Password pressure - PAU inglés 2015

>Exámenes selectividad inglés País Vasco resueltos

Nothing is more annoying than sitting at a computer screen, looking at a message saying “Password incorrect”. Modern technology is a wonderful thing, but when it crosses the line that divides helpful from annoying it can become a problem. Whether we like it or not, much of our daily life is now conducted online. As a result, we have many internet accounts and we need to remember a large number of passwords and usernames to gain access to them.

The password pressure of modern life means that 61% of us use the same password wherever we can. In fact, one in 10 people have 50 or more online accounts and many are not only using the same password for everything, but also writing down all their passwords in one place, such as a Post-it note stuck to their computer.

Some personal data, such as your mother’s name, might seem hard to decipher but if someone has any information about you, it may be easy to guess. However, this doesn’t mean you have to remember 50 completely nonsensical things.

The same password can be used for low-security accounts, such as discussion groups, but if the account is more important your password should be more complex.Never use standard dictionary words. Criminals use software that can go through every word in the dictionary and try them out as passwords in seconds. For more security, try mixing letters with numbers and punctuation. And the longer the password, the better it is in terms of security. Many sites ask for a “minimum six characters”, but you don’t need to stop there. Think of a memorable phrase, take the spaces out, or use the first letter of each word.

According to the Microsoft website, it’s not necessarily bad to write your password down —a piece of paper is harder for a criminal to hack than something on your computer, as long as it is carefully protected. So hide your password or disguise it. And never write "My internet password" at the top of the page.

New clothes which make people invisible to cameras - PAU 2015

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Celebrities may finally have a way to defend themselves against unwanted street photographers' cameras thanks to a clever new clothes collection which is designed to ruin any images taken using flash photography.

DJ Chris Holmes has invented the Flashback Collection, an anti-paparazzi type of clothing that reflects the light from a camera's flash, creating a hopefully useless image which completely hides the wearer's face.

The collection includes a hooded jacket, a scarf, and a coat that look like everyday pieces, but essentially act as a mirror when hit with bright light, making the wearer practically invisible in flash photography. Holmes has asked for suggestions for additions to the line in the comments section of the product’s web-page.

Mr. Holmes, who works with Paul McCartney, said that he was inspired to create the collection after he realised the reflective clothes he wears when he is on stage were spoiling the pictures. "While I wasn't happy that many of my photos were ruined, it gave me the idea that, perhaps, I could use this technology to design clothes which could make photos worthless-perfect for those who don't want their picture taken." he wrote.

He developed his product for a competition on new ideas called "Think Tank", which allows people to decide which items deserve to be funded and produced. These clothes are currently unavailable for buying, but fans have 20 more days to vote for them on the Think Tank website in the hope that they will eventually be sold in shops.

One person who will no doubt be delighted to see the concept turned into a reality is model Cara Delevingne, who is well-known for being one of the most photographed women in the world. In November, the model was actually seen wearing a reflective silver jacket made especially for her. The jacket was given to the star in order to test whether it actually worked when facing some of the world's most persistent celebrity photographers.

Do the Instagram stars show we're now all living in a false reality? - PAU Valencia inglés 2015

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

Celebrities  have  always  been  paid  to  promote  products  through  social  media.  But  increasingly, Instagram  users  without  real-world  fame  are  cashing  in  too.  While  you’ve  been  putting  up  photos of your dog, others have been busy building up their own brand identity. Companies have sprung up that encourage  followers  to  buy  the  clothes  on  your  back,  the  pillows  on your bed, the bowl your cat eats from... You can now assemble your identity through photos that shape your style and your home.

One of the first Instagram stars was a woman called Jen Selter, who got noticed after posting multiple shots of  the  results  of  her  fitness  regime.  Looking  through  her  photos  you  can  see  why  people  feel compelled to follow her: an ordinary girl who encourages you to work out for similar results.

Much  has  been  written  about  celebrity  culture  –the dangers  of  attempting  to  emulate  our  favourite Hollywood  heroes.  Why  are  these  new  insta-celebs  any  different?  They’re  not  sharing  spontaneous moments  or  candid  pictures  that  give you a realistic look at their lives, they’re presenting a stage set. The idea behind it is to make you believe that if you spend enough, work out enough, you can be like them.  And  it  works,  because  they’re  not  megastars  but  people  like  you.  This  is  why  you  think  their status is achievable.

When your own life becomes your job, though, you’re bound to present it dishonestly. Let’s demand a bit more  reality,  and  present  a  more  honest  version  of  our  own  lives  in  response.  We  might  find  that there is no need to emulate a life that reaches us only through a heavily filtered lens.

