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

READING COMPREHENSION. (2 POINTS) (0.5 points for each correct answer). Add TRUE or FALSE and copy the evidence from the text to support your answer.

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.

TEXT 1 LEXICON. (1 POINT) (0.25 points for each correct answer). Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as these given.

1. Free, accessible:
2. Bad dream:
3. Immobile, fixed:
4. Fascinated, seduced:

TEXT 1 PHONETICS. (1 POINT) (0.25 points for each correct answer).

1. How is the “i” pronounced in “find”, / ɪ /, / ɪ:/ or /aɪ/?
2. How is the “u” pronounced in “sunny”, /ɑː/, /ʌ/, /æ/?
3. How is the “th” in pronounced in “bother” / ð / or / θ /?
4. Is the “-ed” pronounced / t /, / d / or / ɪd / in “entertained”?

TEXT 2 – Inequality in sport

Women have made great strides in sports. And when I say strides, I mean this literally. Up until the 1.960's Olympics, women were not allowed to compete in running races over 200 metres in distance. Now, since 2.012, they can compete in every Olympic event. However, this race to equality is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and we are still not at the finish line.

Charlotte Edwards, Katy McLean and Kate Richardson-Walsh – these are the names of the female captains who brought their English teams to victory in the highest international cups of their sports. Have you heard of them? Mostly likely not. Yet when I mention names like David Beckham, Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton, undoubtedly you will know of these sporting legends. So why is that? Because statistically speaking, male sport gets over 90 per cent of all sporting coverage in the UK. With no exposure to women's sport comes no demand and with no demand comes no exposure – it is a vicious circle and seemed to be a never-ending nightmare for female athletes.

However, new initiatives like 'This Girl Can', 'Girls Active' and 'Girls Make Your Move' shed a light on women in sport, who in the past did not always seem to have the brightest of futures. These campaigns encourage every woman – small, tall, strong, graceful, flexible, sporty and not sporty (yet!) – to get involved in physical exercise and by doing so break stereotypes. Norway has become somewhat of a pioneer in its efforts to demonstrate gender equality in sport. It is playing a whole new ball game with the agreement to pay male and female football players equally. It means one can be a footballer and a feminist as equal play means equal pay.

So next time someone tells you that you throw like a girl, throw it right back at them because this girl can.

Adapted from https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org

READING COMPREHENSION. (2 POINTS) (0.5 points for each correct answer).

1. Women weren´t able to compete in every Olympic event until 2.012.
2. Due to the lack of exposure of sportswomen, the majority of them are unknown.
3. Despite new projects like 'Girls Active', women are not motivated enough to do sports.
4. Norway is not an example of equal rights in sport.

TEXT 2 LEXICON. (1 POINT) (0.25 points for each correct answer). Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as these given.

1. myths, icons:
2. proposals, suggestions:
3. fixed ideas, conventions:
4. innovator, developer:

TEXT 2 PHONETICS. (1 POINT) (0.25 points for each correct answer).

1. Is the “e” pronounced / ɪ /, /e/ or /æ/ in “women”?
2. Is the “-ed” pronounced / t /, / d / or / ɪd / in “allowed”?
3. Is the final “-s” pronounced / s /, / z / or / ɪz / in “campaigns”?
4. How is the “i” pronounced in “girl”, / ɪ /, /ɜ:/ or /e/?

PART II. USE OF ENGLISH. (3 POINTS) (0.5 points for each correct answer).

Choose SIX of these sentences and rewrite them starting with the words given. Only the first six will be corrected.

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.

PART III. WRITING. (3 POINTS). Write ONE of these two compositions. If you write two, no points will be given to the second one. Your composition must have at least 125 words.

• OPTION 1: What would your life be like without a mobile phone? Give your opinion.
• OPTION 2: The advantages and disadvantages of travelling alone.