NIVEL INTERMEDIO B2 INGLÉS B2

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2018/2019

COMPRENSIÓN DE TEXTOS ESCRITOS

Apellidos: ……………………………………………………………………………
Nombre: ………………………………………………………………………………..

Marca con una X lo que corresponda:

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 Alumno/a OFICIAL (Indica el nombre de tu profesor/a tutor/a durante el curso

2018-2019): ………………….…..…………………………………. Grupo: .......................
 Alumno/a LIBRE

INSTRUCCIONES PARA LA REALIZACIÓN DE ESTE EJERCICIO:

o Duración: 75 minutos
o Este ejercicio consta de dos tareas. Deberás realizar las dos.
o En la tarea 1 deberás unir a cada una de las personas (A - E) con lo que dice.
Obtienes: 1 punto por cada respuesta correcta; 0 puntos por cada respuesta incorrecta
o no dada.
o En la tarea 2 deberás leer un texto y responder las 10 preguntas de comprensión con
una de las opciones dadas (A, B o C).
Obtienes: 1 punto por cada respuesta correcta; 0 puntos por cada respuesta incorrecta
o no dada.

Muy importante: al final, comprueba que has elegido una sola opción (como en
el ejemplo); si eliges dos opciones, se anula la respuesta a esa pregunta.

o No escribas en los cuadros destinados a la calificación de las tareas.

o Sólo se admiten respuestas escritas con bolígrafo azul o negro.

NO ESCRIBAS AQUÍ :

PUNTUACIÓN DEL EJERCICIO: _____ / 20

CALIFICACIÓN: □ Superado □ No Superado

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2018/2019

TAREA 1 - 10 puntos: Read the following text and answer the questions on page 5.

Avoid stress, be useful: 90-year-olds on how to have a long, happy life

A) Jean Miller, 94, from Falkirk:

The moment you stop and sit in a chair is when you struggle. I have taken an interest in the world around me. Now I am
no longer working I go to a gym class. It’s a class for over 50s so it’s fun, enjoyable exercises. I also joined the University
of the Third Age, a group for retired or semi-retired people to get together and learn for fun. There’s a theatre group I am
part of through this and I am also hoping we will get to learn German soon. I signed up but we need a few more people
to get involved before we can get started.

Life is an education and if you don’t learn as go along then that’s bad. I’ve learned to see things in a different way over
time. My biggest lesson is to be more patient. I used to worry about things but now I don’t. In life you’ve got to take things
as they come.

B) Pam Zeldin, 94, from Manchester:

Getting involved in the community is really important as you get older because it broadens your social circle and your
interests. I have always tried to get out a lot. I have two daughters, one of whom lives very nearby, so she often gives us
a lift, or we’ll get a taxi. I have a scooter which comes in very handy and we have a little push trolley for when we go
shopping. We also go to the cinema and the theatre, and on coach trips around the country. We go to the library and get
our medicines delivered. We can’t go too far but we manage just fine.

I have learned that tolerance and routine is good. And to look after yourself and stay as active as possible. Being in your
90s is not as fun as other ages because your mobility is restricted. We have visitors - my other granddaughter who lives
in London has come to Manchester University, so I am here for her at any time. It’s wonderful having grandchildren in
the family.

C) Krishnamoorty Dasu, 90, New Jersey, US: ‘

I enjoy my life, it is a gift. Negotiating it itself is fun. Old age is what others attribute to you. I take pleasure from listening
to music and reading fiction. This is what I do for enjoyment these days.

I have learned a lot over the years but the most important thing: be useful to yourself and to others. If I could send a
message to my younger self it would be to keep your mind and body fit by reading and rumination and through walking
exercises. Also, eat in moderation. You really do not need all that food you eat.

D) Don Anderson, 99, from Birmingham:

My advice for living to a good age is to take life slowly. This means avoiding the stresses that go with a lot of jobs. Find
something peaceful to do like I did. My career was varied. I ended up actually founding Harlow, a local government district
in the west of Essex. I bought the land it was built on and set up a council. I was one of the area’s founding fathers. I was
a land agent before that and later in life became a professor.