Adapted from an article by Bella Mackie, The Guardian, 27th November, 2014 

Child poverty in Spain seen through the eyes of Encarni - PAU 2015

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

“I  would  like  to  have  a  big  house,  and  I  wish  my  family  didn’t  have  to  go  out  and  ask  for  food  or clothes,” Encarni, who just turned 12, is one of the faces of child poverty in Spain. Almost every day, she goes with her mother and her aunt to get food at the Er Banco Güeno, a soup kitchen which has been operating for the last two years. “I worked in construction until the start of the 2008 crisis, when I was laid off,” Encarni’s stepfather says. Since then he has not found work, and has done a little of everything, from picking up junk to selling things in street markets. Encarni explains that her mother found work for a couple of months taking care of an elderly person, but was fired.

“I really like to go to school. I especially love gymnastics,” Encarni says, although she adds that she gets sad when she feels they leave her out sometimes, “because they saw me go into the soup kitchen for food. But I just ignore them,” she adds.

A few days ago her aunt and three cousins moved to another house nearby. But until then there were 11 people  living  in  Encarni’s  house.  She  slept  in  the  top  bunk  with  her  cousin  while  the  other members of her family slept in the rest of the rooms of the house, which only has one small bathroom near the kitchen.

Encarni wants to be a judge when she grows up. But she says that for now she would be happy just to be able to “dress well” and be able to buy more things in the supermarket.

Inter Press Service News Agency, 1st November, 2014

Examen FP Grado Superior 2014 - Vegetarian UK

Vegetarianism is increasing in the UK. A recent survey estimated that there are over 3 million vegetarians in the UK today. Vegetarians (people who don’t eat meat), and vegans (people who don’t eat or use any animal products) are becoming increasingly common in UK culture. Visit a British supermarket and you will see a wide range of vegetarian products and prepared meals including vegan cheese, vegetarian sausages and burgers.

So why are more and more British people changing to a meat-free diet? Many people do not eat meat or animal products for ethical reasons. They are unhappy about the cruel treatment of the animals and the effects of meat and fish production on the environment. People can also be worried about food safety (for example ‘mad cow disease’). Others change to improve their general health. According to the Vegetarian Society, a meat-free diet could help reduce the risk of certain cancers and the possibility of heart disease, as well as other health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure.

Another rising trend in the UK’s food culture is related to how our food is produced. Many people reject GM (genetically modified) food. They want their food to be organically produced. Organic food is produced in a more 'natural' way. Organic farmers use very few or no chemicals, pesticides or fertilisers. Organic meat is produced without the use of drugs and antibiotics. Although it’s often more expensive, fans of organic food say it tastes much better!

Adapted from: http://esol.britishcouncil.org/magazine/vegetarian-uk

Headphones are a danger to life - PAU inglés 2014

>Exámenes selectividad inglés País Vasco resueltos

Walking with your head in the clouds can be dangerous – but not as risky as listening to your iPod. The numbers of people suffering serious injury or death while wearing headphones for MP3 players has tripled in six years, according to a US study. An increase in the use of headphones while walking in the street has led to a dramatic rise in the number of injuries, with men and young adults the most at risk from hurting themselves.

In the study, experts looked at data from 2004 to 2011. They found that 116 people in the US wearing headphones had died or been seriously hurt during that period. The number of people who died or were injured jumped from 16 in 2004-2005 to 47 in 2010-2011. Most victims were men (68%) and under the age of 30 (67%), with about one in 10 of all cases under the age of 18.

According to the study, published in the online journal Injury Prevention, 70% of the incidents resulted in death. The study found that wearing headphones may have played a direct part in many of the accidents, because the users could not hear warnings that they were in danger. The experts concluded: “The use of headphones may result in a safety risk to pedestrians, especially in environments with moving vehicles.”

Other studies have found that people wearing headphones – or who are talking on a mobile phone – can suffer from ‘inattentional blindness’ or ‘iPod oblivion’. This is a reduction in attention to the outside world and it can lead to people paying less attention to traffic when they cross the street.

Kevin Clinton, the head of road safety at the UK Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, advised pedestrians with headphones to: “Ensure you are not dangerously distracted and that you remain aware of what is happening around you.”

Wanted: Two drinking pals for dad - PAU inglés 2014

>Exámenes selectividad inglés País Vasco resueltos

When Jack Hammond, 88, moved from his flat in Hampshire, southern England, to a nursing home 20 miles away, he struggled to find someone to have a beer with. Nearly all the residents of the home are women and Hammond, a radar technician during the Second World War, felt embarrassed asking the ladies to go for a drink with him.

