selectividad abril 2011

TEXT 1

A NEW TAX ON RUBBISH

A new tax, known as “pay–as-you-throw,” in which British families will be charged for the amount of rubbish they produce, is to be brought nationwide.

The Government thinks there must be a radical revision of the way in which rubbish is thrown away, otherwise there is a real danger that city council taxes will have to rise and the environment will continue to suffer. In this sense, the Environment Minister has said he would look sympathetically at this new system, which would encourage recycling and make the polluter pay, as he is contributing to climate change.

According to figures published recently by a prestigious institute, Britain has the third worst recycling rate in the European Union, after Greece and Portugal. So, the Local Government Association has threatened to increase council tax bills if recycling doesn’t improve. It has said that this tariff will be needed to cover EU fines.

As in Britain every family owns its waste container, there is a project to secretly fit thousands of bins with microchips with a serial number identifying the home to which waste belongs. This is detected by a sensor on the truck as the bins are lifted for emptying. The weight of the rubbish it contains is calculated by equipment on the truck. This information is then transmitted to a central computer where it is recorded for its later use on household waste bills.

a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (1 point per answer) 1) What will the “pay as you throw” system prevent? (Give two reasons) 2) Which are the two reasons why microchips are used in bins?

b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR

(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)

PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. 3) Families are already paying extra money for rubbish. 4) The Environment Minister doesn’t agree with this new system. 5) Great Britain is the third country in the European Union in recycling waste. 6) The information is sent from a waste lorry to a computer.

(0.5 points per answer)

(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)

7) Find in the text one synonym for “stimulate” (verb). (0.25 points)

8) Give a noun with the same root as PRESTIGIOUS (adjective) (line 7) 9) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:

“sum of money fixed as penalty for offence” (noun). 10) Give one opposite for EMPTY (verb) (line 12). 11) Join the following sentences using a relative pronoun. Make changes if necessary.

Citizens have to pay taxes. Local Governments fix them. 12) Turn the following sentence into passive voice:

My father has brought us up in the respect for human rights. 13) Give a question for the underlined words.

(0.25 points) (0.25 points) (0.25 points)

(0.5 points) (0.5 points) (0.5 points)

In towns you will pay taxes twice a year. 14) Use the words in the boxes to make a meaningful sentence. Use all and only the words in the boxes without

changing their form. (0.5 points)

15) WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.

a) How would you solve the rubbish problem? b) Are people conscious of climate change? Explain.

TEXT 2

STOP SMOKING OR WE MAY NOT OPERATE ON YOU

Patients will have to try to give up the habit if they want to get treatment, such as knee replacement. Posters with “Those who don’t, may not be treated” are all over hospitals. The Health Service in Britain is millions of pounds in debt and this strategy will help save money on care. Hospital managers say smokers are at greater risk of complications when having operations, they take more time to recover, and they have longer and more expensive stays in hospital.

Critics accuse them of putting finances before the health of patients, but the hospitals are giving an opportunity to smokers, proposing that if they need surgery they must undergo therapy for three months in order to get out of the habit. If they have made a strong effort to stop smoking but have failed, they may still get surgery, but if it is believed that they have not tried hard enough, then they may not be operated on.

The National Health Service is following guidelines from the Government, which allows them to consider patients’ lifestyles when deciding if a treatment would be effective. Smokers, however, say that they are being discriminated against. The pro-smoking pressure group Forest says: “Smokers pay their taxes like everyone else, they have the right to free healthcare.” Last year, health authorities in Suffolk stopped obese people from having operations until they tried to lose weight.

a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (1 point per answer)

1) Why do critics say that hospitals put money before health? (Give two reasons)

2) How does the British Health Service want to solve its financial problems? b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE

(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)

TEXT.

3) 4) 5) 6)

(0.5 points per answer)

Hospitals warn patients. If you have smoked for less than three months, you may be operated on. Smokers say they are put at a disadvantage. Smokers are not the only patients who are not allowed to have surgery.

(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)

7) Give an adjective with the same root as CARE (noun) (line 3) (0.25 points)

(0.25 points) (0.25 points)

(0.25 points) (0.5 points)

(0.5 points)

8) 9) 10) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:

Find in the text one synonym for CHANCE (noun). Give one opposite for FAIL (verb) (line 7)

“advice on what to do about something” (noun) 11) Join the following sentences using a relative pronoun. Make changes if necessary.

Medicine is a complicated subject. I know very little about it.

12) Turn the following sentence into reported speech: “I’ll pay for the operation”, he said.

13) Complete the following sentence: If I were a smoker... 14) Use the words in the boxes to make a meaningful sentence. Use all and only the words in the boxes without changing their form.

make

heavy

can

ineffective

smoking

treatment

(0.5 points)

(C) PRODUCTION (3 points)

15) Write a composition (80-100 WORDS) Choose ONE of the following options. Specify your option. a) What do you think about the prohibition of smoking in public places? b) Is health the most important concern for people?