Do violent video games damage your brain?

Recent medical studies indicate that violent video games damage the brain permanently. Video games may be more dangerous to your health than cigarettes or alcohol. The studies show that repeated playing of violent video games minimizes the activities of the brain involved in reasoning and planning. At the same time, these games activate those functions that respond to violence. The studies include scientific data indicating that these games may actually cause destructive behaviour.

Violent amusement, such as video games, has been a crucial factor in shootings and killings at schools around the world, such as those at Columbine High School in Colorado, where 27 students and teachers were massacred by two youths addicted to violent video games and movies.

The results of studies showed that people had less brain activity when regularly playing a violent video game. “Brain changes were most apparent in those teens who were ‘heavy users’: those who played several hours a day”, said Dr. Mathews. “I think this information confirms the relationship between brain damage and violent video games.”

A story in the October 2002 issue of Computer Game magazine reported that in Japan, children are at risk of developing ‘Video-Game Brain’, a permanent suppression of certain brain functions. Scientists examined 240 people between the ages of 6 and 29 over a six-month period. These subjects, who spent 2-7 hours a day playing violent video games, showed a decline in brain activity associated with reasoning, planning and selfcontrol.

Those players hardly use the frontal regions of their brains. If the level of what is called beta-brainwaves is too low, they get angry easily and have difficulty in concentrating.

La commensalité chez les jeunes adultes français, allemands et espagnols . PAU francés 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Il apparaît des différences dans les pratiques commensales et les attitudes face à l’alimentation entre les jeunes adultes français, allemands ou espagnols liées à des traditions et des modèles alimentaires et culturels différents selon les pays. Ainsi, l’étude révèle que le type de repas, les occasions, les lieux, l’organisation sociale, les modalités de partage et le rôle du partage ne sont pas les mêmes.
En Allemagne, les jeunes ont l’habitude de se retrouver avec leurs amis autour d’un déjeuner, dans un café ou à la maison, ou pour cuisiner ensemble alors que les Français et les Espagnols ont plutôt l’habitude de se retrouver pour des dîners au restaurant ou chez eux pour des apéritifs dînatoires, des tapas ou des réceptions où l’hôte prendra en charge davantage la préparation.
En France et en Espagne, la convivialité est donc essentielle. La cuisine est un prétexte pour se rassembler, manger et discuter en même temps. Le repas fait figure de « repas loisir ». A l’inverse, en Allemagne, ce sont les activités qui accompagnent le repas qui sont prétextes à rassembler les personnes et sont symboles de convivialité comme cuisiner ensemble, les jeux de table, le visionnage d’un film... Le repas fait ici figure de « repas nutrition ».
Dû aux évolutions de la société, il existe certainement des changements dans la manière de se rassembler autour de la nourriture mais, loin de se désocialiser et de délaisser les repas pris en commun, les jeunes réinventent la tradition et maintiennent un profond désir de se réunir.

http://www.institutpaulbocuse.com/fr

Les "professionnels" du baby-sitting à Angers . PAU francés 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Nombreux sont les jeunes qui cherchent des petits jobs pour améliorer le quotidien. Parmi ces activités, le baby-sitting figure en bonne position, mais il n ́est pas toujours simple de trouver des familles, comme il n'est pas si facile pour des parents de confier leur progéniture à des jeunes qu'on ne connaît pas forcément. De là est née l'idée de faire une formation pendant les vacances scolaires pour que garçons et filles soient préparés dans les meilleures conditions.

Pendant trois jours, huit jeunes d'Angers (dont deux garçons) ont réfléchi à ce métier, allant de l'hygiène à la compréhension des attentes des enfants et des parents. Les crèches locales ont répondu favorablement et ont participé activement à la formation, ainsi que les sapeurs-pompiers pour les premiers secours: du sérieux donc, dans la formation!
Pour valider cet apprentissage, les huit jeunes ont obtenu un diplôme validant leur stage et leurs compétences. Les parents pourront donc confier leurs enfants à ces «professionnels» de la garde.

Le Courrier de l´Ouest, 15 novembre 2012 (texte adapté)

Pourquoi un étudiant doit-il partir étudier à l'étranger aujourd'hui? . PAU francés 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Rêve pour certains, contrainte pour d´autres, il n´empêche qu´aujourd´hui partir à l´étranger est devenu un requis minimum sur le curriculum vitae plus qu´un avantage, pour qui souhaite occuper une place importante au sein d´une entreprise. Quels sont les bénéfices de cette période passée en terre inconnue? Ils sont nombreux, certains sont moins évidents que d´autres, mais une chose est sûre, partir à l´étranger est une expérience enrichissante! Tout d´abord, et le plus évident, l´apprentissage de la langue sur place. Sur le plan professionnel, cela facilite l´insertion et l´ascension au sein de la hiérarchie. Sur le plan personnel, cela peut faciliter vos voyages et les rencontres avec des personnes provenant d´autres pays. Vient ensuite l´apprentissage d´une autre culture, l’intérêt de voir d´autres modes de vie, d´autres organisations. Cela nous donne une plus grande ouverture d´esprit, et un esprit plus critique.
Au final, on se rend compte que partir étudier à l´étranger fait ressortir des avantages non négligeables par rapport à quelqu´un n´ayant pas cette expérience sur son curriculum vitae. Les compétences linguistiques sont devenues aussi primordiales que les compétences techniques. Pour les recruteurs, les études à l´étranger sont une preuve d´ouverture d´esprit, une capacité à s´adapter à une culture et à écouter les autres et à se responsabiliser.

www.etudionsaletranger.fr (texte adapté)

Un Renoir pour 7 dollars . PAU 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Perdu depuis 1926, un tableau du maître impressionniste aurait été retrouvé dans un marché aux puces, en Virginie, aux États-Unis. Selon le Parisien de ce lundi, une américaine aurait acheté un tableau du peintre pour 7 dollars (5,45 euros) au marché aux puces de Virginie (États-Unis). Selon la maison de vente américaine Potomack Company qui doit le mettre en vente, les 29 et 30 septembre pour le compte de cette Américaine, il s’agirait d’une toile intitulée Paysages bords de Seine et dont la valeur serait estimée entre 60 et 80 000 euros. Soit plus de 12 000 fois le prix qu'elle l'a acheté. Reste à confirmer officiellement l’authenticité du tableau. Outre le style propre au peintre impressionniste, le quotidien souligne également que la maison de vente a remarqué la marque d’«un marchand d’arts français typique» ainsi que le titre et le nom de l’auteur. Des informations croisées avec l’inventaire complet des oeuvres de Renoir indiquent qu’il existe bel et bien un tableau identique à celui acheté aux puces, peint en 1879.

