institut d`études politiques - 2008 - anglais

UNIVERSITÉ DES SCIENCES SOCIALES – TOULOUSE I
INSTITUT D'ÉTUDES POLITIQUES
TEST D'ENTRÉE EN QUATRIÈME ANNÉE
- 2008 ANGLAIS
Les réponses seront obligatoirement reportées sur la grille réponse que vous trouverez
en fin de test (recto-verso). Une seule solution devra être choisie.
Il n’y a pas de points négatifs.
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B
a b c d e
1
X
2
X
3
X
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1
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the mother of parliaments is working better than ever
SITTING on his canopied chair, behind his bewigged clerks, smiling meekly (1) and mildly
(2) calling “Order!”, Michael Martin, the speaker of the House of Commons, seems an
inoffensive sort of chap. But he has become the subject of a mini-scandal and the symbol of a big
malaise. The scandal involves air miles and expense-account taxis; the malaise concerns the
alleged venality and utility of Parliament itself. David Cameron, the leader of the Conservatives,
observed in the House of Commons this week that the public now doubts whether politicians
offer value for money. Judging by newspapers and talk shows, the public has decided: the repute
of the mother of parliaments is roughly equal to that of the Millennium Dome; MPs' status has
fallen lower than that of estate agents, and maybe even journalists.
It is easy to see why. First there are the amateurish financial controls that have permitted
dodgy (3) accounting, generous loopholes (4) and brazen (5) nepotism—a system that Mr
Martin himself has, perhaps unfortunately, been deputed to address. Many MPs seem unable to
grasp the widespread anger that these fiddles (6) arouse; they accuse journalists of confecting
it—and defensively interrogate said journalists about their own expenses. Then there is the fact
that the green benches in the Commons are often very green indeed, because very few people are
sitting on them. Gordon Brown, like his predecessor, is scarcely ever there; MPs who do turn up
are often outnumbered by the schoolchildren in the public gallery, who are also better behaved.
And, alas, this neglect of the chamber is entirely rational. […]
Real power was long ago displaced to the cabinet, then sucked from cabinet to the prime
minister, and from him to the Scottish Assembly, Europe and so on. Important debate takes place
inside parties—and in the media: as a popular political joke has it, the best way to bury an issue
is to make a speech about it in the Commons. Mr Brown's team once vowed to make policy
announcements in Parliament first, but they soon reverted to the leaking and spinning of yore.
The one parliamentary set-piece that commands attention—prime minister's questions (PMQs)—
has, under the pressure of television, and of the mutual loathing of Mr Brown and Mr Cameron,
become a weekly yelling match (badly policed by Mr Martin). […]
Here comes the “but”: all of that is sad and bad, but little of it is new, and most of it has been
worse. “The scene of noise and uproar (7) which the House of Commons now exhibits is
perfectly disgusting,” reported Charles Greville in 1835. Not only the manners but the morals of
MPs used to be at least as lax; taxi abuse and other scams (8) brought to light by improved
scrutiny pale beside those of bygone eras now mistily regarded as halcyon. Attendance in the
Commons has always been pretty slack (9).
Parliament isn't only less woeful (10) than it used to be: in some ways it is even actively
good. MPs spend more time than ever helping their constituents. That helps to explain why
general and particular perceptions are contradictory: people respect their own MPs while
believing that as a pack they are villains.
Meanwhile, although House of Commons select committees are neither as powerful as
congressional ones in America nor as independent as they could and should be, they are
increasingly well resourced and influential. […]
Easy as it is to excoriate it, the mother of parliaments is not as senile as its many detractors,
and the run of recent scandals, suggest. On the contrary: she is in finer fettle than ever.
Adapted from The Economist print edition, Feb 28th 2008
2
Exercice 1: Choisissez l’expression synonyme qui correspond le mieux au sens du mot
souligné en gras dans le texte. Reportez la réponse dans la grille-réponse ( /10)
1- [meekly]
a) nicely
b) frankly
c) submissively
d) sadly
e) blankly
2- [mildly]
a) slowly
b) gently
c) wildly
d) stupidly
e)sternly
3- [dodgy]
a) risky
b) unrealistic
c) dubious
d) hooked
e) shaky
4- [loopholes]
a) escapes
b) rewards
c) subsidies
d) fallacies
e) circles
5- [brazen]
a) shiny
b) bristling
c) shameful
d) bright
e) shameless
6- [fiddles]
a) scandals
b) fights
c) futilities
7- [uproar]
a) disorder
b) buzz
c) anger
d) turmoil
e) boom
8- [scams]
a) swindles
b) scourges
c) tricks
d) stories
e) adventures
9- [slack]
a) lurid
b) drooping
c) slipshod
d) sloppy
e) lax
10- [woeful]
a) empty
b) gullible
c) glum
d) low
e) deserted
d) disappointments
e) battles
Exercice 2 : Choisissez la fin de phrase qui correspond le mieux au sens du texte.
Reportez la réponse dans la grille-réponse. ( /5)
11- The speaker of the House of Commons…
a) is losing control of the House.
b) fundamentally lacks charisma.
c) has occasional fits of anger.
d) was until recently felt to be harmless.
e) has been asked to resign given the recent scandals.
12- The Millenium Dome…
a) is just as bland as Parliament is.
b) is relatively unsuccessful when it comes to attracting tourists.
c) is held in high esteem.
d) is just as low in the public’s esteem as the House of Commons is.
e) is felt to be a symbol of Britain’s new architecture.
3
13- The speaker of the House of Commons…
a) is supposed to address the House of Commons soon.
b) has been appointed to sort out the financial controls of the House.
c) is the person who traditionally supervises financial controls in the House.
d) has introduced nepotistic practices in Parliament.
e) has been stripped of the traditional wig.
