No Fear, No Surprise, No Hesitation - PAU inglés 2016 Madrid

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

Ancient Samurai Armor | by williamcho

Where does this saying come from? It's from a seventeenth-century samurai warrior. This way his key to successful living.

No fear. There should be nothing in this life that you are afraid of. If there is, you might need to overcome that fear. Here I have to confess to a certain fear of heights. Recently, owing to leaky rain gutters, I had to crawl out on our roof. I gritted my teeth and kept repeating, "No fear, no fear", until the job was done. Oh yes, and of course I didn't look down. Whatever your fear, face it head on and defeat it.

No surprise. Life seems to be full of them. You're going along swimmingly and suddenly something huge rears up ahead of you. But if you look carefully, there were clues all along the way that it was going to happen. So why does life seem to surprise us then? Because we are asleep half the time. Wake up and nothing can sneak up on you.

No hesitation. Weigh up the odds and then just get on with it. If you spend too long thinking, the opportunity will have passed. Once we have looked at the options, we make a choice; then, go for it. No hesitation means not waiting around for other people to help out or make up our minds for us. No hesitation means if there is a certain inevitability about a situation then just throw yourself in, head first, and enjoy the ride. If there is nothing to be done then waiting doesn't help.

Screen dinosaurs - PAU inglés 2015 Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

In 1922 a short film confused its audience by showing dinosaurs that were taken for real, living dinosaurs that had somehow escaped extinction. The next day newspapers revealed the truth: they were just special effects. Well, today we think we know what dinosaurs looked like because we’ve watched hours of films and documentaries – from the black-and-white, robotic figures of old movies to today’s computer-generated dinosaurs. But although animatronics have become extremely sophisticated and realistic, what we see on screen today is a combination of fact and fantasy, just as it was 100 years ago.

Much of what movies have taught us is wrong. For instance, the latest paleontological research says now that velociraptors (which were also much smaller than in Jurassic Park, about the size of a large chicken), and quite possibly T-rex itself, could have had their bodies covered in feathers rather than skin – although they lacked the ability to fly.

In the end, fiction is fiction, so perhaps it doesn’t matter very much if Jurassic Park and other movies change some facts to add excitement. However, mixing truth and conjecture is more significant in programmes that could be mistaken for reality, like Walking with Dinosaurs, often cited as the most successful television documentary series of all time. But can it truly be classified as a documentary? Its format is familiar to viewers as it resembles real-life wildlife programmes. So it feels like everything you are shown and told in those so-called documentaries is established beyond doubt. But people should be aware that many of today’s dinosaur programmes represent just the way things might possibly have been, and so they should be enjoyed as a hybrid of fact and fiction.

Cell phone jammer - PAU Madrid 2014

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

It might look like a walkie talkie, but that little box is more powerful than you think. When a cell phone jammer is turned on, it can block any cell phone service in the area. Using one is not only a federal crime but is could result in a 16,000 dólares fine and jail time.

But that did not stop Eric, a man from Philadelphia, who was fed up with the chatty cell phone talkers on the 44 bus. According to a TV channel, Eric would fire up that jammer when he did not want to hear the conversations. "A lot of people are extremely loud, no sense of privacy or anything. When it becomes a bother, that's when I screw on the antenna and flip the switch", Eric told the reporters.

Eric claimed that he did not know it was illegal to block a cell phone sign, and thought it was a "grey area". He said he was under the impression that it was only illegal when blocking television or radio signals. "I guess I'm taking the law into my own hands and, quite frankly, I'm proud of it", he added.

This type of jammers is illegal because they could prevent cell phone communication in emergencies and because they can block other important signals such as police radio. But the bigger issue is that Eric is not alone in this jamming practice. Jammers are easy to buy at sites on the Internet. Police reported that other people in the New Jersey and New York area are using them as well. Maybe Eric's story will remind them all of just how illegal using that powerful device is.

January sales - PAU Madrid 2013

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

People who are addicted to shopping are nowadays called shopaholics. For these shopaholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing - sales!
Across the country, prices are reduced on clothing, electronics, home furnishings and more, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains.
The sales start on Boxing Day, 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford Street queues form outside shops before pre-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, hundreds of people queue at 3:30 am for the “Next” clothing store’s sale which begins at 4 am. Some hardy individuals even camp outside the shops to be first in the line.
Consumers who go to the shops are rewarded with discounts of up to 80%, as department stores join the sales frenzy. The shops are packed with people moving around as the sales get into full swing, with more than half a million people converging on London’s West End.
Some people are taking their partners shopping with them and buying their Christmas presents in the sale - a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online retailers also participate in the January sales of
their own. The most organised of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales!

