Part 1: Reading Comprehension/Vocabulary (60 points)

Thomas Edisons Shaggy Dog (Kurt Vonnegut)

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Two old men were sitting on a park bench in Florida. One of them, Bullard, spent every
day in the park with his Labrador dog, boring everyone he came across. The other man
tried to escape Bullard and his dog, who kept trying to chew the garters
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from his socks.
The stranger went to another bench but Bullard followed him. Bullard asked the
stranger about his line of business.
My line? said the stranger crisply, laying down his book. Sorry Ive never had a
line. Ive been a drifter since the age of nine, since Edison set up his laboratory next to
my home and showed me the intelligence analyser.
Edison? said Bullard. Thomas Edison, the inventor?
If you want to call him that, go ahead said the stranger.
If I want to call him that? Bullard guffawed I guess I just will. Father of the
light bulb and I dont know what all.
If you think he invented the light bulb, go ahead. No harm in it. The stranger
resumed his reading.
Say, what is this? said Bullard, suspiciously. Youre pulling my leg? Whats this
about an intelligence analyser? Ive never heard of that.
Of course you havent, said the stranger. Mr Edison and I promised to keep it a
secret
Bullard was entranced. Uh, this intelligence analyser, he said. It analysed
intelligence, did it?
It was back in the fall of eighteen seventy-nine, said the stranger at last, softly.
Back in the village of Menlo Park, New Jersey. I was a boy of nine. A young man we all
thought was a wizard had set up a laboratory next door to my home
I didnt get to know Edison right off, but his dog Sparky and I got to be steady pals.
A dog a whole lot like yours, Sparky was Well, one day, Sparky and I were wrestling
around and we wrestled right up to the door of the laboratory. The next thing I knew,
Sparky had pushed me in through the door and Bam! I was sitting on the laboratory
floor, looking up at Mr Edison himself.
Bet he was sore, said Bullard, delighted.
You can bet I was scared, said the stranger. I thought I was face to face with Satan
himself. Edison had wires hooked to his ears running down to a little black box in his
lap! I started to scoot but he caught me by the collar and made me sit down.
For over a year, my boy, Edison said to me, Ive been trying to find a filament
that will last in an incandescent lamp So while I was trying to think of something I
put this together, he said, showing me the little black box. I thought maybe intelligence
was just a certain kind of electricity, so I made this intelligence analyser here. It works!
Youre the first one to know about it, my boy And it did work I let him try it on me
and the needle just lay where it was and trembled. But dumb as I was, then is when I
made my one and only contribution in the world
Whadja do? said Bullard eagerly.
I said, Mr Edison, sir, lets try it on the dog. And would you believe it, that
needle sailed clear across the dial, way past a little red pencil mark on the dial face!
Mr Edison, sir, I said. Whats that red mark mean?
My boy, said Edison, it means the instrument is broken, because the red mark is
me.
Ill say it was broken, said Bullard.

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elastic band made to keep up the sock
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The stranger replied gravely, But it wasnt broken. No sir. Edison checked the
whole thing When Edison told me that, it was then that Sparky, crazy to get out, gave
himself away We really had him locked in, see? There were three locks on the door
That dog stood up and had the knob in his teeth when Edison stopped him.
No! said Bullard.
Yes! said the stranger, his eyes shining. And that is when Edison showed me what
a great scientist he was. He was willing to face the truth, no matter how unpleasant it
might be.
So! said Edison to Sparky. Mans best friend, huh? Dumb animal, huh? Pretty
soft, isnt it, Sparky? said Edison. Let somebody else worry about getting food,
building shelters and keeping warm while you sleep in front of a fire or go chasing after
the girls or raise hell with the boys. No mortgages, no politics, no war, no work, no
worry. Just wag the old tail or lick a hand and youre taken care of.
Mr Edison, I said, do you mean to tell me that dogs are smarter than people?
Smarter? Ill tell the world! said Edison. And what have I been doing for the past
year? Slaving to work out a light bulb so dogs can play at night!
Look, Mr Edison, said Sparky, Why not
Hold on! roared Bullard.
Silence! shouted the stranger, triumphantly. Look, Mr Edison, said Sparky,
why not keep quiet about this? Its been working out to everybodys satisfaction for
hundreds of years. Let sleeping dogs lie. You forget about it, destroy the intelligence
analyser, and Ill tell you what to use for a lamp filament.
Hogwash, said Bullard, his face purple.
The stranger stood You have my solemn word as a gentleman. That dog rewarded
me for my silence with a stock market tip that made me independently wealthy for the
rest of my days. And the last words that Sparky ever spoke were to Thomas Edison. Try
a piece of carbonised cotton thread, he said. Later, he was torn to pieces by a pack of
dogs that had gathered outside the door, listening.
The stranger removed his garters and handed them to Bullards dog. A small token
of esteem, sir, for an ancestor of yours who talked himself to death. Good day.
He tucked his book under his arm and walked away.




