School: __________________________________________________ 2009/10
I
A. Read the following text carefully:
1 Lucy could not wait to get in front of her
computer. It took the divorced mother away
from two children and the drudgery of
housework. She could play interesting games,
chat with appealing people, “travel” and gamble.
When her ex-husband, Tom Smith, visited their children, he saw that they were being neglected.
He discovered that Lucy spent ten or more hours a day on the Net. Tom sued for custody of the
children. The court agreed with his claim that Lucy’s excessive use of the computer was abnormal.
She lost custody of the children. Jessica (8) and Jennifer (6) are now living with their dad.
Maressa Orzack, a psychologist, cites this true case as an example that computer addiction
is real and a growing problem. As founder and director of Computer Addiction Services at McLean
Hospital, she receives messages every day from people who ask for help or want information about
the signs of computer addiction. “It’s an emerging disorder,” Orzack says, “suffered by people who
find the virtual reality on computer screens more attractive than everyday reality”.
Health-care specialists, school counsellors and families have begun to notice the abnormal
behaviour and mental health problems of computer addicts. They feel unhappy when they are away
from the computer. Some try unsuccessfully to stop using it. Many of them spend constantly-
increasing amounts of time and money on computers, often neglecting their families and work.
Then, they multiple the problem by denying it. “It’s a new and serious addiction not too many people
know about,” says Carol Steinman of Harvard University. “In the past year and a half, we have seen
this problem among people of all ages.” No one knows how big the problem is. Several research
groups have tried to measure it but without notable results. “Many addicts don’t admit it,” notes
Orzack, “or they’re not aware of it. There isn’t a good definition of what is normal and what is
pathological use.”
In Harvard University, Gazette (abridged and adapted)
A. Decide whether the following statements are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F). Support your answer by
quoting from the text. [5 x 5p = 25 p]
1. Lucy was always anxious to go online. ___________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Tom asked for custody of his children but the court didn’t grant his appeal. ____________
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School: __________________________________________________ 2009/10
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. According to Orzack this problem is suffered by people who rather live a virtual reality than everyday
life. ______________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. Some computer addicts make their condition more complex by refusing to accept it. ___________
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. This is a problem that affects mostly young people. ___________
__________________________________________________________________________________
B. COMPLETE the sentences according to the ideas of the text: [4x5p = 20p]
1. Lucy neglected her responsibilities because ________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. When Tom visited his children he realized that ________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Lucy’s case shows that net addiction ________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. People who are addicted feel _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
C. FIND words that mean the following: [5 x 3p = 15p]
1. monotonous work _____________ 4. interesting _____________
2. allegation ______________ 5. fruitlessly _____________
3. abnormal ______________
D. ANSWER the following questions about the text, USING YOUR OWN WORDS as far as possible. [4 x 10p =
40p]
1. What was Lucy’s problem and what consequences did it have?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. In your opinion what happened in Lucy’s life that she became so careless with her life,
neglecting her own children?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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School: __________________________________________________ 2009/10
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. According to the text a lot of people prefer virtual life to real life. In your opinion what are the
causes and consequences of this fact?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. If you were a friend of Lucy’s, what would you do in order to help her?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
II Grammar
A) Rephrase the following sentences beginning them as suggested. Make the necessary changes. [5 x 10p = 50p]
1. I have a friend. He is a good computer technician.
I have ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. Mrs. Smith is a flight attendant. Her husband used to be net addicted.
Mrs. Smith __________________________________________________________________________
3. Lucy’s friend should support her.
Lucy _______________________________________________________________________________
4. Net addicted must admit their problem so that they can be helped.
In order that ________________________________________________________________________
5. “I only realized that I was addicted when I lost the custody of my kids”, Lucy said.
Lucy said that ________________________________________________________________________
III
Choose one of the following themes and write down a composition between 80 to 100 words. Don’t forget to write down
the number of the theme you have chosen. [50p]
1. “The Internet is your friend but it shouldn’t be your only friend.”
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School: __________________________________________________ 2009/10
Do you agree with this statement? Does the Net and virtual friendship cause this feeling of
isolation among teens?
Write a for/against essay about the Internet and virtual friendship.
2. Is net addiction a real problem in this day and age? Give examples of symptoms that might
come up from spending too much time on the net.
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