Solomon's real mine discovered? - PAU 2009 inglés Madrid resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

In a discovery straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, archaeologists believe they have uncovered one of the lost mines of King Solomon. The vast copper mine lies in an arid valley and was created in the 10th century BC ―around the time Solomon is believed to have ruled over the ancient Hebrews. The mines are enormous and would have generated a huge income for the king, who is famed for bringing extraordinary wealth and stability to the newly-united kingdom of Israel and Judah.

According to the Bible, Solomon was the third king of Israel and ruled for 40 years, between 965 BC and 925 BC. The son of King David ―of the David and Goliath story― and Queen Bathsheba, Solomon was renowned for his wisdom, his writings and the size of his harem. During his reign, Israel was at the heart of a prosperous and stable empire. He rebuilt Jerusalem, creating magnificent palaces and fortresses. He is said to have accumulated a huge fortune from mining and trading, some of which was spent on building the grand temple and opulent palace of Jerusalem.

Archaeologists and treasure-hunters have searched for the mines in Africa since 1885. This is because the best-selling Victorian novel, King Solomon's Mines, was set in this continent. Besides, it claimed they could hold a treasure of gold and diamonds. But now, it seems the real mines could have been closer to Solomon’s kingdom, and, in fact, supplied the king with copper. The ancient mine was found in a desolate region south of the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan in an area called Khirbat en-Nahas, which means 'ruins of copper' in Arabic.

The day we met - PAU inglés 2013 Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

After I had finished my studies in 1950, I went to England to improve my English. In those years it was very difficult to get a visa to Britain because of the great unemployment after the Second World War. However, one could get a visa to work as a volunteer in agricultural camps, which were excellently organised by the Ministry of Farming in various parts of Britain. It was very pleasant to work in the fields of Britain because that summer was beautiful and the rain hardly appeared. Besides, I met many young people from different nationalities and, apart from having fun, we were a great help to the farmers.

I served in five different camps and in my last one I met two sisters, Alice and Sylvia. The farmer placed Sylvia, Alice and me beside one another in a line on a potato field. I was highly attracted to Alice's shy personality and extremely captivating looks. Sadly, she was engaged! Then, autumn came and we had to part. The sisters travelled to their hometown and I decided to stay in Britain. After a year I received a letter from Alice in which she told me that she and her fiancé had split up. I was thankful in my head for her bravery to dare to write to me. We started writing to each other and after a time I went to her hometown and proposed to her. She accepted. When Alice and I look back, we think that we have been very fortunate. Alice is now seventy-eight and I am eighty-three, and I must say that I have loved her ever since the day we met in that field.

Skating was a mode of transportation for war and hunting in Northern Europe

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Galicia resueltos

Skating was a mode of transportation for war and hunting in Northern Europe: it was a quick way to cross frozen lakes, rivers and streams. Skates were first made from bones, and later from iron and steel. By the 16th century, skaters were transporting goods across frozen waterways. Thus, like other winter sports, figure skating grew from necessity.

In 1892, the International Skating Union was founded. Six years later, the first official event was celebrated, and the Union’s organisers hoped it might soon become an Olympic sport. After a great deal of work over the next decade, figure skating was added to the Olympic programme for the 1908 Games.

There are four Olympic Figure Skating events: women's singles, men's singles, pairs, and ice dancing. The singles event consists of two sections: the short programme, and free skating. The short programme combines eight prescribed elements such as a number of jumps. In the free skating programme, skaters perform original techniques to music of their choice. As judges deduct points for too many or too few jumps, a balanced programme is important. The pairs event also consists of a short programme and free skating. The couple works as a unit, performing many manoeuvres.

In ice dancing, the focus is on the complex steps in time with the music, in which the skaters maintain physical contact with each other. Ice dancing consists of three sections: compulsory, original, and free dances. In compulsory dancing, the couple must perform one pre-determined dance. Original dances must follow selected rhythms, although the pair can choose their own music and interpretative steps. In free dancing the pair freely express their interpretation of the music they have chosen.

