Sobre la base un texto en lengua inglesa, con un máximo de 250 palabras de lenguaje común no especializado, el alumno/a deberá contestar diversas preguntas relacionadas con dicho texto. La prueba debe medir la capacidad del alumno/a:

- de comprender un texto de dificultad intermedia

- de expresarse en lengua inglesa con una fluidez y corrección adecuadas al nivel de COU.

Tanto la formulación de las preguntas como las respuestas serán efectuadas por escrito en inglés. El alumno dispondrá de una hora para responder las cuestiones y no podrá utilizar diccionario ni ningún otro material didáctico.

La prueba se concreta del siguiente modo: cinco preguntas relativas al texto propuesto. Las dos primeras de comprensión del texto, la tercera de léxico, la cuarta de conocimiento gramatical y finalmente una redacción sobre algún tema sugerido por el texto propuesto.

Si en el texto apareciese algún término cuya dificultad superara el nivel que se considera adecuado para el alumno que accede a este tipo de prueba, se dará el significado en inglés mediante definición o sinónimo o equivalente en español.

Pregunta nº 1. PUNTUACIÓN MÁXIMA 2 PUNTOS. En esta pregunta ha de medirse la comprensión y, además, la capacidad de expresión para dar una información deducida del texto. La contestación ha de estar basada en la información del texto, pero el alumno/a ha de utilizar su propio lenguaje sin reproducir literalmente las expresiones del texto. Esta pregunta consta de dos apartados y cada uno de ellos tiene una puntuación de 1 punto, asignándose 0,5 puntos a la comprensión y 0,5 puntos a la corrección gramatical.

Pregunta nº 2. PUNTUACIÓN MÁXIMA 2 PUNTOS. En esta pregunta se mide también la capacidad de comprensión. El alumno/a ha de pronunciarse sobre la veracidad o falsedad de dos enunciados, justificando su opción mediante la cita/s del texto que crea es la más pertinente. Cada una de las dos contestaciones será valorada con 1 punto. Se calificará con 0 puntos la contestación que no vaya debidamente justificada con la cita apropiada del texto; en este sentido la referencia al texto mediante el número de línea/s no será válida. También se calificará con 0 puntos la contestación en la que exista una contradicción entre la cita elegida y la veracidad o falsedad de la enunciación.

Contestaciones:

a. True. "Sarah and Musa, her Turkish boyfriend, were married in a Muslim ceremony attended by their parents" OR "a young couple who marry in a religious ceremony with their parents’ agreement"

b. True. "Supporters of the couple have placed a bouquet of carnations at the British consulate in Istanbul with the message: "Tolerance for love", urging that Sarah should be allowed to stay in Turkey."

Pregunta nº 3. PUNTUACIÓN MÁXIMA 1 PUNTO. En esta pregunta se miden los conocimientos léxicos del alumno/a. Consta de cuatro apartados. Cada uno de ellos se evaluará con un máximo de 0,25 puntos.

Pregunta nº 4. PUNTUACIÓN MÁXIMA 2 PUNTOS. En esta pregunta se medirá el conocimiento de estructuras sintácticas y se evaluará la corrección gramatical. En cada uno de los cuatro apartados de que consta esta pregunta aparecerá una oración/es que habrá de ser completada o transformada. Cada apartado se valorará con un máximo de 0,5 puntos, dividiéndose esta puntuación en partes iguales para cada uno de los "huecos" de las oraciones que hayan de ser completadas.

Pregunta nº 5. PUNTUACIÓN MÁXIMA 3 PUNTOS. En esta pregunta se evaluará la capacidad expresiva del alumno/a. La pregunta es abierta y permite la posibilidad de que el alumno/a exprese sus opiniones con sus propias palabras sobre un tema determinado relacionado con el contenido del texto. Deberá tener una extensión de al menos 60 palabras, Aunque el límite de la extensión se pone en 100 palabras aproximadamente, sin embargo, si un alumno sobrepasase este número NO será penalizado NI tampoco beneficiado por ello. Se evaluará la organización y el desarrollo del contenido por una parte y por otra la corrección gramatical y riqueza léxica, siempre que la redacción se ajuste al tema. En caso contrario la puntuación será de 0 puntos.

1. Haga una primera lectura cuidados del texto y de las preguntas.
2. Lea una segunda vez y conteste a las preguntas.
3. Conteste en LENGUA INGLESA y según el texto dado.
4. Compruebe sus respuestas antes de entregar la prueba.
5. Escriba sus respuestas en el cuadernillo de examen, respetando el orden de las preguntas.

CALIFICACIÓN:

Puntuación máxima: 10 puntos.

