PRACTICE EXERCISES PART A- LINGUISTICS

INGLES SECUNDARIA magister

NOVEMBER 2019

1.- TRANSLATIONS

A. Translate the following text into English

El Faro de Corrubedo terminó de levantarse en 1853, y fue construido por el ingeniero Celedonio
Uribe, autor de numerosas obras y reformas urbanísticas llevadas a cabo en Riveira en la segunda
mitad del s. XIX.
Su torre es de sección troncocónica y arranca del interior del inmueble . Su equipo luminoso
dispone de un foco a 14 metros de altura sobre el terreno y a 32 sobre el nivel medio del mar.
Destaca la escalera de caracol realizada en la forja de Sargadelos.
En 1854 comenzó a funcionar como guía para los numerosos barcos de la zona, situada ésta junto a
los canales de agua dulce y salada, las dunas y las marismas que forman el Parque Nacional de
Corrubedo, donde se encuentra el famoso sistema dunar que da nombre al Parque.
El 25 de abril de 1913 el diario La Época detalla la firma de un Real Decreto para la adquisición por
concurso del nuevo aparato y foco que habría de montarse en el faro de Corrubedo.
En el año 1921, el transatlántico Santa Isabel, que transportaba pasajeros y correo desde Bilbao a
Fernando Poo, pasando por Villagarcía de Arosa, Cádiz y Las Canarias fue sorprendido por una
tormenta en las proximidades de la costa da morte gallega. En su singladura hasta Villagarcía a la
entrada de la ría de Arousa, concretamente en La Isla de Sálvora, frente a Santa Eugenia de Ribeira
chocó contra las rocas y este accidente produjo su hundimiento y la muerte de más de doscientas
personas.
Este suceso y algún otro naufragio, como el del vapor Palermo, cuya compañía (Stonan) ya había
sufrido dos naufragios más en la misma zona, llevó al cambio de luz del faro, que dejó de ser blanca
y pasó a tener un haz de color rojo. A partir de entonces, el Faro de Corrubedo empezó a conocerse,
sobre todo por las gentes de la tierra, como el faro comunista.

B. Translate the following text into Spanish

New York was an inexhaustible space, a labyrinth of endless steps, and no matter how far he
walked, no matter how well he came to know its neighborhoods and streets, it always left him with
the feeling of being lost. Lost, not only in the city, but within himself as well. Each time he took a
walk, he felt as though he were leaving himself behind, and by giving himself up to the movement of
the streets, by reducing himself to a seeing eye, he was able to escape the obligation to think, and

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this, more than anything else, brought him a measure of peace, a salutary emptiness within. The
world was outside of him, around him, before him, and the speed with which it kept changing made
it impossible for him to dwell on any one thing for very long. Motion was of the essence, the act of
putting one foot in front of the other and allowing himself to follow the drift of his own body. By
wandering aimlessly, all places be- came equal, and it no longer mattered where he was. On his best
walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to
be nowhere. New York was the nowhere he had built around himself, and he realized that he had no
intention of ever leaving it again.

In the past, Quinn had been more ambitious. As a young man he had published several books of
poetry, had written plays, critical essays, and had worked on a number of long translations. But quite
abruptly, he had given up all that. A part of him had died, he told his friends, and he did not want it
coming back to haunt him. It was then that he had taken on the name of William Wilson. Quinn was
no longer that part of him that could write books, and although in many ways Quinn continued to
exist, he no longer existed for anyone but himself.

He had continued to write because it was the only thing he felt he could do. Mystery novels seemed
a reasonable solution. He had little trouble inventing the intricate stories they required, and he wrote
well, often in spite of himself, as if without having to make an effort. Because he did not consider
himself to be the author of what he wrote, he did not feel responsible for it and therefore was not
compelled to defend it in his heart. William Wilson, after all, was an invention, and even though he
had been born within Quinn himself, he now led an independent life.

2.-TEXT ANALYSIS.

READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW.

