Ejercicio Text 2: Would you like to live for 1,000 years? · Inglés PAU Andalucía Ordinaria Suplente 2022

TEXT 2: WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE FOR 1,000 YEARS?

1 Centuries ago, Spanish explorer Ponce de León spent his life searching for the Fountain of Youth, which was believed to

2 restore youth to whoever drank from or bathed in it. Today, some scientists are keeping the dream alive. They are convinced that

3 genetic engineering, or the discovery of anti-ageing drugs, could extend human life far beyond its natural course. Indeed, Australian

4 geneticists believe such a pill could be as close as 10 years away, and other researchers think there is no reason why humans

5 cannot live for at least 1,000 years.

6 Those who want to live as long as possible would welcome this kind of research. But many philosophers and ethicists are

7 sceptical about the implications of longer lives, both for the individual and society.

8 Leon Kass, a bioethicist, wonders if life would be as serious or meaningful without a mortality limit. He believes that an end

9 point encourages us to make the most of our time, to live it passionately and struggle to achieve our goals in the short time we

10 have.

11 Philosopher Temkin expresses another worry. Our ability to remember is probably limited. As we age, we tend to forget many

12 things that happened time ago in our lives. Perhaps people who live for 1,000 years will forget altogether what they did in the

13 earlier parts of their existence.

14 Other critics fear that life-prolonging treatments may not be available to everyone. The rich will be able to afford them while the

15 poor won't. But let's say most of us could extend our lives. If we all continued to have children, the world would be even more

16 overpopulated than today, and job opportunities for younger generations would be reduced.

CHOOSE AND WRITE THE CORRECT OPTION (A, B, C or D). (0.5 points each)

9. According to the text, Ponce de León...

10. According to the text, if we were to live 1,000 years,...

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (0.5 points each)

11. A treatment to live longer is already on the market.

12. Some people would be in favour of life-prolonging studies.

13. According to Leon Kass, the certainty of death motivates people to live intensively.

14. Not recalling things is a natural consequence of ageing.

15. FIND IN THE TEXT: (0.5 points)

15.1.

15.2.

16. FIND IN THE TEXT: (0.5 points)

16.1.

16.2.