The story of 13-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Cook began as a typical holiday romance -two teenagers on a Mediterranean beach. The holiday came to an end, but the romance didn’t. There were long, tearful telephone calls. There was desperate pestering, until Sarah’s parents agreed to fly back to Turkey with her. Weeks later, Sarah and Musa, her Turkish boyfriend, were married in a Muslim ceremony attended by their parents.

Though it is illegal in Turkey, marriages of girl as young as 12 are common in rural areas, where families are large, and the dowry paid by a husband to his bride’s relatives is desperately needed. Elsewhere in the world, child marriages are common. However, perhaps because of the publicity, Musa is now in prison in Turkey facing a possible 5-year sentence for rape, and Sarah is threatening to go on hunger strike if she is sent to Britain.

Turkish papers have opposed the British government’s demands for Sarah’s return. For many people there, it is a Romeo-and-Juliet love affair -the youthful protagonists divided not by a family quarrel but by different cultures, East against West, Islam against Christianity. Turks cannot understand how a society which offers methods of contraception to teenagers can be outraged by a young couple who marry in a religious ceremony with their parents’ agreement. Supporters of the couple have placed a bouquet of carnations at the British consulate in Istanbul with the message: "Tolerance for Love", urging that Sarah should be allowed to stay in Turkey.

PREGUNTAS:

1.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer these question. (Be careful with the grammar. Write precise answers). (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) How did the Turkish authorities react to the wedding of Sarah and Musa?

b) How did Britain react to the news of this wedding?

2.- Are the following sentences TRUE or FALSE? Give the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) The English girl’s parents permitted their daughter to marry.

b) In Turkey, many people did not see anything wrong with this wedding.

3.- Find in the text words which mean the same as the following words or phrases. (Puntuación máxima: 1)

a) insistence (paragraph 1)

b) money given to the woman’s family when she marries (paragraph 2)

c) a disagreement (paragraph 3)

d) demanding (paragraph 3)

4.- Rewrite sentences a) and b), starting with the words given:

a) Musa is in prison facing a possible 5-year sentence for rape.

Musa may ...................................................................................

b) Supporters of the couple say that Sarah should be allowed to stay in Turkey.

Supporters want .........................................................................

In c) and d), write one word in each space:

c) Sarah is a schoolgirl ............ married a boy .............. she was only thirteen.

d) Marrying ................... the age of 13 is illegal, .............. it happens.

(Puntuación máxima: 2)

5.- Write 60 to 100 words on ONE of the following topics. DO NOT COPY FROM THE TEXT. (Puntuación máxima: 3)

a) What is your reaction to this story?

b) Relations between the sexes have changed very much since your parents were young. In what ways?

1. Haga una primera lectura cuidados del texto y de las preguntas.
2. Lea una segunda vez y conteste a las preguntas.
3. Conteste en LENGUA INGLESA y según el texto dado.
4. Compruebe sus respuestas antes de entregar la prueba.
5. Escriba sus respuestas en el cuadernillo de examen, respetando el orden de las preguntas.

CALIFICACIÓN:

Puntuación máxima: 10 puntos.

Golden "ants"

For more than 2,500 years, historians have been intrigued by Herodotus’ tale of large furry* ants that enriched the Persian empire by marking holes to find gold. Herodotus’ story of "ants bigger than foxes but smaller than dogs" inspired generations of treasure hunters. In the absence of proof, some classical scholars concluded that the man who many people call the father of history was at best ingenuous and at worst a liar.

Now is appears he may have been right –or largely so. Recently returned from a Himamalyan expedition, French explorer Michel Peissel and British photographer Sebastian Guinness say they have located the gold diggins ants on Pakistan’s Dansar plain near the tense border with India. The "ants", it turns out, are actually marmots, cat-size rodents that live in a gold-bearing stratum of sandy soil a few feet underground. Peissel believes Herodotus’ confusion came from the ancient Persian word for marmot, which means mountain ant.

Peissel first heard about gold-digging marmots in 1983, while travelling on the Indian side of the border. Local tribesmen told him their ancestors extracted gold from sand that stuck to the rodents’ fur and was deposited on the surface. But the marmots were located on the Pakistani side of the border in an area that is regularly bombarded with mortar and gunfire. It took Peissel 14 years to get permission to visit the region under Pakistani military protection. But he is now convinced it was worth the wait. "The expedition’s findings at last vindicate Herodotus*, said Peissel.

* furry: "peludas"
* Herodotus: historiador de la antigua Grecia.

PREGUNTAS:

1.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer these questions. (Be careful with the grammar. Write precise answers). (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) Why were treasure hunters so interested in the large "furry ants" Herodotus mentioned?

b) Why are Peissel and Guinness mentioned in the text?

2.- Are the following sentences TRUE or FALSE? Give the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only True or False. (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) Some scholars believed Herodotus’ tale of large furry ants was not true.

b) The animals were found in a peaceful region.

