Home alone - PAU Andalucía 2005

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

With marriage apparently in trouble, so many single-parent families and people living alone ready to dominate the country, Britain is currently going through one of the most dramatic social changes in its entire history. This is one more example of globalization, and many other countries around the world seem to be accompanying Britain in the same process.

The statistics are shocking. Since 1961, the number of UK homes occupied by one person has risen from 10 to 30 per cent, with predictions of 40 per cent for the year 2010. There are other fundamental social changes behind Britain’s single-household explosion. The increasing independence of the working woman, more orientated to her career than to personal relationships, has been essential. The prototypical Bridget Jones, thirtysomething, single, and in search of a man, is becoming a little old-fashioned.

These changing social attitudes and the higher divorce and separation figures are the causes of the growing numbers of single parents. More and more women, both in the UK and the USA, no longer think it necessary to have a man around to have a child. Such radical social changes inevitably have their side effects, which are often as interesting as the changes themselves. Obsession with work seems to have provoked a boom in online agencies for making friends.

Climate change

According to the UN, climate change will probably transform the way most people live. However, a group of economists, including three Nobel Prize winners, says this is the least important of the world's immediate problems.

The team of six American and two other economists concluded it is not worth spending money on climate change because the effects were expected to happen in a far future. They recommended that money should be spent on HIV/Aids, water and free trade. But they were immediately accused by international development and environment groups of "understanding nothing about the real world". These recommendations, which mainly throw doubts on the idea that there will be a serious climate change in a near future, have been very well received by followers of the free market round the world. On the contrary, the experts’ conclusions have been attacked by many scientists.The leader of this group of economists, Professor Ludgrum, told the journalists they were what he called the "Real Madrid" team of "galactica" economists. "We are here to reach consensus about how to help the world's poor," he said. "We are economists, and not politicians; we have long, valuable experience in giving priority to basic things, and moreover we are impartial”.

Sexism in language - PAU inglés Andalucía 2006 resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969 he uttered a memorable sentence: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” If he had landed on the moon today, no doubt he would have said a much more politically correct sentence: “That’s one small step for a person, one giant leap for humankind.” Less poetic but certainly more literally representative of the whole of the human race!

Language tends to use male pronouns automatically whenever the sex of the person is not known: “Every student must bring his own calculator.” This is a sexist use of language, which often suggests an inherent male dominance in many fields of life, and can reinforce the idea of female inferiority.

There is a tendency to associate certain jobs with men or women. For instance, “A director must do his best for his company,” but “A nurse must treat her patients with kindness.” In addition, job names often include reference to the sex of the person: “I’m meeting a group of businessmen next Friday,” or “The housemaid must clean this.” The use of such words tends to emphasise the idea that it is not normal for women to be in professional, highly-paid, technical or manual jobs, and that it is not natural for a man to work in such a caring (and generally poorly-paid) role as that of a nurse.

Plastic surgery: beauty or beast - PAU inglés Andalucía 2007 resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

Some psychologists are worried about the psychological impact on those who undergo drastic cosmetic surgery— and also on those who don't and, consequently, may feel inadequate. Although radical transformations are rare, some psychologists plan to investigate the surge in cosmetic procedures and whether these surgeries have any lasting psychological consequences. The number of cosmetic operations increased by 44 percent from 2003 to 2004, accordin to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Plastic surgeons conducted a record 11.9 million procedures last year, both non-surgical (like Botox) and surgical (like breast augmentation or liposuction).

How do such practices affect patients psychologically? Social workers have made a recent analysis of 37 studies on patients' psychological and psychosocial functioning before and after cosmetic surgery. It suggests positive outcomes in patients, including improvements in body image and possibly a quality-of-life increase too. But the same research— 10 published in April 2005—also found several elements of poor outcomes, especially for those who hold unrealistic expectations or have a history of depression and anxiety. The researchers found that patients who are dissatisfied with surgery may request repeat procedures or experience depression and adjustment problems, social isolation, family problems, self-destructive behaviours and anger toward the surgeon and his or her staff.

