servicio externo de lenguas extranjeras - unlpam · bike nightmare emily harris, ... people travel...

Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal

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Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras

NIVEL B - ACTIVIDADES DE LECTO-COMPRENSIÓN

B1

a. Read the story and put a tick (√) next to the correct statements:

1. Heitaro’s house was not big. _____

2. When he first saw the young woman, she was reading a book under the willow

tree. _____

3. The beautiful woman never met Heitaro before they got married. _____

4. They had a son and a daugther. _____

5. Heitaro cut down the tree because he wanted to build a new house for his family.

_____

6. When they were cutting the willow tree, Heitaro’s wife suffered. _____

The willow tree

Heitaro was a poor Japanese farmer who lived in a little house near a very tall

willow tree. He loved the willow more than anything else in his life, and every

day he sat under its long branches full of green leaves. One night, when he was

reading a book under the tree, an attractive young woman appeared. She wanted

to speak with him but she was shy.

‘Good lady, if you are waiting for someone I will leave,’ said Heitaro.

‘There is no need. No one will come because he is already here.’ She spoke

calmly, smiled, and disappeared.

Heitaro worked in the fields all day long and got home late. Night after night

they met under the old willow tree and they talked a lot. One evening Heitaro

asked her to marry him. They married, had a child and were very happy.

Years passed and one day some villagers announced that the Emperor needed

some wood to build a temple. They decided to cut the willow tree because it

was the best tree in the country. Heitaro said to his wife, ‘Before I met you I

could not live without the tree, but now I have you and our son’.

Immediately after the villagers arrived and started to cut down the tree, the wife

cried in pain. Suddenly the willow fell with a loud noise, and Heitaro’s wife fell

at the same time and died.

(Adapted from "Myths of the Sacred Tree")



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Read the story again and CIRCLE a, b or c:

1. Where did Heitaro work?

a. In the village.

b. In the country.

c. In the Emperor’s Palace.

2. What did Heitaro think when he first met the lady?

a. She was waiting for a man.

b. She was sad.

c. She wanted to see him.

3. How often did they meet under the tree?

a. Every night.

b. After dinner.

c. At midday.

4. Why did they cut down the tree?

a. Because the Emperor ordered it.

b. Because the wood from the tree was good quality.

c. Because the tree was very old.

5. Who cut down the tree?

a. Heitaro.

b. The villagers.

c. The Emperor.



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B2

Read the following passage and do exercises a) and b) below.

Bike Nightmare

Emily Harris, who was born in Alaska, is a fire-eater in a circus. At the moment,

she is in Edinburgh, Scotland, with a circus called Circo Rivo. This is an unusual

job, but the way she travels with the circus is even more unusual. The other circus

people travel in cars, lorries and caravans, (1) ..…, pulling all her possessions

behind her in a trailer. She has travelled through the US, Mexico, Canada, and

Europe on it. She built the bike four years ago, and has spent many hours since,

making it just right for her. The bike is now worth about £1,200 and Ms Harris says

it is more than a form of transport; it is “a way of life”.

But disaster has struck. Edinburgh is a cold city most of the year, and Emily Harris

was pleased (2) …… selling cheap second-hand goods. Worried that the bicycle

could be stolen if she left it outside the shop, she took it in with her. (3) …… to try

the sweater on. When she came out, the bike was not there. One of the assistants

had sold it to a middle-aged Asian man for £10.

“It was a busy Saturday and we sell all sorts of things, so when a man asked me how

much the bike was, I said £15, (4) ……., so I said that was OK,” said Jean Prentice,

who works at the shop. “The lady should have told us about it before she went into

the changing room.”

This is the first time the bike has gone missing. Ms Harris hopes that the man (5)

…… will realize his mistake and return the bike. She is also appealing for its return

in the newspapers, and on local radio and television.

a. Complete 1−5 in the text with letters a-e below:

a- when she saw a warm sweater in the window of a shop

b- Then she went into the changing room

c- who bought it

d- but he only had £10

e- but she rides a bike which she built herself



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b. ANSWER the following questions IN A COMPLETE WAY:

1. What does Emily Harris do for a living?

………………………………………………………………………………………

2. How did she get her bike?

………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Why is the bike so important for her?

………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Why did Emily take the bike into the shop?

