Sujet 4 ♦ Sujet national, juin 2006, série L, LVI 5 10 15 Midway through the ninth year oflrma's employment,...

« Sujet 4 ♦ Sujet national, juin 2006, série L, LVI 5 10 15 Midway through the ninth year oflrma's employment, Dr Marilyn Lattimore came down with an uncharacteristic cold and was home for two days. lt was in the breakfast room that the conversation took place.

Dr Marilyn sat reading the paper and sipping tea and dabbing at her red, drippy nose.

Irma was in the adjoining kitchen, had removed the covers of the stove-burners and was scrubbing them single-mindedly. "Do you believe this, Irma? A week of surgeries and I corne down with this arrogant little virus." Dr Marilyn's voice, normally husky, now bordered on masculine. "Back in medical school, Irma, when I rotated through pediatrics, I caught every virus known to mankind.

And later, of course, when I had the children.

But it's been years since l've been sick and I find this positively insulting.

l'm sure some patient gave it to me.

l'd just like to know who so I could thank them personally." Dr Marilyn was a pretty woman, small, with honey-colored hair, who looked much younger than her age.

She walked two miles every morning at six a.m. Irma said, "You strong, you get better soon." "I certainly hope so...

thank you for that bit of optimism, Irma...

would you be a dear and get me some of the fig preserve for my toast?" Irma fetched the jar and brought it over. "Thankyou, dear." 20 25 3o "Something else, Doctor Em?" "No, thank you, dear.

Are you all right, Irma?" Irma forced a smile.

"Yes." "You're sure?" "Sure, yes, Doctor Em." "Hmm ...

don't spare me because of my cold.

If there's something on your mind, get it out." Irma started to head back to the kitchen. "Dear", Dr Marilyn called after her, "I know you well, and its obvious something's on your mind. You wore that exact same look until we had your papers taken care of.

Then you did it again, worrying about whether or not the amnesty would take effect.

Something's definitely on your mind." "I fine, Doctor Em." "Irma." "I worry about Isaac." "Isaac? Is he all right?" ''Yes, he very good.

Very smart." 35 Irma broke clown in tears. 45 "He's smart and you're crying? said Dr Marilyn.

"Am I missing something?" They had tea and fig jam on thi:n toast and Irma told Dr Marilyn all of it.

How Isaac kept coming home from school crying with frustration and boredom.

How he'd finished ail of his sixth-grade 1 work in two months, taken it upon himself to "borrow" seventh- and eighth- and even some ninth- grade books and had sped through them as well.

Finally, he was caught reading a pre-algebra workbook slipped out of a supply room and was sent to the principal's office for "unauthorized study and irregular behavior". Irma visited the school, tried to handle it on her own.

The principal had nothing but disdain for Irma's simple clothes and thick accent; her firm suggestion was that Isaac stop being "precocious" and concentrate on conforming to "class standards." 50 When Irma tried to point out that the boy was well ahead of class standards, the principal eut her off and informed her that Isaac was ]ust going to have to be content repeating everything. "That's outrageous," said Dr Marilyn.

"Absolutely outrageous.

There, there, dry your eyes ...

three years ahead? On his own?" "Two, some three." 40 "My eldest, John, was somewhat like that.

Not quite as smart as your Isaac seerns to be, but school was always tedious.for him because he moved too fast.

Oh, dear, we had some dustups with him ... Now John's the chief residenr2 in psychiatry at Stanford 3 ." Dr Marilyn brightened.

"Perhaps your Isaac could be a physician.

Wouldn't that be fabulous, Irma?" 55 60 Irma nodded, half listening as Dr Marilyn prattled. "A child that bright, Irma, there's no limit...

Give me that principal's number and I'll have a little chat with her." She sneezed, coughed, wiped her nose.

Laughed.

"With this baritone, I'll sound positively authoritative." Irma didn't speak. "What's the number, dear?" Silence. "Irma?" "I don' wan' no trouble, Dr Em." "You've already got trouble, Irma.

Now we have to find a solution." Adapted from Jonathan Kellerman, Twisted, 2005. l.

Sixth-grade : correspond à la classe de 6e. 2.

Resident: interne. 3.

Stanford (Universiry) : université prestigieuse de Californie. Compréhension 1.

There are five characters in this passage. a) Identify them, saying whether they are present or mentioned. b) Who does "Doctor Em" (l.

19) refer to? c) Say how the five characters are connected or related. Read from the beginning of the text to "missing something (l.

36)?" 2.

a) Why is Doctor Lattimore at home on that particular day? b) Pick out two expressions used by Doctor Lattimore, showing how she feels about her condition. c) Say why she uses these expressions. 3.

a) Quote Doctor Lattimore's words when she suddenly realizes that there is something wrong with Irma. b) Analyse Irma's reaction, focusing on these quotations:"Irma forced a smile" (l.

21) and "Irma started to head back to the kitchen" (l.

25).

(20-30 words) 4.

a) From "Dear" (l.

26) to "Irma" (l.

31): analyse Doctor Lattimore's reaction at that point and comment on the use of italics.

(20-30 words) b) From "I worry" (l.

32) to "missing something? (l.

36)": is Doctor Lattimore satisfied with Irma's reaction? (20-30 words) Read from "They had tea" (l.

37) to the end. S.

a) In your own words explain why Isaac cornes home from school "crying with frustration and boredom" (1.

38-1.

38)? (30 words) b) The principal reproaches Isaac for "unauthorized study and irregular behavior" (1.41).

What exactly does she refer to? 6.

Describe the way the principal behaved towards Irma when they met (2 elements). 7.

a) How does.... »