Generalitat de CatalunyaDepartament d’EnsenyamentEscoles Ofi cials d’Idiomes

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LLEGIU ATENTAMENT AQUESTES INSTRUCCIONS

Aquest quadernet conté les proves de:

Comprensió escrita _____________ 50 minuts

Comprensió oral _______________ 40 minuts

Ús de la llengua _______________ 30 minuts

Durada total aproximada ______ 120 minuts

En acabar aquest quadernet, hi haurà un descans de 30 minuts i, a continuació, s’administrarà la prova d’Expressió i interacció escrita. S’assignarà dia i hora per a la prova d’Expressió i interacció oral.

Important

• Contesteu al Full de respostes, no en aquest quadernet.

• Les anotacions que feu en aquest quadernet no es tindran en compte.

• Al final de la prova, heu de lliurar el Full de respostes, amb totes les dades, i aquest quadernet.

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ATask 1 Read the text and select T (True) or F (False) for each of the statements. Mark your answers with a cross (X) on your answer sheet. x F

The Real Price of Gold

For thousands of years the desire to possess gold has driven people to extremes, fuelling wars and conquests, girding empires and currencies, levelling mountains and forests. Gold’s unusual density and malleability along with its imperishable

shine have made it one of the world’s most coveted commodities, a transcendent symbol of beauty, wealth, and immortality.

Nowhere is the gold obsession more culturally entrenched than it is in India, which has been the world’s runaway leader in gold demand for several decades. India produces very little gold of its own, but its citizens have hoarded up to 18,000 tons of the yellow metal.

India’s fixation stems not simply from a love of extravagance or the rising prosperity of an emerging middle class. For Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians alike, gold plays a central role at nearly every turning point in life – most of all when a couple marries. There are some ten million weddings in India every year, and in all but a few, gold is crucial both to the spectacle and to the transaction between families and generations. Gold equals good fortune.

This manifests itself most palpably during the springtime festival of Akshaya Tritiya, considered the most auspicious day to buy gold on the Hindu calendar. The quantity of gold jewellery Indians purchase on this day so exceeds the amount bought on any other day of the year that it often nudges gold prices higher.

Throughout the year, though, the epicentre of gold consumption is Kerala, a state that claims just 3% of the country’s population but 7 to 8% of its gold market. Local histori-ans say it was the region’s revolt against the Hindu caste system (before which the low-est castes were allowed to adorn themselves only with polished stones and bones), and the mass conversion to Christianity and Islam that followed, that turned gold into some-thing more than commerce: a powerful symbol of independence and upward mobility.

Despite the long history, no era in Kerala has been hungrier for gold than the present. Among the upper classes and younger consumers in Delhi and Mumbai, gold may be starting to lose ground to more understated – and expensive – materials like platinum and diamonds. Dowries, though officially banned, dominate most wedding proceedings in India, and in Kerala, the largest portion of the dowry is usually gold.

As the price of the metal goes up, however, poor Indian families are having a harder time raising the gold they need for dowries. Though the dowry retains a social function – balancing the wealth between the families of bride and groom – the rising price of gold has only fuelled its abusive side. In the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, the struggle to acquire gold has led to dowry-related domestic violence (usually when grooms’ families beat the brides for bringing too little gold).

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Even in Kerala, the pressure is sometimes too much for the poor to take. Rajam Chidambaram, a 59-year-old widow living in a slum on the outskirts of Cochin, recently found a young man to marry her only daughter, age 27. The groom’s family, however, demanded a dowry far out of her reach: 25 sovereigns, or 200 grams, of gold. Chidambaram, a cleaning woman, has only the two earrings she wears. “I had to agree to the groom’s demand,” Chidambaram says, wiping away tears. “If I refuse, my daughter will stay home forever.”

In the end, local financiers advanced a loan for her daughter’s dowry. Chidambaram may have averted the shame of an unmarried daughter, but she is now burdened with a debt that she may spend the rest of her life trying to repay.

