TASK ONE
You are going to read two texts. For questions 1 to 6 choose the answer (A, B or C), which fits best according to the texts.
Text One
Rift Over Heron Deal
The political crisis between Ankara and Tel Aviv could jeopardize the sale of Israeli-made Heron UAVs to the Turkish military. A procurement official said planned tests of the UAV were now uncertain. "We don't know at this stage how or in which direction we should proceed." Turkish-Israeli ties began going downhill early this year after the Israeli military offensive on Gaza. A defense analyst here said no major procurement decision could now be taken without deliberations. "I cannot imagine any Turkish bureaucrat who would comfortably put his signature for a major go-ahead involving Israeli-related programs at the moment," he said.
Both the producers and the potential purchasers are satisfied with the upgraded version of the Heron UAV. Turkey's top procurement official, said last month that the upgraded package included Herons carrying more powerful engines which would be flight-tested later in the year. Israel Aerospace Industries and Israeli partner Elbit Systems are to provide the Turkish military with 10 Heron systems under a $190 million deal inked in 2005.
Turkish-Israeli tensions peaked earlier this month, when Ankara expelled the Israel Defense Forces from planned international military exercises in Turkish airspace. It was done in a way one could hardly call diplomatic, which led to immediate criticism from the USA, backing up Israel. Turkish administration indefinitely postponed the international leg of the drills, dubbed Anatolian Eagle, when the United States supported by Italy and the Netherlands threatened to withdraw.
The purchase of Heron UAVs …
has been cancelled
will be postponed
seems doubtful
The Heron systems …
need to be still upgraded
were ordered in the past
have been tested recently
The international drill “Anatolian Eagle” has been put off because of …
the Turkish reaction to pressure placed upon it
a diplomatic misunderstanding with the USA
the withdrawal of two European NATO allies
Text Two
Tata Wins Indian AF Airfield Contract
Recently, in a major breakthrough for private defense companies operating in India, Tata Power Strategic Electronics Division has beaten state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) to win the contract to modernize Indian Air Force airfields. Tata, which is just about to start a technical tie-in with Raytheon and Honeywell of the United States, was selected over BEL to modernize air fields in a $300 million tender. “Their offer was hardly the cheapest still Tata, unlike the other offerors, guarantees accomplishing works within the tight time frame we imposed” a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said.
Previously, the situation on domestic defense market differed considerably since national private contractors did not count as significant players. India's private-sector defense companies were allowed to enter the defense production sector as primary contractors in 2001, but have found it impossible to compete with state-owned firms, whose infrastructure has been established for more than 50 years. Their other competitors have always been powerful and experienced foreign private defense companies which, until lately, would also beat local firms. Six international producers responded to a global tender for India AF airfields in 2007 along with the country's manufacturer Tata.
“The modernization of Indian Air Force airfields will be carried out in two phases; the current contract is for Phase I”, an Air Force official said. In the first phase, about 39 of the existing 68 airfields and landing grounds will be upgraded over the next three years. This will require resurfacing, and in many cases the expansion of runways. However, to enable even big transport and midair refuelers to land, in addition to fighter aircraft, the positioning of advanced systems is desperately needed. “Their installation could prove a real challenge for us in Phase I,” a Tata representative said.
Tata won the Indian AF airfield contract because it …
presented the cheapest offer of all
promised to complete works on time
based its production on US technology
On the domestic market, private Indian companies …
stood a chance in rivalry with foreign firms
were first awarded contracts last decade
lost competition with state-owned firms
The priority in Indian AF airfield works lies in …
positioning of advanced landing systems
resurfacing the existing airfield grounds
expanding the currently used runways
TASK TWO
You are going to read an interview with NATO troops commander in Afghanistan U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser. Choose from questions A to H the one which you think fits best each paragraph 7 to 13. There is an extra question which you do not need to use.
______ I am deeply concerned about the number of incidents as they bring tension to the border and also require border operations on the part of Coalition forces here in Afghanistan. That drives us away from giving security to the people and helping the Afghans develop and strengthen local governance.
______ The insurgents coming across the border are a diverse lot. Some help with financing, some with facilitation to help move weapons across the border. Others help train and recruit fighters not only within Pakistan but elsewhere. But I would not call this a larger movement now. These are usually smaller insurgent groups and terrorists from different regions.
______ We are working very closely with the Afghan national security forces and achieving
a great deal of success in security and governance. But what makes my tasks really difficult is the unstable border region that adds tension between the Afghans, the Pakistanis and Coalition forces. So, I have to spend a lot of time addressing those issues along the border.
______ Yes, they have lost a large number of leaders. But I do believe they have a capacity to replace the leadership that is either captured or killed with new ones who are fairly agile in re-establishing the network and what their predecessor was doing.
______ We concentrate on working with those leaders and mullahs who are legitimate in the eyes of the people because they have positions of authority that go back hundreds of years. We have an elected government at the highest level and an appointed government in the provinces, and that's
a good mix.
______ It's not that we can't. But it's the responsibility of the Afghan government which has
a peace and reconciliation program. But we do make recommendations to the government about people we believe are ready to join the government's side.
______That's a super-hard question. As you know, each day we are doing everything we can to not only help the Afghan people but also to look for the enemies of the rest of the world. He is one of them. I guarantee you if he is in our area, we are going to continue each and every day to try to find him.
