ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
JUNIO 2013
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES
A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:

Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto en el que faltan algunas frases. Se proporcionan las frases
en un listado que incluye más frases que huecos hay en el texto. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta
rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones
es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C D E F G
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C D E F G
Pregunta de relacionar. Se presenta un texto con varias secciones y deberá relacionar cada una de ellas
con el título apropiado de una lista. Se proporcionan más títulos de los necesarios. Deberá elegir la
respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo
una de las opciones es correcta. (Ver ejemplo anterior).
Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las
completan. En este caso deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su
opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C
En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder las preguntas de los 3 ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/a se acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: WHY ARE SO MANY MEN SECRET DIETERS?

1. A B C D E F G
2. A B C D E F G
3. A B C D E F G
4. A B C D E F G
5. A B C D E F G

EJERCICIO 2: THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO WHEN STARTING A

NEW JOB

1. A B C D E F G H I J K
2. A B C D E F G H I J K
3. A B C D E F G H I J K
4. A B C D E F G H I J K
5. A B C D E F G H I J K
6. A B C D E F G H I J K
7. A B C D E F G H I J K
8. A B C D E F G H I J K
9. A B C D E F G H I J K
10. A B C D E F G H I J K

EJERCICIO 3: EGYPT TRAVEL GUIDE

DOING BUSINESS & STAYING IN TOUCH

1. A B C
2. A B C
3. A B C
4. A B C
5. A B C

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 1

WHY ARE SO MANY MEN SECRET DIETERS?

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle November 2012

You are going to read an article about men who are secret dieters. Five sentences have
been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences (A-G) the one which best fits
each gap (1-5). Use each letter only ONCE. There are TWO extra sentences you DO NOT
need to use. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER
SHEET.
A survey has found that one in three men wouldn't tell anyone they were on a diet. So why
is there so much shame surrounding this issue?
Before they even start dieting, men have difficulty accepting that they have a problem in
the first place.
When you're trying to diet in secret in a busy office, says Dave Briscoe (not his real name),
a researcher from Surrey, the trick is to accept each treat that is offered – but only one chocolate,
and the smallest piece of cake. Accept less, and you'll be suspect. Accept more, and your plan will
fail. "That was the rule I kept to," he says, "to avoid people asking awkward questions."
Briscoe isn’t the only man who has dieted in secret. A survey of more than 600 men,
conducted for the home delivery brand Diet Chef, found 90% wanted to lose weight, ____1_____
– even friends and family. It seems that too much shame still exists around weight and a good
proportion of people at any one time are likely to be dieting secretly. But this issue seems to affect
men and women in different ways.
Phil Mundy, a food and diet writer says many men are unwilling to say they are on a diet
_____2______. He thinks there might be more willingness among younger men to discuss weight
in public – but the problem is, if they do, says Briscoe, it's still considered acceptable "to take the
piss out of them, in a way you never would with women. It's seen as just a part of office banter, but
for men it's equally upsetting. Why wouldn't it be?"
Bob Baker (again, not his real name), from Brighton, says the moment it becomes possible
to discuss weight is often _____3_____, and feels proud of their achievement. At that stage,
Briscoe agrees, men will often start talking about it, "but in my experience they'll make it sound
simpler, more sensible and easier than it probably was. They just cut out a certain food, or
stopped eating after a certain time. They won't be telling the whole truth; just a version. They won't
be saying: 'Actually, _____4______'. They want to portray it like a DIY problem. 'There was a
problem, and I fixed it.”
There are mixed outlooks _____5_____; support from family and friends can, of course, be
helpful, but divulging your diet to anyone who might respond with fat jibes could prompt a sorry
descent into comfort eating, says Mundy. When it comes to this subject, we probably all just need
to grow up, so it can be discussed honestly and clearly. It's not an uncommon problem – and it
shouldn't be an unspeakable one.

A to have had eating disorders

B on whether it is healthier to be open
C when a secret dieter has shifted a good few stone
D that highlight the importance of being open-minded
E this has been quite a big part of my everyday thoughts
F but almost one in three wouldn’t tell anyone about their diet plans
G because it involves admitting they have a problem in the first place
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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 2
10 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO WHEN STARTING A NEW JOB
Adapted from www.glassdoor.com

You are going to read an article about what NOT TO DO when starting a new job. The title
of each of the paragraphs has been removed from the article. Choose from the titles (A-K)
the one which best fits each gap (1-10). Use each letter only ONCE. There is ONE extra title
you DO NOT need to use. DON’T FORGET TO TRANFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE
ANSWER SHEET.
Congratulations! You’ve finally secured a new job, and now you want to start off on the
right foot. You want to be careful not to make any career-ending mistakes. So, what should you
NEVER do when starting a new job?
Title1 ____
You learned this in first grade, when the teacher began keeping track of tardies: Being on
time matters. Factor in extra time if there’s traffic, construction, or other reasons to expect a delay.
Title 2 ____
Before starting your job, talk with the hiring manager or human resources professional to
make sure you understand what constitutes acceptable outfit for your new workplace. There’s
nothing more embarrassing than showing up wearing something that doesn’t fly with your
supervisors.
Title 3 ____
Many companies require new employees to go through a training process before starting a
new position. While it may be tempting to skip these sessions or treat them lightly, don’t do it.
Even if your training managers won’t be your direct supervisors, they are watching you.
Title 4 ____
No matter where you’re working, there are certain processes, tools, and forms that make
up the standard operating procedures of your company. You may have been introduced to these
through a very organized, systematic orientation, or you may feel like you’re expected to absorb
them by osmosis. If you were formally informed, consider yourself fortunate, if not, don’t feel
shortchanged or frustrated. Instead, take initiative and master the basics on your own.
Title 5 ____
It’s understandable that you may need help or guidance during your first few weeks at a
new job, and asking co-workers for assistance or just to answer questions can be perfectly
acceptable. But remember, you were hired because managers believed in your ability to get the
job done. Ask for help if you need it, but believe in yourself and prove that you can do the work
yourself.
Title 6 ____
Your employer isn’t paying you to chat with your girlfriend or even your kids’ babysitter.
Make a personal policy of limiting personal phone calls and texts to your lunch break, except for
emergencies.
Title 7 ____
Most likely, you and your employer agreed to a certain salary during the hiring process. So
don’t change your mind before you even show up at work. Don’t expect more money until you’ve
worked long enough to prove your value to the employer.
Title 8 ____
Of course you want to make a good impression as soon as you arrive at a new job, and
show your new employer they made the right choice in hiring you. However, be cautious of
suggesting new policies or strategies during your first few weeks, as it may not be the best way to
demonstrate you are a team player. At first, take time to really understand and learn your job, then

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

over time, you can make suggestions and changes as situations arise, and as your input and
expertise is called upon.
Title 9 ____
In a new job, there will always be a learning curve, and effective supervisors understand
that. Inevitably, you’ll be asked to do something or expected to know something that you don’t yet
know or know how to do. Rather than saying you can complete the task on your own, tell the truth
and “don’t be afraid to say, ‘I don’t know,’
Title 10 ____
You may be so eager to start your new job that you don’t want to stop and ask questions.
But by skipping even the most basic questions, you are setting yourself up for failure.

A Don’t show up late

B Don’t be dishonest
C Don’t try to change things
D Don’t dress unprofessionally
E Don’t be afraid to ask for help
F Don’t avoid the job orientation
G Don’t demand a higher income
H Don’t lose confidence in yourself
I Don’t spend time on private matters
J Don’t take too long before you start work
K Don’t feel disappointed if you are not given total support

EJERCICIO 3
EGYPT TRAVEL GUIDE
DOING BUSINESS & STAYING IN TOUCH
http://www.worldtravelguide.net.

You are going to read an article about Egypt and choose the correct option A, B, or C for each
of the sentences or questions 1 - 5. Only ONE option is correct. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER
ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET
Courtesy and hospitality are important when doing business in Egypt. The host of a
business meeting will usually offer tea or a small snack before commencing. It’s polite to refuse
the first offer, but once the host insists, the guest should then accept.
Alcohol is legal, but should be avoided until visitors know their Egyptian colleague's
attitude towards drinking, and, if acceptable, should be drunk in moderation. It is not considered
suitable for women to over-indulge in alcohol. If invited to a business lunch, expect food to be
lavish and plentiful.
Throughout the Arab world, it is considered bad manners either to display anger or to
openly criticize another person in public. Tact and diplomacy are always required. In social life,
punctuality is almost laughable. For business, visitors should be on time but expect locals to be
often late, and do not take offence. Men should not offer to shake a woman's hand, and vice
versa, unless clearly invited to do so. Men and women should dress smartly for business meetings
– suits and tie for men; suit for women or smart trousers/skirt/jacket – and always dress modestly.
Shoulders and knees should never be shown.
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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

Economy:
On taking power in 1970, Anwar al-Sadat introduced a policy of infitah (openness) towards
investment. Egypt's economy underwent rapid growth during the 1970s with the quick expansion
of the oil industry, tourism and the Suez Canal, and it has continued to expand in subsequent
decades.
The tourist sector is expanding rapidly, particularly along the Red Sea and Mediterranean
coasts, despite sporadic terrorist activities of Islamic fundamentalists. Agriculture, which relies on
irrigation from the Nile, employs one-third of the working population. Foreign aid, especially from
the USA, is an important source of government funds.
Internet:
There are internet cafés in the main cities, including Cairo, Alexandria, Dahab and Luxor.
Even small, more remote towns including Siwa will have at least one venue, usually in the market
area. Connection is usually reliable. Tourists can also access the Internet in hotels, with in-room
Wi-Fi available, though often at a costly price.
Media:
The Egyptian press is one of the most influential and widely read in the region, while Egyptian TV
and the film industry supplies much of the Arab-speaking world with shows from its Media
Production City. Press freedom is encouraged. Press laws which allow prison sentences for libel
have encouraged self-censorship on sensitive issues.

1 At a business meeting in Egypt, …

A refusing food or drink is acceptable
B tea will be offered when they reach a deal
C it is bad manners to repeatedly reject the drinks offered

2 Which one is right?

A Women are not allowed to drink alcohol
B Women can drink alcohol but only moderately
C Foreign people shouldn’t drink alcohol in any case

3 Choose the correct option.

A Local people are always on time
B Shaking hands is banned to women
C Foreign business people are required to be punctual

4 In the 1970s…
A Islamic activists prevented its economy from growing
B Egypt’s economy was based mainly on three sources
C Egyptian oil industry grew rapidly without any foreign help

5 With regards to media and communication...

A Internet connection in hotels is expensive
B there is no Internet access in small towns
C journalists have their work censored before it is published

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 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
JUNIO 2014
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES
A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:
 Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las completan. En
este caso deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE
RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C
 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto en el que faltan algunas frases. Se proporcionan las frases en un
listado que incluye más frases que huecos hay en el texto. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un
círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C D E F G
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C D E F G

 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto con huecos en los que faltan algunas palabras. Para cada hueco se
presentan 4 palabras. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA
DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C D
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C D

En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder todas las preguntas de los ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/a se acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: HAVE WE TAKEN EXAM SECURITY TOO FAR?

1. A B C
2. A B C
3. A B C
4. A B C
5. A B C
6. A B C

EJERCICIO 2: HOW TO STAY FIT, HAPPY AND HEALTHY

1. A B C D E F G H I
2. A B C D E F G H I
3. A B C D E F G H I
4. A B C D E F G H I
5. A B C D E F G H I
6. A B C D E F G H I
7. A B C D E F G H I

EJERCICIO 3: BETTER HEARING THROUGH BLUETOOTH

1. A B C D
2. A B C D
3. A B C D
4. A B C D
5. A B C D
6. A B C D
7. A B C D

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 1

HAVE WE TAKEN EXAM SECURITY TOO FAR?

Adapted from The Chronicle of Higher Education. Richard Gunderman

You are going to read an article about exam security. For questions 1-6 choose the correct
answer A, B or C. Only ONE answer is correct. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR
ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

What’s the difference between a medical student and a convict? The answer: A convict doesn’t pay
$50,000 a year for the privilege of being fingerprinted and patted down.

