Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Sprachenzentrum Englische Abteilung

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1 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Sprachenzentrum Englische Abteilung KLAUSUR ZUM SPRACHPRAKTISCHEN AUFBAUKURS GRAMMAR This part of the exam lasts 75 minutes A. Complete the texts below, using RELATIVE PRONOUNS / RELATIVE ADVERBS / RELATIVE DETERMINERS and adding where necessary, PREPOSITIONS. Some COMMAS will also be needed. (20 points) John Millington Synge was born in 1871 was a famous Irish writer. His father was a barrister and his mother the daughter of a County Cork rector. He studied languages and music at Trinity College is the most renowned university in Dublin and decided to become a professional musician on graduation. He saw writing as a means he could enrich himself. It was in Germany he continued his studies but began to have doubts about his choice of career. In 1896 he moved to Paris he met a fellow author advised him to give up Paris and return to Ireland W.B. Yeats. He even suggested where Synge might find the inspiration to write the Aran Islands. one can say about these small islands off the western Irish coast, it was there Synge found the material for his opus. In 1898 Synge visited the Aran Islands for the first time inspired him to listen to and note the speech of the islanders. It was, in translation, to be the pattern for the dialogue of his plays. Those islanders did not say much attracted him most. Later, he said that he would never forget the day he first set foot on the Aran Islands. In 1902 he wrote two plays, In the Shadow of the Glen and Riders on the Sea. Three years later the play was produced was to establish Synge as a playwright: The Well of the Saints. All three plays none have reached the status of his most favourite one have still been a valuable source for academic papers on Synge. Yet his fourth play was The Playboy of the Western World was produced at the Abbey Theatre in 1907 and is more provoked an immediate riot and continuing controversy. He was at this time a sick man but lived to write two more plays, The Tinker s Wedding and was to become his last play Deirdre of the Sorrows was unfinished at the author s death and was completed by his wife, Molly Allgood. He died in March 1909 is two years after he had finished working on his most famous play. The Playboy of the Western World is, undoubtedly, Synge s masterpiece. Many playwrights Synge was in regular contact had influence on him. Amongst them were O Casey and Wordsworth. This edition of 1

2 the play is introduced by renowned Kerry actor Éamonn Keane interpretation of the role of Christy Mahon ranks him with the greatest actors to have played this part. Taken from: J.M. Synge, The Playboy of the Western World. Mercier Press, Introduction. (Slightly adapted) POINTS: / 20 B. Complete the texts below, using each bracketed verb in an appropriate form, considering VOICE, TENSE and ASPECT. Take special care with the word order. Do not add any modal verbs, other than will / would or those provided in brackets. (1/2 point per gap; 20 points) Trade & Dominion Men (build) empires since before history began. When Henry VIII proclaimed his realm of English dominion in, say, Wales, he (simply; mean) that he considered himself an uncommanded commander. Since the later eighteenth century, however, in normal English usage the word empire (describe) a particular kind of political organization, a superstate, which (comprise) a metropolis and dependencies. In this sense of the word empire (understand) in this book. In all empires in this sense of more than fleeting duration, the essential feature is the metropolis-dependency relation; and in this relation three main elements can be discerned. The first and most obvious is dominion, this is what imperialism originally (mean). In major matters the metropolitan government makes the final decision. Unless unimportant issues (decide), it is the dominion that (have) its say. The second element is profit, the benefits that (draw) by the metropolis from its relation with the dependencies. The third element is service. The middle decades of the twentieth century (be) remarkable for the break-up or abandonment of a number of major empires which (administer) from centres in Western Europe. Most of these (already; be) in place for some hundred years when they (collapse). Then, the word empire itself, except for historical purposes, lost favour, both in the empires which broke up and in others which survived and expanded, a range of ingenious euphemisms came into use. The terms commonwealth and union (serve) to cover, for Great Britain and France respectively, a retreat from the responsibilities of empire. From today s perspective this line of argumentation has suffered a loss. If those empires still (exist), they (come) under scrutiny by global organisations such as the EU or NATO. Taken form: J.H. Parry. Trade & Dominion. The European Overseas Empires in the Eighteenth Century. Phoenix Press, 2000, p (slightly adapted) 2

