Examen de Acreditación de Niveles de Lengua Inglesa ... · ridden with zombies. With an audience of 10 million, student numbers for the course ... workplace is getting recognition

Examen de Acreditación de Niveles de Lengua Inglesa - SEREX - 2016

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Nivel: POST-INTERMEDIO Paper: READING

A. Read the text

You are going to read an article about new types of university

courses. Seven sentences have been removed from the article.

Choose from the sentences A-H the one which f its each gap. There

is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

a. We have local apocalypses in our world today, in the form of

earthquakes, hurr icanes and terror ist attacks.

b. TV shows have long launched spin-off products in the form of

merchandise and video games.

c. I f successful , the edutainment experiment could spawn a huge

range of other TV show/university hybr id courses.

d. Until now, onl ine learning experiences have been able to

del iver great videos and quizzes, but student interaction was

min imal and the experience for learners has been impersonal.

e. Experts from the Centre for Education and Employment have

reservat ions about the value of such onl ine courses where there

is no formal assessment or contact between the students and

those del ivering the courses.

f. The course wil l consist of e ight modules , including a physics

module on „the science of decay‟, a publ ic health module on

the study of epidemics and a mathematics module on

populat ion dynamics.

g. The University of Cal ifornia, which has a huge reputation to

uphold, said that there had been no dumbing down in the

design of the course.

h. Mil l ions of students s ign up for onl ine education courses each

year.

The boundaries between education and entertainment are

beginning to blur, and a new type of learning, in which education

merges with entertainment, is emerging – „edutainment‟. __________

But now US televis ion company AMC has teamed up with the

University of Cal iforn ia to produce an onl ine course based on the TV

show, The Walking Dead, which features apost -apocalypt ic world

ridden with zombies.

With an audience of 10 mil l ion, student numbers for the course

are expected to be in the hundreds of thousands. __________

Academics from the University of Cal ifornia say that the onl ine


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course wil l be a „legit imate educational experience‟ and tackle

ser ious issues from the fields of science, publ ic health, nutr it ion,

psychology and sociology. __________ However, students wil l gain no

formal qual if icat ions or credits on successful complet ion of the

course.

__________ I t insisted that al l modules had been made as

academical ly rigorous as those taught on the university grounds.

One lecturer in social science stated that the unive rsity al ready used

contemporary media examples to make theories more relevant to

students, and th is course was merely taking this concept one step

further. „The curr iculum is very real,‟ says Josh Coates, head of

Infrastructure and designer of the onl ine p latform. __________ „The

fact that the context is this f ict ional world of an apocalypse is

incidental. Th is course gives us the opportunity to educate people

about the science of disasters.‟

The market for massive open online courses, or MOOCs, is

rapidly expanding. __________ However, mil l ions fail to complete the

courses, suggest ing that they pose a real challenge to onl ine

learners. Part of th is experiment is to f ind out whether the power of

televis ion can reduce the high drop-out rate character ist ic of

MOOCS.

The university is taking th is opportunity to hone the way it

del ivers onl ine courses. __________ With the increasing demand for

onl ine courses, these are issues that universit ies looking to invest in

onl ine learning are increasingly having to face.

B. Read the fol lowing text and complete the exercises below .

Boston Massacre

The situat ion in Boston grew more tense by the day. Local skirmishes

between townspeople and Brit ish soldiers (Redcoats) increased in

frequency as did belligerence toward Br it ish soldiers. Rumours

abounded throughout the city about possible attacks by soldiers or

by the Sons of Liberty.

On Monday n ight March 5, 1770, an American (patr iot) began

harassing a redcoat named John Goldfinch standing guard. Another

redcoat nearby, named Hugh White, jo ined Goldfinch to defend

him. White became agitated with the harassment and struck the

patr iot in the face with his musket. As the patr iot cr ied out in pain, a

mob of f ifty or so Bostonians gathered. Goldfinch retreated to the

nearby Custom House and pointed his musket toward the angry

crowd. The mob began throwing chunks of ice at White and shouted

"Kil l him!". Meanwhile, other mobs were forming on Boston's streets.