I am referring, of course, to the increasingly stringent security measures that have come to
characterize modern educational testing. As student-evaluation techniques have migrated from
face-to-face assessment to computer-based exams administered in dedicated testing centers,
evaluators have become less and less likely to know examinees, leading to heightened
precautions around exam security.

I recently interviewed a group of fourth-year medical students who had just taken Step 2 of the
United States Medical Licensing Clinical Knowledge Examination at test-administration centers.
Each of the students had paid $560 for the privilege, and had devoted nine hours to the single-day
exam, which consists of eight sections of 40 to 45 questions each. Over the day, they received a
total break time of 45 minutes. Students must pass the exam to obtain a medical license, and
scoring well is an important factor in gaining admission to competitive medical specialties. So
anxiety tends to run high.

This inevitable anxiety is compounded by Checkpoint Charlie-esque security measures. IDs are
checked. Each student wears a unique number on his or her shoulder throughout the day.
Students are fingerprinted each time they enter and exit the testing room (up to 16 times). They are
patted down and asked to roll up their pants legs and pull their pockets inside-out. If they wear a
jacket or sweater into the exam room, they cannot take it off. They are warned that they will be
under constant camera surveillance.

One of the students, a former U.S. marine, said he had found the entire atmosphere of the exam
eerily familiar. He had served in Iraq, helping to preside over the return of inhabitants to Fallujah
after the city’s recapture by U.S. forces. “It was weird,” he said. “They were using many of the
exact same procedures and equipment we used in Fallujah. It took so long for them to verify
identities that you almost didn’t dare leave the room, for fear you couldn’t get back in time. I finally
had to show one of the examiners how to do it properly.”

Of course, these techniques are not merely for medical students. Aspiring accountants and
architects, students sitting for the GRE, and prospective employees of Silicon Valley companies
are all subjected to these medieval measures.

Some might say that a high-security approach to testing students is not only necessary but
laudable. In the case of medical testing, the health of the nation is a vital resource, and we cannot
afford to place it in the hands of physicians who might have succeeded through academic
dishonesty. Who would want a loved one to be cared for by a physician who had cheated on the
medical-licensing exam? As public policy, exam hawks argue, we should demand the very highest
security in all such testing.

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

But perhaps we have gone overboard. After all, the core of the patient-physician relationship is
trust. The Hippocratic Oath, which has shaped the ethics of medicine for many centuries, enjoins
the physician to respect patients’ privacy and dignity and to always put each patient’s interests first.
We entrust to our physicians all sorts of matters we would not share with anyone else—private
details of our health and personal relationships, access to intimate parts of our bodies, sometimes
even our lives. We want to trust our physicians. No one is arguing that security is unnecessary, but
perhaps we haven’t quite yet found the sweet spot.

1 Exam security has become stricter because …

A most exams are done on computers
B evaluators don’t often know the examinees’ identities
C evaluators prefer not to know who the examinees are

2 The examination …
A is a privilege to take
B is unnecessarily long
C puts students under great pressure

3 When they are taking the exam, students …

A are watched all the time
B must remain in total silence
C must ask for permission to take their sweaters off

4 According to the ex-marine, …

A the staff were not competent enough
B identification processes are always time consuming
C it was advisable not to leave the exam room till the end

5 According to the writer, the security measures described are …

A peculiar
B outrageous
C far too strict

6 The writer concludes that …

A security is not necessary
B a midpoint should be reached
C it’s getting difficult to rely on our GPs

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 2 HOW TO STAY FIT, HAPPY AND HEALTHY

Adapted from http://primacare.com

You are going to read part of an article about how to keep fit, happy and healthy. Seven
sentences are incomplete. For gaps 1-7 choose the phrase (A-I) which best fits each gap.
Only ONE answer is correct, and there are TWO phrases you DO NOT NEED to use. DON’T
FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.
If you’ve been listening to the news you already know about our national obesity levels rising by
the day. It has never been more important _____1_____ and to get an adequate amount of
exercise and sleep to keep yourself fit and healthy. Though it may feel like really hard work at first,
once you adopt an exercise routine and start _____2_____ , you’ll forget you ever did things
differently.
Here are just four of the top adjustments to make:
1. Get more sleep!
Sleep is huge and almost a third of the US population doesn’t get near enough to staying
physically and mentally healthy. If you are sleep deprived, try changing your habits in order
_____3_____
2. Strive for a better diet
Look at your diet and what you’re eating now and make changes where you see fit. If you are
susceptible to snacking, keep a piece of fruit or a few nuts at hand. The key is to eat small meals
throughout the day. Reduce portion sizes, take out white bread and replace with whole grains and
make sure each meal contains at least one portion of fruit and – or vegetables. Healthy food
doesn’t have _____4_____ , and you can get an abundance of low priced fruit and veggies, like
apples, bananas, potatoes and peas.
3. Stop all those bad habits
Take a look at your current lifestyle and make a small list of everything you do that is not good for
your health. This could be anything, from eating too much junk food or drinking too much caffeine,
to smoking or drinking. Start the process of breaking these habits one by one. Some will be easy,
while others may take months or maybe years _____5_____ , but the sooner you start fighting, the
better.
Some addictions (like smoking, drugs or alcohol) are incredibly bad not only to your health, but
also to your pocketbook. If you smoke and – or drink, start by cutting back on how many drinks you
have, or cigarettes you smoke, in a day, and if necessary, seek medical advice and assistance
_____6_____ .
4. Exercise, exercise, exercise
We all should be doing at least 30 minutes of exercise, 3 to 4 or more times a week, ____7_____.
This can be pretty much anything that is physical, like walking, cycling, running, swimming to
weightlifting, etc. This too does not have to be expensive, and you can get a great work out without
joining any costly gyms. Most of these exercises are inexpensive, and just doing a cardiovascular
exercise, like walking, jogging, or walking on a treadmill a few times a week will do your body (and
heart) good.
A to adapt to a new situation
B to reduce your protein intake
C to watch what you are eating
D to change your sleep patterns
E to be expensive in the least bit
F to get a full eight hours every night
G to maintain good health and keep fit
H to make further steps towards stopping completely
I to get rid of and eradicate completely from your life
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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 3

BETTER HEARING THROUGH BLUETOOTH

Adapted from The New York Times

You are going to read part of an article about a new kind of hearing aid. For gaps 1-7
choose the answer (A-D) which best fits each gap. Only ONE answer is correct. DON’T
FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Like many men of his generation, Larry Faust, 61, of Seattle, went to a lot of rock concerts in his
youth. And like many men of his generation, his hearing isn’t what it used to be.
“My wife has been bugging me for several years to do something about my hearing,” said Mr.
Faust. “I spent part of the summer of 1969 at Woodstock Festival and that probably didn’t help.”
_____1_____ of going the traditional route — buying hearing aids through an audiologist or
licensed hearing aid dispenser — Mr. Faust purchased a device that is classified as a personal
sound amplifier product, or P.S.A.P., _____2_____ is designed to amplify sounds in a recreational
environment.
_____3_____ hearing aids, P.S.A.P.’s are exempt from Food and Drug Administration supervision
and can be sold as electronic devices directly to consumers, with no need to see a physician
before buying one. They come with a range of features and vary widely in price.
And _____4_____ some hearing professionals have long cautioned against the devices, citing
their unreliability and poor quality, many _____5_____ say that a new generation of P.S.A.P.s that
utilize the latest wireless technology are offering promising alternatives for some people with
hearing loss.
The device Mr. Faust bought, the CS10 from a Chicago-based company called Sound World
Solutions, cost $299.99, thousands of dollars cheaper than most digital hearing aids. While it has
many of the same features that high-end hearing aids have, it has one capability that hearing aids
and other devices on the market _____6_____ don’t have. It comes with software that enables
consumers to program it themselves, a feature made possible in part by the adoption of the widely
available Bluetooth wireless technology. _____7_____ having to visit an audiologist to program the
device, something that hearing aid users must do, CS10 customers can program it themselves by
downloading the app to an Android phone or a computer (an iPhone version is under
development). This self-programming feature may make the CS10 especially useful for consumers
in developing countries, where there is no formal distributional model for hearing aids and “no
audiologists,” said Stavros Basseas, the company’s co-founder.

1. A. Despite B. Except C. Instead D. While

2. A. that B. what C. which D. who

3. A. Although B. As C. Like D. Unlike

4. A. as B. since C. when D. while

5. A. also B. as well C. however D. too

6. A. consequently B. currently C. lately D. recently

7. A. After B. Before C. Instead D. Rather than

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 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
JUNIO 2015
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES
A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:

 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto en el que faltan algunas frases. Se proporcionan las frases en un
listado que incluye más frases que huecos hay en el texto. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un
círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta para cada
hueco.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C D E F G H I
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C D E F G H I

 Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las completan.
Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS.
Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C

 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto con huecos en los que faltan algunas palabras. Para cada hueco se
presentan 4 palabras. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA
DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta. Ver ejemplos anteriores.

En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder todas las preguntas de los ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/a se acerque a su mesa.
Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: THE BENEFITS OF READING

1 A B C D E F G H I
2 A B C D E F G H I
3 A B C D E F G H I
4 A B C D E F G H I
5 A B C D E F G H I
6 A B C D E F G H I
7 A B C D E F G H I

EJERCICIO 2: OBESITY IN THE USA

1 A B C
2 A B C
3 A B C
4 A B C
5 A B C

EJERCICIO 3: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT VULTURES

1 A B C D
2 A B C D
3 A B C D
4 A B C D
5 A B C D
6 A B C D
7 A B C D
8 A B C D

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 1
THE BENEFITS OF READING
Adapted from www.huffingtonpost.com

You are going to read part of an article about the benefits of reading. Seven sentences are
incomplete. For gaps 1 - 7 choose the phrase (A - I) which best fits each gap. Only ONE
answer is correct, and there are TWO phrases you DO NOT NEED to use.
DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

In a world of omnipresent screens, it can be easy to forget the simple pleasure of curling up with a
good book. In fact, a recent poll of 1,000 U.S. adults found that 28 percent hadn't read one at all in
the past year.
But the truth is that reading books can 1 . A study released earlier this month suggests that
enjoying literature might help strengthen your "mind-reading" abilities. The research, published in
the journal Science, showed that reading literary works (though, interestingly, not popular fiction)
cultivates a skill known as "theory of mind," which is described as the "ability to 'read' the thoughts
and feelings of others."
And that's hardly the only way being a bookworm can 2 and well-being.
Stressed out? Pick up a paperback. Research conducted in 2009 at Mindlab International at the
University of Sussex showed that reading was the most effective way to 3 , beating out old
favorites such as listening to music, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee and even taking a walk. It took
the study participants just six minutes to 4___. "It really doesn't matter what book you read, by
losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of
the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author's imagination," study
researcher Dr. David Lewis told The Telegraph.
A lifetime of reading might just help 5 when you reach old age, according to research
published earlier this year in the online issue of the journal Neurology. The study, which included
294 participants who died at an average age of 89, found that those who engaged in mentally
stimulating activities (such as reading) experienced slower memory decline compared to those who
didn't.
According to research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in
2001, adults who engage in hobbies that involve the brain, like reading or puzzles, are less likely to
___6 . "The brain is an organ just like every other organ in the body. It ages in regard to how it
is used," lead author Dr. Robert P. Friedland told USA Today. "Just as physical activity strengthens
the heart, muscles and bones, intellectual activity strengthens the brain against disease."
Reading may also help you sleep better. Many sleep experts recommend establishing a regular
de-stressing routine before bed to calm your mind and cue your body up for shut-eye  and
reading can 7 (just as long as the book isn't a page-turner that'll keep you up all night).
Bright lights, including those from electronic devices, signal to the brain that it's time to wake up,
meaning reading your book (under a dim light) is a better bedside bet than a laptop.

