Examen de Inglés PAU Canarias 2023 · Julio

‘Bees are really highly intelligent’

You may be surprised to discover just how much bees know. “We have suggestive evidence that there

is some level of conscious awareness in bees – that they have emotion-like states,” says Lars Chittka,

professor of sensory and behavioural ecology at Queen Mary University of London.

Chittka has been studying bees for 30 years and is considered one of the world’s leading experts on bee

5 sensory systems and cognition.

In his latest book, The Mind of a Bee, he argues that bees need our protection, not just because they are

useful for crop pollination and biodiversity, but because they may be *sentient beings – and humans have

an ethical obligation to ensure their survival.

“Our work and that of other labs has shown that bees are really highly intelligent individuals. They can

10 count, recognise images of human faces and learn abstract concepts and how to use simple tools.”

Chittka thinks bees have emotions, can plan and imagine things, and can recognise themselves as unique

entities distinct from other bees. He draws these conclusions from experiments in his lab with female

worker bees. “Whenever a bee gets something right, she gets a sugar reward. That’s how we train them,

for example, to recognise human faces.” In one experiment, bees that were shown several monochrome

15 images of human faces learned that one is associated with a sugar reward. “Then, we give them a choice

of different faces and no rewards, and ask: which one do you choose now? And indeed, they can find the

correct one out of a group of different faces.”

In another experiment, the bees were trained to fly past three identical landmarks to get food. “When we

increased or decreased the number of landmarks over the same distance, the bees tended to land earlier or

20 later than before, so they were using the number of landmarks to say: ah ha, I’ve flown far enough, this is

a good place to land. The fact that the landmarks were all exactly the same demonstrated that the bees

really could only get the solution by counting the number of landmarks.”

Chittka started wondering whether such intelligent creatures had feelings so he designed an experiment

where bees suffered a simulated spider attack when they landed on a flower. Afterwards, “they became,

25 overall, very reluctant to land on flowers, and sometimes rejected them even if they saw there was no

spider present. This indicated to us a negative emotion-like state.”

Dr Jonathan Birch is leading a project on animal sentience at the London School of Economics: “My own

view is that it’s very likely that bees are sentient. More evidence is needed,” he said, “but in the past,

academics have not bothered to even ask these questions about insects. And now they are starting to.”

Fragment adapted from The Observer, July 2022

* sentient: able to have feelings

1. Say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text. COPY the evidence from the text. No marks will be given without the evidence. [1.5 points]

a)

Professor Chittka has discovered a lot about bees in a short time.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

Professor Chittka believes that the only reason why we should protect bees is because they are essential to stability in nature.

TRUE

FALSE

c)

When bees believed they had been attacked by a spider, they continued to land on the same flowers as before.

TRUE

FALSE

‘Bees are really highly intelligent’

You may be surprised to discover just how much bees know. “We have suggestive evidence that there

is some level of conscious awareness in bees – that they have emotion-like states,” says Lars Chittka,

professor of sensory and behavioural ecology at Queen Mary University of London.

Chittka has been studying bees for 30 years and is considered one of the world’s leading experts on bee

5 sensory systems and cognition.

In his latest book, The Mind of a Bee, he argues that bees need our protection, not just because they are

useful for crop pollination and biodiversity, but because they may be *sentient beings – and humans have

an ethical obligation to ensure their survival.

“Our work and that of other labs has shown that bees are really highly intelligent individuals. They can

10 count, recognise images of human faces and learn abstract concepts and how to use simple tools.”

Chittka thinks bees have emotions, can plan and imagine things, and can recognise themselves as unique

entities distinct from other bees. He draws these conclusions from experiments in his lab with female

worker bees. “Whenever a bee gets something right, she gets a sugar reward. That’s how we train them,

for example, to recognise human faces.” In one experiment, bees that were shown several monochrome

15 images of human faces learned that one is associated with a sugar reward. “Then, we give them a choice

of different faces and no rewards, and ask: which one do you choose now? And indeed, they can find the

correct one out of a group of different faces.”

In another experiment, the bees were trained to fly past three identical landmarks to get food. “When we

increased or decreased the number of landmarks over the same distance, the bees tended to land earlier or

20 later than before, so they were using the number of landmarks to say: ah ha, I’ve flown far enough, this is

a good place to land. The fact that the landmarks were all exactly the same demonstrated that the bees

really could only get the solution by counting the number of landmarks.”