3.- Find the words or phrases in the text that mean: (puntuación máxima: 1)

a) that turn over or remove earth, soil (paragraph 2)

b) frontier (paragraph 2)

c) adhered (paragraph 2)

d) persons from whom one is descended (paragraph 3)

4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the words in brackets when given. (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) If Peissel .................... (not visit) Pakistan in 1983 he ....................... (not hear) about the gold-digging marmots.

b) How long ............................ (it take) Peissel to get permission to visit Pakistan?

c) Peissel and Guinness .............................. (prove) that Herodotus’ story ................... (be) true.

5.- Write about 60 to 100 words on ONE of the following topics. Do not copy from the text. (Puntuación máxima: 3)

a) Have you ever thought of finding a buried treasure? Would it change your life?

b) Would you like to travel to India? If so, explain why and what you know about that country.Fear of sharks is somewhat irrational. What other irrational fears can you describe?

1. Haga una primera lectura cuidados del texto y de las preguntas.
2. Lea una segunda vez y conteste a las preguntas.
3. Conteste en LENGUA INGLESA y según el texto dado.
4. Compruebe sus respuestas antes de entregar la prueba.
5. Escriba sus respuestas en el cuadernillo de examen, respetando el orden de las preguntas.

CALIFICACIÓN:

Puntuación máxima: 10 puntos.

Man bites shark

Contrary to their Hollywood image, sharks seldom attack swimmers -no more than 100 such attacks are reported annually, resulting in fewer than 15 deaths. Many fewer than the number of sharks which are sold to supply soup for a medium-sized Chinese restaurant each week. But the sight of a shark can clear a holiday beach in no time, and in some waters the danger to surfers and divers is very real.

Because of this, scientists have battled for years to find an effective shark repellent. During World War II there was a particular urgency to protect shotdown aviators or sailors forced to abandon ship. Various chemical repellents and detergents were tried, but they quickly dispersed in the water.

Physical barriers appeared to be an effective measure and another approach involved experiments with electrical force fields. But cable barriers encircling the beaches were found to be impractical and unable to resist seas. There was also a danger that the electrical charge required to harm sharks might do the same to humans.

The good news for those at risk is that there’s now a new way to prevent sharks from reaching them. The portable POD -short for Protective Oceanic Device- protects swimmers or divers by surrounding them with an electronic low field that even the most dangerous sharks apperar unwilling to enter. The field is not strong enough to cause discomfort to humans but is far greater than the tolerance level of sharks.

PREGUNTAS:

1.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer these questions. (Be careful with the grammar. Write precise answers). (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) Why was it so important to protect people from sharks during World War II?

b) Mention one of the methods used to fight sharks. Explain why it didn’t work.

2.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Write the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) People kill more sharks than vice versa.

b) None of the ways mentioned to repel sharks is effective.

3.- Find the words or phrases in the text that mean: (puntuación máxima: 1)

a) empty (paragraph 1)

b) fought (paragraph 2)

c) to hurt (paragraph 3)

d) reluctant (paragraph 4)

4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the words in brackets when given. (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) Sharks are ................likely to attack a lone swimmer than ............... group.

b) During experiments on sharks carried out in South Africa, an officer ............... (find) that their responses to small electrical impulses ............... (be) surprising.

c) The notice says: "Be careful! ............... these waters there is a risk ............... sharks, so ................ (not enter) if ............... (bleed) from a cut".

5.- Write about 60 to 100 words on ONE of the following topics. Do not copy from the text. (Puntuación máxima: 3)

a) You are sunbathing on a beach on a sunny day in summer. Everything is lovely, but then ....... (Based on these ideas write your composition).

b) Fear of sharks is somewhat irrational. What other irrational fears can you describe?.

1. Haga una primera lectura cuidados del texto y de las preguntas.
2. Lea una segunda vez y conteste a las preguntas.
3. Conteste en LENGUA INGLESA y según el texto dado.
4. Escriba sus respuestas en el cuadernillo de examen respetando el orden de las preguntas.
5. Compruebe sus respuestas antes de entregar la prueba.

CALIFICACIÓN:

Puntuación máxima: 10 puntos.

Eating habits of young citizen of Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the importance of studying and the emphasis on school performance is helping to create a generation of fatties. Recent studies have shown that up to 5 per cent of five to six-years-olds in Hong Kong are obese, and the rate of obesity has increased five-fold in recent years. The British colony also has one of the highest levels of cholesterol in children, even higher than the United States’. Such statistics are more alarming when compared to those for the previous generation of Hong Kong Chinese, who stick to a traditional Chinese diet and have relatively low cholesterol levels.

In Hong Kong, few schools provide cooked meals. About 17 per cent of primary pupils buy their own snacks, mostly soft drinks, crisps and ice cream. Many parents also use sweets and high-fat snacks to reward children who do well at school and to bribe them to do their homework. Sport is not considered important by many parents and gymnastics is not compulsory in schools.