A be a great way to do so
B be more than entertainment
C boost your mind
D change over the course of one week
E have Alzheimer’s disease
F keep your brain in shape
G lose yourself in a work of fiction
H overcome stress
I relax once they started turning pages

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 2

OBESITY IN THE USA

Adapted from www.nytimes.com

You are going to read an article about obesity in the USA. For questions 1 - 5 choose the
correct answer A, B or C. Only ONE answer is correct. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL
YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.
Last Tuesday federal health authorities reported a 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to
5-year-old children over the past decade. The drop emerged from a major federal health survey
that experts say is the gold standard for evidence on what Americans weigh. The trend came as a
welcome surprise to researchers.

New evidence has shown that obesity takes hold young: children who are overweight or obese at 3
to 5 years old are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as adults. This is the first broad
decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles with weight and higher risks for cancer,
heart disease and stroke.

A smattering of states have reported modest progress in reducing childhood obesity in recent
years, and last year the federal authorities noted a slight decline in the obesity rate among low-
income children. But the figures on Tuesday showed a sharp fall in obesity rates among all 2- to 5-
year-olds, offering the first clear evidence that America’s youngest children have turned a corner in
the obesity epidemic. There was little consensus on why the decline might be happening, but many
theories.

Children now consume fewer calories from sugary beverages than they did in 1999. More women
are breast-feeding, which can lead to a healthier range of weight gain for young children. Federal
researchers have also chronicled a drop in overall calories for children in the past decade, down by
7 percent for boys and 4 percent for girls, but health experts said those declines were too small to
make much difference.

Barry M. Popkin, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has tracked
American food purchases in a large data project, said families with children had been buying lower-
calorie foods over the past decade, a pattern he said was unrelated to the economic downturn.

He credited those habits, and changes in the federally funded Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children, for the decline in obesity among young children. The
program, which subsidizes food for low-income women, reduced funding for fruit juices, cheese
and eggs and increased it for whole fruits and vegetables.

Another possible explanation is that some combination of state, local and federal policies aimed at
reducing obesity is starting to make a difference. Michelle Obama, the first lady, has led a push to
change young children’s eating and exercise habits and 10,000 child care centers across the
country have signed on. The news announcement from the C.D.C. included a remark from Mrs.
Obama: “I am thrilled at the progress we’ve made over the last few years in obesity rates among
our youngest Americans.”

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

1 The survey the article refers to …

A is a highly respected one
B confirmed the researchers’ expectations
C analyses last year's obesity rates among American young kids

2 According to the article, …

A child cancer cases are often related to obesity
B most heart disease sufferers were obese children
C obese children tend to remain obese when they grow up

3 The results released last Tuesday show …

A a clear change of tendency
B progress in the obesity rate of poorer children
C a small reduction in the obesity rate of young children

4 Barry M. Popkin finds no relation between the improvement in obesity rates and …
A federal policies
B the financial crisis
C the low cost of cheese and eggs

5 Michelle Obama feels ………. about the news.

A excited
B cautious
C astonished

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 3
SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT VULTURES
Adapted from www.bbc.co.uk/nature

You are going to read part of an article about vultures. For gaps 1 - 8 choose the answer (A-
D) which best fits each gap. Only ONE answer is correct.
DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Bald, ugly birds with a taste for gore or charismatic creatures that do an essential but
thankless job in the ecosystem?
However we perceive them, one thing is clear about vultures - they are in trouble. In India, Nepal
and Pakistan populations have plummeted by 95% in the last decade _1 the pattern is being
mirrored across Africa.
The birds are being poisoned through the carcasses they clear up. 2 some of this is the
result of medication in livestock, other cases suggest intentional foul play by poachers that target
the birds so they don't alert wardens to dead rhinos and elephants.
Conservationists 3 Simon Thomsett are working to raise awareness of the birds' plight and
change attitudes towards them by highlighting their unique adaptations.
Vultures can fly higher than any other bird. The highest bird flight 4 recorded was by a
Ruppell's vulture which impacted an aircraft at 37,000ft over the Ivory Coast in 1973. This is well
above the height of Everest (29,029 ft) and the lack of oxygen would kill most other birds.
" 5 studies on this vulture have revealed a number of features in their haemoglobin and a
number of cardio-vascular adaptations that allow breathing in rarefied atmosphere," explains Mr
Thomsett.
Vultures routinely soar high in the air, using thermals to get a wide view of the plains ____6___
they can find food.
They can 7 fly considerable distances for a meal; one Ruppell's vulture was recently
recorded travelling north from its nest in Tanzania, across Kenya to a region in Sudan and
Ethiopia.
This border-crossing behaviour has landed the birds in bother, notably when a griffon vulture
discovered in Saudi Arabia was accused by local media of being an Israeli spy.
The bird had been tagged by a team at Tel Aviv University 8 part of a study into their
movements and officials reportedly resolved the misunderstanding.

1 A although B and C but D despite

2 A As well as B Definitely C In spite D While

3 A apart from B as C for example D such as

4 A always B ever C never D until now

5 A After B Even C From then D Since then

6 A for B in order to C so D therefore

7 A also B however C nevertheless D too

8 A as B in C into D like

Prueba Específica de Certificación de Nivel Avanzado de Inglés

Comprensión de Lectura. JUNIO 2015 6
 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
JUNIO 2016
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:

LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES

A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:

 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto con huecos (del 1 al 6) en los que falta una frase. Se proporcionan las
frases en un listado (de la A a la G) que incluye 7 opciones. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un
círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Se proporciona una opción más de las necesarias y
sólo una de las opciones es correcta para cada hueco.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C D E F G
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
D E F G
1 A B C

 Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las completan. En
este caso deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE
RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C

En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder todas las preguntas de los ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/a se acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: INSIDE THE FLAVOUR FACTORY

1 A B C D E F G
2 A B C D E F G
3 A B C D E F G
4 A B C D E F G
5 A B C D E F G
6 A B C D E F G

EJERCICIO 2:
RYANAIR'S CUSTOMER SERVICE PROMISE IS SUBJECT TO DELAYS

1 A B C
2 A B C
3 A B C
4 A B C
5 A B C
6 A B C
7 A B C

EJERCICIO 3: TEA

1 A B C
2 A B C
3 A B C
4 A B C
5 A B C
6 A B C
7 A B C

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 1
INSIDE THE FLAVOUR FACTORY
Adapted from “The Artificial World around us”, by Lucy Kavaler.

You are going to read a text from which some sentences have been removed. Match the
gaps (1-6) with the sentences (A-G).There is one extra sentence that you don’t need. DON’T
FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

For the past fifty years chemists and druggists have been trying to match nature's work in the
laboratory. The idea of putting a concentrated flavour into a bottle goes back much further in
history than that. _______1_______. Your great-grandmother baked cakes and made candies with
syrups of natural vanilla or peppermint. Even Coca-Cola, which was developed in the 1880's, was
made out of natural products - caffeine taken from the cola nut and a tiny bit of cocaine from the
coca leaf.
As the science of chemistry advanced, chemists and druggists began the difficult task of finding
chemical substitutes for natural products. _______2_______. He combined it with some other
chemicals and came up with a crude but recognizable banana flavour. Another observed that
"methyl anthranilate" somehow reminded him of grape, so he used that as the main ingredient for
an artificial grape flavour. Long afterward, with improved equipment, scientists learned that these
early workers in the field had stumbled on some basic truths. Amyl acetate really does exist in the
natural banana, and methyl anthranilate in grapes.
With these tests 47 different chemicals have been discovered in tea and nearly 100 in coffee. In
theory the flavour chemist simply needs to combine these chemicals in the laboratory, and presto!
he has the perfect apple, grape or pepper flavour. Sometimes it works that way, but not always.
________3_______. The identified chemicals are duplicated and put together, and the end product
still does not taste right.
_______4________ . One chemist reports that he started an experiment with a chemical that
smelled like rancid butter or cheese. ________5_______. He carried on and eventually produced a
fresh-strawberry flavour-smell. Another compound that resembles violet perfume is essential in
making a successful raspberry flavour-smell.
In the last few years it has been discovered that there are a number of different ways of making the
same artificial flavour. Chemical A and Chemical B are combined, and peppermint flavour appears.
Another researcher tries putting Chemical C and Chemical D together - and peppermint is there
again. Even more surprising, every so often a chemist makes up an imitation flavour that tastes
exactly like the real thing, and discovers that it does not contain the chemical compounds so
painstakingly discovered in the laboratory analysis of the natural product. Some of the chemicals
used to make good imitation peach and strawberry flavours, for example, have not been found in
the true fruit extracts, and yet they give the same effect. ________6________.

A The early flavours produced, however, were not synthetic.

B This is one of the mysteries still to be solved by the scientist.

C The familiar flavors will, therefore, come out of the laboratory.

D Luckily, he was the type of person who is not easily discouraged

E In some cases the total taste is different from the sum of its parts.

F One chemist noticed that a compound called "amyl acetate" smelled like a banana.
Just to complicate matters, the odours of the flavour-making chemical compounds keep
G
changing as they are combined with other elements.

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 2

RYANAIR'S CUSTOMER SERVICE PROMISE IS SUBJECT TO DELAYS

Anonymous, The Guardian.com,Tuesday 11 November 2014

Read the text and choose the best answer for each of the multiple choice questions. DON’T
FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair’s president, said the airline should try to eliminate things that
'unnecessarily make people angry' – but there's some way to go.
I am not a Ryanair-hater. Anyone who faced the drive or train to Holyhead then the ferry to Dublin
because of the stranglehold the national flag carriers had on the route, and the ludicrous fares they
charged, should be forever thankful that it and president Michael O'Leary broke the mould.
I don't even hate having to untick endless drop-boxes, saying "No, I don't need to buy some
luggage, and yes, I really, really do have my own annual travel insurance". It's tedious, but if that's
the price of a cheap fare then I can live with it.
What turns the tedium to anger is when some Ryanair stormtrooper at the airport forces you to
stuff every pocket of your jacket and jeans with books, socks and belts because the weighing
machines say your suitcase has tilted a little over 15kg; or who takes delight at charging an absurd
sum for reissuing a boarding pass or changing a mis-spelled name.
So it made the headlines when, in September, O'Leary said he had woken up to the frustrations so
many of his customers experience, promising an end to its "abrupt culture". Speaking to
shareholders, he said: "We should try to eliminate things that unnecessarily make people angry."
My first chance to test his promise came a fortnight ago at Seville Airport. The result? An epic fail.
While the easyJet plane took off on time, the delay at Ryanair started to mount. No reason was
given to passengers, forced to march from one end of the airport to the other after a gate change,
unannounced over the loudspeakers, flashed up on screen. After two hours, the first formal
announcement was made – passengers could have a free food and drink voucher. Just go to the
Ryanair desk and collect it.
But this was when irritation turned to farce. Yes, there was a free €5 voucher, but only if the 200 or
so passengers abandoned departures and re-entered the airport – and subsequently went back
through the rigmarole of security – through scanners, taking off shoes and belts and so on. A lot of
passengers didn't think this legal. Indeed, on re-entering, some passengers who claimed their
voucher found the barcode on their boarding pass no longer worked.
Why, I asked, did Ryanair put their customers through this? Why not distribute the €5 vouchers at
the gate? Ah, I was told, the airport operator, Aena, forbids it. Really? I asked four different Ryanair
staff in different locations around the airport, all of who parroted the same "prohibido" line,
specifically blaming Aena. That it meant Ryanair benefited as fewer people bothered to claim their
voucher was neither here nor there.
Aena, in a statement, told me there was no prohibition, and indeed it would have preferred Ryanair
to distribute vouchers at the gate.
Eventually, the flight took off more than three hours late. A blind woman boarding the flight next to
me complained bitterly about how she had been left abandoned by the lack of announcements,
finding the whole experience distressing.
Still, I thought, at least there would be compensation under EU regulations, which kick in after
three hours. The pilot announced that the delay was due to a technical fault with the air-
conditioning. But on arrival I was told that the delay was less than three hours, and in any case
was due to circumstances beyond Ryanair's control – when every other flight was taking off on
time, and when the fault was arguably due to a failure in maintenance.

