Examen de Inglés PAU Madrid 2020 · Extraordinaria

TEXTO A

University Education

It used to be that a university degree was a fast track to a good career. But today, thousands of British students are instead having to struggle to find work to match their qualifications. The Office for National Statistics reported this year that almost one in every three graduates is overqualified for their job. Some students have taken their universities to court for failing to provide value for money and received thousands of pounds in settlements.

So which degrees should British students avoid if they want to become high earners? As regards men, a creative arts degree leads to the lowest average graduate salary. Men studying English or philosophy may also earn less than the average man who left school at the age of 16. As for women, in almost all cases doing any degree means a woman will earn at least slightly more than if she had not attended university. This is so because the earnings of women without university qualifications are much lower than those of men. Even those females studying social care, the degree with the lowest average earnings, enjoy a slightly higher salary post-graduation than women without a degree.

So, is doing a degree still really worth it? Yes, research does conclude that completing a degree is still worthwhile. “If a higher salary is the key reason for going to university, students need to choose their subjects carefully,” said an investment expert. “For women, studying medicine or economics increases their earning potential by more than 60% and for men over 20%.”

However, a high salary post-graduation is not the only motivating factor for young people choosing to continue their studies. “There are plenty of artists and philosophers who were enormously enriched by their university experiences – just not financially,” Ms Coles added.

Adapted from: “The ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees that could reduce your earning potential,” The Telegraph, 4 November 2019. <http://bit.do/fquYf>

QUESTIONS

A.1

(2 puntos) Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.

a) In the past studying at university opened the door to suitable job opportunities.

TRUE

FALSE

b) There exists a possibility for male university graduates to earn a lower salary than men who never studied at university.

TRUE

FALSE

A.2

(2 puntos) In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.

a) Why do women find it economically more convenient to go to university than men — even when women choose a lower-paying career?

b) Is it still useful to study at university according to the text? Why/Why not?

TEXTO A

University Education

It used to be that a university degree was a fast track to a good career. But today, thousands of British students are instead having to struggle to find work to match their qualifications. The Office for National Statistics reported this year that almost one in every three graduates is overqualified for their job. Some students have taken their universities to court for failing to provide value for money and received thousands of pounds in settlements.

So which degrees should British students avoid if they want to become high earners? As regards men, a creative arts degree leads to the lowest average graduate salary. Men studying English or philosophy may also earn less than the average man who left school at the age of 16. As for women, in almost all cases doing any degree means a woman will earn at least slightly more than if she had not attended university. This is so because the earnings of women without university qualifications are much lower than those of men. Even those females studying social care, the degree with the lowest average earnings, enjoy a slightly higher salary post-graduation than women without a degree.

So, is doing a degree still really worth it? Yes, research does conclude that completing a degree is still worthwhile. “If a higher salary is the key reason for going to university, students need to choose their subjects carefully,” said an investment expert. “For women, studying medicine or economics increases their earning potential by more than 60% and for men over 20%.”

However, a high salary post-graduation is not the only motivating factor for young people choosing to continue their studies. “There are plenty of artists and philosophers who were enormously enriched by their university experiences – just not financially,” Ms Coles added.

Adapted from: “The ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees that could reduce your earning potential,” The Telegraph, 4 November 2019. <http://bit.do/fquYf>

A.3 (1 punto) Find the words in the text that mean:

a) try hard (paragraph 1):

b) a little (paragraph 2):

c) determine (paragraph 3):

d) inspirational (paragraph 4):

A.4 (2 puntos) Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.

a) If I (know) this university degree was going to be so difficult, I (not/choose) it. But it's too late to make any changes now that I'm in 2 nd year.

b) The London School of Economics, usually scores highly in university rankings, (report) last year as the one with the highest employment rate in the UK.

c) She hasn't succeeded in (get) the results she wanted. Therefore, she intends (sit) the exam next year again.

d) I'm so tired of school life: I've been looking to starting university I was in 3 rd year of secondary education.

A.5 (3 puntos) Write about 150 to 200 words on the following topic:

“Passion vs. Money”. Which reasons will determine your university degree choice?

