[freeteacher]

Public School

90% of children in Britain go to state schools but there are also independent schools called public schools . They are not part of the state education system . Only about 10% of children attend public schools and their parents have have to pay fees that reach thousands of pounds each year . Most of the children at public schools come from wealthy families but there are some children from families with less money who win scholarships because they are very clever . These students do not have to pay for their education .

There are 200 public schools in Britain and most of them are very old . They include Eton , Harrow and Winchester for boys , and Cheltenham Ladies’ College for girls . Most students go to public schools at the age of 13 , after attending a private prep school .
Public schools have high acedemic standards ; they want their students to pass their exams with high grades . Their students have better chances to win university places at Oxford and Cambridge Universities . Public school students sometimes have an advantage when they apply for jobs as adults . Some people send their children to public school mainly for this reason .
I. COMPREHENSION : (BASE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT ) ( 7 pts )
A. Are these statements true or false ? Justify : ( 2 pts )

1. Not only rich people send their children to public school . ………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. Both boys and girls can go to Eton . …………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

B. Answer the following questions : (3 pts )

1. How many public schools are there in Britain ? ……………………………………………………
2. What is the main reason for which some parents send their children to public school ? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. What does « they » paragraph 3 refer to ? ………………………………………………………….

C. Find in the text words which mean almost the same as : ( 2 pts )

1. The money you pay for a service :…………………….. ( paragraph 1 ) .
2. Rich : ……………………….. ( paragraph 1 ) .


II. ******** : ( 7 pts )
A. Write the words between brackets in the correct form : ( 1 pt )

1. A lot of (home ) ……………………… children live in the streets of Casablanca .
2. ( Obese )……………….. is considered as one of the most serious health problems in the United States of America .

B. Rewrite the following sentences as indicated : ( 3 pts )

1. The exercise was too difficult to do .
The exercise wasn’t …………………………………………………………………………………………
2. The jacket wasn’t cheap enough to buy .
The jacket was ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. A lot of people went to the cinema in the past ; now they don’t .
A lot of people used to ………………………………………………………………………………………

C. Write the verbs between brackets in the correct tense : ( 3 pts )

1. Last night , I(not / sleep ) ………………………………. because I (drink ) …………………… a lot of coffee .
2. I ( see ) …………………………….. the Titanic twice .

III. WRITING : ( 6 pts )
Your friend wants to drop out of school . Write an e-mail to convince him / her that education is important in his / her life .
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BEST OF LUCK !