Final English examination
Bachillerato 1
June 2013
Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Class: …………………
From “Youtuber” to TV presenter
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A 24-year-old woman has been given a job as a presenter at the BBC after her video weblogs were
seen by a TV producer on YouTube. Susi Weaser was working for a public relations company and as
a hobby was giving video demonstrations of gadgets, which she posted on YouTube, the website
which offers people a chance to have their home movie footage seen by millions.
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Now, instead of logging on to watch Susi, viewers can see her every Sunday morning on BBC2’s
Something for the Weekend. She has made regular appearances on the entertainment and cookery
programme for the past few weeks. She is believed to be the first person who has been spotted on a
website and then employed and as presenter on UK TV.
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TV producer Mike Worsley said that he hadn’t used this method of spotting talent before but that it
had been a great discovery. He added that because the videos were quite short, a minute long, it was
exactly the sort of demonstration they wanted on the programme. He told reporters that Susi had
been very popular because she was female, which is not very typical in that field. She has a positive,
confident and unusual style, and she is very interactive with the audience.
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Susi’s job involves researching gadgets and selecting one or two to demonstrate. She then arrives at
the studio on Sunday, gets her make-up done and then has to wait in the “green room” with the
celebrity that will be appearing in the show that day until it is her own turn to go on air. Susi said that
she still couldn’t believe that she was on TV and that she felt bad because she had friends who were
working very hard to try to get into television or acting and that she was sitting there not doing
anything more than enjoying playing with gadgets.
I. READING COMPREHENSION. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TEXT. USE
YOUR OWN WORDS. (4 points: questions 1-3, 1 point each; 4-5, 0,5 points each)
1. Does Mike Worsley often use the internet to find presenters?
2. Why do the viewers enjoy watching Susi?
3. What does Susi have to do before she arrives at the studio on Sundays?
SAY WETHER THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE OR FALSE. USE PRECISE WORDS OR
PHRASES FROM THE TEXT OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
4. Susi Weaser used to work in a video shop.
5. Susi felt bad because she earned too much money.
II. USE OF ENGLISH. (3 points: questions 6-9, 0,25 points each; 10-13, 0,5 points each)
6. Give a synonym for the word “popular” as it is used on line 12
7. Find in the text a word that matches the following definition: “extent of film material shot and exposed”
8. Find in the text a synonym for “show”
9. Write a noun with the same root as “interactive”
10. Order the words in the following boxes to make a meaningful sentence. Use ALL and ONLY the words
in the boxes without changing their form.
much
a
earn
Susi
presenter
as
doesn’t
money
working
11. Complete the following conditional sentence: “If I worked on TV...
12. Transform this active sentence into the passive voice. Make any necessary changes.
Thousands of viewers watched the YouTube videos every day.
13. Rewrite the following sentence into the indirect speech.
“I have never seen Susi’s website before”, Mike Worsly said.
III. PRODUCTION. WRITE A COMPOSITION OF APPROXIMATELY 120 WORDS. FOCUS ON THE
TOPIC. (3 points)
Reality shows: quality entertainment or TV trash?
Final English examination
Bachillerato 1
June 2013
Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Class: …………………
Gift giving around the world
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When univeristy student Penny Richards wento to China to teach English for a year, she stayed
with a Chinese family. On arrival at their home she presented the family with a beautiful clock but
the family didn’t seem to appreciate the present. She later discovered that the word for clock in
Chinese sounds like the word for death and symbolizes the end of relationships.
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Penny’s blunder shows how important it is to understand a country’s rules about giving gifts. For
example, the Chinese will decline a gift three times before finally accepting, so that they don’t
appear greedy and impatient. You will have to insist until they have accepted the present and then
you will have to say thank you. Also, if you want to wrap your present up in paper, you will need to
think carefully about the colour of the paper that you use because colours have a variety of
meanings, many of which are negative. The best choice would be red, which is considered a lucky
colour.
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China is not the only place where rules about giving gifts are important. In Japan giving gifts is an
enormously important part of the culture and there are strict rules about what, when and how to
give them. The best time to give a gift is near the end of your visit. It is usual to carry the present
inside a shopping bag so that nobody knows that you are about to give it. Then present the gift
with both hands, saying “tsunaranai mon” (an uninteresting thing) even if it is a very expensive
present. Don’t be surprised if they don’t open the gift immediately. This way, if the gift is
unsuitable, then nobody will feel embarrassed.
