Modelo Examen 1 – Reading

Part 1

Read the following text, then read the five statements. Some of these statements are true according to the text, some of them are false. Write T for True or F for False in the box next to each statement. 

ANDREW: Graham; people call you the «bird man of the Isles»; so can you tell me what exactly is it that you do with birds?

GRAHAM: Well I take in injured birds, mainly birds of prey; I fix them, and hopefully return them to the wild. These injuries would be broken wings, or starvation, or whatever.

ANDREW: Are there a lot of birds of prey on the Scottish isles, or are there less than there used to be?

GRAHAM: The Scottish islands are still a stronghold for a lot of birds of prey. There are probably as many as there ever were.

ANDREW: When you get a bird in, what do you do to it? Do you keep it in a bird’s hospital, or do you send it out to a doctor? Or are you the doctor yourself?

GRAHAM: I’m not the doctor! But the veterinary surgeons here tend to be more acquainted with sheep and cattle, rather than birds. And I tend to look after the bird side of it. In fact, some of the veterinary surgeons here refer patients to me!

ANDREW: You get in falcons and eagles here! How does an eagle manage to get here? How do people find eagles to bring to you?

GRAHAM: Somebody’ll maybe come across an injured eagle, for example, on the hill; and report it to somebody. And more often than not it’s the police that contact me and tell me there’s an injured bird, eagle or whatever, at such and such a place. And I usually go for it if it’s an eagle, but if it’s something like a smaller bird, I ask people just to put a box over it and bring it to me.

ANDREW: Do all the birds you have come from the island of Skye? Or do people bring them in from further afield?

GRAHAM: All the ones I have at the moment come from the Isle of Skye. I have had them from further afield; from the mainland of Scotland, and from some of the other islands nearby.

ANDREW: And after you’ve had a bird, what do you do with it? Do you release it into the wild? And if so, how many of your birds can you release into the wild? Or do you have to keep some of them because they’re unable to fly?

GRAHAM: The majority of the birds are released back into the wild. I do have some that over the years I’ve had to keep, because they were unable to fend for themselves in the wild.

ANDREW: Are there a lot of people doing this kind of rescue work for birds of prey in Scotland? Or are you one of the few?

GRAHAM: There are a few throughout Scotland; and most areas are covered by somebody who will take iQen birds and attend to them as best as possible.

ANDREW: Is the situation for birds of prey or eagles still getting worse, or is it improving in this part of the world, would you say?

GRAHAM:  I think compared to the situation in the sixties, when they had a pesticide problem, the situation is improving.

ANDREW: Would you say it’s going to go on improving? Or have we reached a sort of equilibrium now?

GRAHAM: As far as Skye’s concerned, I think probably that the numbers of birds of prey are about as high as we could expect; as high as the habitat will stand.

ANDREW: You sometimes breed birds, I believe, in particular owls. What do you do with these? Do you put them back in the wild, or do you send them to other parts of Britain, or what? 

GRAHAM: We’ve been breeding barn-owls for several years now, and we release them into the wild on Skye.

ANDREW: Have you got any plans to breed any other types of bird? 

GRAHAM: No plans immediately. It just depends on what I might have; and if I had a pair… the buzzard, for example. There’s no point in breeding buzzards; they’re so common. Peregrine; there’s not many peregrines in the area, but to breed them and release them could improve the natural stock. But I think they’re doing quite well naturally, and I think if they reach their own levels, that’s quite sufficient. Kestrels, sparrowhawks are fairly common throughout Skye and the country, so there’s no point in breeding them.  

2) There are more birds in Scotland now than ever before. 

3) Vets on Skye are more specialized in tiny animals.

4) The only birds that Graham actually goes out to get are eagles.

5) People send birds from all over Britain to Graham Ross.

6) He only keeps weak birds.

7) The environmental situation has improved since the sixties for birds.

8) There are not enough birds of prey on Skye.

9) Barn owls are released after several years on the island.

10) It is impossible to breed Peregrine Falcons in captivity.

Part 2

Read the text and fill the gaps with the correct sentences A-H. Write the letter of the missing sentence in the box in the gap. There are two extra sentences you will not need. 

Friend on the road

A. Take an old university pal of mine, Chris.

B. Stopping could mean being a minute late for his appointment.

C. For instance, one of my dearest mates at university.

D. The offender could run away putting everyone’s lives at stake.

E. The culprit is up to the next crossing by then, terrorising others.

F. He barely escapes accident after accident and risks finishing his journey, and perhaps yours, in casualty.

G. Hardly do they escape after provoking the accident.

H. “Hello, dear, you look stressed. Roads busy, were they?” 

Something can happen to people when they get in the driving seat of a car. A normally easy-going, non-argumentative person may, at the slightest provocation from other road users and pedestrians, suddenly become a fiend, unable to consider anyone but himself or herself and be determined to get from A to B without “unnecessary” interruptions – and nothing will get in his or her way.

Meet him at a party and he’s the most laid-back person around. But behind a steering wheel Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde. A traffic light turns to red. Does he slow down and let people cross the road? No, he steps on the gas and zooms on regardless.

