Examen de Inglés PAU Castilla y León 2023 · Ordinaria

TRAVEL PROBLEMS IN RECENT HISTORY

Flight delays and cancellations over the holiday weekend have left thousands of passengers stranded.

It has been the fate of many Southwest passengers this week, as the airline struggled to recover from a

winter storm that affected much of the United States. Thousands of Southwest flights have been delayed or

canceled in recent days, and complaints on social media have portrayed the customer service response as

5 severely deficient. Here’s a look at a few other notable airline disasters that left passengers stranded and

frustrated.

In April 2017, Delta canceled more than 3,500 flights over five days when storms hit Atlanta,

creating a cascading effect as the airline struggled to provide staff and rebook passengers. Thunderstorms

lasted just a few hours in Atlanta, but they created chaos across the country. The airline’s offer of free pizza

10 lifted thousands of stranded customers’ moods only slightly. In June 2021, a problem with weather data

prevented Southwest from flying safely. The next day, more technological problems, described as failures

in “network connectivity,” plagued the airline, forcing it to cancel or delay half of its flights. The disrupted

flights continued for days while the airline recovered, coming at a time when demand for travel began

increasing as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

15 In July 2022, shortage of staff at Heathrow Airport in London, along with a baggage system

malfunction, caused thousands of bags to go missing. At one point, Delta filled a plane bound for Detroit

with 1,000 pieces of abandoned luggage to help reunite the bags with their owners across the United States.

And in October 2022, established plans — including those of some Boston Marathon runners — were

postponed when Southwest canceled more than 1,800 flights over one weekend. It began with “weather

20 challenges in our Florida airports,” and was aggravated by “unexpected air traffic control issues in the same

region,” the airline said.

These are among the worst-case scenarios for travelers when flying. And in some notable instances,

routine events like severe weather or technological issues can go out of control, leaving thousands of people

stranded and feeling helpless. (Fragment adapted from The New York Times.)

1) BRIEFLY ANSWER ONLY 4 OUT OF THE FOLLOWING 6 QUESTIONS WITH ONLY THE DATA REQUIRED (NOT A WHOLE SENTENCE) (2 POINTS; 0.5 POINTS EACH).

1.

How many passengers were left stranded over the holiday weekend described in the article?

2.

When did Delta airlines cancel more than 3,500 flights over five days?

3.

Did Delta offer the passengers free beer in April 2017?

4.

What happened to thousands of bags at Heathrow in July 2022?

5.

Did Southwest airlines cancel more than 3,800 flights over a weekend in October 2022?

6.

Name only one routine event that can create chaos in an airport.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS IN RECENT HISTORY

Flight delays and cancellations over the holiday weekend have left thousands of passengers stranded.

It has been the fate of many Southwest passengers this week, as the airline struggled to recover from a

winter storm that affected much of the United States. Thousands of Southwest flights have been delayed or

canceled in recent days, and complaints on social media have portrayed the customer service response as

5 severely deficient. Here’s a look at a few other notable airline disasters that left passengers stranded and

frustrated.

In April 2017, Delta canceled more than 3,500 flights over five days when storms hit Atlanta,

creating a cascading effect as the airline struggled to provide staff and rebook passengers. Thunderstorms

lasted just a few hours in Atlanta, but they created chaos across the country. The airline’s offer of free pizza

10 lifted thousands of stranded customers’ moods only slightly. In June 2021, a problem with weather data

prevented Southwest from flying safely. The next day, more technological problems, described as failures

in “network connectivity,” plagued the airline, forcing it to cancel or delay half of its flights. The disrupted

flights continued for days while the airline recovered, coming at a time when demand for travel began

increasing as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

15 In July 2022, shortage of staff at Heathrow Airport in London, along with a baggage system

malfunction, caused thousands of bags to go missing. At one point, Delta filled a plane bound for Detroit

with 1,000 pieces of abandoned luggage to help reunite the bags with their owners across the United States.

And in October 2022, established plans — including those of some Boston Marathon runners — were

postponed when Southwest canceled more than 1,800 flights over one weekend. It began with “weather

20 challenges in our Florida airports,” and was aggravated by “unexpected air traffic control issues in the same

region,” the airline said.

These are among the worst-case scenarios for travelers when flying. And in some notable instances,

routine events like severe weather or technological issues can go out of control, leaving thousands of people

stranded and feeling helpless. (Fragment adapted from The New York Times.)

2) ARE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? INDICATE THE LINES THAT SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER (1 POINT).

1.

Thunderstorms lasted about one month in Atlanta in May 2017.

TRUE

FALSE

2.

In October 2022, the Boston Marathon was celebrated without any problems.

TRUE

FALSE

TRAVEL PROBLEMS IN RECENT HISTORY

Flight delays and cancellations over the holiday weekend have left thousands of passengers stranded.

It has been the fate of many Southwest passengers this week, as the airline struggled to recover from a

winter storm that affected much of the United States. Thousands of Southwest flights have been delayed or

canceled in recent days, and complaints on social media have portrayed the customer service response as

5 severely deficient. Here’s a look at a few other notable airline disasters that left passengers stranded and

frustrated.

