This is how fever works: when white blood cells recognize an invader, they release proteins that travel to the heat-regulating center in the brain and ____1____ it to raise the body’s thermostat. The body reacts to this by ____2____ heat, often through shivering. According to some experts, many immunological functions appear to be more ____3____ at a higher temperature, and some bacteria and viruses do not grow as well at higher temperatures.

Recent studies show that when animals are exposed to bacteria but ____4____ from running a fever, many die of infections they ____5____ survived. One research on children with chickenpox found that it took those who were given acetaminophen about a day longer to recover than it did those ____6____ fevers were untreated.

While most people are probably better off not suppressing fevers that cause no discomfort, there are ____7____. Diabetic patients and those with such ____8____ conditions should contact a physician immediately,

To ____9____ the risks and benefits of treating fever, a lot depends on the patient’s comfort. “Data show that fever does good, but it also can cause real discomfort—usually beginning at around

38.6C,” says Dr. Allen Mitchell. “If a fever is making you miserable, many doctors ____10____ taking a medication such as aspirin.”

1. [A] control [B] release [C] provide [D] prompt

2. [A] shifting [B] generating [C] intensifying [D] pumping

3. [A] special [B] unique [C] efficient [D] abundant

4. [A] prevented [B] prevent [C] preventing [D] to prevent

5. [A] might have [B] had [C] could be [D] would have

6. [A] that [B] whose [C] in which [D] of which

7. [A] conditions [B] restrictions [C] requirements [D] exceptions

8. [A] destructive [B] chronic [C] hateful [D] infectious

9. [A] assess [B] compare [C] balance [D] combine

10. [A] hand out [B] estimate [C] recommend [D] caution

Q.2 Circle the correct choice :

1- Which of the following words cannot use the prefix un-?
a. believable b. possible c- beautiful

2- Which of the following cannot use the suffix -ive?
a. conclus- b. port- c. Reduct

3- Which of the following cannot use the prefix re-

a- speak b- capture c. turn
4- Which of the following cannot use the suffix -ure?
a. polit- b. depart- c. clos-

5-Which of the following cannot use the suffix -ion?
a. select- b. put- c. predict-

6- Didn’t you ___ me when I called you?
a. Hear b. hire c- higher

7- Do not ___ in the affairs of other.
a. Medal b. meddle c- middle

8- The cake was………..
a. eats b. eaten c- eat

9- He was not ___ to stay up later than 9:00 at night.
a. allowed b. aloud

10- He ___ flowers to his mother on Mother’s Day.
a. scent b. sent c- send

———————————————————————————————————-

Q.3 Write a short paragraph of about 100 words on one of the following topics:

1- My University future career 2- Learning a Foreign Language

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…

ALZAIEM ELAZHARI UNIVERSITY

Unit of University Requirements

Varieties of Language Use (Eng.102)

Nov.2007 ( A sample of previous exams )

TIME: TWO HOURS

Name: ___________________________________________________

Faculty: ______________________________________

Q.1 Read the following passage carefully. Then answer the questions that follow:

Saudi Consumers & Well-Known Brands

Saudi consumers are becoming increasingly interested in well-known international brand names like Dior and Adidas. They demand top-quality service, value for money and are always looking out for new products from these famous brands.

These and other findings have emerged from a market overview presented by international consultants Euromonitor, which has 30 years of experience in market studies. According to the study, the market share of branded clothing has steadily increased in the last decade due to changes in fashion trends. Over the last three decades, Euromonitor has covered more than 205 countries worldwide during which their consultants conducted over a million surveys covering demographic and economic aspects.

A- Write ( T ) for true statements and ( F ) for false ones.

1- Saudi consumers are interested in well- known international brand

names ( )

2- “international” ,underlined above , means global. ( )

3- Saudis live in Saudi Arabia. ( )

4- Euromonitor has good experience in consultancy. ( )

5- Euromonitor has covered less than 205 countries ( )

—————————–

B- Using the passage supply one word to complete the following sentences:

1- Saudi ……………………. are interested in well-known international brand names

2- Euromonitor has 30 years of experience in market ……………………………..

3- Euromonitor has covered more than 205 countries ……….…………

4- Saudis are always looking out for new product from ……………………….brands.

5- This passage is titled “Saudi ……………………& Well-Known Brands“.

Q.2 Supply two examples for the following processes of word formation :

(1) Coinage : a- ……………………………. b- ……………………….

(2) Derivation: a- ……………………………. b- ……………………….

(3) Clipping: a- ……………………………. b- ……………………….

Q.3 Match the symbols in A with their meanings in B

A B

a- =	( ) and
b- ~	( ) example
c- x	( ) approximately
d- /	( ) equals
e- &	( ) per

Q.4 In a well-designed composition, write at least 80 words on one of these topics:

International organization

Phonetic Symbols

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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Varieties of Language Use (Eng.102)

30 Mar

Al-Zaem Al-Azhari University

Unit of University Requirements

Varieties of Language Use (Eng.102)

Prepared by:

Unit of University Requirements

English Language Department

April 2009

To have an e-copy of this handout, copies of previous exams and many relevant materials, please go the following address:

alazhariuniversity.wordpress.com

Processes of Word Formation

One of the distinctive properties of human language is creativity, by which we mean the ability of native speakers of a language to produce and understand new forms in their language. Even though creativity is most apparent when it comes to sentence formation, it is also manifest in our lexical knowledge, where new words are added to our lexicon regularly. In this section we discuss the processes that speakers of a language use regularly (and unconsciously too) to create new words in their language.

