1. Section A: Vocabulary
Please answer Question 1 and Question 2.
Question 1
Write down the words an American would use for the following British English words:
a) petrol
...
b) sweets
...
c) autumn
...
d) pavement
...
e) taxi
...
f) flat
...
g) the underground (railway system)
...
h) film
...
Question 2
Fill each of the gaps in the following sentences with a form of the word given in brackets.
Example:
There are a number of … between British English and American English. (different)
Answer: differences
1. Baseball is America’s ... sport. (nation)
2. ... find much of America overwhelming. (foreign)
3. I’m sure the man in the automobile behind me is ... to tell me that something’s wrong. (try)
4. Hamburgers were first ... in 1904. (sell)
5. You can choose a ... of dressings to go with your salad. (various)
6. The ... of skyscrapers began in Chicago in 1893. (construct)
7. New York and Chicago have always been .... (rivalry)
8. New York can be regarded as the ... capital of the world. (diplomat)
9. 28 million tourists visit New York .... (annual)
10. The ... of crime was one of the reasons for the creation of the F.B.I. (grow)
11. Why is ... easier in America than in most other countries? (kill)
12. It is still ... to sell alcohol today in some of America’s towns. (law)
13. A ... made by the Supreme Court is final. (decide)
14. “Gone With The Wind” is one of the most ... books of all time. (success)
15. High school students must take a number of courses ... subjects like English, mathematics and science. (include)
16. Universities like Harvard and Yale were founded in ... times. (colony)
17. Having a good college education is seen as a ... investment. (finance)
18. Georgia was ... after King George II. (name)
19. The ... of Independence is celebrated as a public holiday on July 4. (declare)
20. Martin Luther King’s ... often had great influence. (speak)
21. People who live in the ghettos are forced to buy the ... food they can find. (cheap)
22. The early settlers came to the United States for ... reasons. (religion)
23. The ... of the resources of the Native Americans has made it difficult for them to lead normal lives. (destroy)
24. In California it was ... enough to make movies all the year round. (sun)
25. “Star Wars” is not only a film, it is a ... wonder. (technology)
26. ... for the office of President of the United States are held every four years. (elect)
27. By making quilts pioneer women could be .... (create)
28. Cowboys had to take cattle from states in the South to ... cities. (north)
29. Cowboys have often been seen as symbols of .... (free)
30. The idea of ... lots of articles at extremely low prices started in America. (offer)
31. The South still offers a more ... way of life. (relax)
32. ... is a very important part of personal relationships. (polite)
33. A lot of ... research would not be possible without money from business. (medicine)
34. In the South there was a lot of ... and in the North a lot of industry. (agricultural)
35. Abraham Lincoln’s ... in the Union was very strong. (believe)
2. Section B: Text
Please fill each of the gaps with one suitable word. You need not copy the whole text – just list up the appropriate words.
It is sometimes said that if King George III of England had done more to help his (1) ... American colonies, the United States might not (2) ... today. This is pure nostalgia and speculation. No empire lasts forever and the American colonies were already moving away from their mother (3) .... It would only have been a (4) ... of time before a serious conflict developed.
Many of the early colonists had (5) ... England because they hated a system in which nearly all the power was in the (6) ... of the monarch and the aristocracy. They wanted to be free; they wanted religious, political and personal (7) .... The revolutionaries certainly began (8) ... great ideals when they declared their independence (9) ... 1776. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of (10) ...” were three of them.
Not everything (11) ... gone smoothly for the United States since then. Throughout the 19th (12) ... there were constant fights with Indians or (13) ... Americans, whose land the (14) ... man simply took away. There was a long and bitter (15) ... war between 1861 and 1865. Over 600,000 people (16) ... Although the (17) ... in the South were given their freedom, the country was split for (18) ... generations.
In the 20th century the United States has taken part in two world wars and in dozens (19) ... other conflicts all (20) ... the world. As a superpower it has played the role of (21) ... policeman. (22) ... of its huge economic strength it has been able (23) ... influence the world economy. These facts have given it not only (24) ... but lots of enemies.
Today America (25) ... represents the idea of pure capitalism. The state is much less important (26) ... in most other countries. If you are poor, sick or unemployed, (27) ... is very difficult. Minorities (28) ... the blacks or Hispanics still find it hard to get good, (29) ... jobs. America’s cities have (30) ... with drugs, alcoholism and crime. The rich seem to be getting (31) ... and the poor poorer. What kind of future (32) ... the United States have in the 21st century? Already there is much speculation about (33) ... could happen. One thing is clear: in order to find out who is right and who is (34) ... we will have to (35) ... another 80 years or so.
3. Section C: Comment
Please answer Question 1 and then answer either Question 2 or Question 3. You should write about 200 words for each of the two questions you answer. Don’t just copy passages from your booklet, but try to use your own words as much as possible.
Question 1 (200 words)
Imagine you are a reporter for a German newspaper or magazine and you want to write an article about “The Typical American”. You have found someone (man or woman) who is ready to be interviewed. Write down the questions you would ask and the answers you think you would get. Try to include various areas in the interview such as food, leisure, religion, things typically American ...
...
Question 2 (200 words)
From what you have read about the American education system and the American electoral system it should be clear what the main differences between the United States and Germany are in these two areas. If necessary, please reread those sections to refresh your memory before starting to answer this question. Now choose either the education or the electoral system and describe the main differences between the two countries. If you see any similarities, you can include these and comment on them, too.
...
Question 3 (200 words)
Imagine that you have been asked to plan a 4-day trip in the USA for people in Europe who want to spend a vacation there. You can either choose one special area or send your tourists to completely different areas by plane. Starting with “Day 1” and finishing with “Day 4” write down the details of the places they would visit and what they would see or do there. Please write complete sentences.
...
2.00
2.00
;)
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