Never mind pedestrians leap back, fearing for their lives. Anyway, they are used to it. I know I certainly am: many  times I’ve been halfway over a crossing, in the middle of the road, and a car-driving monster still won’t stop. “Do you want to murder me?” I shout, but to no avail.

Nor are cyclists safe, as the speed and closeness of the fiend’s driving forces them onto the pavement. If you have the misfortune, as I sometimes do, to be a passenger in the fiend’s car, you hold onto your seat for dear life, instinctively searching for the brake with your foot, as he speeds round bends, shouting abuse at people like me who keep within lanes and speed limits, then jumps queues by tearing down tram lines.

Why? To save two minutes on his journey. Home now, he steps out of the car and dusts himself down. Attempting a smile, he is greeted by his wife.

Part 3

Read the four texts below. There are eight questions about the texts. Decide which text (A, B, C or D) tells you the answer to the question. The first one is done for you. 

Which text is saying the following?

1) Aim for a renewal into the medical city from the city?  

2) Believe that Westwend has a certain role in the considerable plight of the ecosystem? 

3) Have the willingness to meet the inhabitant’s issues and come up with solutions?

Which text is saying the following?

4) Schooling fees are a matter of a good quarrel

5) Bureaucracy and VAT will be reduced.

6) Transparency and commitment are assured.

7) Living in a good society requires pedagogical and technological matters to be enhanced.

Part 4

Read the article and answer the questions. Write a maximum of five words for each answer.

It’s Just A Rumour

Gossiping certainly has had a bad press. The term is sometimes used to specifically refer to the spreading of dirt any misinformation. Certain newspapers carry “gossip columns” that relate scandals and personal information. Indeed, to be labelled a “gossip” is certainly far from complementary and suggests a meddlesome, if not somewhat vindictive, personality at work who is not to be trusted with personal confidences. Undoubtedly the instigator of catty, idle chatter that fuels so many office and school rumours would be deservedly maligned. Such malicious gossip is usually an individual’s way of getting back at their enemies or advancing themselves and such behaviour is considered destructive to all parties concerned. in addition, stories of internet gossiping and bullying, tragically ending in the suicide of the victim of such gossip, are rife in the media. It is this type of gossip that has caused gossiping to be viewed so negatively.

Interestingly, the origin of the word “gossip” originally bore no indication of the negative connotations that would later be attributed to the term. Deriving from the Old English for “godsibb”, meaning godparents, the term was used to describe close friends with social and religious obligations. It was only later in the 16th century that the word began to take on a more negative meaning, describing a woman who delighted in talking about others. The link between females and gossiping, in turn, originated from a time when women gave birth in front of a females-only gathering. At such occasions, social chatter would be part and parcel of the proceedings, resulting in the evolution of the word “gossip” to mean idle, female talk.

“Gossips” were later seen as disruptive members of society; individuals engaging in gossip were seen as less likeable and having less social power. This still holds true today, even if the gossip in laboratory experiment lost their own friends’ respect and as a result perceived them as less trustworthy, afterwards. Furthermore, regardless of gossip type (positive versus negative) or relationship type (friend versus stranger) the gossipers were always rated as less trustworthy after sharing the gossip. In fact, so destructive is the action of gossiping perceived, that its effects have been likened to blackmail. Both gossip and blackmail involve the disclosure of a secret but its effects have been likened to control over the information as they have the option of silencing the blackmailer with a bribe. With gossip there is no such recourse; the gossip exposes the secret without warning.

However, recent studies would seem to suggest that gossiping is not all bad. In a recent study, undertaken by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, it was found that talking behind someone’s back resulted in meaningful social benefits. In one experiment, a participant acted as an observer between two game players. During the game, one of the players cheated, accumulating a score disproportionate to their playing skills and ability. The observer, hooked up to heart rate monitors, was shown to exhibit an increased heart rate as the “cheater” emerged as the triumphant “winner”. However, when permitted the opportunity, most participants sent a “gossip note” to their player cautioning them not to trust the cheater – an action that simultaneously worked to lower the participants’ heart rates. Additionally, such participants reported feeling happier afterwards than those participants not warning the other player. 

The conclusion drawn from the study suggest that gossip can play an important role in maintaining social order, a purpose that may have been evolutionary beneficial. Willer suggests that as our human ancestors began to live in larger groups, it became increasingly impractical to monitor the behaviours of group members. Linguistic practices, like gossip, allowed group members to track one another’s reputation as trustworthy interaction partners, even if they could not personally observe other’s behaviour themselves. With reputational concerns foremost, group members were forced to keep selfish motives in check or risk ostracism. 

1) Why do some employees use gossip in their workplace?

2) What is the unfortunate outcome of online harassment in some cases?

3) Before the Renaissance, the function of the term was to…

4) Currently, society regards those who spread rumours as…

5) What crime has been associated with gossiping?

6) Who took the chance to warn others against the gossiper?

7) In a nutshell, research found that revealing secrets may be…

8) Who was at stake of being excluded?