INGLÉS- JUNIO DE 2006
UNIVERSIDAD DE ZARAGOZA
PRUEBA DE ACCESO A ESTUDIOS UNIVERSITARIOS
JUNIO DE 2006
Ejercicio de: INGLÉS
Tiempo disponible: 1 h. 30 m.
Se valorará el uso de vocabulario y la notación científica. Los errores ortográficos, el desorden, la falta de limpieza en la presentación y
la mala redacción, podrán suponer una disminución hasta de un punto en la calificación, salvo casos extremos.
PUNTUACIÓN QUE SE OTORGARÁ A ESTE EJERCICIO: (véanse las distintas partes del examen)
1. Going Green!
When I told my mother I was going to be a vegetarian she didn’t try to discourage me, she simply said,“Fine, Julie, but I’m not making two dinners.” She thought it was a phase, something that I would grow out of. After all, who can live their entire life without eating a hamburger or a hot dog? Turns out, lots of people can.
You have to realize, two of my uncles are butchers and they keep much of my family in discount meat.
For me to walk into my parents’ kitchen and inform my mother that I would no longer be participating in family steak night was, well, unexpected to say the least.
Much to my mother’s dismay, I turned out to be one of thousands of young vegetarians. Some people thought I did it to be cool, some people (like my mother) thought I did it for shock value. But I was always asked the one-word question (so many times I should hand out flyers* explaining it): WHY? Why? Lots of reasons, I was never a big steak fan, loved animals, and when I was little I lived on a farm.
If you have ever named a cow, you will understand how difficult it is to sit down to a hamburger.
*flyer.- Leaflet which is given to people in the street. / Folleto.
Adapted from: Julie Cameron “Vegetarianism” Faze
1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (3 points)
1. Julie’s mother believed that her daughter would eat meat again after a time.
2. Julie was lucky because her family was not particularly fond of meat.
3. The narrator thinks that it’s hard to eat meat when you care for animals.
2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words.
(2 points)
1. Do you think Julie’s mother understood her decision to turn vegetarian?
2. Why is WHY (the one-word question) written in capital letters at the end of the 3rd paragraph?
3. Complete the following sentences. The meaning should be the same as that of the sentence above.
(2 points)
1. It’s a pity I didn’t turn vegetarian when I was younger.
I wish (…)
2. In my opinion, you should stop smoking.
If I (…)
3. “I was never a big steak fan,” she said to me.
She told (…)
4. I didn’t study enough, so I didn’t pass the exam.
If (…)
4. Write a composition with the following title (80 -120 words):
“Dear Julie….” Imagine you are Julie’s mother/father and she is living abroad. Write an e-mail (or an informal
letter) to your daughter trying to persuade her NOT to turn vegetarian. Give as many reasons as possible.
You should include a personal comment in your composition. (3 points)
SEPTIEMBRE DE 2006
Ejercicio de: INGLÉS
Tiempo disponible: 1 h. 30 m.
2. Sims 2
If Sims was the PC’s best-selling game of all time Sims 2, the sequel, will keep the millions of fans glued to
their PC screens. Sims 2 sees you take control of little people (Sims), controlling every aspect of their lives. You must feed them, wash them, boost their morale via activities and generally help them to become successful. The challenge comes in the form of balancing out their basic needs. Too much television may have a detrimental* effect. Similarly, they must learn new skills if they hope to get that promotion at work. Better jobs will lead to more money which in turn can be spent on luxuries (new beds, appliances, electronics and of course… a Jacuzzi!). These in turn will help to improve your Sim’s quality of life.
Graphically, Sims 2 is very attractive. Character appearances are presented handsomely and their movements are recreated smoothly. The facial expressions of your Sims are easily recognisable when interacting in conversations.
Sims 2 is unlikely to disappoint. It offers everything that made its predecessor so special with a huge variety
of things to do. For those new to the Sims or the millions of fans who never got enough of it, Sims 2 will serve to ruin your social life for many more months to come.
Adapted from: Robert Wyse Jackson’s review of “Sims 2” Faze
*detrimental.- Causing harm or damage / Perjudicial.
1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (3 points)
1. The reviewer thinks that this sequel of the Sims is not as attractive as the original game.
2. The good thing about Sims 2 is that the player learns how to be sensitive to the needs of these little people.
3. According to the text, playing this game is fun but it is not a good way to make new friends.
2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words.
