ARE BOOMERS THE REAL IPAD BABIES?
The phone never leaves their palm. It blares and beeps at odd hours, threatening anyone in the vicinity with the sensory overload of a full-blast Facebook reel. It’s a constant companion, but a distracting one, when it comes to family dinners and nights with friends and restaurant outings. And when they’re in the solitude of their own homes, that phone is a compulsive doomscroll device that devours hours at a time. Research shows social media use is growing among people 65 and older and some of their children and grandchildren are worried they’re slipping quietly into screen addiction.
Brendan Moriak, a 25-year-old film orchestrator, noticed that since he and his brother moved out, his Gen X parents’ phone use has skyrocketed — and in unexpected ways. His mom asks AI which type of towels to buy. His dad used it to write a jukebox musical. “Gen X and Boomers are now ChatGPT-pilled and addicted to their phones,” he said. “My parents are on their phones more than I’m on my phone.” We can already hear the choir: “Not all boomers!” That may be true, but it’s not just anecdotal. According to research firm GWI, the newly retired are more likely than people under 25 to own tablets, laptops and smart TVs.
Despite countless studies about teenage screen time use, the impact of phone addiction during retirement has yet to be fully understood. Research doesn’t yet tell us what it means for individuals. Or for their families. One Washington woman said her husband’s parents visit just a handful of times per year. During those visits, they spend much of the time scrolling Facebook and reading news apps and online shopping for their grandbabies — but very little time playing with them. “If Grandma can’t even read ‘Goodnight Moon’ without taking a call, what is she telling her grandkids? Is the other person or device more important than you?”
Like so many wretched things in 2026, this phenomenon has roots in the pandemic. When religious services, book clubs, doctor appointments and family reunions went online in 2020, so did the retired. Navigating telehealth appointments and virtual socializing ultimately made some older adults feel more confident in tech use and adoption.
Adapted from an article by Sophia Solano, The Washington Post, 18-3-2026.
Part I. Reading Comprehension
1. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (2 points: 0.5 each)
ARE BOOMERS THE REAL IPAD BABIES?
The phone never leaves their palm. It blares and beeps at odd hours, threatening anyone in the vicinity with the sensory overload of a full-blast Facebook reel. It’s a constant companion, but a distracting one, when it comes to family dinners and nights with friends and restaurant outings. And when they’re in the solitude of their own homes, that phone is a compulsive doomscroll device that devours hours at a time. Research shows social media use is growing among people 65 and older and some of their children and grandchildren are worried they’re slipping quietly into screen addiction.
Brendan Moriak, a 25-year-old film orchestrator, noticed that since he and his brother moved out, his Gen X parents’ phone use has skyrocketed — and in unexpected ways. His mom asks AI which type of towels to buy. His dad used it to write a jukebox musical. “Gen X and Boomers are now ChatGPT-pilled and addicted to their phones,” he said. “My parents are on their phones more than I’m on my phone.” We can already hear the choir: “Not all boomers!” That may be true, but it’s not just anecdotal. According to research firm GWI, the newly retired are more likely than people under 25 to own tablets, laptops and smart TVs.
Despite countless studies about teenage screen time use, the impact of phone addiction during retirement has yet to be fully understood. Research doesn’t yet tell us what it means for individuals. Or for their families. One Washington woman said her husband’s parents visit just a handful of times per year. During those visits, they spend much of the time scrolling Facebook and reading news apps and online shopping for their grandbabies — but very little time playing with them. “If Grandma can’t even read ‘Goodnight Moon’ without taking a call, what is she telling her grandkids? Is the other person or device more important than you?”
Like so many wretched things in 2026, this phenomenon has roots in the pandemic. When religious services, book clubs, doctor appointments and family reunions went online in 2020, so did the retired. Navigating telehealth appointments and virtual socializing ultimately made some older adults feel more confident in tech use and adoption.
Adapted from an article by Sophia Solano, The Washington Post, 18-3-2026.
2. Taking into account the information in the text, answer the following questions using your own words. Copying directly from the text is not allowed. (2.5 points: 1.25 each)
ARE BOOMERS THE REAL IPAD BABIES?
The phone never leaves their palm. It blares and beeps at odd hours, threatening anyone in the vicinity with the sensory overload of a full-blast Facebook reel. It’s a constant companion, but a distracting one, when it comes to family dinners and nights with friends and restaurant outings. And when they’re in the solitude of their own homes, that phone is a compulsive doomscroll device that devours hours at a time. Research shows social media use is growing among people 65 and older and some of their children and grandchildren are worried they’re slipping quietly into screen addiction.
Brendan Moriak, a 25-year-old film orchestrator, noticed that since he and his brother moved out, his Gen X parents’ phone use has skyrocketed — and in unexpected ways. His mom asks AI which type of towels to buy. His dad used it to write a jukebox musical. “Gen X and Boomers are now ChatGPT-pilled and addicted to their phones,” he said. “My parents are on their phones more than I’m on my phone.” We can already hear the choir: “Not all boomers!” That may be true, but it’s not just anecdotal. According to research firm GWI, the newly retired are more likely than people under 25 to own tablets, laptops and smart TVs.
Despite countless studies about teenage screen time use, the impact of phone addiction during retirement has yet to be fully understood. Research doesn’t yet tell us what it means for individuals. Or for their families. One Washington woman said her husband’s parents visit just a handful of times per year. During those visits, they spend much of the time scrolling Facebook and reading news apps and online shopping for their grandbabies — but very little time playing with them. “If Grandma can’t even read ‘Goodnight Moon’ without taking a call, what is she telling her grandkids? Is the other person or device more important than you?”
Like so many wretched things in 2026, this phenomenon has roots in the pandemic. When religious services, book clubs, doctor appointments and family reunions went online in 2020, so did the retired. Navigating telehealth appointments and virtual socializing ultimately made some older adults feel more confident in tech use and adoption.
Adapted from an article by Sophia Solano, The Washington Post, 18-3-2026.
3. Write a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text. (1 point: 0.25 each)
vicinity devours skyrocketed anecdotal device wretched
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
ARE BOOMERS THE REAL IPAD BABIES?
The phone never leaves their palm. It blares and beeps at odd hours, threatening anyone in the vicinity with the sensory overload of a full-blast Facebook reel. It’s a constant companion, but a distracting one, when it comes to family dinners and nights with friends and restaurant outings. And when they’re in the solitude of their own homes, that phone is a compulsive doomscroll device that devours hours at a time. Research shows social media use is growing among people 65 and older and some of their children and grandchildren are worried they’re slipping quietly into screen addiction.
Brendan Moriak, a 25-year-old film orchestrator, noticed that since he and his brother moved out, his Gen X parents’ phone use has skyrocketed — and in unexpected ways. His mom asks AI which type of towels to buy. His dad used it to write a jukebox musical. “Gen X and Boomers are now ChatGPT-pilled and addicted to their phones,” he said. “My parents are on their phones more than I’m on my phone.” We can already hear the choir: “Not all boomers!” That may be true, but it’s not just anecdotal. According to research firm GWI, the newly retired are more likely than people under 25 to own tablets, laptops and smart TVs.
Despite countless studies about teenage screen time use, the impact of phone addiction during retirement has yet to be fully understood. Research doesn’t yet tell us what it means for individuals. Or for their families. One Washington woman said her husband’s parents visit just a handful of times per year. During those visits, they spend much of the time scrolling Facebook and reading news apps and online shopping for their grandbabies — but very little time playing with them. “If Grandma can’t even read ‘Goodnight Moon’ without taking a call, what is she telling her grandkids? Is the other person or device more important than you?”
Like so many wretched things in 2026, this phenomenon has roots in the pandemic. When religious services, book clubs, doctor appointments and family reunions went online in 2020, so did the retired. Navigating telehealth appointments and virtual socializing ultimately made some older adults feel more confident in tech use and adoption.
Adapted from an article by Sophia Solano, The Washington Post, 18-3-2026.
4. Choose a, b, c, or d in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
THE RISE OF ‘LOW CONTACT’ FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
When her mum called her, stress would ring through Marie’s body like an alarm going off. So “I stopped answering the phone,” she says. This was one of the “boundaries” she discussed carefully with her therapist three years ago when she reached a point of crisis in managing her maternal relationship. So, as well as stopping answering the phone, she decided that she, her husband, and her children would no longer visit her mother, who lives a few hours away.
In the world of family estrangement, the approach Marie is describing is known as “low contact” or LC. TikTok is awash with users proclaiming the benefits of no contact. Katherine Cavallo, a family and couples psychotherapist with more than 25 years of clinical experience, often works with clients experiencing family estrangement. She says low or no contact has become more prevalent in recent years, which some figures back up. She says that younger generations often do not share the same sense of duty towards their family as older ones do – which is not always a negative thing. But culturally, she describes “a growing trend towards emotional growth associated with individualism and a lack of tolerance of relationships that might interfere with that”.
It is useful to remember that, not so long ago, lower contact between families was considered normal. Dr Lucy Blake, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of the West of England, explains that the mainstream view within family therapy from the 1960s onwards was that “a typical family relationship is one where people have infrequent contact”. It is largely due to technological advances that people so often get in touch. Before mobile phones, the idea of calling a parent once a fortnight was seen as perfectly normal, and in some ways was healthier, she says.
While for some, low contact relationships can work, others experience pushback from relatives. Like families themselves, low contact is complicated. For Marie, in a difficult patch of her own low contact, her overriding advice is clear: build up your support. “I would definitely advise having therapy while you’re doing it,” she says. “And try to find people around you who matter, relationships you can pour your all into.” As you attempt to reduce one bond, others become paramount.
Adapted from an article by Emily Retter, The Guardian, 5-02-2026
Part 1. Reading Comprehension
1. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (2 points: 0.5 each)
THE RISE OF ‘LOW CONTACT’ FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
When her mum called her, stress would ring through Marie’s body like an alarm going off. So “I stopped answering the phone,” she says. This was one of the “boundaries” she discussed carefully with her therapist three years ago when she reached a point of crisis in managing her maternal relationship. So, as well as stopping answering the phone, she decided that she, her husband, and her children would no longer visit her mother, who lives a few hours away.
In the world of family estrangement, the approach Marie is describing is known as “low contact” or LC. TikTok is awash with users proclaiming the benefits of no contact. Katherine Cavallo, a family and couples psychotherapist with more than 25 years of clinical experience, often works with clients experiencing family estrangement. She says low or no contact has become more prevalent in recent years, which some figures back up. She says that younger generations often do not share the same sense of duty towards their family as older ones do – which is not always a negative thing. But culturally, she describes “a growing trend towards emotional growth associated with individualism and a lack of tolerance of relationships that might interfere with that”.
It is useful to remember that, not so long ago, lower contact between families was considered normal. Dr Lucy Blake, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of the West of England, explains that the mainstream view within family therapy from the 1960s onwards was that “a typical family relationship is one where people have infrequent contact”. It is largely due to technological advances that people so often get in touch. Before mobile phones, the idea of calling a parent once a fortnight was seen as perfectly normal, and in some ways was healthier, she says.
While for some, low contact relationships can work, others experience pushback from relatives. Like families themselves, low contact is complicated. For Marie, in a difficult patch of her own low contact, her overriding advice is clear: build up your support. “I would definitely advise having therapy while you’re doing it,” she says. “And try to find people around you who matter, relationships you can pour your all into.” As you attempt to reduce one bond, others become paramount.
Adapted from an article by Emily Retter, The Guardian, 5-02-2026
2. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2.5 points: 1.25 each)
THE RISE OF ‘LOW CONTACT’ FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
When her mum called her, stress would ring through Marie’s body like an alarm going off. So “I stopped answering the phone,” she says. This was one of the “boundaries” she discussed carefully with her therapist three years ago when she reached a point of crisis in managing her maternal relationship. So, as well as stopping answering the phone, she decided that she, her husband, and her children would no longer visit her mother, who lives a few hours away.
In the world of family estrangement, the approach Marie is describing is known as “low contact” or LC. TikTok is awash with users proclaiming the benefits of no contact. Katherine Cavallo, a family and couples psychotherapist with more than 25 years of clinical experience, often works with clients experiencing family estrangement. She says low or no contact has become more prevalent in recent years, which some figures back up. She says that younger generations often do not share the same sense of duty towards their family as older ones do – which is not always a negative thing. But culturally, she describes “a growing trend towards emotional growth associated with individualism and a lack of tolerance of relationships that might interfere with that”.
It is useful to remember that, not so long ago, lower contact between families was considered normal. Dr Lucy Blake, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of the West of England, explains that the mainstream view within family therapy from the 1960s onwards was that “a typical family relationship is one where people have infrequent contact”. It is largely due to technological advances that people so often get in touch. Before mobile phones, the idea of calling a parent once a fortnight was seen as perfectly normal, and in some ways was healthier, she says.
While for some, low contact relationships can work, others experience pushback from relatives. Like families themselves, low contact is complicated. For Marie, in a difficult patch of her own low contact, her overriding advice is clear: build up your support. “I would definitely advise having therapy while you’re doing it,” she says. “And try to find people around you who matter, relationships you can pour your all into.” As you attempt to reduce one bond, others become paramount.
Adapted from an article by Emily Retter, The Guardian, 5-02-2026
3. Write a synonym for each of the four words below from the six options. All words are underlined in the text. (1 point: 0.25 each)
boundaries prevalent duty lack advice paramount
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
THE RISE OF ‘LOW CONTACT’ FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
When her mum called her, stress would ring through Marie’s body like an alarm going off. So “I stopped answering the phone,” she says. This was one of the “boundaries” she discussed carefully with her therapist three years ago when she reached a point of crisis in managing her maternal relationship. So, as well as stopping answering the phone, she decided that she, her husband, and her children would no longer visit her mother, who lives a few hours away.
In the world of family estrangement, the approach Marie is describing is known as “low contact” or LC. TikTok is awash with users proclaiming the benefits of no contact. Katherine Cavallo, a family and couples psychotherapist with more than 25 years of clinical experience, often works with clients experiencing family estrangement. She says low or no contact has become more prevalent in recent years, which some figures back up. She says that younger generations often do not share the same sense of duty towards their family as older ones do – which is not always a negative thing. But culturally, she describes “a growing trend towards emotional growth associated with individualism and a lack of tolerance of relationships that might interfere with that”.
