Examen de Inglés PAU Galicia 2023 · Ordinaria

TEXT A

The heat in the world's oceans reached a new record level in 2021, showing “refutable and accelerating” heating of the planet. The world's oceans are the clearest measure of the climate emergency because they absorb more than 90% of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases emitted by fossil fuel burning, forest destruction and other human activities.

New analysis shows that the past five years have been the top five warmest years recorded in the ocean and the past 10 years are also the top 10 years on record. The amount of heat being added to the oceans is equivalent to every person on the planet running 100 microwave ovens all day and all night. Hotter oceans lead to more severe storms and disrupt the water cycle, meaning more floods, droughts and wildfires, as well as an inexorable rise in sea level. Higher temperatures are also harming life in the seas, with the number of marine heatwaves increasing sharply.

The most common measure of global heating is the average surface air temperature, as this is where people live. But natural climate phenomena such as El Niño mean that this can be quite variable from year to year. “The oceans are really what tell you how fast the Earth is warming,” said Prof. John Abraham at the University of St Thomas, in Minnesota, and one of the team behind the new analysis. “Using the oceans, we see a continued, uninterrupted and accelerating warming rate of planet Earth. This is dire news.” “The results show heat increasing at an accelerating rate as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere. The rate from 1987 to 2021 is four and a half times faster than that from 1955 to 1986. The vast majority of ocean regions are showing an increase in thermal energy.

1.1.1. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) according to the text. Copy that part (and ONLY that part) of the text which justifies your answer. (1.5 points)

.

T

F

TEXT A

The heat in the world's oceans reached a new record level in 2021, showing “refutable and accelerating” heating of the planet. The world's oceans are the clearest measure of the climate emergency because they absorb more than 90% of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases emitted by fossil fuel burning, forest destruction and other human activities.

New analysis shows that the past five years have been the top five warmest years recorded in the ocean and the past 10 years are also the top 10 years on record. The amount of heat being added to the oceans is equivalent to every person on the planet running 100 microwave ovens all day and all night. Hotter oceans lead to more severe storms and disrupt the water cycle, meaning more floods, droughts and wildfires, as well as an inexorable rise in sea level. Higher temperatures are also harming life in the seas, with the number of marine heatwaves increasing sharply.

The most common measure of global heating is the average surface air temperature, as this is where people live. But natural climate phenomena such as El Niño mean that this can be quite variable from year to year. “The oceans are really what tell you how fast the Earth is warming,” said Prof. John Abraham at the University of St Thomas, in Minnesota, and one of the team behind the new analysis. “Using the oceans, we see a continued, uninterrupted and accelerating warming rate of planet Earth. This is dire news.” “The results show heat increasing at an accelerating rate as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere. The rate from 1987 to 2021 is four and a half times faster than that from 1955 to 1986. The vast majority of ocean regions are showing an increase in thermal energy.

1.1.2. Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given here: (1 point)

a.

crisis:

b.

dry seasons:

c.

dramatically:

d.

disastrous:

e.

immense:

TEXT A

The heat in the world's oceans reached a new record level in 2021, showing “refutable and accelerating” heating of the planet. The world's oceans are the clearest measure of the climate emergency because they absorb more than 90% of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases emitted by fossil fuel burning, forest destruction and other human activities.

New analysis shows that the past five years have been the top five warmest years recorded in the ocean and the past 10 years are also the top 10 years on record. The amount of heat being added to the oceans is equivalent to every person on the planet running 100 microwave ovens all day and all night. Hotter oceans lead to more severe storms and disrupt the water cycle, meaning more floods, droughts and wildfires, as well as an inexorable rise in sea level. Higher temperatures are also harming life in the seas, with the number of marine heatwaves increasing sharply.

The most common measure of global heating is the average surface air temperature, as this is where people live. But natural climate phenomena such as El Niño mean that this can be quite variable from year to year. “The oceans are really what tell you how fast the Earth is warming,” said Prof. John Abraham at the University of St Thomas, in Minnesota, and one of the team behind the new analysis. “Using the oceans, we see a continued, uninterrupted and accelerating warming rate of planet Earth. This is dire news.” “The results show heat increasing at an accelerating rate as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere. The rate from 1987 to 2021 is four and a half times faster than that from 1955 to 1986. The vast majority of ocean regions are showing an increase in thermal energy.

