Baccalaureate Exam 2013 July Humanities
A TALENTED HUMOURIST
[1] Born in Casablanca on April 19, 1971, Gad Elmaleh is an actor and comedian of Moroccan- French nationality. He speaks fluently both French and Moroccan Arabic as he was raised in a household that gave him access to a mix of cultural influences. He was educated in Morocco, first at the Georges Bizet School and later at Lycée Lyautey in Casablanca. In 1988, he moved to Montreal, Canada, where he studied political sciences for a year. He also worked on radio and started writing humorous stories which he performed in nightclubs. He soon discovered that he had a talent for entertaining people. This launched him into a career which continues today.
[2] Gad Elmaleh has had roles in a number of films and has enjoyed success as a stand-up comedian. His talents also include singing and voice-overs for animated films. His first cinema role was in 1996 in “Salut Cousin!”, a film by Algerian screenwriter and director Merzak Allouache. His first one-man show, “Décalages”, based on his own life, was performed at the Palais des Glaces in 1997.
[3] Following the success of “Décalages”, Gad Elmaleh’s second one-man show “La Vie Normale” proved to be a huge success. In 2005, Elmaleh returned to the stage with a new style in “L’autre c’est moi”, in which he interacted with the audience and improvised his dialogue. In 2006, he was awarded the “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Minister of Culture and was voted “The Funniest Person in France.”
[4] Gad Elmaleh performed in Montreal and Casablanca, before taking his shows to France, Belgium, and Switzerland in 2007. As part of the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal in July
2007, Elmaleh presented his latest production, “Papa est en Haut” for the first time. In December 2007, the show made history when all tickets were sold out at L’Olympia in Paris for seven consecutive weeks.
[5] In 2009, Elmaleh wrote, produced, and acted in the film Coco which was another great success. It was based on one of his one-man shows “La Vie Normale”. In 2011, the actor had a role in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and appeared in the film The Adventures of Tintin. No doubt, fans are looking forward to future shows by the Moroccan-born actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh.
I. COMPREHENSION
( 15 POINTS) BASE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT
A. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CHART WITH INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT. (3 pts)
Year / Event
1971: Gad Elmaleh was born
1997: …………….
……: Gad was voted “The Funniest Person in France”.
2009: ………………….
B. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY. (3 pts)
1. “Salut Cousin!” was Gad’s first experience as an actor in the cinema.
2. People didn’t like “Décalages”.
3. “Papa est en Haut” was first performed at L’Olympia.
C. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3 pts)
1. Where did Gad receive his secondary education?
2. Why did he go to Canada?
3. How was “l’autre c’est moi ” different from Gad’s previous shows?
D. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES. (2 pts)
1. Gad realized that he could entertain people when . . . . . . . . . .
2. “Papa est en Haut” was so successful that. . . . . . . . .
E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS: (2 pts)
1. brought up(paragraph1):………
2. spectators (paragraph3):……
F. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (2 pts)
1. he (paragraph 3):………
2. It (paragraph5):………..
II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)
A. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD OR EXPRESSION FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)
1. Do you enjoy ……………….. mysteries or science fiction books?
read – reading – to read
2. The police are taking the criminal back to the apartment …………… he killed the old woman.
which – whose – where
B. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH THE CORRECT PHRASAL VERB FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)
went out – came back – put out – found out – brought back
Wife: I just ……….. that Tommy isn’t taking school seriously.
Husband: How come?
Wife: When I ……….. home from work, the school called to tell me that his grades were below average.
C. REWRITE THE SENTENCES BEGINNING WITH THE WORDS GIVEN. (3 pts)
- 1. “Did you see Brad Pitt’s latest film on MBC 2?” Hakim asked his friends
Hakim asked his friends. . . . . . . . . . . - 2. Parents should encourage children to eat healthy food.
Children . . . . . . . . . . - 3. Mr. Johnson didn’t follow his doctor’s advice.
- Mr. Johnson wishes . . . . . . . . . . .
D. PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE. (2 pts)
Dear mum,
I (have) …….. a good time in Paris for the last couple of weeks. I’ll be back in Manchester tomorrow. I (call)……… you as soon as I get to the airport.
Bye for now
E. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (2 pts)
Morocco is a tourist (attract) ……… for its nice weather, the hospitality and (kind) …….. of its people.
F. JOIN THE FOLLOWING PAIRS OF SENTENCES WITH THE WORDS GIVEN. (2 pts)
1. Kenza works hard at the office. She always finds time to help her son with his homework. (although)
2. Taoufik joined his friends on Facebook. He wanted to share his new photos with them. (in order to)
G. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING EXCHANGES? (2 pts)
1. Speaker: Video conferencing is very effective in distance learning.
You:(Express lack of understanding) ………
2. Father: The use of the internet may have bad effects on your studies.
You:(Express disagreement) ………
III. WRITING (10 POINTS)
Some people think that women should stay at home, while others think that they should go out to work. The English magazine “SHE & HE” wants to know readers’ opinions about this issue. Write an email to the editor of this magazine expressing your opinion. Support your point of view with arguments and examples.
