UNIVERSIDADES PÚBLICAS DE LA COMUNIDAD DE MADRID

EVALUACIÓN PARA EL ACCESO A LAS ENSEÑANZAS

UNIVERSITARIAS OFICIALES DE GRADO

Curso 2016-2017
MATERIA: INGLÉS OPCIÓN A

INSTRUCCIONES GENERALES Y CALIFICACIÓN

QUESTIONS
Después de leer atentamente los textos y las cuestiones siguientes, el alumno deberá escoger
una de las dos opciones propuestas y responder en INGLÉS a las cuestiones de la opción 1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
elegida. marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
CALIFICACIÓN: Las cuestiones 1ª, 2ª y 4ª se valorarán sobre 2 puntos cada una, la a) Scientists have invented a device that alerts you with a visual signal when you
pregunta 3ª sobre 1 punto y la pregunta 5ª sobre 3 puntos. are having a tedious conversation.
TIEMPO: 90 minutos. b) The new watch, as it is now, collects information from both parties involved in
the conversation.
An End to Tedious Conversations (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

Have you ever worried that your conversations might be boring? Well, help 2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions.
Do not copy from the text.
could be at hand from a watch that gives a warning buzz if you have been a) What kind of information does the new watch need to analyse conversations?
talking too much and in a monotonous manner. Scientists from b) In what ways might this new invention be useful in the coming years?
Massachusetts have created a device worn on the wrist that uses artificial (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
intelligence to read the tone of conversations. The watch is loaded with
sensors that capture physiological data such as heart rate, blood pressure, 3.- Find the words in the text that mean:
a) way (paragraph 1)
temperature and movement. That information is then combined with audio
b) gadget (paragraph 1)
recordings to analyse a conversation’s energy levels and vocabulary. Using a c) trainer (paragraph 3)
complicated algorithm, the device assesses the tone with an 83% accuracy d) achieve good results (paragraph 3)
level. (Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

It understands happy, sad or neutral tones and some versions could tell you if 4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets
when given.
you are boring others by collecting negative signs such as pauses, moving a) _______ many new devices have started to conquer the market, smartphones are
about restlessly or putting a hand to your face. The device could be linked to still the _______ popular gadget among young people.
smartphones that would then warn you if a conversation was going downhill. b) If you _______ (be) a boring salesman, _______ would you do? Would you
The prototype focuses on the wearer, but later versions could also analyse wear one of those new watches?
audio from all sides of a conversation, telling us whether the listener is still c) This is the first device that _______ (match) different types of data to read the
interested in what we are saying. tone of conversations. Every detail _______ (put) together with the greatest
precision.
Experts believe that in the future people could have an “intelligent social d) Complete the following sentence to report what was said.
coach right in their pocket”. It could help you succeed in important social “What else did you buy?”
I asked the girl ____________________________________________________
situations, such as job interviews. It could also help people who suffer from (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
conditions such as autism and Asperger’s syndrome, since they struggle to
read emotional cues. This device could help them avoid a variety of negative 5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic.
consequences, from social isolation to depression. Are you a fan of the new technologies? Justify your answer.
(Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)
 UNIVERSIDADES PÚBLICAS DE LA COMUNIDAD DE MADRID
EVALUACIÓN PARA EL ACCESO A LAS ENSEÑANZAS
UNIVERSITARIAS OFICIALES DE GRADO

Curso 2016-2017
MATERIA: INGLÉS OPCIÓN B

INSTRUCCIONES GENERALES Y CALIFICACIÓN QUESTIONS

Después de leer atentamente los textos y las cuestiones siguientes, el alumno deberá escoger 1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
una de las dos opciones propuestas y responder en INGLÉS a las cuestiones de la opción marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
elegida. a) According to the text, dancing and singing produce a stronger resistance to pain.
CALIFICACIÓN: Las cuestiones 1ª, 2ª y 4ª se valorarán sobre 2 puntos cada una, la b) In the investigation described in the text, tragic stories lead to a heightened sense
pregunta 3ª sobre 1 punto y la pregunta 5ª sobre 3 puntos. of connection between people.
TIEMPO: 90 minutos. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

Tragedy Can Be Good for Your Health 2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions.
Do not copy from the text.
“Why do we waste so much of our time and money going back to novels and
a) Describe the pain tolerance test and its purpose.
films that make us cry?” asked a research team at the beginning of a new b) Give two reasons why the researchers consider that watching dramatic films may
study. In their previous investigations of group activities like dancing, be good for you.
laughing and singing, they found that feel-good chemicals called endorphins (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
were released in the brain, leading to increased pain tolerance. They also
discovered that there were stronger bonds between participants. Watching a 3.- Find the words in the text that mean:
a) set off (paragraph 1)
tragic film unfold in a cinema might trigger the same system, the researchers
b) problematic (paragraph 2)
hypothesized. c) measure (paragraph 2)
d) attractive (paragraph 3)
For their study, 169 participants were recruited and split into two groups. (Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)
The first group was shown the film Stuart: A Life Backwards, the true story
of a homeless man with a troubled childhood, while the second group 4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets
when given.
watched a documentary on archaeology. Before and after seeing the films, a) Romantic films, _____ are sometimes very silly, are often more entertaining
participants were asked to indicate, through various scales, their mood and _____ westerns.
their feelings of belonging towards other members of their group. Some b) I felt like the _____ (lucky) person in the world after I _____ (win) two tickets to
participants were also asked to do the wall-sit test to gauge their pain attend a play in New York.
tolerance. This test involves squatting with their back against a wall for as c) I really don’t feel like _____ (go) out to the cinema tonight. I’d rather _____
long as possible. The higher the endorphin level, the longer a person should (stay) home and watch TV.
be able to sustain the posture. d) Complete the following sentence to report what was said.
“Can you meet me at the cinema, Doug?”
The results revealed that those who watched the traumatic film had a much Mary wanted to know ______________________________________________.
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
stronger change to their moods and that their pain thresholds were boosted
by nearly 18% as compared to the control scenario. They also had increased 5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic.
feelings of group bonding. So, psychologists may have found a reason why What are your favourite types of films? Name one film and explain why you enjoy
such films are so appealing: “perhaps watching tragic films is good for your it.
(Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)
health!”