5_Preliminary Task English

8/3/2019 5_Preliminary Task English

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Preliminary task English:

Complete the following task by 27-02-2012. The goal is to evaluate your skills (reading –writing – listening – speaking) of the English language. So we can give personalised support toevery student.Do it without any help from websites, dictionaries, spelling correctors, friends…and follow theassignment, because we need to know how much help / support you truly need for tasks duringthe EOS programme. If you cheat, you will only fool yourself in the end. Based on this

preliminary task, we will put you in one of the groups that you can see on the last page. Good luck!

Listening skill:

Read the questions on this paper. Complete them by watching the video “Want to know more about

Belgium?” on the following website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceg6NQKHd70

Try to answer as many questions as possible by watching the video maximum two times. Don’t watch it more than two times, because – remember - you will only fool yourself in the end.

Be careful! The listening exercise will be marked as follows: -1 for a mistake, 0 for no answer and +1

for a correct answer.1. Belgium is the 4th most powerful economic country in the world:

True

False

2. All the ministers of Belgium know the Belgian national anthem by heart:

True

False

3. Which statement is true for Belgium?

It has the best engineers and best political structure in the world.

It has the worst engineers and the best political structure in the world.

It has the best engineers and the worst political structure in the world.

It has the worst engineers and the worst political structure in the world.

__ /10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceg6NQKHd70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceg6NQKHd70



4. How is the land of Belgium

politically divided?

In regions (Dutch, French

and German), communities

(Flanders, Wallonia and

Brussels) and one central state.

In regions (Flanders,

Wallonia and Brussels),

communities (Dutch, French and

German) and one central state.

In Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels.

5. Is Wallonia a purely French-speaking territory?

Yes

No

6. Why were the three communities added to the

already complex political structure of Belgium?

To deal with the many minorities in

Belgium.

Belgium likes its complexity.

To make it possible to have debates on national television.

7. Why did Jacques Chirac give up his plan to celebrate the bicentennial of the

French revolution with the Belgians?

He prefers Corona beer over Stella Artois.

All the minister of Culture discarded their responsibility and handed it



over to another one.

The responsible minister of Culture didn’t pick up the phone.

The political structure of the country is too complex.

8. How do the political parties further complicate the entire situation?

They are divided into three.

They constantly debate on national television.

They are too powerful.

9. Which Belgian city is the most northward French-speaking city in the world?

Wemmel

Brussels

Anderlecht

Court-Saint-Etienne

10. What does the politically and ideologically divided Belgium

agree on?

That the chicken came before the egg.

That even though everything is complicated, they stillmanage to run a successful country.

The name of the most famous dish: FRENCH fries.

That the Belgian chocolate is the best of the world.

Speaking skill:



Your speaking skill will be evaluated during “informal talks” or during the presentation of your country.

Grammatical accuracy:

• 5: the student forms complex sentences without grammatical mistakes effortlessly and accurately.

• 4: the student rarely makes a grammatical mistake, but these do not hinder the communication process. The

student sometimes has to think a second about the correct sentence construction. The student mostly forms

complex sentences and at other times simple ones.

• 3: the he student sometimes makes grammatical mistakes, but these do not hinder the communication

process. The student sometimes struggles with constructing a sentence, but can form one without help. The

student mostly forms simple sentences, but sometimes complex ones.• 2: the student makes a lot of grammatical mistakes that sometimes hinder the communication process. The

student often struggles with sentence construction and often needs help forming a correct one. The student

only forms simple sentences and sometimes flawed.

• 1: the student makes a lot of grammatical mistakes that hinder the communication process. The student

always needs help with sentence construction. The sentence construction is simple and often flawed.

Vocabulary:

• 5: The student uses a varied and complex vocabulary from a wide range of subjects, adapted to the situation.

He/ she uses these words in a correct way. He/ she has no problem expressing his/ her opinion and he/ she is

never at a loss for words.

• 4: The student uses a varied, but average vocabulary from a wide range of subjects, adapted to the situation.

