Legal doesn't mean right - PAU inglés Andalucía 2002 resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

I had a liberal upbringing, growing up in Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s. I was free to go where I pleased, bicycling alone almost everywhere from the age of 12. I was never warned against drugs, underage sex, subversive television or dangerous strangers. There was a nun who told us we should never visit a man’s room alone after 12 o’clock at night and an aunt who said you shouldn’t marry a Protestant because they accept divorce, but apart from that I can scarcely remember being forbidden anything.

We lived then in an authoritarian country, where the law did all the forbidding, so our families hardly had to do any. The world has changed since then –in part for the better, in part for the worse– and the opposite is now common for parents raising their children. The culture now is officially liberal, so parents and educationalists have to do all the forbidding, warning against the dangers that await careless young people, from unsafe sex to predatory horrors on the Internet.

The cannabis law states that those in possession of marijuana will not be prosecuted. This is an example of how this paradox works. Once the law protected us from ourselves: but as the protection of the law decreases, so we have to take more responsibility to be our own inner police.

Domestic violence against women -PAU inglés Andalucía 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

Inside the family there is a historical tradition ignoring violence. Abuse by a male relative is the most general form of violence against women. This abuse is directed at women who are wives or partners, and who are classified by society as male property.

According to a survey, between one quarter and one third of women from different countries report physical abuse within their families, and even more report emotional or psychological abuse. This is a large number, especially when one considers that many incidences of domestic violence are often silenced.

For women, there is a greater risk for violence in the home than anywhere else. Both physical violence and intimidation result in health problems. By repeated violations of their physical and mental autonomy, basic human rights are taken away from women.

Domestic violence against women must be perceived as a global problem rather than a private matter. It must receive appropriate attention from the international community as an issue affecting women’s health and their ability to participate fully in society.

Beauty over youth- PAU Madrid 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

From the countless music videos portraying young healthy-looking beauties to a flourishing cosmetics industry that promises slow aging, women are led to believe that men primarily prefer youth to beauty. But a new study from Britain suggests that men go for older attractive women rather than younger plain-looking ones.
The new study by a psychologist of Chiterns University College shows that up to a certain age, men find attractiveness more important than youth when considering potential mates. The psychologist took a photo of a 36-year-old woman who was very attractive in the eyes of a group of men. They showed the picture to three other groups in their early 20s along with the same eight pictures of women aged 20-45 who had been considered less attractive. The researchers told the group the beautiful woman was either 36, 41 or 45 years old. When asked who they'd prefer as a long-term partner, all three groups of men chose her, regardless of how old they thought she was.

The study shows that beauty counts and that men are not concerned with the number of children they can have. The younger, plainer women will give them more children, but the fact that men are going for the "aging beauty" is indicative that beauty is more important at some level. But the psychologist also stressed that the study was based only on physical attractiveness and didn't take into account other characteristic traits like kindness, generosity, and caring, which were just as, if not more important, in determining long-term relationships.

Hope for the no-hopers - PAU 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

«Is it true that in your country parents can be jailed for beating their children?», 16-year-old Jose asks us. Clearly there is no need to ask what made him run away from home to become one of Brazil’s «street children». Luckily for him, he lives in Porto Alegre, whose municipal council cares for them. Jose now sleeps in a council-run dormitory and spends most days in the city’s Open School, which allows street children to come and go as they please, trying to bring them back to a normal life and perhaps to an education.

It is a dark winter day when we visit the Open School. While the youngest ones play board games, the older ones kick a football around, tend the centre’s vegetable garden or learn the beginnings of skills that may make them employable one day. 13-year old Ismael recounts happily how he and his friends used to sleep behind a shopping centre, and laughs as he tells of the beatings they got from policemen who caught them sniffing glue.

Nearly all the Open School’s users still abuse some substance, often glue or a mixture of shop-lifted1 solvents2 and medication, a habit picked up on the streets to fight off hunger, cold and fear. These, the drug sniffers, are the easy ones to rescue, says one of the teachers: there are still groups of youngsters who are drug injectors but reject offers of help.

The clamour within Brazil over the situation had been growing since its return to democracy in the mid 1980s. Then, in July 1993, the whole world learnt about it, when eight children sleeping in a square in the centre of Rio were massacred by off-duty3 policemen.

Suddenly the world read of the packs of children living in the street, hunted down like rats by exterminators hired by angry shopkeepers. A recent independent study, however, discovered in Sao Paulo city, with its 10 million people, only 609 cases of really wild children.