It is useful to remember that, not so long ago, lower contact between families was considered normal. Dr Lucy Blake, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of the West of England, explains that the mainstream view within family therapy from the 1960s onwards was that “a typical family relationship is one where people have infrequent contact”. It is largely due to technological advances that people so often get in touch. Before mobile phones, the idea of calling a parent once a fortnight was seen as perfectly normal, and in some ways was healthier, she says.
While for some, low contact relationships can work, others experience pushback from relatives. Like families themselves, low contact is complicated. For Marie, in a difficult patch of her own low contact, her overriding advice is clear: build up your support. “I would definitely advise having therapy while you’re doing it,” she says. “And try to find people around you who matter, relationships you can pour your all into.” As you attempt to reduce one bond, others become paramount.
Adapted from an article by Emily Retter, The Guardian, 5-02-2026
4. Choose a, b, c, or d in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
SHOULD KIDS BE TAUGHT MEDIA LITERACY LIKE MATHS?
Bryce Corbett, creator of the "SquizKids” podcast, is alarmed by the growing inability of Australian children to distinguish real news from fake. His podcast aims to inform kids without overloading them. However, Corbett warns of the rapid spread of misinformation. His concerns come from witnessing his children absorb false information from social media. This demonstrates the urgent need for media literacy education. Researchers on information systems also agree on this, emphasizing its necessity. The proliferation of conspiracy theories and the erosion of trust in science, expertise and institutions threatens to compromise everything from action on the climate crisis to preventing the spread of pandemics. Additionally, a population with media skills is an essential component of an active and informed society.
Tanya Notley, a digital media expert, points out that Australia's education system is not adequately teaching people how to understand and critically evaluate media. Her research shows that many children lack the skills to discern real news from fake. While they value news and trust parents, only 41% are confident in identifying fake news, and only 25% have received related school lessons. The evolving media landscape, with polarised sources, social media, and AI-generated fake content, presents unprecedented challenges. Stan Karanasios, an information-systems expert, advocates for teaching media literacy like mathematics. He criticizes technology companies for exploiting children's attention, citing a French report on their manipulation of cognitive prejudices. Concerns about social media's impact on mental health have led to calls for age restrictions. However, experts like Corbett believe education is more effective, as children will ignore restrictions.
"Squiz Kids" launched "Newshounds," a free program teaching primary students to identify misinformation. Its aim was to teach primary school students to spot misinformation and not to believe everything they see online. Despite its success, it lacks government funding. Amanda Levido, an assessor, highlights its importance for teachers with limited knowledge about media competences. Although the Australian government has dedicated significant funds for media literacy initiatives, Tanya Notley stresses the success of countries like Finland and Brazil, which integrate and prioritize media literacy into education from early childhood. She points out the importance of addressing the influence of technology companies. The French report that Karanasios mentions specifically puts the blame on the companies, rather than the parents. The companies have spent large sums of money to create addictive algorithms, so simply asking parents to talk to their children is not enough.
Adapted from an article by Joe Hinchliffe, in The Guardian, 16-06-2024.
Part I. Reading Comprehension
1. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (2 points: 0.5 point each)
SHOULD KIDS BE TAUGHT MEDIA LITERACY LIKE MATHS?
Bryce Corbett, creator of the "SquizKids” podcast, is alarmed by the growing inability of Australian children to distinguish real news from fake. His podcast aims to inform kids without overloading them. However, Corbett warns of the rapid spread of misinformation. His concerns come from witnessing his children absorb false information from social media. This demonstrates the urgent need for media literacy education. Researchers on information systems also agree on this, emphasizing its necessity. The proliferation of conspiracy theories and the erosion of trust in science, expertise and institutions threatens to compromise everything from action on the climate crisis to preventing the spread of pandemics. Additionally, a population with media skills is an essential component of an active and informed society.
Tanya Notley, a digital media expert, points out that Australia's education system is not adequately teaching people how to understand and critically evaluate media. Her research shows that many children lack the skills to discern real news from fake. While they value news and trust parents, only 41% are confident in identifying fake news, and only 25% have received related school lessons. The evolving media landscape, with polarised sources, social media, and AI-generated fake content, presents unprecedented challenges. Stan Karanasios, an information-systems expert, advocates for teaching media literacy like mathematics. He criticizes technology companies for exploiting children's attention, citing a French report on their manipulation of cognitive prejudices. Concerns about social media's impact on mental health have led to calls for age restrictions. However, experts like Corbett believe education is more effective, as children will ignore restrictions.
"Squiz Kids" launched "Newshounds," a free program teaching primary students to identify misinformation. Its aim was to teach primary school students to spot misinformation and not to believe everything they see online. Despite its success, it lacks government funding. Amanda Levido, an assessor, highlights its importance for teachers with limited knowledge about media competences. Although the Australian government has dedicated significant funds for media literacy initiatives, Tanya Notley stresses the success of countries like Finland and Brazil, which integrate and prioritize media literacy into education from early childhood. She points out the importance of addressing the influence of technology companies. The French report that Karanasios mentions specifically puts the blame on the companies, rather than the parents. The companies have spent large sums of money to create addictive algorithms, so simply asking parents to talk to their children is not enough.
Adapted from an article by Joe Hinchliffe, in The Guardian, 16-06-2024.
2. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2.5 points: 1.25 point each)
SHOULD KIDS BE TAUGHT MEDIA LITERACY LIKE MATHS?
Bryce Corbett, creator of the "SquizKids” podcast, is alarmed by the growing inability of Australian children to distinguish real news from fake. His podcast aims to inform kids without overloading them. However, Corbett warns of the rapid spread of misinformation. His concerns come from witnessing his children absorb false information from social media. This demonstrates the urgent need for media literacy education. Researchers on information systems also agree on this, emphasizing its necessity. The proliferation of conspiracy theories and the erosion of trust in science, expertise and institutions threatens to compromise everything from action on the climate crisis to preventing the spread of pandemics. Additionally, a population with media skills is an essential component of an active and informed society.
Tanya Notley, a digital media expert, points out that Australia's education system is not adequately teaching people how to understand and critically evaluate media. Her research shows that many children lack the skills to discern real news from fake. While they value news and trust parents, only 41% are confident in identifying fake news, and only 25% have received related school lessons. The evolving media landscape, with polarised sources, social media, and AI-generated fake content, presents unprecedented challenges. Stan Karanasios, an information-systems expert, advocates for teaching media literacy like mathematics. He criticizes technology companies for exploiting children's attention, citing a French report on their manipulation of cognitive prejudices. Concerns about social media's impact on mental health have led to calls for age restrictions. However, experts like Corbett believe education is more effective, as children will ignore restrictions.
"Squiz Kids" launched "Newshounds," a free program teaching primary students to identify misinformation. Its aim was to teach primary school students to spot misinformation and not to believe everything they see online. Despite its success, it lacks government funding. Amanda Levido, an assessor, highlights its importance for teachers with limited knowledge about media competences. Although the Australian government has dedicated significant funds for media literacy initiatives, Tanya Notley stresses the success of countries like Finland and Brazil, which integrate and prioritize media literacy into education from early childhood. She points out the importance of addressing the influence of technology companies. The French report that Karanasios mentions specifically puts the blame on the companies, rather than the parents. The companies have spent large sums of money to create addictive algorithms, so simply asking parents to talk to their children is not enough.
Adapted from an article by Joe Hinchliffe, in The Guardian, 16-06-2024.
3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 point each)
witnessing emphasizing preventing discern believe integrate
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
SHOULD KIDS BE TAUGHT MEDIA LITERACY LIKE MATHS?
Bryce Corbett, creator of the "SquizKids” podcast, is alarmed by the growing inability of Australian children to distinguish real news from fake. His podcast aims to inform kids without overloading them. However, Corbett warns of the rapid spread of misinformation. His concerns come from witnessing his children absorb false information from social media. This demonstrates the urgent need for media literacy education. Researchers on information systems also agree on this, emphasizing its necessity. The proliferation of conspiracy theories and the erosion of trust in science, expertise and institutions threatens to compromise everything from action on the climate crisis to preventing the spread of pandemics. Additionally, a population with media skills is an essential component of an active and informed society.
Tanya Notley, a digital media expert, points out that Australia's education system is not adequately teaching people how to understand and critically evaluate media. Her research shows that many children lack the skills to discern real news from fake. While they value news and trust parents, only 41% are confident in identifying fake news, and only 25% have received related school lessons. The evolving media landscape, with polarised sources, social media, and AI-generated fake content, presents unprecedented challenges. Stan Karanasios, an information-systems expert, advocates for teaching media literacy like mathematics. He criticizes technology companies for exploiting children's attention, citing a French report on their manipulation of cognitive prejudices. Concerns about social media's impact on mental health have led to calls for age restrictions. However, experts like Corbett believe education is more effective, as children will ignore restrictions.
"Squiz Kids" launched "Newshounds," a free program teaching primary students to identify misinformation. Its aim was to teach primary school students to spot misinformation and not to believe everything they see online. Despite its success, it lacks government funding. Amanda Levido, an assessor, highlights its importance for teachers with limited knowledge about media competences. Although the Australian government has dedicated significant funds for media literacy initiatives, Tanya Notley stresses the success of countries like Finland and Brazil, which integrate and prioritize media literacy into education from early childhood. She points out the importance of addressing the influence of technology companies. The French report that Karanasios mentions specifically puts the blame on the companies, rather than the parents. The companies have spent large sums of money to create addictive algorithms, so simply asking parents to talk to their children is not enough.
Adapted from an article by Joe Hinchliffe, in The Guardian, 16-06-2024.
4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 point each)
A NEW START AFTER 60: I GOT DIVORCED AND BECAME A LAWYER
After an interval as Isabella Rossellini’s hand model, Elizabeth Barbour went to law school at 54. Now, she is working on 50 domestic violence cases and says her career is a privilege, not a job. Elizabeth Barbour didn’t start studying law until she was 54 and had a school-age daughter. “But once I decide to do something, I’m hard to stop,” she says.
Law is an atypical later-life career choice. It certainly had no connection with Barbour’s first and second vocations, as a hand model and then a property developer. “Law school was hard. It was disheartening,” she says. “I was literally everybody’s mother’s age. I didn’t have a cohort of friends. I was like a foreigner. I felt really isolated”.
One day, after a negotiation exercise, the professor told her: “I’ve never had a student be able to work the table like you did”. She spent time with family-law attorneys and “began to realize that this would be my area”. After graduating, she worked for a firm that dealt with wealthy individuals. “But that’s just a lawyer helping you to argue over money,” she says. “I didn’t want to do that.” She became a licensed lawyer at her second attempt. Soon after, at 60, she got a job with the Legal Aid Society in her home town of Roanoke, Virginia. By then, her marriage had ended. In retrospect, she says, going to law school was “a declaration of selfhood”.
Now 68, Barbour is working on 50 domestic violence cases. The work is emotionally exhausting – and rewarding. “These amazing women have been kicked around the block and are able to say: ‘Enough.’ When they come to me, they are ready for a change. I can give them legal help and play an active role in their life as they are transitioning from one place to another.” Barbour considers her career a “happy accident”. Until she was 54, she had “a freewheeling kind of life – but never without direction”. Barbour believes that she has found her calling. Initially, the courtroom was frightening. “But my mum always said: ‘Do what you’re afraid to do.’ These days, the fear has gone. It’s more and more rewarding. I love my office. I love my clients. I see no end to my career. It is a privilege, not a job”.
Adapted from an article by Paula Cocozza, The Guardian, 17-2-2025.
Part I. Reading Comprehension
1. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (2 points: 0.5 point each)
A NEW START AFTER 60: I GOT DIVORCED AND BECAME A LAWYER
After an interval as Isabella Rossellini’s hand model, Elizabeth Barbour went to law school at 54. Now, she is working on 50 domestic violence cases and says her career is a privilege, not a job. Elizabeth Barbour didn’t start studying law until she was 54 and had a school-age daughter. “But once I decide to do something, I’m hard to stop,” she says.
Law is an atypical later-life career choice. It certainly had no connection with Barbour’s first and second vocations, as a hand model and then a property developer. “Law school was hard. It was disheartening,” she says. “I was literally everybody’s mother’s age. I didn’t have a cohort of friends. I was like a foreigner. I felt really isolated”.
One day, after a negotiation exercise, the professor told her: “I’ve never had a student be able to work the table like you did”. She spent time with family-law attorneys and “began to realize that this would be my area”. After graduating, she worked for a firm that dealt with wealthy individuals. “But that’s just a lawyer helping you to argue over money,” she says. “I didn’t want to do that.” She became a licensed lawyer at her second attempt. Soon after, at 60, she got a job with the Legal Aid Society in her home town of Roanoke, Virginia. By then, her marriage had ended. In retrospect, she says, going to law school was “a declaration of selfhood”.
Now 68, Barbour is working on 50 domestic violence cases. The work is emotionally exhausting – and rewarding. “These amazing women have been kicked around the block and are able to say: ‘Enough.’ When they come to me, they are ready for a change. I can give them legal help and play an active role in their life as they are transitioning from one place to another.” Barbour considers her career a “happy accident”. Until she was 54, she had “a freewheeling kind of life – but never without direction”. Barbour believes that she has found her calling. Initially, the courtroom was frightening. “But my mum always said: ‘Do what you’re afraid to do.’ These days, the fear has gone. It’s more and more rewarding. I love my office. I love my clients. I see no end to my career. It is a privilege, not a job”.
Adapted from an article by Paula Cocozza, The Guardian, 17-2-2025.
2. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2.5 points: 1.25 point each)
A NEW START AFTER 60: I GOT DIVORCED AND BECAME A LAWYER
After an interval as Isabella Rossellini’s hand model, Elizabeth Barbour went to law school at 54. Now, she is working on 50 domestic violence cases and says her career is a privilege, not a job. Elizabeth Barbour didn’t start studying law until she was 54 and had a school-age daughter. “But once I decide to do something, I’m hard to stop,” she says.
Law is an atypical later-life career choice. It certainly had no connection with Barbour’s first and second vocations, as a hand model and then a property developer. “Law school was hard. It was disheartening,” she says. “I was literally everybody’s mother’s age. I didn’t have a cohort of friends. I was like a foreigner. I felt really isolated”.
