OPTION A - CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING
Did you know that Greta Thunberg was only 15 years old when she began her solo protest to demand action against climate change? Today at 19 years of age, the Swedish teenager is the voice of an entire generation. She has inspired a global movement of millions of young people in more than 180 countries by repeatedly calling on governments and companies to take responsibility for what she calls "an existential emergency". This emergency is related to "global warming", the long-term heating of Earth's surface observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1.850 and 1.900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning. These activities are estimated to have increased Earth's global average temperature by about 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), a number that is currently increasing by more than 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.
"Global warming" is a term that is not interchangeable with "climate change", as it refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet. These changes include rising sea levels; shrinking mountain glaciers; accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic; and shifts in flower/plant blooming times. These are all consequences of warming.
Although human activities can increase heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere, and thus raise Earth's average surface temperature, natural processes can also contribute to climate change, including internal variability (e.g., cyclical ocean patterns like El Nino, La Nina and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation) and external forces (e.g., volcanic activity, changes in the Sun's energy output, or variations in Earth's orbit).
EXERCISE A.1: Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)
a) Earth's global average temperature has diminished by about 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
b) Mountain glaciers are becoming smaller in size and number because of climate change.
EXERCISE A.2: Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)
a) Are human activities the only cause of climate change?
b) What is the relationship between global warming and the changes that are affecting Earth?
EXERCISE A.3: Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)
a) boost, increment
b) complaint
c) stimulating, quickening
d) detected, discovered
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) Global warming is raising sea levels. Sea levels (...)
b) At the UN summit in Egypt Greta Thunberg insisted that there is an existential emergency, but nobody believed her. Although (...)
c) Human activities burn so much fossil fuel that Earth's surface is heating rapidly. If human activities (...)
d) "Can volcanic activity contribute to climate change?", the student asked. The student wanted to know (...)
EXERCISE A.5: Write a blog post about a positive or negative personal experience. Make sure you convey emotion with your words and that the contents of your story are suitable to help others. (100-140 words). (3 points)

OPTION B - SKATEBOARDING
Did you know that there were four new sports added to the Olympic program for 2.020 in Tokyo? One of them is a controversial action sport which has been defined as both critical and caring, and is a dynamic presence in cities worldwide. If you are thinking of skateboarding, then you are right. Skateboarders ride and perform tricks using a skateboard, although nowadays skateboarding is not only a recreational activity, but also an art form and even a method of transportation.
Skateboarding originated in the United States during the late 1950s, when frustrated surfers rode basic skateboards fabricated from hard wheels and narrow wooden decks. A deck is the platform where the rider places his or her feet and to which other parts are attached. Skateboarding's next big wave came in the mid-1970s with the adoption of polyurethane wheels and wider decks. Later, skateboarding underwent a massive shift, with the arrival of innumerable small skater-owned companies and more accessible street-based riding. It was then that the new breed of street skaters deployed the "ollie" move (kicking down on the board tail, making it jump back into the air), and turned ordinary pavements, ledges, benches, handrails, and steps into a new playground of pleasure. However, skateboarders can damage urban terrain features when they perform "grinds" (strong twisting movements) on those surfaces. In fact, in public areas in many cities, the posting of signs stating "Skateboarding is not allowed" is a common method to discourage skateboarding and protect pedestrians and property, and tickets and arrest from police for trespassing and vandalism are not infrequent.
EXERCISE B.1: Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)
a) The size of skateboard decks has always been the same.
b) The "ollie" trick was created when skateboarding began to be practised in streets.
EXERCISE B.2: Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)
a) Why may urban authorities consider skateboarding problematic?
b) Has skateboarding remained the same with the passing of time?
EXERCISE B.3: Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)
a) amusement, recreation
b) questionable, dubious
c) discontented, disheartened
d) enormous
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) Sports at the Tokyo Olympics did not include skateboarding and a lot of my friends were very disappointed. A lot of my friends were very disappointed (...)
b) The rider placed her feet on the deck. The rider's feet (...)
c) Do not buy a skateboard with hard wheels or you won't be able to get a good ollie. If you (...)
d) "How did you perform that grind?", a young skateboarder asked me. A young skateboarder asked me (...)
EXERCISE B.5: Write a formal letter to request information about a university or a business or company. Explain why you would like to study/work there. (100-140 words). (3 points)