La voix passive

Document 1. Extract from a British news website.
« A 400-year-old painting was found in the attic of a farmhouse in Yorkshire last month. The picture was discovered by the new owners while the roof was being repaired. It was covered with dust and nobody knew what it was, so it was taken to a museum in Leeds. There, the painting was examined by three experts and it was identified as a portrait by a Dutch artist of the 17th century. « Such paintings are rarely found in private houses, » says Dr Anne Hale, who led the team. « It was probably bought by a rich farmer two centuries ago and then forgotten. » The portrait will be cleaned and restored in London, and it will be shown to the public next year. The owners have been offered £250,000 by a collector, but they have not decided yet. »

1. Where and when was the painting found, and by whom?
2. What was done with the painting after its discovery? Give the three steps, in order.
3. According to Dr Hale, how did the painting arrive in the farmhouse? Quote the sentence.
4. What will happen to the painting next, and what decision do the owners still have to make? Answer with two full sentences.

Document 2. Information panel at the entrance of a chocolate factory in York.

1. Where do the cocoa beans come from, and how long does the whole process take from step 2 to step 6?
2. Which steps take place in York? Which step involves both machines and people?
3. Rewrite steps 3 and 5 in the active voice, with « workers » or « machines » as the subject.
4. Yesterday a school group visited the factory. Write two sentences in the passive preterite about what they saw (« The beans were… », « The bars were… »).

1. Conjugue au passif, au temps indiqué : « Our school (build, prétérit) ___ in 1975. » / « The library (use, présent) ___ by 600 pupils. » / « The gym (renovate, present perfect) ___ recently. » / « A new canteen (open, futur) ___ next year. »
2. Transforme au passif en gardant le temps ; garde l'agent seulement s'il est utile : « A famous chef prepared the dinner. » / « They don't accept credit cards here. » / « Did the storm damage the roof? »
3. Mets au passif avec un modal : « You must switch off the lights. » / « Visitors can't take photos. »
4. Corrige les quatre erreurs : « The cake were make by my grandmother, and the candles was lighted with my father. »

1. Donne le participe passé de : speak, grow, sell, break, give, find, take, catch.
2. Dans chaque phrase, dis si l'agent doit être gardé ou omis, et pourquoi (en français) : a) « The letter was written by someone. » b) « Penicillin was discovered by Fleming. » c) « The rooms are cleaned by the staff every day. » d) « The goal was scored by the goalkeeper! »
3. Complète avec by ou with : « The wall was covered ___ graffiti. » / « The graffiti were painted ___ teenagers. » / « The door was locked ___ a padlock. » / « The padlock was bought ___ my uncle. »
4. Traduis : « On m'a offert un vélo pour mon anniversaire, mais il a été volé une semaine plus tard. »

Write a short article (80 words minimum) for an English tourist website presenting a monument or a place you know (a bridge, a stadium, a castle, a museum…). Follow the four steps and use the passive at least five times.

1. Introduce the place and say when and by whom it was built or created (preterite passive, with « by »).
2. Explain what it is used for and what visitors are offered today (present passive, two sentences).
3. Mention an event in its history (a fire, a renovation, a record) with a passive form and no agent.
4. Conclude with a rule for visitors (« must be » / « are not allowed ») and a sentence about its future (« will be »).