2º bachillerato. Texto de selectividad

IES CRISTÓBAL DE MONROY ENGLISH TEST FINAL 2º BACHILLERATO 2013

Instrucciones: a) Duración: 1h. 30 min. b) No se permite el uso de diccionario. c) La puntuación de las preguntas está indicada en las mismas. d) Los alumnos deberán realizar completa una de las dos opciones A o B, sin poder mezclar las respuestas.

ANIMAL ASTRONAUTS

Space scientists will soon be choosing two cosmonauts to spend six months in space. The aim of the experiment is to measure the effect of the weightlessness, or zero gravitiy, on bones, muscles and nerves. With a bit of luck, the cosmonauts will return safely to earth. It is routine experiment which the media would normally take no interest in at all, except for one thing- the cosmonauts are rhesus monkeys.

The experiment has provoked discussion in the Press yet again of whether or not we have the right to use animals, particularly monkeys, for scientific experiments. The monkeys will each have eight electrodes implanted in their brains, wires buried in their leg muscles and thermometers placed inside their stomachs. They will, in addition, be kept completely immobile for months on end.

An American group called PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) argue that it is morally wrong to send monkeys into space because, while human astronauts make a decision to go into space, monkeys clearly do not. They also point out that the cruelty is completeley unnecessary. We already know, they say, all that we need to know about the effects of space travel.

Space scientists, meanwhile, argue that they can learn a lot. They need to establish why prolonged weightlessness, or zero gravity, is so damaging to humans, why astronauts in space lose one per cent of their bone a month and why they suffer serious deterioration of their muscle tissue. If this phenomenon is not completely understood and solutions found, they say, space exporation by humans will still be a dream and much that we could find out about our universe will remain a mystery.

I. COMPREHENSION (4 points: questions 1-3, 1 point each; questions 4-5, 0.5 points each)

*ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

1. Why isn't the Press highly interested in this flight?
2. According to PETA, why is the experiment unnecessary?
3. According to space scientists, why do we need to understand the effects of space travel?
   *ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
4. The flight will probably be uncomfortable for the monkeys.
5. PETA argues that it is not ethical for us to put monkeys into space.

II. USE OF ENGLISH (3 points; questions 6-9, 0.25 points each; questions 10-13, 0.5 points each)

6. GIVE ONE ANTONYM FOR “moral”. (adjective)
7. FIND IN THE TEXT ONE SYNONYM FOR “enthusiasm”. (noun)
8. GIVE A VERB WITH THE SAME ROOT AS “decision” (noun).
9. FIND IN THE TEXT THE WORD WITH THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION: “Slender flexible strands or rods of metal”. (noun)
10. GIVE A QUESTION FOR THE UNDERLINED WORDS: He didn't take his wallet with him to the restaurant.
11. JOIN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES USING A RELATIVE. MAKE CHANGES IF NECESSARY:
    All the children will be given Christmas gifts this year. The children's parents are unemployed.
12. TURN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE INTO DIRECT SPEECH:
    Scientists are asking why astronauts lose one per cent of the bone a month.
13. REWRITE THIS SENTENCE WITHOUT CHANGING ITS MEANING. BEGIN AS INDICATED: Edward trained hard last year and finally won the marathon last week. Before he...

III. PRODUCTION (3 points)

14. WRITE A COMPOSITION OF APPROXIMATELY 120 WORDS. FOCUS STRICTLY ON THE TOPIC: What are the advantages and disadvantages of space travel?