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Annales gratuites Bac ES : Compréhension écrite

Le sujet  1997 - Bac ES - Anglais LV1 - Compréhension écrite Imprimer le sujet
LE SUJET

The Games may never be safe again, but they must go on

The Observer, 28 July 1996

I just froze and felt sick. I knew exactly what it was all about. The immediate memory was Munich. I wasn't there, but for those who were it must have brought back a nightmare.
There may have been a difference from Atlanta, but the end result was the same : an unspeakable act of barbarity. In 1972, of course, the Games were selectively targeted ; a by-product of an Arab-Israeli conflict. We don't know yet what was behind this, but ultimately there's no difference in the overall horror.
You can't switch on your TV without recognising that Centennial Park has become a symbol for the city's celebration of the Games. It's where the partying goes on, so whoever planted the bomb knew they were likely to inflict massive injury.
It wasn't an economic target. The bombers didn't pick an empty broadcast centre or go for the rapid transport system. They actually picked a place where they knew that the people there would have had absolutely no interest or involvement with their cause.
Of course, there are many who will say that sport is not worth the spilling of anyone's blood, and that these Olympics should have been abandoned there and then. I do not agree. They went ahead in Munich and it is right that they do so now, because you cannot concede to terrorism or blackmail.
If you do, then you admit these people have the ability to derail something which, for all its imperfections, has a massive ability to unify.
We all know the Games are no longer just about sport. They are about commercialism, politics, ego, many things - but essentially they are about youth.
Only the other day, I went to Gatwick to see off 18 youngsters from all over the United Kingdom who were going to attend an Olympic youth camp in Atlanta.
They were going not to compete, but to enjoy themselves as part of the Olympic movement. These are the sort of young people who could have ended up as the victims of a misguided political message.
We tend to forget the Olympics have often been used as a political platform, whether for Nazism in 1936 or the African boycott in 1976.
Now this is the second occasion when they have spilled over into ghastly tragedy. As a human being, a politician and a former Olympian I am saddened and appalled.
It would be hard for something as large as the Olympics to avoid being a target for cranks, extremists and terrorists, but if you decided to do away with it because of such threats, you would also have to scrap the World Cup and other major global gatherings.
These people are not respecters of ethos, philosophy or tradition. To them nothing is sacred. They just cynically target something they know is going to give them wall-to-wall publicity for their acts of horror.

Sebastian Coe won gold medals in the 1500 metres in the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics. He is now Tory MP for Falmouth and Camborne.


A crank : a mad person.


A - Global Comprehension

1 - Who is the narrator ?

Name :
Present occupation :


2 - What tragic event does the article refer to ?


3 - Say precisely where it took place.
Say when it took place.



4 - Why was this place chosen ? Justify by quoting the text.



B - Detailed Comprehension

1 - Pick out at least four expressions in the text showing that the narrator was deeply shocked by the event.

-
-
-
-

2 - Pick out three sentences or groups of words showing that the event is unforgivable.

-
-
-


3 - Why does the narrator take such an interest in the event ?


4 - Say whether the following statements are true or false and justify with a quotation from the text.

a. After the tragic event, nobody wanted the games to stop.

b. The narrator thought it was necessary for the games to go on.

c. He thinks it's always safer to accept terrorists' demands.


5 - Find in the text the sentence that refers to the old spirit of the Olympic Games.


6 - Show that the Olympic Games have now lost their initial purpose. Quote one sentence from the text.


7 - The author refers to three events proving the presence of politics in the Olympic Games. Which ones ?


8 - Among the following adjectives, circle those which best qualify terrorists. For each adjective chosen, justify with one quotation.

1. Cruel :
2. Dedicated :
3. Compassionate :
4. Longing for fame :
5. Willing to help :
6. Disrespectful :


9 - Would you say this article is

- a cry of alarm ?
- a hopeful vision of sport ?
- a message of peace ?

Choose the most appropriate statement and briefly justify your choice in your own words.


10 - Translate into French from "Only the other day" down to "Olympic movement".

LE CORRIGÉ

A - Global Comprehension

1. Who is the narrator ?

Name : Sebastian Coe
Present occupation : Tory M.P.


2. What tragic event does the article refer to ?
The bomb in Centennial Park during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.


3. Say precisely where it took place.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Say when it took place. July, 1996 .


4. Why was this place chosen ?
"It's where the partying goes on, so whoever planted the bomb knew they were likely to inflict massive injury."


B - Detailed Comprehension

1. Pick out at least four expressions in the text showing that the narrator was deeply shocked by the event.

- I just froze and felt sick.
- An unspeakable act of barbarity.
- Ghastly tragedy/I am saddened and appalled


2. Pick out three sentences or groups of words showing that the event is unforgivable.

- An unspeakable act of barbarity.
- These are the sort of young people who could have ended up as the victims of a misguided political message.
- These people are not respecters of ethos, philosophy or tradition.


3. Why does the narrator take such an interest in the event ?
Because he was the 1500 meter champion in the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympic Games.


4. Say whether the following statements are true or false and justify with a quotation from the text.

a. After the tragic event, nobody wanted the games to stop.
FALSE : Of course, there are many who will say that these Olympics should have been abandoned there and then.

b. The narrator thought it was necessary for the games to go on.
TRUE : I do not agree. They went ahead in Munich and it is right that they do so now.

c. He thinks it's always safer to accept terrorists' demands.
FALSE : You cannot concede to terrorism or blackmail.


5. Find in the text the sentence that refers to the old spirit of the Olympic Games.
They are about many things but essentially they are about youth.


6. Show that the Olympic Games have now lost their initial purpose. Quote one sentence from the text.
They are about commercialism, politics, ego, many things.


7. The author refers to three events proving the presence of politics in the Olympic Games. Which ones ?
Berlin, 1936. Munich, 1972. The African boycott in 1976.


8. Among the following adjectives, circle those which best qualify terrorists. For each adjective chosen, justify with one quotation.

1. Cruel : unspeakable act of barbarity
2. Dedicated :
3. Compassionate :
4. Longing for fame : ... target something they know is going to give them wall-to-wall publicity.
5. Willing to help :
6. Disrespectful : ... not respecters of ethos, philosophy or tradition.


9. Would you say this article is

- a cry of alarm
- a hopeful vision of sport ?
- a message of peace ?

Choose the most appropriate statement and briefly justify your choice in your own words.

Mr Coe is appalled at the ease with which terrorists can target the Games as well as at the other devious uses to which the Olympics can be put.


10. Translate into French from ("Only the other day...) down to (...Olympic movement").

L'autre jour j'ai accompagné à Gatwick dix-huit jeunes venus de tout le Royaume-Uni qui devaient s'intégrer à la colonie de vacances olympique à Atlanta.
Ils ne s'y rendaient pas pour se disputer les prix, mais pour participer à la fête des Jeux Olympiques.

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