Most children, particularly girls, become more figure-conscious as they reach their teens. But fewer than 5 per cent of children who became obese at primary school are able to shed their excess weight later, says the study.

Doctors want the government to step up nutrition education in primary schools and say Hong Kong should follow Singapore’s example of an obesity prevention programme in schools. After the programme was introduced in 1992, 20 per cent overweight children in Singapore reached their ideal weight within a year.

PREGUNTAS:

1. In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer these questions. (Be careful with the grammar. Write precise answers) (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) What problems are young Hong Kong children suffering from?

b) Different kinds of causes of these problems are suggested in the text. Explain two of them.

2. Are the following sentences TRUE or FALSE? Give the evidence from the text. NO marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) Hong Kong children who were obese found it easy to get slim.

b) Singapore has begun to solve the problem of bad eating habits in children.

3. Find in the text words which mean the same as the following words or phrases. (Puntuación máxima: 1)

a) serious (paragraph 1)

b) still follow (paragraph 1)

c) to give something in order to make someone do something (paragraph 2)

d) however (paragraph 3)

4. Rewrite sentences a) and b), starting with the words given:

a) It is impossible to become a healthy adult without eating properly as a child.

• Unless you .....................................

b) Parents tell their children that they should do their homework.

• Parents want .................................

In c) and d), write one word in each space; use the correct form of the word in brackets, when given:

c) Children who are good ..... sports tend ........ have fewer health problems.

d) Another problem of Hong Kong children is ......... (watch) too much television ....... the evening.

(Puntuación máxima: 2)

5. Write 60 to 100 words on ONE of the following topics. DO NOT COPY FROM THE TEXT. (Puntuación máxima: 3)

a) The sort of meals I enjoy most

b) Changing eating habits in Spain

1. Haga una primera lectura cuidados del texto y de las preguntas.
2. Lea una segunda vez y conteste a las preguntas.
3. Conteste en LENGUA INGLESA y según el texto dado.
4. Escriba sus respuestas en el cuadernillo de examen respetando el orden de las preguntas.
5. Compruebe sus respuestas antes de entregar la prueba.

CALIFICACIÓN:

Puntuación máxima: 10 puntos.

Incineration

Growing population and changing life-styles have produced growing amounts of waste. This has led to increasing pressure on local rubbish dumps ^(*) , periodic burning at many dump sites, and constructions of incinerators to reduce the volume of waste to be disposed of. The growing shortage of landfills ^(*) has focused attention on incineration, which can reduce the volume of rubbish by as much as 90 percent. Reduction in weight is less, usually about 70 percent.

Another benefit of incineration, only recently achieved, is the use of the energy released by burning to produce either electricity or steam for heating buildings. The problems with these processes have been their high costs, concern about air pollutants, and dangerous components in the ashes. The stimulus for waste incineration has been the increasing difficulty of finding land-disposal sites for urban waste.

Opponents of incineration cite environmental effects such as toxic substances, possible water pollution, and siting problems. They also emphasize the high costs of construction and maintenance of facilities. Another disadvantage is that recycling programmes may be stopped.

The choice is not between incineration and recycling but between incineration and dumps. Even if the maximum recycling rate is achieved, the remaining municipal waste cannot be accommodated in landfills. Some incineration is essential. The challenge is to use the most modern technologies to expand both recycling and incineration -and to continue to refine those technologies. The understanding and cooperation of all citizens is essential.

PREGUNTAS:

1. In your own words and based on the ideas from the text answer these questions.

(Be careful with the grammar. Write precise answers).
(Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) Why has incineration been introduced to get rid of waste?
b) What are the objections of those who are against incineration?

2. Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Write the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only True or False. (Puntuación máxima: 2)

a) The process of burning rubbish is very expansive.
b) We will solve the problem of waste if we recycle our rubbish.

3. Find the words or phrases in the text that mean:
(Puntuación máxima: 1)

a) lack (paragraph 1)
b) remains from burning (paragraph 2)
c) incentive (paragraph 2)
d) put (paragraph 4)

4. Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the words in brackets when given.
(Puntuación máxima: 2)

a. ................... is responsible ........................... waste management in your city?

b. "How ............................ is your rubbish collected?" "........................ a day."

c. Some components in the ashes are extremely ......................... (poison) substances which are suspected of ......................... (cause) cancer.

d. The urgency to act is great ....................... both population size and the volume of waste increase ............................. year.

5. Write about 60 to 100 word on ONE of the following topics. Do not copy from the text. (Puntuación máxima: 3)

a) Would you mind living near an incineration plant if you were given free energy?
b) What recommendations would you give to citizens and Governments in order to eliminate all the waste we produce?