………………………………………………………………………………………

5. How much was the bike sold for?

………………………………………………………………………………………

6. What is Emily doing to recover her bike?

………………………………………………………………………………………



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B3

a. You are going to read an article about environmental problems. Some

sentences (A-F) have been removed from the text. Read the text and the

missing sentences and choose the one which best fits each gap (1-6)

Aeroplanes and global warming Have you ever looked out of the window of a passenger plane from 30,000 feet at the vast expanses of empty ocean and uninhabited land, and wondered how people can have any major effect on the Earth? [ 1 ] And the planes which rush us in comfort to destinations around the globe, contribute to one of the biggest environmental problems that we face today – global warming. Unfortunately, planes produce far more carbon dioxide (CO2) than any other form of public transport, and CO2 is now known to be a greenhouse gas, a gas which traps the heat of the sun, causing the temperature of the Earth to rise. [ 2 ] If global warming continues, we may also find that many tourist destinations such as The Maldives have disappeared under water because of rising sea levels. [ 3 ] Beatrice Schell, a spokeswoman for the European Federation for Transport and Environment, says that "One person flying in an airplane for one hour is responsible for the same greenhouse gas emissions as a typical Bangladeshi in a whole year." And every year jet aircraft generate almost as much carbon dioxide as the entire African continent produces. So what can be done to solve the problem? [ 4 ] Governments don’t seem to be taking the problem seriously, so it is up to individual travellers to do what they can to help. The most obvious way of dealing with the problem is to not travel by plane at all. [ 5 ] On the other hand, with gradually lower prices of flights, and exotic destinations more popular than ever, it is hard to persuade British tourists to travel around Britain. Friends of the Earth also advise using teleconferencing for international business meetings, but most businesspeople still prefer to meet face-to-face. However, there is a way of offsetting the carbon dioxide we produce when we travel by plane. A company called Future Forests, whose supporters include Coldplay and Pink Floyd, offers a service which can relieve the guilty consciences of air travellers. The Future Forest website calculates the amount of CO2 you are responsible for producing on your flight, and for a small fee will plant the number of trees which will absorb this CO2. [ 6 ] Yesterday I returned to Japan from England, and was happy to pay Future Forests 25 pounds to plant the 3 trees which balance my share of the CO2 produced by my return flight. Now the only thing making me lose sleep is jet lag.

Missing sentences: A. As usual, people in the developing world have to deal with problems created mainly by those of us in developed countries.

B. Environmental groups like Friends of the Earth encourage people to travel by train and plan holidays nearer home.



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C. Another company, co2.org, offers a similar service, but invests your money in energy saving projects such as providing efficient light bulbs to villagers in Mauritius.

D. I have. But it is now becoming pretty clear that we are causing a great deal of damage to the natural environment.

E. Well, although aircraft engine manufacturers are making more efficient engines and researching alternative fuels such as hydrogen, it will be decades before air travel does not damage the environment.

F. Scientists predict that in the near future the climate in Britain will resemble that of the Mediterranean, ironically a popular destination for British holidaymakers flying off to seek the sun.

(Adapted from http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org)

b. Read the text again and CHOOSE the correct option:

1. Air travel is

a. getting more expensive.

b. getting cheaper.

c. only for people in rich countries.

2. Which form of public transport produces the most carbon dioxide?

a. Trains

b. Buses

c. Planes

3. In the future, the weather in Britain may become like the weather in

a. Italy

b. Germany

c. Switzerland

4. Which of these statements is true?

a. Air travel will soon stop damaging the environment.

b. Carbon dioxide produced by air travel can be counterbalanced.

c. Face-to face meetings are still less common than teleconferencing.

c. Find words / phrases in the text with a similar meaning to the words /

phrases below:

1. immense area of something (paragraph 1): ____________

2. increasing (paragraph 2): ____________

3. a person who makes statements on behalf of a group (paragraph 3): ____________

4. nor superficially (paragraph 4): ____________

5. offer suggestions about the best course of action (paragraph 5): ____________

6. counteracting (paragraph 6): ____________

7. extreme tiredness felt by a person after a long flight (paragraph 7): ____________



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NIVEL B - ACTIVIDADES DE PRODUCCIÓN ESCRITA

B1

Part 1

a. Put the words in order and make a sentence:

1. a / in / I / factory / work / big

........................................................................................................................