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

1 The author ...

A enjoyed taking the train to Holyhead and the ferry to Dublin.
B says other airlines going this route were better than Ryanair.
C thinks Ryanair started a new era on the route England to Dublin.

2 The author thinks …

A it is tedious to fill your pockets with stuff.
B the Ryanair staff are kind to passengers.
C it is expensive to change a misspelled name.

3 O’Leary ...
A wants to stop their staff from being rude.
B wants his company to be more customer friendly.
C wakes up at night because of the problems of the company.

4 Ryanair made the passengers collect the free 5€ voucher at the desk ...
A to make passengers go through security control again.
B because then some passengers would not collect their vouchers.
C because Aena would not allow them to distribute them at the gate.

5 The author thinks ...

A they were given information that was not true.
B the problems the flight was having were affecting other flights too.
C Ryanair was not responsible for the delay because it was a technical problem.

6 The blind passenger complained about ...

A the little information they were given.
B the confusing information given to passengers.
C the feeling of distress that she experiences when flying.

7 The author thinks Ryanair’s service ...

A will be as it is for ever.
B has not changed at all.
C is improving progressively.

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 3
TEA
Adapted from www.englisharticles.info, 6th May 2010

Read the text and choose the best answer for each of the multiple choice questions. DON’T
FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Tea is a beverage prepared by pouring boiling water over dry processed tea leaves. It ranks as the
most popular refreshing drink in more countries than any other beverage. The annual worldwide
production of dried tea totals about 5.34 billion pounds (2.6 billion kilograms).

The tea-producing countries themselves consume over one-half of the global tea crop. Britain
imports the greatest amount of tea–about 400 million pounds annually. On the average, about 7
pounds of tea are consumed per person each year in Britain. People in the United States consume
about 3/4 pound of tea per person per year.

The tea plant grows in tropical and subtropical climates. The plant, an evergreen, grows quickly at
low altitudes where the air is warm. The finest tea comes from elevations of 3,000 to 7,000 feet
(900 to 2,100 meters). The plant grows more slowly in cool air, adding to its flavor.

Tea plants have small, white, sweet-smelling flowers. Each flower produces three seeds that look
like hazelnuts. On a tea estate or in a tea garden where tea plants are grown commercially,
workers plant the seeds in a nursery bed. Another method of cultivating tea involves planting
cuttings of tea plants with desirable qualities, such as high yield or special flavor, in the bed. About
a year later, when the plants are about 8 inches high, they are transplanted to the field. About
3,000 tea plants grow on 1 acre (0.4 hectare) of land.

Wild tea plants grow as high as 30 feet. But a commercial tea plant is pruned to keep it from 3 to 4
feet high. The plant matures in three to five years and produces a flush (growth of new shoots).
Each shoot consists of several leaves and a bud. At lower altitudes, tea plants may grow a flush
every week. At higher altitudes, a plant needs as long as two weeks to grow a flush. Tea plants
produce no flushes in cold weather. Workers called tea pluckers pick the flushes off the bush by
hand. A plucker can harvest about 40 pounds of tea leaves a day, enough to make about 10
pounds (4.5 kilograms) of manufactured tea. Mechanical pluckers are common in countries with
flat land. These devices are tractorlike machines that can harvest as much tea leaf as up to 100
manual pluckers. However, tea of higher quality is generally produced from leaves that have been
hand-plucked.

There are three main kinds of tea: black, green, and oolong. They differ in the method used to
process the leaves. The processing takes place in a factory on or near the tea estate. All tea-
producing countries manufacture black tea. Most of the green and oolong tea comes from China,
Japan, and Taiwan.

Grades of tea vary only according to the size of the leaves. The size of a tea leaf has nothing to do
with the quality of the tea.To sort the processed tea leaves by grade, they are passed across
screens with different size holes. The largest tea leaves, selected for loose tea, are classified–in
order of size–as orange pekoe, pekoe, and pekoe souchong. The smaller or broken tea leaves,
generally used in tea bags.

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1 Tea-producing countries ...

A export most of their production.
B consume more tea than they export.
C export most of their production to Britain.

2 In Britain ...
A people consume as much tea as in the US.
B they grow more tea than in any other place.
C they import more tea than any other country.

3 Some tea is grown at high altitudes because …

A tea plants grow faster.
B the production is higher.
C the quality of the tea is better.

4 Commercial tea plants ...

A do not grow as high as wild plants.
B are cultivated in nursery seed beds.
C are cultivated by planting cuttings from wild tea.

5 Tea pluckers collect ...

A the best quality leaves.
B mainly in low altitudes.
C as fast as mechanical means.

6 All tea-producing countries ...

A produce green and oolong tea.
B manufacture many different kinds of tea.
C process the tea leaves in or near the place where it is grown.

7 Orange pekoe is …
A not necessarily the highest quality tea.
B the tea with the highest quality available.
C the tea most commonly used in tea bags.

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 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
JUNIO 2017
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES
A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:
 Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las completan. En
este caso deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE
RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C

 Preguntas de completar. Se presenta un texto en el que faltan algunas frases. Se proporcionan las frases en un
listado que incluye más frases que huecos hay en el texto. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un
círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta para cada
hueco.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C D E F G H I J
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C D E F G H I J
 Preguntas de completar. Se presenta un texto con huecos numerados en los que falta una palabra. Para cada hueco
se presentan 4 opciones de palabras (A, B, C y D). Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la
letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C D
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C D
En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de50 minutos para responder todas las preguntas de los ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/ase acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: JAFAR PANAHI, IRANIAN FILMAKER,

PERSISTS DESPITE A BAN

1 A B C
2 A B C
3 A B C
4 A B C
5 A B C
6 A B C
7 A B C
8 A B C
9 A B C

EJERCICIO 2: IMPLANT COULD CUT OUT CHRONIC PAIN AND BRING

BENEFITS FOR NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASE

1 A B C D E F G H I J
2 A B C D E F G H I J
3 A B C D E F G H I J
4 A B C D E F G H I J
5 A B C D E F G H I J
6 A B C D E F G H I J

EJERCICIO 3: ZOOKEEPERS ON TOUR

1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

4 A B C D

5 A B C D

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EJERCICIO 1

JAFAR PANAHI, IRANIAN FILMMAKER, PERSISTS DESPITE A BAN

Adapted from www.nytimes.com

Read the text below and for questions 1 – 9 choose the correct answer (A, B or C). Only
ONE answer is correct. DO NOT FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE
ANSWER SHEET.

PARIS — There’s a memorable scene in Taxi, the latest film by the Iranian dissident director Jafar
Panahi, in which his vivacious, now 11-year-old niece recites the rules for making a movie in Iran.
They include: respect Islamic headscarves, avoid contact between men and women, avoid
violence, avoid discussing political or economic issues, avoid “sordid realism”.

The director, who plays himself posing as a driver of a Tehran taxi, smiles and talks about the
difficulty of sticking to the rules. The scene is characteristic of Taxi, a film that operates on many
levels, as a meditation on cinema, a criticism of the Iranian leadership, a celebration of the verve of
the country’s citizens but that also wears its seriousness lightly, even when the stakes are high.

One of the most moving things is that the film isn’t an angry fist at the regime. It has its equanimity,
its humor and its normality. It operates both as a metaphor and a reality.

Taxi is the third unauthorized film Mr. Panahi has made since 2010, when he was arrested and
convicted of creating anti-government propaganda. After his release from prison, he was barred
from making films for 20 years. Taxi was produced informally, without government script approval
or permits, using amateur actors and a few small cameras inside a car. It took the top prize at the
Berlin Film Festival in February and opens in the United States on Friday, Oct.2.

Mr. Panahi began to run afoul of the Iranian regime with The Circle, a dark film shot in the year
2000 about the condition of women in Iran, an abiding theme in his work. Banned at home, it was
smuggled to the Venice Film Festival, where it won the top prize. In 2009, Mr. Panahi became
involved in the so-called Green Movement, large anti-government demonstrations that sought to
unseat the president at the time, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mr. Panahi was arrested in 2010 while making a feature set during the movement. He spent three
months at the notorious Evin prison before being freed. While he was being held, he went on a
hunger strike, and prominent international film figures came out in support of him. “I think that was
one of the primary reasons that he was released from jail,” said Jamsheed Akrami, a professor of
film at William Paterson University in New Jersey who has made documentaries about Iranian
cinema and is in regular contact with Mr. Panahi.

After Mr. Panahi’s release, he was barred for 20 years from making films, writing screenplays,
speaking to the media or leaving the country. Today, he lives in a legal limbo and would face six
years in prison if authorities decided to charge him with violating the ban. His passport was taken
away, but contrary to some media reports, he has not been under house arrest. People in contact
with him say Taxi is his third movie since the ban, after This is not a Film (2012), made in his
Tehran apartment, and Closed Curtain (2014), which, like Taxi, blended fact and fiction.

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

Mr. Panahi could not be interviewed for this article. After Taxi won in Berlin, he grew wary of calling
more attention to himself. “He doesn’t want to put the government in a position to be able to put
him in jail,” Mr. Akrami said.

“In all these years, we have publicly, in words and deeds, proclaimed our solidarity with Jafar and
will continue to do so,” Dieter Kosslick, the director of the Berlin Film Festival, wrote in an email
message. Taxi is a wonderful example for the subversive potential of a great masterpiece,” he
added.

After Taxi was selected for the festival, Hojatollah Ayoubi, the head of the Iranian government’s
Cinema Organization, which authorizes which films can be made in Iran, published an open letter
to Mr.Kosslick, saying that the festival was fomenting “misunderstanding” by celebrating a
filmmaker whose work is banned.

In Iran, Mr. Panahi’s films have been seen only by small audiences in private. After Taxi won in
Berlin, Mr. Panahi gave an interview saying he would have loved for the film to be shown in Iran,
“because I believe that there is no award more valuable than having my movies seen by my fellow
people in my own country.”

Ms. Sotoudeh, the human rights lawyer, said she hoped the director would prevail in spite of the
government’s threats against him. “Based on the verdict he has received, Mr. Panahi should not
make another film,” she said. “But there’s one thing in his life that Mr. Panahi is very good at:
making films.”

EJERCICIO 2

IMPLANT COULD CUT OUT CHRONIC PAIN AND BRING BENEFITS FOR
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASE
Adapted from The Daily Telegraph

You are going to read an article about a spinal implant. For gaps 1-6 choose the answer (A-
J) which best fits each gap. Only ONE answer is correct and there are TWO phrases you DO
NOT NEED to use. DO NOT FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE
ANSWER SHEET.

Doctors have carried out a pioneering procedure to treat chronic back pain, fitting a permanent
spinal cord implant, which automatically detects levels of discomfort, and could allow patients to
avoid dependence on pain-killing drugs, ____ 1_______.

Joe Grewal, __ 2 _____. He now feels “thrilled to bits.”

The 60 year old said the constant ache in his back forced him to leave his jobs as a mechanic and
banana grower. The pain troubled his sleep and made him irritable with his family and friends. At
times, he said, it felt more than he could bear.

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

Until this week. Early on Tuesday morning he was fitted with a spinal implant and his pain level
dropped from 8 out of 10 before the treatment to 2 or 3 immediately afterwards. “It’s a significant
decrease in pain” he told the press.

The specialist who oversaw the operation, Dr Charles Brooker, said it was a big advance as the
device not only ___ 3 __ _, but can also record signals emerging from the nervous system.
“Nobody has ever been able to record these kinds of signals before, or do anything about them”,
he said

The new machine ___ 4 ___ and that’s a big advance because previously, conventional
implants could give patients electric shocks or dropped out of range whenever the person changed
posture; so many of them were not able to live their lives effectively in many cases.

Michael Cousins, ___ 5 ___ for other conditions in addition to chronic pain although he also
points out that “further research will be needed”. The implant has the capacity to reach a market 10
times the size of the current one.

