Writing test / FINAL

Genetically modified organisms have always been, and will probably stay, a part of a huge debate. The main questions that have been raised are about the effects that it may cause on the environment, on our animal and even on us, humans being. Both sides of this controversial debate are bringing convincing arguments to support their point of view. I tried to distangle everything to have my own vision on the genetically modified organisms. I'll first give my point of view on the environment side and then, I'll give it on what I think about the effects on the human system.

Firstly, everybody agrees if I say that genetically modified organism are not natural. Since the day the human started to mess around with nature, it went worse and worse and worse every time. From the beginning of our society's until a couple of decades, the destruction of nature was approxymatly going at the same rythm than the reonstruction. Their was no problem with that. but since toxic product were born, the problems are always decreasing. Their are no progress! The problem with genetically modified organism is that, the more you inject superficial products in nature, the more you destroy it. And the more you destroy it, the more you inject superficial products in it. It is a vicious circle. Nature has always shown that if you gave it some time, it will restore from itself. But because we are in a rapid consumming society, we don't want to wait after nature. If we don't stop injecting GM organim in the nature, we will no longer have nature as we knew it.

Secondly, I wanted to bring the negative aspects of genetically modified organism on the human. Since we are born, we've been eating, breathing ans consumming the types of products. The problem is that our body is starting to acclimate these GM organisms. But the more the body acclimate, the more we're going to need those things. It is the same vicious circle as the one with environment. Our body are no longer used to natural product of the earth. For sure, even if you're having you own garden, their will be GM organisms in it. But if everybody makes a step ahead and start saying no to GM products, nature will make it's work and the human body could go back at eating some real food, from a healthy nature.

Finally, I really don't think genetically modified organisms are good, neither for the environement or for the human. I also think that if every person could make an effort to try to turn their back on GM product, we could go back to a more healthy world, or at least, we would be in the right direction.

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Reading Test / FINAL

Read the text: “Genetically Modified Foods.” Answer the following questions. /50

A. Match the synonym or definition below with the word from the paragraph. The (number) in
parenthesis refers to the paragraph number. / 16

(1) interfering -----meddling
(2) amount of food collected from a field-----crops
(3) person who grows plants -----plant breeders
(4) make better -----improve
(5) things that are planned-----prevents
(6) freedom from harm or danger -----safety
(7) occurring in many places-----subsequently
(8) amount by which something is deficient -----shortage

B. Comprehension / 3

1. State the thesis or main point of the text as a whole.

GM products ( food, crops, plants) are not as bad as it has always been shown. They are a lot of benefits we can take from GM products.

2. How, well in your opinion, does the author support her point of view? / 3

I think she supports her point really well by bringing a lot of scientific facts. Everytime she advances a theory or a statment, she has a fact to support it. What is also her strenght, is that she sees the other point of view. She doesn't try to destroy it, she only brings better facts.

3. How does this text relate to the readings in our textbook in the unit, GMF? / 4

These two textes bring their point of view very clearly.

4. In one or two sentences, write the main idea of each paragraph in your own words. / 24

Paragraph 1

Humans have always tend to go against the laws of nature. But it's not always as bad as it seems. For exemple, it helps prevent some allergies.

Paragraph 2

Breeding programms are always trying new ways to protect the crops as good as they could. But sometimes, even if the two different crops are strong, when they are mixed together, it gives a weakness that wasn't there in the parentals plants.

Paragraph 3

Introducing a new DNA to the crops is a very precise procedure, unlike breeding, who's more an act of nature.

Paragraph 4

The first generation of GM crops has been implanted to prevent herbicide tolerance and increase resistance to insects.

Paragraph 5

The second generation of GM crops is on her way. These crops will have effects on the consummer's health. It will prevent desease and illness.

Paragraph 6

GM food is really safe, because each crops, each product is being inspected, as if they were toxing. You're sure to have a safe product at the end of the line, in opposition to what we call safe food. This last category of food is pratically not inspected.

