27 July 2009 Write your name here: ____________________________________________
Write the answer which best completes each sentence in the little box.
1. Ireland’s Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, is confident of winning a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in early October, …..…… his government’s unpopularity.
A. despite B. although C. in spite D. nevertheless
2. The first referendum on June 12 last year ……….partly because voters were confused by false claims.
A. has been lost B. lost C. was lost D. will be lost
3. Ireland was the only member State that …………. a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, in addition to a parliamentary vote.
A. came B. went C. took D. held
4. Tony Blair .................... the British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007.
A. has been B. was C. was being D. will be
5. More than three quarters of the MEPs were elected …………. Sunday 7 June; the other quarter were elected in the three preceding days.
A. in B. at C. to D. on
6. ............................. was very low, only 53%, and it is expected to be much higher this time.
A. Turn on B. Turn over C. Turn out D. Turn in
7. So ..................., Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic have not ratified the Lisbon Treaty, yet.
A. now B. until C. yet D. far
8. It was agreed that the Spanish government would foot ............... for translation services for Spaniards who prefer to use Catalan, Galician and Basque.
A. the fee B. the check C. the payment D. the bill
9. I look forward ..................... with you in the next hundred days, in the hundred days after that, all of the hundreds of days to follow.
A. to work B. to working C. working D. work
10. There is ……........… any difference between the failed European Constitution and the Lisbon Treaty.
A. hard B. like C. likely D. hardly
11. Thank you all for ……………….. me the opportunity to come and hear what's on your minds.
A. to give B. give C. gave D. giving
12. “We don't torture” Churchill once said, but all of the British people were ....................... to unimaginable risk and threat.
A. been subjected B. being subjected C. be subjected D. subjecting
13. Slovakia is the last Member State to have joined the EMU: the euro became legal ………………. on January 1, 2009.
A. tender B. currency C. money D. exchange
14. The euro area, sorely tested by the financial crisis, has survived intact and …………… expand further.
A. is like to B. is likely to C. likes to D. likely to be
15. It is worth ............................ that the US and the Euro area went into recession before the UK did.
A. remember B. remembering C. remembered D. to remember
16. We can’t wait ....................... the investments today that will lead to tomorrow’s prosperity.
A. make B. making C. to make D. we made
17. On January 21st Mr Obama carefully repeated again the 35-.......... oath prescribed by Art. 2 of the Constitution.
A. words B. word C. wordy D. worded
18. They just can’t admit that they might lose the elections, .................................................?
A. can’t they B. can they C. don’t they D. isn’t it
19. .................................... we can get out of that business, the better off we're going to be.
A. The soon B. The soonest C. The sooner D. Soonest
20. We won't always ............. eye to eye. We may disagree, and disagree strongly, about health care reform.
A. agree B. see C. share D. look
21. Rarely ........................................................ to the polls: they are notoriously unreliable in elections.
A. young people go B. go young people C. do young people go D. young people are going
22. Is the Czech Republic holding the rotating presidency this semester? Yes, .......................................
A. she was B. she does C. she is D. she did
23. Poland's President Lech Kaczynski has refused to ratify the treaty for the ............. being, calling it "pointless".
A. moment B. actual C. current D. time
24. My father used ………………………… that we can all leave our mark for good or ill.
A. to telling me B. to tell me C. telling me D. tell me
25. Americans ............................................ for change since November 2006.
A. asked B. have been asking C. ask D. are asking
26. On January 20th Barack Obama was sworn ……………. as the 44th President of the United States.
A. in B. on C. up D. off
27. Europe must not give ………….. on its ambitions when it comes to protecting the environment.
A. on B. up C. over D. off
28. Twice in seven years, the Irish voters have turned .................... EU treaties. They rejected the Nice treaty in 2001 before approving it in a second referendum a year later.
A. in B. down C. up D. over
29. Only half of voters under the age of 30 ………………………………. in the 2004 elections.
A. worked out B. filled out C. turned out D. put out
30. Sweden will take .......................................... the six-month rotating presidency in July 2009.
A. out B. up C. in D. over
Part 2 – July 27, 2009
The use of the dictionary is not allowed.
A Translate the following passage into Italian (15 points)
The most prominent difference between the failed European Constitution and the Treaty of Lisbon is that the Treaty of Lisbon amends existing EU treaties, rather than re-founding the EU by replacing old texts with a single document with the status of a
constitution. Other differences include:
EU symbols like the
flag, the motto and the
anthem are not made legally binding in the Treaty of Lisbon. All of them are however already in use (the flag was adopted in the 1980s). Sixteen EU countries have declared their allegiance to these symbols in the new treaty, although the annexed declaration is not legally binding.
In line with eliminating all ‘state-like’ terminology and symbols, new names for various types of EU legislation have been dropped, in particular the proposal to rename
EU regulations and
EU directives as EU ‘laws’ and ‘framework laws’.
Three EU Member States (UK, Ireland and Poland) have negotiated additional opt-outs from certain areas of policy, particularly the UK (to safeguard the
common law legal system).
Due to Poland's pressure during the June Council in 2007, the new voting system (double majority) will not enter into force before 2014.
B Translate the following passage into English (5 points)
C Read the following passage and then answer the questions below (10 points)
Young Americans love Barack Obama. Voters between the ages of 18 and 29 favored him over John McCain by whopping margins – 59% to 38%. This was good for Democrats. Young voters are notoriously unreliable in elections. Only half of voters under 30 turned out in 2004, and that added up to 21 million votes. Young voters, indifferent in the 1980s and 1990s, went to the polls, showing the country and the world that a new generation has arrived. They were fired up as never before: angry about the Iraq war, worried about the economy and fed up with George Bush. Online tools, including Facebook (launched in 2004) and Twitter (launched in 2006) made it easier than ever to organize. The internet changed the way politicians raise money and organize volunteers: YouTube, a ubiquitous force this year, did not even exist four years ago, and Facebook, which Mr Obama made great use of, had only been invented a few months earlier.
1. Explain the meaning of “Young voters are notoriously unreliable in elections” (2.5 points)
2. Explain the meaning of “Only half of voters under 30 turned out in 2004” (2.5 points)
3. Write your opinion on the new American President. (5 points)