(2 points)
1. How can you improve your Sim’s quality of life?
2. Which are the main visual characteristics of this game?
3. Complete the following sentences. The meaning should be the same as that of the sentence above.
(2 points)
1. Some students of Engineering have designed this game
This game (…)
2. You must feed these little people or they’ll die.
(…) unless (…)
3. “Have you ever played this game?” he asked me.
He wanted to know (…)
4. When she was younger, my sister played this game regularly.
(…) used to (…)
4. Write a composition with the following title (80 -120 words):
“My favourite computer game” Write a review describing its title, objectives, sound and graphics, etc.
You should include a personal comment in your composition. (3 points)
3. MOBILE PHONES IN CINEMAS
Increasingly New Yorkers are placing and receiving calls when they go to the movies. But now if a new law does become effective in December, the very act of talking into a mobile phone in a cinema or any other place of public performance could become illegal and result in a 50-euro fine. The proposed law has strong support from cinemagoers.
“It is annoying when people in a movie theatre use their mobiles. You end up missing parts of the film,” said one New Yorker. The use of mobile phone in live theatres and concert halls would also be included in the prohibition. Many people in the show business support the proposed law. The problem is that the ban will be difficult to apply because it will be hard to catch transgressors.
Mobile phone companies are not too happy. Telecommunications lawyer Martin Rothfelder said: “It is a government intrusion into an area of common sense and courtesy.” But council members are determined; they want to modify anti-social behaviour and send a message. “You just need to turn the mobile off, put it in your pocket and enjoy the show,” they said. Last year New York became the first state to outlaw use of mobile phones by drivers.
(A) COMPREHENSION (3 points)
a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (1 point per answer)
1. Who are for and against the new law?
2. What is the main objective of the law?
b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
1. New Yorkers seldom use their mobile phones in cinemas.
2. Offenders of the law will have to pay an amount of money.
3. Council members are still discussing the application of the law.
4. The government’s suggestion is to leave the mobile phone at home.
(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)
7. Find in the text a synonym for BAN (noun) (0.25 points).
8. Find in the text a word meaning “to be in favour of” (verb) (0.25 points).
9. Give one synonym for “COURTESY” (noun) (line 10) (0.25 points)
10. Give an adjective with the same root as “SENSE” (noun) (line 10) (0.25 points).
11. Turn the following sentence into the passive voice: (0.5 points)
New Yorkers are placing and receiving calls.
______________________________________________________________________
12. Join the following sentences using a relative pronoun. Make changes if necessary:
(0.5 points)
Nikki sells cinema tickets. She is against the ban.
13. Use the words in the boxes to make a meaningful sentence: (0.5 points)
PUNISH ANTI-SOCIAL WILL CINEMAGOERS NEW YORK BEHAVIOUR FOR
14. Complete the following conditional sentence:
If people do not turn off their mobile phones in cinemas… (0.5 points)
(C) PRODUCTION (3 points). WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.
a) Advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones.
b) Should the government control everything we do?
4. THE TRIATHLON
The triathlon is a sport which has become very popular over the last twenty years. It was invented in Hawaii in 1977 by three friends who decided to put their physical fitness to the test by challenging each other to a very special race.
As the name suggests, the triathlon consists of a combination of three events – swimming, cycling and running. The first competition was a historic event. The three Hawaiian friends together with twelve other hardy souls swam 4 km (in the ocean), cycled 180 km, and ran 42 km. Several participants were simply not fit enough and had to give up.
From Hawaii the sport soon reached the States, where it became very popular, especially after the distance of each individual event was reduced. Competitors now swim 1500 m, cycle 40 km and run 10 km. Triathlon athletes can’t waste precious seconds getting changed so the outfit they wear is a combination of swimming costume and normal sports kit.
There have been triathlon championships in Europe since 1982 and the first Spanish competition took place in Santander. The world triathlon title has been won by competitors from various countries but the man who has set the most triathlon records is Dave Scott. Another exceptional athlete, Lyn Lemaire, will always be remembered because she was the first woman to take part in a triathlon.
SECTION A (Reading comprehension: questions)
Answer the following questions. Use your own words. Do not copy from the text.
