Friday, October 5, 2012

November 2011 Mid-term exam


Name: ___________________________                             Group: ____     Section: ____



Faculty of Economics & Political Science

Cairo University

Readings in English

First Year – Arabic Section

Date: November 20th, 2011                                                Time: 1 Hour



First: Comprehension Passage                                          (4 marks)

          In 1940, the year Charles Edward Merrill founded the firm we now know as Merrill Lynch & Co., he was 54 years old and had already lived an extraordinarily productive and visible life. A poor boy from the backwaters of Florida, Merrill was forced to leave college by lack of funds, but he schemed his way to Wall Street and made himself wealthy by the time he was 31.

          He was the first investment banker to realize that chain stores would one day dominate retailing, and he got rich by underwriting (and often controlling) such future powerhouses as K Mart and Safeway Stores. He set up one of America's first wire houses — brokerage firms with branch offices in different cities connected to the main office by Teletype. 

Choose the correct answer:

1. Backwaters are:

a)     poor area                                                        c) rural areas

b)    places not influenced by new ideas                  d) places along bays

 

2. Underwriting means

a)     agreeing to                                                     c) protecting by insurance

b)     buying out                                                     d) joining with

 

3. Teletype was

a)     a computer printer                                          c) computer typewriting

b)    a typewriter that got its data over the telephone     d) the telegraph

 

4. Merrill was primarily

a)     an investment banker                                      c) a broker

b)     an underwriter                                               d) a partner



Second: Vocabulary                                                           (4 marks)

Choose the correct answer:

1.     The prices of houses and flats rose sharply last year.

a.     soured                         b. soared                           c. insulated

 

2.     They are keen to foster trading links with the West.

a.     inhibit                          b. initiate                          c. develop

 

3.     There wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim.

a.     a pillar                         b. a vestige                       c. an access

 

4.     Lower taxes would spur investment and help economic growth.

a.     Delay                          b. start                                c. encourage



Third: Terms                                                                     (6 marks)

Write the economic terms for the following definitions:

1.     a decrease in the exchange value of a currency against gold or other currencies:

___________________

2.     net income from one or more assets for a given period, reckoned after taxes and other disbursements:              _____________________

3.     a country or commercial enterprise to whom money is owed: ___________________

Write the exact words that stand for the following abbreviations ILO:_________________________________________________________________

OECD:_______________________________________________________________

Fourth: Grammar                                                              (8 marks)

A. Fill in using a suitable preposition:

1-     We‘re having a rest now, but _____ this evening we’re going to a concert, which begins _____ 8:30 PM.

2-    I’m so busy _____ Christmas that I have to prepare everything _____ advance.

 

B. Identify the subjects, complete verbs and prepositional phrases in the following sentences.

1-    In the playground were thirty-four screaming children.








2-    The papers in the wastebasket should be emptied into the trash can outside.







3-    The variety of shows available at the flick of a switch is practically limitless.








Fifth: Writing                                                                                  (6 marks)

Read the paragraph carefully and then identify its essential parts as follows:

           No matter how you slice it, there are only 24 hours in a day. To be successful at university, students need to learn good time-management skills. The first skill is not taking on more than you can handle. If you are a working part-time, have a family and are involved in a community organization, then taking a full course-load at university will be too much. Another time management skill is reasonably estimating the time required to perform each of the tasks at hand. Finally, actually doing what needs to be done seems obvious, but is a very difficult skill. By learning time management skills your university study will be successful and most importantly enjoyable.

  Topic sentence:



Controlling word/phrase:



Supporting sentences:







Logical connectors:



Concluding sentence:



 

 

Good Luck

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