ELEA REFUERZO EDUCATIVO ENGLISH TEST ABAU MODEL 2020

QUESTION 1: READ THE TEXT 1 BELOW AND ANSWER THE THREE QUESTIONS (2,5
POINTS)

1.1 Write a summary of the text in English, including the most important points, using your
own words. (Approximately 50 words; 0.75 point)

1.2 Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) according to the text.
Copy that part (and ONLY that part) of the text which justifies your answer. (1 point; 0.25 each)

a) Many students believe there is no need for homework.

b) During the academic year, teens are as stressed as adults.

c) The amount of homework assigned only depends on the grade level.

1.3 Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given (0,25
points each) a) regardless b) upcoming c) to manage

a)Despite b)Fated C) to deal

How Much Homework Is Too Much for Our Teens?

than those reported by adults.

School can cause a lot of stress, which can lead to other serious problems, like sleep deprivation. During
the school week, most teens only get about six hours of sleep a night, and some of that sleep deficit may
be attributed to homework.

Homework is not only a source of stress for students, but it can also be a problem for parents because it
affects home life. However, from a teacher’s perspective, the assignments are meant to help students
better understand the course content and prepare for upcoming exams.

Given the situation, a few questions should be considered:

Is homework necessary? Many teens may give a quick “no” to this question, but the verdict is still unclear.
Research supports both sides of the argument. Personally, I would say, yes, some homework is
necessary, but it must be purposeful. If it’s “busy work”, like copying pages from a text book, then it’s a
waste of time. Purposeful homework can come in the form of individualizing assignments based on
students’ needs or helping students practice newly acquired skills.

How much is too much? According to a study, students should only be doing about 10 minutes of

homework per night per grade level. Much of a student’s workload essentially depends on the courses
they take, the teaching philosophy of educators and the student’s commitment to doing the work.
Regardless, research has shown that doing more than two hours of homework per night does not benefit
high school students. Having lots of homework to do every day makes it difficult for teens to have any
downtime and even family time.

Can there be a balance between home and school? Students can strike a balance between school and

home, but parents will have to help them find it. They need parents’ guidance to learn how to better
manage their time, get organized and prioritize tasks. Equally important is developing good study habits.
Learning should be fun, not mundane and complicated. Homework should only be given if it is purposeful

and in moderation. Equally as important as homework is engaging in activities, socializing with friends
and enjoying home life.

Most adults don’t work a full-time job and then go home and do three more hours of work, and neither
should a child. It’s not easy learning to balance everything, especially if you’re a teen.

Fragment adapted from U.S. News, March 2018

QUESTION 2: READ THE TEXT 1 BELOW AND ANSWER THE THREE QUESTIONS (2,5
POINTS)

2.1 Write a summary of the text in English, including the most important points, using your
own words. (Approximately 50 words; 0.75 point)

2.2 Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) according to the text.
Copy that part (and ONLY that part) of the text which justifies your answer. (1 point; 0.25 each)

a) Researchers predict that by the year 2050 advances in technology will allow people’s memories
to be changed.

b) Brain implants are currently used for medical purposes.

c) Investigators at DARPA already know how to treat memory loss in soldiers who have been in
conflicts

2.3 Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given (0,25
points each) a) dearest, b) tool, c) alteration

A) sweetest B)instrument C) change

Now imagine a completely different version of the same future in which hackers steal these
memories and threaten to erase them if you don’t pay a ransom.

It might sound improbable, but this scenario could be closer than you think. Advances in the field
of neurotechnology have brought us closer to intensifying and improving our memories, and in a
few decades we could also be able to manipulate, decode and re-write them.

The technologies likely to support these developments are brain implants which are today
becoming a common tool for neurosurgeons. They deliver deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat a
wide range of conditions, such as tremors, Parkinson’s, and obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD), in around 150,000 people worldwide.

Using the same technology, researchers are exploring how to treat memory disorders such as
those caused by traumatic events. The US Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
has begun a programme to develop and test a “wireless, fully implantable neural interface” which
it hopes will help to restore memory loss in soldiers affected by traumatic brain injury.

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there is a commercially available memory implant within the next
10 years or so – we are talking about this kind of time-frame,” says Laurie Pycroft, a researcher at
the University of Oxford. “In 20 years’ time, the technology may evolve enough to allow us to
capture the signals that build our memories, make them more vivid, and return them to the brain.
By the middle of the century, we may have even more extensive control, with the ability to
manipulate memories.”

But the consequences of control falling into the wrong hands could be “very grave”, says Mr
Pycroft. A hacker could threaten to erase or overwrite someone’s memories if money is not paid
to them – perhaps via the dark web.

“Memory theft and malicious memory alteration pose a variety of challenges to security,” says
Dmitry Galov, a researcher at the cyber-security company Kaspersky Lab. “If we don’t develop
solutions for that first generation of implants, then the second and third generations will still be
insecure – but the implants will be so much more powerful that the attackers will have the
advantage.”

Fragment adapted from BBC World Service, February 2019

QUESTION 3: Answer the two blocks of questions:

a. Which one of these words contains the sound /aɪ/ as in “my”: item,since,male,baby?

b. Which one of these words contains the sound /æ/ as in “fat”: car, apple, bar, one?

c. Which one of these words contains the sound / /i:/ as in “see”: extreme, wanted, evening,
event?

d. Write the word whose underlined letters are pronounced differently from the rest: love,stop,
come,cover.

3.2. Block 2. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the
first one. You must use the word or expression in italics. (1.5 points; 0.5 points each)

a. It is six years since Paul bought hits News car

a. Paul bought..............

b. It isn't necessary to bring skis as they are included in the package.

B. You .........

c. Driving a car may be dangerous.

C. It may ......................

QUESTION 4. Answer the two blocks of questions:

4.1. Block 1. Pronunciation: (1 point; 0.25 each)

a. In which word is pronounced /ɪ /:animal,massage,suply, siamese?

b. Write the word in which the “-ed” ending is pronounced /ɪd/: caused,posted,realized,dropped

c. Which word is pronounced diferent of the rest:pull,sugar,woman,include

d. In which word is the underlined letter (“a”) pronounced differently:water,law,allow,war

4.2. Block 1: Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the
first one. You must use the word or expression in italics. (1.5 points; 0.5 points each)

a. Sara is so intelligent that everybody asks for her advice.

a. Sara is such.................

b. I‘m going to do more sport because I want to lose some weight.

a. I am going ............. in orden to ....................

c. I am sick and tired of people phoning me during my favourite TV programme.

A. I am sick........................while................

QUESTION 5 :WRITE a composition of about 120 words on the following topic (2,5 points):

Today’s students have more stressful lives. Give your opinion.

QUESTION 6: WRITE a composition of about 120 words on the following topic (2,5 points):

There are negative and positive sides to all new technologies. Give your opinion.