الفرض الأول في اللغة الإنجليزية للفصل الأول، السنة الرابعة متوسط
المدة: 1 hour المحاور: Ancient civilizations (Timgad, Djémila and other historical sites), Past simple and past continuous, Passive voice (present simple and past simple), Used to for past habits, Linking words: because, so, although, Wh-questions, Pronunciation of the -ed ending, Writing an informal email about a historical site
Part One: Reading Comprehension (8 marks)
Text: Timgad, a City in Stone
Timgad, or Thamugadi, is one of the most famous Roman cities in Algeria. It lies in the Aurès mountains, near the city of Batna. The Emperor Trajan founded it around 100 AD for retired soldiers. The city was planned like a chessboard: the streets were straight and crossed each other at right angles.
The inhabitants used to enjoy a comfortable life. They went to a theatre which could hold about 3,500 spectators, they read books in a public library and they relaxed in large baths. Sadly, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the city was slowly covered with sand and was forgotten for centuries.
In the 19th century, archaeologists started to uncover the ruins and to restore them. In 1982, UNESCO added Timgad to its World Heritage List. Today, thousands of tourists visit it every year. Although it is very old, it teaches us a lot about the life of ancient people.
Activity One (2 marks)
Say whether the statements are True or False, then justify your answer with a phrase from the text.
a. Timgad is a city on the Algerian coast.
b. Trajan founded Timgad for retired soldiers.
c. The streets of Timgad were curved.
d. Timgad has always been famous.
Activity Two (3 marks)
Answer the questions with full sentences.
a. Where is Timgad?
b. Where did the inhabitants read books?
c. What happened to the city after the fall of the Roman Empire?
Activity Three (2 marks)
Find in the text words or expressions that mean:
a. the old remains of buildings = ……………
b. people who stopped working because of their age = ……………
c. scientists who study the past by digging = ……………
d. to bring something old back to its original state = ……………
Activity Four (1 mark)
Who or what do the words in bold refer to? Write the answer.
a. "The Emperor Trajan founded it around 100 AD for retired soldiers."
b. "They went to a theatre which could hold about 3,500 spectators."
الحل وسلم التنقيط
Activity One (2 marks: 0.25 for True/False + 0.25 for the justification, for each statement)
a. False – "It lies in the Aurès mountains, near the city of Batna." (0.5)
b. True – "The Emperor Trajan founded it around 100 AD for retired soldiers." (0.5)
c. False – "the streets were straight and crossed each other at right angles." (0.5)
d. False – "the city was slowly covered with sand and was forgotten for centuries." (0.5)
Activity Two (3 marks: 1 mark each. 0.5 for the correct idea, 0.5 for a correct full sentence)
a. Timgad is in the Aurès mountains, near the city of Batna. (1)
b. The inhabitants read books in a public library. (1)
c. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city was slowly covered with sand and was forgotten for centuries. (1)
Activity Three (2 marks: 0.5 each)
a. ruins (0.5)
b. retired (soldiers) (0.5)
c. archaeologists (0.5)
d. restore (0.5)
Activity Four (1 mark: 0.5 each)
a. "it" refers to Timgad (the city). (0.5)
b. "They" refers to the inhabitants (of Timgad). (0.5)
Part Two: Mastery of Language (7 marks)
Exercise One (2 marks)
Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form (past simple, past continuous, passive or used to).
a. The Great Pyramids ……………… (build) by the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago.
b. When the tourists arrived, the guide ……………… (talk) about the theatre.
c. My grandfather ……………… (live) in a small village, but now he lives in Algiers.
d. Last summer, we ……………… (visit) Djémila with our school.
Exercise Two (1.5 marks)
Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice.
a. The Romans built the theatre.
b. Archaeologists discovered many statues.
c. Tourists visit the museum every day.
Exercise Three (1.5 marks)
Join each pair of sentences with the word in brackets.
a. The road was closed. We visited the site. (although)
b. We took a guide. We wanted to learn more about the city. (because)
c. It was raining. We stayed in the museum. (so)
Exercise Four (1 mark)
Ask questions about the words in bold.
a. Trajan founded Timgad around 100 AD.
b. The inhabitants relaxed in large baths.
Exercise Five (1 mark)
Classify these verbs according to the pronunciation of the -ed ending: /t/, /d/ or /ɪd/.
visited – discovered – watched – planned
| /t/ | /d/ | /ɪd/ |
|---|---|---|
الحل وسلم التنقيط
Exercise One (2 marks: 0.5 each)
a. were built (0.5)
b. was talking (0.5)
c. used to live (also accept: lived) (0.5)
d. visited (0.5)
Exercise Two (1.5 marks: 0.5 each. 0.25 for the correct form of be and the past participle, 0.25 for the correct word order and by)
a. The theatre was built by the Romans. (0.5)
b. Many statues were discovered by archaeologists. (0.5)
c. The museum is visited by tourists every day. (0.5)
Exercise Three (1.5 marks: 0.5 each)
a. Although the road was closed, we visited the site. (or: We visited the site although the road was closed.) (0.5)
b. We took a guide because we wanted to learn more about the city. (0.5)
c. It was raining, so we stayed in the museum. (0.5)
Exercise Four (1 mark: 0.5 each)
a. When did Trajan found Timgad? (0.5)
b. Where did the inhabitants relax? (0.5)
Exercise Five (1 mark: 0.25 each)
| /t/ | /d/ | /ɪd/ |
|---|---|---|
| watched (0.25) | discovered (0.25), planned (0.25) | visited (0.25) |
Part Three: Written Expression (5 marks)
Your English penpal, Tom, wants to know about historical places in Algeria. Write him an email of about 80 to 100 words about the Roman city of Djémila. Use the notes below and write full sentences.
| Notes about Djémila |
|---|
| Location: near Sétif, in the mountains |
| Old name: Cuicul; built by the Romans in the 1st century AD |
| Buildings: theatre, temples, a forum, a market, houses with mosaics |
| 1982: added to the UNESCO World Heritage List |
| Your visit: last spring, with your family; you took photos; you loved it |
Start with "Dear Tom," and finish with your name (for example Yacine or Amina).
الحل وسلم التنقيط
Model answer
Dear Tom,
Thank you for your message. You asked me about historical places in Algeria, so I am going to tell you about Djémila. It is an old Roman city near Sétif, in the mountains. Its old name was Cuicul, and the Romans built it in the 1st century AD. There are many monuments: a theatre, temples, a forum, a market and houses with beautiful mosaics. In 1982, UNESCO added Djémila to its World Heritage List.
Last spring, I visited it with my family. We walked among the ruins and I took a lot of photos. I loved the place! You must come and see it one day.
Best wishes,
Yacine
Marking criteria (5 marks)
- Relevance and use of the notes (all the notes are used, the task is respected, the length is about 80–100 words): 1.5
- Layout and coherence (greeting, an organised body, closing, use of linkers such as so, and): 1
- Correct language (past simple for the visit and the history, passive or present simple for the description, correct sentences): 1.5
- Spelling, punctuation and capital letters, handwriting: 1
Accept any other correct and well-organised answer.