PAU Practice Examination (Andaluca)

INSTRUCCIONES:
A) DURACIN: UNA HORA Y TREINTA MINUTOS.
B) NO SE PUEDE USAR DICCIONARIO.
C) LA PUNTUACIN DE CADA PREGUNTA EST INDICADA EN LAS MISMAS.

ITS ALL ABOUT WINNING

Whether they score an additional goal in football or win another set in tennis, sports
people everywhere like to win. So it is not surprising that athletes have always been willing to use
technology to enhance their performance. But the use of some new technologies raises troubling
questions.
5 Today, there are new advances in almost every field of sport. The poles used by pole-
vaulters are no longer made of flexible wood; instead, they consist of lightweight aluminium and
fibreglass. The surface of the track used by runners has changed from coal, used in the 1930s, to
plastic, latex and rubber. And swimmers today wear swimsuits made of a new fabric called Fastskin.
Partly as a result of these changes, new records have been set. But does this mean that
10 athletes are no longer competing against each other, that the technologies are competing instead?
Already, it is hard to measure the performances of sports people today against those of times gone
by. Is there any point in comparing the achievements of past baseball players, who used bats of
white ash wood, with those of todays players, who use bats made of stronger, lighter maple wood?
Many people believe that the use of some advanced technologies takes the sporting
15 element out of certain activities. They wonder if it is fair to use heat-seeking missiles to shoot birds,
or darts that are electronically guided. And what about the cost of new equipment? Competitions
that allow expensive technology automatically favour competitors who can afford it. In order to keep
competitions fair, sports committees have sometimes banned expensive innovations.
How important is it to win? Is winning at all costs worth it? What should the goal of
20 sporting competitions be? There are no easy answers, only questions.

(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)

a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE
YOUR OWN WORDS. (1 point per answer)
1) Why is it difficult to compare the performances of past and present athletes?
2) How can new technologies take the sporting element out of certain activities?
b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR
PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) The use of technology to enhance performance is new.
4) The surface of tracks used by runners is now made of coal from the 1930s.
5) Technological advances have helped set new records in many sports.
6) Sporting committees sometimes forbid the use of expensive equipment.

(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)

7) Find in the text a synonym for IMPROVE (verb) (0.25 points)
8) Give one opposite for FAIR (adjective, line 15) (0.25 points)
9) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:
to be able to pay for (verb) (0.25 points)
10) Give an adjective with the same root as COMPETITIONS (noun, line 16) (0.25 points)
11) Turn the following sentence into the passive voice.
The use of some new technologies raises troubling questions. (0.5 points)
12) Join the following sentences using a relative pronoun. Make changes
if necessary.
A new fabric called Fastskin is worn by many swimmers today. It is
believed to enhance performance. (0.5 points)

Photocopiable Burlington Books 1/2

 13) Rewrite the sentence without changing its meaning. Begin as indicated.
But does this mean that athletes are no longer competing against
each other?
But does this mean that there is no longer (0.5 points)
14) Give a question for the underlined words.
Expensive innovations are sometimes banned in order to keep
competitions fair. (0.5 points)

(C) PRODUCTION (3 points)

15) WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS.
SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.
a) The advantages and disadvantages of technological devices to enhance performance.
b) Describe your favourite sport and how you try to enhance your performance.

PAU Andaluca Its All About Winning Photocopiable Burlington Books 2/2