In April 2017, Delta canceled more than 3,500 flights over five days when storms hit Atlanta,

creating a cascading effect as the airline struggled to provide staff and rebook passengers. Thunderstorms

lasted just a few hours in Atlanta, but they created chaos across the country. The airline’s offer of free pizza

10 lifted thousands of stranded customers’ moods only slightly. In June 2021, a problem with weather data

prevented Southwest from flying safely. The next day, more technological problems, described as failures

in “network connectivity,” plagued the airline, forcing it to cancel or delay half of its flights. The disrupted

flights continued for days while the airline recovered, coming at a time when demand for travel began

increasing as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

15 In July 2022, shortage of staff at Heathrow Airport in London, along with a baggage system

malfunction, caused thousands of bags to go missing. At one point, Delta filled a plane bound for Detroit

with 1,000 pieces of abandoned luggage to help reunite the bags with their owners across the United States.

And in October 2022, established plans — including those of some Boston Marathon runners — were

postponed when Southwest canceled more than 1,800 flights over one weekend. It began with “weather

20 challenges in our Florida airports,” and was aggravated by “unexpected air traffic control issues in the same

region,” the airline said.

These are among the worst-case scenarios for travelers when flying. And in some notable instances,

routine events like severe weather or technological issues can go out of control, leaving thousands of people

stranded and feeling helpless. (Fragment adapted from The New York Times.)

3) CHOOSE a OR b, ONLY ONE CHOICE IS CORRECT ACCORDING TO THE TEXT (1 POINT).

TRAVEL PROBLEMS IN RECENT HISTORY

Flight delays and cancellations over the holiday weekend have left thousands of passengers stranded.

It has been the fate of many Southwest passengers this week, as the airline struggled to recover from a

winter storm that affected much of the United States. Thousands of Southwest flights have been delayed or

canceled in recent days, and complaints on social media have portrayed the customer service response as

5 severely deficient. Here’s a look at a few other notable airline disasters that left passengers stranded and

frustrated.

In April 2017, Delta canceled more than 3,500 flights over five days when storms hit Atlanta,

creating a cascading effect as the airline struggled to provide staff and rebook passengers. Thunderstorms

lasted just a few hours in Atlanta, but they created chaos across the country. The airline’s offer of free pizza

10 lifted thousands of stranded customers’ moods only slightly. In June 2021, a problem with weather data

prevented Southwest from flying safely. The next day, more technological problems, described as failures

in “network connectivity,” plagued the airline, forcing it to cancel or delay half of its flights. The disrupted

flights continued for days while the airline recovered, coming at a time when demand for travel began

increasing as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

15 In July 2022, shortage of staff at Heathrow Airport in London, along with a baggage system

malfunction, caused thousands of bags to go missing. At one point, Delta filled a plane bound for Detroit

with 1,000 pieces of abandoned luggage to help reunite the bags with their owners across the United States.

And in October 2022, established plans — including those of some Boston Marathon runners — were

postponed when Southwest canceled more than 1,800 flights over one weekend. It began with “weather

20 challenges in our Florida airports,” and was aggravated by “unexpected air traffic control issues in the same

region,” the airline said.

These are among the worst-case scenarios for travelers when flying. And in some notable instances,

routine events like severe weather or technological issues can go out of control, leaving thousands of people

stranded and feeling helpless. (Fragment adapted from The New York Times.)

4) VOCABULARY (2 POINTS).

4.1

Choose one of the options below and find one word in the text for its definition (0.6 POINTS):

4.2

Find a synonym in the text for one of the two words below (0.6 POINTS):

4.3

For one of the following words from the text, give a synonym that fits the meaning of the text (0.8 POINTS):

5) WRITE ABOUT THE FOLLOWING TOPIC USING BETWEEN 120-150 WORDS (4 POINTS).

If you were an Erasmus student, how would living and studying abroad benefit you?

1) BRIEFLY ANSWER ONLY 4 OUT OF THE FOLLOWING 6 QUESTIONS WITH ONLY THE DATA REQUIRED (NOT A WHOLE SENTENCE) (2 POINTS; 0.5 POINTS EACH).

1.

What was the author sorry for?

2.

Who tried to mediate between Prince Harry and Prince William?

3.

According to the text, how do people respond to being exposed in public?

4.

What does the author believe that should be considered to really understand the relationship between Harry and William?

5.

Does the author think that silence gives you distance?

6.

Does the author think that Harry might in time regret speaking about his family?

2) ARE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? INDICATE THE LINES THAT SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER (1 POINT).

1.

The author's father recovered from his illness very quickly.

TRUE

FALSE

2.

Prince William has, according to the author, his own opinion on the fight with his brother.

TRUE

FALSE

3) CHOOSE a OR b, ONLY ONE CHOICE IS CORRECT ACCORDING TO THE TEXT (1 POINT).

4) VOCABULARY (2 POINTS).

4.1 Choose one of the options below and find one word in the text for its definition (0.6 POINTS):

a)

b)

4.2 Find a synonym in the text for one of the two words below (0.6 POINTS):

a)

b)

4.3 For one of the following words from the text, give a synonym that fits the meaning of the text (0.8 POINTS):

a)

b)

5) WRITE ABOUT THE FOLLOWING TOPIC USING BETWEEN 120-150 WORDS (4 POINTS).

Do you think that silence is the best option to deal with family matters?