Those mobs began pelt ing other redcoats with chunks of ice. Br it ish

off icers on the scene ordered soldiers back to their barracks, and


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several had to be subdued by off icers to prevent them from fir ing

into the angry crowd. The mob surrounding Hugh White, however,

grew until he was surrounded by over 400 angry Bostonians. White's

shouts for re inforcements were answered by Brit ish Captain Thomas

Preston and several other soldiers who entered the emotional mob.

Preston tried to march the Brit ish soldiers from the Custom

House back to the main guard, but his path was blocked by the mob

of patr iots. Despite his demands for the dispersal of the crowd, the

mob responded with more insults and ice chunks. When the Br it ish

just ice of the peace tr ied to read the Riot Act, which would subject

al l members of the mob to prosecution once it was read, the mob

forced him to retreat by throwing snowbal ls and ice chunks at him.

The mob continued to provoke the soldiers and chal lenged

them to f ire. Members of the mob grew more and more v iolent and

began str ik ing the muskets and bayonets of the redcoats with clubs.

Despite h is attempts to prevent bloodshed, Captain Preston was

losing control of his soldiers who were growing increasingly

threatened by the angry mob. Suddenly, someone in the crowd

hurled a club which hit Br it ish soldier Hugh Montgomery and knocked

him to the ground. Montgomery rose and f ired into the crowd.

Hearing the shot, the mob lunged at Preston and his men, wielding

their clubs at them. For the next few minutes, the scene became a

chaotic battle in which Preston's men fired into the crowd to avoid

being beaten. The soldiers were able to fend off the mob which soon

dispersed. When it did disperse, the bodies of several patriots lay

dead or wounded on the ground. Preston and his soldie rs formed a

defensive l ine with guns drawn to protect themselves from another

assault .

Later that evening, Preston and his soldiers were arrested and

accused of murder. In the ensuing trial almost all were acquitted

(judged not-guil ty), as the deaths had occurred in self-defence.

Addit ional ly, Parl iament repealed the Townshend Act, and removed

al l taxes except for the tax on tea. Despite the anger in Boston over

the massacre, American merchants began import ing Br it ish goods

again and the push for independence seemed to fizzle .

B.1. Choose the most appropriate option to answer the questions.

1. Who was the Redcoat captain?

A. Hugh White B. John Goldfinch

C. Hugh Montgomery D. Thomas Preston


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2. What word probably DOES NOT descr ibe the Boston

Massacre?

A. Tense B. Scary

C. Violent D. Jubilant

3. Which of the following was not USED in the B oston Massacre?

A. Chunks of Ice. B. Bows and Arrows.

C. Muskets D. Bayonets

4. Which of the following BEST descr ibes why the Boston

Massacre occurred in the f irst place?

A. John Goldfinch began harassing a Redcoat.

B. Almost al l Redcoats involved were acquitted of cr imes.

C. An isolated skirmish between a Patr iot and a couple of

Redcoats.

D. The Redcoats began pelting the approaching mob with

ice chunks.

5. Which of the following best descr ibes the meaning of

"re inforcements" in the fol lowing sentence? “White's shouts for reinforcements were answered by Brit i sh

Captain Thomas Preston and several other soldiers who

entered the emotional mob.”

A. Addit ional help. B. Addit ional uniforms.

C. More ice chunks. D. An escape route.

6. Which of the following best descr ibes the cause and effect

of the Boston Massacre?

A. Cause - An isolated skirmish between a Patriot and a

couple of Redcoats.

Effect - The Boston Massacre

B. Cause - The just ice of the peace reading the Riot Act.

Effect - The mob of people becomes more violent

C. Cause - An isolated skirmish between a Patriot and a

couple of Redcoats.

Effect - Parl iament repeals many of the hated taxes, and

the push for independence in Boston slows down.

