TEXT (GRUPO A): Ballet dancer, Darcey Bussell, warns teens that social media is an unkind space
A ballet that conveys a powerful message to young people to "be yourself", while criticising social media is a story about superficial beauty, has inspired one of the UK's most famous dancers to perform on the big screen.
Dame Darcey Bussell, a former principal of the Royal Ballet, will dance in a new film based on the classic ballet Coppelia because, she said, it will "resonate" with young people who face intense pressure to change their looks in the pursuit of happiness.
Coppelia is a modern interpretation of the 1.870 comic ballet, an innovative approach that mixes 2D and computer-generated animation with live-action dance. Its producers describe it as a silent movie, using only the language of dance, music and animation to tell the story.
In the original story, Dr Coppelius is an eccentric toymaker who dreams of bringing his mechanical dolls to life. In the reimagined story, a young woman must save her sweetheart from having his heart used by the charismatic but sinister cosmetic surgeon Doctor Coppelius to bring life to Coppelia, the perfect robot-woman he has created.
Bussell said: "It's about appreciating you can be yourself, and you should be happy with who you are. This young, especially, believe that to be happy they have to change their appearance."
She is disturbed by the darker side of social media, describing it as "an unkind space". "For all the good it creates in connecting people, it can also be the opposite. It's a very hard thing to balance, for the young person especially, because they've known nothing else.
"Sadly, because we communicate constantly on a screen, we forget body language and how we read people's emotions. When you're constantly texting, it stops that very important social skill you learn from a young age."
She said the only ones social media for work-related subjects, realising that the brevity of comments is the reason why they are so often misunderstood. "There's no detail. You don't see the thought behind it."
One of the film's producers said that it criticises social media by showing characters looking in the mirror after their treatment at the cosmetic clinic: "In the reflection, what they see is like an Instagram or Snapchat filter, a Kardashian-esque version of themselves. The directors wanted to show how people often want to see themselves. Kids are using these filters to give themselves perfect skin, bigger eyes, bigger lips, a smaller nose, whatever. It's a terrible negative thing."
Fragment adapted from The Guardian, February 2.022
1. Say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text. COPY the evidence from the text. No marks will be given without the evidence. (1.5 points)
a) The story in the film Coppelia is told entirely without words.
b) In the new version of Coppelia, the villain is a doctor.
c) The famous British ballet dancer uses social media for both personal and professional purposes.

2. ANSWER the questions below. COPY no more than 10 words and/or a number from the text to answer each question. (1.5 points)
a) Where will the new Coppelia story be seen?
b) How does Bussell view social media?
c) In Bussell's opinion, why is it difficult for youngsters to recognise the negative side of social media?

3. FIND a word or expression in the text that means... (1 point)
a) stress (lines 1-9)
b) combines (lines 1-9)
c) the opposite of brighter (lines 10-21)
d) a tool for creating special effects on an image (lines 22-28)

4. READ this conversation and COMPLETE your part. Write the numbers (1-6) and complete each sentence on your exam paper. (1.5 points)
At an animal shelter with your dad
Your dad: Have you eventually chosen the dog you're taking home, honey?
You: Yes, (1) ____________________
Your dad: Oh, he's lovely! He'll need a good name.
You: Yes, (2) ____________________ Messi.
Your dad: Messi?! Your passion for football is going too far.
You: Not really, Dad. That's just a name for my champion. By the way, Messi will need some food for dinner.
Your dad: True! Also, a collar and a leash.
You: And (3) ____________________ toys for him. Puppies love them, especially balls.
Your dad: OK. Let's go to the supermarket then.
You: No, Dad. A pet shop (4) ____________________
Your dad: Alright. But we can't spend too much money.
You: Don't worry. (5) ____________________
Your dad: Great. And don't forget Messi will be your responsibility not mine.
You: That won't be a problem and thanks for (6) ____________________, Dad.

5. Read the following situations and WRITE what you would say in each one to show that you understand the context of the situation. Write between 10 and 25 words. (1.5 points)
a) You are organising a group project about social issues for the English class. Suggest a topic.
b) You are very late for lunch after school. Explain why.
c) "How was your birthday party?" a classmate asks you. Make a comment.

6. WRITE a composition of about 120-150 words on the following topic (3 points):
How important is body image? Give your opinion.