(1) Derivation

The most productive process of word formation in a language is the use of derivational morphemes to form new words from already existing forms. So, for example, from arrange we can derive rearrange, from which we can still derive rearrangement.

(2) Coinage

Coinage is the invention of totally new words. The typical process of coinage usually involves the extension of a product name from a specific reference to a more general one. For example, think of Kleenex and Pampers. These started as names of specific products, but now they are used as the generic names for different brands of these types of products.

(3) Conversion

Conversion is the extension of the use of one word from its original grammatical category to another category as well. For example, the word

must is a verb (e.g.

“You must attend classes regularly”), but it can also be used as a noun as in “Class attendance is a must”.

(4) Borrowing

New words also enter a language through borrowing from other languages. Here are some examples of foreign words that found their way into English:

(a) leak, yacht (from Dutch)

(b) barbecue, cockroach (from Spanish)

(d) algebra, sugar ( from Arabic)

(5) Compounding

New words are also created through the common process of compounding, i.e. combining two or more words together to form a new complex word. Here are some examples of compounding:

(a) post + card → postcard

(b) post + office → post office

We may also combine more than two words, e.g. mother-in-law.

(6) Acronyms

Acronyms are words created from the initial letters of several words. Typical examples are NATO, FBI, CIA, UN, UNICEF,FAQ, radar, laser

(7) Back-formation

Back-formation of words results when a word is formed from another word by taking off what looks like a typical affix in the language. For example, one of the very productive derivational morphemes in English is –er, which may be added to a verb to create a noun meaning

“a person who performs the action of the verb”, e.g. teacher, writer. Sometimes, however, the reverse happens. A noun enters the language first and then a verb is “back-formed” from it. This is the case with the verbs edit and televise, for example, which entered English as back-formations from editor and television.

(8) Clipping

Another process of word-formation is clipping, which is the shortening of a longer word. Clipping in English gave rise to words such as fax from facsimile, gym from gymnasium, and lab from laboratory.

(9) Blending

Blending is another way of combining two words to form a new word. The difference between blending and compounding, however, is that in blending only parts of the words, not the whole words, are combined. Here are some examples:

(a) smoke + fog → smog

(b) motor + hotel → motel

Exercise : Q.2 Read the following passage and fill in the spaces with suitable choices. Then, write two examples for all possible processes of word formation found in the passage.

Humanitarian , Adequate , agendas, Founded , condemning , dissatisfied,

, Suffering, rehabilitating, Personnel , Sanitation, malaria, medicine

Medecins Sans Frontieres [Doctors without Borders] is an international organization that provides _____________ aid and emergency medical assistance. Medecins Sans Frontieres was _____________ in 1971 by a group of physicians who were _____________ with the Red Cross’ ineffective non-political position.

Currently, Medecins Sans Frontieres has more than 2,000_____________ who are treating the wounded, the sick and the starving in more than 80 countries around the globe.

M.S.F. is involved in many types of programs such as: _____________ hospitals, water _____________ and training foreign medical personnel. M.S.F’s primary purpose is to alleviate human _____________ by protecting human rights and restoring _____________ health care.

In 1999, Medecins Sans Frontieres had the opportunity to celebrate because the organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for not only saving lives, but also for publically _____________ political injustice and opression.

Medecins Sans Frontieres combines the medical assistance, like that provided byThe Red Cross, with human rights protection provided by organizations such as Amnesty International. The president of Medecins Sans Frontieres in France, Phillipe Biberson, said that he hoped the award would “shed some light once again on those his group tried to help, the starving, those living in battle zones and those suffering from diseases like ………………. that rarely get the world’s attention”. On the otherhand , some politicians specially in Africa look suspeciously to the political role played by the organizatioin. Some even classify it as a tool of “new colonism” and a way to impose political ……………………. disguising behind humantarian motives

English Pronunciation

Pronunciation is comprised of 3 components.

The first being the physical ability to articulate sounds, where to place your tongue and lips!
The second is stress, both in individual words and in sentences.
Thirdly, intonation, the pitch and ‘music’ used to change this (falling or rising).

Why use phonemic symbols?

The alphabet we use to write English has 26 letters but English has 44 sounds. Inevitably, English spelling is not a reliable guide to pronunciation because:

1. Some letters have more than one sound. “O in Nose, Hot, Ton and For”

2. Sometimes letters are not pronounced at all. “Knife”

3. The same sound may be represented by different letters. “Eye, Tie, and Pine”

4. Sometimes syllables indicated by the spelling are not pronounced at all. “Vegetable, chocolate and clothes”

The letters of the alphabet can be a poor guide to pronunciation. Phonemic symbols, in contrast, are a totally reliable guide. Each symbol represents one sound consistently.

The Known IPA Symbols

These can be seen below. You already know them! Note that most of these are consonants.

*Note that with the last symbol / j / you need to be careful. It is pronounced as in “Yes” and not as in “Jack”.

The Unknown IPA Symbols

The 17 phonemes that we need to learn can be seen below. Note that most of these are vowels.

IPA Diphthongs and Tripthongs

In addition to the 19 consonants which you already know, and the 17 new symbols for the IPA, there are also 8 diphthong combinations of vowel sounds (and even a number of triphthongs). These are straightforward to learn once you have mastered the single vowel sounds. An example can be seen below:

Phonetic Chart

The standard IPA phonemes can be seen in the chart below:

Stress

This is more important than mispronounced sounds! Getting the stress wrong can make the word incomprehensible to native speakers. There are two kinds of stress: primary stress and secondary stress.

The Schwa, the most common sound in English which sounds like “uh” is used in unstressed syllables of words and weak forms in a sentence. It can replace every vowel in English.

