Examen Resuelto Selectividad EVAU UCLM Inglés 2019/2020

TEXT 1

READING COMPREHENSION.

1. Cars and roads have always had the same consideration in American life.

• FALSE
• Reasoning: The text states, "But while cars have regularly been raised to the status of cult objects in song, poetry and film, roads have tended to keep a more banal image." This indicates that cars have been given a higher, more idealized status in American culture compared to roads, which have generally been viewed in a more ordinary or mundane way.

2. It was thought that Route 66 brought people to a much better place.

• TRUE
• Reasoning: The text mentions, "The myth said that Route 66 was the road that led from the hell of dusty Oklahoma to the paradise of California, where the peach trees were always full of juicy fruit, just waiting to be picked..." This clearly shows that Route 66 was perceived as a pathway to a better place, contrasting the "hell" of Oklahoma with the "paradise" of California.

3. They chose number 66 because it was very popular.

• FALSE
• Reasoning: According to the text, "the number 66 was chosen, just because it was a nice memorable number." The reason for choosing the number 66 was its memorability, not its popularity.

4. The big amount of traffic made the government close the Route 66.

• FALSE
• Reasoning: The text explains, "The development of a new means of transport and different routes made the Route 66 become obsolete, and in 1977, the U.S. 66 officially ceased to exist." The closure was due to the development of newer, more efficient transportation routes, which led to Route 66 becoming outdated, not solely because of high traffic.

TEXT 1 LEXICON / PHONETICS

LEXICON.

1. Elevated:

   • Raised
   • Reasoning: "Elevated" and "raised" both mean to lift something to a higher position or status. In the text, "raised" is used to describe how cars have been elevated to the status of cult objects.

2. Succulent, tasty:

   • Juicy
   • Reasoning: "Succulent" and "juicy" both describe something that is full of juice and delicious. The text uses "juicy" to describe the fruit in California.

3. Old-fashioned:

   • Obsolete
   • Reasoning: "Old-fashioned" and "obsolete" both mean outdated or no longer in use. The text uses "obsolete" to describe the status of Route 66 after the development of new transport routes.

4. Stopped:

   • Ceased
   • Reasoning: "Stopped" and "ceased" both mean to come to an end or to no longer exist. The text states that "U.S. 66 officially ceased to exist" in 1977.

PHONETICS.

1. Is the “-ed” pronounced / t /, / d / or / ɪd / in “picked”?

   • / t /
   • Reasoning: The "-ed" in "picked" is pronounced as / t / because the preceding sound is a voiceless consonant /k/.

2. How is the “i” pronounced in “highway”, /aɪ /, / i: / or / ɪ /?

   • /aɪ/
   • Reasoning: The "i" in "highway" is pronounced as the diphthong /aɪ/, as in "high".

3. Is the “-s” pronounced / s/, / z/ or / ɪz / in “trees”?

   • / z /
   • Reasoning: The "-s" in "trees" is pronounced as / z / because the preceding sound is a voiced vowel /i:/.

4. Write a word from the text that includes the sound /eɪ / as in “became”.

   • Made
   • Reasoning: The word "made" contains the diphthong /eɪ/, the same vowel sound as in "became."

PART II. USE OF ENGLISH.

1. They built those highways fifty years ago.

• Those highways were built fifty years ago.
• Reasoning: The original sentence is in the active voice. To rewrite it in the passive voice, "those highways" becomes the subject, followed by the past participle "built," and the time phrase "fifty years ago."

2. My brother lives in California. We went on holidays there.

• My brother lives in California, where we went on holidays.
• Reasoning: The two sentences are combined using the relative pronoun "where" to show the relationship between the location of the brother's residence and the place of the holidays.

3. It is obligatory to wait here.

• You must wait here.
• Reasoning: "It is obligatory" is rephrased using the modal verb "must," which expresses obligation or necessity.

4. John asked me: “have you ever driven along this road?”

• John asked me if I had ever driven along that road.
• Reasoning: The direct question is converted into an indirect question. "Me" is changed to "I", the present perfect "have you ever driven" changes to the past perfect "had... driven", and "this" changes to "that" to reflect the shift in perspective.

5. Edward married Helen because she was rich and famous.

• If Helen hadn't been rich and famous, Edward wouldn't have married her.
• Reasoning: This sentence is transformed into a conditional sentence using "if" to express a hypothetical situation. The original sentence implies that Edward's motivation for marrying Helen was her wealth and fame, so the conditional sentence reverses this to suggest that he wouldn't have married her without those attributes.

6. Make a question for which the underlined words would be the answer.

• Who did Mike want to see?
• Reasoning: The question is formed using the question word "who" to inquire about the person Mike wanted to see, which is "the manager of the business."

7. Someone has read the newspapers.

• The newspapers have been read.
• Reasoning: The sentence is changed from active to passive voice. "The newspapers" becomes the subject, and the verb is changed to the present perfect passive "have been read."

8. “The bus was very late this morning” Pamela said to Jane.

• Pamela said to Jane that the bus had been very late that morning.
• Reasoning: The direct speech is converted into reported speech. "Said to" is used to introduce the reported statement, "was" is changed to "had been" to reflect the backshift in tense, and "this" is changed to "that" due to the change in time reference.

9. An expert is programming my computer.

• I'm having my computer programmed by an expert.
• Reasoning: The sentence is rewritten using the causative structure "have something done." "I'm" is the subject, followed by "having," then the object "my computer," and the past participle "programmed."

10. Could you collect my prescription from the pharmacy?

• Do you mind collecting my prescription from the pharmacy?
• Reasoning: The polite request "Could you" is rephrased using the phrase "Do you mind" followed by the gerund "collecting."

11. He came to London 20 years ago.

• He has been in London for 20 years.
• Reasoning: The original sentence describes a completed action in the past. It's rephrased using the present perfect continuous tense to emphasize the duration of his stay in London, which started 20 years ago and continues to the present. It could also be: He has lived in London for 20 years

12. They were such small houses that we couldn´t stand up inside them.

• The houses were so small that we couldn't stand up inside them.
• Reasoning: The phrase "such... that" is replaced with "so... that" to express the same idea of the houses' small size and its consequence.