Le sujet 2002 - Bac S - Anglais LV2 - Compréhension écrite |
Her Leah Pires passport had proven quite reliable in the past two weeks. But the customs agent had seen the alert an hour earlier during a coffee break. He pushed an alarm button on his scanner while he slowly examined every word of the passport. The hesitation at first was annoying, then Leah realized something was wrong. The travelers at the other booths were breezing through, barely slowing long enough to open their passports and having the approvals nodded back at them. A supervisor in a navy jacket appeared from nowhere and huddled with the agent. "Could you step in here, Ms. Pires ? " he asked politely but with no room for discussion. He was pointing at a row of doors down the wide corridor.
"Is there a problem ? " she insisted.
"Not really. Just a few questions." He was waiting for her. A uniformed guard with Mace1 and a gun on his waist was waiting too. The supervisor was holding her passport. Dozens of passengers behind her were watching.
"Question about what ? " she demanded as she walked with the supervisor and the guard to the second door.
"Just a few questions," he repeated, opening the door and escorting her into a square room with no windows. A holding room. She noticed the name of Rivera on his lapel. He didn't look to be Hispanic.
"Give me the passport," she demanded as soon as they were alone and the door was closed.
"Not so fast, Ms Pires. I need to ask you a few questions."
"And I don't have to answer them".
"Please, relax. Have a seat. Can I get you some coffee or water ? "
"No."
"Is this a valid address in Rio ? "
"It certainly is".
"Where did you arrive from ? "
"Pensacola"2
"Your flight ? "
"Airlink 855."
"And your destination ? "
"Sao Paulo ? "
"Where in Sao Paulo ? "
"Maybe that's a private matter."
"Business or pleasure ? "
"Why does it matter ? "
"It matters. Your passport lists your home in Rio. So where will you be staying in Sao Paulo ? "
"A hotel."
"And the name of the hotel ? "
She hesitated as she struggled to grab the name of a hotel, and the little interval was deadly. "Uh, the - the - Inter-Continental," she finally said, without the slightest hint of truthfulness.
He wrote it down, then said. "And we can assume the room there is reserved in the name of Leah Pires ? "
" Of course," she said, snapping back nicely. But one quick phone call would prove she was lying.
"Where is your luggage ? " he asked.
Another crack in the facade, and this one even more revealing.
She hesitated, glanced away, and said : "I'm travelling light".
Someone knocked on the door. Rivera opened it slightly, took a sheet of paper, and whispered to this unseen colleague, Leah sat down and tried to relax. The door closed and Rivera studied this evidence.
"According to our records, you entered the country eight days ago, here in Miami, on a flight from London which originated in Zurich. Eight days and no luggage. Seems odd, doesn't it ?"
"Is it a crime to travel light ? " she asked.
"No, but it is a crime to use a false passport. At least here, in the US."
She looked at the passport lying on the table near him, and she knew it was as phony as could be. "It's not a false passport," she said indignantly.
"Do you know a person by the name of Eva Miranda ? " Rivera asked, and Leah couldn't keep here chin up. Her heart stopped and her face fell, and she knew the chase was over.
The Partner, John Grisham, (BCA Books, 1997)
1
Mace : a weapon with paralysing gas1) In what country and what city does the scene take place ? Justify your answer indicating the lines.
2) Read the text from line 1 to line 13.
a) Tick the appropriate box :
"Her Leah Pires passport had proven quite reliable in the past two weeks." implies that :
She had never used that identity before.
She had already been arrested before.
She had never been suspected before.
b) In your words, explain what is happening to the passengers.
.c) What is happening to the main character ? Support your answer with at least four quotations from the text.
3) Read from line 14 to the end.
Some of the following adjectives apply to the main character. Which ones ? Tick the correct boxes and justify your choices by quoting from the text.
Honest
Irritated
Trapped
Arrogant
Violent
Tense
4) Who are the other three characters ?
a)
b)
5) Say if the following statements are true or false. Use elements from the text to justify your answers.
a) He is a very polite man.
True / False
b) He is undecided.
True / False
c) He has no evidence against the main character.
True / False
6) Who do you think Eva Miranda might be ?
7) Translate from line 49 to line 53 "Another crack ... evidence.".
COMPREHENSION
1) In what country and what city does the scene take place ? Justify your answer indicating the lines.
2) Read the text from line 1 to line 13.
a) Tick the appropriate box :
"Her Leah Pires passport had proven quite reliable in the past two weeks." implies that :
She had never used that identity before.
She had already been arrested before.
She had never been suspected before.
b) In your words, explain what is happening to the passengers.
c) What is happening to the main character ? Support your answer with at least four quotations from the text.
3) Read from line 14 to the end.
Some of the following adjectives apply to the main character. Which ones ? Tick the correct boxes and justify your choices by quoting from the text.
Honest
Irritated
Trapped
Line 62 : "She knew the chase was over."
Arrogant
Line 14 : "She demanded"
Line 22 : "And I don't have to answer them."
Violent
Tense
Line 52 : "Leah sat down and tried to relax."
4) Who are the other three characters ?
a)
Riviera, the supervisor (line 17).5) Say if the following statements are true or false. Use element from the text to justify your answers.
a) He is a very polite man.
True
Line 23 : "Please, relax. Have a seat. Can I get you some coffee or water ?"
b) He is undecided.
c) He has no evidence against the main character.
6) Who do you think Eva Miranda might be ?
Eva Miranda must be the real name of the woman traveling with a Leah Pires passport. She might be a runaway the police are looking for. They could be chasing her for some serious reason. Having already fled several countries and no luggage, she is very likely to be a criminal.
7) Translate from line 49 to line 53 "Another crack ... evidence".
Une autre fissure dans la façade, et encore plus révélatrice. Elle hésita, détourna le regard et dit : "Je voyage léger".
Quelqu'un frappa à la porte, Riviera l'ouvrit et murmura quelque chose à son collègue, invisible pour elle. Leah s'assit et tenta de se détendre. La porte se referma et Riviera étudia cette preuve.