Education helps brain against dementia changes - PAU inglés Andalucía 2011 resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

People who stay in education for longer appear to be better able to compensate for the effects of dementia on the brain, a study suggests. A UK and Finnish team found those with more education had the same chances of showing the signs of dementia in their brains at death as those with less education. However, they were less likely to have displayed symptoms during their lifetime, the study said. Experts claimed that scientists now had to find out why the effect occurred.

Over the past decade, studies on dementia have consistently shown that the more time you spend in education, the lower the risk of dementia. Nevertheless, studies have been unable to show whether or not education - which is linked to higher socio-economic status and healthier lifestyles - protects the brain against dementia.

The researchers in this study examined the brains of 872 people whose ageing process had been monitored. Before their deaths, they had also completed questionnaires about their education. The researchers found that more education makes people better able to face changes in the brain associated with dementia. Besides, those with more education are better able to compensate for the effects of the condition. Ruth Sutherland, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "This is the largest study ever to confirm that books could help you fight the symptoms of dementia in later life”. Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, added: "This research suggests that education is not able to stop the damage of the cells in the brain but enables it to cope better and alleviate its impact."

Oil drilling is considered a danger for tourism in the Canary Islands

Pic: Cleanoceanproject

The Canary Islands is one of Britain's most popular holiday destinations. However, these islands may lose their attraction to foreign tourists because of a decision to drill for oil less than 40 miles off the coastline. Local businesses and travel companies believe that there is a risk to the business of tourism in the islands. They see drilling for oil as a threat to tourists who look for the clean beaches and clean water that are found on and around these islands.

More than 2.6 million Britons visit the Canaries every year and the seven islands are famed for their 365 days of sunshine. Repsol, the Spanish oil and gas giant, has been given permission by the Spanish government to prospect for oil near Lanzarote and Fuerteventura despite strong local opposition. The regional government of the Canaries has mounted a legal challenge against the project, saying that drilling for oil threatens its most important industry, which is tourism. This region is Spain's second most popular tourism destination after Catalonia.

Inhabitants and business owners as well as major tour operators have voiced concerns that drilling could affect tourism and wildlife along the famous coastlines, particularly if there were an oil spill. ABTA, The Travel Association, and the UK Tour operators' Federation have also written to the Spanish government expressing concern about the decision.

In a letter sent to Jose Manuel Soria, the Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, the organisations voice their 'great preoccupation' about the effects the decision will have on the tourist industry in the Canaries.

The Canary Islands are one of the key tourist destinations not only for the United Kingdom but also for other European countries and the prospecting and possible drilling for oil could cause considerable damage to tourism in this region.

Cyber-bullying: Two teenage girls try to drown themselves

Entrada relacionada: What is ciberbullying? - PAU 2015 Andalucía resuelto   

                      

Two teenage girls in Israel tried to commit suicide because of cyber-bullying by their classmates. During a terrible storm last week, the two girls attempted to commit suicide by drowning themselves in the Mediterranean Sea. The two girls, who are 13 and 14 years old, are from the coastal city of Ashdod. They were found unconscious floating in the water, and they were saved by a local person who contacted the rescue services. One of the girls has been released from hospital, however, the other girl is still hospitalized.

The girls told the police that they are in the same class in Junior High School. They said that their classmates had harassed them for years, face to face and on the internet, mostly on Facebook. Apparently classmates continually spread rumours and embarrassing stories about them.

Ashdod’s Head of Social Services has begun an immediate investigation. The police are currently gathering evidence and intend to press charges.

Hana Levi Julian, a behavioural psychotherapist in Jerusalem said that bullying by classmates does not always take the traditional form of physically being hurt, which we once thought. One of the worst forms of bullying is that of embarrassing or publicly ridiculing another person.