Are you trying to bring tribal insurgents over to the Coalition's side?
Have you observed a rise in Pakistanis and Afghan Taliban crossing the border from Pakistan?
Is the insurgency a weakened force after the Taliban have suffered heavy casualties ?
How would you comment on the recent incident with Mullah Ahmad Shaikh on the border?
But is there any official prohibition to prevent you from talking to Taliban militants?
Do you believe those who say bin Laden is hiding somewhere in your area of operations?
What are the consequences of the recent insurgents' cross-border attacks and infiltration into Afghanistan from Pakistan?
What's your biggest challenge now that so many say Coalition forces are not winning the war?
TASK THREE
You are going to read a newspaper article. For questions 14 to 20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D), which fits best according to the texts.
Is France Sacrificing Its Heritage to Turn a Profit?
Voltaire once said the Hôtel Lambert was so beautiful it was worthy of a king - and indeed for
a few hundred years, it was one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris. After the Hôtel Lambert was built in 1639 by architect Louis Le Vau on Paris's Ile Saint Louis, the mansion played host to French nobility, exiled Polish princes and members of the Rothschilds family of banking fame. But for Qatari Prince Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, who bought the property from the Rothschilds in 2007 for $88 million, the welcome has been far from regal.
The prince's plan to restore the mansion to its 17th century glory while adding air-conditioning, an elevator and an underground parking lot has run into opposition from preservationists, who say the project would be disastrous for the historical value of the building. Opponents scored a temporary victory in September when a Paris court blocked the $60 million renovations until a final verdict can be reached - probably in the next few months. Whatever the outcome, critics say that the Culture Ministry's initial approval of the project points to a serious - and worrying - unraveling of France's system of architectural protections. “This raises doubts about the ability of our country to manage its own heritage,” says Pierre Housieaux, president of Paris Historique, an architectural heritage association.
The objection to the prince's plan is largely twofold: Paris Historique, which took the developers to court after the government signed off the project, says the underground parking lot would weaken the foundations of the now-dilapidated mansion. The prince's desire to restore the mansion to the way it looked in the 17th century has also upset Polish officials, who say this would require removing architectural details that were added when the Polish royal family owned the building from 1843 to 1975.
Given the level of opposition, critics are puzzled by the government's quick approval of the renovations in June. Earlier this year, former Culture Minister Christine Albanel defended the plans, saying “the Hôtel Lambert is not a museum that is being transformed into a home. The renovations will be done according to the rule book.” But art Historian Didier Rykner believes that France's “political and diplomatic” objectives may have played an important role. Since last year, President Nicolas Sarkozy has been trying to win multibillion-dollar energy deals with Qatar and new investment from the Persian Gulf.
Opponents are also concerned that Paris is now sacrificing heritage for economic gain. The government has struggled to shoulder the cost of upkeeping its $55 billion property portfolio, forcing it to sell off several historic palaces in recent years, much to the anger of some lawmakers. “These buildings are part of the historic and artistic patrimony of France and cannot be handed over to just anybody,” legislator Lionel Tardy said during a 2007 parliamentary session.
In July, the National Assembly passed an amendment that would eliminate the need for the Architectes des Bâtiments de France (ABF), a specialized corps of state architects, to approve new construction projects in France's 600 protected heritage zones. Former Culture Minister Jack Lang decried the vote, saying it was enforced by Sarkozy's party under pressure from property-development lobbies with building projects the ABF would have turned down. (The amendment was rejected by the Senate and is now before a conference committee.) Even before the vote, Rykner says the government had begun to undermine the ABF, pointing to a case last year in which the Culture Ministry granted
a permit to demolish a staircase in a protected 18th century building over the objections of the group.
Preservationists are hopeful that the Hôtel Lambert case marks a turning point. “I am convinced this will be a sign of change, because we see now that the French are conscious of their riches,” Housieaux says. But the prince isn't going down without a fight - he's preparing for a possible appeal. “It's been two years now since the hotel was purchased and there are still at least two or three years of renovations ahead,” says Eric Ginter, al-Thani's lawyer. ”At some point he would like to put his slippers on and settle in.”
The Hôtel Lambert …
used to be a French royal palace
was an asylum for Polish noblemen
proved hospitable to the new owner
was a home of a Rothschild bank
The restoration plan of the hotel …
was rejected by the French Culture Ministry
was temporarily suspended by the owner
was criticized for lowering its historical value
was approved by the heritage association
An architectural heritage association claims that …
no architectural details should be removed from the hotel
the building should be restored to the 17th century look
new additions would threaten stability of the building
the former plan was changed without their acceptance
According to Didier Rykner, the plans won initial acceptance because …
the owner offered further investments
there were political aims to be achieved
the Culture Minister lobbied for them
the owner agreed to keep the museum part
The lawmakers are concerned about …
the priority of political gains over national heritage
the costs of upkeeping of the historical property
the sell-off of historic buildings by the government
the doubtful credentials of the new purchasers
According to Jack Lang, the amendment …
was a result of the local authorities lobbying
was opposed by the state architects' association
was caused by dispute with the Culture Ministry
was pushed for by the current governing party
The Hôtel Lambert case …
proves the French are aware of their national heritage
means foreigners will have to follow to ABF's decisions
demonstrates weakness of the French Culture Ministry
manifests the strength of the political parties' pressure
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