Examen de Inglés PAU Madrid 2020 · Extraordinaria Coincidencias

TEXTO A

China Sets Rules for Young Gamers

The Chinese government has released new rules aimed at limiting video game addiction among young people, a problem that top officials believe is to blame for a rise in myopia and poor academic performance. The regulations, announced by the National Press and Publication Administration, ban users younger than 18 from playing games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. They are not permitted to play more than 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on weekends and holidays.

The limits are the government’s latest attempt to control China’s online gaming industry, one of the world’s largest, which generates more than $33 billion in annual revenue and draws hundreds of millions of users. Under President Xi Jinping, officials in China have taken a more forceful approach in regulating large technology companies and pushing them to help spread cultural values.

The National Press said that minors would be required to use real names and identification numbers when they logged on to play. The rules also limit how much young people can spend on purchases made through apps, like virtual weapons, clothes and pets. Those purchases are now capped at $28 to$57 a month, depending on age. Chinese officials said the regulations were meant to combat addiction. “These problems also affect the mental health of minors, as well as their normal learning and living,” the National Press and Publication Administration said. Many of the biggest technology companies, including Tencent and Netease, have already imposed limits on younger users.

The rules were greeted skeptically by some parents and gamers. The owner of an industrial technology firm in China said he was worried that many children would still find ways to play video games. For example, he noted that his 7-year-old nephew often played games that did not require an Internet connection and were therefore difficult to regulate.

Adapted from “China Sets Rules for Young Gamers”, The New York Times, Nov. 6, 2019. < https://nyti.ms/2Oj4elv>

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)

Chinese authorities believe video game addiction is responsible for the increase in sight problems.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

All parents are happy with the new video-gaming regulations.

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)

How will the government ensure that young players are complying with regulations?

b)

What are the restrictions on gaming in terms of time and money?

TEXTO A

China Sets Rules for Young Gamers

The Chinese government has released new rules aimed at limiting video game addiction among young people, a problem that top officials believe is to blame for a rise in myopia and poor academic performance. The regulations, announced by the National Press and Publication Administration, ban users younger than 18 from playing games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. They are not permitted to play more than 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on weekends and holidays.

The limits are the government’s latest attempt to control China’s online gaming industry, one of the world’s largest, which generates more than $33 billion in annual revenue and draws hundreds of millions of users. Under President Xi Jinping, officials in China have taken a more forceful approach in regulating large technology companies and pushing them to help spread cultural values.

The National Press said that minors would be required to use real names and identification numbers when they logged on to play. The rules also limit how much young people can spend on purchases made through apps, like virtual weapons, clothes and pets. Those purchases are now capped at $28 to$57 a month, depending on age. Chinese officials said the regulations were meant to combat addiction. “These problems also affect the mental health of minors, as well as their normal learning and living,” the National Press and Publication Administration said. Many of the biggest technology companies, including Tencent and Netease, have already imposed limits on younger users.

The rules were greeted skeptically by some parents and gamers. The owner of an industrial technology firm in China said he was worried that many children would still find ways to play video games. For example, he noted that his 7-year-old nephew often played games that did not require an Internet connection and were therefore difficult to regulate.

Adapted from “China Sets Rules for Young Gamers”, The New York Times, Nov. 6, 2019. < https://nyti.ms/2Oj4elv>

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

a)

b)

c)

d)

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

a)

In the past, children

(play) games on the streets

than at home.

b)

The Internet

(not/invent) by a single person, but was the work of dozens of scientists, programmers and engineers

developed new features and technologies.

c)

Internet addiction is a common problem that can be just

damaging

any other form of addiction.

d)

Complete the following sentence to report what was said.

“How long do your children play computer games on weekdays?”

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

Do you think technology can be addictive? Justify your answer.

TEXTO B

Ending the Age of Plastic

Christine Figgener, a marine biologist, could never have predicted that an eight-minute video would change the course of her career. But in August 2015, the 34-year-old marine-conservation biologist discovered a sea turtle in Costa Rica with a plastic straw lodged up its nose. Outraged at the extreme discomfort to the creature, Figgener filmed her research crew removing the straw from the turtle’s nose, blood flowing from its nostrils. The heart-wrenching video has racked up more than 32 million views on YouTube. “I thought I can really show what kind of harm one object can do,” she says.

Americans alone use as many as 390 million plastic straws a day — just a small proportion of the 8 million metric tons of plastic that ends up in the ocean annually. Though Figgener’s video is three years old, it continues to make waves. In July it was credited with helping galvanize broader support for moves by major companies in phasing out plastic straws. “We can all do something,” Figgener says.

Figgener worked in Costa Rica for several years before beginning her PhD at Texas A&M University. Now, alongside finishing her dissertation, Figgener spends her time visiting schools to educate the younger generations about the ocean and working with a group of girls in Indiana to eliminate disposable plastic utensils from their cafeteria. “This is exactly what we need — people that want to do something,” she says.

She also takes part in a pen-pal program that she hopes paints a different picture of what it means to be a scientist. “A lot of people still have in mind that a scientist needs to be a white male,” Figgener says. “I want to give children the idea that they can be a scientist, too, no matter who they are.”

Adapted from “Ending the age of plastic,” Time, 10 th October 2018. <https://time.com/collection-post/5414033/>

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)

Christine Figgener did not foresee the effects of the video on her professional life.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

Nowadays, people have forgotten about Christine's video.

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)

Describe the incident that Christine filmed.

b)

What's the purpose of the pen-pal programme?

TEXTO B

Ending the Age of Plastic

Christine Figgener, a marine biologist, could never have predicted that an eight-minute video would change the course of her career. But in August 2015, the 34-year-old marine-conservation biologist discovered a sea turtle in Costa Rica with a plastic straw lodged up its nose. Outraged at the extreme discomfort to the creature, Figgener filmed her research crew removing the straw from the turtle’s nose, blood flowing from its nostrils. The heart-wrenching video has racked up more than 32 million views on YouTube. “I thought I can really show what kind of harm one object can do,” she says.

Americans alone use as many as 390 million plastic straws a day — just a small proportion of the 8 million metric tons of plastic that ends up in the ocean annually. Though Figgener’s video is three years old, it continues to make waves. In July it was credited with helping galvanize broader support for moves by major companies in phasing out plastic straws. “We can all do something,” Figgener says.

Figgener worked in Costa Rica for several years before beginning her PhD at Texas A&M University. Now, alongside finishing her dissertation, Figgener spends her time visiting schools to educate the younger generations about the ocean and working with a group of girls in Indiana to eliminate disposable plastic utensils from their cafeteria. “This is exactly what we need — people that want to do something,” she says.

She also takes part in a pen-pal program that she hopes paints a different picture of what it means to be a scientist. “A lot of people still have in mind that a scientist needs to be a white male,” Figgener says. “I want to give children the idea that they can be a scientist, too, no matter who they are.”

Adapted from “Ending the age of plastic,” Time, 10 th October 2018. <https://time.com/collection-post/5414033/>

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

a)

found (paragraph 1)

b)

damage (paragraph 1)

c)

do away with (paragraph 3)

d)

canteen (paragraph 3)

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

a)

If Greta Thunberg (not/start) her campaign against climate change, she (be) less known.

b)

When I turned the television, my favourite show had finished.

c)

According to the United Nations, least 800 species worldwide are affected by marine debris, and as much as 80 percent of that litter comes plastic.

d)

A recent study (find) that sea turtles ingest just 14 pieces of plastic with their food have an increased risk of death.

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

Why do you think there are still more men than women in science? Justify your answer.