economy and corruption

There are many activities and behaviours that affect the economy of a country. Corruption, tax evasion, and absenteeism are just a few examples. When a mayor who received a bribe signs a contract for a project with the least skilled and the least demanding contractor, he will unavoidably cause enormous damage to the nation. Poorly done, the final work will last only a few months before requiring repairs more costly to the public treasury. When a trader works illegally and pays no taxes, he will grow richer quickly, but at the expense of honest traders and the nation. The first will then face unfair competition, and the second will suffer a revenue shortfall that could be used to finance some projects. When an employee, regardless of position, is often absent without reason, he will affect the good functioning of the sector in which he works, and in turn he will harm the whole nation. For all these reasons, we all ought to commit ourselves to the fight against these phenomena in order to prevent that our country sinks into inextricable crises. By: D.Messaoudi

1.           Say whether the following statements are true, false, or not mentioned.
a) Not paying taxes does not have any effect on a nation’s economy.

b) The contractor will not be paid for an unachieved project.
c) The author of the text advises us to take part in the struggle against the three mentioned phenomena.  

2.           Answer the following questions according to the passage above.
a) Will the least costly project be a good deal if the contractor is the least qualified? Why?
b) How does an illegal trader affect the activity of a legal merchant?
c) What is the consequence on the public treasury when a tradesman does not pay taxes?  

3.           Choose the most suitable title for the text above.
a) Dangerous activities and behaviours.
b) Things that slow down the economic progress of nations.
c) The harmful activities.

Text exploration: (7pts)

1.           Match the following definitions with words taken from the text.
a) Someone who contracts for doing works such building, opening & repairing roads, etc.
b) Any piece of work that is carried out or attempted.
c) Payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt him.

2. Find in the text a comparative and a superlative, and then put each of them in a sentence of your own.
3. Break the given words into prefixes, roots, and suffixes:

Words	Prefixes	Roots	Suffixes
illegally
unavoidably
inextricable

4. Choose an appropriate connector from the following list to join each pair of the sentences given below:

è Because – therefore – unless – where

a)      The work is badly done / The contractor is not qualified

b)      The headmaster is often absent / The school has sunk into disorder

c)      We eradicate corruption / Our country will not prosper

Part two: written expression (6pts)

Choose either topic 1 or 2.

Topic 1: Write a paragraph in which you deal with the black market, its causes, its effects and how to eradicate it.  

Topic 2: Imagine you were a teacher and a parent, whose child had to repeat the year, came to school and proposed you a sum of money in order to rectify the mark and let the child go to the next grade. What would be your reaction and why?

Use the following notes: If …I would … because … / I would explain him that … / I would tell him that … / if he persisted, I would …