D. Cause - Several Patriots are kil led in the mob.

Effect - Parl iament repeals many of the hated taxes, and

the push for independence in Boston slows down.

7. Why were the Brit ish off icials acquitted (judged to be not -

guil ty) after the Boston Massacre?

A. There was not enough evidence.

B. They were defending themselves.

C. The Br it ish agreed to repeal many of the hated taxes.

D. The Brit ish hated the Patr iots.


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8. What happened first?

A. The just ice of the peace attempted to read the Riot

Act.

B. Hugh Montgomery f ired into the crowd.

C. Someone hurled a club at Hugh Montgomery.

D. Several members of the mob were found dead.

9. What happened second?

A. The just ice of the peace attempted to read the Riot

Act.

B. Hugh Montgomery f ired into the crowd.

C. Someone hurled a club at Hugh Montgomery.

D. Several members of the mob were found dead.

10. What word would best descr ibe the feel ings of Thomas

Preston as the s ituat ion escalated?

A. Worr ied B. Desperate

C. Unhappy D. Sad

B.2. Match the words on the left with the synonym/explanation on the

right.

a. sk irmishes - attacking by throwing things (____)

b. bell igerence - short f ights between small groups of

soldiers (____)

c. harassment - threw something violently (____)

d. pelting - act of putt ing pressure on somebody

(____)

e. prosecution - the state of f ight ing (____)

f. hurled - made a sudden movement to attack

(____)

g. lunged - to hiss (____)

h. to f izzle - process of t ry ing to prove in court if

somebody is guil ty of a cr ime (____)


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C. Read this text .

Champion Yourself At Work

I f you' re a younger employee, you've no doubt run up against the s t ruggle

of gett ing noticed for your work . One of the biggest batt les in the

workplace i s gett ing recogni t ion for the work you do wi thout comi ng

across as boast ful or a bra ggart . Even older , seasoned workers ha ve to

f ight to get thei r work recognised.

The t ruth i s , however, that you ha ve lots of opportuni t ies to cha mpion

yourself at work and point out your v ictor ies : in meetings , presentations

and even compa ny-wide e-mai l s. However, i t ' s a f in e l ine to walk ; there' s a

def inite art involved in the subt let ies of tout ing your accomplishments . I f

you' re always talking about how good you are at your job and how lucky

the compa ny i s to have you, you' l l come across as conceited, or even just

as a n id iot . But speak too l i t t le of your work , and you could miss out on

assignments , rai ses , promot ions , and your own pr ivate jet . OK, ma ybe not

the last one, but i f you wa nt to take your career to the next level , you

need to cha mpi on yoursel f at work .

Focus On Specif ics

The f i r s t ru le of champi oning yourself at work i s to have somethi ng worth

crowing about . You need a part icular achievement , beca use going

around tel l ing people you' re great for no reason at al l makes you sound

fu l l o f yoursel f . You should alwa ys ha ve something speci f ic, and i t should

be measura ble. Measurements are a sure wa y to show cha nge,

improvement in an area that was weak, etc. There' s a saying in bus iness :

“I f you ca n' t measure it , you ca n' t ma na ge i t .” We know, we know; things

l i ke your team's morale are important too, but the fact i s your bo ss , your

boss‟ boss and everyone el se has a preference for numbers . Why?

Numbers are a n easy ha ndle. Your boss could spend a few hours a week

s i tt ing in on the sa les tea m, watching how many deals are ma de, and the

overa l l mood of the div i s ion. Or, he could rea d the sa les f igures for the

month, and the number of employees who've quit thi s year versus last . As

a busy ma n, which do you thi nk he' s more l i kely to do? Exa ct ly.

P resent Accompl i shments As Compa ny Victor ies , Not Your Own

When you achieve the resul t you've a imed for , you t ruly ha ve something to

bra g about . However, i f you play that victory of f the wrong way you' l l

come across as cocky . So instea d of going around bra gging about what a

f ine job you d id, share wi th the others around you how proud they sh ould

be of the success the compa ny had. Do what you can to share the pra i se:

It makes you look l i ke a bigger man and nobody wi l l be confused a bout

who act ual ly made the win possi ble.


