The Roman Empire
Part one: Reading (14pts)
A) Comprehension (7 pts)
Read the text carefully and do the activities.
The Roman Empire included most of what would now be considered Western Europe. The latter was conquered by the
Roman army, and a Roman way of life was established in these countries. The main countries conquered were England, Wales,
Spain, France, Greece, the Middle East and the North African coastal region.
In Rome’s early years, the state lived in fear of its more powerful neighbour, Carthage. The Carthaginians were great traders
in the Mediterranean Sea, and as the Romans wanted to expand into this trading zone, clash was inevitable. In 264 BC, the
Romans and the Carthaginians had their first war .In a series of three wars, known as the Punic wars, the Romans defeated the
Carthaginians .However ,this took over 100 years to accomplish ,and the wars eventually ended in 146 BC. In the second Punic
War , the Romans lost several important battles .-The most famous being against the Carthaginian general Hannibal. However, by
146 BC, the Romans were strong enough to capture the city of Carthage in north Africa. Carthage was burned to the ground, and
all signs of the city were destroyed as a sign that the power of the Carthaginians had disappeared forever.
When Carthage surrendered, the Romans became the most powerful Mediterranean state .The victory over the Carthaginians
gave the Romans all the opportunity they needed to expand their power In the Mediterranean. The more powerful and wealthy
the Romans became, the more able they were to further expand their empire .They were not content with conquering the
neighbouring lands . They realized that land further away might also have riches that would make Rome even wealthier. Hence
their drive to conquer Western Europe .At the height of its power, around AD150, Rome controlled the greatest empire ever
seen in Europe at that time. Many of the conquered nations benefited from the Roman rule. Water supplies, housing, etc all
appeared in Western Europe though many fell into disuse after the Romans retreated back to Rome.
Ironically, the sheer size of the empire, which many marveled at, was also a major reason for the collapse of the power of the
Romans. The Romans had great difficulty in maintaining power in all of their empire. Supplying their army was a major problem as
their lines of communications were stretched to the limit. The power of the empire rested on the success of the Roman army.
When their success started to weaken, the empire could only start to collapse.
1- Write the letter which corresponds to the right answer.
The text is:
a ) descriptive b) expository c) narrative
2- Are these statements true or false
a. The Romans and the Carthaginians were enemies.
b. After the Carthaginians' defeat, the Romans became the strongest nation in the Mediterranean.
c. Rome didn`t invade other countries.
3- Read the text and put the following sentences in the order they appear in the text
a. The Romans were afraid of the Carthaginians.
b. At first, the Carthaginians gained victory over the Romans.
c. Many European countries were under the Roman rule.
d. Rome overcame the Carthaginians.
4-Answer the following questions according to the text.
a) What countries did the Romans conquer?
b) How did the big size of the Roman Empire lead to its collapse?
5- In which paragraph is it mentioned that
a. the conflict between the Romans and the Carthaginians was due to economic reasons ?
b. Rome's rising power led to the colonization of other countries?
6-What / who do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a) their power (§3) b) that would make ( §3)
B) Text Exploration (7 pts)
1- Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to the following.
a) conflict (§2) b) damaged (§2) c) strong (§3) d) relyed on : (§4)
2- Complete the chart as shown in the example .
Noun Adjective Adverb
success successful successfully
…………… strong ……………
height ……………. ……………
……………. great ……………
3-Join each pair of sentences with one of the appropriate connector. Make changes where necessary.
although - consequently - while - as
a- The Romans lived in fear of the Carthaginians. They were economically powerful.
b- The Roman army started to weaken .The empire collapsed
4- Complete sentence (b) so that it means the same as sentence (a)
1- a) Many nations were conquered by the Romans
b) The Romans …………………………….
2- a) “What does the Roman Empire include?” he asked me.
b) He asked me what ……………………………………….
5-Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of their final « -ed »
conquered - invaded --developed - reached.
/t/ /d/ /Id/
6. Fill in the gaps so that the passage makes sense.
Learning about ancient civilizations is a ……….. important issue. It helps me discover life in the ………. . It shows me
how people were living, and ……….. they used think and overcame their difficulties. I also understand that these
…………… have had a great impact on our life in general.
Part two. Written Expression (6pts)
Choose one of the following topics
Topic 1
You have been asked by a travel agency to take part in writing a tourist brochure about the history of your country. Write
an article on one of Algeria’s dynasties or historical places.
The following ideas might prove helpful:
a) . How this dynasty or historical place was founded (when / founder …. )
b) . Its golden age ( how it flourished / life in that period /achievements )
c) . How it collapsed ( when / reasons )
Topic 2
You have attended a lecture by a history doctor about the ancient Arabs' contribution to the world civilization. Write an
article in which you summarize the lecture. The article will be published in your school magazine.
Mr. M.Herouini
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