TEC THE English College - Gijón

Pruebas de Aptitud para el Acceso a la Universidad (8)

INGLÉS

Read the text and then answer the questions:

I am not by nature an unreasonable person, but two vivid and shocking personal experiences of rock music over the past two weeks have persuaded me that it has become a duty to point out its potential dangers. My first experience was the realisation that if I speak to my teenage son when he is listening to rock music through headphones, he replies in an unnaturally loud voice, as if there was something wrong with his hearing. The second occurred when I went with him to a ‘concert’ and saw for myself what these affairs are like. I noticed a collective madness, a mass hysteria, brought about by the noise level. I also observed that everyone gave up his/her individuality. By the end I was in the middle of a faceless crowd who clapped and jumped like demented monkeys. It was the most degrading human spectacle I have ever had the misfortune to witness. In short, those shouting marionettes on the stage turn the audience into zombies, but anyone present with any common sense after seeing the process has to ask, ‘’And those marionettes…who pulls their strings?’

Questions

1.- What made the author think that the spectacle seen was “degrading”? Do not copy literally from the text (1 punto)

2.- How do you know that the author thinks the singers on the stage are manipulated? Do not copy literally from the text (1 punto)

3.- How does the author’s son listen to rock music and how does he (his son) behave while he does it? 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) It’ll be necessary for him to give up smoking soon.
Soon he ………………………………………….

(b) She wrote me a letter to tell me she never wanted to see me again.
The letter………………………………………...

(c) “I never want to go there again” he said to his brother.
He told ………………………………………….

(d) He’s so boring that people fall asleep while he’s talking
He’s such ………………………………………

5.- Find a synonym in the text for each of the following words:
convinced / show / answers / crazy

6.- What kind of music, groups or singers do you like? Why? (100-120 words) (4 puntos)