Read the passage carefully then do the activities Bribery is the crime of giving or receiving something of value to influence official action. Both the person giving and the person receiving the bribe are guilty of bribery. Bribery is illegal for two reasons: first, it usually involves a public official using his or her office for personal gain; second it can cause officials to make unfair decisions that affect citizens. Bribery is a very old crime. There is evidence of bribery dating back more than 4000 years.
Usually, a person who bribes a public official is paying to get special treatment. This special treatment can come in many forms. For example, a company might bribe an official to win a government contract .Bribing a public official is the most common type of bribery. In the United States, officials convicted of bribery may be fired, removed from office, and sent to prison for up to 20 years. Commercial bribery, the bribery of owners or employees of private companies, is also illegal in many places, but it is less commonly punished.
No one knows how often people commit bribery, but many experts believe that most people who bribe officials are never caught. Bribery is more common in some countries or parts of countries than in others. Many countries have made it illegal to bribe officials from other countries.Bribery and similar illegal transactions in the political sphere alone cost the world an estimated one trillion dollars every year. Less prosperous nations those who export oil and certain other resources have been found to be particularly exposed to bribery and other corrupt activities, though even the wealthiest nations are not safe.
(Adapted from” NEW YORK TIMES”, Nov2007)
PART ONE : Reading and Interpreting
(15 points) 1. Circle the choice (a, b and c) that best completes statement
The text is: a - a letter b - a report c - a newspaper article
2. Are the following statements true or false ?
a. Neither the person giving nor the person receiving the bribe is innocent of bribery.
b. In the United States, officials convicted of bribery are rewarded and given special favors.
c. We can catch people who bribe officials.
3. Answer the following questions according to the text.
a. Why is bribery illegal?
b. Why is the most frequent example of bribery ?
c. What are the countries that suffer most from bribery?
4. What do the underlined words in the text refer to ?
a - ….. , it usually involves……. (§1)
b - …. those who export………. (§3)
5. Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to the following
proof (§1) - jail (§2) - flourishing (§3)
6. Find in the text words that are opposite in meaning to the following
innocent (§1) - lose (§2) - lawful (§3)
7.
Complete the table as shown in the example : Adjectives | Nouns | VERBS |
popular | population | to populate |
............... | ..................... | to decide |
.................... | commerce | ...............
|
legal | .................. | ................ |
8. Rewrite sentence (b) so that it means the same as sentence (a) .
1. a) - Governments cannot fight bribery alone .
b) - Bribery …………………………...............
2. a) - You mustn’t give or accept any bribe from anyone .
b) - It is ………………………………………………...
9. Spot the mistake in each sentence and correct it .
a - I don’t speak Spanish . I wish I speak Spanish .
b - You'd better don’t drive too fast .
10. Mark the stressed syllable in each of the following words .
/ eərəʊdainæmiks / - / æntiks / - / məkæniks / - / mæθəmætiks /
11. Reorder the following words to make a coherent sentence .
who - involved - accepts - and - anyone - is - corruption - bribery - corrupt - in .
PART TWO : Written expression
( 05pts ) Choose ONE of the following topics .
Either topic one : Write a composition of about 100 words about the following topic :
Some businessmen say : ” Business is Business ” . They mean that every businessman is free
to choose his personal ethical standards ; business profits are more important that moral values .
Write a short essay saying that ethics is important in business.
The following notes will help you :
- Business should comply with ethics .
- Business can endanger the environment and people’s health .
- Greed may result in unfair competition .
- Good practices ensure fairness and success .
Or topic Two : Some people say that money is the root of all evil . To what extent do you agree with them ?