Paragraph 7

GM food is benefic to environment because the toxix protein contained in the plant does not affect animals, or neither the insect that don't attack the crops. It only affect the resistants insects.

Paragraph 8

GM crops could be part of solution to food shortage in Africa. The author does not say it's the only way, but it could certainly bring some major benefits to this cause.

Listening test

1- What is Percy Schmeiser’s problem? /4

Monsanto products have been found in his crops, but he didn't put it himself on his field.

2-What is Roundup used for? /4

It's a weed killer. It kills bad weed and let the good stuff grow.

3-How did the chemical company invent Roundup? /4

By mixing some DNA's

4-What has Monsanto accused Schmeiser of doing? /4

Using Roundup product, without permission because he didn't buy it.

5-Why are the farmers pissed off? /4

Because some of them found Monsanto product in their crops, and it's not their fault. Therefor, Monsanto accuses them to use their product illegally.

6-How did Monsanto initially learn about Schmeiser? /4

Because of a document that said that he may have illegal Monsanto product in his crops.

7-Did the company respect its policy on dealing with the farmer? Yes or no. Give a reason. /4

No. They paid someone to go take a sample of Schmeiser's field without permission.

8-What tactics did the company use with another farmer? /4

They send airplanes over his field to detect if there was a Monsanto product in it. Again, without permission.

9-How did another farmer, Zilinski, get Monsanto’s DNA in his crops? /4

Trading crops with a farmer from ''l'Île du Prince Edouard''.

10-How did the company treat Zilinski? /4

They accused him of stealing their stuff.

11-What is Schmeiser’s next step? /4

Force Monsanto company to accepet DNA genetically modified stuff in the farmers fields, because it's not always the farmer's faults if he has other stuff than it's own in his crops. The wind is a big part of the problem!

12-The narrator ends the segment with this question: “But the real question is this, can Monsanto or anybody put a patent on a piece of nature?” What do you think? /6

I don't think that anybody can put a patent on a piece of nature. Nature is so pure. We've seen trough the years that when the human being want to make money out of nature, it destruct it. So i think it would be a crime to try to restrain nature by some law, so a company could benefit of what nature does. Nature is there for everybody, and everybody should enjoy it, without being restrain by any law.

Activity 1. Vocabulary study - use a dictionary to define the following in conveying the ideas and mood of the story?

Cad : bad person who takes advantage of other people
Wits: intelligence brain, learning on you own, ''street smart''
Woo: charm and manipulate somebody
Fleece: steel
Desert: escape, leave
Drop names: faking to know names to look important
Fabricate: Invent story
Pull off: to get away with
Seamstress: she sews hats
Milliner: hat maker
Plain-looking: looking ordinary
Feigns: Make believe
Taken aback: Being surprised
Reel in: Capture
Blandishments: sweet talks
Blanch: react negativly
Comsummate: make love
Brooch: jewel

Activity 2. Plot: put the events in the proper sequence.PlotAct I

__2__ A. Georgia and Adelaide talk in separate monologues - George describes his role as a gigolo and Adelaide talks about her inheritance.

__6__ B. The next day they meet in the park and things happen fast - Georgia declares his love, asks for her hand in marriage, and she accepts without much questioning.

__4__ C. The next day, George bumps into her by chance and invites her to lunch as he plays the perfect gentleman.

__3__ D. He says that his suits are attractive to women.

__5__ E. George enters the shop behind her and asks about the green hat in the window - the seduction of Adelaide has begun.

__1__ F. They are married in a coastal resort, book into a hotel, play cards the whole night long but do not make love because Adelaide carries a lot of emotional baggage from the past.

__9__ G. Adelaide is touched and accepts his invitation.

__8__ H. We first meet George who tells us he wears expensive clothes, just like those worn by the upper class of England.

__10__ I. The action really starts with George walking down Edgeware Road and coming face to face with Adelaide outside the clothing shop.

__7__ J. We meet Adelaide who tells us she works in the back room of a clothing store as a milliner.

Act II.