One day, after a negotiation exercise, the professor told her: “I’ve never had a student be able to work the table like you did”. She spent time with family-law attorneys and “began to realize that this would be my area”. After graduating, she worked for a firm that dealt with wealthy individuals. “But that’s just a lawyer helping you to argue over money,” she says. “I didn’t want to do that.” She became a licensed lawyer at her second attempt. Soon after, at 60, she got a job with the Legal Aid Society in her home town of Roanoke, Virginia. By then, her marriage had ended. In retrospect, she says, going to law school was “a declaration of selfhood”.
Now 68, Barbour is working on 50 domestic violence cases. The work is emotionally exhausting – and rewarding. “These amazing women have been kicked around the block and are able to say: ‘Enough.’ When they come to me, they are ready for a change. I can give them legal help and play an active role in their life as they are transitioning from one place to another.” Barbour considers her career a “happy accident”. Until she was 54, she had “a freewheeling kind of life – but never without direction”. Barbour believes that she has found her calling. Initially, the courtroom was frightening. “But my mum always said: ‘Do what you’re afraid to do.’ These days, the fear has gone. It’s more and more rewarding. I love my office. I love my clients. I see no end to my career. It is a privilege, not a job”.
Adapted from an article by Paula Cocozza, The Guardian, 17-2-2025.
3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 point each)
isolated cohort rewarding amazing attempt freewheeling
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
A NEW START AFTER 60: I GOT DIVORCED AND BECAME A LAWYER
After an interval as Isabella Rossellini’s hand model, Elizabeth Barbour went to law school at 54. Now, she is working on 50 domestic violence cases and says her career is a privilege, not a job. Elizabeth Barbour didn’t start studying law until she was 54 and had a school-age daughter. “But once I decide to do something, I’m hard to stop,” she says.
Law is an atypical later-life career choice. It certainly had no connection with Barbour’s first and second vocations, as a hand model and then a property developer. “Law school was hard. It was disheartening,” she says. “I was literally everybody’s mother’s age. I didn’t have a cohort of friends. I was like a foreigner. I felt really isolated”.
One day, after a negotiation exercise, the professor told her: “I’ve never had a student be able to work the table like you did”. She spent time with family-law attorneys and “began to realize that this would be my area”. After graduating, she worked for a firm that dealt with wealthy individuals. “But that’s just a lawyer helping you to argue over money,” she says. “I didn’t want to do that.” She became a licensed lawyer at her second attempt. Soon after, at 60, she got a job with the Legal Aid Society in her home town of Roanoke, Virginia. By then, her marriage had ended. In retrospect, she says, going to law school was “a declaration of selfhood”.
Now 68, Barbour is working on 50 domestic violence cases. The work is emotionally exhausting – and rewarding. “These amazing women have been kicked around the block and are able to say: ‘Enough.’ When they come to me, they are ready for a change. I can give them legal help and play an active role in their life as they are transitioning from one place to another.” Barbour considers her career a “happy accident”. Until she was 54, she had “a freewheeling kind of life – but never without direction”. Barbour believes that she has found her calling. Initially, the courtroom was frightening. “But my mum always said: ‘Do what you’re afraid to do.’ These days, the fear has gone. It’s more and more rewarding. I love my office. I love my clients. I see no end to my career. It is a privilege, not a job”.
Adapted from an article by Paula Cocozza, The Guardian, 17-2-2025.
4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 point each)
HOW INFLUENCERS ACTUALLY INFLUENCE YOU
Online social networks provide a platform upon which influence can be created out of nothing. Psychologist Robert Cialdini’s basic principles of influence, proposed in 1984, are all relevant and present on these networks. Consider, for example, how successful influencers share attractive stories that impact an audience. Frequent postings and interactions help make influencers easier to identify to fans and give followers a sense of familiarity. Many influencers also manage to establish themselves as experts or authorities within their topics, even without the accreditation of researchers.
Humans are by nature social animals, as Aristotle pointed out, but we are not especially exigent about how real our connections are. People naturally form parasocial relationships, feeling a deep emotional connection to someone without any direct interaction. We feel as if we know our favorite movie stars personally, and when the voice of a podcaster fills a room, we feel less alone. We recognize familiar faces, both on the internet and on the street, and form a sense of attachment to people we have never met.
The influence of parasocial relationships has increased as online platforms have emerged. “Technology proposes itself as the architect of our friendships,” sociologist Sherry Turkle suggested in a book in which she explored how technology can both shape and replace face-to-face interaction. As work becomes more remote, the distinction between “real” and “virtual” has become less clear, creating an opportunity for wise online personalities who seek to become as familiar to us, and as influential, as our closest friends.
Adapted from an article by Richard Dancsi, Psychology Today, 4-12-23.
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
ON OUR WAY TO A NEW RECORD GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE?
With 2023 the warmest year on record, 2024 could see the unwelcome milestone of 1.5° of warming reached for a full year. The year 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest in recorded history, with average global temperatures topping 1.5° of heating above preindustrial levels for more than one third of the year. It continues the rapid warming trend, with the 10 warmest years in human history all having occurred since 2010.
So, what could 2024 hold? Forecasts suggest the year ahead is likely to be another record breaker, with a strong possibility that this could be the first full year to go beyond 1.5° of warming. The ongoing El Niño event, which brings warmer waters to the tropical Pacific Ocean, is helping to push global temperatures up, but UK Met Office scientists say the main driver of the record-breaking temperatures is human-induced warming. Their global outlook for 2024 suggests we will end the next year with average global temperatures somewhere between 1.34° and 1.58° above preindustrial levels.
Overshooting 1.5° would be an unwelcome milestone but it would not mean we have breached the Paris agreement. Curiously, the 2015 climate accord did not define how we would recognize that the 1.5° target had been surpassed, but it is widely accepted to mean a longer-term average over 20 years or so. Rather than waiting decades for data to roll in, recent research published in Nature suggests using a blend of observations and model projections to test when 1.5° has been passed.
Adapted from an article by Kate Ravilious, The Guardian, 4-1-2024.
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
HOW INFLUENCERS ACTUALLY INFLUENCE YOU
Online social networks provide a platform upon which influence can be created out of nothing. Psychologist Robert Cialdini’s basic principles of influence, proposed in 1984, are all relevant and present on these networks. Consider, for example, how successful influencers share attractive stories that impact an audience. Frequent postings and interactions help make influencers easier to identify to fans and give followers a sense of familiarity. Many influencers also manage to establish themselves as experts or authorities within their topics, even without the accreditation of researchers.
Humans are by nature social animals, as Aristotle pointed out, but we are not especially exigent about how real our connections are. People naturally form parasocial relationships, feeling a deep emotional connection to someone without any direct interaction. We feel as if we know our favorite movie stars personally, and when the voice of a podcaster fills a room, we feel less alone. We recognize familiar faces, both on the internet and on the street, and form a sense of attachment to people we have never met.
The influence of parasocial relationships has increased as online platforms have emerged. “Technology proposes itself as the architect of our friendships,” sociologist Sherry Turkle suggested in a book in which she explored how technology can both shape and replace face-to-face interaction. As work becomes more remote, the distinction between “real” and “virtual” has become less clear, creating an opportunity for wise online personalities who seek to become as familiar to us, and as influential, as our closest friends.
Adapted from an article by Richard Dancsi, Psychology Today, 4-12-23.
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
ON OUR WAY TO A NEW RECORD GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE?
With 2023 the warmest year on record, 2024 could see the unwelcome milestone of 1.5° of warming reached for a full year. The year 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest in recorded history, with average global temperatures topping 1.5° of heating above preindustrial levels for more than one third of the year. It continues the rapid warming trend, with the 10 warmest years in human history all having occurred since 2010.
So, what could 2024 hold? Forecasts suggest the year ahead is likely to be another record breaker, with a strong possibility that this could be the first full year to go beyond 1.5° of warming. The ongoing El Niño event, which brings warmer waters to the tropical Pacific Ocean, is helping to push global temperatures up, but UK Met Office scientists say the main driver of the record-breaking temperatures is human-induced warming. Their global outlook for 2024 suggests we will end the next year with average global temperatures somewhere between 1.34° and 1.58° above preindustrial levels.
Overshooting 1.5° would be an unwelcome milestone but it would not mean we have breached the Paris agreement. Curiously, the 2015 climate accord did not define how we would recognize that the 1.5° target had been surpassed, but it is widely accepted to mean a longer-term average over 20 years or so. Rather than waiting decades for data to roll in, recent research published in Nature suggests using a blend of observations and model projections to test when 1.5° has been passed.
Adapted from an article by Kate Ravilious, The Guardian, 4-1-2024.
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
HOW INFLUENCERS ACTUALLY INFLUENCE YOU
Online social networks provide a platform upon which influence can be created out of nothing. Psychologist Robert Cialdini’s basic principles of influence, proposed in 1984, are all relevant and present on these networks. Consider, for example, how successful influencers share attractive stories that impact an audience. Frequent postings and interactions help make influencers easier to identify to fans and give followers a sense of familiarity. Many influencers also manage to establish themselves as experts or authorities within their topics, even without the accreditation of researchers.
Humans are by nature social animals, as Aristotle pointed out, but we are not especially exigent about how real our connections are. People naturally form parasocial relationships, feeling a deep emotional connection to someone without any direct interaction. We feel as if we know our favorite movie stars personally, and when the voice of a podcaster fills a room, we feel less alone. We recognize familiar faces, both on the internet and on the street, and form a sense of attachment to people we have never met.
The influence of parasocial relationships has increased as online platforms have emerged. “Technology proposes itself as the architect of our friendships,” sociologist Sherry Turkle suggested in a book in which she explored how technology can both shape and replace face-to-face interaction. As work becomes more remote, the distinction between “real” and “virtual” has become less clear, creating an opportunity for wise online personalities who seek to become as familiar to us, and as influential, as our closest friends.
Adapted from an article by Richard Dancsi, Psychology Today, 4-12-23.
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
audience accreditation exigent attachment remote wise
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
ON OUR WAY TO A NEW RECORD GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE?
With 2023 the warmest year on record, 2024 could see the unwelcome milestone of 1.5° of warming reached for a full year. The year 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest in recorded history, with average global temperatures topping 1.5° of heating above preindustrial levels for more than one third of the year. It continues the rapid warming trend, with the 10 warmest years in human history all having occurred since 2010.
So, what could 2024 hold? Forecasts suggest the year ahead is likely to be another record breaker, with a strong possibility that this could be the first full year to go beyond 1.5° of warming. The ongoing El Niño event, which brings warmer waters to the tropical Pacific Ocean, is helping to push global temperatures up, but UK Met Office scientists say the main driver of the record-breaking temperatures is human-induced warming. Their global outlook for 2024 suggests we will end the next year with average global temperatures somewhere between 1.34° and 1.58° above preindustrial levels.
Overshooting 1.5° would be an unwelcome milestone but it would not mean we have breached the Paris agreement. Curiously, the 2015 climate accord did not define how we would recognize that the 1.5° target had been surpassed, but it is widely accepted to mean a longer-term average over 20 years or so. Rather than waiting decades for data to roll in, recent research published in Nature suggests using a blend of observations and model projections to test when 1.5° has been passed.
Adapted from an article by Kate Ravilious, The Guardian, 4-1-2024.
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
milestone reached trend outlook breached blend
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
HOW INFLUENCERS ACTUALLY INFLUENCE YOU
Online social networks provide a platform upon which influence can be created out of nothing. Psychologist Robert Cialdini’s basic principles of influence, proposed in 1984, are all relevant and present on these networks. Consider, for example, how successful influencers share attractive stories that impact an audience. Frequent postings and interactions help make influencers easier to identify to fans and give followers a sense of familiarity. Many influencers also manage to establish themselves as experts or authorities within their topics, even without the accreditation of researchers.
Humans are by nature social animals, as Aristotle pointed out, but we are not especially exigent about how real our connections are. People naturally form parasocial relationships, feeling a deep emotional connection to someone without any direct interaction. We feel as if we know our favorite movie stars personally, and when the voice of a podcaster fills a room, we feel less alone. We recognize familiar faces, both on the internet and on the street, and form a sense of attachment to people we have never met.
The influence of parasocial relationships has increased as online platforms have emerged. “Technology proposes itself as the architect of our friendships,” sociologist Sherry Turkle suggested in a book in which she explored how technology can both shape and replace face-to-face interaction. As work becomes more remote, the distinction between “real” and “virtual” has become less clear, creating an opportunity for wise online personalities who seek to become as familiar to us, and as influential, as our closest friends.
Adapted from an article by Richard Dancsi, Psychology Today, 4-12-23.
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
A4.1.Frequent online interaction…
a)helps influencers to get to know their followers.
ON OUR WAY TO A NEW RECORD GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE?
With 2023 the warmest year on record, 2024 could see the unwelcome milestone of 1.5° of warming reached for a full year. The year 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest in recorded history, with average global temperatures topping 1.5° of heating above preindustrial levels for more than one third of the year. It continues the rapid warming trend, with the 10 warmest years in human history all having occurred since 2010.
So, what could 2024 hold? Forecasts suggest the year ahead is likely to be another record breaker, with a strong possibility that this could be the first full year to go beyond 1.5° of warming. The ongoing El Niño event, which brings warmer waters to the tropical Pacific Ocean, is helping to push global temperatures up, but UK Met Office scientists say the main driver of the record-breaking temperatures is human-induced warming. Their global outlook for 2024 suggests we will end the next year with average global temperatures somewhere between 1.34° and 1.58° above preindustrial levels.
Overshooting 1.5° would be an unwelcome milestone but it would not mean we have breached the Paris agreement. Curiously, the 2015 climate accord did not define how we would recognize that the 1.5° target had been surpassed, but it is widely accepted to mean a longer-term average over 20 years or so. Rather than waiting decades for data to roll in, recent research published in Nature suggests using a blend of observations and model projections to test when 1.5° has been passed.
Adapted from an article by Kate Ravilious, The Guardian, 4-1-2024.
B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE’S HUNGER FOR DATA AND ITS THIRST FOR WATER AND ENERGY
One of the most dangerous myths about digital technology is that it is somehow weightless or immaterial. But datacentres – those enormous metallic cabins containing tens or even hundreds of thousands of noisy servers – consume massive amounts of electricity and need lots of water for their cooling systems. Consider Ireland, a small country with an awful lot of datacentres. In 2022 those centres consumed more electricity (18%) than all the rural dwellings in the country, and as much as all Ireland’s urban homes.