Why are they there? Stela, from Sao Paulo’s University, says Brazil’s cities have had many street-dwellers since the big migrations from the countryside in the 1930s. But now a more modern factor is driving children on to the street: the fragmentation of families, especially the very poor.

Though family breakdown may be hard or impossible to prevent, something can be done to help its victims. The services Porto Alegre offers are modest: a shelter where the children can sleep, eat and wash; a day centre staffed with a few teachers, drug counsellors and so on; and some staff to patrol the streets at night looking for children in need. So why do other cities not do likewise?

A simple lack of public spending on public services, say some critics. However, it is often not money that is lacking but political will, competence, coordination and continuity. In Sao Paulo, for example, much of the city hall’s income in recent years has been skimmed off by corruption. But even the existing projects for the homeless are poorly coordinated and therefore inefficient. So people sleeping in one street may get fed twice in one night, while those in another street are entirely forgotten.

(From the press. Adapted)

Pointing the finger - PAU Madrid 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

A child's future really may be written in his hands -not in the creases of his palms but in the relative lengths of his fingers. A report just published in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology suggests that people with autism have ring fingers that are abnormally long compared with their index fingers.

Children with autism have trouble interacting with other people. Both their verbal and their gesture-based communication is poor, and they often have low intelligence. Early symptoms - a failure to point at things, follow the gaze of someone else, or engage in pretend play- are often obvious by the tender age of 18 months. About one child in 500 suffers from the condition.

Two British researchers, who have studied what fingers can indicate about everything from fertility to sexual preference, have observed 72 autistic children and 23 with Asperger's syndrome, a related condition in which the individual's intelligence is not affected.

The scientists photocopied the children's hands, and carefully measured the lengths of their fingers from the copies. They worked out the ratio of the length of the index finger to the length of the ring finger for each child, and compared it with those of their relatives.

The researchers found that autistic children had extremely long ring fingers compared with their index fingers. Children with Asperger's also had abnormal index-to-ring finger ratios, though less so than autistics. Even the unaffected relatives of the autistic children had ratios that differed significantly from the average lengths.

Lunar Embassy - PAU Madrid 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

"Psst! Do you want to buy three square miles of land for £12? Uninterrupted views, no planning permission required. But bring your own air - and a rocket; the land is on Mars and the space-estate agents say they are doing a roaring trade..."

Dennis Hope is the owner of one of these estate agencies. His business card reads "Head Cheese", and he and his eight employees have a very formal address: Lunar Embassy, Rio Vista, California. If you ask nicely, he will sell you land on the Moon. And on Mars too, if you want. So far, he says, more than 25,000 people around the world (including Hollywood celebrities and two past US presidents) have bought 2,000-acre plots of land on the two heavenly bodies from him at $19.95 apiece.

Why is the 49-year-old Mr Hope, a former car salesman, ventriloquist and shoeshine boy, doing this? Because, he says, he has the ownership and control of the land: he claimed it in 1980, and though the United Nations prohibited any nation from laying claim to celestial bodies, it said nothing about individuals.

What happens when spaceships like Mars Pathfinder land? “That's on my property right now," says Mr Hope. “But ... we consider these areas celestial reserves so nobody can own them to charge landing fees." NASA is no doubt grateful. One question remains: why is his official title "Head Cheese"? "Because when I was a child I was told the moon was made of cheese," he replies. Logical, really.

Que faire pour nos vieux parents - PAU francés 2002

>Exámenes selectividad francés Cataluña resueltos

Dans la salle à manger de la maison d’accueil où elle habite, Germaine, 78 ans, accuse les siens d’abandon. «J’en veux* à ma fille de me laisser ici, soupire-t-elle, je n’aurais jamais cru qu’un enfant puisse faire autant de mal à sa mère». Le mal, dit-elle, c’est de l’avoir abandonnée.

Quand leur corps vacille, quand leur mémoire faiblit, quand ils ne peuvent plus vivre seuls, les vieux parents se tournent vers ceux qu’ils ont aimés et aidés toute leur vie: les enfants.