TEXTO B

The Ladies Bridge

Waterloo Bridge in London is nicknamed ‘The Ladies Bridge’ for the women who built it. As World War II overtook Europe and men went off to battle, the women of England entered the wartime workforce. “Before long,” says the BBC, “women made up one third of the total workforce in the metal and chemical industries, as well as in ship-building and vehicle manufacture.” They also worked on English infrastructure.

But while Rosie the Riveter, the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defence industries during World War II, became perhaps the most iconic image of American working women, those who built this bridge were largely forgotten. “Today the riverboat pilots on the Thames tell the story of Waterloo Bridge being built by women in World War II,” says the summary of The Ladies Bridge, a documentary by filmmaker Karen Livesey. Though a crew of largely women workers built the current Waterloo Bridge in the early 1940s, at the official opening of the bridge in 1945, Herbert Morrison, an English politician, thanked all the men who worked on the project: “The men who built Waterloo Bridge are fortunate men. They know that, although their names may be forgotten, their work will be a pride and use to London for many generations to come.”

The displacement of women’s role in the history of the Waterloo Bridge, says a 2006 article, wasn’t out of malice, or discrimination. Peter Mandell, the head of Peter Lind and Company, the contractor that oversaw the building of the bridge in 1940s, said “there’s no hidden agenda behind their unacknowledged achievements – the archive was simply lost when Lind temporarily suspended trading in the 1970s.” “We’re very proud of our female workforce,” he says. “We’re rebuilding this archive and want to honor them with a plaque on the bridge.”

Adapted from “This Bridge is Nicknamed the ‘Ladies Bridge’ because it was Built Largely by Women,” Smithsonian Magazine, July 15, 2013. <https://bit.ly/2JL7dS6>

QUESTIONS

B.1 (2 puntos) Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.

a)

During World War II English women had to substitute male workers.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

An article said that the contribution of women in the construction of the bridge was not mentioned on purpose.

TRUE

FALSE

B.2 (2 puntos) In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.

a)

Why did Rosie the Riveter become a symbol in the USA?

b)

What happened at the official opening of the bridge?

TEXTO B

The Ladies Bridge

Waterloo Bridge in London is nicknamed ‘The Ladies Bridge’ for the women who built it. As World War II overtook Europe and men went off to battle, the women of England entered the wartime workforce. “Before long,” says the BBC, “women made up one third of the total workforce in the metal and chemical industries, as well as in ship-building and vehicle manufacture.” They also worked on English infrastructure.

But while Rosie the Riveter, the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defence industries during World War II, became perhaps the most iconic image of American working women, those who built this bridge were largely forgotten. “Today the riverboat pilots on the Thames tell the story of Waterloo Bridge being built by women in World War II,” says the summary of The Ladies Bridge, a documentary by filmmaker Karen Livesey. Though a crew of largely women workers built the current Waterloo Bridge in the early 1940s, at the official opening of the bridge in 1945, Herbert Morrison, an English politician, thanked all the men who worked on the project: “The men who built Waterloo Bridge are fortunate men. They know that, although their names may be forgotten, their work will be a pride and use to London for many generations to come.”

The displacement of women’s role in the history of the Waterloo Bridge, says a 2006 article, wasn’t out of malice, or discrimination. Peter Mandell, the head of Peter Lind and Company, the contractor that oversaw the building of the bridge in 1940s, said “there’s no hidden agenda behind their unacknowledged achievements – the archive was simply lost when Lind temporarily suspended trading in the 1970s.” “We’re very proud of our female workforce,” he says. “We’re rebuilding this archive and want to honor them with a plaque on the bridge.”

Adapted from “This Bridge is Nicknamed the ‘Ladies Bridge’ because it was Built Largely by Women,” Smithsonian Magazine, July 15, 2013. <https://bit.ly/2JL7dS6>

B.3 (1 punto) Find the words in the text that mean:

a)

b)

c)

d)

B.4 (2 puntos) Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.

a)

Waterloo Bridge is known as the Ladies Bridge

the key role women

(play) in its construction.

b)

More women were employed in industrial sectors

the early forties as the segregation between men and women

(diminish).

c)

The government has decided to go

with the plans for building a new airport 50 kilometres away

the city.

d)

They had worked hard all morning, so

midday they stopped

(have) a coffee and a sandwich.

B.5 (3 puntos)

Write about 150 to 200 words on the following topic:

Do you think the roles of men and women in society have changed over the last fifty years? Justify your answer.