A Vocabulary (36 points)



1. Give a synonym in the context for (6 points):
1. entranced (line 19)
2. right off (l. 24)
3. sore (l. 29)
4. dumb (l. 38)
5. replied (l. 47)
6. token (l. 75)
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2. Give an antonym (opposite) in the context for (6 points):
1. pals (line 24)
2. floor (l. 28)
3. at night (l. 62)
4. destroy (l. 67)
5. rewarded (l. 70)
6. ancestor (l. 76)


3. Give a related noun, adjective, adverb or verb (as indicated): Avoid words
ending in -ing, -er, or ed (4 points)

1. think (l. 34) noun:
2. truth (l. 53) adverb:
3. satisfaction (l. 66) verb:
4. independently (l. 71) noun:


4. Irregular verbs. Complete the table of irregular verb forms from the reading text
(6 points):


Infinitive Past Past Participle (One) meaning in
German (infinitive)
bet (l. 30)
caught (l. 32)
lay (l. 38)
mean (l. 43)
broken (l. 44)
torn (l. 73)



5. Paraphrase. Rewrite the whole sentence changing the words in broad italics
for other words with the same or a very similar meaning (6 points):

1. The stranger resumed his reading. (ll. 13-14)



2. Youre pulli ng my leg? (l. 15)


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3. He was willing to face the truth. (l. 53)



4. Slavi ng to work out a light bulb so that dogs can play at night! (l. 62)



5. Let sleepi ng dogs li e. (l. 67) (2 points)





6. Explain the following expressions in English (8 points):

1. light bulb (l. 13)




2. wizard (l. 23)




3. trembled (l.38)



4. wag (l. 59)





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B Comprehension questions (24 points)


Answer the following questions in your own words (do not copy any sentences from
the text):

1. Why didnt the stranger want Bullard to call Edison an inventor? (4)









2. How did the stranger first meet Edison? (4)









3. Why did Edison first believe that his machine was broken? (4)









4. Explain in your own words the deal between Edison and Sparky. What did each
of them gain from it? (6)







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5. Why did the stranger tell Bullard the story about Edison? (4)









6. Why did the stranger give his garters to Bullards dog (in your own words)? (2)






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Part 2: Use of English/Grammar (60 points)


1. Reported speech. Complete the sentences using the beginnings given. (5 points)

1. Susan: Im going to be very busy tomorrow.
She said _______________________________________ .

2. Tom: Ive done my best.
He assured me ___________________________________ .

3. Jane asked Charles: Do you live here?
She asked him ___________________________________ .

4. Tom and Jerry: We will look into the matter.
They promised __________________________________ .

5. Janet: Pete phoned me yesterday.
She said _______________________________________ .


2. Passive. Put the underlined part of the sentence into the passive. Copy the rest
of the sentence too. Do not change the tense. (5 points)

1. A few minutes after they had served dinner at the school, someone found a
fire in the school kitchen.



2. The fire started because someone had left a cooker on.



3. Theyve evacuated the school.


4. Someone has counted all the students.



5. Theyre checking the school to make sure no one is still inside.



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3. Ask questions about the parts in italics of the sentences below. (5 points)

1. The door is open to let in some fresh air.


2. He travels to school by bus.


3. Janes key was on the table.


4. They dont like blue.


5. He sold four bicycles yesterday.



4. Conditionals (types I, II, III). Complete the following sentences. (5 points)

1. If the cat gets lost, the children __________________ (be) sad.

2. Jack would have passed his driving test, if he __________________
(practise) parking.

3. If Graham __________________ (win) the first prize, he would be very
proud.

4. If Chris hadnt met Kim, he __________________ (not go) to Hong Kong
last month.

5. If you dont buy a newspaper today, you __________________ (not see)
my picture on the front page.


5. Tenses. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form. (12 points)

1. She __________________ (have) breakfast right when he phoned.

2. Dont forget Professor Bottomley __________________ (expect) you this
afternoon.

3. What ________________ (you do) here? Oh, I ________________
(look) for a knife and a fork where __________________ (you keep)
them?

4. We __________________ (meet) twice last week.

5. When my wife __________________ (arrive), tell her Im in here, would
you?
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6. She began to think a mistake __________________ (be) made.