Intonation

This is very important for intelligibility; it says something about the speaker’s intentions. Misunderstanding occurs when the speaker, for example, sounds bored as they use different pitch/variation in their language.

Fill in the table below, then consult a dictionary to check your answers:

	Words	Phonetic transcrip- tion		Words	Phonetic transcription
1-	cut		5	goes
2-	tool		6	seem
3-	shine		7	shut
4-	play		8	hot

1-	lecture		6	Sudan
2-	Canary		7	English
3-	potatoes		8	language
4-	university		9	home
5-	treasure		10	nursing

Revision “: Taking Effective Lecture Notes

Effective note taking is an important part of effective study. The following note -taking tips should help reinforce the experience you got last term and attain the most out of lectures.

Before Lecture

1) Prepare.

Readings prepare you for what is to come in lecture. Be sure to complete required readings BEFORE lecture. If you haven’t done the reading, you may feel like you are scrambling to keep up with the unfamiliar information coming at you.

2) Arrive

Arrive early and get a good seat that is in the center of the row and up front near the lecturer, where you can see the board and overheads and hear the lecture clearly .

3) Attend

Skipping lecture is not an option. Do not rely solely on your classmates’ notes or online lecture notes. Individuals tend to take notes on different things and in different ways.

During Lecture

1) Less is More

Do not attempt to write down the lecturer’s words verbatim. Try to get down as much of the relevant information as possible using the fewest possible words. Use personal abbreviations and symbols that you will remember and save you writing time. Develop a system that works for you.

2) Listen for Signal Words and Phrases

Signal words and phrases can help you pinpoint when key ideas and formulas are going to be introduced.

Some common signal words and phrases include:

- - - ‘There are 3 reasons why…” or “First…Second…Third…”
    - “And most important…” or “It is worthwhile to note”
    - “A major development…” or “A key concept…”

Some common signals for supporting material include:

- - - “On the other hand…”
    - “On the contrary…”
    - “For example…”
    - “Similarly…”
    - “In contrast…”
    - “Furthermore…”

After Lecture

1) Review

Review your notes as quickly as possible after class when the material is still fresh in your mind.
If you have terrible handwriting, consider typing your notes, either bring a laptop to class or type them up from your handwritten notes after class. Don’t type notes just to waste time or if your handwritten notes are clear.

2) Revision

Regardless of how you took your notes, be sure to spend time touching them up, filling in blanks, clarifying abbreviations, and making note of any questions that come up as you review them.
If anything from your notes is unclear or you have remaining questions from lecture or your readings, jot them down and have them ready to discuss with your TA in practical sessions.

Exercise: Read the following groups of sentences. One sentence is an inference sentence and the rest are supporting sentences. Tick ( ) the inference sentence.

a. _________ I don’t like French food.

_________ I don’t know French.

_________ I won’t go to France.

_________ France has cold climate and I can’t stay in cold places.

b. _________ It never rains in Khartoum in July and August.

_________ Sudan has hot and dry summers.

_________ Temperature in Khartoum rises to 47 degrees during the summer

months.

_________ All major cities of Sudan have the same summers as Khartoum.

c. _________ A Toyota Corolla uses very little amount of petrol.

_________ A Nissan can go a long distance on just a little petrol.

_________ Hondas don’t use much petrol while travelling long distances.

_________ Japanese cars are cheap to run.

d. _________ Fruit is very nutritious, and is necessary for the growth of human

body.

_________ Bananas contain carbohydrates and iron.

_________ Oranges have vitamin C which repairs broken tissues.

_________ Carrots have vitamin A which is necessary for good eye sight.

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Dictionaries

Dictionaries are important tools for all learners. All students know that dictionaries provide us with the meaning of new vocabulary. This is definitely the main purpose of dictionaries. However, they can also help us in answering many other problems. The following are some examples:

Where can I find synonyms?

In a way, you can use a dictionary to find synonyms. In an entry for “gallery,” say, you may find a definition that says COLLECTION, AGGREGATION. It is essential to check the full entry of the word that is presented in small capital letters, in order to make sure that the word may truly be substituted in the context you have in mind. There may be an illustrative example that will help you determine this. In an entry for the noun “grab,” you might have a definition that says ‘sudden seizure of something or someone; a snatch’, where snatch could be regarded as synonymous with grab in this context. Brief paragraphs describing and discriminating words closely related in meaning are called synonym paragraphs. Dictionaries try to include as many of these as space allows.

Where can I find out the meaning of the symbols in a dictionary, like the dagger (†) or parallels (||)?

It is very important to read the Explanatory Notes or Guide to the dictionary, which is where most of the symbols will be explained. Symbols are used within definitions, etymologies, and other features of dictionary entries. Pronunciation symbols will be described in the Guide to Pronunciation (or Pronunciation Guide). A list of abbreviations for the book might include the symbols used. Do remember that different dictionaries use different symbols. It is important to find out what the specific dictionary has designated the symbols to mean.

How can I find the spelling of a word if I do not know it?

To find the spelling of a word you do not know, start with what you do know – like the first, second, third letters. You know alphabetical order, so that is a big tool for finding words. Say you want to learn how to spell separate. You know it begins with an s and it is followed by a vowel. You start in the dictionary at the letter s and choose the vowel you think is most likely, like e – so you are looking under se. You sound out the word and figure out that the next likely letter is p – so you are now looking under sep. When you get to the first letter you are unsure of – like the fourth letter in separate – then you check the different possibilities. You will find separate very quickly as you read down the list of words in the dictionary.