And as far as water consumption is concerned, a study estimated that one medium-sized datacentre used as much water as three average-sized hospitals. Although these industrial spaces are representative of the metaphor of “cloud computing”, there is nothing vague or incorporeal about them. There are now between 9,000 and 11,000 of these datacentres in the world and many of them are beginning to look a bit out-of-date.
But that is going to change, because the industrial interest around Artificial Intelligence (AI) means that the materiality of the computing “cloud” is going to become harder to ignore. Machine learning needed in AI requires a different kind of computer processors which are considerably more complex (and expensive) than conventional processors.
Additionally, they also run hotter, and need significantly more energy. Within the technology industry, it has been widely known that AI faces an energy crisis, but it was only at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024 that one of its leaders finally spoke clearly about this crisis.
Adapted from an article by John Naughton, The Guardian, 2-3-2024.
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
“GENDER INEQUITIES ARE IMPORTANT”: WHY COUPLES FALL OUT OF LOVE
A new study unpicks the reasons men and women call time on a relationship and finds that grievances really do matter. “The desire to get married is a primal instinct in women,” observed the late, great Nora Ephron. “It’s followed by another basic and primal instinct: the desire to be single again.” Relationship wisdom is full of generalisations but, according to a recent study, women do appear to fall in and out of love more extremely than men.
Saurabh Bhargava of Carnegie Mellon University has published a new study in Psychological Science which has a number of striking findings. The first is that women reported having feelings of love almost twice as frequently as men. The second is that, over the course of a long relationship, women on average experience a much steeper decline in these feelings compared to their male partners.
Joanna Harrison is a former divorce lawyer who, having decided she wanted to help relationships before they broke down, became a couple’s counsellor. She is also the author of Five Arguments All Couples (Need to) Have, which bears the imperishable subtitle: and why the washing up matters.
Harrison points to “a brilliant” study entitled: “Gender Inequities in Household Labour Predict Lower Sexual Desire in Women Partnered with Men.” The study claims to “show that gender inequities are important contributors to low desire in women partnered with men.” It seems that if men want more action in the bedroom, they need to be more active in the kitchen.
Adapted from an article by Andrew Anthony, The Guardian, 13-01-2024.
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE’S HUNGER FOR DATA AND ITS THIRST FOR WATER AND ENERGY
One of the most dangerous myths about digital technology is that it is somehow weightless or immaterial. But datacentres – those enormous metallic cabins containing tens or even hundreds of thousands of noisy servers – consume massive amounts of electricity and need lots of water for their cooling systems. Consider Ireland, a small country with an awful lot of datacentres. In 2022 those centres consumed more electricity (18%) than all the rural dwellings in the country, and as much as all Ireland’s urban homes.
And as far as water consumption is concerned, a study estimated that one medium-sized datacentre used as much water as three average-sized hospitals. Although these industrial spaces are representative of the metaphor of “cloud computing”, there is nothing vague or incorporeal about them. There are now between 9,000 and 11,000 of these datacentres in the world and many of them are beginning to look a bit out-of-date.
But that is going to change, because the industrial interest around Artificial Intelligence (AI) means that the materiality of the computing “cloud” is going to become harder to ignore. Machine learning needed in AI requires a different kind of computer processors which are considerably more complex (and expensive) than conventional processors.
Additionally, they also run hotter, and need significantly more energy. Within the technology industry, it has been widely known that AI faces an energy crisis, but it was only at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024 that one of its leaders finally spoke clearly about this crisis.
Adapted from an article by John Naughton, The Guardian, 2-3-2024.
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
“GENDER INEQUITIES ARE IMPORTANT”: WHY COUPLES FALL OUT OF LOVE
A new study unpicks the reasons men and women call time on a relationship and finds that grievances really do matter. “The desire to get married is a primal instinct in women,” observed the late, great Nora Ephron. “It’s followed by another basic and primal instinct: the desire to be single again.” Relationship wisdom is full of generalisations but, according to a recent study, women do appear to fall in and out of love more extremely than men.
Saurabh Bhargava of Carnegie Mellon University has published a new study in Psychological Science which has a number of striking findings. The first is that women reported having feelings of love almost twice as frequently as men. The second is that, over the course of a long relationship, women on average experience a much steeper decline in these feelings compared to their male partners.
Joanna Harrison is a former divorce lawyer who, having decided she wanted to help relationships before they broke down, became a couple’s counsellor. She is also the author of Five Arguments All Couples (Need to) Have, which bears the imperishable subtitle: and why the washing up matters.
Harrison points to “a brilliant” study entitled: “Gender Inequities in Household Labour Predict Lower Sexual Desire in Women Partnered with Men.” The study claims to “show that gender inequities are important contributors to low desire in women partnered with men.” It seems that if men want more action in the bedroom, they need to be more active in the kitchen.
Adapted from an article by Andrew Anthony, The Guardian, 13-01-2024.
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE’S HUNGER FOR DATA AND ITS THIRST FOR WATER AND ENERGY
One of the most dangerous myths about digital technology is that it is somehow weightless or immaterial. But datacentres – those enormous metallic cabins containing tens or even hundreds of thousands of noisy servers – consume massive amounts of electricity and need lots of water for their cooling systems. Consider Ireland, a small country with an awful lot of datacentres. In 2022 those centres consumed more electricity (18%) than all the rural dwellings in the country, and as much as all Ireland’s urban homes.
And as far as water consumption is concerned, a study estimated that one medium-sized datacentre used as much water as three average-sized hospitals. Although these industrial spaces are representative of the metaphor of “cloud computing”, there is nothing vague or incorporeal about them. There are now between 9,000 and 11,000 of these datacentres in the world and many of them are beginning to look a bit out-of-date.
But that is going to change, because the industrial interest around Artificial Intelligence (AI) means that the materiality of the computing “cloud” is going to become harder to ignore. Machine learning needed in AI requires a different kind of computer processors which are considerably more complex (and expensive) than conventional processors.
Additionally, they also run hotter, and need significantly more energy. Within the technology industry, it has been widely known that AI faces an energy crisis, but it was only at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024 that one of its leaders finally spoke clearly about this crisis.
Adapted from an article by John Naughton, The Guardian, 2-3-2024.
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
myths weightless dwellings representative out-of-date interest
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
“GENDER INEQUITIES ARE IMPORTANT”: WHY COUPLES FALL OUT OF LOVE
A new study unpicks the reasons men and women call time on a relationship and finds that grievances really do matter. “The desire to get married is a primal instinct in women,” observed the late, great Nora Ephron. “It’s followed by another basic and primal instinct: the desire to be single again.” Relationship wisdom is full of generalisations but, according to a recent study, women do appear to fall in and out of love more extremely than men.
Saurabh Bhargava of Carnegie Mellon University has published a new study in Psychological Science which has a number of striking findings. The first is that women reported having feelings of love almost twice as frequently as men. The second is that, over the course of a long relationship, women on average experience a much steeper decline in these feelings compared to their male partners.
Joanna Harrison is a former divorce lawyer who, having decided she wanted to help relationships before they broke down, became a couple’s counsellor. She is also the author of Five Arguments All Couples (Need to) Have, which bears the imperishable subtitle: and why the washing up matters.
Harrison points to “a brilliant” study entitled: “Gender Inequities in Household Labour Predict Lower Sexual Desire in Women Partnered with Men.” The study claims to “show that gender inequities are important contributors to low desire in women partnered with men.” It seems that if men want more action in the bedroom, they need to be more active in the kitchen.
Adapted from an article by Andrew Anthony, The Guardian, 13-01-2024.
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
primal study striking decline imperishable active
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE’S HUNGER FOR DATA AND ITS THIRST FOR WATER AND ENERGY
One of the most dangerous myths about digital technology is that it is somehow weightless or immaterial. But datacentres – those enormous metallic cabins containing tens or even hundreds of thousands of noisy servers – consume massive amounts of electricity and need lots of water for their cooling systems. Consider Ireland, a small country with an awful lot of datacentres. In 2022 those centres consumed more electricity (18%) than all the rural dwellings in the country, and as much as all Ireland’s urban homes.
And as far as water consumption is concerned, a study estimated that one medium-sized datacentre used as much water as three average-sized hospitals. Although these industrial spaces are representative of the metaphor of “cloud computing”, there is nothing vague or incorporeal about them. There are now between 9,000 and 11,000 of these datacentres in the world and many of them are beginning to look a bit out-of-date.
But that is going to change, because the industrial interest around Artificial Intelligence (AI) means that the materiality of the computing “cloud” is going to become harder to ignore. Machine learning needed in AI requires a different kind of computer processors which are considerably more complex (and expensive) than conventional processors.
Additionally, they also run hotter, and need significantly more energy. Within the technology industry, it has been widely known that AI faces an energy crisis, but it was only at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024 that one of its leaders finally spoke clearly about this crisis.
Adapted from an article by John Naughton, The Guardian, 2-3-2024.
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
A4.1.The idea that digital technology is non-material is…
a)true because it is all about intangible data all over the country.
“GENDER INEQUITIES ARE IMPORTANT”: WHY COUPLES FALL OUT OF LOVE
A new study unpicks the reasons men and women call time on a relationship and finds that grievances really do matter. “The desire to get married is a primal instinct in women,” observed the late, great Nora Ephron. “It’s followed by another basic and primal instinct: the desire to be single again.” Relationship wisdom is full of generalisations but, according to a recent study, women do appear to fall in and out of love more extremely than men.
Saurabh Bhargava of Carnegie Mellon University has published a new study in Psychological Science which has a number of striking findings. The first is that women reported having feelings of love almost twice as frequently as men. The second is that, over the course of a long relationship, women on average experience a much steeper decline in these feelings compared to their male partners.
Joanna Harrison is a former divorce lawyer who, having decided she wanted to help relationships before they broke down, became a couple’s counsellor. She is also the author of Five Arguments All Couples (Need to) Have, which bears the imperishable subtitle: and why the washing up matters.
Harrison points to “a brilliant” study entitled: “Gender Inequities in Household Labour Predict Lower Sexual Desire in Women Partnered with Men.” The study claims to “show that gender inequities are important contributors to low desire in women partnered with men.” It seems that if men want more action in the bedroom, they need to be more active in the kitchen.
Adapted from an article by Andrew Anthony, The Guardian, 13-01-2024.
B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE PRESCRIBED SURFING AND DANCING TO HELP ANXIETY
Young people will take part in surfing, roller-skating and gardening to see whether sport, the arts and outdoor activities can make them less anxious and depressed.
National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts will use the activities to help 600 young people on their waiting lists for care as part of a study into whether “social prescribing” helps improve mental wellbeing. People aged 11 to 18 in 10 parts of England will also be able to take part in dance, music, sport and exercise and attend youth clubs during the trial, which is being run by academics from University College London (UCL). If participation proves successful the NHS may seek to make such activities available across England as a way of helping the many thousands of young people who face what can be months-long delays in accessing formal treatment, during which time their condition often worsens.
“Young people’s mental health is one of the greatest challenges facing the NHS,” said Dr. Daisy Fancourt, the UCL mental health expert running the trial: “Social prescribing has the potential to support young people while they wait, by providing access to a range of creative and social activities that could enhance their confidence, self-esteem and social support networks.”
Fancourt and her team will assess how much young people participate, the feasibility of making such activities available and the costs involved. Participants will be able to choose which pursuits they want to try, aided by a link worker or “buddy,” in conjunction with 10 NHS mental health trusts.
Adapted from an article by Denis Campbell, The Guardian, 25-10-2022
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
TOP GEN Z TRENDS OF 2023 TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE NEW YEAR
Gen Z or Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) is heavily influenced by technology and easy access to information on the Internet. More than any other generation, Gen Zers have easy reach to a cell phone and even the oldest members of this age group are aware of the top trends on social media and are concerned about their digital image.
A survey conducted by Instagram called it one of the most ethically conscious generations ever. Gen Z consumers are particular about opting for ethical and sustainable brands and two out of three respondents prefer buying beauty products that incorporate sun protection to protect themselves from damaging rays and invest in skincare routines that help during hotter temperatures.
This generation also cares deeply about social justice and disability rights and is likely to follow influencers with any kind of intellectual or physical disability. Another top Gen Z trend is to advocate for inclusivity and speak openly about the LGBTQ+ community. Rising mental health concerns seem to be another Gen Z trend. They often complain of mental health and consider it to be a major factor in disrupting the work environment and efficiency and it also reflects on their physical health.
When it comes to dating, many feel more comfortable talking via text than in person and wondering what their first message would be. Memes get a mixed review. Gen Zers are more likely to use social media platforms like Instagram for online dating instead of swiping on dating apps.
Adapted from an article by Trinetra Pau, Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong, 4-1-2023
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE PRESCRIBED SURFING AND DANCING TO HELP ANXIETY
Young people will take part in surfing, roller-skating and gardening to see whether sport, the arts and outdoor activities can make them less anxious and depressed.
National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts will use the activities to help 600 young people on their waiting lists for care as part of a study into whether “social prescribing” helps improve mental wellbeing. People aged 11 to 18 in 10 parts of England will also be able to take part in dance, music, sport and exercise and attend youth clubs during the trial, which is being run by academics from University College London (UCL). If participation proves successful the NHS may seek to make such activities available across England as a way of helping the many thousands of young people who face what can be months-long delays in accessing formal treatment, during which time their condition often worsens.
“Young people’s mental health is one of the greatest challenges facing the NHS,” said Dr. Daisy Fancourt, the UCL mental health expert running the trial: “Social prescribing has the potential to support young people while they wait, by providing access to a range of creative and social activities that could enhance their confidence, self-esteem and social support networks.”
Fancourt and her team will assess how much young people participate, the feasibility of making such activities available and the costs involved. Participants will be able to choose which pursuits they want to try, aided by a link worker or “buddy,” in conjunction with 10 NHS mental health trusts.
Adapted from an article by Denis Campbell, The Guardian, 25-10-2022
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
TOP GEN Z TRENDS OF 2023 TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE NEW YEAR
Gen Z or Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) is heavily influenced by technology and easy access to information on the Internet. More than any other generation, Gen Zers have easy reach to a cell phone and even the oldest members of this age group are aware of the top trends on social media and are concerned about their digital image.