The device, ___ 6 ___ _, will now undergo trials by a further 30 patients and once fully tested
will be ready for general use. The Australian government has tipped 5 million into the development
of this new device as they believe they have the responsibility to assist these researchers to try
and get their work to the point where it could be commercialized”

EJERCICIO 3

ZOOKEEPERS ON TOUR
Adapted from National Geographic Traveler Magazine

You are going to read a text about travelling. For gaps 1-5 choose the answer (A-D) which
best fits each gap. Only ONE answer is correct. DO NOT FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL
YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Is this one of the most exciting new wildlife tourism programmes on offer this year? If the current
travel buzz is for ____1____ that provide unique experiences and expert insight, then the Wildlife
Encounter Holidays just launched by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) are bang on trend.

Travellers and ____2____are given the chance to get close to some seriously exotic species in
their native habitats –the jungle fauna of Costa Rica, the brown bears and orcas of the Portuguese
Azores and, an overland adventure through Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda in the company of expert
ZSL guides.

These small group trips (4-16 people) range from 4-23 days and include low impact, local
accommodation from jungle lodges to tented camps. All tours team up with ZSL’s global work for
wildlife.

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

3___, the most epic trip is the 22-day Borneo Wildlife Discoverer, the highlights of which include
a staying in a bamboo long house on Mt Kinabalu, a rainforest canopy walk and wildlife sanctuary
tour in Sandakan, and a visit to the orangutans at Semenggok or a trek through the verdant
Danum, from where the ____4____ of the surrounding area are quite spectacular.

It costs from £3,499 per person, including flights, accommodation, meals as well as transport and
guides. ____5____, profits go towards funding ZSL’s community projects working to protect the
Sumatran tiger, a species found nowhere else in the world.

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 1

JAFAR PANAHI, IRANIAN FILMMAKER, PERSISTS DESPITE A BAN

1 Jafar Panahi´s film Taxi…

A is a ferocious assault against the Iranian leadership
B expresses discontentment with the Iranian leadership
C is a harsh attack against the apathy of the Iranian society

2 The Circle…
A was forbidden in most Muslim countries
B was taken illegally to the Venice Film Festival
C is the first film to show one of Mr Pahani’s recurrent themes

3 Mr.Pahani was released from prison mainly because he…

A went on a hunger strike
B served his time in prison
C was backed up by influential people

4 Mr.Panahi´s freedom is now…

A in the hands of the Iranian Regime
B unquestionable thanks to international support
C somewhat restricted professionally but he has been granted freedom of movement

5 Choose the sentence that is correct

A The director´s time in prison put him off writing controversial scripts
B The director´s imprisonment deterred him from continuing with his work
C The government´s pressure on the director has not stopped him from making protest films

6 Being awarded in Berlin has made Mr. Panahi feel…

A valued
B thrilled
C concerned

7 Hojatollah Ayoubi, the head of the Iranian´s Cinema Organization…

A gives Mr Panahi credit for the work he did
B does not approve of what the Berlin festival has done
C believes that Mr Panahi promotes misunderstandings and misconceptions

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Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

8 Jafar Panahi´s biggest regret about his work is that…

A his awards are not valuable outside Iran
B he is being underrated in his own country
C his films cannot be screened publicly in his country

9 The purpose of this text is to …

A warn Mr. Panahi of the threats against him
B support Mr. Panahi and praise his accomplishments
C encourage people all over the world to see Mr. Panahi´s films

EJERCICIO 2

IMPLANT COULD CUT OUT CHRONIC PAIN AND BRING BENEFITS FOR
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASE

A lowers discomfort
B which can be extremely costly
C which will initially cost about £15,000
D sets whatever level the patient needs at all times
E confuses the brain and they don’t feel pain anymore
F from Sydney University, declared that this will lead to great betterments
G the first human guinea pig, stated that it has helped him to boost his well being
H one of the patients who has undergone this innovative treatment, requires further analysis

EJERCICIO 3

ZOOKEEPERS ON TOUR
1 A travels B trips C journeys D voyages

2 A spectators B viewers C sightseers D onlookers

3 A Likely B Certain C Probable D Possibly

4 A visions B views C glances D sightseeings

5 A Afterwards B After C After it D At last

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EDICIÓN: Consejería de Educación y Cultura. Dirección General de Ordenación académica e innovación
educativa.

IMPRESIÓN: BOPA. D.L.: AS-01563–2017

Copyright: 2017 Consejería de Educación y Cultura. Dirección General de Ordenación académica e

innovación educativa. Todos los derechos reservados.

La reproducción de fragmentos de los documentos que se utilizan en las diferentes pruebas de premios
extraordinarios de Bachillerato, correspondientes al año 2017, se acoge a lo establecido en el artículo 32
(citas y reseñas) del Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996 de 12 de abril, modificado por la Ley 23/2006, de 7 de
julio, “Cita e ilustración de la enseñanza”, puesto que “se trata de obras de naturaleza escrita, sonora o
audiovisual que han sido extraídas de documentos ya divulgados por vía comercial o por Internet, se hace a
título de cita, análisis o comentario crítico y se utilizan solamente con fines docentes”. Estos materiales
tienen fines exclusivamente educativos, se realizan sin ánimo de lucro y se distribuyen gratuitamente a
todos los centros educativos a través del portal educativo Educastur del Principado de Asturias.

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 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
SEPTIEMBRE 2013
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES
A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:
Pregunta de relacionar. Se presenta un texto con varias secciones y deberá relacionar cada una de ellas
con el título apropiado de una lista. Se proporcionan más títulos de los necesarios. Deberá elegir la
respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo
una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C D E F G H
2. A B C D E F G H
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C D E F G H
2. A B C D E F G H
Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las
completan. En este caso deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su
opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C
Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto en el que faltan algunas frases. Se proporcionan las frases
en un listado que incluye más frases que huecos hay en el texto. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta
rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones
es correcta. (Ver el primer ejemplo que se menciona).
En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder las preguntas de los 3 ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/a se acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: EIGHT INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES

1. A B C D E F G H I
2. A B C D E F G H I
3. A B C D E F G H I
4. A B C D E F G H I
5. A B C D E F G H I
6. A B C D E F G H I
7. A B C D E F G H I
8. A B C D E F G H I

EJERCICIO 2: SPANISH SUPERMARKET CHAIN FINDS RECIPE

1. A B C
2. A B C
3. A B C
4. A B C
5. A B C
6. A B C
7. A B C

EJERCICIO 3: UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER.

SHAPING THE FUTURE STUDY: LIVING COSTS

1. A B C D E F
2. A B C D E F
3. A B C D E F
4. A B C D E F
5. A B C D E F

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 1
EIGHT INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES
Adapted from blog.4ziononline.org and socyberty.com

You are going to read an article about inventions. The title of each of the paragraphs has
been removed from the article. Choose from the titles (A-I) the one which best fits each gap
(1-8). Use each letter ONLY ONCE. There is ONE extra title you do NOT need to use. DON’T
FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Title 1. ______

Israeli startup Bioexplorers has a non-invasive and easy method to detect contraband in purses,
luggage and cargo: trained rodents. When a person goes through a Bioexplorers system
passageway, a fan blows air into a sensor receptor and delivers it into a chamber containing a lot
of the mentioned animals. If they sniff drugs or bombs, they move into another chamber and set off
an alarm.

Title 2. ______

They are one of the most useful inventions by the Chinese. Many times when you lose your
bearings, just consult them and you’re on your way. Invention date is unknown.

Title 3. ______

They are actually miniaturized devices cooked up in Prof. Moshe Shaham’s laboratory at the
Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa. Based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)
technology, they theoretically can be guided inside the body via an external controller to perform a
variety of medical tasks in a much less invasive way than currently possible.

Title 4. ______

They were first planted in lines around the sixth century BC, which allows them to grow faster and
larger. In addition, the wind will hit the perfectly straight lines and roll gently through.

Title 5. ______

They were invented by the Chinese as entertainment, but were later used to scare off enemies in
times of war. Today, they are used in public celebrations such as New Year’s Day. It is cool that
this seventeenth century BC technique is still practised and enjoyed today.

Title 6. ______

This invention is used widely today, both for recreational, and government uses. When important
and sensitive satellites are entering the orbit, they are in a freefall, but once they get to a certain
point a mechanism is operated to allow them to be carried to the ground harmlessly.

Title 7. ______

What pyromaniac nut invented this device? Invented in the tenth century BC, they were a great
invention that has a variation used widely today. A torch or welder is used to join together metal
parts, and is very important in building large solid structures.

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

Title 8. ______

What would life be without them? When working, they enable users to transport 200 kilogrammes,
which is double the weight they would be able to carry without them. The Chinese’s building
process was dramatically sped up because of this useful invention.

A Air balloons: up we go.

B Parachutes: flying free.
C Compasses: heading North.
D Row crops: more in less time.
E Flame throwers: firemen beware!
F Robotic Flies: organs under watch.
G Wheelbarrows: away with broken backs.
H Fireworks: an explosion of light and colour.
I Mice Offering Cutting Edge Security: police dogs made redundant.

______________________________________________________________________________

EJERCICIO 2

SPANISH SUPERMARKET CHAIN FINDS RECIPE

Adapted from online.wsj.com 23 October 2012

You are going to read an article about Mercadona, a popular Spanish supermarket chain.
For questions 1-7 choose the correct answer A, B or C. Only ONE answer is correct. DON’T
FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.
As Country's Jobless Rate Approaches 25%, Mercadona Keeps Hiring and Boosting Sales Using a
German Template
By D. BALL and I. BRAT
MADRID—Spain's unemployment rate is near 25%, retail sales have declined for 25 straight
months and the country is closer than ever to a bailout from the European Central Bank. Yet
supermarket chain Mercadona S.A. hired 6,500 employees last year, more than any Spanish
company, and its sales increased 8% and remain on the rise.
The secret to its success: a German-style recipe for higher productivity that includes flexible
working conditions, extensive employee training and performance-linked bonuses - a rare mix in
Spain. As a result, the family-controlled retailer is fast becoming a model in a country urgently
trying to rewrite the rules for its economy.
A decade ago, corporate Germany reached a compromise with employees who agreed to work
more hours and for wages growing more slowly than productivity. In return, workers were awarded
better job security, even in difficult times. Labour costs fell 1.2%, while productivity rose 9%
between 1999 and 2006, according to Deutsche Bank. But in Spain, easy money silenced
companies into accepting rigid labour contracts. Corporate earnings were artificially boosted by
inflation, relieving the pressure to keep costs under control. The result: Spanish labour costs rose
23% over the same period.

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"The whole country went over the top - including trade unions, businessmen, bankers and
politicians," Juan Roig, Mercadona's billionaire owner, said at a company presentation this year.
Mercadona has become a point of reference in Spain, though it will take a while for anyone to copy
it, says Luis Simoes, who runs the Spanish office of consulting firm Kantor Worldpanel.
"Mercadona has invested in its employees for years and years." The chain had 1,356 stores and
70,000 permanent employees at the end of last year. Profit increased 19% to €474 million on
€17.83 billion in revenue. The closely held company doesn’t release quarterly figures.
Mr. Roig's drive to transform Mercadona began in the early 1990s. Big international chains such as
Carrefour S.A. started raising competitive pressure on Mercadona, which started as a butcher shop
in eastern Spain in the 1970s. Mr. Roig decided that Mercadona needed to offer consistently low
prices to compete. "We had to find a model that would differentiate us from our competitors," he
says by email. Among his models was Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Mr. Roig visited his stores and noticed poorly stocked shelves and managers checking employee
bags for stolen items at the end of shifts. He decided that temporary contracts - which then
covered about 60% of Mercadona's workers - hurt morale. He abolished the practice. Today, about
90% of Mercadona workers have permanent, full-time contracts. At other big Spanish retailers,
60% of employees work part-time, according to the country's General Workers' Union.
Mercadona invests about €6,500 and four weeks of training in each new employee - largely
unheard of in Spain. Employees receive an additional 20 hours of training a year. The Spanish
government recently followed Mercadona's example by granting all workers in the country a right to
20 hours of training a year.
Mercadona also pays above-average wages and never has conducted mass layoffs. If the
company hits certain profit targets, nearly all employees receive a bonus of up to two months'
salary. In exchange, Mercadona requires dedication from its employees. They are sometimes
called on to help with other jobs around a store, giving the company freedom to adjust to changes
in shopper traffic. Workers are trained to keep a close eye on customer needs. When a shopper
spends a long time before a fresh-food shelf, for example, an employee can offer help in around
seven seconds, the company says.
Although Mercadona unions have expressed support for the company, the approach occasionally
causes tension. Workers with minor medical conditions face pressure to consult company
physicians instead of independent doctors who might authorize longer sick leave, some union
officials say. A company spokesman says workers are free to visit any doctor and that under
federal law, sick-leave can only be approved by state health-service doctors.

