Examen de Inglés PAU País Vasco 2021 · Ordinaria

Choose between option A and option B. Specify the option you have chosen.

Please, don't forget to write down your code on each of your answer sheets.

OPTION A

PLASTIC SCHOOL

Every morning, students go to Akshar School (Assam, India) with a bag of plastic waste, and in exchange they get their day's lessons.

Akshar School, started by Mazin Mukhtar and his wife Sarma, has helped to stop local people burning used plastic. The village's toxic fires were causing such an environmental problem that children were coughing in their classrooms.

"When we asked the parents to send their household plastic with their children on the school bus, almost none of them did. They preferred to burn their plastic at home. So we told them we would start charging fees which they could pay in plastic waste from their homes," says Mukhtar. This alternative quickly resulted in 100% agreement from parents, who also promised to stop burning plastic.

"As we collect at least 25 units of plastic every week from each student, we are able to get more than 10,000 pieces of plastic each month. These are transformed into eco-bricks for construction. The clouds of toxic smoke from plastic burning have decreased significantly," says Sarma.

The school has also contributed to reducing child labour at the local factories. "Older children help with the younger ones at school, and in return get paid in toy money that can be used to buy snacks, toys and clothes at local shops." The school's plastic recycling centre also offers part-time paid jobs to older teenagers who need to earn money to support their families, since many of these teenagers come from poor backgrounds. In this way, Akshar School ensures that older teenagers are able to stay in school and also earn an income for their families.

"They love coming to school so much that they don't want holidays," says Sarma. "It has also transformed the lives of our pupils. These kids are marginalised by society. When they first come, they are full of anger and aggression. But as they study and learn new skills, they become more confident."

From the original 20 students, Akshar now has seven teachers managing 110 children aged from 4 to 15, and there are over 100 kids on a waiting list. Mukhtar and Sarma have now signed up with the regional authorities to apply the Akshar model to five government schools.

OPTION A

I.- Answer 4 out of the following 6 questions according to the information given in the text. WRITE COMPLETE SENTENCES USING YOUR OWN WORDS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. DO NOT COPY FROM THE TEXT. (Choose 4 out of the 6 questions) (4 marks)

1.

Why do students take a bag of plastic waste to school every morning?

2.

Why did Mukhtar and Sarma decide to start collecting plastic?

3.

What was happening to plastic waste before the school started collecting it?

4.

Why did parents change their minds about burning their used plastic at home?

5.

What happens to the plastic collected by the school?

6.

How does the school ensure that older teenagers are able to stay in school?

Choose between option A and option B. Specify the option you have chosen.

Please, don't forget to write down your code on each of your answer sheets.

OPTION A

PLASTIC SCHOOL

Every morning, students go to Akshar School (Assam, India) with a bag of plastic waste, and in exchange they get their day's lessons.

Akshar School, started by Mazin Mukhtar and his wife Sarma, has helped to stop local people burning used plastic. The village's toxic fires were causing such an environmental problem that children were coughing in their classrooms.

"When we asked the parents to send their household plastic with their children on the school bus, almost none of them did. They preferred to burn their plastic at home. So we told them we would start charging fees which they could pay in plastic waste from their homes," says Mukhtar. This alternative quickly resulted in 100% agreement from parents, who also promised to stop burning plastic.

"As we collect at least 25 units of plastic every week from each student, we are able to get more than 10,000 pieces of plastic each month. These are transformed into eco-bricks for construction. The clouds of toxic smoke from plastic burning have decreased significantly," says Sarma.

The school has also contributed to reducing child labour at the local factories. "Older children help with the younger ones at school, and in return get paid in toy money that can be used to buy snacks, toys and clothes at local shops." The school's plastic recycling centre also offers part-time paid jobs to older teenagers who need to earn money to support their families, since many of these teenagers come from poor backgrounds. In this way, Akshar School ensures that older teenagers are able to stay in school and also earn an income for their families.

"They love coming to school so much that they don't want holidays," says Sarma. "It has also transformed the lives of our pupils. These kids are marginalised by society. When they first come, they are full of anger and aggression. But as they study and learn new skills, they become more confident."

From the original 20 students, Akshar now has seven teachers managing 110 children aged from 4 to 15, and there are over 100 kids on a waiting list. Mukhtar and Sarma have now signed up with the regional authorities to apply the Akshar model to five government schools.

OPTION A

II.- Are these statements True or False? Justify your answers based on information from the text, rewriting the original sentences in your own words or quoting properly. (Choose 2 out of the 3 statements) (2 marks)

1.

Akshar School was established by the Indian authorities.

TRUE

FALSE

2.

Parents can only pay Akshar School's fees in cash.

TRUE

FALSE

3.

Smoke pollution has decreased thanks to the school's actions.