He/ she uses these words in a correct way. The student usually finds the words to express his / her opinion,

but sometimes needs some time to think.

• 3: The student uses simple vocabulary from a wide range of subjects, adapted to the situation. He/ she

sometimes uses these words in an incorrect way. The student is sometimes at a loss for words, but can

usually describe what he / she wants to say, by using other words.

• 2: The student uses simple vocabulary from a limited range of subjects. He/ she often uses these words in an

incorrect way. The student is often at a loss for words and needs help to express his / her opinion.

• 1: The student uses very basic vocabulary from a very small range of subjects. He/ she often uses these

words in an incorrect way. The student constantly needs help from others to express his / her opinion.

Pronunciation:

• 5: the pronunciation of the student resembles standard British English.

• 4: the student sometimes has a “foreign English” accent.• 3: the student has a “foreign English” accent.

• 2: the student has a “foreign English” accent and mispronounces some words.

• 1: the student has a “foreign English” accent and mispronounces a lot of words.

Name student: .................................................

• Grammatical accuracy: 5 4 3 2 1

• Vocabulary: 5 4 3 2 1

• Pronunciation: 5 4 3 2 1Notes:

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Conclusion: ____________________________________________________________

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Reading skill: Answer the questions on this paper. Complete them by reading the texts on the following pages. Be

careful! The reading exercise will be marked as follows: -1 for a mistake, 0 for no answer and +1 for a

correct answer.

11. When did Hasselt become a city?

7th century.

Around 1200

1365

15th century.

12.Which statement about the situation in the 17th century is true?

The County of Loon and Hasselt were joined into the Lower Meuse

department.

Under the French occupation, Hasselt was no longer the capital city.

Hasselt fought off the many foreign armies and remained independent.

Hasselt was part of Holland.

13.Why was the city wall broken down in the 19th century?

Foreign attacks were not a threat anymore because of the Belgian

independence, so a wall was no longer required.

The city grew exponentially because of the industrial revolution and

became larger than the old wall.

It had to make room for the modern traffic connections.

The people of Hasselt needed the stones to build their houses.

14.How come the “jenever” producers had so much influence during the 19th

century?

__ /10



The politicians liked to drink jenever and were influenced by the

producers.

There were so many distilleries that they represented a large part of the

all the inhabitants of Hasselt.

Their increased export led to a rise in their influence on the entire area of

the Low Countries.

They used the large amount of money that they had earned to influence

the life of the city.

15. What is the “combination ticket”?

A ticket that gives you access to the Japanese garden and all the

museums in Hasselt.

A ticket that gives you access to the Japanese garden and a select

number of museums in Hasselt.

A ticket that gives you access to the Japanese garden and one museum

in Hasselt.

A ticket that gives you access to the Japanese garden or a select number

of museums in Hasselt.

16. How much would we pay per person to enter the Japanese garden if we

would go with the entire EOS group during the holidays?

Nothing, it’s free.

1€

4€

5€

17. To get to the KHLim in Diepenbeek (Hasselt), you need to get on bus

“45”. How much does it cost for us?

Nothing. Diepenbeek is part of Hasselt and all the buses in Hasselt are

free, remember?

About 1.50€.



Nothing if you have a student’s card.

About 1.20€.

18. Connect the attractions with the correct characteristics. (note: all

correct = +1, a mistake = -1)

Hengelhoef.

Bokrijk.

Europlanetarium.

19. Where does the name “speculaas” come from?

From the Latin word “speculum” (= “mirror”), which is a reference to the

fact that the cookies are mirrored images of the moulds in which they are

baked.

It comes from the Dutch word “specerij”, which means “spice”.

From the Latin word “species”, which means “spice”.

It has multiple origins and they are all correct.

There are many theories, but there will never be a definitive explanation

for its origins.

20. Why is Hasselt called “a fair trade city?”

There are many “fairs” in Hasselt. A fair is a big and famous market

where many goods are traded, hence the name “fair trade city”.