Adapted from National Geographic Magazine, January 2009

1. People have been prepared to destroy our environment just to get gold.

2. Gold’s colour has made it the most sought after metal in the world.

3. Although India doesn’t produce much gold, it is most coveted there.

4. Gold is used to impress guests at weddings.

5. The price of gold in India may vary, reflecting cultural beliefs.

6. Kerala is reported to be number one in gold production in India.

7. Gold is no longer a symbol of which caste you belong to.

8. In large cities in India other cheaper metals are becoming more popular than gold.

9. There is increasing pressure to forbid the dowry tradition.

10. Gold has ceased to play its former dominant role in dowries.

11. Rajam Chidambaram was reluctant for her daughter to get married as she would have to give up her earrings.

12. A woman is reported to have fallen into lifelong financial difficulties in order to marry off her daughter.

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ATask 2Read the text and choose the correct option for each of the questions that follow. Mark the answers with a cross (X) on your answer sheet. a b x

University Challenge star Gail Trimble adapts to public eyeguardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 February 2009

University Challenge winner Gail Trimble was today getting used to being in the public eye, revealing that she had been approached by a lads’ mag to take part in a “tasteful photoshoot”.

Trimble, 26, who led her team from Corpus Christi, Oxford, to victory in the long-running TV quiz on BBC2 last night, said Nuts magazine had already been in touch. “Would you believe it, my brother received a Facebook message from Nuts yesterday morning saying ‘can we have your sister’s email address, we want her to do a tasteful shoot’,” the 26-year-old told BBC Breakfast. “So of course he sent them an answer saying: ‘Seriously mate, would you give your sister’s contact details to Nuts?’”

Corpus Christi triumphed over Manchester University to be crowned winners of the competition, achieving victory by 275 points to 190 in the 2009 University Challenge grand final. However, the win was Corpus Christi’s closest of the contest and they only took the lead towards the end of the contest. At one stage Manchester University led 70-0 and later, after Corpus Christi had begun to rack up points, still had a 30-point lead with just a few minutes of the pre-recorded 30-minute show to go.

Much of the team’s success up to the final has been down to Trimble, who had scored two-thirds of her team’s 1,200 in earlier rounds. Her vast knowledge, likened to an “intellectual blitzkrieg” by a rival contestant, stunned even host Jeremy Paxman. Last night’s grand final win was more of a team effort, with Trimble even getting the odd answer wrong, such as when she buzzed to say “Pollyanna” when the correct answer was “Goody Two-Shoes”.

Trimble also revealed today that she had previously had difficulty getting on to the college University Challenge team, making three or four attempts. “I’ve tried over the years with different teams for the college, but we never made it,” she told the Daily Mail. She said she did not do any special revision for the quiz: “On the day we’d maybe flick through a couple of quiz books, but it was all pretty relaxed.”

Trimble’s success has elicited some hostile reaction on blogs – something she has put down to being female. “Suddenly there’s this thing that involves being in the public eye, and I find all this reaction to me, and I’m sure this wouldn’t be the case if I wasn’t a woman,” she told the BBC. “It is nice when people are saying nice things about my appearance, and not nasty things, but it’s sad that they feel it necessary to say things about my appearance at all.”

Asked what she would do next, she said she was working on her doctorate in philosophy. “I’m coming towards the end of it, finishing within the next year, then an academic job, hopefully. That’s what I want to do,” Trimble added.

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13. Which of the following is true? a) Gail often appears in the media. b) Gail became well-known when she started university. c) This is the first time Gail Trimble has been the centre of media attention.

14. Nuts magazine is considered to be… a) for men only. b) in good taste. c) popular with university students.

15. The quiz “University Challenge”… a) started up recently. b) is now in its second year. c) has been on for many years now.

16. What do we know about Corpus Christi college’s win? a) It was a landslide victory. b) It was a hard struggle. c) They were ahead from the very beginning.

17. What do we know about Gail Trimble’s participation? a) She was by far the most knowledgeable person on the team. b) She established herself as a key member of the team during the last few

rounds of the competition. c) The subjects she knew about only came up in the final round.

18. What do we know about Gail Trimble and the Corpus Christi team? a) She has been in it since she started studying there. b) She hadn’t shown any interest before. c) She had been turned down several times.

19. Which of the following is true? a) Gail Trimble finds it flattering that comments have been made about her

appearance. b) Gail has received rude comments from other women. c) Gail thinks she would have received less media attention if she had been

less attractive.

20. What are Gail’s long-term plans? a) To do a doctorate. b) To teach at a University. c) To continue on the University Challenge team.

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A Task 3 Match the 10 statements to the descriptions of 8 ski runs. Each statement corresponds to only one text, so you will need to use two of the texts more than once. Mark your answers with a cross (X) on your answer sheet.