English grammar

English grammar is a body of rules specifying how meanings are created in English. Below is reinforcement of some important grammatical points:

Word order

English is a (SVO) language: it prefers a sequence of subject–verb–object in its simplest, unmarked declarative statements. Thus “Tom [subject] eats [verb] cheese [object]” and “Mary sees the cat.”

However, beyond these simple examples, word order is a complicated matter in English. In particular, the speaker or writer’s point of departure in each clause is a key factor in the organization of the message. Thus, the elements in a message can be ordered in a way that signals to the reader or listener what the message concerns.

The duke has given my aunt that teapot. (i.e., I’m going to tell you about the duke.)
My aunt has been given that teapot by the duke. (i.e., I’m going to tell you about my aunt.)
That teapot has been given to my aunt by the duke. (i.e., I’m going to tell you about that teapot.)

Interrogative sentences invert word order (“Did you go to the store?”). Changing a given sentence from active to passive grammatical voice changes the word order, moving the new subject to the front (“John bought the car” becomes “The car was bought by John”).

Nouns

In English, nouns generally describe persons, places, things, and abstract ideas, and are treated as grammatically distinct from verbs. English nouns, in general, are not marked for gender, but are marked for number and definiteness.

Deixis

The deictic element indicates whether or not a specific subset of a noun is intended; and if so, which subset. A deictic is either (i) specific or (ii) non-specific. The specific deictics are given in the Table below:

	determinative	interrogative
demonstrative	this, these; that, those; the	which(ever); what(ever)
Possessive	my, your, our, his, her, its, their, one’s, [John's] [my father's], etc.	whose(ever), [which person's] etc.

The subset in question is specified by one of two possible deictic features: either

(a) demonstratively, i.e., by reference to some kind of proximity to the speaker
- (“this”, “these” = “near me”; “that”, “those” = “not near me”), or
(b) by possession, i.e., by reference to ‘person’ as defined from the standpoint of the speaker
- (“my”, “your”, “our”, “his”, “her”, “its”, “their”; also “Mary’s”, “my father’s”, etc.)

Non-specific deictics convey the sense of all, or none, or some unspecified subset. The main categories and main items in each are as follow.

(a) Total

positive (“each”, “every”, “both”, “all”)
negative (“neither”, “no”, i.e. “not any”)

(b) Partial

selective (“one”, “either”, “some”, “any”)
non-selective (“a” or “an”, “one”)

Number

English nouns are typically inflected for number, having distinct singular and plural forms. The plural form usually consists of the singular form plus -s or -es, but there are many irregular nouns. The girl (singular) talks.

The girls (plural) talk.
Every girl (singular) talks.
All girls (plural) talk.
No girl (singular) talks.
No girls (plural) talk.

Articles

A definite article such as “the” is used to refer to a specific instance of the noun, often already mentioned in the context or easy to identify. Definite articles are slightly different from demonstratives, which often indicate the location of nouns with respect to the speaker and audience.

“Let’s look for a good restaurant.”
“What about the restaurant we ate at last week?”
“That restaurant was terrible. What about this one on the corner here?”

An indefinite article such as “a” or “an” is used to refer to a generic instance of the noun. Note that “a” is used when preceding a noun beginning with a consonant sound, whereas “an” is used when preceding a noun beginning with a vowel sound.

You should eat an apple.
That building is a university.
They are being an annoyance.
He is a successor to the throne.

Verbs

In English, verbs generally describe actions, and can also be used to describe certain states of being. Verbs in English are marked in limited fashion for person. Most regular verbs in English follow the pattern exemplified below for the simple present of the verb “to listen”:

1st sg.	I listen	1st pl.	We listen
2nd sg.	You listen	2nd pl.	You listen
3rd sg.	He/she/it listens	3rd pl.	They listen

Exercise: Read the following passage, and then say what the underlined words in the text refer to. Write the referents.

Quality is difficult to define since it means something different to each of us, depending on our cultural background and the circumstances in which we live and work. Williamson (1982) defined quality assurance as “ the measurement of the actual level of the service provided plus the efforts to modify its provision when necessary in the light of the results of measurement.” In other words, we need to know what action we take in order to take it better. A standard is a professionally agreed level of performance or, put another way, the level at which we expect things to happen. A workable standard should be acceptable. It should be achievable, observable and measurable. It must satisfy the needs of the customer since he is the final authority in the market. Comparing what we actually do with what we believe we ought to do enables us to identify our shortcomings and take action to correct them.

Line word referent

1 it _______________

5 its _______________

7 it _______________

9 it _______________

11 he _______________

13 them _______________

Present tenses

o Simple present (or simply “present”): “I listen.” For many verbs, this is used to express habit or ability (“I eat apples”).