1 Last year Mercadona’s sales improved…

A at a fast pace
B and are still increasing
C more than in any other company

2 The supermarket is successful because it …

A has developed innovative policies
B offers flexitime schedules extensively
C pays higher salaries than other companies

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3 About 10 years ago in Germany…

A salaries were linked to productivity
B labour costs increased as much as they did in Spain
C job conditions improved although salaries decreased

4 The supermarket chain…

A has already been copied by other companies
B made a profit in the first four months of last year
C was forced to set reasonable prices to become competitive

5 At present, Spanish workers …

A receive 14 wages annually
B have the right to receive job training
C in big companies, are paid while training

6 The store workers …

A might assist anybody needing help
B are aware that promotion is achieved with hard work
C are assigned specific tasks when they start to work for the company

7 Trade Unions …

A do not usually agree with the company on most matters

B advise workers to visit only state health-service physicians
C suggest that the workers cannot take as much sick-leave as necessary

EJERCICIO 3
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER.
SHAPING THE FUTURE STUDY: LIVING COSTS
www.westminster.ac.uk

You are going to read an article about the University of Westminster. Five sentences have
been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-F the one which best fits each
gap (1-5). Use each letter ONLY ONCE. There is ONE extra sentence you do NOT need to
use. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

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Before you fall prey to London’s shops, stalls and markets, enjoy the capital’s night life or start
eating out in stylish restaurants, remember that your student funding has got to last you all year.
You don’t want to _______1_______
Here’s an outline of your average student spending – essentials only. And that doesn’t include
what you spend on clothes, music and socialising! You'll need about £800 a month, as a minimum.
Rent
Most students spend around £100 - £200 a week on accommodation. Whatever you do, make sure
you’ve got this essential expense covered – the stress and worry of finding your rent payments
each month is a problem you can seriously do without.
If you've got a place in one of our halls of residence, remember that you'll have to ______2______
Telephone calls are not included. Halls are self-catered and rent prices for each are different.
If you are looking for private rented accommodation, bear in mind that rent prices vary depending
on the area of London, the type of accommodation and the number of people sharing.
Accommodation in central London can be hard to find - and is usually expensive. Most students
travel into our central London campuses from London Transport Travel Zones 2 and 3.
Most rent prices don't include bills like gas, electricity, phone and broadband. If you're going to be
a full-time student, you won't have to pay council tax, but you will have to provide your local council
with a Council Tax Exemption Certificate, which confirms you're a full-time student.
You'll usually need to _______3_______. Make sure you have enough money to cover this (we
recommend that you set aside about £1,500 for this).
Food
If your food isn’t part of your Halls of Residence deal, this will probably be one of your biggest
expenses. Club together with your flatmates and do a big weekly shop at a local market and you
can expect to _______4_______ .
Laundry
You’ll need cash for washing your clothes every week, unless you’re in private rented
accommodation with the luxury of a washing machine. Expect to pay around £5 per week.
Going out
Plan how much spare cash you’ve got to socialise very carefully and try not to go wild in the first
few weeks. You can spend from as little as £10 a week to over £100, depending on your tastes
and cash flow. Work out what you want to _______5_______. There are plenty of student
discounts in London – take advantage of them.

A do and how you can keep the cost manageable.

B spend before going out and meeting your friends.
C eat and drink very well indeed for under £30 a week.
D pay one month's deposit and one month's advance rent.
E run out of funds and be living off baked beans for the last few months of your course.
F pay an advance deposit, the fees for halls include council tax and utility bills (heating, hot
water, etc.).

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 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
SEPTIEMBRE 2014
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES
A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:
 Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las completan. En
este caso deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE
RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C
 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto en el que faltan algunas frases. Se proporcionan las frases en un
listado que incluye más frases que huecos hay en el texto. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un
círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C D E F G H
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C D E F G H
 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto con huecos en los que faltan algunas palabras. Para cada hueco se
presentan 4 palabras. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA
DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C D
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C D
En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder todas las preguntas de los ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/a se acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: LICENCE TO EAT

1. A B C
2. A B C
3. A B C
4. A B C
5. A B C

EJERCICIO 2: UNUSUAL HOBBIES

1. A B C D E F G H
2. A B C D E F G H
3. A B C D E F G H
4. A B C D E F G H
5. A B C D E F G H
6. A B C D E F G H

EJERCICIO 3: PHOBIAS

1. A B C D
2. A B C D
3. A B C D
4. A B C D
5. A B C D
6. A B C D
7. A B C D
8. A B C D
9. A B C D

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EJERCICIO 1
LICENCE TO EAT
Adapted from www.healthland.time.com

You are going to read an article about dieting during holidays. For questions 1 - 5 choose
the correct answer A, B or C. Only ONE answer is correct. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER
ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

This Thanksgiving, have your mashed potatoes and eat them too.
That advice, surprisingly, doesn’t come from your grandmother but from more dieticians and
nutritionists who are actually helping people to maintain healthy weights. Yes, in addition to the
usual roll-out of “How to Slim-down Your Thanksgiving” and tips on how to avoid packing on the
pounds, some health experts are advising that we go a little easier on ourselves over the holidays.
They’re certainly not recommending that you scarf up everything you see, but the key to keeping
cravings and temptations in check may be to give in to some — in moderation.
That advice is based on some solid research. Studies show, for example, that when you put certain
foods on a do-not-eat list, people end up wanting, and eating them more, and actually gaining
weight. A 2012 study by researchers at Tel Aviv University found that dieters who ate a pastry
every day lost more weight than dieters who avoided them completely. While both groups of
dieters were on a low-calorie diet, the pastry group ate a cookie, slice of cake, doughnut or piece of
chocolate every morning. Although by the end of the 16 week study, both groups had lost an
average of 33 lbs, the group who treated themselves to dessert every morning went on to lose
another 15 lbs on average, and reported feeling less hunger and cravings during that time. And
researchers from the University of British Columbia reported that when people are told certain
foods or objects are forbidden, the brain concentrates on them more than usual.
Other studies in mice have found that when the animals were only enticed with the occasional bit
of sugar, then deprived of it, they were more likely to overindulge in sugar once it was brought back
into their diet.
“Holiday asceticism makes no sense, because it ruins the holiday and is too little, too late anyway,”
says Dr. David Katz, the director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and author of the
new book Disease Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well. Watching everyone
else dig into the feast is going to be tough if you insist on sitting it out. “The problem is when we
deprive ourselves of foods that we love, it makes us want them more. Then, when we finally do
have them, we overeat them. We lose the ability to control how much we eat of those foods,” says
Keri Gans, a registered dietitian and author of The Small Change Diet.
'And if you do overdo it this holiday season, just start fresh the next day. “I recommend, what
happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. People should forget about feeling guilty and they should get
right back on track. That is the most important thing they should do. They should not all of a
sudden get a diet mentality because that won’t work.

1 According to some nutritionists, what course of action should we take during

holidays?
A we ought to eat as much as we like
B we should not be too strict about our diet
C we should be extra careful about calorie intake

2 Researchers at Tel Aviv university concluded that ...

A certain foods are not fattening after all
B dieters who refrained from eating sweets put on weight
C eating something sweet every day helped dieters get better results

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3 An experiment with mice showed that …

A mice found sugar off-putting after a while
B mice wanted sugar badly if they stopped getting it
C the more sugar they got, the more they wanted it

4 According to David Katz, trying not to eat too much during a holiday is ...
A laudable
B pointless
C advisable

5 Keri Gans advises against feelings of ...

A defeat
B shame
C regret

EJERCICIO 2
UNUSUAL HOBBIES
Adapted from http://communities.washingtontimes.com/

You are going to read part of an article about unusual hobbies. Six sentences are
incomplete. For gaps 1 - 6 choose the phrase (A - H) which best fits each gap. Only ONE
answer is correct, and there are TWO phrases you DO NOT NEED to use. DON’T FORGET
TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Starting a new hobby can be a good way of breaking with the day-to-day routine, learning a new
skill, and interacting with like-minded individuals. Today, especially with the help of the Internet,
strange and unusual hobbies abound. Here is a list of my favorites:

1. Guerrilla gardening

Guerrilla gardening consists of working on land 1 . It usually takes place on spaces that
are abandoned or neglected by their owners. Guerrilla gardeners do so for a variety of reasons,
from the overenthusiastic rose-planter who just can’t help herself, to the political activist who does
it to convey a message.

2. Extreme Ironing

Yes, it’s a competitive sport, also known as EI. Extreme ironing consists of ironing clothing in
different, usually extreme, situations like while rock climbing, surfing, on a kayak… The world of EI
is quite fascinating, with participants from around the world and several International EI
competitions 2 . EI was the subject of Extreme Ironing: Pressing for Victory, a UK
documentary following the British team’s participation in the 1st Extreme Ironing World
Championships in Germany.

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3. Robot-building

Want to do something really productive? Build a robot. There are innumerable kinds of robots
___3___. For beginners, there is Robot Building for Beginners by David Cook, already on its
second edition. Once you’ve mastered the basic principles, you can build a robot to fetch things
from the fridge, find the remote, call your mom… If you really get good, you can pin your robot
against other robot-builders’ creations at Robot Wars.

4. Yarn bombing

I am plotting my very own yarn bomb as I write. Also known as guerrilla knitting, yarnstorming, or
urban knitting, yarn bombing is considered a form of street art or graffiti 4 . Unlike other
forms of graffiti, yarn bombs are not considered permanent and can be removed when necessary.
Also unlike graffiti, yarn bombing does not seem to have the same negative connotations and is
rarely prosecuted aggressively in most locations. Finally, unlike graffiti, yarn bombing is mainly
associated with women-girl power!

5. Churchbell ringing, campanology

Even though mainly used to describe the study of bells, campanology also refers to the hobby of
ringing church bells. More popular in Europe for obvious reasons, campanology is often picked up
at a young age and done throughout life. There is quite a bit of technique involved in ringing church
bells, and the hobby is often a very social one, despite Quasimodo’s unfortunate experience. To
top it all off, campanology is apparently a great core workout 5 while providing low-impact
cardio, according to a recent BBC report.

6. Cosplay

Originating in Japan and having close ties to anime, comic-cons, and video games, cosplay
consists of wearing costumes to portray a character or idea in a type of performance art 6 .
In other words, you get a bunch of your friends, dress up as the characters in your favorite TV
show, and go out on the town or to a comic book convention. This sounds like a lot of fun, but
there’s way too much planning and coordination involved. My friends would never be able to
decide on a theme… Cosplayers take and share photographs of themselves in costume, attend
conventions, and take part in competitions.