Hasselt, as a city, tries to improve the situation of the farmers in Belgium,

but also the one of the farmers in the south, by stimulating and improving the

trade/ environment through various actions.

It is a price awarded to those cities which are “honest and pleasant”.

All the local shop merchants get a “fair price” for their goods.

Water, cycling, holiday.

Science, International Space

Station.





RATE

- € 11 per personINFORMATIONAvailable from Hasselt Tourism, themuseums, the Japanese Garden andquite afew hotels.OFFER - the National Jenever Museum with a‘whitey’ or soft drink- the City Museum ‘Het Stadsmus’- the Hasselt Fashion Museum- the Japanese Garden

More and more people visit Hasselt; this is very important for theeconomic development of Hasselt.I wish you lots of fun in Hasselt, the City of the Taste!

COMBINATION TICKET FOR MUSEUMS

AND JAPANESE GARDEN

If you wish to link culture and nature andconclude your stay in Hasselt in a superbly rewarding fashion, then use a combination ticket.

This special offer ticket gives you the chance to link a visit to the museums in Hasselt to the Japanese Garden at group tariff. It is really worthwhile using use of this offer!

JAPANESE GARDEN

Visit the largest (2.5 ha) authentic Japanese Garden in Europe andenjoy an environment filled with inner rest and beauty. An absolutemust.

OPENING HOURSOPEN FROM 1 APRIL UP TO AND INCLUDING 31OCTOBER- from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00.- Saturday, Sundays and public holidays from 14:00to 18:00.- closed on Easter Sunday.- open on Easter and Pentecostal Monday from 14:00to 18:00.- nocturnal visits on 11 August from 20:00 to 23:00.RATE

- € 5 per person- € 4 per person for seniors and for groups of 15 ormore persons- € 1 per person for school classes.- free for children younger than 12 years.*Last ticket sales: half an hour before closing time.TRANSPORTFree buses to the Japanese Garden.One of two possibilities: the city bus H3 (direction

Trichterheide) and line 45 (directionMaaseik). Departure is always from the Station

Square of Hasselt (Stationspleinvan Hasselt) every half an hour on weekdays and onthe hour on Sundays and publicholidays. You disembark at the KoningBoudewijnlaan stop at the water tower. On theopposite side of the street, you take a stepdownwards onto the bicycle track, rightthrough and then still a few steps towards the

NFORMATIONapanese Gardenouverneur Verwilghensingel z/nE-3500 Hasselt+32 11 23 52 00 (1 April-31ctober)+32 11 23 95 40 (outside thiseriod)[email protected]

www.hasselt.euIPhe Japanese Garden regularly

rganises interestingvents. For more information, goo

www.hasselt.euIPasy accessibly by wheelchairsers. Assistance available on

http://www.hasselt.eu/





MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

FREE BUSES IN HASSELTHe who refers to Hasselt, refers to free city buses. Thecity, over the past few years, invested heavily in mobilityand accessibility, with special attention to publictransport. With the bus you are on the right track to

Hasselt from all municipalities in Limburg as well asMaastricht. Moreover, once in Hasselt, everyone travelsforfree with the bus on all city lines (see the diagram on

page 30).

• FREE CITY BUSESOn the half hour (on Sundays and public holidays on the hour) the freelines H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H7, H8, H9 depart direction residential areas,sub-sectors, Hasselt-Center and a number of tourist attractions, naturereserves and sights from the Stationsplein.

• FREE BOULEVARD SHUTTLE BP This bus includes all stops along the small ring and passes the station each5 minutes. Does not operate on Sundays and public holidays.

• FREE CENTRE SHUTTLE CP This bus links the station with the Grote Mark every ten minutes. Does notoperate on Sundays and Public holidays.

• FREE EVENING LINEDaily, after 20:00, on weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday, the Eveningline takes you from the centre of Hasselt to each and every stop on the citynet (situated in Greater Hasselt). Depart Stationsplein. You can also departfrom the stops along the Groene Boulevard.