A B x D E F G H

A. The Champagne Run, Vaujany, France This is not for the faint-hearted and is best-suited to experienced skiers. You cover a distance of at least 12km and drop 2,230 vertical metres. By the time you cross the blue piste at the top of Vaujany’s own ski area your thighs will be screaming – but incredibly you’ve got another 1,000 vertical metres still to go. In heavy, wet snow conditions this last section can prove the downfall of even the fittest.

B. Ventina, Cervinia, Italy It’s a clearly-marked, easy trail – well, it would be easy if you allowed yourself a stop or two or three. When taken at speed you get the sensation that you’ve fallen into a computer ski game with beginner skiers and stationary snowboarders forming hazards as you whiz by them along the way. Doing it once is hard. Iron men and women do consecutive laps.

C. Peak-to-Creek, Whistler, British Columbia Skirt the top of Whistler Bowl and head off down the shoulder of the mountain. It’s a blue intermediate run all the way, but if your legs can bear it you can spice it up with a serious stretch of black (difficult) by turning left halfway down on to Home Run. If that’s still not enough extreme entertainment, you can cut down Dusty’s Descent or Big Timber.

Ski runs: a guide to the world’s toughestOverdid it on the mince pies this Christmas? If so, there’s nothing better than a good long ski run. Peter Hardy selects eight of the toughest in the world.

21. This run is complicated to follow.22. Here other skiers dangerously get in your way.23. Here you can treat yourself to some refreshment to celebrate the end of a good

day.24. This run has a lot of curves.25. This run is a particular favourite with professionals.26. On this run you can be physically affected due to the height. 27. On this run, both pistes converge on the same place. 28. This run offers the option of taking a more difficult run halfway down.29. This run is well signposted.30. This run is recommended for brave, skilled skiers.

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E. Grande Motte, Tignes, France Strong skiers take the main downhill training run from top. The Glacier run is less demanding and both meet up lower down. Just follow the piste. Exhaustion here is exacerbated by high altitude. You need to consciously remember to breathe on every turn.

G. Küblis and Serneus, Davos, Switzerland This is a wonderful last run of the day, ending with a hard-earned drink in a wayside pub while you wait for the homeward train. From the top of the Gipfel you wind around the back of the Schwarzhorn and on down to Schifer where the route divides – skier’s left to Küblis, right for Serneus.

H. La Saulire-St Bon, Courchevel, France Take the classic route from the top which starts steep for a few turns and then eases off to a pleasant gradient all the way. Carry on down to 1850, leaving the lift stations on your right, go under the bridge, and cut left onto the Brigues run. Shortly before Le Praz drop off to the right onto the St Bon piste. The main problem, apart from the legs, is finding your way without stopping to consult the map – find a local willing to guide you.

F. OK, Val d’Isère, France If you have secret dreams of being a World Cup downhiller, this is where to fulfil them. OK, still a FIS race course, stands for Oreiller/Killy, two local Olympic champions. Competitors at next month’s Ski World Championships will use the OK for training. The race will be on the wicked Face de Bellevarde down a course built for the 1992 Olympics. OK starts with a couple of steep pitches that you are not advised to take straight, followed by a long schuss and some more technical stretches. In good snow conditions and when not prepared for racing, none of it is difficult. The only enemies are scraped icy patches on the lower slopes.

D. Revelstoke, British Columbia There’s a choice. Beginners can take the serpentine Last Spike logging trail that coils around the front face. But for the real thigh-burner you take one of the fall-line runs. Devil’s Club is slightly more difficult, but my favourite is Pitch Black. When we got to the bottom my companion said he’d put in more turns there than in the whole of last winter.

Daily Telegraph, 06 Jan 2009

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L You will hear each video twice. Mark your answers with a cross (X) on your answer sheet

Task 1. Spike Lee

Listen to a short documentary about Spike Lee, a famous Afroamerican film producer. Read the following statements and decide whether they are True (T) or False (F). T x1. Spike was a nickname given to him by his grandfather; his real name is

Jackson Lee.2. Spike used to live in Brooklyn but then moved to Atlanta. 3. The 40 Acres and a Mule film company belongs to Spike.4. He met his co-producer, Monty Ross, just before producing his third film.5. Before producing his full-length films, Lee had already done some work in

the film field.6. The Los Angeles Film Critic Association think his films are extremely

controversial.7. Like Alfred Hitchcock, Spike Lee always has a part in his films.8. They were the first black family to ever live in the Italian neighbourhood.9. His father, Bill Lee, played and composed music.10. The main character in Mo’ better blues becomes more selfish as the film

progresses.11. Spike’s film Jungle Fever was not shot on site at the places represented.12. Inter-racial relationships are not praised or criticised in Jungle Fever.