A survey conducted by Instagram called it one of the most ethically conscious generations ever. Gen Z consumers are particular about opting for ethical and sustainable brands and two out of three respondents prefer buying beauty products that incorporate sun protection to protect themselves from damaging rays and invest in skincare routines that help during hotter temperatures.
This generation also cares deeply about social justice and disability rights and is likely to follow influencers with any kind of intellectual or physical disability. Another top Gen Z trend is to advocate for inclusivity and speak openly about the LGBTQ+ community. Rising mental health concerns seem to be another Gen Z trend. They often complain of mental health and consider it to be a major factor in disrupting the work environment and efficiency and it also reflects on their physical health.
When it comes to dating, many feel more comfortable talking via text than in person and wondering what their first message would be. Memes get a mixed review. Gen Zers are more likely to use social media platforms like Instagram for online dating instead of swiping on dating apps.
Adapted from an article by Trinetra Pau, Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong, 4-1-2023
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE PRESCRIBED SURFING AND DANCING TO HELP ANXIETY
Young people will take part in surfing, roller-skating and gardening to see whether sport, the arts and outdoor activities can make them less anxious and depressed.
National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts will use the activities to help 600 young people on their waiting lists for care as part of a study into whether “social prescribing” helps improve mental wellbeing. People aged 11 to 18 in 10 parts of England will also be able to take part in dance, music, sport and exercise and attend youth clubs during the trial, which is being run by academics from University College London (UCL). If participation proves successful the NHS may seek to make such activities available across England as a way of helping the many thousands of young people who face what can be months-long delays in accessing formal treatment, during which time their condition often worsens.
“Young people’s mental health is one of the greatest challenges facing the NHS,” said Dr. Daisy Fancourt, the UCL mental health expert running the trial: “Social prescribing has the potential to support young people while they wait, by providing access to a range of creative and social activities that could enhance their confidence, self-esteem and social support networks.”
Fancourt and her team will assess how much young people participate, the feasibility of making such activities available and the costs involved. Participants will be able to choose which pursuits they want to try, aided by a link worker or “buddy,” in conjunction with 10 NHS mental health trusts.
Adapted from an article by Denis Campbell, The Guardian, 25-10-2022
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
prescribing successful seek available running assess
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
TOP GEN Z TRENDS OF 2023 TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE NEW YEAR
Gen Z or Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) is heavily influenced by technology and easy access to information on the Internet. More than any other generation, Gen Zers have easy reach to a cell phone and even the oldest members of this age group are aware of the top trends on social media and are concerned about their digital image.
A survey conducted by Instagram called it one of the most ethically conscious generations ever. Gen Z consumers are particular about opting for ethical and sustainable brands and two out of three respondents prefer buying beauty products that incorporate sun protection to protect themselves from damaging rays and invest in skincare routines that help during hotter temperatures.
This generation also cares deeply about social justice and disability rights and is likely to follow influencers with any kind of intellectual or physical disability. Another top Gen Z trend is to advocate for inclusivity and speak openly about the LGBTQ+ community. Rising mental health concerns seem to be another Gen Z trend. They often complain of mental health and consider it to be a major factor in disrupting the work environment and efficiency and it also reflects on their physical health.
When it comes to dating, many feel more comfortable talking via text than in person and wondering what their first message would be. Memes get a mixed review. Gen Zers are more likely to use social media platforms like Instagram for online dating instead of swiping on dating apps.
Adapted from an article by Trinetra Pau, Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong, 4-1-2023
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
trends brands routines cares rights reflects
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE PRESCRIBED SURFING AND DANCING TO HELP ANXIETY
Young people will take part in surfing, roller-skating and gardening to see whether sport, the arts and outdoor activities can make them less anxious and depressed.
National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts will use the activities to help 600 young people on their waiting lists for care as part of a study into whether “social prescribing” helps improve mental wellbeing. People aged 11 to 18 in 10 parts of England will also be able to take part in dance, music, sport and exercise and attend youth clubs during the trial, which is being run by academics from University College London (UCL). If participation proves successful the NHS may seek to make such activities available across England as a way of helping the many thousands of young people who face what can be months-long delays in accessing formal treatment, during which time their condition often worsens.
“Young people’s mental health is one of the greatest challenges facing the NHS,” said Dr. Daisy Fancourt, the UCL mental health expert running the trial: “Social prescribing has the potential to support young people while they wait, by providing access to a range of creative and social activities that could enhance their confidence, self-esteem and social support networks.”
Fancourt and her team will assess how much young people participate, the feasibility of making such activities available and the costs involved. Participants will be able to choose which pursuits they want to try, aided by a link worker or “buddy,” in conjunction with 10 NHS mental health trusts.
Adapted from an article by Denis Campbell, The Guardian, 25-10-2022
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
A4.1.The purpose of the study is to find out whether these social activities…
a)improve the mental health of youngsters.
b)need further promotion among youngsters from UCL.
TOP GEN Z TRENDS OF 2023 TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE NEW YEAR
Gen Z or Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) is heavily influenced by technology and easy access to information on the Internet. More than any other generation, Gen Zers have easy reach to a cell phone and even the oldest members of this age group are aware of the top trends on social media and are concerned about their digital image.
A survey conducted by Instagram called it one of the most ethically conscious generations ever. Gen Z consumers are particular about opting for ethical and sustainable brands and two out of three respondents prefer buying beauty products that incorporate sun protection to protect themselves from damaging rays and invest in skincare routines that help during hotter temperatures.
This generation also cares deeply about social justice and disability rights and is likely to follow influencers with any kind of intellectual or physical disability. Another top Gen Z trend is to advocate for inclusivity and speak openly about the LGBTQ+ community. Rising mental health concerns seem to be another Gen Z trend. They often complain of mental health and consider it to be a major factor in disrupting the work environment and efficiency and it also reflects on their physical health.
When it comes to dating, many feel more comfortable talking via text than in person and wondering what their first message would be. Memes get a mixed review. Gen Zers are more likely to use social media platforms like Instagram for online dating instead of swiping on dating apps.
Adapted from an article by Trinetra Pau, Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong, 4-1-2023
B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
FUKUSHIMA WATER
Japan has decided to begin the release of a million tonnes of water from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant almost 12 years after a magnitude-9 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan’s north-east coast.
The water will be gradually discharged into the Pacific Ocean via a tunnel after being treated and diluted. The plan’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), has said its water treatment technology can remove all radioactive materials from water except tritium, which it says is harmless in small amounts. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also pointed out that nuclear plants around the world use a similar process to dispose of wastewater containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides.
South Korea and China have voiced concern about the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum has said recently that Japan “should hold off on any such release until we are certain about the implications of this proposal on the environment and on human health, especially recognising that the majority of our Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and that the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living.”
The South Korean government, which has yet to lift its ban on Fukushima seafood, has said that releasing the water would pose a “grave threat” to marine life. Fishing unions in the area oppose the release, warning it would cause alarm among consumers and derail more than a decade of efforts to reassure the public that Fukushima seafood is safe to eat.
Adapted from an article by Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 13-1-2023
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
FINE, I ADMIT IT – I AM A “DRY TEXTER”
I’ve recently become aware of the phenomenon of dry texting: the short, single-word responses (Yes, No, OK, Lol) to messages that are viewed as inadequate, hostile or hurtful.
Our family chat is arid. Most messages are “k” or “OK.” Supposedly interesting messages sent by those of us who are keen to maintain a feeling of connection go uncommented on; sometimes even unopened. I can be a dry texter myself: short responses to friends who send three-paragraph messages. It’s partly a lack of mental capacity for more writing outside the day job. If I could bring myself to get into emojis – I can’t – I would absolutely be the “single thumbs-up” kind of texter.
The other reason I dry text is I can’t write anything without horribly getting my typing wrong and being cruelly provoked by autocorrect. When I try to fix it, I end up hitting the M instead of delete, so most of my messages read: “We we’re mmmmmmmm.”
I quite like dry texting anyway: there’s an economical poetry to it. My last four messages from my stepfather are “Yes,” “OK,” “Good” and “OK.” The conversation thread between me and my husband is mainly “Dog?” “Where are you?” “Kfé?” (coffee) and “Yep.” He used a single emoji back in January and I’m still getting over it. It makes the more expansive messages extra special, too, such as when my husband spontaneously says he’s missing me. Those in textual relationships with more extensive typing style will never know that thrill.
Adapted from an article by Emma Beddington, The Guardian, 23-2-2023
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
FUKUSHIMA WATER
Japan has decided to begin the release of a million tonnes of water from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant almost 12 years after a magnitude-9 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan’s north-east coast.
The water will be gradually discharged into the Pacific Ocean via a tunnel after being treated and diluted. The plan’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), has said its water treatment technology can remove all radioactive materials from water except tritium, which it says is harmless in small amounts. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also pointed out that nuclear plants around the world use a similar process to dispose of wastewater containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides.
South Korea and China have voiced concern about the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum has said recently that Japan “should hold off on any such release until we are certain about the implications of this proposal on the environment and on human health, especially recognising that the majority of our Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and that the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living.”
The South Korean government, which has yet to lift its ban on Fukushima seafood, has said that releasing the water would pose a “grave threat” to marine life. Fishing unions in the area oppose the release, warning it would cause alarm among consumers and derail more than a decade of efforts to reassure the public that Fukushima seafood is safe to eat.
Adapted from an article by Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 13-1-2023
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
FINE, I ADMIT IT – I AM A “DRY TEXTER”
I’ve recently become aware of the phenomenon of dry texting: the short, single-word responses (Yes, No, OK, Lol) to messages that are viewed as inadequate, hostile or hurtful.
Our family chat is arid. Most messages are “k” or “OK.” Supposedly interesting messages sent by those of us who are keen to maintain a feeling of connection go uncommented on; sometimes even unopened. I can be a dry texter myself: short responses to friends who send three-paragraph messages. It’s partly a lack of mental capacity for more writing outside the day job. If I could bring myself to get into emojis – I can’t – I would absolutely be the “single thumbs-up” kind of texter.
The other reason I dry text is I can’t write anything without horribly getting my typing wrong and being cruelly provoked by autocorrect. When I try to fix it, I end up hitting the M instead of delete, so most of my messages read: “We we’re mmmmmmmm.”
I quite like dry texting anyway: there’s an economical poetry to it. My last four messages from my stepfather are “Yes,” “OK,” “Good” and “OK.” The conversation thread between me and my husband is mainly “Dog?” “Where are you?” “Kfé?” (coffee) and “Yep.” He used a single emoji back in January and I’m still getting over it. It makes the more expansive messages extra special, too, such as when my husband spontaneously says he’s missing me. Those in textual relationships with more extensive typing style will never know that thrill.
Adapted from an article by Emma Beddington, The Guardian, 23-2-2023
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
FUKUSHIMA WATER
Japan has decided to begin the release of a million tonnes of water from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant almost 12 years after a magnitude-9 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan’s north-east coast.
The water will be gradually discharged into the Pacific Ocean via a tunnel after being treated and diluted. The plan’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), has said its water treatment technology can remove all radioactive materials from water except tritium, which it says is harmless in small amounts. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also pointed out that nuclear plants around the world use a similar process to dispose of wastewater containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides.
South Korea and China have voiced concern about the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum has said recently that Japan “should hold off on any such release until we are certain about the implications of this proposal on the environment and on human health, especially recognising that the majority of our Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and that the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living.”
The South Korean government, which has yet to lift its ban on Fukushima seafood, has said that releasing the water would pose a “grave threat” to marine life. Fishing unions in the area oppose the release, warning it would cause alarm among consumers and derail more than a decade of efforts to reassure the public that Fukushima seafood is safe to eat.
Adapted from an article by Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 13-1-2023
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
release remove dispose concern hold off ban
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
FINE, I ADMIT IT – I AM A “DRY TEXTER”
I’ve recently become aware of the phenomenon of dry texting: the short, single-word responses (Yes, No, OK, Lol) to messages that are viewed as inadequate, hostile or hurtful.
Our family chat is arid. Most messages are “k” or “OK.” Supposedly interesting messages sent by those of us who are keen to maintain a feeling of connection go uncommented on; sometimes even unopened. I can be a dry texter myself: short responses to friends who send three-paragraph messages. It’s partly a lack of mental capacity for more writing outside the day job. If I could bring myself to get into emojis – I can’t – I would absolutely be the “single thumbs-up” kind of texter.
The other reason I dry text is I can’t write anything without horribly getting my typing wrong and being cruelly provoked by autocorrect. When I try to fix it, I end up hitting the M instead of delete, so most of my messages read: “We we’re mmmmmmmm.”
I quite like dry texting anyway: there’s an economical poetry to it. My last four messages from my stepfather are “Yes,” “OK,” “Good” and “OK.” The conversation thread between me and my husband is mainly “Dog?” “Where are you?” “Kfé?” (coffee) and “Yep.” He used a single emoji back in January and I’m still getting over it. It makes the more expansive messages extra special, too, such as when my husband spontaneously says he’s missing me. Those in textual relationships with more extensive typing style will never know that thrill.
Adapted from an article by Emma Beddington, The Guardian, 23-2-2023
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
hurtful maintain bring fix extensive thrill
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
FUKUSHIMA WATER
Japan has decided to begin the release of a million tonnes of water from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant almost 12 years after a magnitude-9 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan’s north-east coast.
The water will be gradually discharged into the Pacific Ocean via a tunnel after being treated and diluted. The plan’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), has said its water treatment technology can remove all radioactive materials from water except tritium, which it says is harmless in small amounts. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also pointed out that nuclear plants around the world use a similar process to dispose of wastewater containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides.
South Korea and China have voiced concern about the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum has said recently that Japan “should hold off on any such release until we are certain about the implications of this proposal on the environment and on human health, especially recognising that the majority of our Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and that the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living.”
The South Korean government, which has yet to lift its ban on Fukushima seafood, has said that releasing the water would pose a “grave threat” to marine life. Fishing unions in the area oppose the release, warning it would cause alarm among consumers and derail more than a decade of efforts to reassure the public that Fukushima seafood is safe to eat.
Adapted from an article by Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 13-1-2023
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
A4.1.The Fukushima water treatment will be done by...
FINE, I ADMIT IT – I AM A “DRY TEXTER”
I’ve recently become aware of the phenomenon of dry texting: the short, single-word responses (Yes, No, OK, Lol) to messages that are viewed as inadequate, hostile or hurtful.