Chittka started wondering whether such intelligent creatures had feelings so he designed an experiment

where bees suffered a simulated spider attack when they landed on a flower. Afterwards, “they became,

25 overall, very reluctant to land on flowers, and sometimes rejected them even if they saw there was no

spider present. This indicated to us a negative emotion-like state.”

Dr Jonathan Birch is leading a project on animal sentience at the London School of Economics: “My own

view is that it’s very likely that bees are sentient. More evidence is needed,” he said, “but in the past,

academics have not bothered to even ask these questions about insects. And now they are starting to.”

Fragment adapted from The Observer, July 2022

* sentient: able to have feelings

2. ANSWER the questions below. COPY no more than 10 words and/or a number from the text to answer each question. [1.5 points]

a)

In the professor's opinion, how do bees consider themselves?

b)

What kind of bees did Professor Chittka use to carry out his research?

c)

What proved that the bees were actually counting?

‘Bees are really highly intelligent’

You may be surprised to discover just how much bees know. “We have suggestive evidence that there

is some level of conscious awareness in bees – that they have emotion-like states,” says Lars Chittka,

professor of sensory and behavioural ecology at Queen Mary University of London.

Chittka has been studying bees for 30 years and is considered one of the world’s leading experts on bee

5 sensory systems and cognition.

In his latest book, The Mind of a Bee, he argues that bees need our protection, not just because they are

useful for crop pollination and biodiversity, but because they may be *sentient beings – and humans have

an ethical obligation to ensure their survival.

“Our work and that of other labs has shown that bees are really highly intelligent individuals. They can

10 count, recognise images of human faces and learn abstract concepts and how to use simple tools.”

Chittka thinks bees have emotions, can plan and imagine things, and can recognise themselves as unique

entities distinct from other bees. He draws these conclusions from experiments in his lab with female

worker bees. “Whenever a bee gets something right, she gets a sugar reward. That’s how we train them,

for example, to recognise human faces.” In one experiment, bees that were shown several monochrome

15 images of human faces learned that one is associated with a sugar reward. “Then, we give them a choice

of different faces and no rewards, and ask: which one do you choose now? And indeed, they can find the

correct one out of a group of different faces.”

In another experiment, the bees were trained to fly past three identical landmarks to get food. “When we

increased or decreased the number of landmarks over the same distance, the bees tended to land earlier or

20 later than before, so they were using the number of landmarks to say: ah ha, I’ve flown far enough, this is

a good place to land. The fact that the landmarks were all exactly the same demonstrated that the bees

really could only get the solution by counting the number of landmarks.”

Chittka started wondering whether such intelligent creatures had feelings so he designed an experiment

where bees suffered a simulated spider attack when they landed on a flower. Afterwards, “they became,

25 overall, very reluctant to land on flowers, and sometimes rejected them even if they saw there was no

spider present. This indicated to us a negative emotion-like state.”

Dr Jonathan Birch is leading a project on animal sentience at the London School of Economics: “My own

view is that it’s very likely that bees are sentient. More evidence is needed,” he said, “but in the past,

academics have not bothered to even ask these questions about insects. And now they are starting to.”

Fragment adapted from The Observer, July 2022

* sentient: able to have feelings

3. Find a word or expression in the text that means... [1 point]

a)

decide future actions (lines 11-17)

b)

recompense (lines 11-17)

c)

sufficient (lines 18-29)

d)

probable (lines 18-29)

Planning a sports day

READ this conversation and COMPLETE your part. Write the numbers (1-6) and complete each sentence on your exam paper. [1.5 points]

Your friend:

Mr. Garcia from the community centre asked me to organise a sports day for the younger children. Would you like to help?

You:

Yes, of course. (1)

?

Your friend:

They're between 5 and 10 years old.

You:

(2)

?

Your friend:

Well, there are some things in the store room, like balls and skipping ropes.

You:

Fine. (3)

Your friend:

That's a good idea. I think it should be fun as well as competitive.

You:

(4)

Your friend:

I don't think there is any money for that, but we can make some certificates.

You:

(5)

Your friend:

Can you think of anything else we might need?

You:

I think it's important (6)

Read the following situations and WRITE what you would say in each one to show that you understand the context of the situation. Write between 10 and 25 words. [1.5 points]

a)

Two weeks ago, your friend borrowed €10 from you, but she hasn't returned the money. Remind her politely.

b)

"How did your maths exam go today?" your dad asks. Reply.

c)

You asked for delivery food through an app, and you received a message from the restaurant cancelling it at the last minute. Complain to the manager.

