SISTEMA DE ENSINO POR UNIDADES CAPITALIZÁVEIS (SECUNDÁRIO)

Prova Escrita de Inglês (Continuação)                Unidade 01

 

I

Read the text carefully and solve the exercises:

5       10       15         20

Family/Household Patterns of Spain: Family Model             The Spanish family has undergone radical transformations throughout this century as a consequence of demographic changes, but also owing to mutations in the socioeconomic, employment structure of society [and] in the system of values. The principal change, the same as in the majority of European nations, is that of the transition from the extended family unit representative of rural agrarian societies to a nuclear model, made up of a married couple and children, which is more in keeping with urban industrial societies.             The family has been traditionally founded upon, and still is in the majority of cases, the institution of marriage, which at present is still largely performed according to Catholic rites, although the number of exclusively civil ceremonies has increased within the past few years.             The total number of marriages has varied little throughout the century, [but it is now declining]. Since 1977, the number of marriages has fallen to rates of 6.6 per 1,000 in 1979 and 5.6 per 1,000 in 1989. This notable decline in the number of marriages is similar to that given as the figure in other E.C. states, [according to their statistics.] At present, there are fewer marriages in Spain than in any other EC country or Council of Europe member State, with the single exception of Sweden. To the contrary, the practice of cohabitation is increasing, although (…) it is still insignificant and fairly uncommon, in spite of the fact that it is increasingly socially accepted.             The age for first marriages has also varied in accordance with the European patterns (…). The available data from other European countries show that the average age for marriage for both sexes has again risen by one or two years, as a consequence of more serious economic problems, especially youth unemployment. [Young people say that they need financial stability.]             The proportion of single-person households (slightly less than 10% of the total at present) has increased. Legislation authorizing divorce is quite recent (divorce was regulated in Spain in 1981), and the divorce rate is very low (…) in comparison with other European societies, practically three times as high. The proportion of children born out of wedlock is also less in Spain than in the other EC countries. Spain shows only 5%, whereas this figure reaches 36% for Denmark and 50% in Iceland, Norway and Sweden. (…) In http://www.csudh.edu/global_options/375Students-Sp96/Spain/FAM.HOUSE.HTML

A) Say which statements are True/ False, finding evidence in the first two paragraphs for your choices.

1. Transformations in the Spanish family patterns are a consequence of demographic changes only.
2. Family patterns also changed in other countries.
3. Religious marriage is no longer important.
4. Civil marriages are more frequent nowadays.

 

 

 

B) Reread paragraphs three and four and say what the following words refer to:

1. it (l.10)            2.         their (l. 13)

      3.         it (l. 15)                       4.         they (l.20)

 

 

 

C) Answer the following questions about the text:

1. What is the text about? (Do not answer with the title!)
2. Which four reasons provoked changes in the family pattern?
3. How many people are there in a modern, urban family?
4. Why do you think cohabitation has increased?
5. Who defends financial stability before marriage?

 

 

 

 

 

II

 

A) Compare people’s preferences using prefer/ would rather in each sentence:

 

1. Boys/marry later
2. Girls/ marry earlier
3. Men/ civil marriage
4. Women/ religious marriage

 

 

 

 

 

B) Decide when to use Present Simple or Present Continuous:

 

1. Young people__________ (fear) getting married.
2. Young couples ______now_________ (consider) cohabitation more frequently.
3. Statistics____________ (show) that family patterns are different today.
4. Family structure___________ (change) quickly, often reducing to parents and one child.
5. People also________ (tend) to get married later in their twenties or even thirties.

 

 

C) Complete the following If-clauses (types I, II and III):

 

1. If our parents ______ (have) a secure job, they__________ (marry) early.
2. Now, young couples__________ (get) married later if they_________ (have) no job perspectives.
3. If you________ (find) life was hard to pay for, you__________ (want) to marry later too.
4. If our parents __________ (have got) children late in their lives, they_____________ (decide) for a smaller family.
5. Young boys and girls________ (prefer) cohabitation if marriage________ (appears) too expensive.

