Enoncé Epreuve d' Anglais

TEXT

1
   Scientists have been talking about producing better foods through genetic engineering ever since

the technology first became available, more than 20 years ago. By mixing and matching bits of D.N.A.

- cutting a gene from one kind of organism and pasting it into another - they hoped to make new,

improved plants and animals. Over the years, they've put corn genes in rice, trout genes in catfish,

chicken genes in potatoes…



2
   Now, after decades of biotech setbacks and controversy, American consumers finally have

something they can sink their teeth into. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week

endorsed as safe the first genetically altered food to be sold to consumers - a tomato called Flavr Savr

and billed as offering "summertime taste" all year long. Calgene, the California based company that

produced Flavr Savr, says its new tomato will appear in selected supermarkets in California and the

Midwest this week.



3
   The biotech industry immediately hailed the government's decision as the breakthrough it had

been waiting for. "This is a real shot in the arm", says Roger Salquist, Calgene's Chief executive

officer. "It validates the company's science". Jim Mc Camant, editor of Ag Bio Tech Stock Letter,

agrees : "This removes the clouds and proves that agricultural biotechnology is going to make a major

contribution to the food we eat over the next 20 years".



4
   Nonetheless, the company finds itself the target of "tomato-squashing" protests organized by

the Pure Food Campaigns headed by long-time biotech opponent Jeremy Rifkin. "The middle class is

moving in the direction of organic, healthy, sustainable foods, "says Rifkin. He concedes, however,

that the Flavr Savr may be safe. "It could even be safer than conventionally bred tomatoes, "says Carl

Winter, director of the independent, university-funded Food Safe Program at the University of

California.



5
   Consumers will probably be more worried about a different set of issues, like how Flavr Savr

will taste and whether it will be worth the high prices (up to $ 2.50 per Lb) that Calgene is expected to

charge. Alice Waters, Chef and owner of Berkeley's famous Chez Panisse restaurant, sampled a Flavr

Savr and decided it tasted like a seasonally ripe commercial tomato. "Not bad, "she says," but not good

enough for diners at Chez Panisse."



TIME, MAY 30, 1994

I. READING COMPREHENSION

1. Focus on paragraphs 1 and 2 to complete the following sentences with the appropriate information. Use your own words.

a- In the field of agriculture, genetic engineering, also called ............. consists in
    ...........................................................................................................................................
    ...........................................................................................................................................

b- It aims at .........................................................................................................................
     ..........................................................................................................................................

2. Complete the following sentences to indicate what Flavr Savr is and what its characteristics are.

a- Flavr Savr is .................................................................................................................
     .......................................................................................................................................

b- Its main characteristics are .........................................................................................
     ......................................................................................................................................


3. Complete the table to indicate what the reactions to Flavr Savr were. Focus on Paragraphs 3
and 4.

Food and Drug Administration ................................................................................

Pure Food Campaign ............................... but admits it's safe

Food Safe Program ................................................................................

Alice Waters ...............................................................................

4. What effect does the decision of the Food and Drug Administration have on the Calgene
Company in particular and biotechnology in general ?

a- .....................................................................................................................................
b- ....................................................................................................................................


5. Pick out 2 details showing that, when this article was published, Flavr Savr was not on sale yet.

a- .....................................................................................................................................
b- ....................................................................................................................................


6. Rephrase the following sentences to show you understand what is underlined.

a- American consumers finally have something they can sink their teeth into.
    American consumers finally have something .........................................................
b- Flavr Savr is billed as offering summertime taste all year long.
     Flavs Savr is ........................ summertime taste all year long.
c- The biotech industry hailed the government's decision.
    The biotech industry ............................................... the government's decision

II. LANGUAGE

1. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate alternatives provided on the right.

Smallpox ............... (1) a very widespread 1) had been - was - would be

disease in the 18th century. During an epidemic, it killed

as ............ (2) as one person out of three. 2) few - much - many

Even those who were ............... (3) 3) enough lucky-lucky enough-too lucky

to recover ................ (4) with scars all over 4) were left - left - had left

their faces. These were often ............. (5) awful 5) too - so - such

that people .................... (6) masks for the 6) must wear-have to wear-had to wear

rest of their lives.

2. Put the bracketed verbs in the correct tense or form.



    Yesterday, the European Union [LIFT] .................. a nine month ban on Japanese fish imports. The lifting [REMOVE] ................ one of the few [IRRITATE] ............... in Euro-Japan trade relations. The ban (APPLY) .................... After a routine inspection that [UNCOVER] ................. inadequate hygiene controls at Japanese fish [FREEZE] ............. centres. Since then, Japanese fishery officials [INSTITUTE] ..................... reforms to their [INSPECT] ................... system.







3. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate alternatives provided on the right.

I used to .................................... (1) Saturday mornings. 1) dread - dreading - dreadful

No matter ................................... (2) I did, I usually 2) that - which - what

developed a dreadful headache about an hour after

I ......... up (3). Eventually, a friend told 3) got - get - will get

me I was probably getting ...................................... (4) 4) too little - too much - too many

sleep. I thought she was crazy but ............................... (5) 5) though - as - like

the headaches were so bad, I decided to take her

................................... (6) and started getting up at 7 a.m. 6) order - advice - request

No more lie-ins and, would you believe it, no more

headaches, ........................................................ (7). 7) too - either - neither

So, if you suffer weekend headaches, try getting up early

4. Fill in the blanks with one of the alternatives under the same number as the blank.



   The immigration is understandable. America is after all the land of .............. (1), where those who are ambitious can .............. (2). Most of the young men who leave depressed, ............. (3) Sicily with its shifting traditions and high ............... (4) work their way .......................... (5) this goal in their new homeland by laying bricks, driving taxis or waiting .......... (6) tables in restaurants ............. (7) by more affluent relatives.



THE ALTERNATIVES

1) opportunity - immigrants - prejudice
2) raise - arise - rise
3) stricken poverty - poverty stricken - poor stricken
4) employer - employment - unemployment
5) in - toward - about
6) on - for - at
7) owned - belonged - borrowed

III. WRITING

1. Each line of the following paragraph bears a mistake. The nature of the mistake is indicated on the right. Spot the mistake and write the correction in the space provided.



Most scientists reckon that by rest grammar ..........................

our bodies, we allow time to essential grammar ..........................

work maintenance to be done. word order ..........................

Any damage that their is can be put grammar ..........................

right more quickly if energy wasn't tense ..........................

being used up doing othor things. spelling ..........................

injured animals certainly spend punctuation ..........................

more time asleep then usual while spelling ..........................

their wounds are heeling. And spelling ..........................

quite a few illness make us feel grammar ..........................

drowsy so that our body can get on spelling ..........................

with cure us. grammar ..........................

2. In the "Letters to the Editor" section of a newspaper, you read the following letter :

Dear Editor,
I recently went back to my old school and noticed that things had not changed much since I was there over 30 years ago. Pupils were sitting at the same old desks, using the same books.
Why is it that no one in our education system seems to realize that books are a thing of the past ? Textbooks should be replaced by T.V screens, video recorders and computer technology to get children used to their future working.
Today's children are unlikely to open a book after they leave school. When are our schools going to wake up to the fact that the world has changed ?

Yours,
Emily Davis



You feel strongly about the matter and you decide to write to the editor. In your letter
- you explain why you are writing ;
- you clearly indicate whether you agree and / or disagree with Emily Davis ;
- you justify your point of view with two or three arguments