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2018/2019

E) Sheila Keating, 91, from London:

Life in your 90s is much slower because I have difficulty with movement. But luckily I am not slower intellectually. I never
used to write but I do that quite a lot now. In fact I have written my husband´s biography and am waiting to get it
published. One thing I hate though is modern technology. I use it of course but bitterly resent how much it’s used. There’s
no other option in many cases. I think this is wrong because it doesn’t always work. What have I learnt over the years? I
am more tolerant than I used to be. That doesn’t mean I don’t champion certain causes I am passionate about but I live
with others’ way of life more readily. That’s a plus for when you get older.

I think I’ve managed to live this long due to sheer luck. I don’t eat particularly healthily. I don’t exercise enough although
I used to more. All I know is that you’re extremely lucky if you keep your health into your 80s. You are there and ploughing
on until 100 – that’s where I aim to get to.

www.theguardian.com

TAREA 2 - 10 puntos: Read the following text and answer the questions on pages 5 and 6.

Forget superfoods, you can't beat an apple a day

Blueberries began the superfood trend. The hype continued with pomegranates, acai berries and seaweed. Now a long
list of expensive and exotic foods has been credited with health-enhancing and memory-boosting qualities.

With each announcement, sales have leapt, superfood cookbooks have multiplied and supermarkets have rushed to meet
demand, offering a year-round supply of items once available in only the most hardcore of health food shops.

But the reputation of superfoods is under attack. Experts say people would do as well to eat an orange or an apple as
expensive foods that may be dense in 'micronutrients' - tiny amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, for instance -
but which add little to well-being.

Jeremy Spencer, of Reading University, will launch a major debate on the growth of superfoods at the Science Museum's
Dana Centre this week. He believes some claims about specific health benefits are untenable. 'Not only is it completely
misleading to break a food down into its component parts and study those one by one, but it is impossible to predict the
reactions of individual metabolisms to specific foods,' Spencer said. 'Apart from the fact that the effect of the whole food
may be more, or quite different, from the sum of its parts, it is impossible to say each person will have the same
physiological result.'

Other leading diet experts agree. 'The term "superfoods" is at best meaningless and at worst harmful,' said Catherine
Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital in London. 'There are so many wrong ideas about superfoods that I don't
know where best to begin to dismantle the whole concept.'

Just because certain foods are bursting with a particular vitamin or nutrient does not mean they will be especially good
for you, Collins said. 'It might seem that eating foods rich in nutrients is just common sense, but the truth is that our
bodies have a requirement for sufficient nutrients,' she added.
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2018/2019

'If our bodies have an excess of nutrients and cannot store them, they will essentially go to waste. Or, more worryingly, if
certain nutrients can't be excreted in sufficient levels, they could cause serious cellular damage. Overloading our bodies
is not a healthy or natural thing to do.'

Not only is there no scientific definition of a superfood, but the concept itself could be harmful. 'Nominating some foods
as nutritional talismans gives the impression that ordinary, affordable and everyday foods are somehow deficient,' she
said. 'But rather than spend £5 on a small punnet of exotic berries, a family would be better off buying regular and larger
quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables from their local market.

'On a restricted budget, it is even more important to ignore dubious, expensive products in the belief you can take short
cuts to a good diet. Rather than buying some ridiculous African algae, with all the CO2 emissions associated with travel,
eating a cheap British apple would be better for the environment too.'

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, agreed. 'If you're concerned about
your health, then you should probably avoid food products that make health claims,' he said. 'Why? Because the whole
ideology of superfoods is misleading, for consumers and scientists alike.'

Most nutritional science, said Pollan, involves studying one nutrient at a time. 'The problem with nutrient-by-nutrient
science is that it takes the nutrient out of the context of food, the food out of the context of diet, and the diet out of the
context of lifestyle,' he said.

