Once again, here you have some tips for the EBAU exam, adapted to the new test. 

Hope you find them useful!!!!

QUESTION 1

QUESTION 2

QUESTION 3

QUESTION 4

QUESTION 5

Why is yawning contagious?

Did you yawn when you read that? Yawn is an involuntary reflex to having less oxygen in our body than we require. If you are bored or tired your breathing will slow down which will cause you to take in less oxygen and so your body will trigger a yawn to help breathe in more. It has also been suggested that yawn is a way of cooling your brain, to avoid the brain overheating. In short, more people yawn in summer than in winter. It is a way of increasing your heart rate blood flow and the use of muscles in the face which all help cool down the brain.

Your brain is more likely to overheat when you are exhausted or sleep deprived so this is why you yawn at these times. But if this is the cause of yawning, why is it that when you see someone yawning, why do you yawn in response? Contagious yawning is not as scary as it sounds and we have all experienced it before. When someone else yawns, we yawn. When someone talks about yawning, we yawn. The sound of a yawn makes us yawn. 

The yawn contagion is a cross-species phenomenon. It was tested on chimpanzees and they yawn if they see other primates yawning . Most recently, domestic dogs are believed to have yawn contagion from their owners. There are many theories as to why this occurs, some say it is to do with empathy, others say it is us imitating others because of neurological stimulation. Contagious yawning begins when a child is about four or five years old, this is also the age child begins to develop empathetic behavior and when they begin to recognise emotions in others.You are more likely to yawn in response to someone socially or genetically close to you, dogs are more likely to yawn in response to their owner’s yawn. The other theory is that contagious yawning is caused by mirror neurons. These neurons fire both when an animal acts and when an animal sees another animal act.

People with empathy disorders such as autism yawn less when they see others yawning, and it seems that psychopaths are immune to contagious yawns. Since another trait of psychopathy is fearlessness, it was found in a contagious yawn experiment that people who were less likely to startle were less likely to catch a yawn. All animals with a spine are believed to yawn, penguins do it as a mating ritual, snakes do it to realign their jaws after eating, and guinea pigs do it to display anger. Babies can yawn in the womb, and it begins in the second trimester.

Question 1: [2,5 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. People don´t yawn if they don´t want to.

b. In summer we need to yawn to cool our brain.

c. All theose who have studied why yawning is contagious agree on the answer.

d. We imitate other people´s yawning all through our lives.

e. People with antisocial attitudes don´t experience contagious yawn.

Question 2: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given. 

a. need (par.1)

b. intensify (par.1)

c. compassion (par.3)

d. resistant (par.4)

e. show (par.4) 

Question 3: [2 POINTS] Choose the most suitable answer (a, b or c) according to the text and write down the sentence.

1. We yawn when...

             a. there's an excess of oxygen in our body.

             b. we need to send more blood to our brain.

             c. we are scared.

2. We imitate yawning because...

            a. we feel with other people's emotions.

             b. it is an animal response.

             c. we are bored.

3. People with personality disorders

             a. do not feel so much empathy for others.

             b. can't yawn.

             c. always try to stop yawning.

4. Penguins yawn

             a. when they are tired

             b. when ther are trying to find a mate.

             c. when they feel warm.

 Question 4: [4 POINTS] Write a short essay on the following topic:

What are the sleeping habits among students nowadays?

KEY

Question 1

a. False. “Yawn is an involuntary reflex.”

b. True. " It has also been suggested that yawn is a way of cooling your brain, to avoid the brain overheating. In short, more people yawn in summer than in winter.”

c. False. “ The yawn contagion is a cross-species phenomenon. There are many theories as to why this occurs.”

d. False. “Contagious yawning begins when a child is about four or five years old,”

e. True. “...and it seems that psychopaths are immune to contagious yawns.”

Question 2 

a. require / to require

b. increasing / to increase

c. empathy

d. immune

e. display / to display 

Question 3

1. b) we need to send more blood to our brain.

2. a) we feel with other people's emotions.

3. a) do not feel so much empathy for others.

4. b) when ther are trying to find a mate.

Do Young People Care about Learning Foreign Languages?

 

Do young people in the UK care about learning languages? Fewer students than ever are choosing to study a language degree at university, and since 2004, taking a language at GCSE* has not been compulsory, so the simple answer would seem to be no. This is disconcerting news for a country which is not exactly famous for its multilingualism.

However, research conducted by the organisation ICM paints a far more complex picture of youth attitudes in the UK. Those choosing to study languages may have dropped, but of the 1001 young people between the ages of 14-24 interviewed in the survey, almost 20% already speak another language at home with their family, and 70% would be interested in learning another language in the future.