2. cinema / went / yesterday / They / to / the

........................................................................................................................

3 Chinese / 10 / has / She / for / studied / years

.......................................................................................................................

4 if / father / be / angry / My / am / late / will / I

........................................................................................................................

5 the / While / playing / the / computer / telephone / he / was / on / rang

........................................................................................................................

6 vegetables / should / and / You / a lot of / eat / fruits

.......................................................................................................................

b. Read the letter below and CIRCLE the correct option: (A, B or C)

Dear Barbara,

I’m (1) ….. to let you know the arrangements for our evening at the Jazz Club in Oxford.

I’ve arranged for us to go (2) ….. Friday 5th

February. Let me know as soon as possible if

you’re going to be able to make it.

We’re travelling to Oxford by minibus. The bus (3) ….. pick us up outside the Town Hall at

5.30. The driver says the journey will (4) ….. around two hours. Although you can get food

at the club, it’s very (5) ….., and so I suggest that you eat (6) ….. you come.

There are plenty of tickets so we’ll buy them (7) ….. we get there. They’re slightly cheaper

before 8 p.m. The show (8) ….. at 10.30, which means that we won’t be back until about

12.30.

If I don’t hear from you, I’ll see you on Friday 5th

at 5.30. Please don’t be (9) ….. because

the bus (10) ….. wait longer than 10 minutes. By the way, don’t forget to tell your host

family that you’ll need an early supper.

Yours sincerely,

Renata Boldoni

(Adapted from Snapshot, Intermediate, page53)



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(1) a. write b. writing c. reading

(2) a. at b. in c. on

(3) a. will b. going to c. won’t

(4) a. get b. takes c. take

(5) a. cheap b. expensive c. more expensive

(6) a. after b. before c. until

(7) a. when b. while c. unless

(8) a. finish b. finished c. finishes

(9) a. early b. late c. later

(10)a. will b. won’t c. can

Part 2

My favourite place

Here are two photos of holiday destinations. Choose one and describe the

place in an e-mail to a friend (80 to 100 words)



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B2

Part 1:

a. Read the following letter and then UNDERLINE the best alternative:

Dear Liza,

I arrived in Paris last night and your friend Paul met me (1) OVER THE AIRPORT / BY

THE AIRPORT / AT THE AIRPORT. I was glad to see him, because he helped me to

find my hotel, (2) WHO / WHICH / WHERE was not so near. We went by car and (3)

WE TOOK US / IT HAS TAKEN US / IT TOOK US thirty minutes to get there, as the

traffic moved slowly. Paris is such a big city! It’s easy for me (4) GETTING LOST / TO

GET LOST / TO LOSE here, as I come from a small town, and I am not used to seeing so

many cars and buses. Anyway, I think I am going to have a great time!

Last night Paul and I (5) WERE GOING / WILL GO / WENT for a “short” walk, which

lasted two hours! I had never imagined that Paris is so enormous. For a moment I thought

we (6) WILL / SHOULD / WOULD not be able to find our way back.

I am going to write again soon and I’m sure my letter is going to be (7) MUCH LONGER

/ MUCH LONG / MUCH LONGEST, as I have decided to visit all the interesting places,

and there are (8) SO FEW / SO LITTLE / SO MANY! There are some streets where you

feel surrounded (9) OF HISTORY / IN HISTORY / BY HISTORY and some where it’s

all very modern. This new experience makes me feel excited, and I am going (10)

ENJOYING / TO ENJOY / ENJOY seeing all of Paris.

Love, Robert.

(Prepared by Prof. Graciela Obert)

b. TICK (√ ) the correct answer:

1. If he ________ me to come, I will.

a. asked b. asks c. would ask

2. The Picasso painting ________ by John.

a. was bought b. will buy c. is bought

3. I only know ________ people in this city.

a. a little b. a few c. enough

4. I went to the tourist office to get ________ information.

a. a few b. a little c. too

5. ________ the book, I lent it to my sister.

a. Since finishing b. While finishing c. After finishing

6. Robert is never on time. He always arrives ________ than the rest of us.

a. later b. the latest c. late



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7. ________ he came into the room, everyone looked at him.

a. Although b. When c. Whereas

8. I will not talk to him ________ he apologizes for what he did.

a. until b. while c. because

9. He could not reach the biscuits on the tall shelf because he was not tall ________.

a. too b. enough c. as me

10. I have to go to bed early tonight because my train ________ at 6 a.m. tomorrow

morning.

a. is leaving b. leaves c. leave

c. PUT the verbs in brackets into the correct PASSIVE TENSE:

The Little Mermaid 1) ........................ (locate) in the Langelinie harbour of Copenhagen

and is the national symbol of Denmark. It is a small statue of a mermaid sitting on a rock.