WRITE a composition of about 120-150 words on the following topic (3 points):

We need animals more than animals need us. Give your opinion.

GRUPO B

How to quit fast fashion

For more than two decades, fast fashion brands have tempted us with the promise that a shiny new outfit will result in happiness. It is just enough time for most of us to recognise that happiness is not really what fast fashion delivers. But given how easy and cheap it is to buy, breaking up with fast fashion can be difficult. According to psychologist Chris Cheers, sometimes the first step to changing your behaviour is to notice the beliefs that are happening underneath it. Here, some people who have successfully stopped buying fast fashion share how they did it and how they stuck to their decision.

In 2019, Lauren Bravo, the author of How to Break Up with Fast Fashion, set herself a challenge: going the whole year without buying anything completely new. To help her, she also used a rule from her mum: before you buy anything, name at least three items in your wardrobe you would wear it with, and three (real) places or occasions you will wear it to.

Writer and podcaster Maggie Zhou says she avoids fast fashion by following several norms. “One is the ‘30 wears rule,’ where I ideally want to wear an item of clothing at least 30 times.” She has also made a conscious effort to put fast fashion brands out of sight and out of mind by changing her digital activity. That means unfollowing fast fashion brands and influencers on social media and unsubscribing from email lists.

Wendy Syfret, author of The Sunny Nihilist, takes a different approach: when she sees something she likes online, rather than buying it, she emails herself the link so she can consider it later. She says, “I know myself, and I know I’m not going to stop shopping. It is emotional, it is habitual. I can’t get rid of those impulses, but I can reduce them.”

The owner of the cake shops Jawbreaker the Baker, Nico Idour, used to buy a lot of fast fashion but has completely reformed his shopping habits since meeting his husband, designer Jason Hewitt. Hewitt changed Idour’s shopping habits by explaining the “realities of fast fashion” and the huge environmental costs of mass production and international shipping. He enjoys wearing clothes he loves and feels good in over and over again. Also, he has a rule that he has to try something on before he buys it, which stops him from making impulse purchases online.

The key to addressing and changing your consumer behaviour is to notice the thought and understand you don’t necessarily have to believe it. A useful exercise is following the thought to the end. If your brain is suggesting that you will be more popular or desirable wearing the new purchase, think about what happens in reality. Is a new pair of jeans actually going to make your life more meaningful?

Fragment adapted from The Guardian, November 2022

1. Say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text. COPY the evidence from the text. No marks will be given without the evidence. [1.5 points]

a)

Controlling your dependence on fast fashion is a challenge.

b)

For one year, Ms Bravo tried to buy only second-hand clothes.

c)

Nico Idour never wears the same clothes twice.

GRUPO B

How to quit fast fashion

For more than two decades, fast fashion brands have tempted us with the promise that a shiny new outfit will result in happiness. It is just enough time for most of us to recognise that happiness is not really what fast fashion delivers. But given how easy and cheap it is to buy, breaking up with fast fashion can be difficult. According to psychologist Chris Cheers, sometimes the first step to changing your behaviour is to notice the beliefs that are happening underneath it. Here, some people who have successfully stopped buying fast fashion share how they did it and how they stuck to their decision.

In 2019, Lauren Bravo, the author of How to Break Up with Fast Fashion, set herself a challenge: going the whole year without buying anything completely new. To help her, she also used a rule from her mum: before you buy anything, name at least three items in your wardrobe you would wear it with, and three (real) places or occasions you will wear it to.

Writer and podcaster Maggie Zhou says she avoids fast fashion by following several norms. “One is the ‘30 wears rule,’ where I ideally want to wear an item of clothing at least 30 times.” She has also made a conscious effort to put fast fashion brands out of sight and out of mind by changing her digital activity. That means unfollowing fast fashion brands and influencers on social media and unsubscribing from email lists.

Wendy Syfret, author of The Sunny Nihilist, takes a different approach: when she sees something she likes online, rather than buying it, she emails herself the link so she can consider it later. She says, “I know myself, and I know I’m not going to stop shopping. It is emotional, it is habitual. I can’t get rid of those impulses, but I can reduce them.”

The owner of the cake shops Jawbreaker the Baker, Nico Idour, used to buy a lot of fast fashion but has completely reformed his shopping habits since meeting his husband, designer Jason Hewitt. Hewitt changed Idour’s shopping habits by explaining the “realities of fast fashion” and the huge environmental costs of mass production and international shipping. He enjoys wearing clothes he loves and feels good in over and over again. Also, he has a rule that he has to try something on before he buys it, which stops him from making impulse purchases online.

