examen de selectividad de ingles

MARRIED OR SINGLE?
The health benefits of being married are so large that single men are at greater risk of dying than
smokers, says a study. This study looked at comparative risks over a seven year period but experts warned that
the lifetime risks of smoking were much higher. Scientists have frequently found that married men and women tend
to be in better health than their single counterparts. This is partly because of the "social support" of having a wife or
5 husband and perhaps because both single men and women have a worse lifestyle and no-one to take care of
them.
Moreover, the latest study by researchers at the University of Limerick showed that, even when the effects
of smoking, drinking and other poor lifestyles were taken into account, married men had a much lower risk of
death. Professor Martin Smith, who led the research, suggested that male smokers should get married as soon as
10 possible to avoid the risk. He said: "It is clear that a ring of gold, rather than money, is what keeps people alive."
However, while over a seven year period, the risks of smoking compared to single life are similar, over a lifetime
period the risks of smoking are much higher. Scientists think a long-term smoker has a one in two chance of dying
prematurely.
(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 could marriage be good for your health?
2) What is the risk of lifetime smoking?
b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR PHRASES
FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) Married people are usually healthier than single people.
4) Money can make you live longer.
5) Recent studies confirm that the effects of smoking and drinking are worse in married men than in single
men.
6) Lifetime smokers have the same possibilities of dying as single people.
(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)
7) Find in the text a synonym for PROBABILITY (noun) (0.25 points)
8) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:
“Someone who knows a lot of a particular subject” (0.25 points)
9) Give a noun with the same root as WARN (verb) (line 2) (0.25 points)
10) Give one opposite for LARGE (adjective) (line 1) (0.25 points)
11) Turn the following sentence into Reported Speech: (0.5 points)
My aunt said: “Single men should drive slowly if they want to live longer”
12) Give a question for the underlined words:
I’ve been married for twenty years (0.5 points)
13) Complete the following sentence: (0.5 points)
I would give up smoking if …
14) Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT). Make changes if
necessary.
That man talks a lot. He has more chances to become a politician. (0.5 points)
(C) PRODUCTION (3 points)
15) Write a composition (80-100 WORDS) Choose ONE of the following options. Specify your option.
a) Smoking as a social problem nowadays.
b) Married or single? Advantages and disadvantages.