• FREE LINE 45Between the train and the bus station and the ‘Provinciehuis’Universiteitslaan, line 45 is also free to everyone. En route there areattractive attractions such as covered and open air swimming pools, theKapermolen park with skate park, the Japanese Garden, theGrenslandhallen, Ethias Arena, Plopsa indoor andKinepolis. You can also use your student’s card to travel for free to thecampus in Diepenbeek.

ATTRACTIONS IN THE VICINITY

DOMAIN BOKRIJK - GENK The Bokrijk domain will catapult you back in time. You become immersed in the day-to-daylife of our ancestors. Follow a lesson in the class of the master, listen to the thunderingsermon of the pastor and see how the constable tries to undermine the socialists. In thearboretum you will discover a rich variety of flowers and plants, you can stroll through the



bushes and set the rascals free onto the largest playground in Belgium And afterwards thereis always the opportunity to enjoy a drink, a pancake, a snack or indeed a dinner. DomainBokrijk, T + 32 11 26 53 00, www.bokrijk.beEUROPLANETARIUM - GENK Frank Dewinne did not only see them sitting behind the frame of the ISS, but for the rest, thesky does not hold any secrets when you look at the universe from where you sit in acomfortable seat watching the gigantic universe through a real telescope. Who knows, theremay yet be a planet or star circling around that may be named after you.Europlanetarium, T +32 89 65 55 55, www.europlanetarium.com

HENGELHOEF RECREATION PARK - HOUTHALEN-HELCHTEREN The Hengelhoef Domain has everything for a lovely holiday or enjoyable day out! It issituated on the large 100 hectare Park Midden-Limburg so that you can walk and cycleundisturbed. Angling is possible in one of the many fishing lakes. Experience pleasure in thesub-tropical swimming pool with a wild waterway, leisure pool and water feature, or in theindoor play paradise with its sandy beach and pirate play ship. Hengelhoef Recreation Park,

T + 32 89 38 25 00, www.recreatieparkhengelhoef.be

“SPECULAAS”

Speculaas refer to a special variety of cookie made and served during St.Nicholas' celebrations that fall on December 5th and 6th in Belgium andNetherlands. The name of the cookie is derived from the Latin wordspeculum meaning mirror as the cookies are mirrored representations of the moulds in which they are baked. Another belief claims that the termwas derived from the Dutch term for spice –Specerij. The cookie or biscuit isthin crusted, light brown coloured, containing religious imagery on the topand powdered sugar for the topping along with shaved almond slices.

The speculaas, born in Netherlands, was revealed to North America, by Dutch migrantsprecisely in the Eastern Coast of North America in the 17th century. There is also anassumption that the English term cookie is obtained from the Dutch term for cookie –koekje

prevalent during the time of speculaas. A baker called Antonie Deplée from Hasselt inBelgium obtained a license to make Hasselt speculaas referred as a type of almond breadcalled speculation which he sold locally as well as abroad.

HASSELT, A FAIR TRADE CITY

As a Fair Trade District, since 2006, Hasselt strives for fair prices for products of the localfarmers here and in the south. Besides that, the city stimulates the system of short circuitsto develop a relationship between the farmer and the buyer in order to familiarise him withthe production process of the farmer's products. Apart from this, transport is drasticallydecreased, which is good for the environment. You can collect a free farmer cycle route planfrom Hasselt Tourism; the Hasselt farmers explain their products and their ways of living and

working in these documents. In order to give everyone in Hasselt the chance to discover fairtrade products and also to help the farmers of the south to move forward in life via the Fair

Trade, they developed a Fair Trade City plan with all the addresses of shops where you canbuy southern products as well as those from the Hasselt farmers at an fair price. This wayyou contribute to a better world in a pleasant and fair manner. You will recognise the siteswhere you can buy fair trade and farm products in Hasselt from the logo ‘Hasselt, (h)eerlijkestad’ ('Hasselt pleasant and honest city'): Further in this guide you can recognise thecatering outlets that offer fair trade products from the logo.

