Ejercicio 3 - Synonyms · Inglés PAU Valencia Ordinaria 2026

ARE BOOMERS THE REAL IPAD BABIES?

The phone never leaves their palm. It blares and beeps at odd hours, threatening anyone in the vicinity with the sensory overload of a full-blast Facebook reel. It’s a constant companion, but a distracting one, when it comes to family dinners and nights with friends and restaurant outings. And when they’re in the solitude of their own homes, that phone is a compulsive doomscroll device that devours hours at a time. Research shows social media use is growing among people 65 and older and some of their children and grandchildren are worried they’re slipping quietly into screen addiction.

Brendan Moriak, a 25-year-old film orchestrator, noticed that since he and his brother moved out, his Gen X parents’ phone use has skyrocketed — and in unexpected ways. His mom asks AI which type of towels to buy. His dad used it to write a jukebox musical. “Gen X and Boomers are now ChatGPT-pilled and addicted to their phones,” he said. “My parents are on their phones more than I’m on my phone.” We can already hear the choir: “Not all boomers!” That may be true, but it’s not just anecdotal. According to research firm GWI, the newly retired are more likely than people under 25 to own tablets, laptops and smart TVs.

Despite countless studies about teenage screen time use, the impact of phone addiction during retirement has yet to be fully understood. Research doesn’t yet tell us what it means for individuals. Or for their families. One Washington woman said her husband’s parents visit just a handful of times per year. During those visits, they spend much of the time scrolling Facebook and reading news apps and online shopping for their grandbabies — but very little time playing with them. “If Grandma can’t even read ‘Goodnight Moon’ without taking a call, what is she telling her grandkids? Is the other person or device more important than you?”

Like so many wretched things in 2026, this phenomenon has roots in the pandemic. When religious services, book clubs, doctor appointments and family reunions went online in 2020, so did the retired. Navigating telehealth appointments and virtual socializing ultimately made some older adults feel more confident in tech use and adoption.

Adapted from an article by Sophia Solano, The Washington Post, 18-3-2026.

3. Write a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text. (1 point: 0.25 each)

vicinity devours skyrocketed anecdotal device wretched

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