موضوع الإنجليزية — مناظرة التاسعة، دورة 2025

I. READING COMPREHENSION (6 marks)

Read the text and answer the questions.

A- THE TEXT

① Every Wednesday morning, people in Portland, Oregon, go to their windows to watch a group of about 170 children ride their bikes, music trailing behind them. The onlookers cheer and take photos. "This brings so much joy to so many people," said Alison Warlitner, whose children attend Alameda Elementary School and join in the bike trip each week. "It's the coolest thing," she added.

② Physical education teacher Sam Balto leads the caravan of kids on their collective trip to school starting about 8:10 a.m. The bike bus has become the students' favorite way to get to school. The community likes it because it reduces overcrowding and pollution caused by buses and cars while also encouraging physical activity and fostering community. The bike bus is also an opportunity for students to learn about climate change and how they can help.

③ Balto started the walking school bus project in 2016. The whole school was invited to join the ride, and about 75 students showed up. Given its success, it quickly became a weekly Wednesday ritual at the school, and by the end of the school year roughly 120 students were taking part each time. Now, more than 170 kids meet every Wednesday morning, ready to ride. Balto also contacted local cycling organizations, with the aim of offering bikes to students in need at other schools in the city.

Washington Post, October 11, 2022
(Adapted)

B- COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Tick (✓) the most appropriate option. 1 mark

The text is mainly about an initiative that encourages school children to

a. practise sports before school. ☐
b. travel to school in a different way. ☐ ...... /1
c. protect the school environment. ☐

2. Complete the following table with reference to paragraph 2. 2 marks

...... /1
...... /1

3. Pick out a word from the text meaning nearly the same as: 1 mark

A series of actions or habits repeated frequently: ………… (paragraph 3) ...... /1

4. What does the underlined word in the text refer to? 1 mark

them ( paragraph 1) refers to ………… ...... /1

5. Give a personal justified answer to the following question. 1 mark

If you were a student at Alameda Elementary School, would you join Balto's initiative? Why? Why not?

If I were a student at Alameda Elementary School, I ………… join Balto's initiative because …………

...... /1

Total ...... /06.00

Please turn over ☞

II. LANGUAGE (8 marks)

1. Fill in the blanks with six (6) words from the box. — 3 marks

No one denies the fact that junk food has gone global. It may be difficult to resist the attraction of this sweet, fatty food that now can be ………… just about everywhere. Yet, we should not forget that this ………… to junk food can have negative effects ………… our health and well-being. "Junk food" refers to foods that ………… a lot of calories, but have little nutritional value. A lot of research has shown that eating junk foods such as hamburgers, fries, cakes, biscuits and sugary sodas ………… can lead to many chronic diseases and put you at risk of ………… gain and excess body fat.

....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5

2. Circle the right option. — 2.5 marks

Children can learn a lot from doing household chores. It helps them to learn about what they need to do to care (for/ with/ of) themselves, a home and a family. It also helps them to develop (values/ abilities/ rules), like preparing meals, cleaning, organizing and keeping a garden. Being involved in chores also gives children experience of relationship skills like communicating (clear/ clearer/ clearly), negotiating, cooperating and working as a team. When children (participate/ contribute/ share) to family life, it helps them feel competent and responsible. Sharing housework can also reduce family stress and help families work better. When children help out, chores get done sooner, and parents have (more/ less/ least) to do. This frees up time for the family to do fun things together.

....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5

3. Put the bracketed words in the right tense or form. — 2,5 marks

One of the fundamental problems with teenagers and technology nowadays is the time they spend cooped up in a bedroom at home. They are hooked up to a tablet or laptop for (entertain) …………, or with their heads bent over a small device. Teenagers no longer spend as much time outside in the fresh air as it used to be. That's mainly because they meet-up online. It's far (fashionable) ………… to chat online than meet-up! Twenty years ago teens (spend) ………… much more time outside and enjoying sporting activities rather than swiping through social media. Yes, times have changed (significant) …………, however, that's not to say that our kids these days can't still enjoy the best of both worlds. What can you do as a parent to counterbalance this? There is simply no point in (remove) ………… technology from your teen because you then enter the danger zone of excluding them from their friends. However, you can lay down some ground rules.

....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5
....../0.5

Total ....../08.00

III. WRITING (6 marks)

You are a social media influencer. Write a twelve-line post on your Facebook page to encourage tourists to visit Tunisia and suggest it as the best destination for their holidays. State at least three sound arguments to persuade them.

DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME OR SIGN THE POST.

Total ..... /06.00