- Present continuous (or “present progressive”): “I am listening.” This tense suggests that the action is different from what has occurred in the past and that it might not be true in the future. For example, “I am studying Latin” suggests, merely through the use of the present continuous, that the action is not as habitual or enduring as the phrase “I study Latin” would suggest.
- Present perfect (or simply perfect): “I have listened.” This is used to express a completed action that took place at an indefinite time in the past, and that has an ongoing relevance in the present. It blurs the line between a present and a past tense: Present perfect continuous: “I have been listening.” This is used to express that an event started at some time in the past and continuing to the present.
Past tenses
- Simple past: “I listened.” This is used to express a completed action that took place at a specific moment in the past.
- Past perfect “I had listened.” This expresses an action completed prior to some other action in the past. It is thus expressing an action even more in the past.
- Past continuous (otherwise known as the imperfect or past progressive): “I was listening.” This is used to express an incomplete action in the past.
- Past perfect continuous or simply “perfect continuous”: “I had been listening.” Usually used with an explicit duration, this indicates that an event was ongoing for a specific time, then completed before a specific event.
Future tenses
- Simple future: “I shall/will listen.” This is used to express that an event will occur in the future, or that the speaker intends to perform some action. Note that some textbooks consider “be going” plus an infinitive another form of the simple future, and commonsense agrees. Though there are some situations where “will do” or “be going to do” is preferred over the other, they are generally equivalent.
- Future continuous: “I shall/will be listening.” This is used to express an ongoing event that has not yet been initiated.
- Future perfect: “I shall/will have listened.” This indicates an action which will occur before some other action in the future: Normally two actions are expressed, and the future perfect indicates an action which will occur in the future but will, at the time of the main future action expressed, be in the past (e.g. “I will know the tune next week because I will have listened to it”).
- Future perfect continuous: “I shall/will have been listening.” Expresses an ongoing action that occurs in the future, before some other event expressed in the future.
Conditional tenses
- Present conditional or simply “conditional”: “I would listen.” This is used to express that the speaker intended to perform some action.
- Present continuous conditional: “I would be listening.” This is used to express an ongoing event that had not yet been initiated.
- Conditional perfect: “I would have listened.” Indicates that an action would occur after some other event.
- Conditional perfect continuous: “I would have been listening”: Expresses an ongoing action that would occur in after some other event.

Exercise:

Exercise: Choose the correct answer in parentheses.

1. One of the cars I would like to buy ( is, are ) Lexus.

2. The French ( has, have) an interesting history.

3. The cattle which (were, was) grazing in the field belongs to the fat farmer.

4- Look! He (is, was) cheating in the exam.

5. The number of teachers present in the college ( were, was) sixty.

6. The father and his son ( have, has) decided to take part in the competition.

7. The elderly in this country (are, is) looked after by their children.

8. The parents, as well as their son, (is, are) going to speak to the principal.

9. Why (was, were) Ali and his brother at the airport?

10. Twenty thousand riyals (is, are) enough to buy this car.

—————————————————————————–

Reading Comprehension

Read the passage below and answer questions 1-10 based on it.

Saudi Consumers & Well-Known Brands

Saudi consumers are becoming increasingly interested in well-known international brand names like Nike and Adidas. They demand top-quality service, value for money and are always looking out for new products from these famous brands.

These and other findings have emerged from a market overview presented by international consultants Euromonitor, which has 30 years of experience in market studies. According to the study, the market share of branded clothing has steadily increased in the last decade due to changes in fashion trends. Over the last three decades, Euromonitor has covered more than 205 countries worldwide during which their consultants conducted over a million surveys covering demographic and economic aspects.

Key Findings: Saudi Arabia is a major market for women and children’s clothing, with footwear the second largest sector, accounting for almost 20% of sales in 2004. Al-Hokair has the dominant position in the footwear sector, carrying the largest brands, including Aldo, Nine West and Nike. Footwear is well covered with shops covering a range of prices and both branded and unbranded goods. Spending on shoes is extremely buoyant. All indications are that sports wear and sports shoes have strong potential in the Saudi market. As well as being a large sector, footwear is a good growth sector.

Sales of children’s wear (excluding footwear are high in Saudi Arabia due to the young population and the high birth rate. In 2004, children’s wear accounted for 15% of total sales, and growth is set to continue at around 20% between 2005 and 2009.

Menswear is an emerging segment in the Saudi fashion market accounting for around 6% of total sales in 2004. Men still prefer to wear traditional clothing at home, at work, and in public. With the majority of the Saudi population of a young age, a shift in consumer tastes may be the catalyst for future growth in this section. Eyewear is, at present, underdeveloped in Saudi Arabia.

1. Saudi consumers want:

a) Good service, good value and new products.

b) Only goods from famous brands, regardless of cost.

c) Good service and new products, regardless of cost.

d) Only value for money.

2. Euromonitor is:

a) A major store.

b) A market overview.

c) A consultancy company.

d) A market study.

3. Which statement best describes Euromonitor?

a) They operate in many countries, deal only in the fashion industry and have a lot of experience.

b) They operate only in Saudi Arabia, deal only in the fashion industry and have a lot of experience.

c) They operate in many countries, deal in more than one industry and have a lot of experience.

d) They operate in many countries, deal in more than one industry but have only a little experience.

4. Buoyant (in paragraph 3) suggests that spending on shoes is:

a) Very low and declining.

b) Very low but getting slowly better.

c) High but beginning to decrease.

d) Very high.

5. In 2004 footwear:

a) Was the number one seller.

b) Sold only 20% of its normal amount.

c) Improved by 20%.

d) Was the best seller after women’s and children’s clothing.

6. If you started a company in Saudi Arabia and wanted quick profits, which of the following products would sell best?

a) Eyewear.

b) Children’s clothing.

c) Men’s clothing.

d) Sport’s shoes.

7. According to the text, sales of footwear will:

a) Stay much the same.

b) Continue to increase.

c) Decrease.

d) Grow by exactly 20%.

8. What image of the Saudi Arabian consumer spending in general does this article give?

a) Consumer spending is stable and unchanging.

b) Consumer spending is high now, but preparing for a bad period ahead.

c) Consumer spending is high and should continue to increase.

d) Consumer spending is weak.

9. As a percentage, what is the difference in sales between menswear and children’s clothing?

a) Shops sell 15% more children’s clothes.

b) Shops sell 9% more men’s clothes.

c) Shops sell 9% more children’s clothes.

d) Shops sell 15% more men’s clothes.

