Ejercicio Text A - Task 2 · Inglés PAU Murcia Extraordinaria 2021

TEXT A

Living in Egypt: A human review

We lived in Egypt for two and a half months, learning as much as possible about life there. We tried as many experiences as we could, and spoke to many people, from locals of different backgrounds to visitors from neighbouring countries and people from further away.

Egypt is both an African country and an Arab country, but it's also neither. The people of Egypt consider themselves some combination of Egyptian, Arab, North African, or sometimes, none of the above, and just Bedouin (or foreigners). Ethnically speaking, most people living in Egypt are the blend of North African and Arab genes that dominate the country. In fact, according to the National Geographic Genographic Project, the Egyptian gene pool consists of around 17% Arabian genes. Contrast this with Kuwait, whose population on average have 84% Arabian genes, or even Iran, with 56% Arab genes.

There are some pretty significant minorities in Egypt, too. For example, the Bedouin, a group of roaming tribes who have been unconquered by the various empires and religions that have dominated the region over the last two thousand years. They have a sort of “whatever will be, will be” attitude, which also extends to nobody telling them what to do. The Bedouin are distinct culturally, ethnically, and linguistically, though they share a lot with the countries they inhabit.

Egypt itself is a country with many thousands of years of history. In Cairo, you can see the Pyramids from many vantage points 1 around the city, and some people live with them in daily view. In the South of Egypt, there are cities like Luxor which are like living museums, with ruins and relics everywhere. Still, ancient history isn’t the concern of everyday Egyptians…

And as a visitor, Egypt is the kind of country that puts you on your guard, so much that there are probably many times you won’t be able to enjoy its hospitality because you’ve already run away. For example, at the souq 2. When Egyptian salesmen address you, it’s hard to understand if what they’re saying is their typical sales pitch 3 or they are harassing 4 you.

1 Vantage point: A place, especially a high one, that provides a good, clear view of an area.

2 Souq: A market in an Arab country.

3 Sales pitch: A way of talking that is intended to convince you to buy something.

4 Harassment: To behave in a way that annoys or upsets someone, usually repeatedly or continuously.

Complete each sentence with information from the text but using your own words (about 10-15 words of your own per sentence). DO NOT COPY LITERALLY from the text nor from statements 1.1 to 1.4.

2.1.

2.2.