Task 2. The School-Leaving Age Controversy

Watch the report and decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F).x F

13. The Government plans to lower school-leaving age to 14.14. From the age of 14 adolescents will be allowed to work full time.15. According to the Government Exams Adviser, entering the job market at an

earlier age will motivate adolescents to study harder.16. The Trade Unions fear that the problem of difficult students will simply be

transferred to employers.

Task 3. Death of an Asian Taxi Driver in Slough

You are going to hear a news reporter talk about the death of a taxi-driver in Slough. Listen and choose the correct answer for each item. a x c

17. How did the officers respond to Mr. Nazir’s request? a) They asked someone to take him to hospital. b) They did not take him seriously. c) They suggested others should take him home.

18. Why were the police checking Mr. Nazir’s car? a) As part of a routine. b) Because it was spotted speeding. c) Because he had been caught drink driving.

19. Why did Mr. Nazir collapse? a) Because of a short struggle with the police. b) Because he was arrested. c) For no apparent reason.

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L20. When Mr. Nazir eventually reached hospital,... a) he was already dead. b) he was given first aid. c) he was admitted in a rush.

21. What is said about Mr. Nazir’s health? a) He’d never had heart problems previously. b) He’d had heart attacks before. c) He’d never had his heart examined.

Task 4. The Making of Jurassic ParkWatch part of a documentary about how the film Jurassic Park was made. Listen and choose the correct answer for each item. a x c

22. Why didn’t Spielberg make all his dinosaurs full-size? Because… a) he wanted to make them different from the King Kong model. b) it was his wishful thinking. c) it would have been very expensive.

23. Why did Spielberg go to the great physical effects maestros? a) He himself thought of the possibility. b) Someone suggested it was a good idea. c) It was in the film contract.

24. What did the initial approach for the dinosaurs in the film rely on? It relied on… a) combining miniatures which moved with full-size robots. b) using robotic movable miniature reproductions. c) filming reptiles and altering the scenes with computers.

25. At what stage was work on the film by 1991? a) Technical problems had delayed the making of the film. b) They had not still found the special effects supervisor. c) Work had already started and was in full progress.

26. What was the most important first step taken regarding the dinosaurs? a) Perfecting their performance in each scene. b) Making them look true to life. c) Giving them a likeable appearance.

27. What was the reaction of people who visited the set? a) enthusiastic b) unpredictable c) indifferent

28. In what way did the “animatics” sequences help? They helped to... a) block out scenes they didn’t like in the final version. b) make it easier for the actors to remember their lines. c) calculate timing and represent scenes to show how they would go.

29. How did Spielberg want dinosaurs to be portrayed? a) As naturalistic creatures. b) As frightening monster-like creatures. c) As the reptilian stereotypes people expected.

30. As a result of some information from an expert, what happened to the dinosaur sticking out its tongue? a) It was eliminated from the film. b) It suffered a genetic mutation. c) It was exploited further throughout the film.

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Life’s a beach with dream Australian island jobIt sounds —1— too good to be true: —2— you were offered a salary of more than $100,000, a free home on a palm-fringed island and all the snorkelling you can be bothered with, you wouldn’t believe it!

However, it is true and a very clever marketing ploy to boot.

Australia’s Tourism Queensland has garnered worldwide media coverage by advertising the “best job in the world” – the post of caretaker on Hamilton island in the Great Barrier Reef.

The six-month contract comes with flexible working hours and the successful applicant’s “key responsibilities” include exploring the area to discover —3— is on offer and to report back weekly via blogs, photo diaries, video updates and media interviews. Sounds taxing, —4—?

They say you might also take time out from your busy schedule to check out the turtles and passing whales. —5— do that any day than work in an office!

Not only —6— a six-figure salary, you’ll also get return airfares from your nearest capital city, transport on the island, travel insurance, computer and camera gear and travel to other islands in the Great Barrier Reef.

No academic qualifications —7— but you must be a good swimmer and enjoy snorkelling, be adventurous and have good communication —8—.

Tourism Queensland is asking for a —9— video explanation of why you’d be great for the job and that you fill —10— their online application form at www.islandreefjob.com

Applications close on February 22, by which time you may be able to get on the Web site – unsurprisingly, it is proving very hard to load at the moment.