Anne Norton Craner, la spécialiste de la maison de vente, a déclaré au Huffington Post qu'un collectionneur américain réputé, Herbert May, aurait ramené le tableau aux États-Unis après l’avoir acheté à Paris, à la célèbre galerie Bernheim-Jeune. Il demeure qu'on ignore toujours comment Paysages bords de Seine, dont on avait perdu la trace depuis 1926, a pu se retrouver sur un marché aux puces de Virginie, a déclaré Craner aux New York Times.

Libération.fr 10/09/2012 (Texte adapté)

The danger of global melting

An iceberg the size of Luxembourg has broken off from a glacier in Antarctica after being rammed by another giant iceberg in an event that could affect ocean circulation patterns. The iceberg broke off earlier this month from the Mertz Glacier's floating tongue of ice that sticks out into the Southern Ocean. The Mertz glacier iceberg is among the largest recorded for several years. The collision has since halved the size of the tongue. This hasn't been directly linked to climate change but it is related to the natural processes occurring on the ice sheet.

In recent years, the escalating number of massive icebergs breaking free from the continent has raised concerns that temperatures are steadily warming in the Antarctic region.

This happening could affect global ocean circulation. The area is an important zone for the creation of dense, salty water that is a key driver of global ocean circulation. This is produced in part through the rapid production of sea ice that is continually blown to the west. Removal of this tongue of floating ice would reduce the size of that area of open water, which would slow down the rate of salinity input into the ocean. Oceans act like a giant flywheel for the planet's climate by shifting heat around the globe via myriad currents above and below the surface.

As there are only a few areas in the world where this occurs, a slowing of the process would mean less oxygen supplied into the deep currents that feed the oceans. There may be regions of the world's oceans that lose oxygen, and then of course most of the life there will die.

Apart from that the melting of land ice it is already raising sea levels. In some fairly likely scenarios, oceans would rise by meters worldwide with devastating results. A sea level rise of just one metre would displace tens of millions of people in Bangladesh alone.

Tsunamis

A Tsunami is one or a series of waves that occur after an earthquake, sea-quake, volcanic activity, slumps, or asteroid impacts in or near the sea. A mega tsunami is simply a larger occurrence of the phenomena. The energy of a tsunami is constant, a function of its height and speed. Thus, as the wave approaches land, its height increases while its speed decreases. The waves travel at high speed, more or less unnoticed where crossing deep water, but can increase to a height of 30 meters and more as they approach the coastline.

Without the loss of energy, this allows the wave to go ashore making a storm surge seem laughable. These waves are capable of crossing an ocean, toppling large buildings none of which could withstand the force of the wave, equivalent to the speed of a commercial airplane, nor the extreme flooding.

Where would the next Mega Tsunami come from? A volcano named Cumbre Vieja on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands of North Africa is where geologists suspect the next tsunami could begin. The reason for the concern is that in 1949 during a volcanic eruption part of the island slid into the ocean before ending its descent. Should another large eruption of the Cumbre Vieja occur, the western side of the island is likely to collapse into the Atlantic.

Predicting the next eruption isn't a likely happening; geologists cannot say whether or not the next eruption will be the one to make the island shed its western shore. Not to be pessimistic, but we can't stop tsunamis. Phenomena of this magnitude literally HAVE no way to be diverted. These are naturally occurring events, and next to the impressive force of mother nature, man would not stand much chance.

The only alternative is evacuating when the volcano (Canaries) starts to erupt, possibly giving a few days or weeks warning.

Young da Vinci - PAU Madrid 2013

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

Leonardo was born near the Italian town of Vinci in 1452. He probably spent the first few years living with his mother, but moved to his father's house when she married. His father was stern and distant with him, but Leonardo was a favourite with his uncle, Francesco, who ran the family's farm. Piero da Vinci didn't know what to do about his son, Leonardo. He had reached the point in life when young men needed to prepare for a career.

Piero himself was an important official - a notary, but because the boy was illegitimate, the association of magistrates and notaries would not accept him, nor would he be allowed to attend the university. The boy did show a definite talent for drawing, however. Perhaps he could be apprenticed to an artist…
Sometime between the age of fifteen and eighteen, Leonardo was apprenticed to the artist Andrea di Cione, called Verrocchio (which means “true eye”) in his studio in Florence. This is how young Leonardo da Vinci started on his career in art, a career in which he would create some of the most famous paintings in the world.
Leonardo was more than just an artist, however. He was also interested in science, anatomy and architecture. His sketchbooks, filled with his ideas for inventions, stunned the world when they were found centuries after his death. He was a scientist before there was science, an inventor whose ideas surpassed the technology of his time, and a famous artist who produced the most valuable and recognized paintings in the world.

Noise and hearing loss

Basically, noise is unwanted sound. It is a pollutant and a hazard to human health and hearing. In fact, it has been described as the most pervasive pollutant in America.
Noise in our environment affects physical health. Noise also has psychological and social implications and affects our well being and quality of life. Sounds louder than 80 decibels are considered potentially dangerous. Both the amount of noise and the length of time of exposure determine the amount of damage. Hair cells of the inner ear and the hearing nerve can be damaged by an intense brief impulse, like an explosion, or by continuous and/or repeated exposure to noise.
Hearing loss induced by noise is usually gradual and painless, but, unfortunately, permanent. Once destroyed, the hearing nerve and its sensory nerve cells do not regenerate! Don't be fooled by thinking your ears can get used to noise.
Noise not only affects hearing. It affects other parts of the body and body systems. It increases blood pressure and breathing rate, it can cause an upset stomach or ulcer or it can negatively impact a developing fetus, perhaps contributing to premature birth . Noise can also hamper performance of daily tasks, increase fatigue, and cause irritability.
The key word in dealing with noise is prevention! We want to eliminate unwanted noise when we can. Wearing hearing protectors or limiting periods of exposure to noise are good examples of prevention. Dealing with noise and its effects is a personal responsibility, a work-place responsibility, and a community responsibility.
Different firms are working trying to avoid hearing loss. For example, Apple is developing a volume control device for its iPods that would automatically calculate how long a person has been listening and at what volume, before gradually reducing the sound level, all in an effort to protect users' hearing. Also, Apple has released a free software update for some iPods that lets listeners set a maximum volume limit.

Un toit pour tous? - PAU francés 2007

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Sous la pression des associations, le gouvernement annonce des mesures pour que tout le monde puisse avoir un logement. Plus personne ne doit dormir dehors. Le gouvernement propose que tout le monde ait un droit au logement, comme on a le droit aux soins et à l’éducation. Les gens qui n’ont pas assez d’argent pour louer ou acheter un appartement ou une maison doivent pouvoir habiter dans un logement social: c’est ce qu’on appelle le droit au logement opposable. C’est-à-dire, si une personne défavorisée pense que l’État ne l’a pas aidée pour obtenir un logement, elle aura le droit d’aller devant un tribunal. Le juge pourra condamner l’État à trouver une solution.
Le gouvernement promet ce droit dès fin 2008 aux sans-abri, aux parents isolés avec leurs enfants et aux gens qui travaillent mais qui n’ont pas assez d’argent pour payer leur logement. Et dès 2012 ce droit concernera aussi les personnes « logées dans des habitations insalubres ou indignes ».
Un projet de loi sera présenté au conseil des ministres le 17 janvier. Le gouvernement a annoncé lundi la création de 27100 places d’hébergement durable en 2007.