Spencer points to the case of beta carotene which, eaten in its natural form, appears to work as an anti-oxidant, killing
the free radicals in our bodies which can damage DNA and initiate cancers. When the compound was separated by
scientists and ingested as a dietary supplement, however, it was found to increase the risk of certain cancers.

The answer, said Collins, is to eat as balanced, varied and unprocessed a diet as possible. 'People should not look for
individual superfoods, but try to eat a "super diet",' she said. 'A Mediterranean diet, with its balance of food groups, is
very close to the perfect diet.

'It is the only diet which has been the subject of prolonged and serious scientific investigation.'

www.theguardian.com

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2018/2019

Apellidos y Nombre: ……………………………………………………………………………………………

TAREA 1 - 10 puntos: Read the article on pages 2 and 3, in which 5 people in their 90s talk about
what life has taught them about ageing. For questions 1-10, choose from speaker A, B, C, D or E. The
people may be chosen more than once. Write your answers in the appropriate box. The first one (0) is an
example. You will get 1 point per correct answer.

Which speaker (A, B, C, D or E)...

0) Example: …believes they should currently do more sport?

1) …believes problems should be solved in due time?

2) …believes socializing helps ageing?
3) …frequently practises a new activity?
4) …implies feeling young is after all a state of the mind?
5) …is looking forward to greater enrolment in an activity?
6) …mentions devices that ensure mobility?
7) …recommends taking life in a measured and gentle way?
8) …states there is no magic formula to elderly age?
9) …takes pride in their descendants?
10) …wishes had been more active when they were younger?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PUNTOS: / 10

TAREA 2 - 10 puntos: Read the text about superfoods on pages 3 and 4. Choose the correct option (a,
b, c) to complete each sentence. Only one of the answers is correct. Write your answers in the appropriate
box. The first one (0) is an example. You will get 1 point per correct answer.
Answers

EXAMPLE 0. The fashion of superfoods initially started with...

a) fruit and animal products alike.
B
b) fruit and berries. 
c) vegetables and seeds.

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1. Superfoods are considered to be beneficial because they...

a) improve your mental abilities.
b) lengthen your life-span.
c) reduce the risk of heart diseases.
2. Previously, superfoods used to be available...
a) in multiple supermarkets, according to demand.
b) in some specialized establishments.
c) regularly, even for non-seasonable products.
3. According to Jeremy Spencer, the separate study of each element in food...
a) is inaccurate, because there is no correlation to its later effect.
b) is incomplete, since not all types of food are analysed.
c) is unrealistic, as it is not possible to break food entirely.
4. One leading dietician disapproves of the label “superfoods” because...
a) in fact superfoods do not contain so many nutrients.
b) it has been created for commercial purposes only.
c) it has led to a series of misconceptions about nutrition.
5. An overabundance of nutrients...
a) is, according to the author, unlikely to happen.
b) may have adverse effects on our bodies.
c) means the body will reserve them for later use.
6. Catherine Collins’s reference to families implies that they should...
a) avoid buying superfoods if they are not affordable.
b) make sure they buy organic groceries.
c) not think less of affordable ordinary groceries.
7. A further disadvantage of superfoods is connected to the fact that...
a) their farming pollutes the atmosphere.
b) they are produced in overseas destinations.
c) they are usually purchased in large quantities.
8. According to Michael Pollan, the craze for superfoods is problematic
because...
a) it has not been properly researched by scientists yet.
b) it is based on misinformation that ends up being confusing.
c) it spreads false ideas that are misunderstood by non-experts.
9. In the case of beta carotene, problems in health may arise...
a) because it directly damages our DNA.
b) if consumed as part of a compound.
c) if it is artificially produced.
10. According to the text, the Mediterranean diet is recommendable since...
a) it consists mainly of local fresh products.
b) it does not usually include any superfood.
c) it has been backed up by long-term research.

PUNTOS: / 10
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