Midterm Exam A2+

Name : BOUHCINE AIT ABBOU . Time: 75mns

Date  : ……………………………. Mark: /60

LISTENING ……../15

A. Listen and fill the gaps with the phrases. (1 pt each)

Choosing a career 1 is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. It used to be that we 2

choose only one career. People3 would start a job when they were...and 4 staying that same

career for life. Their career path 5 was straightforward. Nowadays, .... five, six, seven

times..... We need to study and6 keep up with all the changes. ...careers now. I like moving

from 7 one job to another. It means life 8 never gets boring. It’s much better to keep.... I 9

have no idea what career I’ll choose next. Perhaps one that doesn’t even exist today 10.

B. Listen again and mark the statement false or right. (1pt each)

a. It’s unusual for people to change careers nowadays True

b. Things go slow with technology, now False

c. Job mobility isn’t something I really want False

d. Learning never stops for me True

e. Unlike today, Careers, in the past, started late. False

READING ………/15
Read the passage and do the exercises that follow.
 Bad weather can affect you, but what about its effects on company profits? It is difficult to sell ice-
cream when it is cold. Skiers don’t want to go to a ski resort when there is no snow. So what
precautions can these businesses take?

Companies often have insurance against negative weather changes in interest or foreign exchange rate,
and they can also insure against bad weather. In the USA, the market for this type of insurance is
worth an estimated $9 billion a year.

Agriculture, energy and leisure are just three examples of industries that depend on the weather. The
number of visitors to the theme park like Disneyland falls on rainy days, and a mild winter affects the
energy sector because there is less demand for heating.

One advantage of this type of insurance is that weather is easy to measure. You can specify
temperature, hours of sunshine, wind speed or inches of rainfall. For example, some pubs in London
have open-air terraces. They are an important attraction for customers in the summer, but only when
there is dry, sunny weather. There is a payout for every Thursday and Friday when the temperature
does not rise above 24 degree centigrade.

Airport can take out insurance against the average wind speed going above a certain level. This way,
they receive compensation for loss of revenues on days when high winds stops planes from flying.

In some countries, there is a problem with this type of insurance. The climate is very changeable, and
weather information isn’t very reliable. This makes it more difficult to assess the risks. On the other
hand, it gives people something to talk about.

A/ Answer these questions with information from the article and using your own words. (3 each)

1-How can companies protect their businesses?

companies protect their businesses by having insurance against negative weather changes.
2- What makes insurance against bad weather possible?
Because weather is easy to measure
3- Is insurance against bad weather possible every where? Why?
No, cause in some countries the climate is very changeable.

B/ Write true or false. Correct the false ones (2 each)

1-Leisure industry is not profitable in cold weather. T F

True
2- In the USA, insurance against bad weather is low. T F
False. In USA, the market of this type of insurance is very worthy.

C/ Find in the text synonyms to these words: (1 each)

1-Decrease ( paragraph3) : falls on
2-Benefits ( paragraph6) : revenues

VOCABULARY ............../15

A.Complete the sentences with a 'career' collocation.Choose a word from the box.(1 each) 

path ; opportunities ; move ; break ; plan ; ladder

 1.You must offer excellent career opportunities to attract talented staff.

2.I need to take a career break to regain energy and motivation.

3.I had to reject their offer ; they had no career path for me.

4.This training opportunity will be a real career move for me ; it will

help me improve my skills.

5.In general , it is your education background that determines your career

ladder so make sure to make the right choice.

B. Fill in the blank with a phrase from the box. You will not need all the phrases.( 1 each).

share price ; net profit ; head office ; market share ; parent company ; workforce; subsidiaries

Our head office is in London , where the leading insurance

companies are located. We are still a young company , so our parent company
is still very small , and our subsidiaries around the globe
are not more than four. We hope to increase this number in the next five years.
We make sure that the market share does not have total control over
our foreign operations , but one of our priorities is that our workforce enjoy almost ideal
working conditions to identify with the values of the
company.

C. Complete each sentence with the correct form of an item from the list .(1 each)

involve ; be in charge ; deal ; look ;make sure ; be responsible

1.My responsibilities involve recruitment and training ; I'm the HR manager.

2. He deals with the IT problems ; he's very competent.

3.She is responsible for external matters and communication ; she's good at PR.

4.They are lawyers ; they make sure that we abide by the law.

5.You need to look after them ; you are the receptionist.

GRAMMAR .........../15

A.Fill in the gaps with ' can ; would ; or could . (1 each)

1.could you reread the mail before sending it ? We don't want any surprises.

2. would you like to have lunch with us before heading to the airport?
 3.When could you train them on the new application ?

4. can tell us more about the product ? We can't launch it as it is now.

5. would you translate the report into English ? Nobody speaks German.

B.Read the advertisement and put the verbs in brackets in the present simple
or present continuous. ( 1 each )

Granada Film , part of the Granada Media Group,(produce)is producing and

(co-finance) co-financing a broad range of films for the UK and abroad. Due to

expansion , we ( look ) are looking for a Finance Manager with film finance

experience, good communication skills , and the ability to work under pressure.

Currently , we ( work) are working on many films , we (not have) do not have time

for training , so the candidate ( have ) have to be ready to take

responsibility from the first day.We ( not be ) are not in a position to reply to

all applicants , but we ( promise ) promise to contact the shortlisted

candidates within four weeks of the closing date. We ( have) have a

reputation of a leading enterprise that ( do )do anything it can to make

you not regret your trust in us !