Our family chat is arid. Most messages are “k” or “OK.” Supposedly interesting messages sent by those of us who are keen to maintain a feeling of connection go uncommented on; sometimes even unopened. I can be a dry texter myself: short responses to friends who send three-paragraph messages. It’s partly a lack of mental capacity for more writing outside the day job. If I could bring myself to get into emojis – I can’t – I would absolutely be the “single thumbs-up” kind of texter.
The other reason I dry text is I can’t write anything without horribly getting my typing wrong and being cruelly provoked by autocorrect. When I try to fix it, I end up hitting the M instead of delete, so most of my messages read: “We we’re mmmmmmmm.”
I quite like dry texting anyway: there’s an economical poetry to it. My last four messages from my stepfather are “Yes,” “OK,” “Good” and “OK.” The conversation thread between me and my husband is mainly “Dog?” “Where are you?” “Kfé?” (coffee) and “Yep.” He used a single emoji back in January and I’m still getting over it. It makes the more expansive messages extra special, too, such as when my husband spontaneously says he’s missing me. Those in textual relationships with more extensive typing style will never know that thrill.
Adapted from an article by Emma Beddington, The Guardian, 23-2-2023
B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
B4.1.Something that causes the author’s dry texting is her...
a)habit of never replying to substantial messages.
“ALEXA, TAKE ME TO THE MOON”
Lockheed Martin, which is building the Orion spacecraft that NASA hopes will fly astronauts to the moon within a couple of years, is partnering with Amazon to put an Alexa on the capsule.
The device would give astronauts real-time information on telemetry, the health of the spacecraft and its speed. It would be possible “for astronauts to ask about the spacecraft, the mission, the subsystems,” Aaron Rubenson, Amazon’s vice president, said. “More importantly, from the crew perspective: What’s that alarm that just went off? Remind me what that is.”
In addition to Alexa, the Orion spacecraft will be outfitted with screens that, like Zoom, allow users to see each other and share critical information. Taken together, the package, known as Callisto, would help translate different languages so astronauts from all over the world could communicate. It would also help controllers on the ground share information over a screen. The platform would also help in overcoming isolation by allowing astronauts to stay and feel connected to their home, family members and friends.
The onboard space Alexa would not be connected to the Internet but instead connect directly to Orion’s computer and its own onboard cloud. Still, it could send queries back to Earth and connect with the cloud to retrieve all sorts of information, such as news, that would help astronauts to feel less lonely. There would be a lag in those queries since data would have to travel from the spacecraft to Earth and then from Earth to the spacecraft.
Adapted from an article by Christian Davenport, The Guardian, 5-1-2022
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
2022: EUROPEAN YEAR OF YOUTH TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
The 2022 European Year of Youth (EYY) will focus on re-establishing a positive outlook for European young people negatively affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Designating 2022 as a year focused on young people means increased efforts will be made to include youth priorities in relevant EU policy areas and at every level of the EU’s decision-making process.
The EYY will aim to engage young people in key consultation processes, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, and in other public policies at EU, national and local levels. There will be a special focus on young people with fewer opportunities and on mental health issues. The EYY will include conferences, initiatives promoting youth participation in policy making, awareness-raising campaigns on a more inclusive, green, and digital EU, as well as studies and research on the situation in which young people in the EU find themselves.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect young people”, said Sabine Verheyen. “They face the challenges of trying to continue their education and enter the job market (...) make new acquaintances and discover other countries. Young people have accepted and supported the ongoing restrictions out of solidarity. Now it is time to let them flourish”, she said. “This year will lay the foundation for giving young people a stronger platform to make their voices heard”, she stressed, adding that we need “all young people to be involved and participate in creating a better, greener, more digital and inclusive future in Europe.”
Adapted from an article in EU Monitor, 15-12-2021
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
“ALEXA, TAKE ME TO THE MOON”
Lockheed Martin, which is building the Orion spacecraft that NASA hopes will fly astronauts to the moon within a couple of years, is partnering with Amazon to put an Alexa on the capsule.
The device would give astronauts real-time information on telemetry, the health of the spacecraft and its speed. It would be possible “for astronauts to ask about the spacecraft, the mission, the subsystems,” Aaron Rubenson, Amazon’s vice president, said. “More importantly, from the crew perspective: What’s that alarm that just went off? Remind me what that is.”
In addition to Alexa, the Orion spacecraft will be outfitted with screens that, like Zoom, allow users to see each other and share critical information. Taken together, the package, known as Callisto, would help translate different languages so astronauts from all over the world could communicate. It would also help controllers on the ground share information over a screen. The platform would also help in overcoming isolation by allowing astronauts to stay and feel connected to their home, family members and friends.
The onboard space Alexa would not be connected to the Internet but instead connect directly to Orion’s computer and its own onboard cloud. Still, it could send queries back to Earth and connect with the cloud to retrieve all sorts of information, such as news, that would help astronauts to feel less lonely. There would be a lag in those queries since data would have to travel from the spacecraft to Earth and then from Earth to the spacecraft.
Adapted from an article by Christian Davenport, The Guardian, 5-1-2022
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
2022: EUROPEAN YEAR OF YOUTH TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
The 2022 European Year of Youth (EYY) will focus on re-establishing a positive outlook for European young people negatively affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Designating 2022 as a year focused on young people means increased efforts will be made to include youth priorities in relevant EU policy areas and at every level of the EU’s decision-making process.
The EYY will aim to engage young people in key consultation processes, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, and in other public policies at EU, national and local levels. There will be a special focus on young people with fewer opportunities and on mental health issues. The EYY will include conferences, initiatives promoting youth participation in policy making, awareness-raising campaigns on a more inclusive, green, and digital EU, as well as studies and research on the situation in which young people in the EU find themselves.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect young people”, said Sabine Verheyen. “They face the challenges of trying to continue their education and enter the job market (...) make new acquaintances and discover other countries. Young people have accepted and supported the ongoing restrictions out of solidarity. Now it is time to let them flourish”, she said. “This year will lay the foundation for giving young people a stronger platform to make their voices heard”, she stressed, adding that we need “all young people to be involved and participate in creating a better, greener, more digital and inclusive future in Europe.”
Adapted from an article in EU Monitor, 15-12-2021
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
“ALEXA, TAKE ME TO THE MOON”
Lockheed Martin, which is building the Orion spacecraft that NASA hopes will fly astronauts to the moon within a couple of years, is partnering with Amazon to put an Alexa on the capsule.
The device would give astronauts real-time information on telemetry, the health of the spacecraft and its speed. It would be possible “for astronauts to ask about the spacecraft, the mission, the subsystems,” Aaron Rubenson, Amazon’s vice president, said. “More importantly, from the crew perspective: What’s that alarm that just went off? Remind me what that is.”
In addition to Alexa, the Orion spacecraft will be outfitted with screens that, like Zoom, allow users to see each other and share critical information. Taken together, the package, known as Callisto, would help translate different languages so astronauts from all over the world could communicate. It would also help controllers on the ground share information over a screen. The platform would also help in overcoming isolation by allowing astronauts to stay and feel connected to their home, family members and friends.
The onboard space Alexa would not be connected to the Internet but instead connect directly to Orion’s computer and its own onboard cloud. Still, it could send queries back to Earth and connect with the cloud to retrieve all sorts of information, such as news, that would help astronauts to feel less lonely. There would be a lag in those queries since data would have to travel from the spacecraft to Earth and then from Earth to the spacecraft.
Adapted from an article by Christian Davenport, The Guardian, 5-1-2022
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
partnering device crew overcoming retrieve lag
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
2022: EUROPEAN YEAR OF YOUTH TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
The 2022 European Year of Youth (EYY) will focus on re-establishing a positive outlook for European young people negatively affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Designating 2022 as a year focused on young people means increased efforts will be made to include youth priorities in relevant EU policy areas and at every level of the EU’s decision-making process.
The EYY will aim to engage young people in key consultation processes, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, and in other public policies at EU, national and local levels. There will be a special focus on young people with fewer opportunities and on mental health issues. The EYY will include conferences, initiatives promoting youth participation in policy making, awareness-raising campaigns on a more inclusive, green, and digital EU, as well as studies and research on the situation in which young people in the EU find themselves.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect young people”, said Sabine Verheyen. “They face the challenges of trying to continue their education and enter the job market (...) make new acquaintances and discover other countries. Young people have accepted and supported the ongoing restrictions out of solidarity. Now it is time to let them flourish”, she said. “This year will lay the foundation for giving young people a stronger platform to make their voices heard”, she stressed, adding that we need “all young people to be involved and participate in creating a better, greener, more digital and inclusive future in Europe.”
Adapted from an article in EU Monitor, 15-12-2021
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
outlook priorities engage challenges acquaintances flourish
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
“ALEXA, TAKE ME TO THE MOON”
Lockheed Martin, which is building the Orion spacecraft that NASA hopes will fly astronauts to the moon within a couple of years, is partnering with Amazon to put an Alexa on the capsule.
The device would give astronauts real-time information on telemetry, the health of the spacecraft and its speed. It would be possible “for astronauts to ask about the spacecraft, the mission, the subsystems,” Aaron Rubenson, Amazon’s vice president, said. “More importantly, from the crew perspective: What’s that alarm that just went off? Remind me what that is.”
In addition to Alexa, the Orion spacecraft will be outfitted with screens that, like Zoom, allow users to see each other and share critical information. Taken together, the package, known as Callisto, would help translate different languages so astronauts from all over the world could communicate. It would also help controllers on the ground share information over a screen. The platform would also help in overcoming isolation by allowing astronauts to stay and feel connected to their home, family members and friends.
The onboard space Alexa would not be connected to the Internet but instead connect directly to Orion’s computer and its own onboard cloud. Still, it could send queries back to Earth and connect with the cloud to retrieve all sorts of information, such as news, that would help astronauts to feel less lonely. There would be a lag in those queries since data would have to travel from the spacecraft to Earth and then from Earth to the spacecraft.
Adapted from an article by Christian Davenport, The Guardian, 5-1-2022
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
2022: EUROPEAN YEAR OF YOUTH TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
The 2022 European Year of Youth (EYY) will focus on re-establishing a positive outlook for European young people negatively affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Designating 2022 as a year focused on young people means increased efforts will be made to include youth priorities in relevant EU policy areas and at every level of the EU’s decision-making process.
The EYY will aim to engage young people in key consultation processes, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, and in other public policies at EU, national and local levels. There will be a special focus on young people with fewer opportunities and on mental health issues. The EYY will include conferences, initiatives promoting youth participation in policy making, awareness-raising campaigns on a more inclusive, green, and digital EU, as well as studies and research on the situation in which young people in the EU find themselves.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect young people”, said Sabine Verheyen. “They face the challenges of trying to continue their education and enter the job market (...) make new acquaintances and discover other countries. Young people have accepted and supported the ongoing restrictions out of solidarity. Now it is time to let them flourish”, she said. “This year will lay the foundation for giving young people a stronger platform to make their voices heard”, she stressed, adding that we need “all young people to be involved and participate in creating a better, greener, more digital and inclusive future in Europe.”
Adapted from an article in EU Monitor, 15-12-2021
B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each) 1. The EYY aims to involve young people in… a) promoting solidarity and consultation processes. b) national and local policies prioritizing COVID-19 studies. c) local, national, and European public policies. 2. Some of the EYY issues are… a) conferences on the effect of COVID-19 on young people. b) the promotion of solidarity. c) inclusion and ecology. 3. The EYY will be the starting point to give young people… a) opportunities to convey their views. b) more possibilities to make more money. c) precise ideas on how to get a better job.
IS THAT REALLY ME? THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY FILTERS
Mia started using filters when one of her TikTok videos unexpectedly went viral and her audience suddenly skyrocketed. “At that point, I was around 100kg, so it was really scary for me to have people looking at me,” she says. As her video clocked up more than 1m views, abusive comments started pouring in. “I was getting a lot of hate,” she says, adding: “The filters on TikTok are so smooth and flawless – they don’t look like a filter. So it felt so easy to use them, just to make me feel a little better… but honestly, it doesn’t even look like me.”
“Social media is promoting a beauty ideal that’s not attainable because nobody looks like that … and that’s where the harm can come from,” Dr Jasmine Fardouly, a body image expert, says. “Body dissatisfaction is an important predictor for eating disorders, and for depression and low self-esteem… There is also a link to increased interest in cosmetic surgery.”
Fardouly says social media companies should not be held solely responsible for the harm caused by unattainable beauty standards. “It’s kind of human nature… A lot of the problems with the platforms come from people’s desires and motivations offline as well. People have always wanted to present themselves positively to others; that’s not new. It’s just that social media really gives us the tools to control how we appear, and to spend a lot of time investing in our self-presentation – and that’s where the harm can come from.”
Adapted from an article by Matilda Boseley, The Guardian, 1-6-2022
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
PLASTIC DISASTER
Plastic is cheap and durable and has revolutionized human activity. Modern life is addicted to and dependent on this versatile substance, which is found in everything from computers to medical equipment to food packaging. Unfortunately, an estimated 19 billion pounds of plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year. Much of this plastic comes from single-use packaging, such as soda bottles, and from other single-use products such as disposable diapers. One study suggested that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish!
Plastic pollution is more than unsightly. It has a deadly and direct effect on wildlife. Many marine organisms get physically entangled in plastic trash. Others eat the plastics, mistaking the ubiquitous materials for food. Sea turtles often confuse plastic bags for their jellyfish prey and asphyxiate. Seabirds, especially albatrosses, and other birds that scoop food from the sea have been found dead on their nests, their bellies too full of plastics to survive. A recent study found plastic trash in 90 percent of seabirds, with pieces ranging from bottle caps to rice-sized fragments that look like seeds.
Perhaps even more worrisome is microplastic pollution. The vast majority of plastics are not biodegradable, meaning they break down into smaller and smaller particles but never leave the environment entirely. Pieces smaller than 5 mm are classified as microplastics. These particles are too small for waste management systems to filter and are directly discharged into the oceans.
Adapted from an article by Melissa Petruzzello, Britannica, 31-1-2022
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
IS THAT REALLY ME? THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY FILTERS
Mia started using filters when one of her TikTok videos unexpectedly went viral and her audience suddenly skyrocketed. “At that point, I was around 100kg, so it was really scary for me to have people looking at me,” she says. As her video clocked up more than 1m views, abusive comments started pouring in. “I was getting a lot of hate,” she says, adding: “The filters on TikTok are so smooth and flawless – they don’t look like a filter. So it felt so easy to use them, just to make me feel a little better… but honestly, it doesn’t even look like me.”