Confusément, ils leur demandent de les protéger à leur tour. C’est un juste retour des choses, disent-ils, tant ce devoir filial d’assistance semble inscrit dans les gènes. On vit des histoires d’amour, on se marie, on se quitte, mais on ne divorce pas de ses parents. Jamais la solidarité d’une génération envers l’autre n’a été autant sollicitée: plus de 1 Français sur 5 a dans son entourage proche un parent qui ne peut vivre seul. Mais comment aider ces parents qui réclament une présence? Comment rendre leur vieillesse digne d’être vécue? Que faire pour nos vieux parents quand les aimer ne suffit plus?

Pour la première fois, en France, il y aura bientôt plus de grands-parents que de petits-enfants.

Pour la première fois, la dépendance des personnes âgées n’est plus une histoire de famille, c’est un problème national. D’ici à 2040, les personnes âgées de 80 ans passeront de 1,5 million à 5 millions. Après avoir réussi à réduire la mortalité infantile, notre société promet une existence de plus en plus longue à ses adultes: l’espérance de vie atteint 82 ans pour les femmes et 74 ans pour les hommes.

Sans nouvelles de leurs enfants, sans visites des vieux amis, certaines personnes âgées vieillissent dans l’isolement le plus complet. Si plus de 1 Français sur 3 de plus de 80 ans continue de vivre à la maison, certains se résignent à quitter leurs meubles, leurs plantes, leurs voisins et leur chien, pour finir dans une institution spécialisée. La démence, une récente hospitalisation, des difficultés pour manger et un revenu inférieur à 5000 francs précipitent cette décision. Le pensionnaire se trouve confronté à sa propre mort. Culpabilisées par leur dépendance ou leur faiblesse, les personnes âgées se retrouvent chargées de tous les torts. On n’est plus un citoyen quand on est vieux, disent-elles, on est transparent. Mais c’est la solitude qui mine tous les vieux parents. Selon une récente enquête, la sociabilité des personnes âgées de 80 ans et plus se limite à cinq contacts par semaine.

Tous ceux qui s’occupent des personnes âgées dépendantes l’affirment: reconnaître la dignité de ceux qu’ils soignent passe, d’abord, par l’intérêt qu’ils portent à leur récit. La vieillesse, on y passera tous. Qu’on le veuille ou non, nous sommes tous les vieux de demain.

D’après L’Express, 19-25 octobre 2000

Se faire la voix des victimes. PAU 2002

>Exámenes selectividad francés Cataluña resueltos

La santé est aujourd’hui pour moi une source nouvelle d’indignation: comment tolérer que les multinationales pharmaceutiques vendent les traitements antisida au même prix en Afrique que sur le marché occidental? Actuellement, il y a 25 millions de malades et les conséquences dévastatrices de l’épidémie sont froidement consignées dans les rapports internationaux. Les vies africaines ne comptent-elles pas? Un autre fait tragique me le laisse penser: tous les jours, la police espagnole ramasse les corps de jeunes Africains sur les plages. On n’en parle même plus dans les journaux. Le danger de la globalisation, c’est que, les inégalités économiques s’aggravant, un nombre toujours croissant d’hommes et de femmes sans ressources chercheront à fuir par tous les moyens la misère pour tenter leur chance dans les pays riches.

Nous leur fermons cyniquement les portes, mais chacun sait que les économies occidentales profitent à bon compte du travail clandestin. Arrêtons l’hypocrisie et faisons de la lutte en faveur des droits sociaux, économiques et culturels une priorité globale de ce début de siècle.

J’ai engagé Amnesty* dans cette voie. En 1998, le cinquantième anniversaire de la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme a été l’occasion de lancer une campagne centrée sur les défis de la mondialisation. Après avoir passé près de dix ans à la tête d’Amnesty International, je poursuis mon engagement à l’Unesco,* qui veut humaniser la globalisation commerciale. Cette institution concourt à protéger les biens publics que sont l’éducation, la culture et les sciences.

Mon expérience à Amnesty International a été déterminante. J’y ai appris que la meilleure manière de communiquer son indignation est de se faire la voix des victimes. Amnesty présente toujours des cas concrets. En quarante ans d’existence, elle a obtenu la libération de 35000 prisonniers politiques et a contribué à faire évoluer le droit international. Il existe maintenant une Convention contre la torture. Rares sont ceux qui défendent cette pratique aujourd’hui. Je suis convaincu qu’Amnesty n’aurait jamais eu de crédibilité si ses indignations avaient été sélectives. Elle défendait aussi bien un communiste emprisonné au Portugal qu’un archevêque emprisonné en Tchécoslovaquie. C’est cette impartialité qui a fait son succès. Avec plus d’un million de membres dans le monde entier, elle est restée fidèle à sa vocation: elle continue d’être à la fois le porte-parole des victimes et un moyen d’action efficace pour quantité d’hommes et de femmes dont l’indignation, si elle était restée isolée, se serait heurtée* à la toute-puissance des États.