__7__ A. She dreams about opening a clothing store together; it would be the perfect fit for them.

_4___ B. George makes excuses and convinces Adelaide to take a bath.

__5__ C. Saying he has a headache, George does not go to the post office with Adelaide, but returns to the room, hoping to escape with the money and brooch.

__3__ D. Unfortunately for her George does the unthinkable.

___6_ E. George hesitates, Adelaide prepares to leave, he tries to get her money back, and he becomes angry.

__1__ F. Adelaide realizes her brooch is not there and confronts George about his lies, telling him to stop pretending.

__10__ G. She takes on an assertive role: she wants to stay with him rather than her parents and proposes a plan to him.

___8_ H. But for some unknown reason, George returns to the room to leave the brooch and as
he is leaving a second time comes face-to-face with Adelaide.

____ I. Adelaide decides to stay when she learns about George's troubled past.

____J. After Adelaide wakes up, she and George head to the bank to withdraw her inheritance and she writes a letter to her family.

Mid-term writing exam

The Reader : Movie of the year

We all know that the Oscar night is coming soon. 5 excellent movies are nominated for the movie of the year. Here's the list of the nominees : Milk, Frost Nixon, The curions case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog and The Reader. Although, one of these movie is clearely the best one and it's The Reader. Let me tell you why this movie took such a huge place in my heart when I saw it.

The synopsis goes like this. A women in the thirthee's, Hannah Smith(Kate Winslet), meets a young fifteen years old boy,Michael Berg (David Kross). Slowly, a love story is starting to grow between them. Unfortunately, after a summer of love, Hannah goes away. They won't see each other for 10 years. But the situatuation in wich they'll meet again in not as romantic has we could imagine. Hannah is in front of a tribunal for crimes she commited 20 years ago during World War II. Michael, who's now a young law student, will be devasteted. Though, he has a massive argument that could save Hannah from a life time prison. What is he going to do...

That being said, I really want to talk about why it should win the best movie Oscar. We all know about the atrocity of World War II and how nazis destroyed thousands and thousands of Jewish people lives. But what is remarquable about The Reader, is that we have a different point of you of this historical tragedy. Because, Hannah is not one of the major caracter of the masacre, she's judged for the errors she commited under orders. Her point of vue is imortant though. It becomes really interesting to take care of her arguments, because for her, what she did was normal because she was just applying rules. She just wanted everybody to be happy. It doesn't excuses hey acts, but it makes us understand why, in real life, some people did what they did. You come out of this movie with a different perception of things, you're a a little bit uncomfortable about that, but the most important thing is that it really makes you think. What did I learn? You always, always, have to see both side of a problem bfore you judge, because you might be wrong.

I think that if everyone could learn a lesson from this movie, it would be great. Beside the fact that the movie it self was amazing, the lesson that comes out of it is even bigger. Because isn't it what we want to do in life, learn and go forward?


432 words

Survey activitie

1- Chose ...a topic in your domain
2- Think of... questions (brainstorm)
3- Research... 3 websites about topic
4- Select... 2 groups (boys girls, old young)
5- Come up...hypothesis
6- study...surveymonkey.com
7-write/revise...10 questions
8-send email...10-15 people in each group

Sentence structure

Independant clause (IC) = subject + verb + complete idea
Dependant clause (DC) = subordinate conjunction + subject + verb + incomplete idea
Phrase = (preposition) + incomplete idea + noverb

EX: 1-Phrase + IC = At the beginning of 2006, I started teaching at CSL
IC + Phrase = I started teaching here in january.

2- SC + DC + IC = Since I've been here, I've met many amazing students.


Mine : Even though I had to wake up this morning, I had an interesting day at school.

3- IC + IC + CC = Most students at CSL are handworking, for they are motivated but some are not.

4- IC( semicolon)are 3200 students at CSL; 60% are boys.

5- IC + IC + ADVERB C = Most student at CSL study arts, however, some study sciences.