Opción A - 1 · Inglés PAU Castilla y León Extraordinaria (Fase Mejora de Nota) 2022

OPTION A

THE UNBREAKABLE BOND BETWEEN HUMANS AND DOGS

Why is he here? Why is my dog lying at my feet in the shape of a croissant as I write this? How

has his fish breath become a topic of humour when friends call round for dinner? Why do I spend more

than £1,000 each year to pay for his insurance? And why do I love him so much?

Ludo is not a special dog. He’s just another labrador retriever, one of approximately 500,000 in

5 the UK (he’d be one in a million in the United States, the most popular breed in both countries). Ludo has

a lot in common with all these dogs. He loves to play ball; obviously he’s an expert retriever. He could

eat all the food in the universe and leave nothing for the other dogs. He is prone to hip dysplasia. He

looks particularly attractive on a plush bed in a centrally heated house very far from the Newfoundland

home of his ancestors.

10 But, of course, Ludo is a unique animal to me, and the rest of his human family. He is now an

elderly gentleman aged 12 and a half, and we would do almost anything to ensure his continued

happiness. We schedule our days around his needs – his mealtimes, his walks, the delivery of his life-

saving medication (he has epilepsy). We spend a bizarrely large amount of our disposable income on him,

and he never sends a card of thanks. When he’s not with us for a few days (when our children take him

15 for a weekend), then the house feels extraordinarily empty. I feel so fortunate to know him. Goodness

knows how we’ll cope when he dies.

This strongest of bonds has manifested itself over the centuries, and transformed so many

millions of lives, human and canine. If it is at least partially true, as Nietzsche claims, that “The world

exists through the understanding of dogs,” then perhaps it is also partially true that a study of dogs may

20 provide a valuable insight into ourselves. (Fragment adapted from The Guardian.)

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 much money does the author of the text spend on his dog's insurance each year?

2.

What is the most popular dog breed in the UK and United States?

3.

What type of disease is Ludo predisposed to?

4.

In the phrase and we would do almost anything to ensure his continued happiness (lines 11-12), the word 'we' refers to...

5.

Why is Ludo taking medication?

6.

Does the author feel fortunate to know Ludo?