Spain: No country for the young? - PAU C.Valenciana inglés 2011

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

During the last 10 years booming Spain was a magnet for immigrants, attracting 5 million foreigners. Now Spaniards are talking of a return to the mass emigration of 1960s, when 2 million left looking for jobs in northern Europe. "I only see jobs for exploited interns who earn €300 (£263) a month. That's barely enough to cover the costs of getting to work and back every day", said Luna, a Spanish graduate. "Opportunities are scarce in a country with youth unemployment over 40%".
The crucial difference between those leaving now and the manual labourers who sought work in Germany in the 1960s is that today's emigrants are mostly young graduates. It is no longer clear that a degree is useful in Spain's paralysed job market. Unemployment among graduates aged 29 or under is running at 19%, almost the same as the national average for all age groups, regardless of education.
Many graduates lie about their education when applying for work, worried that they will be rejected for being overqualified. And 44% of those who find work do so at below their skills level, twice the European average. The contrast with booming Germany, which is short of 48,000 engineers, could not be greater. Those graduates who have left say that opportunities are far more plentiful abroad. "Salaries, working hours, conditions and opportunities to advance in your career are far greater here", said 28-year-old Paula, who left Valencia five years ago and is now an IT consultant in Edinburgh.

Giles Tremlett, The Guardian, 28th March, 201

RESPUESTAS

READING COMPREHENSION

I. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text.

• a. What does the author mean by "Spain: No country for the young?"? PAR.1

• b. Why do young graduates look for jobs abroad? PAR. 3

II.  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.
a. There are only jobs for exploited people in Spain.

• TRUE:  I only see jobs for exploited interns who earn €300 (£263) a month.

b. In Spain"s job market a degree is still a guarantee of a job.

• FALSE: It is no longer clear that a degree is useful in Spain$s paralysed job market.

c. Many graduates do not tell the truth about their studies to get a job.

• TRUE: Many graduates lie about their education when applying for work, worried that they will be rejected for being overqualified.

III.  Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options: 

scarce        manual     paralysed     regardless     plentiful     advance

• a. abundant: plentiful
• b. motionless: paralysed
• c. few: scarce
• d. move forward: advance

IV.  Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct.
1. People are exploited in Spain because they are offered salaries...

• a. that hardly pay for the cost of transportation.
• b. that do not cover the cost of transportation.
• c. and conditions to advance in their careers.

2. The difference between today's emigrants and those in the 1960's is that...

• a.  today's emigrants have got a degree.
• b. today's emigrants are manual workers.
• c. today's emigrants are aged 29.

3. In Spain...

• a. 44% of graduates are underqualified for their jobs.
• b. more than half of graduates are overqualified for their jobs.
• c. less than half of graduates are overqualified for their jobs.

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