TEXT 1 — THE STRESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
WhatsApps. Facebook messages. Texts. Calls. Instagrams. Snapchats. Tweets. Will we ever be free from the constant stream of notifications? The headache caused by your phone beeping and vibrating 24/7? Being contactable whenever and wherever you are?
Do not get me wrong, I find it really difficult to be sociable without social media. It would be extremely hard to keep in contact with friends and family, especially if they live far away. Organising meet-ups would be a nightmare – imagine having to set a date in writing or in person, weeks in advance. What would happen if you were running late? You would not even be able to send your friends a text to let them know. Events on Facebook and WhatsApp group messages have made organising everything so easy. They have enabled spontaneity – if it is a sunny day, why don't we go for a picnic in the park? Without notifications about the weather, an app for maps on your phone or a Facebook group message to invite your friends and decide who should bring strawberries and who should bring crisps, where would we be? Stuck at home, wishing we had predicted good weather today when we last saw our friends in person.
But I find social media stressful. If you are not checking your phone at least every half an hour, you might miss out on something important or fun. If you don't message that friend you haven't seen in a while, they might think you've forgotten about them. If you are meant to be doing homework, can you resist the temptation to check why your phone is flashing? If you have friends round and there's a lull in conversation, are you tempted to tap out a quick reply to your friend on the other end of the internet rather than playing a game with your friends on the sofa next to you?
In the 21st century contact is quicker and easier, but that does not mean we have more free time. If anything, the opposite. The ability to send a quick message to one friend means we have time to send one to five others, and before you know it, you are having five conversations at once. How can you really concentrate on any of them? And if your Twitter or Instagram feed is buzzing, why bother going outside to kick a football about or signing up for music lessons? You are entertained enough – you just never have time to relax or to enjoy the world. Try leaving your phone at home and doing something productive, maybe even alone, today – you might feel all the better for it.
(https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org)
1. READING COMPREHENSION (2 POINTS — 0.5 each). Add TRUE or FALSE and copy the evidence.
1. Planning to meet family or friends is difficult whether we use social media or not.
2. Nowadays, social media apps have made it easier to make last minute arrangements.
3. The writer feels good if he is always updated with the information in his/her social networks.
4. Due to the faster and easier contact, apps give us more spare time.
2. LEXICON (1 POINT — 0.25 each). Find words/phrases that mean the same as:
1. Free, accessible
2. Bad dream
3. Immobile, fixed
4. Fascinated, seduced
3. PHONETICS (1 POINT — 0.25 each).
1. How is the 'i' pronounced in 'find'? /ɪ/, /ɪ:/ or /aɪ/?
2. How is the 'u' pronounced in 'sunny'? /ɑː/, /ʌ/ or /æ/?
3. How is the 'th' pronounced in 'bother'? /ð/ or /θ/?
4. Is the '-ed' pronounced /t/, /d/ or /ɪd/ in 'entertained'?

USE OF ENGLISH (3 POINTS). Choose SIX sentences and rewrite them starting with the words given.
1. I can't wear this dress as it is very tight. → This dress ___
2. They have sent a bunch of flowers to the secretary. → A bunch of flowers ___
3. Someone must tell her about the plane accident. → She ___
4. We have visited Rome. There are many museums there. → We ___
5. Although I had put sugar in my coffee, it was still bitter. → Despite ___
6. Sophie had a lot of problems because she didn't pay attention. → If ___
7. My parents asked, "have you done your homework?" → My parents asked ___
8. The film was so boring that I went to sleep. → It was ___
9. Don't tell any more lies, please. → Please stop ___
10. Why don't we go to the cinema? I asked. → I suggested ___
11. It's a story about a rich man. He has an accident and dies. → It's a story about ___
12. Make a question for which the underlined words would be the answer: I went to Poland last October.

Write ONE of these two compositions (3 POINTS). Mínimo 125 palabras.
OPTION 1: What would your life be like without a mobile phone? Give your opinion.
OPTION 2: The advantages and disadvantages of travelling alone.