The funeral - PAU Andalucía 2013

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

When Jake entered the funeral home, he was shocked to find Mrs. Henderson sitting alone on a divan, crying with a pain usually reserved for young widows and fatherless children. Brian's unexpected death had left many questions unanswered, but it was evident that he had hated Mrs. Henderson (his mother-in-law) and she had hated him.
Jake stopped and watched her, and felt a sympathetic pressure grow within his chest. He had himself felt the sorrow of losing his father just two years before. He had learnt that everyone deals with death in a very personal way. He crossed the room. He approached her and touched her arm, trying to hold back his own tears. "Mrs. Henderson," he heard his own voice crack, "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Mary..." she replied. It was really difficult to understand the old lady as she couldn't stop crying. She had one hand on top of the other, holding it, and trembling all over. All that reminded him of the widows and mothers he used to see cry on the evening news, those from Palestine and other conflict zones.
"I know, I know," Jake said. "It's hard but your daughter Mary is going to be okay." "No," Mrs. Henderson said. "Mary..."
"Mary what, Mrs. Henderson?" he asked, coming closer. She looked up at him, blind and lost in her tears, and he put his hands on her shoulders.
"Mary closed the car door on my finger!" she cried, raising her hands up to him, her pain pure, honest.

Addicted to her mobile - PAU 2006

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

A teenager is to undergo psychiatric treatment after becoming addicted to her mobile phone. Like the worst type of addicts, Caroline regularly blows all her spending money. “I know it sounds like a silly addiction but it is real to me”, she said. “When I hear my phone beeping with a text message I am all smiles and it makes me happy. When I don’t have any credit left I become depressed. I haven’t got enough money for proper food and I have to borrow it”. Her parents have become so worried that next week she is due to begin a course of treatment from a specialist. She first revealed her craving to her doctor, who advised her to switch the phone on the silent mode, put it in a cupboard and forget about it. But he has now referred her for more psychiatric care after the scale of the problem became apparent.

Caroline said: “I have become protective of the phone. I can’t let anyone take it from me and I check where it is every two minutes”. A leading psychologist has classified Caroline’s plight as “technology addition”, in which sufferers experience a “high” when they receive a message bleep from their mobile. “It is like the first flush of love when you receive an e-mail or text, you feel good”. Caroline became hooked at 12 after her parents gave her a mobile for Christmas. Since then she has spent all her pocket money on phone cards.

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.

Euthanasia - PAU 2010 La Rioja

The word euthanasia comes from the Greek and means easy death. Euthanasia is considered as the deliberate killing of a person for the benefit of that person. In most cases euthanasia is carried out because the person who dies asks for it, but there are cases called euthanasia where a person can't make such a request. A person who undergoes euthanasia is usually terminally ill, but there are other situations in which some people want euthanasia.
At the heart of the ethical and religious arguments over euthanasia are the different ideas that people have of the meaning and value of human existence, and of whether human beings have the right to decide issues of life and death for themselves. Some people think that euthanasia shouldn't be allowed even if it was morally right, because it would be abused and used as a cover for murder.
So why do people want euthanasia? Most people think unbearable pain is the main reason people seek euthanasia, but some surveys in the USA and the Netherlands showed that less than a third of requests for euthanasia were because of severe pain. And people have to know that it's not euthanasia to give a drug in order to reduce pain, even though the drug causes the patient to die sooner. It is not euthanasia, either, if a patient dies as a result of refusing extraordinary or burdensome medical treatment.
This is because the doctor's intention was to relieve the pain, not to kill the patient. Euthanasia can be carried out either by doing something, such as giving a lethal injection, or by not to do something necessary to keep the person alive (for example failing to keep their feeding tube going).
Terminally ill people can have their quality of life severely damaged by physical conditions such as incontinence, nausea and vomiting, breathlessness, paralysis, difficulty in swallowing.
Psychological factors that cause people to think of euthanasia include depression, fear of loss of control or of dignity, feeling a burden, or dislike of being dependent.

Low cost airlines: a failed business model?

The low cost airline model has been the subject of intense interest and study. The "Southwest effect", basically the drop in fares that occurs when a low-fare airline begins serving an airport that had previously had no low-fare carriers, has become part of the vocabulary of air transportation.
The low cost airline model has served many carriers very well, and has had a profound impact on the airline industry throughout the world, but it has been far from a omnipresent success. There are, in addition, reasons to suspect that the model as we have seen it in the past, will need to change to succeed in a dynamic market and, in the short term, to function well in the depressed macroeconomic environments of 2009.
While the title "low cost" airline is widely used the business models adopted can vary quite considerably between carriers; some for example focus on secondary airports in cities whereas other serve the major airports, some offer no on-line services whereas other do, some have frequent flier programs whereas some do not, etc.
It is clear that low cost airlines have been instrumental on pushing down airfares, opening new markets, and allowing many people to travel by air who could not do so before. But success for a few firms is not the same thing as a successful business model and a business is not successful if the full commercial costs of the system are not born by its users.
Some low cost airlines have enjoyed some financial success by simply avoiding competition but other low cost carriers may enter the market and thus reduce the potential business.
Another aspect to be considered is that low cost airlines are often less than stable in terms of the services that provide individually. They do not provide the range of services that legacy carriers normally offer, or at least not in the base fare. And they only offer a single class of service that simplifies booking and passenger handling.