Le journal des enfants (texte adapté), 11 janvier 2007.

Why physical activity is important for you - PAU C.Valenciana 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

People need to be active to be healthy. Our modern lifestyle and all the conveniences we’ve become used to have made us sedentary - and that’s dangerous for our health. Sitting around in front of the TV or the computer, riding in the car for even a short trip to the store and using elevators instead of stairs or ramps all contribute to our inactivity. Physical inactivity is as dangerous to our health as smoking!

Add up your activities during the day in periods of at least 10 minutes each. Start slowly … and build up. If you’re already doing some light activities move up to more moderate ones. A little is good, but more is better if you want to achieve health benefits.

Scientists say accumulate 60 minutes of physical activity every day to stay healthy or improve your health. Time needed depends on effort – as you progress to moderate activities, you can cut down to thirty minutes, four days a week.

Physical activity doesn’t have to be very hard to improve your health. This goal can be reached by building physical activities into your daily routine. Just add up in periods of at least ten minutes each throughout the day. After three months of regular physical activity, you will notice a difference – people often say getting started is the hardest part.

(From Handbook for Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living, p. 4. 

Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Ottawa, Ontario, 1998)

Les femmes entrent dans les stades olympiques . PAU francés 2011

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

À la fin du XIXe et au début du XXe siècle, la participation de la gent féminine aux jeux Olympiques soulève l’hostilité, principalement pour des motifs moraux (la femme se doit d’abord d’être une bonne épouse), médicaux (la pratique de certains sports compromet l’avenir de la race) et esthétiques. En 1908, cependant, un groupe de femmes très déterminées parvient à obtenir le droit de concourir en échange d’une concession: ne pas pratiquer certaines disciplines jugées dangereuses pour la maternité, comme le triple saut, les courses longues ou le saut à la perche. De ce fait, seuls le golf, le tennis, l’escrime, la natation, et le patinage leur sont accessibles. Et elles reçoivent pour toute récompense de “beaux diplômes”. Ce n’est qu’en 1932, sous l’impulsion des féministes, que les sportives feront véritablement leur entrée aux jeux.

Les sportives disputent aujourd’hui quasiment les mêmes épreuves que leurs homologues masculins. Quant à leurs performances dans les disciplines qui font appel prioritairement à la puissance ou à la résistance physique, elles se rapprochent irrésistiblement de celles de leurs homologues masculins. Ainsi, à peine une seconde sépare femmes et hommes dans le 100 m, au lieu de deux secondes il y a 60 ans.

Le Magazine-Accor, Juillet 2000

Over half of Europe's amphibians face extinction by 2050- PAU 2009

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

More than half of all frogs and toads living in Europe could be driven to extinction within 40 years as climate change, diseases and habitat destruction show their effects, scientists have warned. The majority of the most threatened species live in Mediterranean regions, which are expected to become warmer and drier. Island species are especially at risk because they are unable to move to cooler climates. In Britain, where viruses are already wiping out many hundreds of amphibians a year, conservationists fear for the future of the common toad.
Researchers described the bleak outlook for Europe’s amphibians at a meeting of the Zoological Society of London last night. Sir David Attenborough, who was due to attend the symposium, said: “Amphibians are the lifeblood of many environments, playing key roles in the function of ecosystems, and it is both extraordinary and terrifying that in just a few decades the world could lose half of all these species”. One in three of the world’s amphibians are already on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list of endangered species, with some estimates suggesting 150 species have already become extinct since the 1980s. The expansion of towns and cities into natural habitats is chiefly responsible for the amphibians’ precarious future, to which many scientists believe climate change and diseases are actively contributing. Snakes, fish and birds that feed on the amphibians are already showing some signs of decline as the main ingredient of their diet dies out. The disappearance of some amphibians is also expected to lead to a rise in insects and other creatures that amphibians feed on. “Given that many of the things that amphibians eat are the things that destroy our crops or bite us and suck our blood, we might be feeling some of the effects a bit more directly than we’ve expected,” said Garner.
Ten years ago, scientists raised the alarm after finding vast numbers of amphibians were being wiped out by a species of fungus which infects the skin through which many of the animals drink and breathe. One alarming case has been seen in the Peñalara National Park near Madrid, where the climate has become more humid and the fungus has caused mass mortality among amphibians. Garner and his colleagues based their assessment on published research into the effects of climate change on amphibian habitats, and believe more than 40 species could be extinct by 2050. One study showed that as global warming alters the climate in Europe, almost every amphibian habitat would be affected. In Britain, infections caused by a family of pathogens called ranaviruses, which emerged in the 1980s, are causing widespread deaths among some of the most common amphibians. Scientists at the meeting will emphasize the need to reduce the effects of climate change by slowing down greenhouse gas emissions, but for many species that will come too late. In the short term, conservationists are urging zoos to set up captive breeding programmes for the most threatened amphibians.

The Guardian on line. Adapted

Sécurité routière . PAU francés 2005

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Lors du sixième Comité Interministériel de la sécurité routière, qui s’est tenu hier, Jean-Pierre Raffarin s’est félicité des statistiques de l’année 2004. Ainsi, par rapport à l’année précédente, les accidents ont diminué de 6,5%, le nombre de tués de 9% et celui des blessés de 7,5%. Des baisses jamais atteintes dans le passé.

Dans le meilleur des cas, en vingt ans, elles n’avaient jamais dépassé 6%. «La sécurité routière reste une priorité majeure pour le gouvernement », a déclaré le premier ministre.

Ce progrès ne suffit donc pas au gouvernement et en 2005 on veut réduire sensiblement le nombre d’accidents impliquant motos et cyclomoteurs. En effet, les accidents de deux-roues – qui occasionnent 13,7% des victimes alors qu’ils ne constituent que 0,8% du trafic – exigent des mesures énergiques. En 2003, alors que le chiffre global de tués était en fort déclin, celui des cyclomotoristes – majoritairement des jeunes de 14 à 24 ans – avait augmenté de 1,3%. Deux années de permis de conduire de voiture ne suffiront donc plus pour prendre une moto de cette cylindrée. D’ici en été, une formation à la conduite des 125 cm3 devrait être mise en place.

Françoise Lemoine, Le Figaro, 25 janvier 2005 (Texte adapté).

