UNIVERSIDAD POLITCNICA DE CARTAGENA

PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD

DE LOS MAYORES DE 25 AOS
Convocatoria 2012

FASE GENERAL

INGLS

Please answer all the questions in the exam sheet.

OPTION A: SOCIAL HABITS
A night out in Tokyo is much the same as a night out in Milan these days,
according to a survey about socializing, conducted among 16 to 34-year-olds around the
world. Whether you live in South Korea or Canada, Italy or Ireland, a typical night out
is spent eating burgers, seeing American films or listening to English-language music in
clubs and bars. Individual differences do survive the ballet is still particularly popular
among Russians, while more Japanese favor an evening of karaoke but American
culture is everywhere.
Important national differences appear, however, when it comes to time-keeping.
In the Far East and Eastern Europe a night out starts and finishes much earlier: there
seven oclock was the average time for meeting up with friends. For many Southern
European and South Americans, on the other hand, an evening out doesnt even start
until ten or eleven oclock, by which time many of their South Korean or Japanese
counterparts are safely home in bed!
Parents rules reflect this. Most Japanese parents expect their teenagers home by
ten oclock or even earlier, whereas in Europe it is more likely to be eleven or twelve
oclock. The most surprising findings came from Argentina, however, where it is
apparently quite normal for 15 and 16-year-olds to stay out all night. But then perhaps
this is because their parents have less to worry about 80 percent of Argentine
youngsters claimed that they rarely or never drink alcohol! In contrast to this, the high
consumption of alcohol during weekends by teenagers, together with the absence of
clear official regulations, has turned this issue into a major problem in some other parts
of the world.

1. Answer briefly the following questions (3 points):

a) What does the survey about socializing show in relation to going out at night in
different parts of the world?

b) Where do the main differences appear and among which countries?

c) Why are Argentine parents not worried about their teenagers?

2. Choose the correct answer (3 points):

2.1. Youngsters in Southern Europe arrive home ______________ in Eastern Europe.
a) later that
b) later than
c) sooner than
2.2. The survey studies the social habits of teenagers _______________
a) worldwide
b) in some parts of the world c) in America
2.3. Argentine youngsters claimed that they ______________ drink alcohol.
a) very often
b) sometimes
c) very seldom

3. Vocabulary: Find, in the text, the terms or expressions corresponding to the

following definitions (2 points):
a) A detailed investigation of something, for example peoples behavior or their
opinions: __________________
b) The number or size of something that varies but is always approximately the same:
_____________
c) The information you get or the conclusions you come to as a result of an
investigation or some research: ________________
d) Assert or maintain something as a fact: ________________

4. Composition: Write a 100-150 paragraph about one of these two topics (2

points):
a) The influence of American culture in your country.
b) Your opinion about teenagers social habits.

UNIVERSIDAD POLITCNICA DE CARTAGENA

PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
DE LOS MAYORES DE 25 AOS
Convocatoria 2012

FASE GENERAL

INGLS

Please answer all the questions in the exam sheet.

OPTION B: TECHNOLOGY AND FUTURE
Year 2050. Imagine the following: You wake up in your comfortable house,
switch on your bedroom computer and ask it to give you a news update. Electronic
newspapers instantly appear and start to talk to you. There is the usual stuff about space:
another mission has returned from Mars and scientists have discovered a new planet.
There was great excitement back in 2027 when signals were received from Titan that
there might be life on a remote moon, but efforts to make contact came to nothing and
no aliens have appeared.
As you watch the screen, you take your usual weight control pills, and order one
of the household servant robots to make coffee. Then, you disappear into your study to
join a live video conference with colleagues around the world. You are a computer
programmer, and you work for several companies on a contract basis. During a break,
you take a quick look at the shopping channels the usual selection of electric cars,
household robots and cheap travel offers.
Your 7-year-old child has also her own workstation in the family home. She
goes to school only one day a week, mainly to play with other children. Classrooms
disappeared in 2030 because there was no longer any need for them: interactive
communication systems have made it much easier to learn at home.
According to medical experts, you will live to at least 130. Your child will
possibly live a decade more. Does all this sound like the future to you? Well, it is almost
there!
1. Answer briefly the following questions (3 points):
a) What news do the electronic newspapers give about space?

b) How are work and shopping done?

c) Why dont children go to school anymore?

2. Choose the correct answer (3 points):

2.1. There might be life on a remote moon indicates:
a) very high probability
b) high probability

c) low probability

2.2. The future life habits make it unnecessary _____ for working, learning or shopping.
a) to stay home
b) to go out c) to use household robots
2.3. Your child goes to school only:
a) to socialize
b) to receive instruction

c) to exercise

3. Vocabulary: find, in the text, expressions equivalent to the following (2 points):

a) Domestic electronic assistant: _______________
b) The habitual information about something, nothing new: ________________
c) An event conducted electronically in real time: ____________________
d) When a project did not bring out any satisfactory results: ______________________

4. Composition: Write a 100-150 paragraph about one of these two topics (2

points):
a) Do you think the future will be as it is explain in the article? Give reasons for or
against it.
b) Explain how technology has changed your own live in the latest ten years.