As a last resort, Jack’s son, Mike, put an advert in the post office asking for a man with similar interests and background to accompany his dad to the pub. He offered £7 an hour plus expenses.

Mike was so inundated with offers that he interviewed all the candidates by phone. He then asked a small group of men to join him and Jack for a trial drink in the pub. The successful pair Mike finally chose were Henry Rosenvinge, 58, a former doctor, and Trevor Pugh, 78, a retired kitchen fitter. They will now spend several nights a week with Jack chatting about military history and current affairs.

Pugh said: “I like having topical discussions and meeting new people and I’m happy to take him down the pub. We are both ex-army so we have that in common.” He will accept the hourly fee to boost his pension, but he will not take the expenses. On the other hand, Rosenvinge will do the job for free. He said: “He has a lot of stories and we are both from Lancashire so we have a lot we can talk about.”

Mike has no regrets because his father has stopped feeling miserable and lonely. Ideally, Jack wanted to be taken out for a drink seven nights a week but his son cannot go out with him that often. Jack will now be going five times a week — three with his new friends and twice with his son. 

Spain's jobless women become the boss to beat the recession - PAU 2014 inglés C. Valenciana

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

When it comes to finding a job in Europe, not all citizens are born equal. If you are Spanish you have a one in four chance of being unemployed, rising to one in two if you are young. And if you are a young woman in Spain? The chances of finding yourself among the unemployed are even higher, at 54.7%. Now however, young Spanish women are finding their own solutions to the crisis, discovering the value of enterprises that has resulted in a record 800,000 businesses being set up by women in the past five years.

“The crisis allowed women to seriously consider becoming businesswomen, something many had never thought of before,” said Joan Torrent Sellens. In the past decades Spanish women have advanced in government and the public sector, but are still behind in setting up enterprises, creating less than 20% of businesses. When analysing the same figures during the crisis, Torrent Sellens found a surprising result: the number of businesses created by women had nearly doubled during the crisis, to just under 40%.

“These days you can act like a big businessman without having a lot of employees,” said Torrent Sellens. “The crisis allowed women to ask: ‘Why do I have to be a director at a multinational, earning a third of what my male counterparts are earning when I can create, my own business and lead my own project?’ The crisis gave them an alternative, their own way of breaking through the glass ceiling,” he added.

Adapted from an article by Ashifa Kassam,

The Guardian, 3 February 2014

Tablets to beat desktop sales - PAU C. Valenciana inglés 2013

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Tablet computers are set to beat bulky desktops for the first time this year, according to research. Millions are replacing their old-fashioned computers with slimline, touchscreen gadgets.

Sales of tablets such as Apple's iPad and Google’s Nexus are about to overtake the type of computers that introduced the internet to the masses, said the International Data Corporation (IDC).The IDC said 128 million tablets were sold last year worldwide, an increase of nearly 80 per cent in 2011.The trend represents a rapid transformation in computer use, just three years after Apple introduced the iPad. And the growth in sales is forecast to continue, meaning tablets will overtake desktops in months and outsell laptops by the end of next year.

Experts said that computers are seen as a device for work, but tablets are preferred for leisure activities, such as surfing the web and watching videos. Technology researcher Martin Garner, from CCS Insight, said: “People are using the money they previously used to replace a PC to buy a tablet. In the long term, nearly every person will have their own tablet.”

The battle for domination of the mobile and tablet market has become intense in the past 18 months, with Apple’s competitors taking it on with a series of new products. Nokia and Microsoft joined forces to launch two new phones which run on the Windows operating system. Apple registered figures for the Christmas period that showed its rocket-like growth had come to a standstill.

Daily Mail, 29 March 2013

EOI País Vasco alemán B1 resuelto - Große Architekten sind nie zufrieden mit der Welt – und das ist gut so

Große Architekten sind ihrer Zeit oft voraus. Ihre Entwürfe sind Abbild der Wünsche und Konflikte einer Epoche. So leitete das 1919 in Weimar gegründete Bauhaus mit seiner neuen Sachlichkeit, seinen funktionalen Bauten und Möbeln das Ende einer Zeit ein, die es gern neobarock und verschnörkelt hatte. Für den Architekten Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, der am Bauhaus wirkte, war die Baukunst »der räumliche Ausdruck geistiger Entscheidungen«. Der Architekt Le Corbusier, geboren 1887 in einer kleinen Schweizer Uhrmacherstadt, hat gleich mehrfach versucht, ideale Welten zu bauen. 1947 zum Beispiel hat er die Cité Radieuse entworfen: ein Hochhaus in Marseille, in dem es alles gab, was eine Stadt ausmacht: einen Friseurladen, ein Hotel, einen Supermarkt und auf dem Dach einen Spielplatz mit Blick aufs Mittelmeer.