Glen Scanlon, CNN, 13 January 2009 (adapted)

Part OneRead the following texts and choose the correct option to fill each gap. Mark it with a cross (X) on your answer sheet. a x c

Task 1.

1. a) more b) far c) fairly

2. a) unless b) supposing c) in case

3. a) what b) which c) that

4. a) isn’t it? b) won’t it? c) doesn’t it?

5. a) I’d better b) I’d rather c) I’d prefer

6. a) have you b) you do have c) will you have

7. a) are required b) will require c) they require

8. a) capacities b) qualities c) skills

9. a) 60 seconds b) 60-second c) 60-seconds-long

10. a) in b) through c) on

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ATask 2.

Spain’s high-speed trains win over fed-up flyers

Spain’s sleek new high-speed trains —11— hundreds of thousands of passengers from airlines in the past 12 months, slashing carbon emissions and marking a radical change in the way Spaniards travel.

Passenger numbers on fuel-guzzling domestic flights —12— 20% in the year to November as commuters and tourists swapped cramped airline seats —13— the space and convenience of the train, according to figures —14— yesterday.

Last year’s drop in air travel, which was also helped by new high-speed lines from Madrid to Valladolid, Segovia and Malaga, marks the beginning of what experts say is a revolution in Spanish travel habits. A year ago aircraft carried 72% of the 4.8 million long-distance passengers who travelled by air or rail. The figure is now down to 60%.

“The numbers will be —15— within two years,” said Josep Valls, a professor at the ESADE business school in Barcelona.

Two routes, from Barcelona to Malaga and Seville, opened last week. Lines are also —16— to link Madrid with Valencia, Alicante, the Basque country and Galicia. The government has promised to —17— 10,000km of high-speed track by 2020 to ensure that 90% of Spaniards live within 30 miles of a station. The prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, —18— it will be Europe’s most extensive high-speed network.

The high-speed train network is also helping Spain control carbon emissions. Straight tracks and few stops mean AVE trains use 19% less energy than conventional trains. Alberto García, of the Spanish Railways Foundation, has calculated that a passenger on the Madrid-Barcelona line —19— one-sixth of the carbon emissions of an aeroplane passenger. Rail operator Renfe also says 99% of trains on the route arrive on time.

On no account can the same be said for the efficiency at Madrid’s Barajas airport at the weekend. Tens of —20— passengers suffered delays of up to 30 hours because of snow, a work-to-rule by Iberia pilots and a lack of air traffic controllers.

Giles Tremlett, The Guardian, Tuesday 13 January 2009

11. a) stole b) have stolen c) had stolen

12. a) fell b) increased c) lowered

13. a) with b) to c) for

14. a) offered b) released c) sent

15. a) same b) equal c) similarly

16. a) built b) to build c) being built

17. a) lie b) lay c) set

18. a) boasts b) preaches c) reclaims

19. a) presents b) accounts for c) sums up

20. a) thousands b) thousand c) thousands of

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A Part Two: items 21-30

Choose the correct answer for each space. Mark it with a cross (X) on your answer sheet.

x b c d

21. New illnesses have _________ due to the increase in the number of pigeons found in inner cities.

a) arisen b) raised c) risen d) aroused

22. I’m going to the osteopath to __________. a) have massaged my back b) get a massage to my back c) get my back massaged d) massage my back

23. He was __________ up by his grandmother because his parents couldn’t take care of him.

a) grown b) taken c) brought d) raised

24. I don’t think __________ in buying a new settee. We’ll be moving into a smaller house this time next year.

a) it’s worth b) there’s any point c) it’s necessary d) there’s no point

25. Open the door, __________ you? a) don’t b) shall c) should d) will

26. It’s high time we __________ the bedroom. The wallpaper looks really out of date.

a) should decorate c) decorating b) would decorate d) decorated

27. __________ more information, please do not hesitate to contact us. a) Should you need c) In case of needing b) Had you needed d) Were you needing

28. Did you remember _____________ the door when you left? There have been some burglaries in the neighbourhood recently.

a) locking b) to lock c) having locked d) to have locked

29. Despite an intensive operation to control all international borders, the police fear that the suspects are now in a foreign country. The suspects ___________________ the frontier under a false identity.

a) could cross c) were supposed to cross b) must cross d) are believed to have crossed

30. I wish you ______________ me earlier. I could have helped you. a) told b) had told c) would tell d) would have told