Will the eBook finally replace paper? - PAU inglés 2012 Andalucía

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

Should we declare the traditional book as an “endangered species”? Current trends show that although the printed book is a part of our culture, the eBook’s popularity is growing and it may become the format of choice for most people in the near future. Publishers and booksellers are reporting that eBook sales are increasing by as much as four or five times over the last year.

Industry analysts are predicting this trend to continue. Steve Ballmer even thinks that the electronic format will completely replace paper publications in about 10 years. “There will be no newspapers or magazines that are delivered in paper form. Everything will get delivered in an electronic form,” says Ballmer.

This growing popularity of digital format is understandable. The eBook has many advantages over its paper counterpart: it’s easy to carry and accessible from anywhere—if you use any online storage service, you can access your eBook copy from anywhere where you have a computer and Internet connection available. Finding a phrase in an eBook is easier than in a paper book. The environmentally friendly eBook reduces the usage of ink and paper, which saves trees. They cost less to produce and are therefore cheaper than paper books, in some cases 50% cheaper. This is one of the reasons why many schools are adopting eBooks for their students. Another reason is that students are very mobile and it's easier to store books in a laptop than carry them around.

But even the most ardent eBook fan does not expect paper books to become obsolete: "They'll co-exist and we'll hopefully see publishers offering combined packages, so customers can get the best of both worlds," says Steve.

RESPUESTAS

I. READING COMPREHENSION

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

1. Why do publishers believe that eBooks are replacing traditional books?

• Because since the eBooks appeared, their sales haven’t stopped growing, increasing their popularity this way; and regarding the advantages of this new electronic format, the use of traditional books is decreasing.

2. How do eBooks help to preserve the environment?

• Because we don’t need to cut down trees, which saves the forests and it also reduces the creation of a big amount of rubbish, reducing the pollution.

3. Can you mention two reasons why schools are choosing eBooks rather than conventional books?

• They are sold at a lower price and students don’t have to carry heavy books, since the eBooks allow them to store all the information inside them.

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

4. People can always access their eBooks.

• TRUE:  “It’s easy to carry and accessible from anywhere—if you use any online storage service, you can access your eBook copy from anywhere…” (LINES 9-10)

5. According to the author, some eBook fans even expect paper books to disappear completely.

• FALSE: “But even the most ardent eBook fan does not expect paper books to become obsolete.” (LINE 15)

II. USE OF ENGLISH

6. FIND IN THE TEXT THE WORD WHICH HAS THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION: 

“no longer produced or used; out of date”.

• obsolete (LINE 15)

7. FIND IN THE TEXT ONE SYNONYM FOR “tendency” (noun).

• trend (LINE 5)

8. GIVE A NOUN WITH THE SAME ROOT AS “deliver “(verb).

• delivery

9. GIVE AN OPPOSITE FOR “save” (verb) AS IT IS USED IN THE TEXT (LINE 12).

• cut down, destroy

10. TURN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE INTO THE PASSIVE VOICE: 

Many schools are adopting eBooks.

• EBooks are being adopted by many schools. 

11. JOIN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES USING AN APPROPRIATE LINKER (DO NOT USE AND, BUT OR BECAUSE). MAKE CHANGES IF NECESSARY: 

eBooks are quite cheap. People still buy traditional books.

• Although / Though / Even though EBooks are quite cheap, people still buy traditional books.

12. USE THE WORDS IN THE BOXES TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL SENTENCE.USE ALL AND ONLY THE WORDS IN THE BOXES WITHOUT CHANGING THEIR FORM.

printed     she     her     got    book     yesterday    new

• She got her new book printed yesterday.

13. FILL IN THE GAP WITH THE CORRECT OPTION: (borrowing / borrow / to borrow)

•  She used to let me borrow one of her books every month.

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