When asked to pick the three main benefits of learning a language, students said that job prospects at home and abroad were both key incentives. Learning about another culture and the experience of communicating also scored highly in this section. So if languages offer you the ability to make new friends and work abroad, why are young people put off? Asked to pick the three main downsides of learning a language, the difficulty of the learning process was an important reason but the idea that they were less interesting than other subjects came top for our young interviewers. Interestingly, low confidence levels in speaking another language also played a role in this decision.

Asking interviewers to comment on their ability in the language they had studied at school provided perhaps the most revealing piece of data from the survey. For most of the languages, students don’t perceive themselves to be progressing past basic language levels. The survey suggested that the opportunity to use a language outside the classroom and communicate with native speakers would make language learning more attractive. As for teaching inside the classroom, young people want more interaction, and more technology.

*GCSE – General Certificate of Secondary Education (in the UK)

The Guardian (Adapted)

Question 1: [2,5 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer. 

a) More students are choosing to study a language degree at university than before.

b) One fifth of students in the study are bi-lingual.

c) Better work opportunities are seen as an advantage to learning languages.

d) The main reason for not studying a language is its difficulty.

e) Students are completely happy with how languages are taught at school.

Question 2: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given

a) Obligatory (par. 1)

b) Points of view (par.2)

c) Disadvantages (par. 3)

d) See (par.4)

e) Chance (par. 4)

Question 3: [2 POINTS] Choose the most suitable answer (a, b or c) according to the text.

1. Most young people in the UK…

a. Are not keen on learning languages.

b. Must study languages at school.

c. Can speak several languages.

2. Young people put off learning languages ........ it offers them the ability to make new friends.

a. if

b. although

c. despite

3. Some students would be interested in learning another language......

a. if it helped them work abroad.

b. unless it helped them work abroad.

c. If it had helped them work abroad.

4. When starting to learn a language ......

a. you do not perceive any progress.

b. you progress quick.

c. you progress fast.

Question 4: [4 POINTS] Write a short essay on the following topic:

In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having to learn foreign languages?

KEY

Question 1

a. False. Fewer students than ever are choosing to study a language degree at university

b. True. almost 20% already speak another language at home with their family

c. True. students said that job prospects at home and abroad were both key incentives

d. False. the difficulty of the learning process was an important reason but the idea that they were less interesting than other subjects came top for our young interviewers

e. False. As for teaching inside the classroom, young people want more interaction, and more technology.

Question 2

a. Compulsory

b. Attitudes

c. Downsides

d. Perceive

e. Opportunity

Question 3

1. a)  are not keen on learning languages.

2. b) although

3. a) if it helped them work abroad.

4. c) you progress fast.

Eric Clapton - Tears In Heaven

About Tears in Heaven

"Tears in Heaven" is a song by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings, written about the death of Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor. It appeared on the 1991 Rush film soundtrack. In January 1992, Clapton performed the song in front of an audience at Bray Studios, Berkshire, England for MTV Unplugged, with the recording appearing on his Unplugged album. The song was Clapton's best-selling single in the United States and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. In his home country the United Kingdom it reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, and also charted in the top 10 in more than twenty nations around the world. It won three Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Tears in Heaven" 362nd on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". 

Tears in Heaven                                        Eric Clapton

 

1 Fill in the gaps

Would you know my name

If I _________________ you in heaven?

Would it be the same

If I saw you in heaven?

I must be ______________ and carry on

'Cause I know I don't ________________ here in heaven

 

2  Correct the wrong words

Would you take my hand

If I saw you in heaven?

Would you help me run

If I saw you in heaven?

I'll find my bay through night and day

'Cause I know I just can't wait here in heaven

 

Time can let you down, time can hurt your knees

Time can break your heart, have you saying please, saying please

 

Beyond the door, there's peace, I'm sure

And I hope there'll be no more fears in heaven

 

3  Fill in the blanks 

Would you know my name

If I ______________ you in heaven?

Would you be the same

If I saw you in heaven?

I must be _________________ and carry on

'Cause I know I don't ________________ here in heaven

 

KEY

1. saw      strong

2. Would you hold my hand

    If I saw you in heaven

   Would you help me stand

    If I saw you in heaven

    I´ll find my way through night and day

   'Cause I know I just can't stay here in heaven

   Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees

   Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please

   Beyond the door, there's peace, I'm sure

 

  And I hope there'll be no more tears in heaven

Quantifiers

The economic situation

Two politicians are speaking on television

Write their sentences in a different way, beginning with the words given

1. We are exporting much less than we are importing.

We are importing much more than we are exporting.

