Examen Resuelto Prueba de Acceso UCM Inglés para Mayores de 25 Años 2025

1. Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.

a) FALSE. Evidence: "When moving up and down between floors, a lift or escalator will conserve your energy and likely speed your journey." Reasoning: The text explicitly states that lifts and escalators are likely to speed your journey, meaning they take less time, not more time, compared to stairs. Therefore, the statement is false.

b) FALSE. Evidence: "She adds: ‘Even short periods of physical activity have a beneficial effect — and should fit easily into your daily routines.’” Reasoning: Sophie Paddock states that even brief periods of physical activity are beneficial and easy to incorporate into daily life. This directly contradicts the statement which claims she believes they have no good effect and are hard to introduce. Therefore, the statement is false.

2. Find a synonym in the text for the following words or phrases.

a) disease Reasoning: In paragraph 2, the text mentions a lower risk of dying from heart disease ("dying from heart disease"). "Disease" in this context is synonymous with "illness".

b) choice Reasoning: In paragraph 4, the text presents the decision between stairs and a lift as a "choice" ("If you have the choice between stairs and the lift..."). "Choice" here means the same as "option".

3. In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer this question.

Explain the two combined benefits for your health involved in using stairs and staircases.

Answer: Using stairs offers a combined health advantage by providing both muscular exercise and cardiovascular conditioning simultaneously. This means that climbing stairs strengthens your muscles (strength training) while also improving the function of your heart and lungs (cardio training), contributing to overall fitness and potentially a longer life.

Reasoning: The question asks to explain the two combined benefits mentioned in the text using my own words. Paragraph 3 identifies these benefits as "strength and cardio training in one," explaining that stairs exercise "both muscles and your heart and lungs at the same time." My answer rephrases this, explaining that stairs strengthen muscles (strength aspect) and benefit the heart and lungs (cardiovascular aspect), thus capturing the dual benefit described.

4. Follow the instructions for each part of this question.

a) Complete sentence 2 so that it has the same meaning as sentence 1: 1. They built a new hospital in the city last year. 2. A new hospital was built in the city last year.

**Reasoning:** Sentence 1 is in the active voice (Subject: They, Verb: built, Object: a new hospital). To transform it into the passive voice, the object ("a new hospital") becomes the subject. The verb "built" is in the Past Simple tense. The passive form for Past Simple is "was/were + past participle". Since "a new hospital" is singular, we use "was". The past participle of "build" is "built". The agent "They" is non-specific and can be omitted. The remaining adverbials ("in the city last year") follow the passive verb form.

b) Fill in the blanks with the correct word: If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you should look it up in a dictionary. And you can always ask your teacher to help you find its meaning.

**Reasoning:**
- The phrasal verb "look up" means to search for information (like a word's meaning) in a reference book (like a dictionary).
- The structure "ask someone to do something" is used to report requests or advice. Here, the teacher is being asked to help, so "to" is required before the infinitive verb "help".

c) Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets: If I had known you were coming (come) home, I would have prepared (prepare) some dinner.

**Reasoning:** This sentence is a Third Conditional, used for hypothetical situations in the past.
- The 'if' clause uses the Past Perfect ("had known"). The object of "known" is the clause "you were coming home". The Past Continuous "were coming" is appropriate here to describe the action that was expected or happening at that past time.
- The main clause of a Third Conditional uses "would have + past participle". The past participle of "prepare" is "prepared". Therefore, the correct form is "would have prepared".

5. Write about 80 to 100 words on the following topic.

Do you like to do sports? Explain your reasons.

Answer: Yes, I thoroughly enjoy participating in sports. For me, the appeal lies in multiple aspects. Primarily, it's an excellent way to maintain physical health, improving cardiovascular fitness and strength. Beyond the physical benefits, engaging in sports significantly helps in managing stress and clearing my mind, especially after long periods of study. I find activities like swimming very relaxing, while team sports such as football offer the added benefits of camaraderie and learning to work collaboratively towards a common goal. This combination of physical exertion, mental refreshment, and social interaction makes sport an indispensable part of my routine for a balanced lifestyle.

Reasoning: The question asks for a personal opinion on sports and the reasons behind it. As an excellent student, the response should be well-structured, articulate, and demonstrate good vocabulary and grammar within the word count. The answer affirms a positive stance ("Yes, I thoroughly enjoy..."), provides logical reasons covering physical health ("maintain physical health"), mental well-being ("managing stress," "clearing my mind"), and social aspects ("camaraderie," "work collaboratively"), mentions specific examples ("swimming," "football"), and concludes with a summary statement reinforcing the importance of sports ("indispensable part of my routine"). The language is appropriate, and the length is within the specified range (98 words).