7. I __________________ (probably see) you at Fridays meeting, then.

8. She __________________ (work) since she was 16.

9. Look at those dark clouds. It __________________ (rain) soon.

10. You __________________ (be) together less than an hour and already
youre quarrelling.


6. Tenses and forms: Fill the gaps sensibly. Distinguish simple form and continuous
form clearly. In some cases additional small changes must be made. (10.5 points)
Situation: Commisario Brunetti paid a visit to his mother at the hospital.
However, his mother did not recognise him as her son and was panicked about
his presence, so Brunetti left the room to wait in the corridor for the nurse, a
nun, to come out of his mothers room.

After about ten minutes Suor'Immacolata (step) ______________________ out
of the room and (stand) ______________________ beside Brunetti while he
(lean) ______________________ against a cold stone pillar. 'I'm sorry about
all that, Dottore. But listen, for a reason unknown to me, your mother (be)
______________________ very quiet ever since I (tell)
______________________ her you (come) ______________________
(visit) ______________________ her again soon.' 'That's all right, Sister.
These things (happen) ______________________ . You didn't hurt yourself,
(verb) ______________________ ?' 'Oh, no. Poor thing. She can't help
(behave) ______________________ the way she (do) ________________
a quarter of an hour ago.'' Brunetti found nothing (say)
______________________ . In reply he put out his hand and (shake)
_____________________ hers, (keep) ______________________ her
hand in his for long seconds, and then (wrap) _______________________ his
other hand around it. 'Thank you, Sister. You (succeed+preposition)
__________________________ (calm) _____________________ her
down at last. Well then, I (look forward)
_________________________________ (see) ____________________
you two again in two weeks' time.' ' So (verb) ________________ I, Dottore.
Would you like (I / accompany) ____________________________ you to the
exit ?' (From: Donna Leon, The Anonymous Venetian)
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7. Gapped text. Fill each gap with ONE suitable word to make meaningful and
grammatically correct sentences. (15x0.5=7.5 points)

Summer camp

Every year, eight million children across the United States
(1) __________ some time at a summer camp. For more (2) _________ a century,
children (3) ____________ enjoyed both learning new skills and taking part (4)
_____________ a variety of activities in a friendly environment.
There are 10,000 camps across the country, (5) _________ are designed to look
(6) __________ youngsters (7) _________ the age of six to eighteen. The camps,
(8) ____________ anything from one to eight weeks, are often situated in beautiful
lakeside (9) ____________ and there is a wide range of prices to suit every pocket.
The children typically do (10) _____________ activities, including some challenging
sports like climbing, or indoor activities (11) __________ as drama, music or poetry.
(12) _____________ the camps are not luxurious, the wooden cabins the young
people sleep in are comfortable. The timetable does not allow very much time for
relaxing (13) ___________ the children
are kept busy all the time. The camps are popular (14) _____________ the children,
and many come away full of enthusiasm. In the words of a former camper, I made a lot
of friends, was never on my own, and became a lot (15) ___________ self-confident.




8. Word Formation. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the
space in the same sentence. (20x0.5=10 points)

1. You will find a detailed _______________ of all the features EXPLAIN
in the manual.

2. Jim was suspended from school for ___________________ BEHAVIOUR
badly.

3. I have a job that offers me a lot of different _____________. RESPONSIBLE

4. The speakers comments were _______________ to the RELEVANT
subject, he wasnt prepared at all.

5. They must have completely ______________ my directions UNDERSTAND
as they ended up at the opposite end of town.

6. Stone-age people lived very different lives to us but there are SIMILAR
many _____________________ , too.

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7. There was a lot of _____________ of the towns proposal to CRITICIZE
knock down the casino.

8. I cant imagine why anyone wants to live in a/n ______________ CROWD
city with all that noise and pollution.

9. Archaeologists have found a ________________ of stone-age VARIOUS
tools, hidden under the ice.

10. You should never use sports shoes which hurt your feet or feel
______________________ after a long run. COMFORT

11. This National Park is _________________ increasing in STEADY
popularity with visitors from abroad.

12. Thank you for a most _________________ evening! ENJOY

13. How do you like the pasta? Mmh, its very _______________ . TASTE
Can I have some more, please?
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14. The palace guards were wearing ______________ uniforms. COLOUR


15. Whats your new au-pair like? Oh, shes very good with the kids, but
totally ________________ when it comes to being punctual. RELY


16. We were __________________ surprised by the excellent PLEASE
service and the quality of the food.

17. I really _______________ driving in the city during rush hours. LIKE
The traffic makes me mad!

18. The sports team tried _________________ to stay in the SUCCESS
first league. In the end they had to admit they werent good enough.


19. The noise of the loudspeakers was _____________________ . DEAF
I had to leave the club after 20 minutes.

20. A ___________________ and animated discussion broke LIFE
out after Professor Hardy had finished his presentation.