1.2.1. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the first one. You must use the word or expression in italics. (2 points)

a.

Will we ever save the Earth from disaster?

be

Will the Earth

b.

I regret the fact that humans have produced so much pollution.

I wish

I wish

c.

Journalists asked: "How long will life survive on planet Earth?"

wanted to know

Journalists wanted to know

d.

It is very useful to separate our garbage in five different containers.

is worth

It is worth

e.

Everyone knows that plastic bags are extremely harmful for the environment, but people still use them.

in spite of

TEXT A

The heat in the world's oceans reached a new record level in 2021, showing “refutable and accelerating” heating of the planet. The world's oceans are the clearest measure of the climate emergency because they absorb more than 90% of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases emitted by fossil fuel burning, forest destruction and other human activities.

New analysis shows that the past five years have been the top five warmest years recorded in the ocean and the past 10 years are also the top 10 years on record. The amount of heat being added to the oceans is equivalent to every person on the planet running 100 microwave ovens all day and all night. Hotter oceans lead to more severe storms and disrupt the water cycle, meaning more floods, droughts and wildfires, as well as an inexorable rise in sea level. Higher temperatures are also harming life in the seas, with the number of marine heatwaves increasing sharply.

The most common measure of global heating is the average surface air temperature, as this is where people live. But natural climate phenomena such as El Niño mean that this can be quite variable from year to year. “The oceans are really what tell you how fast the Earth is warming,” said Prof. John Abraham at the University of St Thomas, in Minnesota, and one of the team behind the new analysis. “Using the oceans, we see a continued, uninterrupted and accelerating warming rate of planet Earth. This is dire news.” “The results show heat increasing at an accelerating rate as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere. The rate from 1987 to 2021 is four and a half times faster than that from 1955 to 1986. The vast majority of ocean regions are showing an increase in thermal energy.

1.2.2. Pronunciation (0.50 points)

a.

In which word are the underlined letters pronounced differently? ea st, br ea th, h ea d, h ea lthcare

b.

In which two words is the stress on the first syllable, as in " Germany "? research, graduate, attraction, impressed, machine, result, regions, amount

c.

In which word is the ending "-ed" pronounced /d/ as in "supplied"? trapped, showed, accumulated, washed

d.

Which pair of words does not rhyme? crane-pain, beer-bear, flash-crash, love-glove.

TEXT B

Despite the thousands of years domesticated cats have kept us company, they still suffer something of a bad public relations image. The independence that many see as a bonus is seen by others as aloofness or selfishness. Their detractors claim they only really show affection when their food bowl is empty. Cat owners will claim this is all nonsense, of course, and that their bond with their cat is as strong as any dog owner's.

Since they are so self-determined and can take care of themselves, cats are becoming more and more popular and humans are expecting cats to be like us and like dogs. But they aren't. They come from a solitary ancestor that isn't a social species.

Their sociability can come from what they experience in the first six or eight weeks. Just like dogs, cats do a lot of communication with their bodies rather than through sound. It's a lot harder for people to read their body language so they might be in for a nasty surprise. And this is where we come across cat haters.

By trying to force cats to behave more like dogs – showering us with attention – we're trying to push them away from their natural behaviour. The cat that may be currently curled up on your sofa or glaring at you from its vantage point on top of the bookcase shares many of its instincts with those of its pre-domestic ancestors – the desire to hunt, to patrol territory, guarding it from other cats; they are much closer to their old selves than dogs. So if they seem to hate you, it's probably because you're big, you're loud and you're scary.

Ultimately, it's hard to like something you don't understand, so before committing to hating cats, try to see yourself through their eyes. And remember that just the fact that they seem to want to be around us at all is remarkable.

2.1.1. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) according to the text. Copy that part (and ONLY that part) of the text which justifies your answer. (1.5 points)

a.

Some people like cats’ independent behaviour.

b.

The author suggests that dogs traditionally form a closer attachment to their owners than cats, even though cat owners don’t agree.

c.

Cats are very popular because they aren’t a lot of work for their owners.

d.

Cats’ sociability is developed in the first fortnight of their life with their owners.

e.