Time is worth more than money - PAU 2013 Andalucía

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

“Today for you, tomorrow for me”, six words that sum up the spirit of an initiative that has appeared in many cities around the world: time banking. There is no money in these peculiar banks. Instead, they offer a variety of services based on the abilities of the members, and they pay with hours, not money. Each client offers their own abilities to the rest of the members and can earn the help of others who want to share what they know. The hours system offers a variety of possibilities, such as advice about investing in the stock exchange, teaching how to cut hair, technology or language classes, and even plumbing.

Time banking is different from other community or volunteering projects because everyone’s time is valued equally. The system recognises that everyone has needs and something to offer. When joining a time bank, people agree to both give to and benefit from the project, increasing self-esteem, integration and personal relationships. People are able to access help or services that they may not otherwise be able to afford. It also reduces isolation and loneliness. Everyone benefits from being part of something bigger than themselves.
Time banks help build a sense of community where people know neighbours and can rely on each other for support. They bring together people of different ages, cultures, backgrounds and abilities, who interact with each other with mutual respect and understanding.
The only objection some people make is that they sometimes have doubts and may feel uncertain of other members’ offerings of service. However, in order to overcome this emotion and for security reasons, everyone who wants to become a member is interviewed and must provide references. Those wishing to work with children or vulnerable adults are checked by  the police.

Green Sahara - PAU Cataluña 2005

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

The Sahara sets a standard for dry land. It’s the world’s largest desert. Relative humidity can drop into the low single digits. There are places where it rains only about once a century. There are people who reach the end of their lives without ever seeing water from the sky.
Yet beneath the Sahara are vast aquifers of fresh water, enough liquid to fill a small sea. It’s fossil water, a treasure laid down in prehistoric times, some of it possibly a million years old. Just 6,000 years ago the Sahara was a much different place. It was green. Prehistoric rock art in the Sahara at that time shows something surprising: hippopotamuses, which need year-round water. “We don’t have much evidence of a tropical paradise out there, but we had something perfectly livable”, says Jennifer Smith, a geologist at Washington University in St Louis.
The green Sahara was the product of the migration of the paleomonsoons. In the same way that ice ages come and go, so too do monsoons migrate north and south. The dynamics of the Earth’s motion are responsible for this. The tilt* of the Earth’s axis varies in a regular cycle –sometimes the planet is more tilted toward the sun, sometimes less so. The axis wobbles* like a spinnning top.* The date of Earth’s perihelion –its closest approach to the sun– varies in a cycle as well.
At times when the Northern Hemisphere tilts sharply toward the sun and the planet makes its closest approach, the increased blast* of sunlight during the north’s summer months can cause the African monsoon (which currently occurs between the Equator and roughly 17ºN latitude) to shift to the north as it did 10,000 years ago, inundating North Africa.
Around 5,000 years ago the monsoon shifted dramatically southward again. The prehistoric inhabitants of the Sahara discovered that their relatively green surroundings were undergoing something worse than a dry period (and perhaps they migrated toward the Nile Valley, where Egyptian culture began to flourish at around the same time).
“We’re learning, and only in recent years, that some climate changes in the past have been as rapid as anything under way today”, says Robert Giegengack, a University of Pennsylvania geologist.
As the land dried out and vegetation decreased, the soil lost its ability to hold water when it did rain. Fewer clouds formed from evaporation. When it rained, the water washed away and evaporated quickly. There was a kind of runaway drying effect. By 4,000 years ago the Sahara had become what it is today.
No one knows how human-driven climate change may alter the Sahara in the future. It’s something scientists can ponder* while sipping bottled fossil water pumped from underground. “It’s the best water in Egypt”, said Robert Giegengack. “Clean, refreshing mineral water. If you want to drink something good, try the ancient buried treasure of the Sahara.”

From the press. Adapted

Hearing dogs - PAU Andalucía 2013

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

Dogs are commonly known as man's best friend, but it turns out they may also be a child's – particularly if the child is one of the 45,000 deaf children in the UK. "Hearing dogs", as they are known, could transform many young lives by offering companionship, confidence and independence. Not only that, but these specially trained dogs could improve children´s behaviour and lead to better academic performance, a recent study has found. Children are also more likely to wear a hearing aid, which often leads to improved speech. 

James Cheung is 11 years old and the owner of Kurt, a golden labrador retriever. Kurt is specially trained to respond to household sounds that a deaf child cannot hear, like a telephone ringing or any alarms going off in the home. 

But Kurt has proved to be much more than just a dog who hears. "He is a wonderful accompaniment to our family," says James's mother, Louise. "James had sleep anxieties, which he was being treated for, but now that Kurt sleeps in his bedroom he feels much less isolated when he takes out his hearing aid at night." Kurt has also helped James's social interaction, which he had always found difficult because of a speech disability.
Hearing dogs are trained to alert children by touching the child with their nose. They can also be used to carry messages in a small purse.
All hearing dogs are retired at 11 years of age but families usually keep them. "The connection between family and hearing dog is so strong. It's a joy to see. They just become part of the family," says Louise.

The Ig Nobel awards, honouring improbable research - PAU inglés 2013 Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

The Ig Nobel awards, organised by the humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research, are a parody of the Nobel Prizes. They honour achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think". However, despite the strangeness factor, these awards are handed out by genuine Nobel laureates, and one scientist, Andre Geim, has been awarded a Nobel Prize after having been given an Ig Nobel Prize.
The 2012 laureates for the Ig Nobel Prize in physics are a team of scientists who studied the shape and movement of ponytails. Raymond Goldstein, a physicist at the University of Cambridge, was set the challenge of considering the movement of ponytails by the company Unilever. “This might be interesting,” said Goldstein, “for people who want more energy-efficient homes which minimise heat loss through walls and roofs.”
He was honoured alongside Rouslan Krechetnikov’s team, who carried out research into why you usually drop coffee when walking around with a cup. Krechetnikov was inspired at a scientific conference while watching delegates walking carefully with mugs full of hot drinks. He noted that “the sizes of common coffee cups, together with the natural irregularity of the biomechanics of walking, are responsible for coffee spilling."
He had no idea, of course, of the attention his work would get. "Personally, this goes along with my view of science – there should be a fun side to it. The project was certainly fun," he said. "There are many people who are curious not only about black holes, but also about everyday ordinary phenomena."

