Time: 2hours
Part One. a) Read the text carefully then do the activities. (8pts)
Bribery is the crime of giving or receiving something of value to influence official action. Both the person giving and receiving the bribe are guilty of bribery.
Bribery is illegal for two reasons: Firstly, it usually involves a public official using his or her office for personal gain. Secondly, 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 4,000 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 fined, 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 most common in some countries or parts of countries than in others. Many countries have made it illegal to bribe officials from other countries.
1. Are the following statements true or false? Write “T” for true and “F” for false next to the sentence
letter.
a. Only the person who takes a bribe is guilty of bribery
b. Bribery is associated to modern society
c. Officials convicted to bribery are punished.
d. Only few people who commit bribery are caught.
2. Answer the following questions according to the text.
a. Why is bribery illegal?
b. Why are public officials bribed?
c. Are all bribery practices punished?
3. In which paragraph is it mentioned that corrupt people are rarely punished?
4. What do the underlined words in the text refer ?
a) it (§2) b) that (§2) c) it (§4)
5. Is the text
a)argumentative b)narrative c)descriptive e) expository
b) Text Exploration (7pts)
1)Match each word with its definition
Words Definitions
1. guilty a) against the law
2. contract b) having done something wrong
3. fined c) a legal agreement
4. illegal d) punished by paying money
2. Give the opposite of the following words keeping the same root.
a) advantage b) ethical c) relevant
3. . Join the following pairs of sentences using the connectors between brackets.
a. Bribery is common in third world countries. People cannot do anything without bribery. (so…that)
b. Third world countries will overcome their crises. They will fight bribery, nepotism and embezzlement. (provided that)
4. Fill in the gaps with the words from the list below so that the text makes sense.
bribe – corruption – illegal – corrupt
Bribery is the…(1) .…. payment made to a person in order to persuade him/her to do you a favour. to…(2)… .a civil servant is to corrupt him/her. Anyone who accepts bribery is .…(3)….. and is involved in……(4)…… .
5. Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of their final “s”
a)owners b)officials c)countries d)practices e)parts e)places
/s/ /z/ /iz/
Part two Written expression (5pts)
Choose one of the following topics:
Topic 1:
You were victim of a corrupt employee or civil servant. Write a letter to the employer to complain about his unethical behaviour. Mention:
• When and where it happened
• What happened
• Who the employee was
• How he reacted when you said you would complain
Topic 2: It is said that downloading music or books is a theft. What is your opinion? Justify your answer.