14- No wonder the House is …
a) deserted since most of the interesting bits are now televised.
b) deserted as not much is discussed.
c) no longer visited by schoolchildren given its disrepute.
d) unattractive for MPs as their leaders hardly ever come.
e) held in low esteem given its corruption and its usual emptiness.
15- It is widely believed that…
a) Parliament and MPs are no longer efficient.
b) policies are more likely to be talked about by the press if leaked.
c) there is no fun whatsoever in watching televised parliamentary sessions.
d) Parliament can bypass the parties and the media.
e) MPs are less and less in touch with their constituents.
Exercice 3
“The mother of parliaments is not as senile as it may seem”. To discuss this sentence, give four
pieces of criticism concerning the House of Commons and three signs that its situation is not as
bad as it might first seem. Write your answer on the back side of the answer sheet.
( /12)
Exercice 4 – La fin des mots en gras a été effacée dans le texte ci-dessous.
Ecrivez lisiblement le mot entier dans la grille-réponse. ( /10)
Adapted from The Economist print edition, Feb. 21st 2008.
When people think of recent American immigrants—particularly Latino ones—it tends to
be in terms of a hand—(16) of states (California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Florida)
and gatew—(17) cities (New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Chicago). But one of
the most stri—(18) demographic tren—(19) of the past cou—(20) decades has been the
dispersal of America's immigrant population. Immigrants are sett—(21) in small towns
as well as big cities, in suburbs as well as inner-city ghettos, in rural areas as well as
metropolitan ones, in the great American interior as well as on the coasts. This
demographic revolution goes a long way towards explaining why immigration has
become such an explosive issue in national po—(22). Large numbers of poor whites and
poor blacks ac—(23) the country find themselves having to compete with immigrants
who are wi—(24) to work for lower wa—(25) in worse conditions.
4
Exercice 5 –remplacez les blancs par les éléments appropriés : this/ the / a / 's / Ø [ce signe
signifie qu’il ne faut rien mettre]. Reportez la réponse dans la grille-réponse
( /6)
_____ (26) UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, has called for a comprehensive review of
_______(27) policy on biofuels as a crisis in ______(28) global food prices - partly caused
by the increasing use of crops for energy generation - threatens to trigger _____(29) global
instability.
Climate change has been _____ (30) priority for Ban since he took over from Kofi Annan,
and he has embraced the potential of biofuels, derived from plants, as a long-term substitute
for fossil fuels. But as _____ (31) food prices have soared - driven by rising demand, high
fuel costs, and climate change - the cultivation of biofuels has come under fire for diverting
fertile land from food production.
Adapted from The Guardian, Saturday April 5 2008
Exercice 6- Choisissez la bonne réponse et reportez-la dans la grille-réponse. (
32.
We had different views …
a) as they;
b) than they;
c) as them;
33.
What on earth is she doing? She … by now.
a) may be finish;
b) must have finishing;
d) will finish;
e) has been finishing
d) from them;
/17)
e) to they
c) should have finished;
34.
How can you expect students to be enthusiastic with a test … class?
a) through each;
b) in whole the;
c) either;
d) every other;
e) whenever
35.
I’d rather you … silent about my wedding.
a) had been kept;
b) will be keeping;
d) kept;
e) should keep.
c) ought to have kept;
36.
The new arrangement didn’t prove… better.
a) much for;
b) any;
c) such;
d) some;
e) so
37.
They devoted …. their holidays to gardening.
a) the most ;
b) most;
c) mostly;
d) most of;
e) the most of
38.
That will cost you … dollars.
a) ten other;
b) other ten;
c) few other; d) yet ten;
39.
In the end, the damage was not as bad as …
a) it might have been;
b) it must have been;
d) it will be;
e) it had been
e) another ten
c) it can have been;
5
40.
Prices went up … 13% last year.
a) of;
b) up;
c) by;
41.
I have more than … books… my sister.
a) twice as many… as;
b) two times more… as;
d) twice as much … as;
e) two times more… than.
d) over;
e) from
c) twice more… than;
42.
Rumours of budget cuts turned … true.
a) up to be; b) on to being;
c) into being;
d) over to be;
e) out to be
43.
Nothing annoys me more … the dishes.
a) as to wash; b) than washing;
c) than to wash;
d) than wash;
e) as to washing
44.
Could you turn … the lights when you leave?
a) out;
b) on;
c) off;
d) up;
e) down
45.
Interest rates … sharply yesterday.
a) raised;
b) have risen;
c) have rised;
d) have been rising; e) rose
46.
You should … your car …
a) make… fix;
b) have… fixed;
d) have… fix;
e) have… be fixed.
47.
He didn’t approve… my marriage.
a) on;
b) Ø;
c) for;
48.
She’s … very influential.
a) said to be;
b) told being;
d) told she is;
e) told to be
c) make… fixed;
d) with;
e) of
c) said she is;
6
Entrée en 4ième année 2008
* Anglais *
NOM : ……………………………………………………………………
Prénom : ..………………………………………………………………
Entrée en 4ième année
Anglais – 2008
Grille-réponse:
a
b
/15
note:
c
d
e
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
a
b
c
d
e
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
this
the
a
's
Ø
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
TSVP /…
Exercise 3:
“The mother of parliaments is not as senile as it may seem”. To discuss this sentence, give
four pieces of criticism concerning the House of Commons and three signs that its situation
is not as bad as it might first seem. You must write 7 full sentences for these 7 points. You
are not allowed to quote the text : you must reformulate.
o Criticism (1):
o Criticism (2):
o Criticism (3):
o Criticism (4):
o Sign that the situation is not as bad as it may seem (1):
o sign (2):
o sign (3):