Ejercicio 1 — Bloque A · Comprehension
4 puntosBLOQUE A (Comprensión lectora) — COMPREHENSION (4 points). READ THE TEXT AND ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS.
THE THEFT OF THE CENTURY
[1–3] Last October, as the sun rose over Paris and visitors began queueing through the Louvre Museum’s corridors, one of the most shocking thefts in recent memory took place. Within eight minutes, a gang of thieves sped away from the heart of the French capital with some of the nation’s most valuable treasures.
[4–6] According to French authorities, the gang that broke into the Apollo Gallery, just a short walk from the Mona Lisa, was clearly professional. They knew exactly what they were after. Parking a lorry equipped with an elevating platform like those used by removal companies, they lifted themselves to a first-floor balcony and used a disc cutter to gain entry to the gallery.
[7–10] The thieves did not target world-famous paintings that could never be displayed or sold. Instead, they went for items that could be converted into cash. They made straight for two display cases containing what remains of the French crown jewels, taking eight items worth an estimated €88 million, including diadems, necklaces, earrings, and brooches. During the escape, there was a moment of carelessness: they dropped Empress Eugénie’s exquisite 19th-century crown.
[11–13] In spite of their historical and cultural value, the jewels—officially described as priceless—can be broken up and sold piece by piece. Even large, famous diamonds can be recut. The final price of the stolen jewels may be smaller, but it would still be considerable.
[14–21] Despite its 230-year history, there have been relatively few thefts at the Louvre, which houses thousands of artworks famous around the world. This low number of thefts is largely due to the museum’s tight security. Reflecting on the incident, a gallery attendant on duty said, “For us, it was heartbreaking to see the display cases broken.” And she added, “Never for a moment did we think there was such a risk; nobody can be prepared for that.” She was right: the only real precedent was the notorious 1911 disappearance of Leonardo da Vinci’s La Joconde, better known as the Mona Lisa. The thief hid in a closet overnight, removed the painting from its frame, wrapped it in his jacket, tucked it under his arm, and simply walked out. He turned out to be an Italian nationalist who believed da Vinci’s masterpiece belonged in Italy. The painting was recovered three years later and returned to the Louvre.
[22–24] Since the October incident, security measures have been reinforced across France’s cultural institutions. The Louvre has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France following the theft, which has been generally regarded as a source of embarrassment for the French government.
(The numbers in brackets are the line numbers of the official paper; the answers refer to them.)
A1–A2: CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION (0.5 points each).
A3–A6: ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT (0.5 points each).
A7–A8: FIND IN THE TEXT (0.5 points each, 0.25 per word). Write one word, in the form it has in the text.