Baccalaureate National Exam 2013 June Sciences

Baccalaureate National Exam 2013 June Sciences

[1] Over the last few months, I have had the privilege of studying the life stories of the World’s billionaires. To my surprise, I found out that many of them started out as poor kids from the neighborhood. Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, is one of them.

[2] Kamprad became a celebrity in early 2004 when a Swedish business magazine reported that he had become the world’s wealthiest person. Some financial experts thought that Swedish media exaggerated Kamprad’s fortune. However, there is no doubt that IKEA is still one of the largest and most successful companies in the world. Its owner may not be the richest person on the planet, but he’s surely one of the richest people of our time.

[3] Kamprad was born in the South of Sweden in 1926 and brought up on a farm near a small village called Agunnaryd. He began to develop a business as a young boy, selling matches to neighbors using his bicycle. He found that he could buy big quantities of matches very cheaply from Stockholm, sell them at a low price and still make a good profit. From matches, he expanded to selling fish, Christmas tree decorations, pens, and pencils.

[4] When Kamprad was 17, his father gave him some money as a reward for doing well at school. Being ambitious, he used this money to expand his business to a variety of goods, including wallets, watches, jewelry, and stockings. Soon, he became unable to serve his numerous customers while riding his bicycle. As a result, he began to use a mail-order operation, renting a car to make his deliveries. As his business grew, Kamprad founded IKEA.

[5] Now, IKEA focuses on manufacturing and selling furniture and is known worldwide for its stylish designs, good quality, and low prices. It has over 200 stores in 31 countries and employs over 75,000 people. It generates over 12 billion dollars in sales annually. In 2012, Ingvar Kamprad was listed as the 5th richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with an estimated fortune of $42.6 billion.

[6] Despite his wealth, Kamprad has a reputation for being very modest. He takes the subway to work and, sometimes, he drives an ordinary Volvo. It is said that when he stays in a hotel, it’s never a five-star one.

I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS)

BASE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT

A. CHOOSE THE BEST TITLE FOR THE PASSAGE. (2 pts)

1. Kamprad’s success story

2. Kamprad’s family background

3. Kamprad’s school life

The best title is: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

B. FILL IN THE CHART WITH THE RIGHT INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT ( 2 pts)

Name: Ingvar Kamprad

Date and place of birth: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Personal qualities: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

C. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3 pts)

1. What was Kamprad’s first business activity? 

2. Why did he have to rent a car?

3. What is the estimated wealth of Kamprad?

D. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES. (3 pts)

1. With the money he got from his father, Kamprad . . . . . . . . .

2. IKEA is famous for . . . . . . . . .

3. Kamprad drives an ordinary Volvo although . . . . . . . . .

E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS: (2 pts)

1. discovered (paragraph 1) . . . . . . . .

2. famous person (paragraph 2) . . . . .

F. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (3 pts)

1. them (paragraph 1) : . . . . .

2. it (paragraph 5) : . . . . . . .

3. one (paragraph 6) : . . . . .

II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)

A. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)

1. Kelly often tells funny jokes to her classmates; she has a good sense of . . . . . . . . .

pride – humor – responsibility

2. The pupils were not really . . . . . . . . attention to the lesson.

drawing – having – paying

B. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (2 pts)

1. The (perform) . . . . . . of Moroccan athletes at the London Paralympics was excellent.

2. If you need any (inform) . . . . . . . , just get in touch with the secretary

C. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)

whose – which – whom – who

Jack: Is it Allen . . . . . will be in charge of the new library?

Henry: Yes. He is the only one . . . . . application has been accepted.

D. REWRITE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES AS SUGGESTED. (3 pts)

1. “I will move to another town,” Narjiss said.

Narjiss told her neighbor that . . . . . . . 

2. They decorated Nancy’s room with balloons and flowers.

Nancy’s room . . . . . . . . .

3. It’s a pity I didn’t watch the Spanish derby yesterday.

If only . . . . . . . . . .

E. PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE. (2 pts)

My classmates and I are working on a school project. So far, we (finish). . . .. . the first part. By the end of this term, we (complete). . . . . the whole project.

F. MATCH EACH EXPRESSION WITH ITS APPROPRIATE FUNCTION (4 pts)

1: . . . . 2: . . . . 3: .  . . . 4: . . . 

1. Anthropology is the scientific study of people, their societies, and cultures.

2. “Could you help me with my luggage, please?”

3. “I’m terribly sorry for the mess I’ve made in the kitchen.”

4. “For me, developing countries should invest more in education.”

a. making a request

b. expressing opinion

c. defining

d. apologizing

III. WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a reply to the following email that you’ve received from your English friend.

Dear friend,
How are you doing? I hope you are fine. I just want to tell you that I am having some problems with my parents; they do not let me go out at night, or invite my friends. They are always complaining about my hairstyle, the way I dress or the kind of music I listen to. They are making my life terrible! What about you? Do you have any problems with your parents? How do they treat you? Tell me about your relationship with them.

Key answers to Baccalaureate National Exam 2013 June Sciences