10. According to the text, “Al-Hokair has the dominant position in the footwear sector”, what does dominant mean in this context?

a) A weak or poor position.

b) A good position but not the best.

c) The number one position.

d) A position where they are controlled by other companies.

——————————————————————————————–

A Handful of Dates

Written by

Al-Teib Saleh ( رحمه الله)

I must have been very young at the time. While, I don’t remember exactly how old I was. I do remember that when people saw me with my grandfather they would pat me of the head and give my check a pinch- things they didn’t do to my grandfather. The strange thing was that I never used to go out with my father; rather it was my grandfather who would take me with him wherever he went, except for the mornings when I would go to the mosque to learn the Holy Koran. The mosque, the river and the fields- these were the landmarks in our life. While most of the children of my age grumbled at having to go to the mosque to learn the Koran. I used to love it. The reason was, no doubt, that I was quick at learning by heart and the Sheikh always asked me to stand up and recite the Chapter of the Merciful whenever we had visitors, who would pat me on my head and check just as people did when they saw me with my grandfather.

Yes, I used to love the mosque, and I loved the river too. Directly we finished our Koran reading in the morning. I would throw down my wooden slate and dart off, quickly to my mother, hurriedly swallow down my breakfast, and run off for the river. When tired of swimming about I would sit on the bank and gaze at the strip of water that wound away eastwards and hid behind a thick wood of acacia trees. I loved to give rein to my imagination and picture to myself a tribe of giants living behind that wood, people tall and thin with white beards and sharp noses, like my grandfather. Before my grandfather ever replied to my many questions he would rub the tip of his nose with his forefinger; as for his beard, it was soft and luxuriant and as white as the cotton wool- never in my life I seen anything of a purer whiteness or greater beauty. My grandfather must also have been extremely tall, for I never saw anyone in the whole area address him without having to look up at him, nor did I see him enter a house without having to bend so low that I was put in mind of the river wound behind the wood of the acacia trees. I loved him and would imagine myself, when I grew to be a man, tall and slender like him, walking along with strides.

I believe I was his favourite grandchild; no wonder, for my cousins were stupid and I –so they say- was an intelligent child. I used to know when my grandfather wanted me to laugh, when to be silent; also I would remember the times for his prayers and would bring him his prayer-rug and fill the ewer for his ablutions without his having to ask me. When he had nothing else to do he enjoyed listening to me reciting to him from the Koran in a lilting voice, and I could tell from his face that he was moved.

One day I asked my grandfather about our neighbor Masood. I said to him; “I fancy you don’t like our neighbor Masood?”

To which he answered, having rubbed the tip of his nose: “He’s an indolent man and I don’t like such people’.

I said to him: ‘what and indolent man?

My grandfather lowered his head for a moment, then looking across at the wide expanse of field, he said: ‘Do you see it stretching out from the edge of the desert up to the Nile bank? A hundred feddans. Do you see all those date palms? All those trees –sant, acacia and sayal? All this fell into Masood’s lap, was inherited by him from his father’.

Taking advantage of the silence that had descended upon my grandfather; I turned my gaze from him to the vast area defined by his words. ‘I don’t care’ I told myself ‘who owns those date palms, those trees or this black, cracked earth- all I know is that it’s the arena for my dreams and my playground’.

My grandfather then continued: ‘Yes, my boy, forty years ago all this belonged to Masood- two thirds of it is now mine’.

This was news to me for I had imagined that the land had belonged to my grandfather ever since God’s Creation.

‘I didn’t own a single feddan when I first set foot in this village. Masood was then the owner of all these riches. The position has changed now, though, and I think that before Allah calls me to him I shall have bought the remaining third as well.

I do not know why it was I felt fear at my grandfather’s words- and pity for our neighbor Masood. How I wished my grandfather wouldn’t do what he’d said! I remembered Masood’s singing, he beautiful voice and powerful laugh that resembled the gurgling of water. My grandfather never used to laugh.

I asked my grandfather why Masood had sold his land. “Women” and from the way my grandfather pronounced the word I felt that women was something terrible. ‘Masood, my boy, was a much-married man. Each time he married he sold me a feddan or two’ I made the quick calculation that Masood must have married some ninety women. Then I remembered his three wives, his shabby appearance, his lame donkey and his galabia. I had all but rid my mind of the thoughts that jostled in it when I saw the man approaching us, and my grandfather and I exchanged glances.

‘We’ll be harvesting the dates today’ said Masood. ‘Don’t you want to be there’?

I felt, though that he did not really want my grandfather to attend. My grandfather, however, jumped to his feet and I saw that his eyes sparkled momentarily with an intense brightness. He pulled me by the hand and we went off to the harvesting of Masood’s dates.

Someone brought my grandfather a stool covered with an ox-hide, while I remained standing. There was a vast number of people there, but though I knew them all, I found myself for some reasons, watching Masood: aloof from that great gathering of people he stood as though it were no concern of his, despite the fact that the date palms to be harvested were his own. Sometimes his attention would be caught by the sound of a huge clump of dates crashing down from on high. Once he shouted up at the boy perched on the very summit of the date palm: ‘be careful you don’t cut the heart of the palm’.

No one paid any attention to what he said and the boy seated at the very summit of the date palm continued quickly and energetically, to work away at the branch with his sickle till the clump of dated began to drop like something descending from the heaven.

I however, had begun to think about Masood’s phrase ‘the heart of the palm’ I picture the palm tree as something with feeling, something possessed of heart that throbbed. I remembered Masood’s remark to me when he had once seen me playing about with the branch of a young palm tree: ‘Palm trees my boy, like humans, experience joy and suffering’. And I had felt an inward and unreasoned embarrassment.