TRUE

FALSE

Choose between option A and option B. Specify the option you have chosen.

Please, don't forget to write down your code on each of your answer sheets.

OPTION A

PLASTIC SCHOOL

Every morning, students go to Akshar School (Assam, India) with a bag of plastic waste, and in exchange they get their day's lessons.

Akshar School, started by Mazin Mukhtar and his wife Sarma, has helped to stop local people burning used plastic. The village's toxic fires were causing such an environmental problem that children were coughing in their classrooms.

"When we asked the parents to send their household plastic with their children on the school bus, almost none of them did. They preferred to burn their plastic at home. So we told them we would start charging fees which they could pay in plastic waste from their homes," says Mukhtar. This alternative quickly resulted in 100% agreement from parents, who also promised to stop burning plastic.

"As we collect at least 25 units of plastic every week from each student, we are able to get more than 10,000 pieces of plastic each month. These are transformed into eco-bricks for construction. The clouds of toxic smoke from plastic burning have decreased significantly," says Sarma.

The school has also contributed to reducing child labour at the local factories. "Older children help with the younger ones at school, and in return get paid in toy money that can be used to buy snacks, toys and clothes at local shops." The school's plastic recycling centre also offers part-time paid jobs to older teenagers who need to earn money to support their families, since many of these teenagers come from poor backgrounds. In this way, Akshar School ensures that older teenagers are able to stay in school and also earn an income for their families.

"They love coming to school so much that they don't want holidays," says Sarma. "It has also transformed the lives of our pupils. These kids are marginalised by society. When they first come, they are full of anger and aggression. But as they study and learn new skills, they become more confident."

From the original 20 students, Akshar now has seven teachers managing 110 children aged from 4 to 15, and there are over 100 kids on a waiting list. Mukhtar and Sarma have now signed up with the regional authorities to apply the Akshar model to five government schools.

OPTION A

III.- Find the words or expressions in the text that mean: (Choose 4 out of the 6 questions) (1 mark)

1.

the act of giving something to someone and them giving you something else in return

2.

forcing air out suddenly and noisily through your throat, for example when you have a cold

3.

amounts of money paid for work or services

4.

to get money for doing work

5.

fury, bad temper, rage

6.

feeling sure about your own ability to do things and be successful

OPTION A

IV.- Write a composition of about 130 words on one of these topics. Specify your option. (3 marks)

1.

“The only possible reasons not to recycle are laziness or ignorance. People who don't recycle should have to pay more taxes.” Write an opinion essay about this topic.

OPTION A

IV.- Write a composition of about 130 words on one of these topics. Specify your option. (3 marks)

2.

Is it easy to reduce the amount of plastic we use every day? Explain how it can be done.

OPTION B

THE MANY WAYS THAT DOGS HELP PEOPLE

Dogs not only make great companions, but also improve the quality of life of their owners and can promote psychological and physical health benefits.

Dog walking can stimulate social interactions, encouraging dog owners to be friendlier and chat to each other. Decreased feelings of loneliness and hopelessness are scientifically documented benefits of having a dog.

People who own dogs have a lower risk of developing heart problems. Researchers have discovered that dog owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, partly because dog walking makes them more active for about 30 extra minutes a day on average, compared to people without dogs.

Spending time with an animal has proved to help those battling an illness. A study showed that patients who had recently undergone surgery responded better to treatment and had faster recovery rates if they had contact with dogs and other therapy animals.

Other studies have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out diseases like cancer or malaria. For instance, dogs can show a strong reaction to low blood sugar levels, which helps their diabetic owners stay healthy and safe by signalling when they should get medical assistance.

Apart from the traditional help given by guide dogs for the blind or hearing dogs, assistance dogs can help their owners in other ways. For example, these dogs can help to pick things up, open and close doors, pull wheelchairs, and dozens of other tasks.

Dogs are naturally patient and they don’t judge humans by their disabilities. This unconditional acceptance can be fundamental in the life of a child with special needs. These children may have difficulties with social interactions, which is why the total love and acceptance of their companion dogs is so important for them. Interacting with their dogs helps children to open up emotionally, which improves their overall performance, social skills and self-confidence.

Those who choose to open their homes to a dog should know that they will have to change their daily lives and routines. Just as children depend on their parents, dogs are completely dependent on their owners for all their needs. However, unlike children, dogs will never grow to be self-sufficient. Nevertheless, for a lot of people, the years of companionship, unconditional love and many other benefits they receive from their dogs are worth the daily responsibilities.

I.- Answer 4 out of the following 6 questions according to the information given in the text. WRITE COMPLETE SENTENCES USING YOUR OWN WORDS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. DO NOT COPY FROM THE TEXT. (Choose 4 out of the 6 questions) (4 marks)

1.

