The Heron and the Grayfish

 

 

 

 

 

There was once a heron who lived by a lake. Time passed, the heron grew old and had no more strength to catch fish. So he began trying to think of a way of outwitting them. This became the cause of his death. That heron spent the whole day trying to fish but he couldn't fish at all and he was sad. An old crayfish was amazed to see that the heron didn't fish as much as he used to. The crayfish asked the heron why he was looking so miserable. The heron began to weep and said that he felt pity for the fish's lives because two fishermen were fishing in another lake not far from the place and planned to come to their own lake after finishing with the first one. As soon as the crayfish heard this, he went to tell the others about the fishermen. All the fish in the lake became afraid and begged the heron to counsel them. "There is no chance unless I take you one after the other to another lake which is quite near", he said. "The lake I mean has plenty of canes and mud and you won't be in any danger over there". At this the Fish began pleading even harder, and there was not one among them who did not cry, "Take me first, heron!"

As everybody agreed that was a good idea, every day the heron took as many fish as he wanted pretending to take them to the lake, but instead of this he went to a hill and ate them all. The heron did so for a long time but one day the crayfish asked the heron to take him to this fantastic lake where everybody could live peacefully. The crayfish held himself to the heron's neck. After they had been flying for a while, the crayfish was surprised not to see the lake. Watching from the air he saw the bones of the fish the heron had eaten and then realized they had been tricked. So the crayfish pressed his claws against the heron's neck and killed him. And then he crawled back to the lake and told the fish who were still there all about it. And they all lived in the lake ever after and never again wanted to go anywhere else.

 

COMPREHENSION: (15 points)

(BASE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT.)

A. Answer these questions in your own words (4 points.)

1. Why couldn’t the heron fish?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Did the fish believe the heron’s story?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Where did the heron take the fish?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

4. What is the moral of the story?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

B. Say if the following sentences are true or false and justify. (4pts)

1. The heron needed more fish to feed his chicks.

___________……………………………………………………………………………

2. The heron was afraid the fishermen would kill him.

___________………………………………………………………………………………

3. The heron told the fish that the other lake was safer.

___________……………………………………………………………………………

4. The grayfish killed the heron on the ground.

___________……………………………………………………………………………

 

C. Find in the text words or expressions that mean the same as:(3 points.)

 

1. Very unhappy: …………………………………

2. Advise: …………………………………

3. Understood: …………………………………

 

D. What do the underlined words in the text refer to?(3 points.)

1. Their: …………………………………

2. Them: …………………………………

 

E. Fill in the blanks with words from the text: 2 (points)

In a pond, a heron was trying to catch fish as before but he couldn’t because he _______ older. He told the fish that they were in danger and he suggested moving them to a safer lake. However, he took them to a nearby field and _______ them.

 

LANGUAGE: (15 points)

A. Rewrite the sentences beginning with the words given: (3 points.)

1. The baby broke the cell phone.

The cell phone …………………………………………………………………

2. Betty to Rose: "Did you write the report?"

Betty …………………………………………………………………………

3. Jennifer earns a low salary. She gives money to her parents.

In spite of ……………………………………………………………………………

B. Put the verbs between brackets in the correct form: (3 points.)

1. While I (shop) ……………………….. yesterday morning, I (run)……………………….. into an old friend of mine whom I (not see)………………………………………… for years.

 

C. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate preposition: (2 points.)

1. They had decided to put the wedding _________ until the fiancιe finishes college.

2. I ran _________ of gas once and a couple of nice guys pushed me into the station.

 

D. Match the words that go together to make appropriate collocations: (2. points.)

 

1. gender

 

2. waste                             

     a. inhabitants          

     b. equality

     c. management

 

1. ______; 2. ______.

 

E. Give the correct form of the words between brackets: (3 points.)

 

Pollution is the (introduce) ____________ of contaminants into an environment that causes (stable) ___________, disorder, harm or comfort) ______________to the ecosystem… Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light energy

F. Match each sentence with its function (2. points.)

 

Sentence

function

1. Most people in Morocco can speak three languages

 

2. You must wear a suit and a tie; otherwise, you won’t be allowed in.

 

a. obligation.

 

b. ability

 

c. opinion

1. ______; 2. ______.

 

WRITING (10 points)

 

Write a film review to be posted on your blog in English.

You can talk about: where you saw the film, the film synopsis, the actors, the music…

 

 

 

 

 

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