When I again looked at the expanse of ground stretching before me I saw my young companions swarming like ants around the trunks of the palm tree, gathering up dates and eating most of them. The dates were collected into high mounds. I saw people coming along and weighting them into measuring bins and pouring them into sacks, of which I counted thirty. The crowd of people broke up, except for Hussein the merchant, Mousa the owner of the field next to ours on the east, and two men I’d never seen before.

I heard a low whistling sound and saw that my grandfather had fallen asleep. Then I noticed that Masood had not changed his stance, except that he had placed a stalk in his mouth and was munching at it like someone suffered with food who doesn’t know what to do with the mouthful he still has.

Suddenly my grandfather woke up, jumped to his feet and walked towards the sacks of dates. He was followed by Hussein the merchant, Mousa the owner of the field next to ours, and the two strangers. I glanced at Masood and saw that he was making his way towards us with extreme slowness, like a man who wants to retreat but whose feet insist on going forward. They formed a circle round the sacks of dates and began examining them some taking a date or two to eat. My grandfather gave me a fistful, which I began munching I saw Masood filling the palms of both hands with dates and bringing them up close to his nose, then returning them.

Then I saw them dividing up the sacks between them. Hussein the merchant took ten; each of the strangers took five. Mousa the owner of the field next to ours on the eastern side took five, and my grandfather took five. Understanding nothing, l looked at Masood and saw that his eyes were darting about to left and right like two mice that have lost their way home.

‘you’re still fifty pounds in debt to me’. said my grandfather to Masood. ‘we’ll talk about it later’.

Hussein called his assistants and they brought along donkeys, the two strangers produced camels, and the sacks of dates were loaded into them. I felt myself drawing close to Masood, felt my hand stretch out towards his as though I wanted to touch him. I heard him make a noise in his throat like the rasping of a lamb being slaughtered. For some unknown reason, I experienced a sharp sensation of pain in my chest. I ran off into the distance hearing my grandfather call after me. I hesitated a little, and then continued on my way. I felt at that moment that I hated him. Quickening my pace. It was as though I carried within me a secret I wanted to rid myself of. I reached the river bank near the bend it made behind the wood of acacia trees. Then, without knowing why, I put my finger into my throat and spewed up the dates I’d eaten.

Exercise: Based on the short story, choose the correct choice:

1-The main character in “ A handful of dates” is

a- the dates sellers.

b- the dates buyers.

c- the boy.

d- the grandfather

2-A typical setting for “ A handful of Dates” is

a- Sothern Sudan.

b- Western Sudan.

c- Eastern Sudan.

d- Northern Sudan

3-Unlike the other boys of the village, the boy loves to go to mosque for learning because

a- He is bored at home.

b- He is quick in keeping Koran by heart.

c- the mosque is close to his home.

d- he loves his teacher.

4-The main theme of the story can be

a- Greediness.

b- Cooperation.

c- Solidarity.

d- Curiosity.

5-At the end of the story “ A handful of Dates” the boy’s feeling

towards his grandfather has

a- Become stronger.

b- Remained the same.

c- Changed dramatically.

d- Become weaker.

6-“ A handful of Dates “ was written by

a- Al-Teib Saleh.

b- Najeeb Mahfooz.

c- W. Shakespeare.

d- A boy.

7-“Masood” is represented in “A handful of Dates” as

a- A cruel person.

b- A victim.

c- A hero.

d- A greedy man.

8-“The boy put his finger into his throat and spewed up the dates” because

a- he does not like dates.

b- he has stomachache.

c- he hates his grandfather’s greediness.

d- He hates Masood.

9-“ Don’t cut the heart of the palm”. The statement above

reveals

a- Masood’s ignorance of language use.

b- Masood’s attachment to palm tress.

C- Masood’s greediness.

D- Masood’s feeling towards the grandfather

10- The grandfather thinks that women are

a- Blissful.

b- Sources of happiness.

c- drivers of poverty.

d- dear friends.

————————————————————————————————

“Luck” by Mark Twain

I was at a dinner in London given in honor of one of the most celebrated English military men of his time. I do not want to tell you his real name and titles. I will just call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby.

I can not describe my excitement when I saw this great and famous man. There he sat. The man himself, in person, all covered with medals. I could not take my eyes off him. He seemed to show the true mark of greatness. His fame had no effect on him.

The hundreds of eyes watching him, the worship of so many people did not seem to make any difference to him.

Next to me sat a clergyman, who was an old friend of mine. He was not always a clergyman. During the first half of his life, he was a teacher in the military school at Woolwich. There was a strange look in his eye as he leaned toward me and whispered, “Privately – he is a complete fool.” He meant, of course, the hero of our dinner.

This came as a shock to me. I looked hard at my friend. I could not have been more surprised if he had said the same thing about Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon.

But I was sure of two things about the clergyman. He always spoke the truth. And his judgement of men was good. Therefore, I wanted to find out more about our hero as soon as I could.

Some days later I got a chance to talk with the clergyman and he told me more. These are his exact words:

“About forty years ago, I was an instructor in the military academy at Woolwich, when young Scoresby was given his first examination. I felt extremely sorry for him. Everybody answered the questions well, intelligently, while he – why, dear me – he did not know anything, so to speak. He was a nice, pleasant young man. It was painful to see him stand there and give answers that were miracles of stupidity.

“I knew of course that when examined again he would fail and be thrown out. So, I said to myself, it would be a simple, harmless act to help him, as much as I could.