1 What are the origins of this sport?
2 How has the sport changed since 1977?
3 What do the competitors wear?
4 What is special about the two people named in the last paragraph?
SECTION B (Reading comprehension: true or false)
Are these sentences true or false? (Justify your answer with evidence from the text. No marks are given for only true or false.)
1 Nine competitors took part in the first ever triathlon.
2 All the competitors who took part in the first triathlon finished the race.
3 The competition has been made easier over the years.
4 Competitors have to change clothes between each event.
SECTION F (Grammar: transformations)
Rewrite the following sentences, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the same.
1 His friend asked him to take part in the race.
He …
2 You have to be very fit to compete in a triathlon.
Unless …
3 It was such a difficult competition that very few of them managed to finish.
The competition …
SECTION J (Grammar: active/passive voice; direct/indirect speech; relative pronouns; question forms)
1 Put the following sentence into the passive voice:
His friend asked him to take part in the race.
2 Put the following sentence into the active voice:
The Olympic event has been won by the Americans many times.
3 Put the following sentence into reported speech:
She asked her boyfriend, ‘Would you mind holding my bicycle?’
4 Join the following sentences with a relative pronoun:
Daly Thompson is a British athlete. He will always be remembered for winning lots of Olympic gold medals.
5 Give a question for this answer:
Lyn Lamaire.
SECTION Q (Writing: composition)
Write a composition. Choose one of the following topics. Write about 70–100 words. Use your own words – do not copy from the text.
1 ‘Young people today do not do enough sport.’ What do you think?
2 Describe your favourite sport to someone who knows nothing about it.
5. The destruction of forests
Forests are very important to the environment because they use carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce oxygen. They also provide shelter and food for many different types of plants and animals.Trees are cut down for many reasons but the main reasons are to make space to build new houses and to clear land to grow grass for cows and sheep to eat, to produce dairy foods. The trees which are cut down are sold and they are made into paper and furniture.
Cutting down trees is called deforestation and it can have serious effects. If animals’ homes, which are built in and around the trees, are destroyed, many species will become extinct. For example, many different types of animals in South America were lost before scientists could learn about them.
Deforestation also affects the climate. When rain falls on a forest, new clouds are created. If huge areas of trees are cut down, clouds do not form, rain does not fall and the land becomes drier. The CO2 builds up and adds to the global warming which is making the Earth become hotter.
Many European countries are planting trees faster than they are cutting them down. Many trees were planted a few years ago to replace woodland and to create forests in areas where there wasn’t much wood. We can help to save forests by reusing and recycling paper.
1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (3 points)
1.1. The forests are very important because we use the carbon dioxide they produce.
1.2. One of the main reasons why the forests are being destroyed is to feed some species of animals.
1.3. Deforestation is the planting of trees on an area where they have been cut down.
2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)
2.1. How does deforestation affect plants and animals?
2.2. How are the European countries trying to solve this problem?
3. Complete the following sentences. The meaning should be the same as that of the sentence above. (2 points)
3.1. Many European countries are planting trees faster than they are cutting them down.
Trees _________________________________________________________________
3.2. She said: “Many trees were planted a few years ago to replace woodland and to create forests”.
She said that ____________________________________________________________
3.3. If huge areas of trees are cut down, clouds do not form, rain does not fall and the land becomes drier.
If huge areas of trees had___________________________________________________________
4. Write a composition with one of the following titles (80 -120 words): You should include a personal comment in your composition. (3 points)
a) Is the human being an endangered species? Why?
b) How can you help to protect our environment?
6. DEATH PENALTY
One issue that didn’t provoke a lot of discussion in the last presidential election was the death penalty. The reason was simple: both the Democrats and Republicans, along with 75% of the American public, are overwhelmingly in favour of it. In this respect the United States remains strangely out of sync with other western democracies. The nations that practise capital punishment are those that many Americans would consider primitive or even barbaric.
In many ways, America’s fondness for the death penalty comes from frustration with violent crime. Also, many Americans believe that murderers who receive a life sentence will be back on the streets within a few years. Yet this certainly isn’t the case in Louisiana, where Sister Helen Prejean acts as a spiritual adviser to inmates on death row. Here, although a life sentence means 99 years imprisonment, most citizens still support the execution of convicted murderers.