Es gibt genügend Beispiele dafür, dass Regierungen Architekten engagierten, um ihre politischen Absichten in Bauten zu manifestieren. So entwarf der brasilianische Architekt Oscar Niemeyer für die Regierung irgendwo im Nirgendwo die Hauptstadt Brasilia, mit der sich für Brasilien der Aufbruch in eine neue Zeit verband. Visionen sind wichtig, um die Zukunft zu meistern. Heute suchen Architekten vor allem nach Antworten auf Fragen wie die nach der Erderwärmung oder nach sozialen Ungerechtigkeiten. Niedrigenergiehäuser für Privatleute, aber auch für Firmen werden das Stadtbild in Zukunft prägen. Bekannte Architekten wie Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid oder Jürgen Mayer zeigen, dass in der Architektur oftmals aus visionären Entwürfen Antworten auf die gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen entstehen.

Turning education upside down - PAU 2014 inglés C. Valenciana

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

Three years ago, Clintondale High School became a “flipped school,” one where students watch teachers’ lectures at home and do what we’d otherwise call “homework” in class. Teachers record video lessons, which students watch on their smartphones, home computers or at lunch in the school’s tech lab. In class, they do projects, exercises or lab experiments while the teacher circulates.

Now flipped classrooms are popping up all over. Havana High School (Illinois) is flipping, too, after the school superintendent visited Clintondale. The principal of Clintondale says that some 200 school

officials have visited them.

It’s well known by now that online education is booming. You can study any subject free in a massive open online course. Courses are being offered by universities like Harvard and by the teenager next door making videos in his garage. But while online courses can make high-quality education available to anyone with an Internet connection, they also have the potential to displace humans, with all that implies for teachers and students.

Like everything innovative, online education is highly controversial. But the flipped classroom is a strategy that nearly everyone agrees on. “It’s the only thing I write about as having broad positive agreement,” said Justin Reich, from Harvard University.

Flipping is still in the early stages, with much experimentation about how to do it right. Flipping’s track record in schools, while impressive, is anecdotal and short. But many people are holding it up as a potential model of how to use technology to humanize the classroom.

Adapted from an article by T. Rosenberg, The New York Times,October 2013

Fugitive's Facebook habit leads to arrest - PAU inglés 2013

>Exámenes selectividad inglés País Vasco resueltos

Some people are good at being fugitives from the police. They stay at home, they go out in disguise or even create a new identity. Others are not so successful. Take the case of Maxi Sopo, a 26-year-old criminal who was in hiding in Mexico from the US police. His first big mistake was to use his Facebook page to tell his friends about the fun he was having. In regular updates on Facebook, Sopo said he was “living in paradise” in Mexico and “loving it”. Sopo, who arrived in the US from Cameroon in 2003, made money by selling roses in Seattle nightclubs. Then he moved on to bank fraud. But he soon learnt that police were investigating him and drove a rented car to Mexico in February. Investigators looked at social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace but they could find no sign of him at first and couldn’t see his location in Mexico. Several months later, a secret service agent checked Facebook again and suddenly found Maxi Sopo. His photo showed him partying in front of a backdrop with BMW and Courvoisier cognac logos on it. Although Sopo’s profile was private, his list of friends was not. Assistant US Attorney, Michael Scoville, who helped to find Sopo, began to look through his list of friends. He was surprised that one of those was Rafael Rodríguez, linked to the Mexican justice department. Scoville immediately sent a message to the man. “We figured this was a person we could probably trust to keep our investigation discreet,” Scoville said. Rodriguez told Scoville he had met Sopo in Cancun’s nightclubs a few times. He learned where Sopo was living and passed that information back to Scoville, who informed the Mexican police. They arrested Sopo last month. If convicted of fraud, Sopo could go to prison for up to 30 years. Plenty of time to update his Facebook page.

