OPTION A - SOAP OPERA
Even if you were born after the year 2.000, you will have heard of the existence of a reference book published annually that lists world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. If Guinness World Records is the name that comes to mind, that's perfect! One of the examples of human achievements listed there is Guiding Light, an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in Guinness World Records as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. Guiding Light began as an NBC Radio serial on January 25, 1.937. On June 2, 1.947, the series was transferred to CBS Radio, before starting on June 30, 1.952, on CBS Television. After a run of 72 years, on April 1, 2.009, CBS announced that it would be cancelling Guiding Light due to low ratings.
The term 'soap opera' refers to a broadcast dramatic serial programme like Guiding Light. Soap opera depicts the lives and problems of a particular group of characters with programmes that continue over a long period and are broadcast several times every week. For example, Guiding Light centred on Reverend John Ruthledge and those people's lives that revolved around him, with a story line that managed to draw a large audience to it for about seven decades. This type of programme was called soap opera in the United States because most of its major sponsors for many years were manufacturers of soap and detergents. Since most men were at work when soap operas began to be broadcast, the audience was mainly female, and most of the drama revolved around female characters, too.
EXERCISE A.1: Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)
a) Guiding Light is the name of a book that describes the greatest human achievements.
b) Soap and detergents were the products manufactured by the first sponsors of soap operas.
EXERCISE A.2: Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)
a) What are the defining characteristics of soap opera?
b) Why is Guiding Light said to be one of the longest-running broadcast dramas in American history?
EXERCISE A.3: Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)
a) scores
b) public
c) promoters, supporters
d) accomplishments, attainments
EXERCISE A.4: Complete the second sentence in each pair. The meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)
a) Guiding Light was broadcast for more than 70 years and so became one of the longest-running television dramas. If Guiding Light had (...)
b) "What did Reverend John Ruthledge do to help his neighbours during the fire?", Alice asked. Alice wanted to know (...)
c) I miss not having met Emma's famous grandmother, the soap opera actress. If only (...)
d) Men used to be at work at the time of day when the first soap operas were broadcast. There were lots of commercials about beauty products. There were lots of commercials about beauty products (...)
EXERCISE A.5: Write a blog post about a soap opera you liked watching, or the type of soap opera you like watching. Make sure you explain clearly why you enjoyed it, or would enjoy it, so much (100-140 words). (3 points)

OPTION B - THEME PARKS
Do you like jungle wildlife, fairy tales, or the Old West? All of those things can be found at a theme park, an amusement park in which landscaping, buildings, and attractions are based on one or more specific themes. The USA is home to the major examples of theme parks, as all of the Disney and Universal 'destination' parks are located there. These are parks that are open year-round, generally offer on-property overnight accommodations and other resort amenities, and attract vacationers from afar as well as those within driving distance. However, there are also theme parks that cater to more specific customers such as the SeaWorld parks, Sesame Place, or Legoland Florida, among many others; for example, although Legoland Florida is a multi-day destination, it was originally designed only for kids 2 to 12. Nowadays, the scope of the park has changed a lot, with two hotels and a beach resort, the Legoland Water Park, the brand-new Peppa Pig Theme Park, as well as the actual Legoland Florida Theme Park, which has more than 50 shows and attractions inspired by LEGO brands and characters.
Although a 'theme' park and an 'amusement' park may appear to be the same, there is a subtle difference between them. In an amusement park, visitors are passive passengers on mechanical rides, even if there is a wide range of them - roller coasters, flat rides, carousels, dark rides, and the like. In theme parks, however, the common rides found at an amusement park are used to tell stories, since in theme parks the use of a whimsical architecture, colour, landscaping, and characters makes visitors become an active part of the illusion.
EXERCISE B.1: Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)
a) In a theme park the combination of special colours, striking structures and dedicated actors facilitates the willing involvement of visitors in the magic of the park.
b) Disney and Universal 'destination' parks are only visited by holidaymakers from nearby towns.
EXERCISE B.2: Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)
a) Why is the scope of Legoland Florida said to have changed over time?
b) What can a visitor do at a Disney 'destination' park?
EXERCISE B.3: Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)
a) recreation, entertainment
b) automated, machine-driven
c) clients, consumers
d) lodgings
EXERCISE B.4: Complete the second sentence in each pair. The meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)
a) More than 10,000 whale lovers visited SeaWorld parks in 2.022. SeaWorld parks (...)
b) Do not forget to buy the tickets well in advance or you will not be able to participate in the Peppa Pig show. If you (...)
c) Sophie's brother hates roller coasters. We ruled out the possibility of going to an amusement park. The possibility of going to an amusement park (...)
d) "In 2.007, Sesame Place became the first theme park in Pennsylvania to become completely smoke-free", the guide said. The guide explained that (...)
EXERCISE B.5: Write a letter to a friend persuading him or her to visit a (real or imaginary) theme park. Make sure you mention a specific theme and give specific reasons why he or she should undoubtedly visit it (100-140 words). (3 points)