3 Hockey match Last week, my son Trevor suffered another blow. This was the fifth time in a row that his hockey team (lose) the match although they (lead) the other team at half-time. They are still under shock: They (force) to find a new coach as their head coach and father figure Tony Woodcombe (unexpectedly; die) in a car crash. This not only affected the whole team that he spent the last 15 years with, but also the whole community in the club. It was he who (found) the club in the first place and since then (lead) it from the lowest league right to the top league. Furthermore, there now is a real chance that they (relegate) at the end of the season from the top league. Their captain said in an emotional post-match interview that the whole team (want) to play for Tony and that he (always; remember). I expect they (not; win) the next match against the league leaders from Cardiff but as soon as they (manage) to pull their act together and play like a team with spirit, they (still; have) a good chance of staying in the league. I am pretty confident that their former coach (be) very proud of his team if they (break) the losing streak and (stay) in the league. Ocean s 13 Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Thirteen, one of numerous sequels hitting the world's screens this summer, (be) the third film in the franchise that (begin) with a remake of the Sinatra Rat Pack's 1960 caper flick, Ocean's Eleven. The '13' refers to the number of crooks who gang up to shake down a crooked Las Vegas millionaire (Al Pacino) by destroying his new casino on its opening night. It is the first time since The Good German from 2006 that Soderbergh and Clooney (team up). How different (the world of cinema; be) if these two (meet)! In the new film, the Ocean s crew break the bank big time and (declare) a public health hazard. The man's offence was to cheat a fellow crook (Elliott Gould) who happens to be the chum and mentor of ace thief Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and colourful card shark Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt). One can only assume the fun the cast (have) shooting the film. The only violence comes from a simulated earthquake, the only sex from the distasteful seduction and humiliation (as part of the scam) of Ellen Barkin, Pacino's formidable fifty-something assistant, by baby-faced con artist Matt Damon. The film (not; have) the momentum of the first one, but is still cool, slick and opaque, as if these smug guys (tread) water in the troubled Alaskan seas after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Taken from: (slightly adapted) POINTS: / 20 3

4 C. Complete the texts below, using an appropriate NON-FINITE form of the bracketed verb, i.e. -ED FORM, -ING FORM or INFINITIVE. It may be necessary to add a particle or preposition. (1/2 point each, 20 points total) 1. Class divide affects learning success by age of three By the age of three, children from disadvantaged families are already lagging a full year behind their middle-class contemporaries in social and educational development, pioneering research by a London university revealed today. A "generation Blair" project, (track) the progress of 15,500 boys and girls born between 2000 and 2002, found a divided nation in which a child's start in life was still determined by the class, education, marital status and ethnic background of the parents. The results are likely (disappoint) ministers committed (improve) the life chances of disadvantaged children, notably through the Sure Start programme designed (develop) potential in pre-school years. [ ] In a series of vocabulary tests, the three-year-old sons and daughters of graduate parents were found (be) 10 months ahead of those from families with few educational qualifications; they were 12 months ahead in their understanding of colours, letters, numbers, sizes and shapes. Taken from: (slightly adapted) 2. Australia targets UK students Three years ago, William Sheane turned down a place (study) maths and management at King's College, London. Instead, Sheane, originally from Oxford, "threw in" an application to the University of Sydney. "I was over the UK student lifestyle (get) smashed," he says. "I'd spent five years (work) in bars, at beaches and in diving centres. I thought it was a really good opportunity (go) abroad, (keep) (do) what I wanted, but also (have) a more serious side to my life. I thought I'd see what happened." Natasha Krichefski, 22, from London, is spending a year at the University of New South Wales as part of her Edinburgh University undergraduate music degree. "A Master s out here has great appeal," she says. "I'm seriously considering (sign up) for a course in music therapy at the University of Western Sydney, although an equivalent course is also offered in London." Taken from: (slightly adapted) 3. Tony Awards Tom Stoppard's epic trilogy Coast of Utopia last night set a new record at the Tony Awards, (round off) an exceptional Broadway season in which British imports have 4

5 continued (dominate). The Russian revolutionary drama took seven awards, (include) best play and director, (exceed) the previous record for a play held jointly by last year's The History Boys by Alan Bennett and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman in "They're both plays that I admire very much," Stoppard said. [...] The closing season has seen imported British shows, many originating from the National Theatre, (continue) (thrive) on Broadway, to the extent that the New York Times recently sniped at the "mania for all things British". Taken from: 4. Opera Many devotees of Benjamin Britten consider his final opera, Death in Venice, based on the Thomas Mann novella and first presented at the Aldeburgh Festival in 1973, (be) a profound, piercing and inexplicably neglected masterpiece. At the moment, though, the opera seems (be) anything but neglected, at least in Britten s native land. The Aldeburgh Festival, which Britten helped (found), manages (present) a grippingly austere production of the opera, its first staging here in nearly 30 years. The first performance, on Friday night, provided a momentous opening for this renowned festival s 60th anniversary. Taken from: (slightly adapted) 5. From Kazuo Ishiguro s latest book, a science fiction novel My name is Kathy H. I m thirty-one years old, and I ve been a carer now for over eleven years. That sounds long enough, I know, but actually they want me (go on) for another eight months, until the end of this year. That ll make it almost exactly twelve years. Now I know my (be) a carer so long isn t necessarily because I am considered (be) fantastic at what I do. There are some really good carers who ve been told (stop) after just two or three years. And I can think of one carer at least who went on (work) for all of fourteen years despite (be) a complete waste of space. So I m not trying (boast). But then I do know for a fact they ve been pleased with my work, and by and large, I have, too. My patients have always tended (do) much better than expected. [...] But it means a lot to me, (be able) (do) my work well [...]. Taken from: Kazuo Ishiguro. Never Let Me Go. London,