Toxic friends - PAU Cataluña 2008

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

For years, American psychologists have told romantic couples how to repair their rifts. But now therapists are being visited by troubled patients who want to know how to get rid of those “friends” who are ruining their lives. More than 10,000 psychologists and counsellors are offering sessions on relationships with friends in America. The phrase “toxic friends” is becoming common and has been recognised by the American Psychological Association. The publishing industry has quickly reacted with a succession of books with titles such as Toxic friends / true friends or A Smart Girl’s Guide to Friendship, that are at the top of the American best-sellers list.
According to psychologists, these toxic friends come in several forms: the passive aggressive debilitator, who delivers cruel criticisms dressed up as friendly questions; the naysayer, who undermines all your initiatives; the planbreaker, who ditches you at the last minute; and the non-stoppers, who won’t let you go home when you want to because they want you to solve their personal problems.
To deal with all these kinds of problematic friendships, Christine Northman, a relationship counsellor, has a common approach. She says that in order to maintain our emotional health in friendship there must be a level of reciprocity, so friendships need to be frequently evaluated.
She says: “Only with emotional maturity can we see ourselves and our relationships more clearly. It can seem a bit cruel to break up friendships, but sometimes all we need to do is put some boundaries around ‘toxic’ friends: keep them in our lives but see them less frequently.”
Not treating the “toxic friends” problem can have unhealthy consequences. A recent study found that when people meet a person who is considered a toxic friend their heart rates and blood pressure increase. Most therapists agree that toxic friendships are a more difficult problem for women than for men. Males, having a much lower threshold for complications in friendships, will disconnect themselves from a negative friendship more easily, and faster, than women. Women friends can become “energy vampires” like the “crying sister” who keeps you on the phone for two hours with problems but no solutions and who leaves you exhausted.
Not everyone is convinced that therapy is the answer, though. For some, it is part of the problem rather than the solution. Mike Albo, a self-help American writer, thinks that the psychological literature and the self-help industry have taught these toxic friends a new kind of language. With it, they are trying to convince us that we rather than they might be having some sort of psychological problem. “One thing that worries me about friendship counselling is that underminers predominate in the self-help society,” Albo says. By accepting the type of discourse that is common among therapists we might be internalising a problem we didn’t have in the first place.
Mike Albo has also another warning for those confronting toxic friends: “Listen to their side of it because perhaps it’s you who is toxic.”

The Sunday Telegraph. Adapted

Première journée internationale de la fille . PAU francés 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

La première Journée internationale de la fille constitue un moment décisif pour sensibiliser l’opinion à une discrimination persistante et mobiliser en faveur d’une action renforcée pour les droits humains. Partout dans le monde, les filles sont les principales victimes de la pauvreté, de la marginalisation et de la violence. Leurs droits sont bafoués par les mariages précoces, la discrimination active et le manque d’opportunités. Pour un trop grand nombre d’entre elles, le fait d’être nées filles reste une condamnation à l’inégalité et l’injustice leur vie durant. En plus de constituer une atteinte aux droits fondamentaux, cette situation freine les communautés sur la voie du développement durable.
L’éducation est l’arme la plus efficace pour rompre ce cercle vicieux. L’éducation donne aux filles des instruments pour façonner le monde selon leurs aspirations. Elle peut retarder les mariages précoces et contribuer à la planification familiale. Elle est un remède efficace contre la maladie et la mauvaise santé. Investir dans les droits des filles est tout simplement ce qu’une société peut faire de mieux. Nous estimons aujourd’hui que trente-deux millions de filles qui devraient être scolarisées en primaire ne le sont pas. Cette situation doit changer. L’UNESCO s’engage à garantir que chaque fille ait accès à une éducation de qualité.

Octobre 2012, Irina Bokova, Directrice générale de l’UNESCO (texte adapté)

A word-learning dog - PAU inglés Cataluña 2006 resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

A word-learning pet dog has given scientists clues* that some animals may have the comprehension necessary for language, even though they cannot actually talk.

Rico, a smart border collie, was spotted on television by Julia Fischer and her colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. With a «vocabulary» of 200 words, Rico showed exceptional ability in retrieving* specific toys when asked to look for them.
The researchers decided to test whether Rico’s ability was based on understanding and if he could learn and remember new words. They placed a new toy among his favourites and asked Rico to go and pick it up, using the unfamiliar name. The dog almost always chose the correct object. This suggests that Rico is using a system called «fast-mapping», which young children use to learn new words by matching new words to new objects. The study is the first to show fastmapping in animals. In a commentary accompanying the study in the journal Science, Paul Bloom, a psychologist at Yale University, US, writes that dog owners often say that their pets have communicative and social abilities and this study seems to prove they are right.
Fischer adds that the results of the experiment suggest there may be reasons other than comprehension which have stopped language evolving* in dogs and chimpanzees. She says that making the jump from comprehension to talking may require a change in neural organisation in order to give voluntary control and precise articulation of sounds. Another hypothesis suggests that gesturing is a pre-requisite to language developing. «Monkeys have fabulous control of their hands, but they don’t gesture,» Fischer explains. «So this shows there must be more things going on, perhaps in terms of social relationships.»
To be sure that Rico’s language skills were not based on visual prompts, the researchers carried out a second experiment. They placed ten known objects in a room, while Rico and his owner waited in another room. The owner asked Rico to go in and pick two randomly* chosen items. Rico did this 20 times and he correctly fetched 37 out of 40 toys. When a new toy was placed in the adjacent room with seven other familiar objects, Rico correctly chose the unfamiliar item in seven out of ten sessions.
He was then tested four weeks later to see if he remembered the link between the new word and the new object. The learned toy was placed among four completely new toys, and four familiar ones. In three out of six sessions, Rico picked the right one. «His performance is comparable to the performance of threeyear-old children,» write the researchers.
Rico may be an exceptionally bright and studious dog, admits Fischer: «If he were human, we would call him a workaholic. He’s highly motivated.» She also points out that dogs may be a special case in responding to human language because they have co-evolved with humans for centuries. But the fact that other animals like apes* have also shown comprehension may suggest that people are not the only beings who can talk and that perhaps, in the future, we will discover other smart animals who may be taught to «talk» like Rico.

(From the press. Adapted)

L'Espagne confrontée à l'exil de ses jeunes diplômés . PAU francés 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Ce ne sont pas des exilés fiscaux. Mais ce sont les nouveaux jeunes de 25 à 34 ans dont le rêve est de parvenir à gagner 1.000 euros par mois et qui ont décidé de partir faute d'y parvenir. Ils font partie de ceux que «El Pais» surnomme désormais de ce néologisme : les «mileuristes». Le quotidien consacre cette fois-ci […] une grande enquête sur les jeunes précaires, à ceux, qui depuis le début de la crise de 2008, ont choisi l'exil, leurs diplômes en poche. Le taux de chômage a explosé, touchant désormais près d'un jeune sur deux en Espagne et quelque 40% des 25 à 34 ans ont obtenu un diplôme universitaire. Faute de statistique officielle précise sur cet exil, l'Espagne a ouvert un véritable débat. La ministre de l'Emploi, Fátima Báñez, parle d'une «fuite de talent sans précédent». Ce qui, souligne le journal, commence à compromettre toute possibilité de changer le système de production et de parvenir à relancer l'économie espagnole. Et si le phénomène est difficilement quantifiable, une récente étude d'Eurostat estime qu'ils seraient près de 70% de jeunes Espagnols prêts à quitter leur pays pour trouver un travail qui leur permette enfin de vivre.
Un jeune architecte de trente-trois ans, Carlos Rios, qui a dû s'exiler au Pérou, confie au journal sa véritable révolte de penser que l'Espagne a autant investi dans son éducation pour le laisser partir «créer à l'étranger» sans lui offrir aucune possibilité. Toute la question aujourd'hui est de savoir combien de temps durera la crise. Et surtout une fois terminée, combien d'Espagnols retourneront? L'eldorado est toujours l'horizon.