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Be Persi s tent

Have you ever ha d a quest ion for your boss or somet hing to get thei r

feedback on and fel t brushed of f by them? You may ha ve even felt

unimportant or una ppreciated to them. Wel l , barr ing the few t ruly bad

bosses out there, most bosses care about thei r tea ms a great deal . Your

boss doesn't mea n to ignore you, he‟s jus t busy. Get a promot ion to

ma na gement, and you' l l quick ly real i se how much work your boss was

deal ing wi th that you weren' t even aware of . They have people a bove

them to answer to, thei r own work and, last but not least , you and your

coworkers on the level below. So don' t feel bad i f you get a lukewarm

recept ion f rom your boss - - you ma y have ca ught them at a bad t ime.

Keep br i ngi ng up the good things you' re accompli shing.

Don' t give up, and keep reminding your boss of your past

accompl i shments and the bi g projects you' re current ly facing.

C. 1. Now answer these True or F alse quest ions:

1. When you' re a new employee i t ca n be hard to get your work

noticed. True / Fal se

2 . You should make sure you always tel l people how wel l you are doi ng

at work . True / False

3 . I f you don't ever tel l people a bout your achievements , you may miss

out on gett ing paid more money. True / False

4 . I t i s important to have speci f ic goals at work . True / False

5 . I f you achieve somet hing big, you should focus on how it

pos i t ively af fects the compa ny. True / False

6 . There are ma ny t ruly ba d bosses in the work wor ld. True / False

7 . You shouldn' t feel upset i f your boss brushes you of f, he/she i s

proba bly very busy. True / False

C. 2. Explain the fo l lowing words /express ions ( in bold in the text )

a. seasoned workers _____________________________________________

b. tout ing your accompli shments _________________________________

c. fu l l of yoursel f __________________________________________ _______

d. qui t__________________________________________ _________________

e. come a cross as cocky_________________________________________

f . lukewarm_____________________________________________________


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Nivel: POST-INTERMEDIO Paper: ENGLISH IN USE

A.1. For questions 1-15, read the text and decide which answer best

fits each space. Circle the correct word.

Gender bias and poverty

1) __________ between men and women results in poorer health for children and

greater 2) __________ for the family, 3) __________ to a new study. The UN agency

Unicef found that in places where women are 4) __________ from family

decisions, children are more likely to suffer from 5) __________. There would be 13

million 6) __________ malnourished children in South Asia if women had an equal

say in the family, Unicef said.

Unicef 7) __________ family decision-making in 30 countries 8) __________

the world. Their chief finding is that equality between men and women is vital to

9) __________ poverty and improving health, especially that of children, in

developing countries. The conclusions are contained in the agency's latest

report. This report 10) __________ to a greater 11) __________ of opportunities for

girls and women in education and work which contributes to disempowerment

and poverty. Where men control the household, less money is spent on health

care and food for the family, which 12) __________ in poorer health for the

children.

An increase in 13) __________ and income-earning opportunities for women

would increase their 14) __________ power, the report said. For example, the

agency found that 15) __________ has the greater share of household income

and assets decides whether those resources will be used for family needs.

1) Unequal Inequal Unequality Inequality

2) poor poorness poverty impoverished

3) resulting according regarding with regard

4) excluded exclude exclusion excludes

5) ill-nourished malnourish malnutrition ill-nutrition

6) more few fewer least

7) survey surveying surveys surveyed

8) in around over among

9) increase reduce increasing reducing

10) points indicates shows suggests

11) lack lacking lacks lacky

12) leads result lead results

13) employ employment employee employed

14) house householder household home

15) whatever whoever whichever however


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A.2. Read the text below. Use the words given at the end of the lines

to form a word that fi ts in the space in the same line.