A. that consists of several layers

B. that need to be constantly monitored

C. that takes place anywhere but a stage

D. that also improves agility and coordination

E. that you can build, with the right know-how

F. that the gardener does not have a legal right to use

G. that employs thread and string instead of paint or chalk

H. that have given rise to stories of triumph and bitter rivalries

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EJERCICIO 3 PHOBIAS
Adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/

You are going to read part of an article about phobias. For gaps 1 - 9 choose the answer (A -
D) which best fits each gap. Only ONE answer is correct. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER
ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

More than one in ten people will suffer from an extreme phobia at some point in their lives.
Zoophobia, the fear of animals, is one of the most common.
A phobia is an irrational, uncontrollable fear of a specific object or situation. Some phobics are so
frightened of the stimulus that they will go to great lengths to avoid it during everyday life. 1 ,
a person with a phobia of birds (ornithophobia) may be too terrified to go outside for fear of
encountering one. Others become so stressed when they encounter the source of their phobia that
they suffer from panic attacks.
Phobias affect people from all walks of life, of all races and of both sexes, 2 they are
slightly more common in women.
There are three basic types of phobia:
Agoraphobia: 3 being a fear of open spaces, agoraphobia is also a fear of being in a
crowd, being alone in a house and travelling alone.
Social phobia: A fear of specific or general social situations, like meeting new people, group
gatherings and talking to people in authority.
Specific phobia: Fear of specific situations and objects, 4 flying, heights, blood,
thunderstorms, dogs, mice and spiders.
Fear is a useful instinct. The biological processes that occur when a person is frightened gives
them greater ability to either fight the source of their fear or to flee from it (the 'Fight or Flight'
response). This is a natural biological mechanism necessary for survival, 5 is exaggerated
in phobics, and the stimulus is rarely life-threatening.
Phobias may be learnt from another person. For example, a child may see his mother screaming
and reacting hysterically to a spider, and from then on associate it with danger. A traumatic
experience may be the trigger: a child may have been viciously attacked by a dog, ___6___
developing the phobia. Books and television are also responsible - there are many people who are
___7___ afraid to go into the water after the film Jaws.
Innate biological instincts may 8 be partly to blame. Primitive humans would have needed
to avoid certain species of animals, as we do now, such as venomous snakes, poisonous frogs,
tarantulas and wolves. These instincts may simply be particularly strong in some people.
Sadly, most phobics will not seek help, even 9 most sufferers who do undergo treatment
are cured.

1. A. Because B. For example C. However D. Nevertheless

2. A. although B. as C. because D. despite
3. A. Apart B. As well as C. In addition D. While
4. A. also B. as well as C. except D. such as
5. A. as long as B. because C. but D. for
6. A. finally B. Instead of C. previously D. therefore
7. A. even B. no longer C. still D. yet
8. A. also B. never C. surely D. too
9. A. although B. as C. though D. since

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 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
SEPTIEMBRE 2015
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES

A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en
relación a dichos textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:

 Pregunta de completar. Se presenta un texto con huecos (del 1 al 6) en los que falta una frase. Se proporcionan las
frases en un listado (de la A a la G) que incluye más frases de las necesarias. Sólo hay una frase correcta para
cada hueco. Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE
RESPUESTAS.
Ejemplo:
1. A B C D E F G
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1. A B C D E F G

 Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las completan.
Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS.
Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C

En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente
las instrucciones de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder todas las preguntas de los ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén
desconectados durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en
silencio a que el/la profesor/a se acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: LET US HAVE "NOTHING" TO EAT

1 A B C D E F G
2 A B C D E F G
3 A B C D E F G
4 A B C D E F G
5 A B C D E F G
6 A B C D E F G

EJERCICIO 2: THE LUXURIES OF OUR UPBRINGING HAD ELUDED US

1 A B C
2 A B C
3 A B C
4 A B C
5 A B C
6 A B C
7 A B C

EJERCICIO 3: THIS IS THE STORY OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE

1 A B C
2 A B C
3 A B C
4 A B C
5 A B C
6 A B C
7 A B C

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 1
LET US HAVE "NOTHING" TO EAT
Adapted from The artificial world around us, by Lucy Kavaler

You are going to read part of an article from which some sentences have been removed. For
gaps 1-6 choose the phrase (A-G) which best fits each gap. Only ONE answer is correct,
and there is ONE phrase you DO NOT NEED to use. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL
YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

A synthetic food has been produced that is not food at all. It has no taste, no smell, no vitamins or
minerals. It has no energy-producing calories. 1 . What does it do? It fools you into
thinking that you have eaten a full-course dinner. Your appetite is satisfied; your stomach feels full.
______2 . Millions of Americans, however, are watching their waistlines. Everyone wants to
have the beautiful figure of a television star or an athlete. 3 . Doctors have some
harsh words to say about fatness. Fat people are likely to develop heart conditions and other
physical ailments.

Scientists have been worrying about the problems of their overweight brothers and sisters. For
many years they have been hunting for something that will give the same effect as food without
containing its nourishment.

As it turned out, the product that eventually proved suitable is anything but rare. It is one of the
most plentiful substances on earth - as plentiful as trees or grass or cotton. 4 . All of
these are made up of a substance called cellulose.

People have been trying to eat cellulose for years, but for a long time no suitable way of handling it
could be found. One man, for example, took some surgical cotton, chopped it up very fine, and
flavored it with fruit juice. 5 . A more tempting form of cellulose was discovered only
recently, almost by accident, in the laboratories of the American Viscose Corporation by a scientist
named Dr. O. A. Battista.

Dr. Battista was at work trying to develop a particularly strong rayon tire cord. 6 .A
quarter of an hour later the scientist discovered that the blender was completely filled with
something that resembled a thick white custard. Dr. Battista spooned the custard out of the blender
and made cookies and sauces with it. These were the first examples of the food that can be eaten,
but that is not food.

A As you can imagine, not many people were eager to copy his recipe

B In fact, it is a part of trees and grass and cotton and many other plants

C In one such trial he placed some cellulose in water in an ordinary electric blender

D The laboratory was equipped with an oven

E To sum up, it provides you with no nourishment at all

F Vanity is not the only reason why people try to be slim

G You may wonder why anyone would want to play such tricks on himself

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EJERCICIO 2

THE LUXURIES OF OUR UPBRINGINGS HAD ELUDED US

Adapted from the Guardian. Friday 7th November 2014

Read the text below and for questions 1-7 choose the correct answer A, B or C. Only ONE
answer is correct. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER
SHEET.

Not too long ago, my friend Lou and I were chatting in the soft-play area of an industrial estate just
off the north circular. It was the kind of cheap, tacky place I had always hated, but now found
myself frequenting with a resignation that bordered on affection. "It's just that you can't match the
finish," she was saying, as we watched our children pelting one another with small plastic balls.
"Am I being ridiculous?"
Lou had decided that she was going to decorate her entire flat in Farrow & Ball, a notoriously
middle-class brand of paint that sells for something approaching the price of liquid gold. To put this
expenditure into context, Lou and her boyfriend had only just, with their third baby on the way,
managed to buy a family home – a two-bed flat in the outermost reaches of London. She is a
teacher, he is a jazz musician – enough said.
I took a sip of coffee while I thought it through. Was it ridiculous for her to bankrupt herself buying
overpriced paint? Sure. Did I understand it? Absolutely.
For Lou and I, many things had not turned out quite the way we expected. The luxuries that
supported our middle-class upbringings – terraced houses in leafy streets, holidays abroad, money
left in the account at the end of the month – had thus far eluded us, and it was beginning to look
like they always would. Outwardly, we accepted this – or rather, we realised that it would be
grotesque to complain about it.
But deep in our secret souls, we didn't accept it at all. We still considered ourselves to be the kind
of people whose children would play in the garden, not in the soft-play centre; the kind of people
who would spend weekends pruning the hedge and serving roasts on an ample kitchen table. The
gap between our self-image and our reality was yawning ever wider.
Our only recourse was to express middle-classness in small and pointless ways; ways that
probably nobody else would even notice. We always bought biodegradable nappies. We treated
ourselves to organic veggie boxes, instead of buying our carrots in Tesco. We spent money we
didn't have on stupid, trendy paint.
It couldn't go on. Sooner or later, we'd have to admit the game was up. Soon … but not yet.
"No, babe," I said. "You're not being ridiculous at all."

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1 The author ………. going to the soft-play area with her children.
A hates
B enjoys
C now tolerates

2 Lou had bought some ………. paint.

A weird
B well-known
C extravagant

2 Lou lives in a ...

A slum
B luxury area in London
C working-class neighbourhood

4 The author thinks Lou’s attitude is ...

A difficult to understand
B inappropriate for her financial situation
C not ridiculous because she wants the best for her new flat

5 The author and Lou ...

A enjoyed a better life in the past
B enjoy having meals in a big kitchen on Sundays
C wish their children had the life they had never enjoyed

6 The author and Lou buy expensive products because ...

A they can afford them
B they want to impress other people
C it makes them feel they are middle class

7 The author thinks they ...

A will never admit their real situation
B will have to change their attitude immediately
C are not going to change their attitude for the time being

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Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

EJERCICIO 3

THIS IS THE STORY OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE

Adapted from: This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, by Ann Patchett

Read the text below and for questions 1-7 choose the correct answer A, B or C. Only ONE
answer is correct. DON’T FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER
SHEET.

The tricky thing about being a writer, is that in addition to making art you also have to make a
living. My short stories and novels have always filled my life with meaning, but, at least in the first
decade of my career, they were no more capable of supporting me than my dog was. But part of
what I love about both novels and dogs is that they are so beautifully oblivious to economic
concerns. It isn't their responsibility to figure out where the rent is coming from.
What I was looking for in a job was simple enough: something that would allow me to pay the bills
and still leave me time to write. At first I thought the key would be to put the burden on my back
rather than my brain, and so I worked as a restaurant cook and, later, as a waitress. And I was
right, there was plenty of room in my head for stories, but because I fell asleep the minute I
stopped moving, very few of those stories were ever written down. Once I realized that physical
labor wasn't the answer, I switched to teaching — the universally suggested career for all M.F.A.
graduates — and while I wasn't so tired, days spent attending to the creativity of others often left
me uninterested in any sort of creativity of my own. All I knew for certain was that I had to figure
out how to both eat and write.
The answer, at least the first spark of it, came in the form of a 250-word book review of Amy Tan's
novel The Joy Luck Club. I had published several short stories in Seventeen magazine, and had
asked my editor if I could have a nonfiction assignment as well. The economics were easy enough
to figure: Seventeen ran one short story a month, twelve stories a year, and if I was doing my
absolute best I could never hope for more than one or two of those spots. A writer of nonfiction, on
the other hand, could publish an article in every issue. I had finally identified a job that I more or
less knew how to do that would be neither mentally nor physically exhausting.
Which is not to say that it wasn't exasperating at times. I was asked to rewrite that book review half
a dozen times, and each time I was told I had to consider yet another aspect of the novel. Once my
book review was accepted, I started pitching ideas for articles to the editor. For every ten story
ideas I came up with, I would be given the green light to write one of them (without a contract or kill
fee), and for every ten I was allowed to write, maybe one would actually make its way into the
magazine. The one that was accepted would then be rewritten ten times.
Seventeen magazine, where I never had an office and rarely visited, was the site of my
apprenticeship. I was learning how to work for a magazine by shaping my writing, yes, but I was
also shaping myself.

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1 The author was looking for a job because she ...

A had plenty of time to write
B couldn’t make a living from art exclusively
C wanted to do something different from writing exclusively

2 The author loves dogs and novels because they ...

A are worth lots of money
B are totally unaware of money matters
C were economically important in her first ten years as a writer

3 Her job as a cook and waitress ...

A was exhausting
B was not very good for creativity
C did not allow her to make a living

4 She found that teaching was …

A killing her creativity
B making her uninterested in other people’s creativity
C as physically demanding as cooking and serving tables

5 She began writing nonfiction because …

A writing fiction wore her out
B she thought it was easier than writing fiction
C it would be much easier for her to earn a living

6 When she was working for Seventeen …

A she had most of her articles published
B very few of her articles were published
C her fiction work was published in the magazine

7 Seventeen …
A was the place where she spent long hours writing
B was the magazine where she had a stable and steady job
C transformed not only the way she wrote but also the way she was

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 ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS

PRUEBA ESPECÍFICA DE CERTIFICACIÓN

DE NIVEL AVANZADO DE INGLÉS
SEPTIEMBRE 2016
Comisión de Evaluación de la EOI de

COMPRENSIÓN DE LECTURA
Puntuación total /20
Calificación

Apellidos:
Nombre:
DNI/NIE:
LEA LAS SIGUIENTES INSTRUCCIONES
A continuación va a realizar una prueba que contiene tres ejercicios de comprensión de lectura.
Los ejercicios tienen la siguiente estructura: se presentan unos textos y se especifican unas tareas que deberá realizar en relación a dichos
textos. Las tareas o preguntas serán del siguiente tipo:

 Preguntas de relacionar. Se presentan una serie de textos cortos y una serie de frases. Deberá relacionar cada texto con una de las
frases. Sólo hay una frase correcta para cada texto y hay dos frases extra que no se relacionan con ninguno de los textos.
Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C D E F G H

Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.