Like a real mermaid, she is half human, half fish.

The statue 2) ........................ (inspire) by a fairy tale by the famous Danish writer Hans

Christian Andersen. It 3) ........................ (order) by Carl Jacobsen, of the famous Carlsberg

Brewery, after he attended a performance of The Little Mermaid by the Royal Danish

Ballet Company. The statue 4) ........................ (make) by Edvard Eriksen and 5)

........................ (put up) at Langelinie on 23rd

August, 1913. Sadly, it 6) ........................

(damage) many times since then. The Little Mermaid 7) ........................ (visit) by more than

a million people every year. It 8) ........................ (can / see) quite easily from the Langelinie

Harbour. Tourists can also enjoy the wonderful harbour view and buy postcards, T-shirts

and other souvenirs at the harbour.

You will be amazed by this delightful statue, which 9) ........................ (should not / miss)

by any visitor to the Copenhagen area.



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Part 2

Write a text on ONE (1) of the following topics (100-140 words)

1. Write an essay on the following topic: Should children use the

internet?

2. Imagine you are at a holiday resort. Write a letter to a friend about the

location of the place, your accommodation, the weather, the sights,

your activities, the food and your plans.

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B3

Part 1

a. TICK (√ ) the correct answer:

1. Would you have told her truth? No, I ________ .

a. would have lied b. would lie c. will lie

2. If you ________ more, you wouldn't be so tired.

a. will sleep b. had slept c. slept

3. By tomorrow, the car ________ by me.

a. was being bought b. will have been bought c. was bought

4. She ________ for the job yesterday.

a. was being interviewed b. was interviewed c. has been interviewed

5. He told me that he ________ that movie.

a. had seen b. will have seen c. has seen

6. My mom had the curtains ________ after the hurricane.

a. change b. changed c. changing

7. ________ he thinks he's smart, he isn't.

a. Although b. After c. However

8. ________ my father has high blood pressure, he has to watch what he eats.

a. Before b. Since c. Despite

9. ________ my wife loves lilies, my sister prefers roses.

a. Because b. Whereas c. Rather than

10. Parachuting is an exciting sport. ________, it can be very dangerous.

a. on the one hand b. on the other hand c. despite

b. Complete the following sentences with MODAL VERBS and the missing

words. Do not use contracted forms:

1. It would be better for you if you didn't surf the internet so late at night.

You ........................................... the internet so late at night.

2. One of the disadvantages of my job is that I am obliged to travel long distances.

Even though I don’t like it, I ........................................... long distances.

3. Teddy was red in the face and he was screaming when I saw him.

He ........................................... very angry then.

4. It is forbidden to shout in the library.

You ........................................... in the library.



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5. We have just missed our train because we walked too slowly to the station.

We ........................................... our train if he had walked more quickly to the

station.

6. Those suitcases look very heavy. Do you want me to help you?

........................................... you with those suitcases?

7. He is wearing prison robes. It’s probable that a prisoner took away his suit and

sports car.

A prisoner ........................................... his suit and sports car.

8. It’s dangerous to leave your car unlocked while you are in the restaurant.

You'd ...........................................before you go into the restaurant.

9. I lost my mobile phone and I don’t have enough money to buy a new one.

I wish I ........................................... new mobile phone.

10. If the plants don’t get enough water they will certainly die.

........................................... them for me while I’m away?

c. Read the story and FILL IN with the correct form of the verbs in brackets:

It was a cold morning in October and Pam Brown (1) ...................... (be) on her way to the

supermarket. It (2) ...................... (rain) earlier, so the pavements were wet and slippery.