Sister Prejean’s case against the death penalty is highly convincing. She argues that it isn’t an effective deterrent: Canada, often cited as a more humane version of the United States, actually saw its murder rate drop after it abolished the death penalty. Sister Prejean makes another excellent point: the death penalty is administered in a way that is lottery-like to say the least. Over 25,000 murders are committed every year in the US but only 1% of the murderers receive the death penalty. And the defendants who do are not those who commit the most heinous crimes, but the ones who can’t afford a lawyer.
SECTION A (Reading comprehension: questions)
Answer the following questions. Use your own words. Do not copy from the text.
1 Was the death penalty an important issue at the last US presidential elections? Why? Why not?
2 How does America’s attitude to the death penalty compare with other western democracies?
3 Why, according to the text, are the majority of the American public in favour of the death penalty?
4 What are the main reasons for Helen Prejean’s opposition to the death penalty?
SECTION B (Reading comprehension: true or false)
Are these sentences true or false? (Justify your answer with evidence from the text. No marks are given for only true or false.)
1 The death penalty was an important issue at the last US presidential elections.
2 Sister Helen Prejean helps prisoners who are facing the death penalty.
3 Canada also has the death penalty.
4 A poor murderer is more likely to be executed in the US than a rich one.
SECTION C (Reading comprehension: multiple-choice)
Complete the sentences. Choose the best alternative from the ones given.
1 The text suggests that a majority of Americans _______ the death penalty.
a abhor
b would like to abolish
c support
d are indifferent about
2 Helen Prejean is against the death penalty on the grounds that …
a it doesn’t work.
b other Western democracies don’t have it.
c it is unfair and it isn’t a good deterrent anyway.
d poor people are the only ones who suffer.
SECTION D (Reading comprehension: multiple-choice summaries)
1 Which of the following sentences best summarizes from line 1 to line 4 (One issue … favour of it)?
a The death penalty was an important issue at the last USelections because most people are in favour of it.
b The death penalty wasn’t an important issue at the last USelections because most people are in favour of it.
c More Republicans than Democrats are in favour of the death penalty.
d More Americans are against the death penalty than in favour of it.
2 Which of the following sentences best summarizes from line 20 to line 23 (Over 25,000 … a lawyer)?
a Particularly heinous crimes are committed by lawyers.
b The murderers who commit the most terrible crimes are the ones most likely to be executed.
c Of all the murders committed in the US each year, only a small minority are solved.
d A poor murderer is more likely to be executed in the US than a rich one because of the cost of lawyers.
SECTION E (Reading comprehension: summary writing)
1 Write a title for the text and justify your answer.
2 Write a summary of the text (between 25 and 50 words).
SECTION F (Grammar: transformations)
Rewrite the following sentences, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the same.
1 South Africa abolished the death penalty several years ago.
The death penalty …
2 The Republican party supports the death penalty, and so do the Democrats.
Both …
3 Having a good lawyer is the best way for a murderer to avoid the death penalty in the US.
The best way …
SECTION H (Grammar: gap fill)
Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the words in brackets (when given).
1 Several people __________ (executed) in American prisons since the last elections.
2 Statistics show that a poor person is much __________ likely to face the death penalty __________ a rich person.
3 If America __________ (abolish) the death penalty, the murder rate__________ go down.
4 __________ (have) a good lawyer is the best way for a murderer to avoid the death penalty in the US.
SECTION J (Grammar: active/passive voice; direct/indirect speech; relative pronouns; question forms)
1 Put the following sentence into the passive voice:
South Africa abolished the death penalty several years ago.
2 Put the following sentence into the active voice:
Hundreds of prisoners will have been executed by the state authorities by the year 2000
3 Put the following sentence into reported speech:
A spokesperson for Amnesty International said, ‘The use of the death penalty has to end.’
4 Join the following sentences with a relative pronoun:
Louisiana is a state. A life sentence means 99 years imprisonment in Louisiana.
5 Give a question for this answer:
Over 25,000
SECTION Q (Writing: composition)
Write a composition. Choose one of the following topics. Write about 80–100 words. Use your own words – do not copy from the text.
1 Write a letter to the president of the USexplaining your attitude to the death penalty.
2 ‘Once a criminal, always a criminal.’ What do you think?