2. We used to work hard but now we don’t.

We don’t work as …………………..

3. We can’t afford a high standard of living but we have one.

We have a higher………………………

4. We should have planned our economy more carefully than we did.

We didn’t plan ………………………………..

5. The government didn’t intend to spend so much money last year.

Last year the government spent ……………………………

6. The problem seems serious but it isn’t really.

The problem isn’t really ……………………….

7. We thought prices would go up faster than they have.

Prices haven’t gone ………………………

8. Things could be going worse than they are.

Things aren’t going …………………………..

9. The situation was bad but now it is better.

The situation isn’t ………………………………

10. Things don’t look good now but they will soon look better-

Things will soon ……………………………….

KEY

2. as hard as we used to

3. standard of living than we can afford

4. our economy as carefully as we should have (should have done)

5. more money than it intended to

6. as serious as it seems

7. up as fast as we thought they would

8. as badly as they could be

9. as bad as it was

10. look better than they do now

QUANTITIES

 

Match the words on the left with the correct words on the right. Write your answers in the boxes below

     1.      A ball of                                  a. bread

     2.      A bar of                                   b. cards

     3.      A bunch of                              c. cigarettes

     4.      A jar of                                    d. cotton

     5.      A loaf of                                  e. flowers

     6.      A lump of                                f. ice

     7.      A pack of                                 g. jam

     8.      A packet of                              h. pearls

     9.      A pad of                                  i. petrol

     10.  A pair of                                  j. scissors

     11.  A reel of                                  k. soap

     12.  A string of                               l. string

     13.  A tank of                                 m. toothpaste

     14.  A tube of                                 n. writing paper

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14

 

Key

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
l	k	e	g	a	f	b	c	n	j	d	h	i	m

 

INFINITIVES

Translate the following sentences

1. ¿Te gustaría venir conmigo? Me encantaría

2. ¿No has dado de comer a tu gato todavía? No, pero voy a hacerlo.

3. ¿Cogiste un taxi? Sí, tuve que hacerlo, era tarde.

4. ¿Hiciste lo que te dije? Bueno, quise hacerlo, pero …

5. ¿Voy contigo? Bueno, no tienes por qué.

6. ¿Correrás el domingo? Bueno, esperaba hacerlo, pero …

7. ¿Juegas al fútbol? No, ahora no, pero solía hacerlo.

8. ¿Obedeciste sus órdenes? Por supuesto, tuve que hacerlo.

9. ¿Sacaste una entrada para el concierto? Bueno, intenté hacerlo, pero no quedaba ninguna

10. ¿Terminarás tu libro para el verano? Bueno, es lo que estoy intentando.

KEY

1. Would you like to come with me? I’d love to.

2. Have you fed the cat yet? NO, but I’m going to.

3. Did you take a taxi? Yes, I had to, it was late.

4. Did you do what I told you? Well, I wanted to, but …

5. Shall I go with you? Well, you don’t have to.

6. Will you run on Sunday? Well, I was hoping to, but …

7. Do you play football? Not now, but I used to.

8. Did you obey his/her orders? Of course, I had to.

9. Did you get a ticket for the concert? Well, I tried to but there wasn’t any left.

10. Will you finish your book by the summer? Well, that’s what I’m trying to.

INFINITIVES AFTER CERTAIN VERBS

Translate the following sentences

1. Se suponía que tenías que haber terminado para el miércoles.

2. Se estima que ese jarrón tiene 3000 años.

3. Se cree que han aterrizado en el norte de África.

4. Se cree que está escondido en el bosque.

5. Se supone que los niños son obedientes.

6. Se dice que esa señora de ahí tiene más de cien años.

7. Se le considera el mejor escritor de este siglo.

8. Sucede que le conozco muy bien. Es mi novio.

9. Como había sido testigo del crimen, se esperaba que diera testimonio en el juicio.

10. Se piensa que un pequeño grupo de agitadores está incitando a los trabajadores.

KEY

1. You were supposed to have finished it by Wednesday.

2. That vase is estimated to be 3000 years old.

3. They are believed to have landed in North Africa.

4. He is thought to be hiding in the woods

5. Children are supposed to be obedient.

6. That lady there is said to be over a hundred years old.

7. He is considered to be the best writer of this century.

8. I happen to know him very well. He’s my boyfriend.

9. As he had witnessed the crime, he was expected to give evidence in court.

10. A small group of troublemakers is thought to be inciting the workers.