainly, there have been a few horrible cases of Filipino maids imprisoned by employers ; but most new agencies exemplify the steady professionalisation of domestic-service jobs that has already made a clean sweep of office clearing. THE ECONOMIST, 14.12.96 62) One of the reasons for increased expenditure on domestic service is : (A) the widening gap between rich and poor (B) older people find it difficult to get employment (C) domestic service is more affordable now (D) an overall increase in consumer spending 63) Young foreigners who come to Britain : (A) are keen to do domestic work as their qualifications are not recognised (B) are saturating the labour market (C) have more enthusiasm than experience (D) find employment more easily than their older counterparts 64) A "dip" (paragraph 5) means : (A) a period of no growth (B) a sudden rise (C) a slight decrease (D) a sharp decrease 65) A double-income family is : (A) a family with more than one part-time servant (B) a family that pays domestic staff double the normal wages to avoid tax (C) a family that owns a second home (D) a family that benefits from two salaries 66) A "fly-by-night operation" is : (A) an organisation which finds employment for immigrants (B) an organisation which arranges illegal flights for immigrants coming to Britain (C) an unlicensed organisation with unreliable business practices (D) a recruitment agency set up within the last two years TELEPHONUS INTERRUPTUS You pick up the telephone, dial the number and before it rings a cheerful voice says, "Hello ! this call is sponsored by..." We put up with commercials between songs on the radio. We’ve come to tolerate (maybe) TV ads that cut into movies just at the dramatic moment, or intrude on soccer matches right when a crucial play begins. In American football, referees even halt play for commercials. But how many people would be willing to have a phone-call repeatedly interrupted for "a brief word from our sponsor" ? Answer : plenty. That’s the verdict from Sweden, where an outfit called Gratistelefon is offering free, advertising-supported calls in a twomonth trial.Lines are overloaded. "We were afraid consumers would be annoyed by the breaks", says Peter Broden, the marketing director. They are not, it seems. A caller dials a toll-free number, then dials any other number in Sweden. The caller hears one10-second ad while the connection is made, another in a minute, and then one spot every three minutes. There’s no charge for as long as the caller-or the person called-wants to talk, or is willing to have a conversation punctuated by chirpy jingles. Not surprisingly, young people and students have been the biggest users in the test, which is being conducted in the cities of Lund, in the country’s southern tip, and in Norrkoping,southwest of Stockolm. But giveaways know no age barrier, says Broden. "We were a bit amazed,but we’re getting lots of middle-aged and older people. For them it’s no bother". He wouldn’t confirm published reports that the system is getting 30,000 callers a day, but did say it is so popular that on some evenings the circuits are jammed.
5 And what’s in it for advertisers in this brave new medium ? Each ad has a very small-but equally captive-audience. "because the ad is only 10 seconds long and your friend is waiting on the line, you can’t really go to the bathroom", says Broden. "It’s very cost-efficient". A handful of organizations,including a movie theater chain,a radio station, a snacks company and a charity, are already running ads, which cost about 13 cents per spot,and dozens more have expressed interest. Although Sweden’s telephone market has been competitive for some time, long-distance chargesespecially day-rates- can still be high. Gratistelefon leases capacity from other telephone operators at bulk rates, hoping to make its profits by charging advertisers for privilege of the chance to reach what must be the world’s most narrowly targeted audience. For now, anyone in the two cities can make free calls, but Gratistelefon has bigger, not to mention Big Brother-like plans. Future customers will have to provide a telephone number and all-important demographic data-age, sex, marital status, address and so on. Then, different callers might hear different ads, tailored to the advertisers’ needs. There’s even the technology to play separate ads to each person on the line-the caller from the rural north might hear a pickup truck pitch, while the recipient in Stockholm could listen to one for a local restaurant. The company plans to extend the service nationwide in Sweden in the next few months, and it has been deluged by inquiries from other countries. If the (READ TIME !) idea catches on and (READ TIME !) consumers elsewhere prove tolerant (READ TIME !) of such interruptions, who knows where it may lead ?. TIME, FEBRUARY, 3, 1997
6 67) Advertising-supported calls are : (A) free (B) free except for a small connection toll (C) free for the first two-month subscription (D) free until the caller decides to stop listening to the advertisement 68) Advertising-supported calls have proved to be : (A) not particularly popular(B) quite popular (C) popular only with young people (D) extremely popular 69) Those people using the service can make calls : (A) anywhere in the world (B) anywhere in Sweden (C) anywhere in Lund or Norrkoping (D) only between Lund and Norrkoping 70) Advertisers are currently interested in the project because : (A) it is a good way to reach young consumers (B) it is cheaper than advertising through conventional media such as TV and radio (C) they can be sure that target consumers will hear their advertisement (D) they can choose advertisements to suit individual consumers 71) The main aim of this text is : (A) to persuade the reader of the benefit of advertising-supported calls (B) to amuse the reader (C) to criticize advertising-supported calls (D) to inform the reader about advertising-supported calls.
RAPPORT DE JURY Mêmes observations que pour la partie obligatoire : à savoir, bonne préparation grammaticale en général et nettement moins bonne pour le vocabulaire, particulièrement sensible dans la partie du concours intitulée "Equivalent Expressions" où l'on note de nombreuses abstentions, ainsi que dans la partie "Idiomatic Expressions and Proverbs". Il serait pourtant conseillé de retenir quelques expressions idiomatiques et quelques proverbes des plus courants. Quant à la partie intitulée "Compréhension", rien à relever de particulier. Les réponses sont nombreuses et assez bonnes dans l'ensemble. Il faut cependant noter qu'un entraînement plus intense au "texte à trous" aiderait davantage les candidats qui ne semblent pas très à l'aise avec ce genre d'épreuve.