Beavers

After the recent f loods, _conservationists_ CONSERVE

are cal l ing for beavers to be reintroduced

to Britain. You may wonder how animals that

build dams prevent f loods when ______________ SURE

the opposite is true.

However, beavers construct dams in upland areas,

creating smal l pools and _______________ that retain DIVERT

water and release water to lowland areas

much more _______________. GRADUAL

Until the 16th century, Beavers l ived wild in parts

of Britain, but they were hunted to _______________ EXTINCT

for their fur. However, recently ______________ VARY

Brit ish wildl ife organisat ions have appl ied to

reintroduce beavers to the countryside. Along with

their potent ial value in f lood _______________, PREVENT

they would create wetland habitats

and promote _______________ TOUR

But such measures are _______________. CONTROVERSY

Beavers recently reintroduced to Estonia have

f looded large areas of forest and ______________ AGRICULTURE

land, and th is, in turn, has damaged crops. As a

result, it has been necessary to cul l beavers when

the population becomes too large. Many people

think it ______________ to reintroduce a species ETHIC

which wil l then be kil led.


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A.3. Read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some lines

are correct and some have an extra word. If a line is correct, put a

tick (√) by it. If a l ine has an extra word, cross the word out (abc).

Winter Visits to London

Every year at Christmas time my parents

pay on a short visit to London. They like

to fly there on a Friday morning and

return on a Sunday evening. While been in London

they always stay in an expensive hotel

close to the Marble Arch. Christmas time may

seem a strange time for to visit London.

After it all, England in the wintertime can be

cold, wet and foggy itself. Sometimes it even

snows. However, my parents like going

because, despite of the cold weather,

there is a lots to do. My mother goes

in order that to visit the shops and buy

presents, my father does enjoys visiting the

museums and art galleries, and they

both like to visiting the theatre in the evening

when the streets are being lit with Christmas lights.

A.4. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning

to the first one using the word given. Do not change the given word.

You must use between two and five (2–5) words including the given

word.

1- I‟m sure Terry has spent all his money on clothes. HAVE

He _____________________________________ all his money on clothes.

2- Perhaps Mary is feeling ill. It‟s strange she has not turned up yet. BE

Mary _____________________________________ ill.

3- It isn‟t necessary to cut the grass; it‟s still quite short. HAVE

You _______________________________________ the grass; it‟s still quite short.


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4- This building is older than the church. SO

The church ____________________________________ this building.

5- David and I have sent the same number of Christmas cards. MANY

I have sent ___________________________________ David.

6- My twenty-three year old brother is in India. WHO

My brother __________________________________ in India.

7- “You should go to the dentist Tina,” Paul said. ADVISED

Paul _______________________________ to the dentist.

8- “Would you like me to do the washing up,” said Dan. OFFERED

Dan _______________________________ the washing up.

9- The teacher will send you out if you keep on talking. BE

You ______________________________ if you keep on talking.

10- They will have appointed a new director by the end of the week. BEEN

A new ________________________________ by the end of the week.

11- Our heater needs repairing. HAVE

We‟ll ________________________________ repaired.

12- If you don‟t criticize his work, he‟ll never improve. UNLESS

He‟ll never improve _______________________________ his work.

13- He‟s afraid of heights so he won‟t come climbing. WERE

If he ________________________________, he would come climbing.

14- Lilian missed the meeting because her car broke down. BROKEN

Lilian wouldn‟t have missed the meeting if _______________________ down.

15- You can ask Tim for a lift to work or you can ask Sam. EITHER

You can ________________________________ for a lift to work.

16- It is believed that Jack is guilty and that Peter is guilty too. BOTH

It is believed that _________________________________ guilty.


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Nivel: POST-INTERMEDIO Paper: LISTENING

A.1. Listen to the radio commercial and choose the correct option.