Pam walked past all the expensive shops and (3) . ..................... (stop) at the window of

jewellery. It had always been her dream to own a diamond necklace. Suddenly, a man

wearing a mask and carrying a bag (4) ...................... (run) out of the shop and another man

rushed out after him, calling him “Thief”. Pam (5) ...................... (scream) when she saw

the men. Then, the thief slipped on the wet pavement and fell to the ground. Pam quickly

picked the bag that (6) ...................... (fall) from the man’s hand and pulled off his mask. At

that moment, the police arrived. Three hours later, Pam (7) ...................... (walk) home

when a man stopped her. It was the man she (8) ...................... (see) chasing the thief. He

handed her a small velvet case with a beautiful diamond necklace. He wanted to thank her

for her bravery.



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Part 2

Write a text on ONE (1) of the following topics (140-180 words)

1.

Your local TV station has invited members of the public to make their

own programme on the topic of local environmental issues. They would

like some of the following aspects to be included:

health risks litter

water pollution educating the public

saving energy air pollution

recycling planning for the future

Write a letter to the TV station suggesting / recommending what you

would include in such a programme and explaining why you think it

would be interesting.

2.

Some young children spend a great amount of their time practising

sports. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this in an essay called

“Young children and sports”

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NIVEL B - ACTIVIDADES DE COMPRENSIÓN AUDITIVA

B1

Part 1: John’s day

Listen to the conversation and COMPLETE what John does at the following

times

5:00 am wake up, ………….. …………… ……………

6:00 am …………… ……………

6:45 am …………… the house, catch the …………… to work

8:30 am start work

1:30 pm …………… ……………

4:30 pm …………… work, …………… …………… …………… home

6:15 pm …………… home

8:15 pm …………… ……………, then go out, ………….. ……………

……………

11:00 pm …………… …………… ……………

(Adapted from Enterprise Elementary, Coursebook, page 14)

Part 2: Listen to the conversation and mark the following statements TRUE

or FALSE

1. Tom has Maths on Monday in classroom 2 C.

2. The Geography lesson is at 10:30.

3. There is no break in the morning.

4. Chemistry is in the Science Lab at 11:30.

5. Students can have lunch in the School Cafeteria.

6. History is in classroom 3 A.

7. The last lesson of the day is Art.

(Adapted from Enterprise Elementary, Coursebook, page 14)



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B2

Nepal Trek

You are going to listen to an interview with Raj describing a mountain trek.

Read the following statements and decide if they are true T or false F

1. Raj went to India by plane. ________

2. He spent 10 weeks in the Himalayas. ________

3. When he went, it was Spring. ________

4. He enjoyed the trekking experience a lot. ________

5. Not all the people in the expedition could cross the river. ________

6. Nobody helped the trekkers. ________

Now, listen again and ANSWER the following questions IN A COMPLETE WAY:

1. Where did he go trekking?

………………………………………………………………………………………...

2. How many weeks did he spend walking?

………………………………………………………………………………………...

3. How high did he climb?

………………………………………………………………………………………...

4. Which part was the most frightening?

………………………………………………………………………………………...

5. How did he solve the problem?

………………………………………………………………………………………...

(Adapted from Snapshot Intermediate, Student’s Book, p. 15)



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B3

Part 1: A story

Listen to the tape and PUT THE STORY IN ORDER.

a. Two men came out of the building. (_____)

b. Mark was driving through the streets. (_____)

c. Mark followed them. (_____)

d. Mark arrested the men. (_____)

e. The men jumped into a car and sped away. (_____)

f. Mark radioed for help. (_____)

g. The police officers handcuffed the men. (_____)

h. Police cars blocked the road. (_____)

(Adapted from Enterprise 3, Course Book, page 35)

Part 2: Problems of the Planet

Listen to the tape and decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False

(F). Correct the statements that are false.

1. People are responsible for the planet being under threat. (_____)

2. Not only rare plant species are disappearing. (_____)

3. In South America the rainforests are being destroyed. (_____)

4. Oxygen is produced in the rainforests. (_____)

5. The trees are being cut down to build houses. (_____)

6. Factories are polluting the rivers and lakes with dangerous oils. (_____)

7. Sea life is threatened with extinction. (_____)

8. Air pollution, flooding, drought and famine are a result of changes in the climate.

(_____)

9. Allergies and breathing problems are a consequence of industrial waste. (_____)

10. Water pollution is a lesser problem. (_____)

(Adapted from Enterprise 3, Course Book, page 79)

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