Opción B · Inglés PAU Madrid Extraordinaria (2ª lengua) 2019

The World’s Busiest Beach

Fujiazhuang, which is in the north-eastern Chinese city of Dalian, is the world’s busiest beach. Bathers here are too busy slapping on the factor 50 and edging between towels and tents to hear reminders of their civic duty telling them not to spit litter or smoke among many others.

During peak season, about 40,000 people come to this 500m stretch of beach every day. There is no room for sand castles, or even sand apartments. It is a lovely natural setting, with mountains behind you, the smell of grilled fish and the beautiful ocean, but it has to be said that the initial sighting reminds you of a coastal invasion in a war movie.

Despite the enormous number of people, things function efficiently. Most Chinese people are dismissive of the rules – just look at the traffic – but highly aware of convention and Confucian tradition. This means that even if the country makes a chaotic impression most of the time, there is order beneath. And you can see this order on Fujiazhuang beach.

China is a socially conservative country and, along the beach, most Chinese women are modestly dressed in skirted bikinis. In fact, the atmosphere is generally relaxed. There is a cultural dislike of tanned skin, associated with poverty because you get sunburned working in the field as a farmer. That is why so many sunbathers keep their arms covered, and sport enormous sun visors to protect themselves from the sun. After seafood restaurants and beach toyshops, the main industry of Fujiazhuang beach is wedding photography. This beautiful landscape is filled with photo shoots, assistants with reflectors and brides bustling for places on the rocks for the best shot against the glorious Dalian skyline. And what a beautiful vista.

Adapted from: “The World’s Busiest Beach,” The Irish Times 4 August 2018.

QUESTIONS

1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Chinese people in general are always willing to obey.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

Fujiazhuang is always crowded, no matter the time of the year.

TRUE

FALSE

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

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Why are Chinese people so concerned about keeping their skin protected from the sun? What do they do to succeed in this?

b)

Mention two activities that can be carried out in Fujiazhuang beach apart from bathing.