Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
NIVEL B - ACTIVIDADES DE LECTO-COMPRENSION
B2
These paragraphs are taken from the book Helen Keller: Crusader for the
Blind and Deaf
Helen Keller was born in 1880. From the age of a year and a half, she could not
hear. She could not see, and she did not speak. She lived in a dark and lonely
world – until Annie Sullivan came to teach her. Annie spelled letters and words
in Helen’s hand and made Helen realize she could “talk” to people.
One morning Helen woke early. She could not see the daylight, but she
smelled bacon and eggs cooking. She knew it was time to get up. Her mother
hurried Helen through breakfast and dressed her carefully. Helen did not
know what was happening. Still she felt excited.
… Whatever Annie and Helen did, Annie spelled letters into Helen’s
hand. When they petted the cat, Annie spelled “C-A-T”. Helen quickly learned
to copy the movements of Annie’s fingers. “Helen is like a clever little
monkey,” Annie wrote. “She has learned the signs to ask for what she wants
but she has no idea that she is spelling words.”
One morning Annie poured cold water over Helen’s hand and spelled the
word “W-A-T-E-R”. Suddenly, Helen understood that this was a word and
pointed to things around her to know how they were spelled.
Helen and Annie were both excited. They ran to the house to find Mrs.
Keller. When Helen threw herself in her mother’s arms, Annie spelled “M-O-TH-E-R” into the hand. Helen understood and there were tears of happiness in
Mrs. Keller’s eyes. Now Helen had discovered language but there were other
things that she needed to learn as well.
Adapted from Choice Readings (Michigan 1996)
a. Read these statements and put a check (√) to the correct answers:
1- Helen had bacon and eggs every day for breakfast. ……
2- There was something unusual about this morning. ……
3- At first, Helen uses finger spelling only for saying what she wants. ……
4- Monkeys can copy actions without understanding the real meaning, but humans
cannot do that. ……
5- Helen was anxious to learn how to spell the word “water”. ……
6- Helen understood that the finger-spelling of M-O-T-H-E-R was the word for the
person, mother. ……
7- Helen’s mother was happy because Helen hugged her. ……
8- Now Helen would be able to learn other things. ……
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
B3
Read the text below:
SUMMIT TO SAVE THE EARTH: THE WORLD’S NEXT TROUBLE
SPOT
What kind of world will our children have to live in? Will they have air to
breathe and food to eat? These were among the basic questions that were
addressed at the first world meeting on the environment, attended by more
than 100 world leaders and 30,000 other scientists, newspeople, and
concerned citizens. These complex problems can no longer be solved by
individual countries; nations of the world must act together if we are to
develop answers that will give a safe and healthy world to our children. Will
world leaders have the vision to make the necessary changes in the laws that
protect the environment? The answer is not certain, but there is hope.
A number of important problems were examined in the summit
conference, all related to quality of life on the planet. As more and more
countries become industrialized, air pollution from factories and automobiles
worsens, causing an increase in disease and medical costs. Many leaders are
concerned about birth rates because the populations of their countries are
growing faster than their economies. Clean water is, of course, another
concern for all countries, but very often rivers and other water sources are
threatened by industrial growth, as factories and large businesses look for
ways to dispose of chemical waste matter. Another area where industry and
nature must be balanced is in the use of forests, jungles, grasslands, and
deserts; government officials argue that the land is needed for farming,
industry, and housing, while environmentalists say that we need to preserve
the wild lands.
Environmentalists have “graded” the world on environmental problems.
They have provided the “report cards” that appear with the maps. Like the
report cards that teachers send home with school children, these give us a
better understanding of how we are doing in taking care of the Earth.
Adapted from Choice Readings (Michigan 1996)
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
a. Are these statements TRUE or FALSE?
1- Each country can solve its own environmental problem. _______
2- According to the article, necessary changes in laws will be made to protect the
environment. _______
3- In the meeting, the most important issue was concerned with the quality of life on the
planet. _______
4- Polluted waters are a consequence of industrial growth. _______
5- Government officials are worried about the wild lands. _______
b. Find words or expressions in the text which mean:
1- dealt with / tackled
………………..
2- were present at / went
………………..
3- definite / firm
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4- meeting / top
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5- associated / connected to
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6- deteriorates / aggravates
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7- supplies / resources
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8- protect / care for
………………..
c. Complete these ideas:
1- People from around the world recently met to ……………………………………………
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2- Disease increased because ………………………………..……………………………….
…..………………………………………………………………………………………….