“I took him aside and found he knew a little about Julius Caesar’s history. But he did not know anything else. So I went to work and tested him and worked him like a slave. I made him work, over and over again, on a few questions about Caesar which I knew he would be asked.

“If you will believe me, he came through very well on the day of the examination. He got high praise, too, while others who knew a thousand times more than he were sharply criticized. By some strange, lucky accident, he was asked no questions but those I made him study. Such an accident does not happen more than once in a hundred years.

“Well, all through his studies, I stood by him, with the feeling a mother has for a disabled child. And he always saved himself, by some miracle.

“I thought that what is the end would destroy him would be the mathematics examination. I decided to make his end as painless as possible. So, I pushed facts into his stupid head for hours. Finally, I let him go to the examination to experience what I was sure would be his dismissal from school. Well, sir, try to imagine the result. I was shocked out of my mind. He took first prize! And he got the highest praise.

“I felt guilty day and night – what I was doing was not right. But I only wanted to make his dismissal a little less painful for him. I never dreamed it would lead to such strange, laughable results.

“I thought that sooner or later one thing was sure to happen: The first real test once he was through school would ruin him.

“Then, the Crimean War broke out. I felt that sad for him that there had to be a war. Peace would have given this donkey a chance to escape from ever being found out as being so stupid. Nervously, I waited for the worst to happen. It did. He was appointed an officer. A captain, of all things! Who could have dreamed that they would place such a responsibility on such weak shoulders as his.

“I said to myself that I was responsible to the country for this. I must go with him and protect the nation against him as far as I could. So, I joined up with him. And away we went to the field.

“And there – oh, dear, it was terrible. Mistakes, fearful mistakes – why, he never did anything that was right – nothing but mistakes. But, you see, nobody knew the secret of how stupid he really was. Everybody misunderstood his actions. They saw his stupid mistakes as works of great intelligence. They did, honestly! His smallest mistakes made a man in his right mind cry – and shout and scream, too – to himself, of course. And what kept me in a continual fear was the fact that every mistake he made increased his glory and fame.

“I kept saying to myself that when at last they find out about him, it will be like the sun falling out of the sky.

“He continued to climb up, over the dead bodies of his superiors. Then, in the hottest moment of one battle down went our colonel. My heart jumped into my mouth, for Scoresby was the next in line to take his place. Now, we are in for it, I said.

“The battle grew hotter. The English and their allies were steadily retreating all over the field. Our regiment occupied a position that was extremely important. One mistake now would bring total disaster. And what did Scoresby do this time? He just mistook his left hand for his right hand…that was all. An order came for him to fall back and support our right. Instead, he moved forward and went over the hill to the left.

We were over the hill before this insane movement could be discovered and stopped. And what did we find? A large and unsuspecting Russian army waiting! And what happened? Were we all killed? That is exactly what would have happened in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. But no – those surprised Russians thought that no one regiment by itself would come around there at such a time.

“It must be the whole British army, they thought. They turned tail. Away they went over the hill and down into the field in wild disorder, and we after them. In no time, there was the greatest turn-around you ever saw. The allies turned defeat into a sweeping and shining victory.

“The allied commander looked on, his head spinning with wonder, surprise and joy. He sent right off for Scoresby, and put his arms around him and hugged him on the field in front of all the armies.

“Scoresby became famous that day as a great military leader, honored throughout the world. That honor will never disappear while history books last.

“He is just as nice and pleasant as ever, but he still does not know enough to come in, out of the rain. He is the stupidest man in the universe.

“Until now, nobody knew it but Scoresby and myself. He has been followed, day by day, year by year, by a strange luck. He has been a shining soldier in all our wars for years. He has filled his whole military life with mistakes. Every one of them brought him another honorary title.

“Look at his chest, flooded with British and foreign medals. Well, sir, every one of them is the record of some great stupidity or other. They are proof that the best thing that can happen to a man is to be born lucky. I say again, as I did at the dinner, Scoresby’s a complete fool.”

Based on Luck, choose the correct answers:

1- The story was written by:

a- Mark Twain

b- Martin Luther

c- Teib Saleh

d- Charles Dichens

2- The main character in the story is

a- the clergyman

b- Scoresby

c- A clever man

d- Woolwitch

3- The clergy man

a- hates Scoresby

b- disrespect Scoresby

c- feels pity for Scoresby

d- is annoyed by Scoresby’s success

4- The clergyman helped Scoresby because he

a- wanted to make him a general

b- he wanted him to be expelled

c- he wanted to make a fool out of him.

d- he wanted him to be expelled with less pain.

5- In the military academy Scoresby

a- was found not qualified

b- was extremely praised

c- failed in the exam

d- directly nominated as a colonel

6- In his battle with the Russians, Scoresby

a- was shamefully defeated

b- was captured by the enemy

c- won the battle due to his intelligent strategies

d- won by luck

7- Scoresby

a- got many medals

b- lost all battles

c- was released

d- left the army

8- The story reveals the strength of ……….. in our destiny.

a- love

b- luck

c- stupidity

d- cleverness

9- The clergyman was …………….. by Scoresby’s success.

a- annoyed

b- surprised

c- humiliated

d- ruined

10- The dominant theme in the story is that human success

a- is always a reflection of what we do.

b- is solely determined by luck

c- always matches our mental abilities

d- is sometimes effected by luck.

Sources:

Authentic materials of the handouts are extracted with slight modifications from

1- Wikipedia, E-Encyclopedia

2- Johns, S.(1988) Introduction to scientific modules. W.R.P

3- Cached documents at

a- www.live.com

b- www.altavesta.com

c- www.alazhariuniversity.wordpress.com

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