THE FIRST TEST OF ENGLISH

MOULOUD KACEM SECONDARY SCHOOL OF
Part one : reading
After the fall of the Toltec civilization, which flourished from the 10th to the 11th century, waves of immigrants flooded into Mexico’s central plateau area around lake Texcoco. As late arrivals the Aztecs were forced to occupy the swampy area on the western side of the lake.
As the Aztecs grew in number, they established superior military and civil organizations. They were able to build a powerful empire within two centuries covering much of modern Mexico’s central plateau and stretching down into the northern part of Guatemala. By 1325 they had founded the city of Tenochtitlan, one of the largest cities of the world during the 16th century.
The Aztecs were well known for their ferocity which enabled them to control vast trade routes. Warfare was important for their religion since they believed that human blood was needed by the gods to keep the world alive. The enemy captured during battle would be brought to the Great Temple and sacrificed to the Aztecs gods, such as Xipe Totec, the spirit of new growth.
The Aztecs were conquered and defeated by the Spanish in 1521, when a long battle caused much of the population to die of hunger and small pox. However, there are still a few million people who are descendants of the Aztecs and still speak the Aztec language Nahuatl.
a) Comprehension and interpretation:
1)Say if the following are true or false .
a) The Aztecs were among the immigrants coming to Mexico.
b) The Aztecs practiced human sacrificing to ensure the continuity of life.
2) In which paragraph is it mentioned that:
a) The growth of the Aztec population led to the creation of strong military and governing system.
b) Mexico city was built on the remains of the Aztecs city Tenochtitlan.
3) Answer the following questions according to the text:
a) When and where did the Aztecs establish themselves?
b) How long did it take the Aztecs to build their empire?
c) What caused the death of the Aztecs?
4) Choose the most suitable title to the text:
a) The history of Mexico city b) the legend of the Aztecs
c) The birth and fall of the Aztec empire d) the Aztecs’ life
B) Text exploration: 7pts
1) Find the text words or expression closest in meaning to the following:
a) famous§3 b) development §3
2) Which nouns can be derived from the following words:
Superior – able – invent.
3) Combine the following pairs of sentences with connectors between brackets, make any necessary change:
-The Aztecs were ferocious warriors. They could not defeat the Spanish (however).
4) Reorder the following sentences to make a coherent paragraph:
a) They considered them as immortal god-king whose spirit would survive after death.
b) But, it was the ancient Egyptians who carried out this process especially with their Pharaohs.
c) Only if their bodies were preserved and mummified with everything needed for their well-being.
d) Many cultures practiced the custom of mummifying their dead.
Part two: writing Write a paragraph
Topic:
Explain how a civilization can be spread: you may use these words: water, a strong army, a vast land