Why does having a dog encourage social interactions?

2.

What is one of the reasons why dog owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol?

3.

How can dogs help people with diabetes?

4.

Apart from guide and hearing dogs, how can other assistance dogs help their owners?

5.

What characteristics do dogs have that make them important in helping children with special needs?

6.

What do people need to know when they choose to get a dog?

OPTION B

THE MANY WAYS THAT DOGS HELP PEOPLE

Dogs not only make great companions, but also improve the quality of life of their owners and can promote psychological and physical health benefits.

Dog walking can stimulate social interactions, encouraging dog owners to be friendlier and chat to each other. Decreased feelings of loneliness and hopelessness are scientifically documented benefits of having a dog.

People who own dogs have a lower risk of developing heart problems. Researchers have discovered that dog owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, partly because dog walking makes them more active for about 30 extra minutes a day on average, compared to people without dogs.

Spending time with an animal has proved to help those battling an illness. A study showed that patients who had recently undergone surgery responded better to treatment and had faster recovery rates if they had contact with dogs and other therapy animals.

Other studies have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out diseases like cancer or malaria. For instance, dogs can show a strong reaction to low blood sugar levels, which helps their diabetic owners stay healthy and safe by signalling when they should get medical assistance.

Apart from the traditional help given by guide dogs for the blind or hearing dogs, assistance dogs can help their owners in other ways. For example, these dogs can help to pick things up, open and close doors, pull wheelchairs, and dozens of other tasks.

Dogs are naturally patient and they don’t judge humans by their disabilities. This unconditional acceptance can be fundamental in the life of a child with special needs. These children may have difficulties with social interactions, which is why the total love and acceptance of their companion dogs is so important for them. Interacting with their dogs helps children to open up emotionally, which improves their overall performance, social skills and self-confidence.

Those who choose to open their homes to a dog should know that they will have to change their daily lives and routines. Just as children depend on their parents, dogs are completely dependent on their owners for all their needs. However, unlike children, dogs will never grow to be self-sufficient. Nevertheless, for a lot of people, the years of companionship, unconditional love and many other benefits they receive from their dogs are worth the daily responsibilities.

II.- Are these statements True or False ? Justify your answers based on information from the text, rewriting the original sentences in your own words or quoting properly. (Choose 2 out of the 3 statements) (2 marks).

.

TRUE

FALSE

OPTION B

THE MANY WAYS THAT DOGS HELP PEOPLE

Dogs not only make great companions, but also improve the quality of life of their owners and can promote psychological and physical health benefits.

Dog walking can stimulate social interactions, encouraging dog owners to be friendlier and chat to each other. Decreased feelings of loneliness and hopelessness are scientifically documented benefits of having a dog.

People who own dogs have a lower risk of developing heart problems. Researchers have discovered that dog owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, partly because dog walking makes them more active for about 30 extra minutes a day on average, compared to people without dogs.

Spending time with an animal has proved to help those battling an illness. A study showed that patients who had recently undergone surgery responded better to treatment and had faster recovery rates if they had contact with dogs and other therapy animals.

Other studies have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out diseases like cancer or malaria. For instance, dogs can show a strong reaction to low blood sugar levels, which helps their diabetic owners stay healthy and safe by signalling when they should get medical assistance.

Apart from the traditional help given by guide dogs for the blind or hearing dogs, assistance dogs can help their owners in other ways. For example, these dogs can help to pick things up, open and close doors, pull wheelchairs, and dozens of other tasks.

Dogs are naturally patient and they don’t judge humans by their disabilities. This unconditional acceptance can be fundamental in the life of a child with special needs. These children may have difficulties with social interactions, which is why the total love and acceptance of their companion dogs is so important for them. Interacting with their dogs helps children to open up emotionally, which improves their overall performance, social skills and self-confidence.

Those who choose to open their homes to a dog should know that they will have to change their daily lives and routines. Just as children depend on their parents, dogs are completely dependent on their owners for all their needs. However, unlike children, dogs will never grow to be self-sufficient. Nevertheless, for a lot of people, the years of companionship, unconditional love and many other benefits they receive from their dogs are worth the daily responsibilities.

III.- Find the words or expressions in the text that mean: (Choose 4 out of the 6 questions) (1 mark)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

OPTION B

IV.- Write a composition of about 130 words on one of these topics. Specify your option (3 marks)

1.

“Pet abandonment is a huge problem world-wide. There are millions of friendly, adoptable pets put to death every year because nobody gives them a home.”

Write an opinion essay on this topic.

OPTION B

IV.- Write a composition of about 130 words on one of these topics. Specify your option (3 marks)

2.

If you could choose a pet, which one would you like to have? Give reasons for your choice.