D’après Pierre Sané, ancien secrétaire général d’Amnesty International à Londres.

Le Nouvel Observateur, «Indignations», numéro hors série, octobre 2001

Crisis? What is crisis? - PAU Cataluña inglés 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

No one has the full picture of the damage we're doing to our planet, says Debora MacKenzie. But we've never needed it more.

Everyone knows about the three blind men who investigated an elephant. Each came back sure the entire beast must be like the bit he had felt: the tail, the trunk, the leg. No one had the whole picture.

Humanity is now faced with an elephantine crisis of its own making made of bits that aren't always obviously related. Our physical domination of this planet is altering all our fundamental life-support systems. These are the processes that give us our food and water and air, our social stability, and ultimately our health. It's happening so fast and on such a scale that comprehending the whole process is almost impossible.

Scientists deal with this elephant in their methodical, piecemeal way, feeling their way around a collapsing fishery here, an emerging disease there, epidemics of obesity and starvation, climate change and population growth. And with each discovery comes yet another warning that something else that we do threatens us all, from driving cars to eating meat.

It's become fashionable to mock all this doom1 and destruction. If you don't realise that most of the problems are bits of the same enormous, onrushing elephant, it can seem as though the doomsayers are merely competing for attention and grant money.

But they aren't, as Tony McMichael's book tries to show us. There is enough in Human Frontiers, Environments and Disease to show that all these diverse warnings are not merely a trick to upset the optimists. They all stem from the same, huge fact: that having taken over the planet, we aren't running it in our collective best interests.

Perhaps we don't know what our best interests are. McMichael says we need to understand human ecology —our relationships with nature and the way we evolved— before we can know what makes for a healthy population.

To reach this comprehension, McMichael attempts to bring into focus a vast range of subjects, from hunter and gatherer2 diets to the history of germ theory. He even includes topics such as workplace safety and income3 distribution, social factors that can be crucial to health and to a global economy.

This brings into welcome perspective our obsession with free trade. Under current trade agreements, industries can compete by spending so little on wages and infrastructure, such as decent sewerage4, that their labourers end up in very poor health. The result: Guatemalan farm workers inadvertently contaminate New Yorkers' strawberries with a nasty intestinal pathogen.

This should turn the battle for minimum work conditions in trade agreements into intelligent self-interest. But this is a fact even epidemiologists usually forget.

Sometimes McMichael manages to pull things together —how trade, migration, poverty and dirty water spread cholera, for instance. And he knows a lot. The book is worth reading if only to learn more about these important, yet little taught subjects.

(From the press. Adapted)

Médecins, infirmières: pourquoi ils craquent - PAU francés 2002

>Exámenes selectividad francés Cataluña resueltos

Victor ne décolère* pas. «Cette nuit, comme chaque nuit ou presque, je n’ai pas pu trouver de lit pour un patient qui vient de se casser la jambe!», explique ce jeune interne en chirurgie orthopédique d’un grand hôpital parisien. Il a bien appelé des camarades qui travaillent dans d’autres hôpitaux, mais chaque fois il s’est entendu dire: «Désolé, Victor, nous non plus, nous n’avons plus de place!» «C’est minant —dit Victor—. On ne peut plus soigner correctement les malades. Et quand toute la société passe aux 35 heures, nous, comme des imbéciles, on fait plus de 70 heures par semaine sans aucune compensation financière. Le voilà, le plus beau métier du monde!»

Cherchez l’erreur. Selon l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, la France est championne du monde en matière de santé publique. En 2000, les Français ont dépensé plus de 922 milliards de francs pour se soigner. Les médecins n’ont jamais été aussi nombreux. Le nombre des infirmières, lui non plus, n’a cessé d’augmenter.

Et pourtant. Dans les hôpitaux, faute de bras, on ferme des lits. 8 000 médecins étrangers, sous-payés, assurent 70 % des gardes de nuit. En province, il faut attendre des mois pour obtenir un rendez-vous chez l’ophtalmo. Quant aux généralistes, ils ne trouvent pas de remplaçants pour les vacances.