Importance of sport in children's lives

No person can be healthy without physical activity. Everybody knows that but still many people don't do sports at all. They start doing something only when they get in trouble with their health or weight. Sports are nothing but good for the children. It provides environment where your children can learn important lessons that they can use in their grown up lives. They learn to work hard in order to win. They learn how to cope with life being unfair and how to continue after failing.

When they are very young, sports should be fun. If this is the impression that they get from doing some sport, they will love it and want to do it. They learn to listen, to stay concentrated, to pick up the rules and many things that help them grow into mentally healthier persons.

Emotional development is a very important thing that sport can help with, when we speak about children. They learn how to cope with winning, losing, with unfairness or simply how to take setbacks in significant progress and trying their best next time.

Team sports are good for socializing, and even more important, for teamwork. There is no better place and way to teach the children what is like to be part of the team and not to think just about themselves. If child wants to win, he or she must help others to do their part of the job in order for all of them to be successful. This lesson is priceless.

Parents should, definitely encourage their children to enjoy some sport and let them try different kinds until they find what they like and what they will enjoy to go to. Their children will become happier children because of the fact that they are having a lot of fun.

Marriage is good for your health?

It is said that "living together or being married" is what everybody wants, the perfect state for humans. We can make our relationship last longer following some recommendations: common courtesy plays a big role in happy marriages. People who are permanently married are polite to one another. They don't want to hurt one another's feelings, and they don't try to make the other one feel humiliated. People who are married for life are extremely kind to one another.

Arguments are a natural part of any relationship, but cruelty is not. Above all, happily married partners see each other as allies, not as adversaries. You can't be right all the time and married at the same time. If you're always trying to be right and proving your partner is wrong, you've stepped outside the marriage.

To go without sex is to endanger the relationship. If you go without sex, your instincts recognize this person as part of the family but cease to recognize the person as a sex partner. It used to work in the ninth grade. But it doesn't work in the ninth decade.

The great thing about sex is that it ceases to be great, and it becomes funny as time passes but it is always something good and brings us happiness. Humour is vital, but it is vital to be happy, too. A happy marriage is a marriage between two happy people.

You're not going to be in love all the time, but if you want to recapture that magic from when you were in love, be caring. Being loving to your partner makes you feel so good about yourself, it doesn't matter if you're in love or not. The marriage is making you feel good if you are loving in it.

Road crash - PAU inglés 2010

Two men raced each other in sports cars at speeds of over 190 km/h along a rural road, which led to a collision killing one of them.

William Smith (38) caused the fatal crash that left Raymond Curtis (24) dead and injured three children -including his own son- when he overtook Mr Curtis while speeding.

Smith's car ploughed into the gable end of a house shortly after the two-car collision, seriously injuring a nine-year-old boy who was playing hide-and-seek at the time.

He was jailed for two years after he admitted dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Curtis and three counts of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to 3 children. The tragedy was the culmination of a series of events on the night of July 2nd, 2000, which started when Smith was driving his red BMW towards Oxford, with his son and his son's friend as passengers.

When they saw Mr Curtis -who the accused didn't know- driving a white Audi in the opposite direction, Smith's son made a comment about the other car being "cool", a policeman explain later. He then turned around and followed Mr Curtis for 3 km, before attempting an overtaking manoeuvre that led to the fatal collision. The two high-performance cars hit each other close to where a family was having a party at their house in Oxfordshire.

Some children were playing hide-and-seek in the garden when Smith's car flew through the air, crashed into the house's gate and landed on top of one of the boys. Smith's son, who was travelling in the front passenger seat, was also injured while his friend, back-seat passenger, suffered serious injuries and now has the use of just one kidney as a result.

Dr. Zhow Liu goes on cancer research in Huston- PAU inglés 2010

After suffering the loss of his two-year old niece to leukemia, cancer had become very personal to Zhow Liu. Then a 15-year old growing up in Indonesia, he decided to make a difference in cancer research. Now in Huston, Dr. Liu has made an important discovery.

In short, his research has described how to destroy two aspects of cancer that make it so deadly. At the same time, he has identified why it can be so difficult to treat.

DNA stores genetic information and messenger RNA carries the template that translates genes into proteins. Two of these proteins are known to make cancer cells aggressive: the "arC" protein, which is implicated in the rapid growth of cancer cells, and the "agcP" protein, which blocks the effectiveness of treatments such as chemotherapy. Basically, cancer cells produce too many of both proteins. Dr. Liu's research is trying to understand how to control the RNAs that lead to the production of "arC" and "agcP" proteins in cancer cells.