3- Most people want to protect their quality of life, but environmentalists ………………….
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
NIVEL B - ACTIVIDADES DE PRODUCCIÓN ESCRITA
B1
Part 1:
Read the following article and choose the correct option:
POLAR TEST
BRITISH / BRITAIN
explorer Robin Drake says that the first international polar
expedition STARTED / WILL START next March. It WILL TRY / TRIES to reach the
North Pole on a 65-day, 480-mile journey.
WHILE / IF
Drake succeeds, he IS / WILL BE the first man to walk to both
the North and south Poles. Drake will go on the Icewalk Expedition with navigator
Alan Winterson. WHEN / WHILE they arrive in Thule in northern Greenland, walkers
from the Soviet Union, the USA, Japan, Australia, Canada, and Italy will join them.
AS SOON AS / UNLESS
they get to their base camp, Eureka, inside the Arctic
Circle, they will HAVE TO / MUST build huts to protect them from temperatures as
HIGH / LOW
as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We will do a lot of experiments to see how much pollution there is in the
area,” said Robin. “The results will help us to understand the effects of pollution
on the planet, including holes in the OZONE LAYER / LAYER OZONE and the
greenhouse effect.” If the weather is SMART / GOOD enough, they will make a film
of the expedition. Robin said, “BEFORE / WHEN we get back home, we will show it to
people all over the world.”
Adapted from Headway Pre-Intermediate. Workbook (OUP 1991)
4
Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
Part 2
Last summer you went on holidays to the mountains and you made a new
friend there. Here’s his photo.
Write a postcard to your cousin David describing your new friend’s personality
and physical appearance.
appearance. (80 to 100 words)
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
B2
Part 2
You have been in hospital for a week with stomach problems due to some bad
eating habits. You have decided to change your habits about what you eat and
what you drink.
Write a letter to a friend telling him / her about the changes you are planning
to make.
make (100-130 words)
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
B3
Part 1:
Read the text and fill in the blanks with words from the box.
There are some extra words you do not need to use.
so that - unfortunately - kind - raise - gorillas - nature
through - been - would need - health - are - in
tourists - found - died - despite - before - as
Eco-tourism: blessing or threat?
Jungle holidays help to _______ money to protect threatened wildlife, but
the ever growing number of tourists trekking ________ the African jungle
has _______ proved by scientists to be a threat to apes. _______ tourism or
eco-tourism as it is called has never ________ been so popular, so thousands
of people _______
thrilled with the idea of making their way through a
forest to see African________ . This ______ of holiday is popular in many
African countries because it helps the local economy ________ wildlife will be
protected both now and in the future.____________, contact with
________ has caused fatal diseases in apes. The first evidence was _______
in Ivory Coast where a group of chimpanzees ______ of a disease caused by
human contact.
Adapted from Traveller B1+ (MM Publications 2008)
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
Part 2
Give your opinion on one of these statements. (140-180 words)
* Superstitions affect people’s lives.
OR
* We should try to change our lifestyle so as to be friendly to the
environment.
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………
Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
Servicio Externo de Lenguas Extranjeras
Evaluación de Competencias Comunicativas - Tercer Ciclo de EGB y Nivel Polimodal
Año 2009
NIVEL B - ACTIVIDADES DE COMPRENSIÓN AUDITIVA
B1: You will hear an interview with Paul Carrack, the lead vocalist with a
band called Mike and the Mechanics. As you listen put a tick on the chart:
INSTRUMENTS
HE PLAYS
Guitar
BANDS HE HAS
PLAYED WITH
Roxy Music
PLACES HE HAS
VISITED
France
Saxophone
U2
Japan
Trumpet
The Smiths
America
Drums
The Pretenders
Eastern Europe
Keyboards
Simply Red
Germany
Violin
Madness
Italy
Piano
Queen
South America
Adapted from Headway Pre-intermediate (Oxford 1991)
B2: Listen to the two people and fill in the chart:
“This week in The London Programme – People of mixed nationalities.
In the streets of London there are people from all parts of the world. They live
side by side. Sometimes they marry and have children. Many Londoners have
parents of a different nationality. Is this good or bad, easy or difficult for these
children?
Today two people of mixed nationality tell us their stories: Amélia de Melo, a
textile designer, and Lionel Varley, an architect.”
AMELIA
LIONEL
NATIONALITY OF
PARENTS
LANGUAGES HE/
SHE CAN SPEAK
ADVANTAGES
PROBLEMS
LIFE NOW
Adapted from Headway Pre-intermediate (Oxford 1991)
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Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………………………