Pas étonnant dans ces conditions qu’infirmières et médecins craquent parfois. «C’est une spirale dangereuse que l’on observe dans les professions de santé, comme dans toutes celles qui sont confrontées à des publics en difficulté —explique Philippe Davesies, enseignant chercheur à la faculté de Lyon-I—. Toutes les études internationales l’ont prouvé depuis longtemps. Cette spirale naît du déséquilibre entre ce que vous voulez faire, votre engagement, et les moyens dont vous disposez. D’où des suicides, des dépressions, et une attirance vers l’alcool et les drogues». Claude Marty, infirmière au service de traumatologie dans un hôpital de Toulouse, ne veut plus continuer: «Je vais prendre ma retraite sans avoir tous mes points. Vous donnez, vous donnez, et les gens finissent par vous prendre votre vitalité».

D’après Le Nouvel Observateur, du 13 au 19 septembre 2001

Pensez au volontariat . PAU 2002

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Vous avez le désir de vous engager? Toutes les personnes impliquées dans le volontariat le disent: on y reçoit plus qu'on ne donne ! L'engagement permet de faire de nouvelles rencontres, de s'ouvrir aux autres, d'avoir confiance en soi et en ses capacités, d'avoir une vision du monde plus complète.

L'essentiel dans le bénévolat est d'intervenir dans un secteur qui vous passionne. Sport, lutte contre l'illetrisme, soutien scolaire, défense de l'environnement, droits de l'homme, syndicalisme, action caritative...

Certaines associations sont "marquées" politiquement ou religieusement. Pour que vous y soyez à l'aise, leur appartenance doit être en harmonie avec la vôtre.

Le centre national du volontariat accueille quinze mille personnes chaque année. Après un entretien personnel pour faire le point sur vos goûts, vos souhaits, vos compétences et vos disponibilités, les bénévoles du centre vous mettront en contact avec des associations qui recherchent des volontaires.

"Chaque année, quarante mille jeunes s'engagent pour quelques semaines dans des chantiers internationaux ou comme bénévoles d'associations très diverses”, explique-t-on à l'Unesco.  Reconstruction d'écoles, animations pour les jeunes réfugiés... les possibilités de se rendre utile sont nombreuses. Attention: pas question de s'y engager sans une réflexion sérieuse !

                                                             Texte adapté  -  Les Guides Phosphore

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)

The Secrets of Tolkien's Rings

In the 1950s, J.R.R. Tolkien published his trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Almost 50 years later, the work remains a phenomenon: it has sold more than 50 million copies, it has appeared in film version twice, and it is considered one of the greatest stories of all fantasy fiction. Why has The Lord of the Rings enjoyed such popularity over the years?
Tom Shippey once knew and taught with J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford University. Shippey explains why Tolkien's work still has an audience today: "More than the adventures of hobbits, elves and other creatures, Tolkien's imaginings are a reflection of the turbulent history of the 20th century. My colleagues in the literary department say it's all very escapist stuff, but I don't think so. It's actually all about what happened in the 20th century. The 20th century has basically been industrialized warfare. I think Tolkien was very preoccupied with the nature of evil, the nature of technology, the way in which things could be abused, and the way good intentions are subverted. That's what it's all about."
Shippey also thinks that Tolkien created a new genre: "Tolkien reintroduced the world of fairy tale to a new audience. It was a very traditional image of fairy tale -elves, dwarves, trolls, dragons, and wizards. But Tolkien turned the whole thing into a successful modern version of heroic fantasy. A lot of that stuff is traditional material that he has transformed in a kind of 20th-century way."

Teenage Pregnancy - PAU inglés 2002

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

Book by Lisa Arai

The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western Europe: around 9000 girls under 16 become pregnant every year. A high percentage of them drop out of school (the British government admits it doesn’t know how many), and some end up in special schools, such as the Riverside Young Mothers’ Unit in North Shields. Built for nine young mothers or mothers-to-be, it now welcomes 18 although no one is ever turned away. As well as education, Riverside offers a nursery and transport: 2 buses, complete with baby seats, take mothers and babies to school.
Most of their pregnancies are unplanned. They take mothers with babies who are six months old but they’ll take them earlier if there are exceptional circumstances. They try and encourage the girls to study maths, English and science, and they have to do child development. They get very good results. Holidays are when trouble starts. Sometimes the girls are alone and have very little support. These are probably the only girls in the country who can’t wait for holidays to finish and to get back to school.

Colors, 48: February-March 2002, p. 5.

