PART 1: READING /
INTERPRETING
Read the text carefully then do the activities
The first known urban civilization on the Indian subcontinent—and one of the
first in the world— flourished in the valley of the
Indus River. The Indus Valley civilization lasted
from about 2500 BC to about 1700 BC in part of the region that is now
Pakistan and
India. It is best known for the great cities of
Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Evidence of the civilization was first uncovered in
1921.
The economy of the Indus Valley was mostly agricultural. The people depended
heavily on the rivers for growing crops. Because little rain fell in the
valley, they used the process called
irrigation to carry water from the rivers to the
fields. In addition, they took advantage of the annual flooding of the Indus
River. The people used to plant crops at certain times of year to best use the
water and rich soils provided by the floods. Among the crops that fed the
people of the valley were wheat, barley, dates, melons, and peas. The Indus
people were among the first in the world to grow cotton and make textile
fabrics from it.
The Indus people domesticated many animals, meaning that they raised them to be
useful to humans. The animals included humped cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats,
camels, dogs, and cats. Some experts believe that the Indus people were the
first to domesticate the chicken.
The end date of the Indus Valley civilization also is not known for sure. The society
probably broke down in stages sometime between 2000 BC and 1700 BC. It is known
that when the end came, the civilization was already in decline. Some historians
believe that the cities were sacked by invaders from the west, probably a group
known as Aryans. Climate change, floods, and epidemics also may have helped
cause the civilization's downfall. Encyclopædia Britannica 2007
A)COMPREHENTION
1-The text is : a-Narrative b- Expository c-Argumentative (1
2- Say whether the following statements are True or False according to the text
a- The Indus Valley civilization lasted 1000 years .
b- The Indus River floods helped people in agriculture.
c- The Indus Valley civilization began to fall step by step.
3-In which paragraph is ( The Indus civilization’s collapse ) mentioned ? (1
4-What do the underlined words refer to in the text
a- It §1= b- they §2= c- them §3 =
5- Answer the following questions according to the text
a-Where did the Indus civilization flourish ?
b-How long ago did the Indus valley civilization rise ?
c-Did the people at that time depend only on rain ?
d- Give two reasons for the collapse of Indus valley civilization !
B) TEXT EXPLORATION (8 pts )
1-Write from the text the words that have nearly the same meaning as:
a-bloomed §1= b-had the habit to §2= c-a lot of §3= d-perhaps §4=
2)Match the words in (A) with their opposites in (B) ( 1.5
(A) |
(B) |
1-Rise 2-Little 3-Better 4-Fertile 5-Vanish 6-Many |
a-Few b-Emerge c-Worse d-Much e-Poor f-Collapse |
3-Ask questions that the underlined words answer
a-The Indus civilization bloomed 4000 years ago .
-………………………………………………………….?
b-The people of The Indus valley used to grow cotton in their fields .
-…………………………………………………………..?
4-Spot the mistake and correct it . ( 2 P )
a-For me , arts must contribute for the flourishing of any civilization.
b-The people of the Indus valley used not to build pyramids.
c-The pupils had revised before they had watched TV .
d-Despite they persevered , they didn’t succeed .
5-Classify the following verbs according to their final ' ed
-Contributed- persevered –revised – watched- succeeded –flourished
PART TWO: WRITTEN EXPRESSION
Choose one of the following topics?
Topic 1 :The Islamic civilization rose , bloomed and fell .Use the following
notes to develop
your ideas :
-To begin in 611 AD by Mohamad’s rule and the four patriarch khalifs(Abu
Bakr-Omar-Otman and Ali )
-To develop in the ommeyyad reign in Syria
-To reach its maturity in the abbastgsid rule in Irak : progress in ( medicine-
Philosophy- arts- astronomy-mathematics-….)
-To fall in 1492 in Andalusia ( many reasons : corrupt rulers , problems
between khalifs , unity of enemies)
Topic 2: Summarize the tex