The key to addressing and changing your consumer behaviour is to notice the thought and understand you don’t necessarily have to believe it. A useful exercise is following the thought to the end. If your brain is suggesting that you will be more popular or desirable wearing the new purchase, think about what happens in reality. Is a new pair of jeans actually going to make your life more meaningful?

Fragment adapted from The Guardian, November 2022

2. ANSWER the questions below. COPY no more than 10 words and/or a number from the text to answer each question. [1.5 points]

a)

Over the years, what has the fashion industry made us believe?

b)

How often does Maggie Zhou try to wear each of her outfits?

c)

What does the writer of The Sunny Nihilist recognize she will be unable to do?

GRUPO B

How to quit fast fashion

For more than two decades, fast fashion brands have tempted us with the promise that a shiny new outfit will result in happiness. It is just enough time for most of us to recognise that happiness is not really what fast fashion delivers. But given how easy and cheap it is to buy, breaking up with fast fashion can be difficult. According to psychologist Chris Cheers, sometimes the first step to changing your behaviour is to notice the beliefs that are happening underneath it. Here, some people who have successfully stopped buying fast fashion share how they did it and how they stuck to their decision.

In 2019, Lauren Bravo, the author of How to Break Up with Fast Fashion, set herself a challenge: going the whole year without buying anything completely new. To help her, she also used a rule from her mum: before you buy anything, name at least three items in your wardrobe you would wear it with, and three (real) places or occasions you will wear it to.

Writer and podcaster Maggie Zhou says she avoids fast fashion by following several norms. “One is the ‘30 wears rule,’ where I ideally want to wear an item of clothing at least 30 times.” She has also made a conscious effort to put fast fashion brands out of sight and out of mind by changing her digital activity. That means unfollowing fast fashion brands and influencers on social media and unsubscribing from email lists.

Wendy Syfret, author of The Sunny Nihilist, takes a different approach: when she sees something she likes online, rather than buying it, she emails herself the link so she can consider it later. She says, “I know myself, and I know I’m not going to stop shopping. It is emotional, it is habitual. I can’t get rid of those impulses, but I can reduce them.”

The owner of the cake shops Jawbreaker the Baker, Nico Idour, used to buy a lot of fast fashion but has completely reformed his shopping habits since meeting his husband, designer Jason Hewitt. Hewitt changed Idour’s shopping habits by explaining the “realities of fast fashion” and the huge environmental costs of mass production and international shipping. He enjoys wearing clothes he loves and feels good in over and over again. Also, he has a rule that he has to try something on before he buys it, which stops him from making impulse purchases online.

The key to addressing and changing your consumer behaviour is to notice the thought and understand you don’t necessarily have to believe it. A useful exercise is following the thought to the end. If your brain is suggesting that you will be more popular or desirable wearing the new purchase, think about what happens in reality. Is a new pair of jeans actually going to make your life more meaningful?

Fragment adapted from The Guardian, November 2022

3. Find a word or expression in the text that means... [1 point]

a)

b)

c)

d)

4. READ this conversation and COMPLETE your part. Write the numbers (1-6) and complete each sentence on your exam paper. (1.5 points)

Planning the end-of-year trip

Your classmate: Hey guys, we should start organising our end-of-year trip.

(1)

Your classmate: True, classes end in a few weeks. I've always dreamt of travelling to Disneyland Paris.

(2)

Your classmate: OK. And we need some teachers to go with us.

(3)

Your classmate: How shall we find out how many students want to go?

(4)

Your classmate: And we need to think of some ways to raise money to make it cheaper for our families.

(5)

Your classmate: And who's going to organise that?

(6)

5. Read the following situations and WRITE what you would say in each one to show that you understand the context of the situation. Write between 10 and 25 words. (1.5 points)

a)

You missed your English lesson because you stayed at home studying for a history exam. Apologise to your teacher.

b)

Your friends have bought you a new perfume as a present for your birthday, but you don't like it. Tell them politely.

c)

A tourist asks you where the nearest pharmacy is. Explain how to get there.

6. WRITE a composition of about 120-150 words on the following topic (3 points):

Today, everything happens very quickly (fast fashion, fast food, fast delivery...). What are the advantages and disadvantages of living this way?