SECTION I — READING COMPREHENSION. Choose Text A or Text B. Then do Task 1 and Task 2. Text A — A study published in The New York Times lamented the pace of modern parenting and found that regardless of education, income, or race, parents believed children who are bored should be enrolled in extracurricular activities. According to Erin Westgate, a professor of psychology at the University of Florida, there is a kind of cultural stigma attached to boredom, particularly in the United States. Only boring people get bored, the saying goes. But the reality is that boredom is 'normal, natural, and healthy,' said Dr. Westgate, whose research focuses on what boredom is, why people experience it, and what happens when they do. She believes that in moderate doses, boredom can offer a valuable learning opportunity, encouraging creativity and problem solving, and motivating children to seek out activities that feel meaningful to them. 'Preventing kids from ever feeling bored is not suitable in the same way that preventing them from ever feeling sad, or frustrated, or angry is not suitable,' she said. (...) Boredom is informative. Boredom is like an indicator light on a car's dashboard: 'Boredom is telling you what you're doing right now isn't working,' which means the task you are doing is too easy or too difficult, or lacks meaning. One way parents can help children (...) is to help them distinguish between feeling sad or bored. (...) Boredom can lead to fulfillment. Boredom offers children an opportunity to experiment with the kinds of activities that feel fulfilling and interesting to them. For example, if you let your kids loose in the backyard, they may feel bored initially, but they can then learn to contend that feeling, or resolve it, by finding activities that feel meaningful to them (...). 'If parents don't allow for free, imaginative play, children may never discover their innate love of nature, sports, or art, or even the pleasure they can find in simply relaxing or playing,' Dr. Westgate said. Task 1. Read the text and decide whether the statements 1.1 to 1.4 are true or false. Then, copy only the letter of the fragment (one or two lines maximum) that corresponds to your answer.

Task 2. Complete each sentence with information from the text but using your own words (about 10-15 words of your own per sentence). DO NOT COPY LITERALLY from the text nor from items 1.1 to 1.4. Write the two sentences on your answer sheet.

SECTION II — OVERALL LANGUAGE ABILITY (USE OF ENGLISH). Question 3. Complete the text choosing the best option (A, B, or C) for each gap (1-15). On your answer sheet, draw a table like the one below and, for each gap (1-15), copy the letter that corresponds to your answer (A, B, or C). Use CAPITAL LETTERS. [Score: 15 items × 0.1 marks = 1.5 marks]
«For Brazilians, the news of Pelé's death did not come as a shock when it was announced (1)___ 21st December 2022. His daughter, Kely Nascimento, had been updating fans on social media ever (2)___ he was taken to the hospital. He had been suffering (3)___ health problems since 2012 when he had an operation (4)___ left him needing a wheelchair, but it was cancer that had seen him go in and out of the hospital and eventually took his life. (5)___ his death was expected, (6)___ was emotional news for his fans. He was adored around the world. The man some called the greatest footballer (7)___ and who in Brazil was known as The King (8)___. Born in 1940, Pelé grew up poor. He worked in cafes and tea shops from a young (9)___ to make extra money. His father was footballer Dondinho, (10)___ taught the young Pelé to play football. As they had no money to buy a proper football, they often used a sock filled (11)___ newspaper and tied up with string. (12)___ not, they would use a grapefruit. Pelé's favourite player was a goalkeeper named Bilé. His school friends joked about the way he pronounced the name, which sounded (13)___ like 'Pelé' than like 'Bilé'. Although he protested, they began to use it (14)___ his nickname and it stuck. Pelé (15)___ said he thought it sounded childish, and it had no meaning in Portuguese.»

Question 4. Complete THREE of the following sentences so that each sentence keeps the meaning of the sentence printed before it and includes a clear change of linguistic structure. COPY THE COMPLETE SENTENCES (including the beginnings already given to you) onto your answer sheet. [Score: 3 items × 0.5 marks = 1.5 marks] Se resuelven 4.1, 4.2 y 4.3.

SECTION III — WRITING (4 marks). Question 5. Choose ONE of the four options below (a, b, c or d) and write the corresponding text (150-175 words). Write your PARAGRAPH or TEXT on your answer sheet. [Score: 1 item × 4 marks = 4 marks]. Se resuelve la opción a) Argumentative writing. Money cannot buy you happiness. Discuss. Write an argumentative text including arguments in favor of and against this statement, providing a balanced discussion of the topic.