Brexit Britain cannot afford to be laissez‐faire about its languages crisis

National myths play a central role in the story of a country, and the UK is no exception. Over the
centuries, we Britons have come to believe that we are naturally proficient – exceptional, even – in
certain pursuits. These include engineering, literature, the classics, pop music, geography and
football. As the country that gave the world Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Beatles, and the
beautiful game, perhaps we have a point. To be British, we understand, is to excel in these areas, and
this tacit understanding powers us on to ever greater achievements. But it is instructive, when
thinking about the UK and Britishness and what might lie in store for us in the future, to consider the
pursuits about which we do not feel so confident. Of these, by far the most significant – and the most
worrying – is ‘other languages’.

At some point in our history, we seem to have accepted the idea that we do not need to learn
languages and that we are not very good at them anyway. This is curious, given that we are an island
nation that needs to trade to survive. As the BBC reported this week, language learning in the UK is
in dire straits. A-level entries are down by a third in 10 years – the number of students who took

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German A-level in England dropped 16% on 2017, while entries for French fell by 8% in the same
period. And, as recent analysis by the British Academy shows, this is having a knock-on effect at
university level. Between 2007-08 and 2017-18, the number of students studying languages at
university has fallen by over half. With fewer students applying, at least 10 modern languages
departments have closed in the last decade, and a further nine have significantly downsized.

This simply cannot go on. With Brexit just around the corner, it is critical we start to value languages
and wake up to the enormous advantages multilingualism can bring. Languages are essential for
trade, business and the economy. Alarmingly, the economic cost of the UK’s linguistic
underperformance – in terms of lost trade and investment – has been estimated at up to £48bn per
year, or 3.5% of GDP.

Languages are also vital to national security, diplomacy and soft power. At the reopening of the
Foreign Office’s language centre in September 2013, the then foreign secretary, William Hague,
said: “The ability to speak, read, listen and write in a foreign language is one of the fundamental
skills of our diplomats. Without it, they cannot get under the skin of a country and really understand
its people.” These skills will prove vital to post-Brexit Britain, as we look to forge new relationships
across the globe and strengthen ties within Europe.

But the benefits of language learning extend well beyond simply being able to communicate with
our global neighbours. Research shows that language learning at school boosts overall literacy,
which is a major predictor of children’s attainment in science and maths. We know too that the
ability to switch between languages develops cognitive flexibility and improves multitasking and
creativity.

More than half (58%) of UK adults wish they hadn’t let the language skills they learned at school
slip, 77% agree that language skills increase employability and just over half (53%) regret not
having made the most of studying languages when they had the chance. Clearly we are a nation that
values language learning, even if we have not always rushed to do it.

But there are signs that this is changing. Duolingo, a hugely popular free language-learning app,
claims to have millions of UK users who practise a range of languages, from Spanish and French to
Japanese, Chinese and Russian.

The UK has the potential to become a linguistic powerhouse; and with the right policies, political
will and cross-sector support, we can create hundreds of thousands of linguists – and transform the
UK into a more prosperous, productive, influential nation. Embracing multilingualism would enrich
us culturally and economically, improve social cohesion and enhance our wellbeing.

Languages can no longer be regarded as an optional extra. Britain must meet this challenge head-on
and prove to the world that it is, after all, an outward-looking, global nation.

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A) What text type(s) is this passage? Where is it likely to have been published? Who is the
intended audience?

B) Explain the italics font when typing ‘story’ in the first line of the text, the morphology and
semantic connotation of the word ‘Britishness’ (Paragraph 1) and the collocation ‘soft power’
(paragraph 4)

C) Find words in the text which respond to the following definitions:

a) Be exceptionally good at or proficient in an activity or subject –
b) The action or fact of achieving a goal towards which one has worked –

D) Explain the meaning of the following expressions used in the text:

a) To be in dire straits –
b) To get under the skin -
c) Knock-on effect –

E) Explain the grammaticality of the phrase

in terms of lost trade and investment (Paragraph 3)

F) How does the author achieve lexical cohesion throughout the text?

G) Paraphrase the following. Use an alternative beginning or the key word given

1.- We seem to have accepted the idea that we do not need to learn languages
It…………………………………………………….

2.- Many regret not having made the most of studying languages (WISH)
………………………………………………….

