Name:

Mark

Class: 2 bac (

Date:

Risking death in the Mediterranean

By Patrick Kingsley- The Guardian
1 Record

numbers of migrants are dying in the Mediterranean this year, amid the largest wave of massmigration since the Second World War.
Sobbing and shaking, Mohamed Abdallah, 21, sits in a migrant detention centre in Libya, surrounded by
hundreds of fellow asylum seekers who nearly died this week at sea. Libyan smugglers had crammed 5
them all on the boat with just a compass and no driver. They survived after being intercepted, detained
and brought back to shore by Libyan coastguards, ending a week in which they went round in circles,
starving and lost.
Back in 2006, Abdallah left for what is now South Sudan, after his village was destroyed by war, his
father died, and his sisters were raped. But in South Sudan, another war later broke out. Thus, he made
10 his way through the Sahara, a journey that killed his brother and cousin, to Libya, where last year, he
was witness to his third civil war in a decade. There he worked night and day under pressure and harsh
conditions until he had saved up enough to pay local smugglers for the unseaworthy boat to Europe.
For migrants, Europe is a safer place to be and start a new life. That is the reason why, despite his horror
stories, Abdallah says the journey that killed more than 450 others this week is his only option and he
15 wont go back to his country.

1.- Say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text.
Copy the evidence from the text. No marks will be given without the evidence. (1.5
points)
a) Luckily, the migrants had provisions until the moment they were found by the
coastguards.
b) Abdallahs brother and cousin died on the boat.
c) After his experience, Abdallah has changed his mind and will now try to start a
new life in Africa.

2.- Choose ONLY THREE of the following words and write a synonym (=), an
Opposite (), a definition or a sentence to show that you understand their meaning
in the text. Use your own words. (1.5 points)
a) Amid

b) Asylum seekers

c) Starving

d) Broke out

e) Witness

f) Unseaworthy

3.- Read and complete this conversation. (2 points)

At the immigration office
BORDER GUARD: Welcome to the United States. (1)___________________________?
YOU: Spain.
BORDER GUARD: And (2)_______________________________________________?
YOU: I'm going to visit my brother. He lives in Boston.
BORDER GUARD: (3)_________________________________________________?
YOU: Two or three weeks.
BORDER GUARD: (4)_________________________________________________?
YOU: (5)_______________, I don't understand...
BORDER GUARD: Your job... what do you do?
YOU: Oh, (6)______________________________________________________________.
BORDER GUARD: AlrightCan you tell me what you have in your luggage?
YOU: Of course. (7)________________________________________________________.
BORDER GUARD: Can I see your passport, please?
YOU: Sure Oh, no! (8)___________________________________________________
BORDER GUARD: Im sorry sir but (9)______________________________________.
4. Choose only 4 of the following situations. Write what you would say in or about
each one. Use between 6 and 20 words for each. (2 points)
a)You are the witness of a terrible accident. Call the police and inform them about it.
b) Ask a passer-by about the nearest way to the immigration office.
c) You thank your best friend for helping you with your homework.
d) Your brother wants to borrow your motorbike. What do you say?
e) A classmate is having a party and he invites you. Reject this invitation.
f) Your sister is addicted to the Internet. Advise him about the possible consequences

5.- Write a composition of about 100 words on ONE of the following topics. (3
points)
a) Write your opinion about the arrival to Europe of so many Syrian refugees. Add
causes, possible solutions, what the future holds for them
b) Is todays society capable of solving the problem of world hunger? Express your
opinion.