21/03/2012 www.lesechos.fr/‎

Celebrity news - PAU inglés Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

In her quest to meet the rich and famous, Emma has bribed security guards, worn disguises, and even climbed through windows! But she does not think of herself as a criminal. “I’m just doing my job. I only get paid for the very best articles, so I have to act fast and think creatively if I want to earn a decent income!’’

Emma Worth writes for a well‐known gossip magazine. She is one of a growing number of journalists who are using their professional skills to hunt the so‐called ‘glitterati’ unawares, each hoping to get an exclusive, and preferably shocking, story.

Gossip‐mongering is nothing new. Indeed, sensationalist stories about the royal family (the A‐list of their time) were published only a century after the invention of the printing press – in 1453!

However, in recent years, our celebrity obsession seems to have escalated. Last year, Heat and Closer, the two best‐selling UK gossip magazines, sold over a million copies every week, and new celebrity websites and TV programmes appear every year. Even the traditionally more ‘serious’ press are turning to celebrities to boost sales. For example, the broadsheet newspaper The Telegraph now has a regular gossip column called ‘The Spy’.

But many people are critical of celebrity gossip hunters like Emma, not least the celebrities themselves, who complain that they are being denied a basic right to privacy. Some also object to its cruelty. Gossip articles usually focus on embarrassing mistakes and bad news stories. It seems we love to hear about the football stars who cheat on their girlfriends, or the Hollywood ‘babes’ with eating disorders. Photographs of celebrities looking the worse for wear after a late night out, or even  a trip to hospital, are hardly flattering. You would need to be very thick‐skinned indeed not to feel a little bit hurt by this relentlessly negative coverage.

Fortunately for the celebrities, it seems that a backlash is beginning. Sales of gossip publications are starting to slow, and industry analysts predict that the public will soon become fed up with celebrity news.

For many journalists, this change of heart cannot come quickly enough. According to a representative from the National Union of Journalists, “the demand for gossip means that more significant issues, such as politics and the environment, are being neglected. It’s time we got back to writing about the real world. It’s much more interesting!”

Bonne nouvelle pour les vaches: Les végans progressent en France . PAU francés 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Pas de viande, pas de cuir, pas de lait, pas de laine, pas de cirque, aucun produit testé sur des animaux... Il y a plus radical que les végétariens ou même les végétaliens : les végans, adeptes d’un mode de vie 100% végétal. Sur fond de scandale touchant l’élevage intensif et d’engouement pour le bio, cette nouvelle communauté plus ou moins soudée émerge en France […]. Le véganisme désigne un mode de consommation plus global. Tout ce qui vient de l’exploitation des animaux est proscrit, y compris la soie.
Amanda, 21 ans, étudiante, est végane. Dès l’âge de 12 ans, elle refusait de ‘manger un cadavre’. Pour Amandine, 24 ans, tout a commencé lorsqu’elle a fait le lien entre ‘la viande en barquette et les animaux vivants’ : elle a fait une croix sur la viande, le poisson et les crustacés mais aussi sur le lait, les oeufs, le miel. Un régime qu’elle qualifie d’éthique. Pour Nicolas, ce mode de consommation finira de toute façon par triompher. Un point de vue que partage Amandine. La jeune pâtissière insiste sur les conséquences désastreuses de la consommation de “produits animaux” sur l’environnement. “La production industrielle est basée sur un modèle économique qui ne sera bientôt plus viable, notamment parce que nous serons trop sur terre et que la production d’un kilo de boeuf nécessite 15 mille litres d’eau !”. Elle explique également que le véganisme vise à restaurer l’équilibre Nord-Sud : “Avec tous les végétaux qu’on cultive pour nourrir les vaches, on pourrait nourrir toute l’Afrique”.

Le nouvel Observateur, 11 mars 2012 (texte adapté)

Best heart food

In today's Western society it's much easier, and not to mention quicker, to spend a few dollars at the McDonald's across the street than it is to make a satisfying dinner. As a result, however, our fatfilled diets have brought about an epidemic of heart disease, which has become North America's No. 1 killer. Fortunately over the years, scientists and nutritionists have studied the foods that are good for the heart, and some of these might come as a surprise.
Cutting your risk of heart disease can be achieved with good dietary habits or, as we like to call it, an anti-heart disease diet. The truth is that adding the right foods and avoiding others can keep heart disease at bay.
Oats, for example, belong to a larger category of foods referred to as whole grains. They, in particular, contain a soluble fiber that decreases the total cholesterol in your blood as well as your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is important because it is the LDL or "bad" cholesterol that's responsible for heart attacks.
Red wine is cardio-protective. This effect comes from antioxidants found in it. More recent scientific studies have shown that red wine has the ability to relax arteries and, therefore, lower your blood pressure. But although red wine is beneficial for heart health, too much alcohol, especially in the form of excessive drinking, can lead to trouble that promotes heart disease.
Healthy eating and drinking require a change in behaviour as much as a change in what we eat or what we do in our daily life. Diet is only one modifiable factor in the development of coronary heart disease, and so we have to remember that regular exercise and smoking cessation should always be incorporated in promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is a balancing act. Exercise, combined with an anti-heart disease diet can help you live longer, feel great and prevent heart attack. How easy is that?

Equine therapy and social work: A winning combination

One remarkable program that is yielding phenomenal results is therapeutic horseback riding. Research shows this form of therapy works wonders with almost every social work population: children, teens, juvenile delinquents, physically challenged, developmentally delayed, blind, deaf, and all forms of abuse. The explanation for the success rate is simple. A special bond is formed between a child and a horse. Children who have not progressed in a conventional therapeutic setting often excel with therapeutic riding. Children will tell a horse things they would never tell a therapist. A child will share secrets, thoughts, failures, setbacks, wishes, dreams, and goals with a horse. And the horse will never tell anybody. Children know this and, therefore, open up more with horses than with parents, teachers, friends, pastors, and conventional therapists. Children will attempt different physical challenges because they feel the support of the horse underneath them.

Therapeutic riding uses equine-oriented activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being of people with disabilities. Over-activity, distractibility, autism, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, emotional and behavioural disturbances, and anger issues are all appropriate problems for therapeutic riding.

There are two types of therapeutic horsemanship: therapeutic riding and hippotherapy. The difference between the two types is that hippotherapy requires a medical professional, such as a physical, speech, or occupational therapist. Therapeutic riding requires a certified riding instructor.