Kids single out and target others very often, especially in school. Cyber-bullying can occur in class as well as out of it. They have plenty of opportunity before and after class, during recess and on lunch breaks to harass a classmate. More supervision is needed during these unstructured times. Also, teachers need to be trained to deal with this problem when it occurs, whether before or after classes, between classes or during their classes.

By Lesley Lanir in Internet (Adapted)

Not without my dog! PAU Madrid 2007

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

Mary Marcus of New York City takes her dog, Pluto, everywhere: to the sushi restaurant down the street, to work, in and out of the neighborhood shops, even on the subway, which has a no-dog policy. "I wrap him up and take him in the last carriage," confesses Marcus, a photographer. "We take him everywhere, and we don't even think it's inappropriate." Pluto is a vivacious 8-year-old, 11 Kg., French bulldog. Marcus says that Pluto often has easy access to places that are not particularly dog-friendly: "Everyone loves him because he's so funny. He's hilarious."

Not everyone is laughing. The world used to be divided into two groups: dog people and cat people. There was no common ground. Like smokers and non­smokers. But now it seems the canine world is dividing even further: dog lovers who want their pet to be part of every party, and those who don't want them around at all.

With this take-your-dog-everywhere trend growing as quickly as it seems to be, Marcus can't understand why the hotel industry doesn't offer pet and non-pet rooms like smoking and non-smoking rooms. At Loews Hotels, which has accepted dogs for four years, the reaction has been positive, with the pet business doubling every year, although it still remains a small market. "It's worked out well for us," says Emily Goldfischer, the manager of Loews, which began accepting four-legged friends after realizing pets were becoming more important to American families. "People are treating their pets differently than, say, even 10 years ago," she says. "They don't want to leave them at home."

Smart shoes - PAU Madrid 2008

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

A clever invention by a British student may be the answer to parents’ concerns about their increasingly obese children. The invention is a shoe, nicknamed “Square-Eyes”, that contains a tiny computer chip to record how many steps the wearer has taken in a day. A wireless transmitter passes the information to a receiver connected to the television, and this decides how much viewing time the wearer deserves. The recommended average of 12,000 steps a day equates to a maximum of two hours of viewing time. Once the allocated time in front of the box has expired, the TV automatically switches off and the child must go out to play if he wants to earn more time.

The expression “square-eyes” has long been a term associated with sedentary children who are exposed to too much television. This new device reverses this association by promoting active lifestyles for kids. The designer of the device, Gillian Swan, hopes her invention will mean healthier children who include exercise in their daily routines from an early age. She said: “Today's children are exposed to a huge offer of television programmes and children's channels. Ten years ago, children were entertained by playing games with their friends, but now they’re in their bedrooms watching hours of television programmes.”

According to Swan, “While children may find that two hours of TV is not especially generous, it will hopefully raise awareness among family members of their sedentary lifestyle and bring about a change in behaviour.” Some researchers believe the invention is at the vanguard of computer-integrated clothing which will allow clothes to monitor our health.

April Fool's Day - PAU Andalucía 2006

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

In Spain, many people play tricks on December 28, Holy Innocents’ Day. In many other countries, jokes are played on April 1—April Fool’s Day. The reason seems to be that, up until the mid-sixteenth century, France celebrated New Year’s Day on April 1, but in 1562 Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new calendar to the Christian world, which changed the date of the New Year to January 1. At that time news travelled slowly and some people continued to celebrate on April 1. These poor, misinformed people were referred to as "April Fools" and other people played tricks on them.

Nowadays, it seems that new technologies provide fresh ways of playing tricks on April 1. The Internet has given birth to a rise in popularity and proliferation of tricks and hoaxes. E-mail inboxes are bombarded with messages warning of terrible viruses that cause users to delete important data from their computers, or of credit card cheats that request personal information, including passwords and bank account numbers. In August 2001 e-mail containing a photo of a shark trying to attack a helicopter was received by e-mail throughout the world. The e-mail claimed the photo was National Geographic's "Photo of the Year", but National Geographic said that the photo was a fake and finally found the people responsible for making the composite image.