QUESTION 1. READ TEXT A AND ANSWER THE THREE QUESTIONS BELOW: (2.5 points)

1.1. Write a summary of the text in English, including the most important points, using your own words. (approximately 50 words; 0.75 points).

1.2. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) according to the text. Copy that part (and ONLY that part) of the text which justifies your answer. (1 point)

a. Women comedians are becoming more important.
b. People still doubt whether women are funny or not.
c. The writer stopped being a comedian for some time.
d. Men have forbidden women from becoming comedians.

1.3. Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given here: (0.75 points) a. comedians b. return c. appropriate

TEXT A

People are funny. These people can be men or women. They can be gay or straight or somewhere in between. They can be tall, small, fat, thin, standing up or sitting down, bearded, bald, black, brown, yellow and, of course, white. They come in all the glorious shapes and sizes that human life has to offer. Comedy is very simple. It's about telling people things and making them laugh. If you can connect with your audience, you're laughing, and hopefully they are too.

As in all walks of life, from politics to business, women comics are rising up the ranks – especially thanks to organisations such as Laughing Cows, which are brilliant at giving support and encouragement to female stand-up comics. But the question "Are women funny?" is still being asked, and as a result, a lot of comedy that people see is very male and very pale.

I've recently returned to comedy after a gap of about 10 years. It's a comeback no one really wanted, to be honest – myself included – but I needed a job. And, a decade later, there are many more females writing, starring in and making TV, radio and film. But we still live in an age where men are thought of as the masters of humour. Women are allowed to be funny, but in controlled numbers.

Sexist cultural gender norms play a part in this. Humour can be very powerful, as it shows confidence and intelligence – and in our culture that is still the male role. All too often the message to women is sadly that being funny – or aggressive, bossy, ambitious or even nasty, still isn't fitting. It is men who should be funny. Most men prefer a woman to be their audience, not their competition.

QUESTION 2. ANSWER THE TWO BLOCKS OF QUESTIONS:

2.1. Block 1. Pronunciation: (0.90 points)

a. Which two words have the same vowel sound as "tall"? thought, block, hour, poor, caught, cold, mother, allied
b. In which word is the underlined letter pronounced differently from the others? funny, women, money, gun.
c. In which word are the underlined letters of the plural endings pronounced /ɪz/ as in "classes"? shapes, sizes, machines, apples.
d. In which two words is the letter "h" silent (not pronounced)? humour, honest, hopefully, behave, heir, hair, harm, human.

2.2. Block 2. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the first one. You must use the word or expression in italics. (1.60 points)

a. Men are thought of as the masters of humour.
People think …
b. The question "Are women funny?" is still being asked.
People are…
c. People are funny. These people can be men or women.
People who…
d. I told you about this woman. She is an excellent comedian.
….who…

QUESTION 3. READ TEXT B AND ANSWER THE THREE QUESTIONS BELOW: (2.5 points)

3.1. Write a summary of the text in English, including the most important points, using your own words. (Approximately 50 words; 0.75 points).

3.2. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) according to the text. Copy that part (and ONLY that part) of the text which justifies your answer. (1 point)

a. One reason why people are taller is that they eat more healthily.
b. People who are taller have a greater risk of suffering from a heart condition.
c. American men are shorter, on average, than Dutch men.
d. People's economic condition will probably improve if they are treated well when they are children

3.3. Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given here: (0.75 points) a. benefits b. danger c. because of

TEXT B

Both men and women have grown taller over the last century, says a study by Imperial College, London. While Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1.914, Dutch men are now top, with an average height of 182.5cm. Latvian women, meanwhile, have become the tallest in the world, with an average height of 169.8cm. James Bentham, a co-author of the study, says that the global trend is likely to be due primarily to improvements in nutrition, hygiene and healthcare: "Most populations would grow to similar heights if they were all in the same conditions."

Extra height brings a number of advantages: "Being taller is associated with longer lives," he says, "due to less risk of dying of cardiovascular disease." Taller people, on average, will also have larger salaries and higher levels of education. For both sexes, European countries now take the top 10 positions for height. That, says Bentham, could be due to the introduction of a welfare state in many European countries.

By contrast, men from Timor-Leste are the shortest, while the title for the shortest women remains with the female population of Guatemala. American men occupied third place in 1.914 but have dropped to 37th place in 2.014. That, the authors suggest, could be due to worse levels of nutrition and greater inequalities. The trend in many countries in north and sub-Saharan Africa is also causing concern: "One reason for the decrease in height in Africa is the economic situation in the 1980s". Nutritional and health crises mean that many children and teenagers do not reach their full height. Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important consequences: "How tall we are is influenced by our environment when we are young," he said. "If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come."

QUESTION 4. ANSWER THE TWO BLOCKS OF QUESTIONS:

4.1. Block 1. Pronunciation: (0.90 point)

a. Which two words have the same vowel sound as the letter underlined in the word "while"? still, bite, take, teach, fill, cry, bit, business
b. In which word are the underlined letters pronounced differently from the others? situation, height, environment, title.
c. In which two words are the letters "th" pronounced as in "the"? thought, though, through, throw, throat, throne, those, thing
d. In which word is the underlined letter pronounced as in "turn"? worse, pull, teenager, scare

4.2. Block 2. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the first one. You must use the word or expression in italics. (1.6 points)

a. How tall we are is influenced by our environment when we are young.
Our environment when we are young …
b. Being taller is associated with longer lives.
The taller you are…
c. Nutritional and health crises mean that many children and teenagers do not reach their full height.
Because of…
d. He eats a lot, but he never puts on weight.
No matter…

QUESTION 5. WRITE A COMPOSITION ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS: What things do you do that are good for your health? And things that are bad? (Approximately 120 words) (2.5 points)

QUESTION 6. WRITE A COMPOSITION ANSWERING THIS QUESTION: What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you? (Approximately 120 words) (2.5 points)