I. READING COMPREHENSION. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TEXT. USE
YOUR OWN WORDS. (4 points: questions 1-3, 1 point each; 4-5, 0,5 points each)
1. Why did Penny go to China?
2. In China, why do you have to consider the colour of wrapping paper?
3. In Japan, how do you make sure nobody knows you are going to give a present?
SAY WETHER THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE OR FALSE. USE PRECISE WORDS OR
PHRASES FROM THE TEXT OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
4. The Chinese family weren’t happy with the clock.
5. In Japan, people say “tsunaranai mon” when they receive a present.
II. USE OF ENGLISH. (3 points: questions 6-9, 0,25 points each; 10-13, 0,5 points each)
6. Give a synonym for the verb “discover” as it is used on line 3
7. Find in the text a word that matches the following definition: “easily irritated when they have to wait long
for something”
8. Find in the text an opposite of “cheap”
9. Write a noun with the same root as “visit”
10. Order the words in the following boxes to make a meaningful sentence. Use ALL and ONLY the words
in the boxes without changing their form.
in
a
I’d
work
to
foreign
like
country
11. Complete the following conditional sentence: “If I received a present that I didn’t like…
12. Transform this active sentence into the passive voice. Make any necessary changes.
Someone gave me a fantastic present for my birthday.
13. Rewrite the following sentence into the indirect speech.
“I felt really embarrassed after giving my present to the Chinese family”, said Penny.
III. PRODUCTION. WRITE A COMPOSITION OF APPROXIMATELY 120 WORDS. FOCUS ON THE
TOPIC. (3 points)
What’s the present of your dreams? Why?
Final English examination
Bachillerato 1
June 2013
Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Class: …………………
The theft of the Mona Lisa
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On Monday August 21st 1911, the world’s most famous work of art, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa,
or la Gioconda, was stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. However, it wasn’t until the next day,
when a painter, Louis Béroud, went to to look at the painting and saw an empty space where the
Mona Lisa had been displayed, that it became clear that it was missing. He contacted security guards
and a search began which took a whole week, because of the huge size of the museum. The frame
which had once held the picture was eventually found and a police investigation began.
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Many people were interviewed about the theft, including museum workers. The police even
questioned Pablo Picasso because he had once bought two sculptures from a friend called Pieret who
had stolen these pieces from the Louvre some months before the Mona Lisa’s theft. It was thought
that Picasso’s friend might have also stolen the Mona Lisa. However, after interrogating him and his
friend, police were eventually convinced that Picasso didn’t know anything about the theft and he was
released.
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The public was devastated by the theft and many people queued to stare sadly at the blank space
where the Mona Lisa had hung. One visitor even left a bunch of flowers. There were many theories
about who was responsible for the theft, including one that suggested that a Louvre worker had stolen
the painting to reveal how bad the security was at the museum.
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Two years later, the painting was finally recovered in Italy. A man named Vicenzo Perugia was
arrested as he tried to sell the work to the Uffizi Gallery. He admitted to the theft explaining he didn’t
believe that a painting by such an important Italian artist should be kept in France.
I. READING COMPREHENSION. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TEXT. USE
YOUR OWN WORDS. (4 points: questions 1-3, 1 point each; 4-5, 0,5 points each)
1. How long did it take to search the Louvre? Why?
2. Why did the police interview Picasso?
3. When was the thief finally arrested?
SAY WETHER THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE OR FALSE. USE PRECISE WORDS OR
PHRASES FROM THE TEXT OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
4. The people of Paris didn’t know the painting had been stolen.
5. The painting was sold to the Uffizi Gallery.
II. USE OF ENGLISH. (3 points: questions 6-9, 0,25 points each; 10-13, 0,5 points each)
6. Find in the text a synonym for “big”
7. Find in the text a word that matches the following definition: “place where works of art are exhibited”
8. Give a synonym for “devastated” as it is used in the text (line 13)
9. Write an adjective with the same root as “colour”
10. Order the words in the following boxes to make a meaningful sentence. Use ALL and ONLY the words
in the boxes without changing their form.
the
painting
the
police
out
was
found
where
11. Complete the following conditional sentence: “If I witnessed a mug…”
12. Transform this active sentence into the passive voice. Make any necessary changes.
Leonardo Da Vinci developed many different careers in his life.
13. Rewrite the following sentence into the reported speech.
“Do you know a man called Pieret?” the police asked Picasso
III. PRODUCTION. WRITE A COMPOSITION OF APPROXIMATELY 120 WORDS. FOCUS ON THE
TOPIC. (3 points)
Who’s responsible for teaching good behaviour: parents or teachers?