“Social media is promoting a beauty ideal that’s not attainable because nobody looks like that … and that’s where the harm can come from,” Dr Jasmine Fardouly, a body image expert, says. “Body dissatisfaction is an important predictor for eating disorders, and for depression and low self-esteem… There is also a link to increased interest in cosmetic surgery.”
Fardouly says social media companies should not be held solely responsible for the harm caused by unattainable beauty standards. “It’s kind of human nature… A lot of the problems with the platforms come from people’s desires and motivations offline as well. People have always wanted to present themselves positively to others; that’s not new. It’s just that social media really gives us the tools to control how we appear, and to spend a lot of time investing in our self-presentation – and that’s where the harm can come from.”
Adapted from an article by Matilda Boseley, The Guardian, 1-6-2022
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
PLASTIC DISASTER
Plastic is cheap and durable and has revolutionized human activity. Modern life is addicted to and dependent on this versatile substance, which is found in everything from computers to medical equipment to food packaging. Unfortunately, an estimated 19 billion pounds of plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year. Much of this plastic comes from single-use packaging, such as soda bottles, and from other single-use products such as disposable diapers. One study suggested that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish!
Plastic pollution is more than unsightly. It has a deadly and direct effect on wildlife. Many marine organisms get physically entangled in plastic trash. Others eat the plastics, mistaking the ubiquitous materials for food. Sea turtles often confuse plastic bags for their jellyfish prey and asphyxiate. Seabirds, especially albatrosses, and other birds that scoop food from the sea have been found dead on their nests, their bellies too full of plastics to survive. A recent study found plastic trash in 90 percent of seabirds, with pieces ranging from bottle caps to rice-sized fragments that look like seeds.
Perhaps even more worrisome is microplastic pollution. The vast majority of plastics are not biodegradable, meaning they break down into smaller and smaller particles but never leave the environment entirely. Pieces smaller than 5 mm are classified as microplastics. These particles are too small for waste management systems to filter and are directly discharged into the oceans.
Adapted from an article by Melissa Petruzzello, Britannica, 31-1-2022
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
IS THAT REALLY ME? THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY FILTERS
Mia started using filters when one of her TikTok videos unexpectedly went viral and her audience suddenly skyrocketed. “At that point, I was around 100kg, so it was really scary for me to have people looking at me,” she says. As her video clocked up more than 1m views, abusive comments started pouring in. “I was getting a lot of hate,” she says, adding: “The filters on TikTok are so smooth and flawless – they don’t look like a filter. So it felt so easy to use them, just to make me feel a little better… but honestly, it doesn’t even look like me.”
“Social media is promoting a beauty ideal that’s not attainable because nobody looks like that … and that’s where the harm can come from,” Dr Jasmine Fardouly, a body image expert, says. “Body dissatisfaction is an important predictor for eating disorders, and for depression and low self-esteem… There is also a link to increased interest in cosmetic surgery.”
Fardouly says social media companies should not be held solely responsible for the harm caused by unattainable beauty standards. “It’s kind of human nature… A lot of the problems with the platforms come from people’s desires and motivations offline as well. People have always wanted to present themselves positively to others; that’s not new. It’s just that social media really gives us the tools to control how we appear, and to spend a lot of time investing in our self-presentation – and that’s where the harm can come from.”
Adapted from an article by Matilda Boseley, The Guardian, 1-6-2022
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
unexpectedly abusive flawless link harm solely
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
PLASTIC DISASTER
Plastic is cheap and durable and has revolutionized human activity. Modern life is addicted to and dependent on this versatile substance, which is found in everything from computers to medical equipment to food packaging. Unfortunately, an estimated 19 billion pounds of plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year. Much of this plastic comes from single-use packaging, such as soda bottles, and from other single-use products such as disposable diapers. One study suggested that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish!
Plastic pollution is more than unsightly. It has a deadly and direct effect on wildlife. Many marine organisms get physically entangled in plastic trash. Others eat the plastics, mistaking the ubiquitous materials for food. Sea turtles often confuse plastic bags for their jellyfish prey and asphyxiate. Seabirds, especially albatrosses, and other birds that scoop food from the sea have been found dead on their nests, their bellies too full of plastics to survive. A recent study found plastic trash in 90 percent of seabirds, with pieces ranging from bottle caps to rice-sized fragments that look like seeds.
Perhaps even more worrisome is microplastic pollution. The vast majority of plastics are not biodegradable, meaning they break down into smaller and smaller particles but never leave the environment entirely. Pieces smaller than 5 mm are classified as microplastics. These particles are too small for waste management systems to filter and are directly discharged into the oceans.
Adapted from an article by Melissa Petruzzello, Britannica, 31-1-2022
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
durable versatile disposable unsightly ubiquitous worrisome
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
IS THAT REALLY ME? THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY FILTERS
Mia started using filters when one of her TikTok videos unexpectedly went viral and her audience suddenly skyrocketed. “At that point, I was around 100kg, so it was really scary for me to have people looking at me,” she says. As her video clocked up more than 1m views, abusive comments started pouring in. “I was getting a lot of hate,” she says, adding: “The filters on TikTok are so smooth and flawless – they don’t look like a filter. So it felt so easy to use them, just to make me feel a little better… but honestly, it doesn’t even look like me.”
“Social media is promoting a beauty ideal that’s not attainable because nobody looks like that … and that’s where the harm can come from,” Dr Jasmine Fardouly, a body image expert, says. “Body dissatisfaction is an important predictor for eating disorders, and for depression and low self-esteem… There is also a link to increased interest in cosmetic surgery.”
Fardouly says social media companies should not be held solely responsible for the harm caused by unattainable beauty standards. “It’s kind of human nature… A lot of the problems with the platforms come from people’s desires and motivations offline as well. People have always wanted to present themselves positively to others; that’s not new. It’s just that social media really gives us the tools to control how we appear, and to spend a lot of time investing in our self-presentation – and that’s where the harm can come from.”
Adapted from an article by Matilda Boseley, The Guardian, 1-6-2022
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
PLASTIC DISASTER
Plastic is cheap and durable and has revolutionized human activity. Modern life is addicted to and dependent on this versatile substance, which is found in everything from computers to medical equipment to food packaging. Unfortunately, an estimated 19 billion pounds of plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year. Much of this plastic comes from single-use packaging, such as soda bottles, and from other single-use products such as disposable diapers. One study suggested that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish!
Plastic pollution is more than unsightly. It has a deadly and direct effect on wildlife. Many marine organisms get physically entangled in plastic trash. Others eat the plastics, mistaking the ubiquitous materials for food. Sea turtles often confuse plastic bags for their jellyfish prey and asphyxiate. Seabirds, especially albatrosses, and other birds that scoop food from the sea have been found dead on their nests, their bellies too full of plastics to survive. A recent study found plastic trash in 90 percent of seabirds, with pieces ranging from bottle caps to rice-sized fragments that look like seeds.
Perhaps even more worrisome is microplastic pollution. The vast majority of plastics are not biodegradable, meaning they break down into smaller and smaller particles but never leave the environment entirely. Pieces smaller than 5 mm are classified as microplastics. These particles are too small for waste management systems to filter and are directly discharged into the oceans.
Adapted from an article by Melissa Petruzzello, Britannica, 31-1-2022
B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
DO YOU DRINK BOTTLED WATER?
Although water bottles are recyclable, Americans throw away about 80% of the bottles they use – and Americans use 1,500 plastic bottles of water every second. Plastic bottles contribute to global environmental crises, in part due to the fact that they disintegrate into microplastics, the presence of which are so ubiquitous that researchers recently discovered them in the placentas of unborn babies. The extraction and manufacturing processes used by bottled water corporations also have negative environmental and economic effects, and amount to the privatisation and commercialisation of a limited and invaluable resource to which all should have a universal right.
When clean, safe water is unavailable, drinking bottled water becomes a necessity. The average consumer, however, does not purchase bottled water out of need, but because it is often marketed as purer or tastier than tap water – despite the fact that it does not necessarily come from the appealing sources consumers think it does.
When it comes to the health qualities of bottled versus tap water, differences are negligible. Both tap and bottled water are required to meet quality requirements. Contamination is always possible in either but by prevailing standards both are generally fine to drink.
Prevailing standards, however, have not quite caught up to the threat of PFAS – a group of industrial chemicals used in a variety of consumer products. PFAS have been found in both tap and bottled water. There is currently no federal guidance on PFAS regulation, though there is evidence that most PFAS are carcinogenic.
Adapted from an article by Adrienne Matei, The Guardian, 28-1-2021
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
HOW FAST DO YOU CANCEL STREAMING SERVICES?
That is the issue facing media and entertainment companies as the battle for streaming audiences settles into a new phase. During 2019 and 2020, studios launched Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock with both paid and free tiers, Apple TV+, Discovery+ and others, all betting on original, exclusive programming to draw users. The coronavirus crisis has been very positive for the streaming industry while movie theaters, concert venues and sports arenas continue to suffer.
The problem is that, because they are so easy to cancel, those services are seeing a lot of people leave after they finish watching the shows that convinced them to sign up in the first place. That phenomenon, known in the industry as “churn,” is a growing headache in the streaming wars, according to a new report released by professional services giant Deloitte.
According to Deloitte’s survey of 1,100 people in October, 46% of respondents canceled at least one streaming service in the last six months. That is a dramatic increase from the 20% who said in a similar January survey that they had canceled a service in the previous year. Of the people surveyed who canceled a streaming subscription, 62% did so because they finished the show or movie that they had signed up to see, Deloitte said.
The data suggests it is becoming harder for media and entertainment companies to retain subscribers as competition increases, said Kevin Westcott, Deloitte’s leader. With so many services available, having exclusive content alone isn’t enough to keep people on board.
Adapted from an article by Ryan Faughnderstaff, Los Angeles Times, 18-1-2021
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
DO YOU DRINK BOTTLED WATER?
Although water bottles are recyclable, Americans throw away about 80% of the bottles they use – and Americans use 1,500 plastic bottles of water every second. Plastic bottles contribute to global environmental crises, in part due to the fact that they disintegrate into microplastics, the presence of which are so ubiquitous that researchers recently discovered them in the placentas of unborn babies. The extraction and manufacturing processes used by bottled water corporations also have negative environmental and economic effects, and amount to the privatisation and commercialisation of a limited and invaluable resource to which all should have a universal right.
When clean, safe water is unavailable, drinking bottled water becomes a necessity. The average consumer, however, does not purchase bottled water out of need, but because it is often marketed as purer or tastier than tap water – despite the fact that it does not necessarily come from the appealing sources consumers think it does.
When it comes to the health qualities of bottled versus tap water, differences are negligible. Both tap and bottled water are required to meet quality requirements. Contamination is always possible in either but by prevailing standards both are generally fine to drink.
Prevailing standards, however, have not quite caught up to the threat of PFAS – a group of industrial chemicals used in a variety of consumer products. PFAS have been found in both tap and bottled water. There is currently no federal guidance on PFAS regulation, though there is evidence that most PFAS are carcinogenic.
Adapted from an article by Adrienne Matei, The Guardian, 28-1-2021
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
HOW FAST DO YOU CANCEL STREAMING SERVICES?
That is the issue facing media and entertainment companies as the battle for streaming audiences settles into a new phase. During 2019 and 2020, studios launched Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock with both paid and free tiers, Apple TV+, Discovery+ and others, all betting on original, exclusive programming to draw users. The coronavirus crisis has been very positive for the streaming industry while movie theaters, concert venues and sports arenas continue to suffer.
The problem is that, because they are so easy to cancel, those services are seeing a lot of people leave after they finish watching the shows that convinced them to sign up in the first place. That phenomenon, known in the industry as “churn,” is a growing headache in the streaming wars, according to a new report released by professional services giant Deloitte.
According to Deloitte’s survey of 1,100 people in October, 46% of respondents canceled at least one streaming service in the last six months. That is a dramatic increase from the 20% who said in a similar January survey that they had canceled a service in the previous year. Of the people surveyed who canceled a streaming subscription, 62% did so because they finished the show or movie that they had signed up to see, Deloitte said.
The data suggests it is becoming harder for media and entertainment companies to retain subscribers as competition increases, said Kevin Westcott, Deloitte’s leader. With so many services available, having exclusive content alone isn’t enough to keep people on board.
Adapted from an article by Ryan Faughnderstaff, Los Angeles Times, 18-1-2021
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
DO YOU DRINK BOTTLED WATER?
Although water bottles are recyclable, Americans throw away about 80% of the bottles they use – and Americans use 1,500 plastic bottles of water every second. Plastic bottles contribute to global environmental crises, in part due to the fact that they disintegrate into microplastics, the presence of which are so ubiquitous that researchers recently discovered them in the placentas of unborn babies. The extraction and manufacturing processes used by bottled water corporations also have negative environmental and economic effects, and amount to the privatisation and commercialisation of a limited and invaluable resource to which all should have a universal right.
When clean, safe water is unavailable, drinking bottled water becomes a necessity. The average consumer, however, does not purchase bottled water out of need, but because it is often marketed as purer or tastier than tap water – despite the fact that it does not necessarily come from the appealing sources consumers think it does.
When it comes to the health qualities of bottled versus tap water, differences are negligible. Both tap and bottled water are required to meet quality requirements. Contamination is always possible in either but by prevailing standards both are generally fine to drink.
Prevailing standards, however, have not quite caught up to the threat of PFAS – a group of industrial chemicals used in a variety of consumer products. PFAS have been found in both tap and bottled water. There is currently no federal guidance on PFAS regulation, though there is evidence that most PFAS are carcinogenic.
Adapted from an article by Adrienne Matei, The Guardian, 28-1-2021
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
invaluable unavailable average appealing prevailing evidence
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
HOW FAST DO YOU CANCEL STREAMING SERVICES?
That is the issue facing media and entertainment companies as the battle for streaming audiences settles into a new phase. During 2019 and 2020, studios launched Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock with both paid and free tiers, Apple TV+, Discovery+ and others, all betting on original, exclusive programming to draw users. The coronavirus crisis has been very positive for the streaming industry while movie theaters, concert venues and sports arenas continue to suffer.