 

 

 

 

 

III

Read the following statement and comment on the ideas expressed, in a text of about 60 to 80 words:

“To love and honour in sickness and in health, for richer and poorer,

 for better and for worse…

… until death us do part”.

            What is your personal position towards the acceptance of the vows of marriage?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SISTEMA DE ENSINO POR UNIDADES CAPITALIZÁVEIS (SECUNDÁRIO)

Prova Escrita de Inglês (Continuação)                Unidade 02

 

I

 

 

Read the text carefully and solve the exercises:

 

America’s First Night High School

5         10         15         20

Retta Blaney visits the first night-time high school in America to witness its success.                 The first impressions are rather menacing. Visitors must sign in and show identification before being allowed into the building. Such tight security gives one the feeling of entering a prison or some other dangerous place.                 But what a deceptive first impression. Manhattan Comprehensive Night High school may be the friendliest, most caring institution in all of New York City. A school of last resort for many of its students, it is their best chance to turn their lives around, and make friends in the process.                 Manhattan Comp, as it’s called, is the first full-time night school in America. “We’ve taken a day school and we’ve flipped it into night”, says principal Howard Friedman, 45, who designed this alternative school and [then he] opened it in 1989 on the lower East Side of Manhattan. Its elegant turn-of-the-century building originally housed a millinery school for immigrant Jewish girls.                 High school is compulsory until the age of sixteen in America, but many students drop out, either before or after they reach sixteen, and before receiving their high school diplomas. Until now night education programs for dropouts only provided the basics and then awarded an equivalency certificate. But now, Manhattan Comp offers total high school experience, complete with “lunch” period ([this] is really a suppertime), physical education, clubs, and an award-winning newspaper. Students receive an academic diploma, which they say is more helpful in finding a job than an equivalency certificate. More than sixty percent of Manhattan Comp’s students go on to college. In Current (Abridged)

A) Say what the following words refer to:

 

1. its (l.1)               2. their (l. 8)           3. he (l. 12)            4. they (l. 16)         5. this (l. 19)

 

B) Complete according to the text:

 

1.        Retta Blaney decided…

2.        The first impressions…

3.        She compares security procedures to those adopted…

4.        However, Manhattan Comp is considered…

5.        The school was designed…

 

C) Answer the following questions, in your own words:

 

1.        What is the text about? (Do not answer with the title!)

2.        When was the school opened?

3.        Which type of education did dropouts have in the past?

4.        Why is Manhattan Comp different?

5.        Are students well prepared at Manhattan Comp? Justify.

 

 

II

 

1.       Complete with the best modal verb: Can/ Could; May/ Might or Ought to

 

1.        In the past dropouts ________ only expect to have an equivalency certificate.

2.        At Manhattan Comp the_____ study for a diploma.

3.        It____ be hard for some students who work during the day…

4.        But then they _______ find a good job with their diploma in hands.

5.        If you want a better job you_______ study hard too!

 

 

2.       Phrasal verbs: Choose the correct form, but be careful to change tenses if needed.

 

1.        Many dropouts later decide to________ a better education.

                a) look for             b) look into           c) look out

2.        When the lights were first________ at Manhattan Comp. it was a great feeling!

                a) turn in               b) turn on              c) turn out

3.        Manhattan Comp _______ the fame of some of the best NY day schools nowadays.

                a) take over           b) take on              c) take out

4.        Many of those who________ on their studies decide to return to school when they grow up!

                a) give out            b) give up             c) give away

5.        Getting a Diploma__________ for all our efforts.

                a) make on            b) make off            c) make up

 

 

III

Choose ONE topic and write a small text of about 80 to 100 words:

 

1.       Refer to your personal experience at night school, comparing it to day school.

 

2.       Refer which reasons you think make so many young students dropout school and later return when they are already adults.