My life in the world of fashion - PAU Galicia 2006

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Galicia resueltos

My name is Claire. Last summer I was walking through Covent Garden and a woman from a modelling agency came up to me. She asked if I’d ever thought of modelling, and I said: “No, never.” But I was signed up and started modelling in the school holidays. I decided to go into it full time this year.

My parents supported the decision, though they would rather I’d stayed on at school and gone to University. But they are fairly keen on show business themselves. It’s a very competitive profession. You have to be very self-disciplined: eating the right things, exercising, looking your best when you get up in the morning. It sounds easy but it’s hard work.

When you go on castings all the models look you up and down; but a lot of them are very friendly. I would say male models are more vain: all the ones I’ve met seem terribly in love with themselves. They are not the people I see at weekends. I spend most of my time with my boyfriend, who’s a computer programmer, or with old friends.

Modelling is a lot of fun but it’s not something I want to do as my career. It’s always been my ambition to be rich and famous, but what I really want to do is be a singer. I know people say models always go on to acting and singing and can’t do it, but if I’m making money I don’t really care what they say.

RESPUESTAS

READING COMPREHENSION

1. Write a title in English which best summarises the text, and justify your answer in order to show that you have understood the global meaning of the text. (25 – 40 words)

A good title would be “My life in the world of fashion”, because Claire talks about her experience of the business of fashion, in modelling clothes and doing castings.

2. Explain in English the meaning of the following expressions as used in the text.

a) I decided to go into it full time: I made up my mind / made a decision ... to begin to work in it all the time.

b) They are fairly keen on show business: They are quite fond of / enthusiastic about / excited about show business / They like show business quite a lot.

3. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the first one.

a) She asked if I’d ever thought of modelling.

• She asked: “Have you ever thought of modelling?”.

b) It’s always been my ambition to be rich and famous

• I have always wished / wanted to be rich and famous.

4. Answer the following questions in your own words. The information must be taken from the text.

a) What would Claire’s parents have preferred her to do?

Claire’s parents would have been happier if she had chosen to stay at school and gone to University so that she could be a clothes designer when she finished, instead of becoming a model.

b) What does she dislike about modelling?

She likes most things about modelling, but she says that she has to work very hard, that she has to get up early, do a lot of exercise and be careful about her diet. She also believes that some of the male models are very vain. 

WRITING

5. What is your opinion about “fashion” and the “fashion world” nowadays? (Minimum 100 words; maximum 120 words)

It seems silly to me when all those very thin girls walk in a strange way in front of a lot of people on television. I suppose they are trying to sell them, but they wear such unusual, exotic clothes that nobody will ever buy them or wear them in the street or at home in the real world. Also, I have heard that these girls are not very friendly and that they only dream of being better and richer than the other girls. To sum up, I think it is a very artificial world and if I had a son or daughter I wouldn’t like them to be a model.

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