textos selectividad 21-23 de enero 2011

SPAU-T4

TIME IS MONEY

Japanese restaurants, which are suffering from the recession in Asia, are looking for new ways to attract customers. Some of them have adopted a new approach which, although it may not be good for a person’s health, is attracting a growing number of customers. They are offering meals which you pay for, not according to what you eat, but according to how long it takes you to eat them.

Hiroyuki Shiga, a 20-year-old student, has made an art out of eating in these “fast food” restaurants. He advises diners to “take large quantities of everything”. In this way, he continues, “you won’t need to waste time going back to the serving table for second helpings.”

The Totenko restaurant chain offers their customers Chinese food at a rate of 36 yen (0.26 € ) per minute, so a half-hour meal will cost approximately 682 yen (5 € ), instead of the normal 1904 yen (14 € ). Cost-conscious diners queue up outside the restaurant to take advantage of this offer. They can choose whatever they want to eat, from egg rolls and noodles to shrimps or crabs in chilli sauce.

Where did this idea come from? The manager of the first Totenko restaurant to introduce this system got the idea when he heard about a nearby fishpond where fishermen were charged according to the time they spent fishing and not to how many fish they caught. Since then, the idea has caught on and there are now at least 176 restaurants in Japan which are operating on this principle.

Masako Kobayashi visited one of these restaurants and finished her meal in 32 minutes. Although her rapid meal saved her a lot of money, her conclusion was, “It’s not good to rush when you’re eating.”

Questions

1. Decide whether the following statements are true or false, and justify your answers from the text.

a. Japanese restaurants have adopted the new approach in order to save money. b. In the restaurants mentioned in the text, you pay according to how much you eat. c. Many people go to these restaurants. d. These restaurants do not offer a wide choice of food. e. This system of payment was originally used at fishponds in Japan.

2. Write down one advantage and one disadvantage of eating at a Totenko restaurant.

3. Find a word or phrase in the text which means:

a. people who buy things (p1) b. amounts (p2) c. stand one behind the other (p3) d. became very popular (p4)

4. Join sentences. Add words if necessary.

a. Customers at the Totenko restaurant eat quickly. The restaurant charges according to the time it takes to eat.

b. Japan is suffering from a recession. Some restaurants continue to attract many customers.

5. Write 100 – 120 words on one of the following topics.

Página núm.:1.

a. In your opinion, what is more important – the quantity or the quality of the food? Give examples.

b. Write suggestions on how to use your time better.

Marking Criteria:

• Question 1: 2.5 points. • Question 2: 1 points. • Question 3: 2 points. • Question 4: 1 points.

• Question 5: 3.5 points.

SPAU-T5

Bart and Gary had been best friends for six years – since they were seven. Recently enough, Gary had started to spend more time with different crowd. Gary’s new friends were a little older and tougher than Bart. They often left school early to smoke in a nearby park or shplift clothes from the local department store. Bart felt sad as he watched Gary slipping away from him. He didn’t have many other friends.

One day, Bart and Gary were in a supermarket. As Bart walked past the sweet counter, he suddenly thought about shoplifting. Why not? After all, Gary and his friends did it all the time. And was it really wrong? Bart’s family probably had a lot less money than the people who owned the shop. Confident in his decision, Bart reached out and swiftly put a chocolate bar into the pocket of his jacket.

As Bart and Gary were leaving the shop, they were stopped by a man wearing a white T-shirt who said to Bart, “I’m the store detective. Would you mind emptying your pockets for me?”

Bart sheeplishly pulled the chocolate bar out of his pocket. “I was going to pay for it,” he said.

“The cash register is in the other direction,” the detective said grimly. He turned to Gary. “What about you? Anything in your pockets?”

“No way!” Gary protested. “Have a look.” He took off his jacket, turned it upside down, and shook it. Only a few coins fell out.

“All right,” the detective said to Bart. “Come with me. I’m going to call the police.”

“What?” Bart exclaimed. “But I’ve never done this before. And besides, it was just a chocolate bar!”

“Sure, that’s what they all say,” the detective said. “You don’t seem to realise that shoplifting is stealing, plain and simple. Now you are going to have a criminal record.”

“Can I go now?” asked Gary. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Questions

1. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. How has Bart’s relationship with Gary changed recently? b. How did the detective react when Bart said that he had never shoplifted before? c. How do you think Bart and Gary’s friendship will be affected by this experience? Give

reasons.

2. Write a title which best summarises the story and justify your answer.

3. Find a word or phrase in the text with a similar meaning to each of the following:

a. becoming more distant (p1) b. sure of himself (p2) c. quickly (p2) d. severely (p5)

e. without a doubt (p9)

4. Rewrite the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first.

a. The detective said to Bart, “Would you mind emptying your pockets for me?” The detective asked Bart ............

b. “Can I go now?” Asked Gary. Gary asked ............... 5. Write 100 – 120 words on one of the following. Specify your option.

Página núm.:1.

a. What kind of punishment should a shoplifter receive? b. Describe a friend you have or once had.

Marking Criteria:

• Question 1: 1.5 points. • Question 2: 1 points. • Question 3: 2.5 points. • Question 4: 2 points.

• Question 5: 3 points.