1. What service is being advertised?

A. home repair B. food catering C. carpet cleaning

2. Who is speaking in the commercial?

A. the salesperson B. the carpet C. the home owner

3. What is the regular cost of the service?

A. $22.95 B. $25.95 C. $29.95

4. What will new customers receive free of charge if they call now?

A. spot cleaner B. silverware C. wall hangings

5. What is the store's phone number?

A. 673-5010 B. 633-5100 C. 637-5001

A.2. Listen again and fill in the blank spaces.

Hey you! This i s your __________ speaking. Hell looo! Hey, I take a real

beating from you and your __________ friends every day. The kids

track __________ all over me, the dog leaves a bunch of fur balls

everywhere. You __________ coffee the other day whi le entertaining

guests, and your husband left a trai l of potato chip crumbs from the

sofa to the kitchen last night whi le watching the _______ ___ game.

Don't you think i t 's about time to give me a good cleaning?

Now pick up that phone and call Master Cleaners now. I see them

on the TV all the time. They'l l clean any three rooms and any

__________ hall i s free. Plus, they'l l throw in a free ________ __ of their

amazing stain remover. And i f you call now, you'l l receive a

__________ discount off their already low prices. So come on! Give

them a call, and make l i fe for me a l i tt le easier. Uh, nice doggie,

nice doggie . . .


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B.1. Listen to the conversation between a driver and a police officer.

Complete the ideas.

1- As the driver was going along a school zone, …

2- The police officer stopped the driver because …

3- Another problem the driver had was …

4- The driver refers to the officer‟s name in order to …

5- At the end of the conversation …

B.2. Listen again and choose the correct option.

1. What law did the dr iver break in the school zone?

A. He didn't y ield to children crossing the road.

B. He parked il legal ly near the school.

C. He exceeded the speed l imit .

2. What happened at the intersect ion?

A. The dr iver didn't use h is turn s ignals.

B. The dr iver didn't come to a complete stop.

C. The dr iver failed to y ield to other dr ivers.

3. What does the pol ice officer tel l the man about his dr iver's

l icense?

A. The l icense is no longer val id.

B. The dr iver is using someone else's l icense.

C. The l icense is only good for 6 more months.

4. What can be impl ied from the dr iver's conversat ion about the

officer's name?

A. The dr iver plans to report the officer to his superiors.

B. The dr iver tel ls the officer that they have met before.

C. The dr iver h ints that the officer could let him off.

5. What happens at the end of the conversat ion?

A. The dr iver gets a t icket.

B. The officer arrests the dr iver.

C. The dr iver is taken to court.


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Nivel: POST-INTERMEDIO Paper: WRITING

1. Write a suitable text of 210-240 words:

Your recently helped organise a col lege ski t r ip and you have

received th is email from a parent of one of the students who went.

I understand you were one of the organisers of our son's sk i tr ip.

I have to say my husband and I were extremely dissat isf ied with

the arrangements. My son has informed us that the ski slopes

were poor, the lessons were fewer than promised and the

accommodation was inadequate.

Can you please give us a sat isfactory explanation?

Yours s incerely,

Nora White

TASK: Write your answer to this email in an appropriate style. ________________________________________________________________________

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Express your opinion WRITING AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY on ONE of

the following topics, to be shared with your classmates. Write

between 210 and 240 words.

OPTION 1: In your Engl ish class, you have recently had a discussion about

whether i t is better to l ive alone or with someone el se . Now your teacher

has asked you to wri te an essay giving reasons for your point of view.

You can write about independence, money, ____ (your own ideas).

Start l ike this: “Nowadays more people are deciding to l ive by themselves.

Some people claim this is more enjoyable and in young people it

develops a sense of responsibil ity, whereas others disagree.”

OPTION 2: Write your response to the fol lowing statement taken from a

recent newspaper article: “Public l ibraries should only provide books and

should not waste their resources on expensive high -tech media such as

software or videos.” Do you agree or disagree?

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Documents

Examen de Acreditación de Niveles de Lengua Inglesa ... · ridden with zombies. With an audience of 10 million, student numbers for the course ... workplace is getting recognition