Body language is not as important as sounds when it comes to cats’ communication with humans.

f.

According to the author some people hate cats because they don’t really know enough about them.

TEXT B

Despite the thousands of years domesticated cats have kept us company, they still suffer something of a bad public relations image. The independence that many see as a bonus is seen by others as aloofness or selfishness. Their detractors claim they only really show affection when their food bowl is empty. Cat owners will claim this is all nonsense, of course, and that their bond with their cat is as strong as any dog owner's.

Since they are so self-determined and can take care of themselves, cats are becoming more and more popular and humans are expecting cats to be like us and like dogs. But they aren't. They come from a solitary ancestor that isn't a social species.

Their sociability can come from what they experience in the first six or eight weeks. Just like dogs, cats do a lot of communication with their bodies rather than through sound. It's a lot harder for people to read their body language so they might be in for a nasty surprise. And this is where we come across cat haters.

By trying to force cats to behave more like dogs – showering us with attention – we're trying to push them away from their natural behaviour. The cat that may be currently curled up on your sofa or glaring at you from its vantage point on top of the bookcase shares many of its instincts with those of its pre-domestic ancestors – the desire to hunt, to patrol territory, guarding it from other cats; they are much closer to their old selves than dogs. So if they seem to hate you, it's probably because you're big, you're loud and you're scary.

Ultimately, it's hard to like something you don't understand, so before committing to hating cats, try to see yourself through their eyes. And remember that just the fact that they seem to want to be around us at all is remarkable.

2.1.2. Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given here: (1 point)

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

TEXT B

Despite the thousands of years domesticated cats have kept us company, they still suffer something of a bad public relations image. The independence that many see as a bonus is seen by others as aloofness or selfishness. Their detractors claim they only really show affection when their food bowl is empty. Cat owners will claim this is all nonsense, of course, and that their bond with their cat is as strong as any dog owner's.

Since they are so self-determined and can take care of themselves, cats are becoming more and more popular and humans are expecting cats to be like us and like dogs. But they aren't. They come from a solitary ancestor that isn't a social species.

Their sociability can come from what they experience in the first six or eight weeks. Just like dogs, cats do a lot of communication with their bodies rather than through sound. It's a lot harder for people to read their body language so they might be in for a nasty surprise. And this is where we come across cat haters.

By trying to force cats to behave more like dogs – showering us with attention – we're trying to push them away from their natural behaviour. The cat that may be currently curled up on your sofa or glaring at you from its vantage point on top of the bookcase shares many of its instincts with those of its pre-domestic ancestors – the desire to hunt, to patrol territory, guarding it from other cats; they are much closer to their old selves than dogs. So if they seem to hate you, it's probably because you're big, you're loud and you're scary.

Ultimately, it's hard to like something you don't understand, so before committing to hating cats, try to see yourself through their eyes. And remember that just the fact that they seem to want to be around us at all is remarkable.

2.2. WRITE A COMPOSITION ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS: (2.5 points)

Would you rather share a flat with other students or live in a student hall while you are at university? Analyse pros and cons. (Approximately 120 words)

QUESTION 3. (5 points)

3.1.1. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the first one. You must use the word or expression in italics. (2 points)

a.

Our wedding will take place in the first two weeks of June.

By the end of June our

By the end of June our

b.

Is someone going to repair your mother’s watch?

get

c.

You didn’t have to bring a map.

needn’t

d.

I would like to have a cat, but all my flatmates hate cats.

I wish

I wish

e.

I prefer to have a dog; dogs are more predictable than cats.

’d rather

QUESTION 3. (5 points)

3.1.2. Pronunciation: (0.5 points)

a.

In which word is the underlined letter NOT silent? w rong, w hole, w rist, ans w er, w histle

b.

In which word is the “th” group pronounced as in “ th ing”? thorough, rather, though, breathe

c.

Can you provide a homophone (a word that sounds the same as another) of the word “reign”?

d.

Which two words have a diphthong as in “l i ke”? prince, written, knife, since, pill, brief, science, link

QUESTION 3. (5 points)

3.2. WRITE A COMPOSITION ANSWERING THIS QUESTION: (2.5 points)

What can you do against climate change? (Approximately 120 words)