The problem is that, because they are so easy to cancel, those services are seeing a lot of people leave after they finish watching the shows that convinced them to sign up in the first place. That phenomenon, known in the industry as “churn,” is a growing headache in the streaming wars, according to a new report released by professional services giant Deloitte.
According to Deloitte’s survey of 1,100 people in October, 46% of respondents canceled at least one streaming service in the last six months. That is a dramatic increase from the 20% who said in a similar January survey that they had canceled a service in the previous year. Of the people surveyed who canceled a streaming subscription, 62% did so because they finished the show or movie that they had signed up to see, Deloitte said.
The data suggests it is becoming harder for media and entertainment companies to retain subscribers as competition increases, said Kevin Westcott, Deloitte’s leader. With so many services available, having exclusive content alone isn’t enough to keep people on board.
Adapted from an article by Ryan Faughnderstaff, Los Angeles Times, 18-1-2021
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
settles draw venues sign up suggests increases
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
DO YOU DRINK BOTTLED WATER?
Although water bottles are recyclable, Americans throw away about 80% of the bottles they use – and Americans use 1,500 plastic bottles of water every second. Plastic bottles contribute to global environmental crises, in part due to the fact that they disintegrate into microplastics, the presence of which are so ubiquitous that researchers recently discovered them in the placentas of unborn babies. The extraction and manufacturing processes used by bottled water corporations also have negative environmental and economic effects, and amount to the privatisation and commercialisation of a limited and invaluable resource to which all should have a universal right.
When clean, safe water is unavailable, drinking bottled water becomes a necessity. The average consumer, however, does not purchase bottled water out of need, but because it is often marketed as purer or tastier than tap water – despite the fact that it does not necessarily come from the appealing sources consumers think it does.
When it comes to the health qualities of bottled versus tap water, differences are negligible. Both tap and bottled water are required to meet quality requirements. Contamination is always possible in either but by prevailing standards both are generally fine to drink.
Prevailing standards, however, have not quite caught up to the threat of PFAS – a group of industrial chemicals used in a variety of consumer products. PFAS have been found in both tap and bottled water. There is currently no federal guidance on PFAS regulation, though there is evidence that most PFAS are carcinogenic.
Adapted from an article by Adrienne Matei, The Guardian, 28-1-2021
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each) 1. Water should be… a) privatised. b) a right for everybody. c) bottled conveniently.
HOW FAST DO YOU CANCEL STREAMING SERVICES?
That is the issue facing media and entertainment companies as the battle for streaming audiences settles into a new phase. During 2019 and 2020, studios launched Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock with both paid and free tiers, Apple TV+, Discovery+ and others, all betting on original, exclusive programming to draw users. The coronavirus crisis has been very positive for the streaming industry while movie theaters, concert venues and sports arenas continue to suffer.
The problem is that, because they are so easy to cancel, those services are seeing a lot of people leave after they finish watching the shows that convinced them to sign up in the first place. That phenomenon, known in the industry as “churn,” is a growing headache in the streaming wars, according to a new report released by professional services giant Deloitte.
According to Deloitte’s survey of 1,100 people in October, 46% of respondents canceled at least one streaming service in the last six months. That is a dramatic increase from the 20% who said in a similar January survey that they had canceled a service in the previous year. Of the people surveyed who canceled a streaming subscription, 62% did so because they finished the show or movie that they had signed up to see, Deloitte said.
The data suggests it is becoming harder for media and entertainment companies to retain subscribers as competition increases, said Kevin Westcott, Deloitte’s leader. With so many services available, having exclusive content alone isn’t enough to keep people on board.
Adapted from an article by Ryan Faughnderstaff, Los Angeles Times, 18-1-2021
B4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
CLOTHES WASHING LINKED TO PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE ARCTIC
The Arctic is polluted by microplastic fibres that most likely come from the washing of synthetic clothes by people in Europe and North America. The most comprehensive study to date found the microplastics in 96 of 97 sea water samples taken from across the polar region. More than 92% of the microplastics were fibres, and 73% of these were made of polyester and were the same width and colours as those used in clothes. Most of the samples were taken from 3-8 metres below the surface, where much marine life feeds.
The researchers also found plastic fibres at the North Pole. With plastic recently discovered at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, and the peak of Mount Everest, it is clear humanity’s litter has polluted the entire planet. It is known to injure wildlife that mistake it for food. People also consume microplastics via food and water, and breathe them in, although the health impact is not yet known.
Much more water flows into the Arctic from the Atlantic than the Pacific, and the new research found higher concentrations of the microplastic fibres nearer the Atlantic, as well as longer and less degraded fibres. “We’re looking at a dominance of Atlantic inputs, which means sources of textile fibres in the North Atlantic from Europe and North America are likely to be driving the contamination in the Arctic Ocean,” said Peter Ross, who led the study. “With these polyester fibres, we’ve essentially created a cloud throughout the world’s oceans.”
Adapted from an article by Damian Carrington, The Guardian, 12-1-2021
Part I. Reading Comprehension
A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
DO WE HAVE TO AGE?
When the biologist Andrew Steele tells people that we might one day cure ageing as if it were any other disease, they are often skeptical. He understands the reaction: ageing is an inescapable fact of life – we’re born and we grow old. However, “anti-ageing medicine would identify the causes of dysfunction as we get older, then slow their progression or reverse them entirely,” Steele reports.
The hope isn’t that we live longer for the sake of it, it is that we live longer in good health. Humans have searched for a cure for ageing for thousands of years. In the past, countless people made lengthy, futile quests for life-extending elixirs. Lately, research has accelerated. A 2018 study extended the life expectancy of mice by 10%, though it comes with side-effects, including the loss of hair. Last year, scientists transplanted cells from young mice into elderly ones, adding three months to their lives, which in equivalent human terms could be worth more than a decade.
To Steele this is all thrilling, although it is the fact that human trials have begun that excites him most. A recent study found that a combination of hormones and drugs helps rejuvenate some organs, which degenerate rapidly with age. “Research foreshadows a future where ageing will be treated,” Steele says, “We are likely to have a drug that treats ageing in the next 10 years.” Steele isn’t talking about immortality, but science which will make lifespans longer than what we currently consider normal.
Adapted from an article by Alex Moshakis, The Observer, 3-1-2021
Part I. Reading Comprehension
B1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
Answer both questions (a and b) in your own words.
CLOTHES WASHING LINKED TO PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE ARCTIC
The Arctic is polluted by microplastic fibres that most likely come from the washing of synthetic clothes by people in Europe and North America. The most comprehensive study to date found the microplastics in 96 of 97 sea water samples taken from across the polar region. More than 92% of the microplastics were fibres, and 73% of these were made of polyester and were the same width and colours as those used in clothes. Most of the samples were taken from 3-8 metres below the surface, where much marine life feeds.
The researchers also found plastic fibres at the North Pole. With plastic recently discovered at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, and the peak of Mount Everest, it is clear humanity’s litter has polluted the entire planet. It is known to injure wildlife that mistake it for food. People also consume microplastics via food and water, and breathe them in, although the health impact is not yet known.
Much more water flows into the Arctic from the Atlantic than the Pacific, and the new research found higher concentrations of the microplastic fibres nearer the Atlantic, as well as longer and less degraded fibres. “We’re looking at a dominance of Atlantic inputs, which means sources of textile fibres in the North Atlantic from Europe and North America are likely to be driving the contamination in the Arctic Ocean,” said Peter Ross, who led the study. “With these polyester fibres, we’ve essentially created a cloud throughout the world’s oceans.”
Adapted from an article by Damian Carrington, The Guardian, 12-1-2021
A2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
DO WE HAVE TO AGE?
When the biologist Andrew Steele tells people that we might one day cure ageing as if it were any other disease, they are often skeptical. He understands the reaction: ageing is an inescapable fact of life – we’re born and we grow old. However, “anti-ageing medicine would identify the causes of dysfunction as we get older, then slow their progression or reverse them entirely,” Steele reports.
The hope isn’t that we live longer for the sake of it, it is that we live longer in good health. Humans have searched for a cure for ageing for thousands of years. In the past, countless people made lengthy, futile quests for life-extending elixirs. Lately, research has accelerated. A 2018 study extended the life expectancy of mice by 10%, though it comes with side-effects, including the loss of hair. Last year, scientists transplanted cells from young mice into elderly ones, adding three months to their lives, which in equivalent human terms could be worth more than a decade.
To Steele this is all thrilling, although it is the fact that human trials have begun that excites him most. A recent study found that a combination of hormones and drugs helps rejuvenate some organs, which degenerate rapidly with age. “Research foreshadows a future where ageing will be treated,” Steele says, “We are likely to have a drug that treats ageing in the next 10 years.” Steele isn’t talking about immortality, but science which will make lifespans longer than what we currently consider normal.
Adapted from an article by Alex Moshakis, The Observer, 3-1-2021
B2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
Answer the three statements (a, b, c). For each one write T or F and copy the exact passage from the text that supports your answer.
CLOTHES WASHING LINKED TO PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE ARCTIC
The Arctic is polluted by microplastic fibres that most likely come from the washing of synthetic clothes by people in Europe and North America. The most comprehensive study to date found the microplastics in 96 of 97 sea water samples taken from across the polar region. More than 92% of the microplastics were fibres, and 73% of these were made of polyester and were the same width and colours as those used in clothes. Most of the samples were taken from 3-8 metres below the surface, where much marine life feeds.
The researchers also found plastic fibres at the North Pole. With plastic recently discovered at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, and the peak of Mount Everest, it is clear humanity’s litter has polluted the entire planet. It is known to injure wildlife that mistake it for food. People also consume microplastics via food and water, and breathe them in, although the health impact is not yet known.
Much more water flows into the Arctic from the Atlantic than the Pacific, and the new research found higher concentrations of the microplastic fibres nearer the Atlantic, as well as longer and less degraded fibres. “We’re looking at a dominance of Atlantic inputs, which means sources of textile fibres in the North Atlantic from Europe and North America are likely to be driving the contamination in the Arctic Ocean,” said Peter Ross, who led the study. “With these polyester fibres, we’ve essentially created a cloud throughout the world’s oceans.”
Adapted from an article by Damian Carrington, The Guardian, 12-1-2021
A3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
comprehensive width litter injure dominance throughout
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
DO WE HAVE TO AGE?
When the biologist Andrew Steele tells people that we might one day cure ageing as if it were any other disease, they are often skeptical. He understands the reaction: ageing is an inescapable fact of life – we’re born and we grow old. However, “anti-ageing medicine would identify the causes of dysfunction as we get older, then slow their progression or reverse them entirely,” Steele reports.
The hope isn’t that we live longer for the sake of it, it is that we live longer in good health. Humans have searched for a cure for ageing for thousands of years. In the past, countless people made lengthy, futile quests for life-extending elixirs. Lately, research has accelerated. A 2018 study extended the life expectancy of mice by 10%, though it comes with side-effects, including the loss of hair. Last year, scientists transplanted cells from young mice into elderly ones, adding three months to their lives, which in equivalent human terms could be worth more than a decade.
To Steele this is all thrilling, although it is the fact that human trials have begun that excites him most. A recent study found that a combination of hormones and drugs helps rejuvenate some organs, which degenerate rapidly with age. “Research foreshadows a future where ageing will be treated,” Steele says, “We are likely to have a drug that treats ageing in the next 10 years.” Steele isn’t talking about immortality, but science which will make lifespans longer than what we currently consider normal.
Adapted from an article by Alex Moshakis, The Observer, 3-1-2021
B3. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options. All words are underlined in the text (1 point: 0.25 each)
disease skeptical countless lengthy thrilling currently
[PAU Mentor: the underlining of the original paper is not reproduced; the six words appear in the text exactly as listed.]
CLOTHES WASHING LINKED TO PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE ARCTIC
The Arctic is polluted by microplastic fibres that most likely come from the washing of synthetic clothes by people in Europe and North America. The most comprehensive study to date found the microplastics in 96 of 97 sea water samples taken from across the polar region. More than 92% of the microplastics were fibres, and 73% of these were made of polyester and were the same width and colours as those used in clothes. Most of the samples were taken from 3-8 metres below the surface, where much marine life feeds.
The researchers also found plastic fibres at the North Pole. With plastic recently discovered at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, and the peak of Mount Everest, it is clear humanity’s litter has polluted the entire planet. It is known to injure wildlife that mistake it for food. People also consume microplastics via food and water, and breathe them in, although the health impact is not yet known.
Much more water flows into the Arctic from the Atlantic than the Pacific, and the new research found higher concentrations of the microplastic fibres nearer the Atlantic, as well as longer and less degraded fibres. “We’re looking at a dominance of Atlantic inputs, which means sources of textile fibres in the North Atlantic from Europe and North America are likely to be driving the contamination in the Arctic Ocean,” said Peter Ross, who led the study. “With these polyester fibres, we’ve essentially created a cloud throughout the world’s oceans.”
Adapted from an article by Damian Carrington, The Guardian, 12-1-2021
A4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
A4.1.In the polar region, most microplastics in sea water…
DO WE HAVE TO AGE?
When the biologist Andrew Steele tells people that we might one day cure ageing as if it were any other disease, they are often skeptical. He understands the reaction: ageing is an inescapable fact of life – we’re born and we grow old. However, “anti-ageing medicine would identify the causes of dysfunction as we get older, then slow their progression or reverse them entirely,” Steele reports.
The hope isn’t that we live longer for the sake of it, it is that we live longer in good health. Humans have searched for a cure for ageing for thousands of years. In the past, countless people made lengthy, futile quests for life-extending elixirs. Lately, research has accelerated. A 2018 study extended the life expectancy of mice by 10%, though it comes with side-effects, including the loss of hair. Last year, scientists transplanted cells from young mice into elderly ones, adding three months to their lives, which in equivalent human terms could be worth more than a decade.
To Steele this is all thrilling, although it is the fact that human trials have begun that excites him most. A recent study found that a combination of hormones and drugs helps rejuvenate some organs, which degenerate rapidly with age. “Research foreshadows a future where ageing will be treated,” Steele says, “We are likely to have a drug that treats ageing in the next 10 years.” Steele isn’t talking about immortality, but science which will make lifespans longer than what we currently consider normal.
Adapted from an article by Alex Moshakis, The Observer, 3-1-2021
B4. Choose a, b, or c in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)