School girls want plastic surgery - PAU inglés 2013 País Vasco

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British youngsters are more and more image-conscious and they decide to undergo plastic surgery in growing numbers. The Observer found many clinics admitting to having given breast implants to girls of 15 and 16.
Sandra’s story is typical. At 17, she cannot yet marry without parent’s consent, buy alcohol, or vote. But she prides herself on her silicone-enhanced breasts in front of her jealous friends. “I feel more confident now and wear low tops.” The operation cost her father £2,450. She thinks he paid it to irritate her mother, from whom he is separated. Sandra is among an estimated 65,000 Britons who have cosmetic surgery each year. Out of these, 20 per cent will need corrective surgery later. There are risks in adolescents having surgery before they have stopped growing. A surgically reduced nose, for example, may deform as it grows. Even so, Dr. Eileen Bradbury, a psychologist from London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, explained that we should not demonise cosmetic surgery because it can be of enormous help to those people who would otherwise be terribly unhappy. But the problem is that children today face a sense of competition in looking as good as possible. “Even the boys” – she said- “You can’t just be a great footballer, you have to look like Beckham too.” Plastic surgery seems to be a business without ethical limits to make a profit. Some plastic surgery clinics offer free consultation and do not discuss the potential risks this kind of operations might have. However, they do discuss credit card payments and offer discounts for two procedures (nose job and liposuction) done at once. This information does not surprise Ann Clywd, a Labour Member of Parliament who has been a long-time activist for clinic regulation. She believes that young girls are particularly vulnerable to sales techniques and that a lower age limit for plastic surgeon operations should be set.

Cigarettes may have to be sold in plain packets - PAU Valencia 2013

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

Cigarette packets could be stripped of all branding following a consultation, the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has revealed. The minister said that he was “open minded” about putting the idea of plain cigarette packaging to the public, but added: “We don’t work in partnership with the tobacco companies because we are trying to arrive at a point where they have no business in this country.”
Deborah Arnott, of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “The consultation is just the first step, putting us in pole position to be the first European nation to put tobacco in plain, standardised packs. “Cigarettes are not like sweets or toys and should not be sold in colourful packaging which makes them appealing to children. Cigarettes are full of toxins and cause fatal diseases: plain, standardised packaging makes this explicit.”
But pro-smoking group Forest, the Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco, has launched a Hands Off Our Packs (Hoops) campaign. Director Simon Clark has described plain packaging as “the persecution of a minority lifestyle choice”. He said: “Plain packaging is yet another attack on retailers and adult consumers.”
The move comes a week after a law on tobacco promotion in England came into force, requiring all large shops and supermarkets to cover up cigarettes and hide tobacco products from public view. Lansley, who said that all levels of smoking are harmful, added that the ban on displaying cigarettes was part of a move to ensure “we no longer see smoking as a part of life.”

David Batty, The Guardian, 13 April 2012

EOI País Vasco alemán B1 resuelto - Ich will das alles gar nicht wissen

Manchmal wäre man froh, wenn das Hirn eine Festplatte wäre, von der man einiges löschen könnte. Oder sogar vieles…

Stell dir vor, du würdest an Fresssucht leiden. Immer mehr stopfst du in dich hinein, der Bauch wird immer dicker, und der Hunger hört niemals auf. So geht es mir.

Morgens, direkt nachdem ich den Wecker ausschalte, ziehe ich mir den ersten Happen rein, noch im Bett: Facebook erzählt, dass sich Flo von seiner Freundin getrennt hat. Danach in die Küche und Kaffee kochen. Das Radio läuft: Der neue Berliner Flughafen soll später kommen. Beim Frühstück flimmert „Tagesschau 24“ im Livestream. Später müssen Youtube-Videos als Snack zwischendurch herhalten: Ein Affe im Zoo vergewaltigt einen Frosch. Der Tag endet mit den „Tagesthemen“, der neue beginnt mit Facebook.

Ich bin süchtig nach Informationen. Sie sind heutzutage einfach zu beschaffen und günstiger als billig, nämlich kostenlos. Das Problem ist die Qualität. Wie eine schlechte Currywurst liegt sie schwer im Magen. Los wird man den Mist nicht mehr, hartnäckig überlagert er dabei die wichtigen Informationen. An die zuletzt gelernten Französischvokabeln erinnere ich mich nicht, dafür beispielsweise an einen uralten Werbeslogan: „Nichts ist unmöglich“. Daneben grummelt im Magen ein Wikipedia-Artikel über die Starfighter-Affäre – „116 Soldaten verunglückt“ –, auf den ich während einer Recherche zu einem ganz anderen Thema stieß – wie immer...

An der Bushaltestelle, in der Vorlesung, in der Warteschlange an der Kasse – der Alltag lässt erahnen, was die Forscher wissen: Seit 1960 hat sich der tägliche Informationskonsum verdreifacht. Der Durchschnittsdeutsche verbringt monatlich mehr als 24 Stunden im Netz und hockt etwa 112 Stunden vor der Glotze. Ich habe keinen Fernseher, bin dafür aber 150 Stunden online. Damit vermeide ich zwar den TV-Trash, aber vieles auf Facebook, Twitter und Youtube ist auch nicht gehaltvoller. Ich mache jetzt erst einmal eine Diät.