Horses and humans have a lot in common. First and foremost, the gait of a horse is similar to the gait of a human. The horse's pelvis is identical to a human's, but offset by 90 degrees. When a client rides a horse, this motion simulates walking, and the rider is able to work on balance, posture, breathing, and coordination. A horse also engages the rider's vestibular system, which runs throughout the body and affects functions like alertness, balance, and digestion.

Modern slavery - PAU 2008 Cataluña

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

The institution of slavery is as old as civilization. Many nations and empires were built by the muscles of slaves. But what kinds of people were enslaved, and why? In ancient civilizations, slaves were usually war captives. The victors in battle might enslave the losers rather than killing them.

Over time, people have found other reasons to justify slavery. Slaves were usually considered somehow different from their owners. They might belong to a different race, religion, nationality, or ethnic background. By focusing on such differences, slave owners felt they could deny basic human rights to their slaves.
And despite many efforts to end slavery, it still exists today. Some 27 million people worldwide are enslaved or work as forced laborers. That’s more people than at any other point in the history of the world.
For many people, the image that comes to mind when they hear the word “slavery” is the slavery of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We think of the buying and selling of people, their shipment from one continent to another and the abolition of the trade in the early 1800s. Even if we know nothing about the slave trade, it is something we think of as part of our history rather than our present. But the reality is slavery continues today.
Millions of men, women and children around the world are forced to lead lives as slaves. Although this exploitation is often not called slavery, the conditions are the same. People are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their “employers.”
Slavery exists today despite the fact that it is banned in the countries where it is practiced. It is also prohibited by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery. Women from Eastern Europe are forced to become prostitutes, children are trafficked between West African countries and men are forced to work as slaves on Brazilian agricultural estates. Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, sex  and race.
Experts say that changes in the world’s economy and societies over the past 50 years have enabled a resurgence of slavery. Three factors have contributed most to the rise of modern slavery. The first, a recent population explosion, has tripled the amount of people in the world, with most growth taking place in the developing world. The second, rapid social and economic changes, has displaced many to urban centers and their outskirts, where people are powerless and without job security. The third, government corruption around the world, allows slavery to go unpunished, even though it is illegal everywhere. In this way millions have become vulnerable to a resurgent form of slavery. This new slavery has two characteristics that differentiate it from the slavery of the past: slaves today are cheap and they are disposable.
An average slave in the American South in 1850 cost the equivalent of $40,000 in today’s money; today a slave costs an average of $90. In 1850 it was difficult to capture slaves and then transport them to the US. Today, millions of economically and socially vulnerable people around the world are potential slaves. This “supply” makes slaves today cheaper than they have ever been.

From Internet. Adapted

Sweet as sugar - PAU Cataluña 2007

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

Up until the 16th century, honey was the most important sweetener in Europe: a situation that only changed with the advent of sugar cane as an economic heavyweight from the plantations of North America. The use of honey in cooking, however, goes back to the beginning of time, or at least to the beginning of people keeping records about what they ate.
The first traces of honey as an important food date back to 7000 BC. A Neolithic rock painting in the Araña cave at Bicorp near Valencia depicts a man collecting wild honey from a tree. The oldest written reference to honey is believed to be Egyptian, dating back to about 5.500 BC, when Lower Egypt was also known as Bee Land. However, fossils of honey bees have been discovered that date back some 150 million years. In short, few foods are older.
Bees are creatures of habit and will travel up to two miles in search of nectar, returning to the sametype of plant again and again. Before re-entering their hive after a nectar-collecting mission they dance a little wiggle at the entrance, their stingers pointed in the direction of their nectar stash: the greater the wiggle the better the stash of nectar and the better their chances of making excellent honey.
Honey is the substance that is formed after the nectar collected by the bees from the blossoms of trees and plants is deposited into the waxy honeycomb. Evaporation of water makes it thick and viscous.And of all foods, including wine, it is perhaps the substance that best expresses where it comes from, fully reflecting the taste and smell of herbs and flowers.
Perhaps the most surprising fact of all is that without honey we’d be missing about one third of all the food we eat. Plants provide the bees with food. In return, the bees carry crossfertilising pollen from one plant to the next.Without one there would be none of the other. Not only would we have less of the green stuff, but there would be less to feed livestock and, eventually, humans too. The worrying thing about this is that beekeeping is a dying tradition with fewer and fewer people entering the world of apiculture.
Lucky for us then that Spain remains an important centre of beekeeping with productions today ranging from the most primitive to the most advanced in the world. There are roughly 2.5 million hives in Spain, about 70 per cent of which are taken care of by professional apiarists (beekeepers). These produce about 300,000 metric tonnes of honey a year, much of which is exported to Germany, the UK and France. The most common type is milflores (a thousand flowers), a blend that tends to be sweet and mild.
A report in the September 2005 issue of Health and Age confirmed that including honey in your diet can increase your intake of antioxidants but, up until now, the real health benefits of honey have not been proved. Nevertheless, it has earned itself a reputation as a healthy sweetener despite being higher in calories than sugar.

Costa Brava Resident (November 2005). Adapted

Ados . PAU francés Andalucía 2010

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

L’adolescence commence de plus en plus tôt et finit de plus en plus tard. Les adolescents (13–18 ans environ), toujours dépendants affectivement et matériellement de leurs parents, ont néanmoins une plus grande autonomie. Ils ont leur argent de poche, effectuent eux-mêmes certains achats (magazines, disques, cédéroms, vêtements…). Depuis 1974, la majorité légale est fixée à 18 ans, mais avec une scolarisation prolongée et de nombreuses difficultés à trouver un emploi, un jeune sur deux (20-24 ans) vit encore chez ses parents.
Les rapports entre les générations ont aussi changé. Il y a vingt ans, les jeunes aspiraient à leur indépendance, pour se libérer de la tutelle parentale. De nos jours, les relations sont plus égalitaires, les parents étant plus tolérants. On peut également repérer bien des similitudes dans les modes de vie et les loisirs des jeunes. Ils regardent moins la télévision que les adultes et écoutent davantage de musique. Ils vivent beaucoup à l’extérieur de la maison, vont au café, au cinéma, en "boîte" ou à des concerts.

Bonjourdefrance.com (texto adaptado)

Une femme passe le réveillon enfermée dans un supermarché . PAU francés 2013

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Elle a bien passé le réveillon entourée de champagne et de foie gras, mais les bouteilles et les boîtes sont restées bien alignées dans les rayons... A Roubaix (Nord), une septuagénaire est en effet restée enfermée toute la nuit de la Saint-Sylvestre dans un supermarché.