"We're really excited with what we have discovered, especially when you consider that this research mostly involved students and it was done entirely in Huston," adds Dr. Liu. "There are only three other cancer research teams in the world looking at the same proteins as we are, and those groups are in the UK, Spain, and Denmark."

Despite the discovery, Dr. Liu is quick to point out that "a cure for cancer isn't right around the corner." These things take years. "We think we've made a significant contribution, but our findings can only be demonstrated in a test tube, not in the body - at least not yet. If we continue having success with our research, we'll eventually test our hypotheses in actual cancer cells."

Dr. Liu remains focused on making a difference in cancer research. "I made a vow 25 years ago, and I'm as committed as ever."

How to survive without sex for 50 million years? Dry up - PAU 2010

Scientists have finally solved the mystery of how one tiny creature has flourished for up to 50 million years without sex: it dries up.

Bdelloid rotifers, microscopic asexual freshwater invertebrates (animals without spines) are the ultimate escape artists, able to outpace their enemies by drying up and blowing away. For most animals, sex is not only a way of producing the next generation, but a means of keeping enemies at bay. This idea, known as the Red Queen Hypothesis, helps explain why most animals go to great lengths to find mates and have sex.

But rotifers, the only confirmed "ancient asexuals" in the animal kingdom, have survived by abstaining from sex for the last 30 to 50 million years.

In contrast, other creatures that reproduce without sex -such as the nematode worm- are expected to die out after several hundred thousand years.

When faced with the threat of an enemy the rotifers dry up and allow themselves to be blown away by the wind. They come back to life when exposed to freshwater. So while most animals are locked in evolutionary arms races with their foes, bdelloid rotifers escape them altogether simply by being carried on the wind.

Scientists found that the rotifers could live longer without water than their enemies. The longer the infected populations remained dried out, the more likely they were to survive. A new study suggests the bdelloids' ability to take to the wind in the face of danger is one key aspect of their survival, and it's likely not the only one. Other factors--such as the ability to take up and use DNA from their environment--may also play a role.

What is the mystery behind the Mona Lisa? - PAU Andalucía 2012

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

Every year, six million visitors from all around the world travel to the Louvre museum in Paris to stare in wonder at Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait, the Mona Lisa. The portrait took da Vinci four years to complete.

Many questions have been raised over the years regarding the true identity of the lady in the portrait. The Italians call her La Gioconda, which means “the light-hearted woman.” One popular theory suggests that the lady is the Duchess of Milan. Da Vinci was the family painter for eleven years. Other researchers have said that the painting could represent a lover of Giuliano de Medici’s. A more recent survey concludes that the Mona Lisa is the feminine version of da Vinci himself. Despite the above theories, it is widely accepted that the portrait shows Lisa Gherardini, the third wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo.

Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile has been the source of inspiration for many and a cause of desperation in others. When discussing the mystery behind the smile, art experts often refer to a painting technique called sfumato, which was developed by da Vinci. In Italian, sfumato means “vanished” or “smoky,” implying that the portrait is ambiguous, leaving its interpretation to the viewers’ imagination.

A new look at animals - PAU inglés Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

If you’ve always thought of kangaroos as being adorable and koala bears as cute, you may be in for a shock. New fossil discoveries are changing the way some of the world’s animals are being perceived today. Fifty million years ago, some familiar animals existed, but in almost unrecognisable forms. For example, whales, which today live in the water, had legs and lived on land, and probably looked like large dogs. During a period of fifteen million years, they gradually moved to living in the sea full-time. Their bodies became sleeker, enabling them to swim more efficiently, and their front legs evolved into flippers. The back legs finally disappeared completely, although this probably did not occur until well after they had moved into the sea. Scientists are uncertain why this transition occurred; maybe whales were trying to escape from predators, or perhaps they needed more food or more space than was available on land.

More recently, it appears, some whales were ferocious killers. Twenty-five million years ago, ancestors of today’s peaceful blue whale had razor-sharp teeth, earning it the nickname “T-rex of the ocean”. Some even more unusual animals also lived in Australia: for example, 20 million years ago, there were killer kangaroos, and 12 million years ago, there were flesh-eating ducks, nicknamed “The Demon Duck of Doom”. And a “mere” 50,000 years ago, Australia was home to giant versions of koala bears and kangaroos, in addition to some animals that have since disappeared, such as crocodiles that climbed trees.

So the next time you cuddle up to a fluffy stuffed animal, you may want to reconsider. Who knows what we will discover next about bears, or mice like Mickey?