6 6. Oh forgetful one! My things keep (disappear)! I really can t help (lose) them wherever I go. If I don t learn (take) better care of my belongings I ll be certain (get) into serious trouble one day. Only yesterday I lost my keys for the one-hundredth time. I thought I remembered (see) them in my office, but in the end they turned out (be) in the car. I wish I could remember (keep) things where they belong! POINTS: / 20 D. In the following sentences, there are 15 mistakes overall. Each sentence contains at least one mistake. UNDERLINE the parts of the sentence which contain mistakes and CORRECT them. 1.) Hamlet is for girls. Hardy is for sissies. This, according to an academic, who is sitting on the advisory committee for the Government s curriculum watchdog, is the thinking among boys in mixed comprehensives. They refuse on studying the literary classics because they think English is a feminine issue. 2.) Psychiatrist Roger Craig has made the experience that aggressive behaviour is often typical of boys at a certain age, but, according to him, it is unwise to go on to punish them. 3.) The chairman explained the governments policy on gender. He admitted that women were still discriminated in the workplace. The committee then discussed about what the government should be doing to put this right. 6

7 4.) Last night two armed men broke into a branch of Lloyds TSB on the High Street and stole 10,000 in banknotes used. The police thinks that it was an inside job, but no specific information were released yet. 5.) If George did not lose so much money on the stock market in 2002, he would buy the car of his dreams last year, and he would not still be driving that old jalopy of his. 6.) William Wordsworth who was born on the 7 th April 1770 was one of the great Romantic poets. He is best remembered with his poem on daffodils. POINTS: / 15 E. Translation E.1. Translate into IDIOMATIC English. In particular, pay attention to the highlighted forms. They will make up 80 per cent of the 15 points given in this section. (5 points per paragraph) 1. Tony Blair hat in den letzten Monaten mehrfach angekündigt, dass er bald eine wichtige Erklärung abzugeben hätte. Wer jedoch auf das endgültige Datum seines Rücktritts wartete, wurde immer wieder enttäuscht. Seinen Kritikern zufolge wollte die Bevölkerung am Ende nur, dass er so schnell wie möglich ging. 7

8 2. Seit ihrem Weggang hatte sich viel verändert. Sie konnte sich nicht erinnern, jemals so gute Arbeitsbedingungen gehabt zu haben, und noch nie waren an der Universität so viele motivierte Menschen anzutreffen gewesen. Es war höchste Zeit, dass sie zurückkehrte Nach Bruno hat es nun schon der zweite Bär innerhalb kurzer Zeit in die Schlagzeilen geschafft (make the headlines). Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass Knut etwas schlauer mit seiner Beliebtheit umgeht. Wenn Bruno noch leben würde, würde er ihm wohl Verschiedenes raten, vor allem das: Was auch passiert, mach stets einen weiten Bogen (give sth. a wide berth) um Bayern! POINTS: / 15 8

9 E.2. Translation: Multiple Choice Tick the correct form(s) to complete the translation. In some cases more than one answer may be possible. Tick all the correct answers. (1 point per gap; 10 points) 1. Als wir nach Hause kamen, wussten wir nicht, was uns erwarten sollte. Die Einbrecher hatten das Haus in einem Zustand hinterlassen, den wir nicht erwartet hatten. Angeblich seien sie nur in unsere Wohnung eingebrochen, weil sie etwas zu essen suchten. Auf dem Tisch stand eine Vase mit Blumen und eine Karte auf der stand: Entschuldigung! When we came home, what to expect. The burglars had left a) we had not known b) we did not know c) we not knew d) we had not been knowing the house in a state which. a) we did not expect b) we were not to be expected c) we had not expected d) we had not been expecting into our flat because they were looking for something to eat. a) They claimed they had only broken b) They claimed to have broken c) They used to brake d) They wanted to break On the table we found a card : Sorry! a) whose saying was b) that said c), which said d) saying 9

10 Letzte Woche schlug mir Sarah vor, den neusten Film von Steven Spielberg im Kino anzuschauen, was ich eine tolle Idee fand. Wir möchten heute abend gehen. Der Film soll angeblich in Russland spielen. Ich freue mich schon sehr darauf. Wäre mein Vater hier, könnten wir den Film zusammen schauen. Als kleines Kind lebte er in St. Petersburg. Last week Sarah Steven Spielberg s latest movie in the cinema a) suggested to me watching b) suggested watching c) suggested that we were to watch d) suggested we watch I thought was a great idea. We intend to go tonight. a),what, b) that c) which d),which The film in Russia. I am already looking forward to it. a) is set b) is supposed to be set c) is said to be set d) shall be set, then we. a) If my father were here a) would have been able to see the film together b) Would my father have been here b) will be able to see the film together c) If my father was here c) would be able to see the film together d) If my father would be here d) could see the film together When he was a little kid, he in St. Petersburg. a) had lived b) used to live c) lived d) would live POINTS: /10 TOTAL NO. OF POINTS: /100 10