TEC THE English College - Gijón
Pruebas de Aptitud para el Acceso a la Universidad (1)
INGLÉS
Read the text and then answer the questions:
When foreign students talk about people in Britain, they often do so in terms
of stereotypes. The Englishman is thought to be a man in a bowler hat drinking
tea, for example. The Scot, on the other hand, wears a skirt and carries a bottle
of whisky everywhere. Such simplifications occur whenever people refer to the
inhabitants of other countries. They are unlikely to be true of individuals, although
there are such things as national and regional characteristics that can be identified.
Within England itself, for instance, the differences between North and South are
always a source of argument. To a Southerner, Northerners are uncultured barbarians
with strong accents. Northerners, on the other hand, think Londoners, in particular,
are lazy, selfish and insincere. While rivalries exist between different regions
of a country and the inhabitants themselves even enjoy them, outsiders are usually
warned not to take part. It is a fact that in some places nati onal and regional
characteristics are a risky topic in conversation.
Questions
1.- What do Southerners in Britain think of Northerners? Do not copy literally
from the text (1 punto)
2.- What do Northerners in Britain think of Southerners? Do not copy literally
from the text (1 punto)
3.- Describe the stereotype usually applied to the Scot. Do not copy literally
from the text (1 punto)
4.- Finish the incomplete sentences in such a way that each one means exactly
the same as the complete sentence before it (2 puntos):
(a) “I promise I will give you a call” our friend said.
Our friend told ……………………………..
(b) You’ll get fat by eating too much.
If …………………………………………..
(c) He works too hard and that’s why he’s always so tired.
If he………………………………………..
(d) We bought our house through an agency.
Our house………………………………….
5.- Complete each sentence with a suitable word (1 punto):
(a) Mary is an excellent …….. Her meals are always exquisite.
(b) Nobody has ever …… a treasure on a desert island.
(c) El Escorial was …….. by Philip II.
(d) John is a very …… worker. Everything he does is perfect.
6.- What national or regional stereotypes do you know? Do you agree with them?
(100-120 words) (4 puntos)