The euro hits the streets

More than 300 million Europeans adopted the euro as their legal tender at midnight. In the midst of New Year's Eve revelries, people for the first time were able to hold the pastel-coloured banknotes that architects of the common currency believe will become compelling symbols of unity. Many on the Continent were tickled to be able to get their hands on it.

"This is great," said a grinning Christian Foulladosa as he rubbed a crisp note between his fingers and held it up to the light above the cash machine. "This is a big event. We will become a greater Europe with the euro," said this man as he made his first purchase with euros, buying flowers for his wife.

The European Central Bank and European Union hoped it would be, and the fact that the introduction of the notes and coins coincided with the start of a new year certainly helped. Cities throughout the euro zone ushered in both 2002 and the euro with special celebrations. There were fireworks in Frankfurt, home to the European Central Bank, and a laser-like show in Brussels, headquarters of the European Union.

Glossary:

• tender = moneda de curso legal
• be tickled = estar contento
• revelry = festejo, jolgorio

Schools really are better, says Ofsted

Tony Blair has ordered Cabinet ministers to take lessons from education on improving public services as evidence is published today showing that schools are improving. The annual report of Ofsted will say that nine in ten schools have improved since its inspections started in 1992, and that classroom standards have never been higher.

A senior Whitehall figure said last night that Mr Blair considers Estelle Morris, the Education Secretary, and her immediate predecessor, David Blunkett, to be "model public service ministers." In spite of the successes that the Ofsted report will highlight, it will express concern that the gap between the best and worst performing schools is growing wider, while some groups of children, especially those from ethnic minorities continue to fall behind. Mike Tomlinson, the outgoing head of Ofsted, will say that progress has been made on literacy and numeracy in primary schools, but that this has caused a "narrowing" of the curriculum.

More attention needs to be paid to arts, creative and practical subjects, he will say. His report also praises head teachers for their leadership and management of schools, while adding that further measures need to be taken to encourage the vital support that parents can bring.

On se consume à force de consommer . PAU francés 2002

Exámenes selectividad francés resueltos Andalucía

Violence, échecs scolaires, toxicomanie... La période est difficile pour tous les humains particulièrement pour les adolescents. Depuis quelques années, tout ce qui faisait la trame sociale, les grands repères de notre société, a changé: les valeurs éthiques, le civisme, l’autorité... Or, ce qui a disparu n’a pas été remplacé.

Ce qui avait été utile aux parents pour se développer ne sert plus. Ils ne savent pas vers quoi ils dirigent leurs enfants. Eux-mêmes, ils sont perdus. Or, les ados ont besoin de repères. L’adolescence, c’est l’âge de l’explosion de la vie, de la nécessité de se «remettre au monde».

Le discours sur la sexualité ainsi que ses images rentrent plus facilement qu’avant dans les foyers. La publicité utilise énormément la sexualité. Elle est survalorisée et pour les ados, cela complique la vie. Même si généralement on ne le croit pas, ils sont romantiques, soucieux d’affectivité et d’amour.

Souvent, il y a du voyeurisme. Voyez comme tout le monde raconte sa vie à la télé! ... Personne ne se choque de cette violation de l’espace intime. Cela ne leur est pas désagréable d’avoir cette vision qui les trouble et les intéresse. C’est le signe que les gens ne savent pas comment se repérer. Les ados comme les adultes.

Catherine Dolto ( Le Soir – Juillet 2001. Texte adapté )

Energy drinks - PAU inglés 2002 Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

Recent events in Australia suggest that energy drinks in excess may be dangerous. Last Spring a student who had drunk eleven cans of an energy drink robbed a supermarket armed with a knife.

According to his lawyer, this student was suffering from "caffeinism", that is, an unusual condition of excitement, sleeplessness, agitation, and confused thought and speech, as a result of the consumption of high levels of caffeine. The judge did not quite accept this defence, but he accepted that energy drinks may have influenced the boy's behaviour.

This is not the first incident concerning energy drinks. In Sweden, there have been warnings about mixing them with alcohol or drinking after exercise, when three people died shortly after having an energy drink. In Ireland, a 19-year-old man died suddenly after he had drunk three cans of it, and the matter is still under investigation. The company insists that there is nothing dangerous in its product, and that it increases alertness, concentration, and endurance. But experts do not agree: "Energy drinks are high in sugar and may increase alertness, but there is no evidence to show that they are better than a cup of coffee."