Part one: Reading
Read the text carefully then do the following activities
Why would a flourishing civilization, advanced for its time, suddenly cease to exist, its
inhabitants gone and its architecture abandoned? Conspiracy theorists offer all manner of offbeat
explanations including alien abduction, natural disasters, climate change, invasions and economic
irrelevance. Still, we don’t know – and likely never will – exactly what happened to bring about the
end of the Khmer Empire of Cambodia, the Olmec Empire of Mexico or the Mycenae.
Once one of the most powerful empires of Southeast Asia, the Khmer civilization spread from
modern-day Cambodia out into Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia and is best known
today for Angkor, its capital city.The empire dates back to 802 CE.The Khmers practised both
Hinduism and Buddhism and built intricate temples, towers and other structures including Angkor
Wat, dedicated to the god Vishnu. Attacks from outsiders, deaths from the plague, water
management issues affecting the rice crops and conflicts over power among the royal families likely
led to the end of this empire.
The Olmec civilization might even have been the first civilization in the Western hemisphere to
develop a writing system, and possibly invented the compass and the Mesoamerican calendar.
Dating to around 1500 BCE, the Olmec civilization wasn’t ‘discovered’ by historians until the mid-
19th century. Its decline is blamed on environmental changes caused by volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes or possibly damaging agricultural practices.
Unlike the Minoans before them, the Mycenae didn’t flourish by trade alone – they set out to
conquer, and expanded into an empire that overtook much of Greece. The empire’s artifacts have
been found as far away as Ireland. In fact, this culturally and economically wealthy civilization has
left behind a wealth of art, architecture and artifacts. What happened to the Mycenae? Natural
disasters are possible, but most experts believe that it was either foreign invaders or internal conflict
that brought about the end to this once-great empire.
Adapted from: http://www.momtastic.com/webecoist/2011/05/02/lost-civilizations-12
A/Comprehension ( 7pts)
1-The type of the text is : (0,25)
a- a website article b-an extract from a book c- a newspaper article
2-Are the statements "True" or "False " correct the false one according to the text : (2pts)
a-Causes that led to the vanishing of civilizations are well-known to historians.
b-Khmer civilization made many contributions in architecture.
c-The Olmec Vanished because of internal conflicts.
d-Trade was the only factor that contributed to the flourishing of the Mycenae.
3-Answer the questions according to the text . (3pts)
a-Were historians able to discover the real reason behind the end of the Khmer? Justify your
answer.
b-What were the possible causes that led to the collapse of the Olmec civilization?
c-List two main factors that contributed to the flourishing of the Mycenae?
4- What or who do the underlined words refer to in the text. (1,5pts)
a-its (§1 ) ............ b- this(§2)......... c-them (§4 )......
5-Choose the general idea of the text. (0,25)
a-Mesoamerican civilizations.
b-Societies that vanished in mystery.
c-Ancient civilizations and their achievements.
B-Text exploration : (7pts)
1-Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to the following: (1pt)
a-stop(§1)=....... b-collapse(§3) =........ c-rich(§4)=......
2-Divide the following words into roots and affixes(1,5pts)
Undeveloped - illegible- disappearance
Prefix Root Suffix
................. .......... ...........
............. .......... ...........
................. ............ ...............
3- Ask questions that the underlined words answer (1pt)
a) The study of history provides many benefits
b)Matters of culture are included in historical study
4-Link the pairs of sentences using connectors from the list below ,Make any necessary
changes .(1,5pts)
( Although – while – in order to – as long as – so...that )
1-The Napatean developed a system of irrigation. They wanted to improve agriculture.
2-The Olmec was the first Mesoamerican civilization. Historians discovered the Olmec during the
mid 19th century.
3) The Khmer were powerful. They expanded to many Asian countries.
5-Classify these words according to the pronunciation of the final _”ed”: (1,pt)
devastated – - -changed - attacked - -civilized
/ t/ /d/ /id/
6-Fill in the blanks with only FOUR words from the list below. (1pt)
( knowledge - structures- Mesopotamia - approximately - savagery-civilization)
One of the most important recent discoveries is the most ancient civilization of America-
Caral.It appeared ....1...at the same time as the first world civilizations in Egypt and...2....About
6,000 years ago the humanity started transition from...3... to civilization that was marked by
construction of cities ,huge structures ,and pyramids .In the Old world, Caral exchanged...4... and
goods ,as well as all new structures.
Part Two:Written Expression (6points )
Choose one of the following topics.
Either Topic 1:. :
:Islamic civilization is one of the greatest civilizations that humanity ever seen. Using the notes
below ,write a composition of about 150 words in which you analyze the causes that led to the
collapse of Islamic caliphate.
-internal conflicts /tribes seeking power :ethnic disputes.
-large area/not easy to control /protect.
-external invasion : Crusade campaigns by European countries.
-appearance of colonialism in Europe /fall of the Othman Empire
: Or Topic 2: There are companies whose only concern is making profit .Being a successful
businessman , you are invited to attend a conference and deliver a speech of about 70 to80 words
on the benefits for a company to be socially responsible