TEXT (GRUPO B): From hippos to hamsters: how Covid is affecting creatures great and small
A year ago humanity embarked on a project to vaccinate every person against Covid-19. But in recent months a shadow vaccination campaign has also been taking place. From giraffes to snow leopards, gorillas to sea lions, zoos around the world have been inoculating their animals with an experimental Covid vaccine to prevent what they fear could be a similarly fatal illness for certain mammals.
Meanwhile, veterinary scientists have been struggling to understand the scale of Covid-19 infection in our furry household companions, among other things, and the consequences could be for their health – and our own.
Last week two hippos at Antwerp zoo in Belgium became the latest in a group of creatures to contract Covid from humans. Fortunately, Imani and Hermien had no symptoms apart from runny noses, but other animals haven't been so fortunate. In November three snow leopards died from Covid-related complications at a children's zoo in Nebraska. Other zoos have reported infections in gorillas, lions, tigers and cougars.
Although Sars-CoV-2 is generally thought to have originated in an animal, most likely a bat, until recently most of the scientific focus has, understandably, been on how the disease affects humans. However, since the early days of the pandemic, scientists have worried about the possibility of other animal infections.
"We've always recognised that coronaviruses have this tremendous capacity to jump species. So it was always predicted that there would be a variety of domestic animals, livestock and possibly wildlife that could be infected," said Margaret Hosie, a professor of comparative virology at the University of Glasgow's Centre for Virus Research.
If other animals can become infected and transmit the virus, this could put pressure on it to adapt and acquire new mutations, raising the prospect of new variants that could be transmitted back to people.
"The current pandemic is maintained by human to human transmission, but we need to keep a close watch on animals," said Alan Radford, a professor in veterinary health informatics at the University of Liverpool. For now, the most likely source of new variants is continued circulation of the virus in humans. With ongoing high infection rates, we still present a far greater risk to our pets than they do to us.
This is unfortunate. "When we're sick, what is better than a cuddle with our pets?" said Rebecca Fisher, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Texas A&M University. "Tough as it is, if we are sick we must try to not interact with them, and pets pose anything on to them. We need to try our hardest to protect them, just as we would our human children."
Fragment adapted from The Guardian, December 2.021
1. Say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text. COPY the evidence from the text. No marks will be given without the evidence. (1.5 points)
a) Zoos have vaccinated their animals against Covid because they are worried that they might die from the disease.
b) The hippos that caught Covid became seriously ill.
c) Household pets are probably the reason why new variants of the virus keep appearing.

2. ANSWER the questions below. COPY no more than 10 words and/or a number from the text to answer each question. (1.5 points)
a) Where is the current pandemic believed to have started?
b) How long have scientists been concerned about animals becoming infected?
c) If we have pets at home, how can we protect them if we catch Covid?

3. Find a word or expression in the text that means... (1 point)
a) the most recent (lines 1-10)
b) communicated (lines 1-10)
c) ability (lines 11-19)
d) continuing (lines 20-27)

4. READ this conversation and COMPLETE your part. Write the numbers (1-6) and complete each sentence on your exam paper. (1.5 points)
Planning a camping trip
Your friend: I got a tent for my birthday! Shall we go camping after the exams?
You: Oh, wow! That sounds like fun. (1) ____________________?
Your friend: Wherever you like.
You: My cousin told me (2) ____________________
Your friend: OK. We need to find out whether we need a permit.
You: Fine. (3) ____________________
Your friend: Alright. I'll organise the equipment, but I've only got one sleeping bag.
You: It doesn't matter, (4) ____________________
Your friend: Oh good!
You: And I can also look for (5) ____________________
Your friend: Well that means we have almost everything we need.
You: Fantastic! And don't forget (6) ____________________

5. Read the following situations and WRITE what you would say in each one to show that you understand the context of the situation. Write between 10 and 25 words. (1.5 points)
a) Your dad suggests that you should start taking driving lessons. Say what you think.
b) Your friend has not returned 10€ you lent her the other day. Remind her about it.
c) You left your cousin's bicycle outside a shop and when you came out it was gone. Apologise.

6. WRITE a composition of about 120-150 words on the following topic. (3 points):
Write an email to the director of Antwerp Zoo saying what you think about keeping animals in zoos.