• For more information about touristic attractions,see: http://toerisme.hasselt.be/en/

•For a touristic brochure about Hasselt, see: http://toerisme.hasselt.be/brochureen/

(Source: Tourism Info magazine Hasselt - Zonhoven 2010 + 201 ; http://toerisme.hasselt.be/en/; http://www.ifood.tv/network/speculaas)

http://www.bokrijk.be/

http://www.europlanetarium.com/

http://www.recreatieparkhengelhoef.be/

http://toerisme.hasselt.be/en/

http://toerisme.hasselt.be/brochureen/


http://www.ifood.tv/network/speculaas



http://www.bokrijk.be/

http://www.europlanetarium.com/

http://www.recreatieparkhengelhoef.be/


http://toerisme.hasselt.be/brochureen/





Writing skill:

Write the following text without any help from websites, dictionaries, spelling correctors…

1. Who are you? Describe your character, likes/dislikes, hobbies, favourite films

/ books / food/ music... Also write down “why”, for example: “My favourite film is

Pulp Fiction. I like it because the acting is very good. The fact that it contains manydifferent and interesting storylines that come together at the end of the film is very

intriguing.” Write at least 15 sentences.

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2. Why did you choose the EOS programme? What do you expect from it? Write

at least 10 sentences.

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Personal evaluation:

How do you evaluate your own skills? (5 is good, 1 is bad)

• Listening skill 5 4 3 2 1

• Speaking skill 5 4 3 2 1

• Reading skill 5 4 3 2 1

• Writing skill 5 4 3 2 1

In which group (see below) do you think you belong? _______________________________________________

Final e valuation:

The evaluation of your skills and your placement within one of the groups listed below, will bebased on your results of the previous tasks and on your personal evaluation of your own skills.Each skill will have an end result ..../10.Your personal evaluation consists of four scores ..../5,one for each skill. By adding the separate scores together, a final score ..../60 will be the result.Your score determines in which group you will be placed and ultimately how much support youwill receive during tasks.

• Elementary (score 0 – 15):o Profile: You have the skills to communicate in a basic way. Your

knowledge of vocabulary exists of everyday subjects. You lack confidence and ability to use the English language fluently. You make alot of mistakes.

o Abilities: form simple sentences / questions in the past and present

simple, talk about simple subject, reply to simple questions, talk about likes / dislikes …

o Needs help for all 4 skills.

• Pre-intermediate (15 – 30): o Profile: Your abilities to understand and communicate are good, but are

still at a basic level. Although your confidence and knowledge aregrowing, there is still a lot of room for improvement for most skills. You



make mistakes.o Abilities: talk about many subjects and give your opinion on them, use

the past, present and future simple, understand various basic grammar elements: adjectives, adverbs, articles, possessives …

o Needs help for 3 skills.

• Intermediate (30 – 45): o Profile: Your abilities and confidence of the English language is just

sufficient enough to communicate properly. There is however, still a longway to go before you can effectively use the English language. Yousometimes make mistakes.

o Abilities: have enough knowledge about vocabulary and grammar to

talk and read about various subjects, can improve your own pronunciation, know the main English tenses …

o Needs help for 2 skills.

• Upper-intermediate (45 – 55):o Profile: you can use English effectively, but not perfectly and still

require help to improve certain skills. You make a couple of mistakes.o Abilities: can communicate almost fluently and effortlessly, can take

part in extended conversations and discussions, have studied all main

areas of English grammar …o Needs help for 1 skill.

• Advanced (55 – 60):o Profile: Your English is as good as it can be without actually being

English or without the complete immersion of moving to a country wherethey talk English. You rarely make a mistake.

o Abilities: can communicate accurately, can talk about every subject,

use varied and complex vocabulary, all common areas of grammar arefamiliar to you.

o Does not need help.

Documents

5_Preliminary Task English