Tout commence lundi 31 décembre, lorsque cette femme de 73 ans se rend dans un supermarché de la ville pour y faire quelques courses. "Légèrement fébrile", raconte La Voix du Nord, la femme se rend aux toilettes du magasin, où elle est victime d'un malaise. Personne ne vient à son secours, ni même ne la remarque. Et lorsqu'elle reprend ses esprits, quelques heures plus tard, elle découvre les allées vides, la lumière éteinte : le magasin a fermé. Logiquement, ses mouvements déclenchent l'alarme. Mais cela ne fera réagir personne susceptible de venir à son secours. "La cliente a passé toute la nuit à déambuler dans le magasin (...) Elle s'est même un temps réfugiée dans les bureaux pour tenter de dormir un peu", indique encore le quotidien du Nord. Pour son malheur, le magasin n'ouvrait pas le 1er janvier, jour férié. Mais par chance (enfin) un responsable a décidé d'y passer quand même pour voir si tout allait bien. Ce n'est ainsi qu'à 10 h 30, selon les secours, que la femme a été libérée de sa prison d'une nuit. 

Le Monde.fr, 2 janvier 2013

Defining the Obama doctrine

During the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama promised to roll back Bush-era abuses and restore the proper balance between security and freedom. A few days after being sworn in, he elated progressives by banning torture, beginning the process of closing Guantánamo, and putting military commissions on ice. But a year on, a majority of Bush's counterterror policies remain largely, if not entirely, intact. Critics on the left call Obama "Bush lite"; meanwhile, Dick Cheney hammers him for aiding and comforting the enemy. So who's right? And what philosophy is the administration adopting as a guide in the war on terror?
Neither criticism hits the mark. Dismantling the CIA's enhanced-interrogation program and shuttering Guantánamo are substantive reforms that improve our global image. The counterterror policies that remain are now on firmer legal footing. Obama's lawyers have sought the input of Congress and the blessing of the courts.
These changes represent a critical conceptual shift. Under Bush, policy sometimes seemed to be driven as much by a desire to vindicate ideology as a need to protect the American people. Obama starts from a different premise: that the tools we rely on to combat terrorism should be grounded in the rule of law and subject to congressional and judicial review.

Senator wants to jump-start college for all

Senator John Edwards today will propose a government program to pay the first year's college tuition for a student who also works 10 hours a week at a job or community service. Edwards says offering a jump-start* would encourage more people to go to college. Once there, they would be better able to pursue financial aid and recognize the value of a college education.

In addition, he'll put forward plans to offer four-year, full-tuition scholarships to students who agree to teach in hard-pressed schools or work in homeland security for five years after graduation. Edwards' speech at the University of Maryland embraces an expanded federal role -and billions of dollars in new spending- in raising pay and standards for teachers, reducing the size of high schools and making college more affordable.

Edwards also urges colleges to end admissions practices that give a preference to alumni's children and that offers early decisions to students who apply early and agree to attend if accepted. Both policies tend to be used most by upper-income students. "Today, it's too hard for too many Americans to dim up the ladder of success," he says. "It is time for some reforms to get back to our democratic roots."

 *glossary: jump-start = ayuda inicial

Comment les jeunes voient-ils leur avenir? - PAU francés 2008

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

“Soyons réalistes, demandons l’impossible” clamaient en 1968 les étudiants du haut des barricades. Mais c’était la préhistoire. Aujourd’hui, le conformisme est de mise. Telle est la conclusion de l’étude comparative réalisée auprès de 20.000 jeunes en Europe, aux États-unis, en Russie, en Chine et au Japon. Son objectif : tenter de mesurer la perception que les 16–29 ans ont de l’avenir, leur état d’esprit face à la mondialisation, leur attitude vis-à-vis du travail, de l’argent, de la famille, des institutions ou encore des générations qui les précèdent.
Ce passage au scanner du “cerveau jeune” nous révèle qu’au sein de cette classe d’âge les Français sont les plus pessimistes de la planète. Ils craignent pour leur avenir et celui de la société. Ils redoutent la mondialisation plus que tous les autres, ils se disent persuadés de ne pas obtenir un bon travail dans les années qui viennent et se croient incapables de faire bouger la société. Un conformisme de mauvais augure dans un monde globalisé où la capacité d’adaptation, l’aptitude à l’innovation, l’esprit d’initiative sont les clefs de la survie. Leur niveau de fatalisme est impressionnant.
Cela transparaît dans tous les classements. Seulement un quart des jeunes Français voient l’avenir en rose, alors que plus de la moitié des Scandinaves jugent celui-ci prometteur.

L'EXPRESS 10/ 01/ 2008 ( texte adapté)

Pedal your way to a free meal

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

A Danish hotel is offering a free meal to any guest who is able to produce electricity for the hotel on an exercise bike attached to a generator. The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen says the idea is not only to encourage people to get fit, but also reduce their carbon footprint and save electricity and money. Guests will have to produce at least 10 watt-hours of electricity - roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness. The bicycles will have iPhones attached to the handlebars measuring how much clean energy is being generated for the hotel. This energy is stored in a battery and then fed back into the hotel’s main power supply.

The plan will be launched for the first time on 19 April and run for a year, the hotel says. Guests staying at this Crowne Plaza Hotel will be given meal tickets worth 26€ once they have produced 10 watt-hours of electricity. A hotel spokeswoman said: "Many of our visitors are business people who enjoy going to the gym. The free meal offer applies just to paying guests, not passers-by.”

Copenhagen is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. 36% of Copenhagen’s residents commute on two wheels to work each day, one of the highest percentages in the world. "Since Copenhagen is strongly associated with cycling, we felt the bicycle would work well as a symbol of the hotel's green profile. If successful, the electric bicycle meal programme will be extended to all Crowne Plaza hotels in the UK,” affirmed the hotel spokeswoman.

DataDots - PAEG inglés CLM

If you own a mobile phone or an iPod, you may worry that it will be stolen. These items are attractive to thieves, because they are easily transportable and difficult to trace.

But now a new method of identifying personal property makes tracing stolen items much easier because each item is marked with microscopic dots containing a laser-etched ID number. By checking an online register, police are able to identify owners of the stolen items once they have been recovered.

Identification numbers are not new, but what makes this system different is the fact that thousands of dots can be applied to any item. An Australian company, DataDot Technology, has developed a spray that can apply thousands of dots within minutes. Each dot is smaller than a pinhole and the identification number must be read using a magnifying glass under ultraviolet light.

DataDots are being used successfully on many different kinds of items from boats to jewellery. In the past, cars were attractive targets for thieves because parts could be sold separately. DataDots now make it possible for police to identify each part, and car theft in Australia has fallen dramatically. The dots can even be incorporated into thread and sewn into labels, to eliminate the possibility of being able to counterfeit brand-name clothing.

It is no wonder that DataDot Technology markets one particular product with the name DataDotDNA, because in fact the dots provide an inanimate object with identification as unique, and as permanent, as a person’s DNA or fingerprint.