[1] Children are becoming so obsessed with the Internet that really half prefer
their computers to their friends , a report revealed yesterday . It claimed that a
generation of dataholics is growing up « addicted » to information.

[2] Forty-six per cent of British parents believe their children are so busy playing
with computers that they spend less time with their friends . At the same time, 55 per
cent of parents fear their children will become info-junkies.

[3] The report cites the example of Alexander Feldman, 13, from west London,
who switches on his P.C. as soon as he returns from school, often spending several
hours, staying up late to take part in chat groups on the Internet.

[4] Alexander said : «There’s so much interesting information on the Internet it
is sometimes hard to switch off. It is an easy way to make friends and stay in touch
with people I know in different countries.» But he denied that he was addicted to
the Net. « I could stop but I would be frustrated and upset about it because I have
friends all over the world and like to communicate with them.»

[5] Author Mark Griffiths, psychology lecturer at Nottingham Trent University,
claimed the report showed that information is becoming "the drug of the Nineties."
He added : "Have we become fact-fanatics and info-junkies? There is a very fine line between
having enough information and getting too much. As well as computer skills, children
should be able to relate to each other, communicate and get the physical exercise they
need to develop."

[6] The survey of business people found that 53 per cent craved electronic information
and 5 per cent got a « high » when they found what they wanted. Sixty-one per cent
believed they were victims of information overload while 80 per cent of managers
gather more facts than they use.

THE EXPRESS. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1997

1. Complete the sentence below with appropriate information from the text. (1 pt)

According to the text, the Internet is .................................................
..................................................................................................................

2. Pick out 3 nouns used in the text to refer to « people obsessed with the Internet »:
Focus on paragraphs 1 and 5 (1.5 pt ).

a) ..................................... b) ........................................ c) ....................................

3.What does « HALF», underlined in paragraph 1, refer to ? ( 0.5 pt ).

« HALF » , underlined in paragraph 1 refers to ............................................................

4. Is obsession with the Internet widespread? Justify your answer with 2 figures from the text . ( 2 pts ).

ANSWER: ....................................................................................................................

JUSTIFICATION :       a) ................................................................................................

b) ................................................................................................

5. Focus on paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 and find 3 cause - effect relationships expressed in the text. (3 pts)

6. With reference to the text , list 2 advantages and 2 drawbacks of the Internet ( 4 pts ).

    Football fans often live in economically depressed areas, where ( unemployed ) .......................... rates are high and where the general feeling is one of ( hopeless ) ...................... . The people are weary of politicians, whom they blame for their harsh conditions of living and whom they accuse of  ( ignore ) ............................... their problems. If people were to take part in decisions, they would no longer feel ( forget ) ................................. and solutions may be found at the level of local 
( neighbour ). .......................... At present, these people have the ( impress ) ........................... they can’t have their say as regards ( society ) ......................... issues and their ( vital ) ........................ is focused on artificially created interest .
  

2.Fill in the blanks with the appropriate alternative provided in the margin : ( 4 pts )
  

3. Complete the following paragraph with words from the box below: (3.5 pts)

medicine - whether - devices - provide - effect - decades - sewers .
  

    In recent ............................ , Brazil has seen a population boom in its cities, making it more difficult to ................................... basic necessities like running water and ............................. . Officials might reasonably ask .................................... it makes sense to discuss expensive antipollution ................................... and the greenhouse ........................... when families go without food and .............................. .

4. Put the following words in the appropriate columns : (2.5 pts)

grants - littering - defendant - wages - curriculum -
plaintiff - weapons - income - battle - garbage.

1. Punctuate and capitalize the following paragraph where appropriate (3 pts)

    On 4 november 1966 after extremely heavy rain the arno river in italy finally overflowed its banks it caused great loss of life and destruction of homes as well as damage to the art treasures found in the town of florence

2. Read the following paragraph carefully and correct the 8 mistakes in the appropriate
columns : (4 pts)

    World wildlife fund, which was found in1961, is the larger wide - world private nature conservation organization. Based in Switzerland, WWF has national affiliates and associate organizations on five continents. WWF aims at conserving the natural enviromental and ecological processes essential to life in earth. It pays particular attention for spcies endangered and to natural habitats which are of benefit to man.

3. You are the editor of a weekly magazine and you have just received the following letter from one of your readers. Write a reply giving your reader some advice and suggestions to help her overcome her problem (7pts)