1 A B C D E F G H

 Preguntas o frases incompletas, seguidas de una serie de respuestas posibles o de frases que las completan. En este caso deberá
elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las
opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:
1 A B C
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C

 Preguntas de completar. Se presenta un texto con huecos numerados en los que falta una palabra. Para cada hueco se presentan 4
opciones de palabras (A, B, C y D). Deberá elegir la respuesta correcta rodeando con un círculo la letra de su opción en la HOJA DE
RESPUESTAS. Sólo una de las opciones es correcta.
Ejemplo:

1 A B C D
Si se confunde, tache la respuesta equivocada y rodee la opción que crea verdadera.
1 A B C D

En total, deberá contestar 20 preguntas para completar esta prueba. Antes de responder a las preguntas, lea atentamente las instrucciones
de cada ejercicio.
Dispone de 50 minutos para responder todas las preguntas de los ejercicios que componen la prueba.
Utilice únicamente bolígrafo azul o negro y asegúrese de que su teléfono móvil y dispositivos electrónicos estén desconectados
durante toda la prueba.
Trabaje concentradamente, no hable ni se levante de la silla. Si tiene alguna duda, levante la mano y espere en silencio a que el/la
profesor/a se acerque a su mesa. Espere a que le indiquen que PUEDE EMPEZAR.
Consejería de Educación y Cultura Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas del Principado de Asturias

HOJA DE RESPUESTAS

EJERCICIO 1: BOOK REVIEW

1 A B C D E F G H
2 A B C D E F G H
3 A B C D E F G H
4 A B C D E F G H
5 A B C D E F G H
6 A B C D E F G H

EJERCICIO 2: HEARING LOSS COSTS MORE THAN ABILITY TO HEAR

1 A B C
2 A B C
3 A B C
4 A B C
5 A B C
6 A B C
7 A B C
8 A B C

EJERCICIO 3: KINDRED SPIRITS

1 A B C D
2 A B C D
3 A B C D
4 A B C D
5 A B C D
6 A B C D

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EJERCICIO 1

BOOK REVIEW
Adapted from www.theguardian.com

Read the following book reviews. For each of the sentences (A-H) choose the correct text
(1-6). There are TWO sentences which you DO NOT NEED to use. DO NOT FORGET TO
TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

1 – I am a Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.

Despite Mr. Hayes´s long history as a movie guy, I am a Pilgrim is not a film treatment bloated into
a book form. It´s a big, breathless tale of nonstop suspense, and it has something rarely found in
big-budget movies of the same genre: the voice of a single writer instead of the patchwork
nonsense created by endless collaborators and fixers. Mr. Hayes delivers his share of far-fetched
moments, and no doubt he´d like to see I am a Pilgrim filmed one day. But he´s his worst enemy in
that regard. His novel will be hard for any movie version to beat.

2 – The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

Ms Hawkins´ story has three women to narrate it. But Rachel, the main one, hits a new high of
unreliability. For one thing, she’s drunk throughout most of the story, so her memories are not to be
trusted. Not even is she sure if what she remembers really happened. Her whole life has become a
lie. Her boozy behaviour has led to her being fired in London, but she still sticks to her old, rigid
commuting schedule because she has nothing else to do.

3 –To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

The book is about Atticus Finch, who appears as an unconventional hero and role model due to his
morality rather than his physical capabilities. To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on that gut instinct of
right and wrong, and distinguishes it from just following the law.

I read Harper Lee when I was 13, the perfect age to appreciate the big issue it addresses in a
brilliantly accessible but emotional way. Atticus Finch shows us the importance of standing up for
what´s right, even when no one around is supportive and you know you are going to lose. The
book gave me guidelines for life, and that´s a very special gift.

4 – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

There´s so much in Austen´s writing that resonates with Western and Eastern culture. Indeed,
when I first read Pride and Prejudice, I thought the characters could be Indian, the way unmarried
girls are paraded around and the paternal worries about what to do with your daughter when she
doesn´t have much of a dowry. Austen was a quietly subversive feminist writer. In Elizabeth
Bennet you have a girl who´s too intelligent to play the game and I really related to that.

5 – Frost in May by Antonia White.

This was the first Virago Modern Classic and it led me to all the great women writers that Virago
published. A novel based on White´s time in a Catholic boarding school in 1908, the story gripped
me like no other. Here was a whole new world where the protagonist, Nanda, discovers literature.
At school all my friends passed this book around.

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6 – Prime Suspect by Linda La Plante.

Organised crime is rife on the streets. While the Krays and Richardsons are languishing behind
bars a new undercurrent of violent crime and terrorism lies in their wake.

Determined to prove herself, the main character is drawn into her first murder case, the killing of a
young girl who has been savagely beaten. Operating in a male-dominated world and learning to
deal with the brutality she sees, Jane is in at the deep end.

EJERCICIO 2

HEARING LOSS COSTS MORE THAN ABILITY TO HEAR

Adapted from www.nytimes.com

Read the text below and for questions 1-8 choose the correct answer A, B or C. Only ONE
answer is correct. DO NOT FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE
ANSWER SHEET.

Mark Hammel’s hearing was damaged in his 20s by machine gun fire when he was serving in the
Israeli Army. But not until decades later, at 57, did he receive his first hearing aids.

“It was very joyful, but also very sad, when I contemplated how much I had missed all those years,”
Dr. Hammel, a psychologist in Kingston, N.Y., said in an interview. “I could hear well enough sitting
face to face with someone in a quiet room, but in public, with background noise, I knew people
were talking, but I had no idea what they were saying. I just stood there nodding my head and
smiling.

“Eventually, I stopped going to social gatherings. Even driving, I couldn’t hear what my daughter
was saying in the back seat. I live in the country, and I couldn’t hear the birds singing.

People with hearing loss often don’t realize what they’re missing,” he said. “So much of what
makes us human is social contact, interaction with other human beings. When that’s cut off, it
comes with a very high cost.”

And the price people pay is much more than social. As Dr. Hammel now realises, “the capacity to
hear is so essential to overall health.”

Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. An estimated 30 million
to 48 million Americans have hearing loss that significantly diminishes the quality of their lives
academically, professionally and medically as well as socially.

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists states: “For the majority of people with
hearing loss, the difficulties faced can wreak havoc in a person’s life.” Yet, the register added,
“Many people who have hearing loss are not aware of it, or are unwilling to discuss their hearing
loss.”

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In a large survey by the National Council on the Aging, two-thirds of older adults with untreated
hearing loss explained their reluctance to get a hearing aid with statements like “my hearing is not
bad enough” or “I can get along without one,” and one person in five said things like “it would make
me feel old” or “I don’t like what others will think about me”. Untreated hearing loss can have
physical consequences as well, including excessive fatigue, stress and headaches, which may
result from trying so hard to hear and understand spoken language.

It is also distressing for family members who typically report feeling frustrated, annoyed and sad as
a consequence of communication difficulties and misunderstandings.

A 2011 study by the Better Hearing Institute, found that untreated hearing loss adversely affected
productivity, performance and career success, and was associated with a loss in annual income
that could reach $30,000. Those in the study with severe hearing loss were twice as likely to be
unemployed as people with normal hearing and nearly twice as likely to be out of work as their
peers who used hearing aids.

However, those in the survey who had hearing aids were, on average, more socially active and
less likely to be depressed, worried, or insecure, and their family members were even more likely
than they were to have noticed these benefits. In America, the majority of hearing aid users agreed
that their quality of life improved with better hearing and said that their hearing aids were worth the
investment. Not only are hearing aids tied to improved relationships, higher social activity, but they
have also shown to have an impact on whole body health. When the ability to communicate is
returned, many times a sense of openness to the world is also returned. Many hearing aid users
believe hearing aids have had a positive effect on their general health.

EJERCICIO 3

KINDRED SPIRITS
Adapted from National Geographic Traveler Magazine

You are going to read a text about travelling. For gaps 1-6 choose the answer (A-D) which
best fits each gap. Only ONE answer is correct. DO NOT FORGET TO TRANSFER ALL
YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET.

Some destinations drift in and out of fashion, while some seem ever-present in travelers’
consciousness. India is squarely in the latter camp.

Nothing can define India and you have to spend a lifetime to understand this land. 1 after
hundreds of trips, you will still be amazed by this country.

2 other countries that went through homogenization, India is incredibly open and has
absorbed ideas from various cultures. Home to several of the world’s major religions, many are
drawn here by the intense spiritual experiences on offer made all the more transcendental by the
colour, and clamor of a truly multicultural society and stunning natural landscapes.

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In our cover story of this issue we focus on some of the country’s most sacred sites, the River
Ganges in Varanasi, the Kumbh Mela festival, Amritsar´s Golden Temple 3 its ancient
meditation and yoga traditions.

Spiritualism and religion permeate every pore of India, and are part of its inescapable character
and allure. And for all its growing modernity, everything from food and clothing to architecture and
politics is shaped at its roots by Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism, to name
. 4 a few.

With a history intertwined with so many different strands of faith, it’s impossible to even begin to
understand this complex country without first witnessing the effect religion and spirituality have on
the daily life of its 1.25 billion inhabitants. 5 a Westerner would be shocked to see 1
million people gathered for a religious festival, an Indian might wonder where the remaining went.

For travelers, it’s a chance to experience some of the most spectacular and spiritual religious sites
on the planet. 6 you are a spiritual person or a nature enthusiast, you can get your
money´s worth.

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EJERCICIO 1

BOOK REVIEW

A It depicts a novice swimming against chauvinism

B It depicts a world racing towards a catastrophe

I Am a Pilgrim
C It has an author and main character that are ahead of their time The Girl on the Train
It portrays a main character for whom real life has nothing to do To Kill A Mockingbird
D
with the fabricated life in her head
Pride and Prejudice
It shows a main character who must come to terms with her own
E Frost in May
past
F It teaches the reader relevant directions to take in life Prime Suspect

G It was the most fascinating book the reader has read

It will probably be made into a film that might not live up to the
H
expectations of the author

EJERCICIO 2

HEARING LOSS COSTS MORE THAN ABILITY TO HEAR

1 Choose the sentence that is correct about Mark Hammel´s hearing

A It was damaged in combat
B It was damaged not long ago
C It had always worked very poorly

2 Mr Hammel had bitter-sweet feelings when he realised…

A his condition would never improve
B how much he had lost out on things
C his social life was coming to an end

3 What worried Mark Hammel most about his hearing loss was how …
A to cope with his deafness
B his hearing loss might affect his social life
C this condition might affect his general well-being

4 “Diminishes the quality of their lives” (paragraph 6, line16) means to…a person´s life
A shape
B improve
C damage

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5 According to the survey, most adults with hearing loss object to using hearing aids
because…

A hearing aids are noticeable devices

B hearing aids are not fashionable items
C they are not fully aware of their condition

6 According to the survey relatives of people that are “hearing impaired”

feel……about the communication problems this condition implies.

A at ease
B resigned
C disheartened

7 A 2011 study found that people with untreated hearing loss…

A have their career success impeded or cut short

B can do their job as well as other people who use hearing aids
C have the same chances when getting a job than other people

8 The purpose of this text is to…

A provide assessment to prevent further damage

B point out incorrect assumptions about hearing loss
C make people aware of the benefits of using hearing aids

EJERCICIO 3

KINDRED SPIRITS

1 A Even B However C Still D Yet

2 A As regards B Different from C Likewise D Unlike

3 A as well as B in addition C in spite of D too

4 A but B for C so D such as

5 A Contrary to B Meanwhile C Unlike D While

6 A Even though B No matter C Regardless of D Whether

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