H) Consider both the explicitly stated information and the underlying assumptions that may
be understood and answer the question below:
Do you think the text author voted LEAVE or REMAIN in the 2016 Brexit referendum (70-80
words)

I) Phonetic transcription
With Brexit just around the corner, it is critical we start to value languages and wake up to the
enormous advantages multilingualism can bring. Languages are essential for trade, business and the
economy

J) Morphosyntax
1.- The ability to speak, read, listen and write in a foreign language is one of the fundamental skills
of our diplomats
2.- Research shows that language learning at school boosts overall literacy, which is a major
predictor of children’s attainment in science and maths.

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3.- LISTENING.

GENDER ISSUES- Women’s Issues??

LISTEN TO THE FOLLOWING PRESENTATION BY JASON KATZ AND ANSWER THE

QUESTION BELOW:

a. Name three gender problems mentioned at the beginning

b. What is the initial thought-provoking starting point?

c. What ‘transitivity’ patterns does the speaker use in the grammatical metamorphosis that
illustrates his point?

d. How does he explain the concept of victim blaming? How can society counter it?

e. What’s his effective rhetorical follow-up statement to this idea?

You know the perpetrators [of abuse against women] aren’t these monsters who crawl out of the
swamp and come into town and do their nasty business and then retreat into the darkness. That’s a
very naïve notion…………………………

f. What is the ‘kill the messenger’ strategy about?

g. What is the ‘bystander approach’ ?

h. Complete the gaps with the words missing (between one and four in each blank space)

I’m telling you it is not easy in male culture for guys to ____________, which is one of the
reasons why part of the __________ shift that has to happen is not just understanding these
_____________, but they’re also leadership issues for men. Because ultimately, the responsibility
for taking ________ on these issues should not fall on the shoulders of little boys or teenage boys in
high school or college men. It should be on adult men with power. Adult men with power are the
ones we need to be holding ____________ being leaders on these issues; but on a big scale, we need
more adult men with power to start ____________ these issues.

i. How does the speaker link the desirable course of action with LEADERSHIP?

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4. - USE OF ENGLISH

a) For questions 1-8, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence, using the word given. DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD IN CAPITALS. You must
use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given.

1. Paul’s son was driving the car when the accident happened. TIME
The car was of the accident.

2. It was Nick’s advice that saved me from bankruptcy. IT

Had have gone bankrupt.

3. The police never actually accused Thomas of committing a crime. POINT

At __________________ Thomas of committing a crime.

4. Neither of these carpets is any better than the other. CHOOSE

There’s not ___________________________ these two carpets.

5. You are absolutely forbidden to smoke anywhere in the factory. TOTAL

There _________________anywhere in the factory.

6. Jenny doesn’t mind whether she comes to London on either Monday

or Tuesday NO
It _____________ whether she comes to London on Monday or Tuesday.

7. Did the football team play any better last weekend? IN

Was there any ___________________________ last weekend?

8. In particular, the school library was criticized by the inspectors because of its poor lighting.
The inspectors ________________________ because of its poor lighting.

b) Read the text and derive the words in capitals on the right-hand side so they can
grammatically fit the gaps

Snow-kiting: an alternative form of skiing?

Skiing is one of the most (0) straightforward forms of exercise STRAIGHT

there is. It offers the participant, whether a novice or an old hand at
the sport, a great deal of excitement and (1) __________, plus lots of
fresh air. But skiing does have its various (2) __________. When it PLEASE
comes to guaranteeing a profitable day’s downhill skiing, there are ADVANTAGE
two essential ingredients. You need hills, or (3) __________
mountains, in order to get the most out of this (4) __________; then PREFER
you need a fairly generous covering of snow. (5) __________, there PURSUE

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are usually snow machines to supplement any natural (6__________ FORTUNE

in the supply of this second (7) __________, and help may now be at
hand too for those lacking in the first, through the sport of snow- DEFICIENT
kiting. REQUIRE

Snow-kiting is a wintry offshoot of kite-surfing, an established

watersport. By harnessing their skis to an inflated kite, snow-kiters
can move at speed across even the very flattest of landscapes. All
they need is a (8) __________ wind, then they can enjoy all the
exhilaration of a fast downhill ski run. In fact, partly because of
(9)
__________ objects such as electricity pylons and trees, the best REASON
location for snow-kiting is not a ski resort at all but a vast
(10)
__________ plain. Skiing may never be the same again. HAZARD

INTERRUPT

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