Corrected Texts

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PRUEBA: St GEORGE’S DAY
EXAM and ANSWERS
El alumno deberá responder a todas las preguntas que se formulan, excepto en el caso de la primera
pregunta (la redacción), donde deberá elegir entre la opción A y la opción B. Las respuestas a todos los
ejercicios deberán ser realizadas en inglés.
Puntuación máxima del ejercicio: 10 puntos.
Puntuación máxima de cada pregunta: 1ª = 4 puntos; 2ª = 2 puntos; 3ª = 2 puntos; 4ª = 2 puntos.
ST GEORGE’S DAY
Many European cultures have special days to celebrate their nation or region. Officially, the English
regional day is St George’s Day (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different days). However,
not everybody in England feels like rejoicing. “What’s special about it? We still have to go to work, just
like any other humdrum day,” grumbles Eric Brown, from Manchester. Eric isn’t alone. According to a
recent survey, only one in five English citizens even know the date of St George’s Day – April 23rd.
Several organisations are campaigning to make the day a public holiday. “We should take pride in our
region, because we have so much to celebrate,” enthuses one supporter, Gillian Cross. “For example, we
could all enjoy scrumptious old English recipes like Bakewell tart (a sweet, almond pastry), or punch (a
hot, spicy fruit drink). And we should do more to promote English culture, too. Did you know that
Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, in 1564? Amazingly, he also passed away on the same day in 1616! I
think that’s a sign that we ought to take this day seriously.”
Many employers oppose the campaign. “We already have enough holidays,” complains one
businessman, Wayne Vesey. “It’s just an excuse to skive work!” Economists also worry about the
expense. It is difficult to put an exact price on a new holiday, but it is probably safe to say that the cost
would run into tens of millions of pounds. Kasia Nowak, from Hull, thinks that this would be a misuse of
public funds: “I don’t want to spoil people’s fun, but if we really want to do something patriotic, we
should devote more effort to helping the disadvantaged members of our communities instead.”
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1) Write a composition on one of the following topics:
a) What, for you, is the most important holiday of the year and why? Give your opinion in no less than 80
words.
Suggested model answer. (Many different answers possible.)
What, for you, is the most important holiday of the year and why?
The festival I look forward to the most is the Festival Los Escobazos.
Some people might argue that the major festivals, such as Christmas and Easter, are more important,
but I disagree. To me, Los Escobazos is special because it brings together my family, friends and
neighbours. We all join in the procession, before going to my grandparents’ house to enjoy home‐made
wine and food around a bonfire.
In my opinion, this is the most important annual festival because it unites the whole community. It is
also a wonderful opportunity to celebrate local traditions, including folklore, crafts and cooking.
b) Write a story of at least 80 words beginning with the words: “Sara thought that everyone had forgotten
about her birthday.” Please notice that these 9 words do not count in the 80 you have to write.
Suggested model answer. (Many different answers possible.)
An amazing birthday
Sara thought that everyone had forgotten about her birthday. When she got up in the morning, her
family behaved as if it was just an ordinary day. No one gave her any cards or presents, or even said
“happy birthday”.
At school things got worse. No one seemed to have remembered! By the time Sara got back home, she felt
really miserable. The house looked dark and empty, and Sara felt really lonely. But when she turned on
the lights, she got a big surprise!
All her friends and family were waiting for her. They’d made a huge cake, and they’d decorated a whole
room with cards and decorations. Sara’s horrible birthday suddenly got much, much better!
2) Answer the following two questions:
a) According to the writer, why do some people want to make St George’s Day a public holiday in
England? Explain your answer.
Suggested answer: People want to make St George’s Day a public holiday to make the day feel more
special. Some English people think that the holiday would be a good opportunity for celebrating English
traditions and culture.
a) According to the text, what are the arguments against making St George’s Day a public holiday?
Explain your answer.
Suggested answer: According to the text, there are several reasons why St George’s Day shouldn’t be a
holiday. Some people think that extra holidays are unnecessary, and that a new holiday would damage
the UK economy. Other people believe that this money should be spent on other things.
3) Imagine that you are having a party. Invite your friend to come and give him / her a reason for it.
Suggested answer: Would you like to come to my party tonight? I’ve booked a live band, so it should be
good fun.
4) Rewrite the following sentence in indirect style (reported speech). Begin, “He offered ...”
a) “I’ll buy you both drinks at the carnival tonight.”
He offered to buy us both drinks at the carnival that night.
Rewrite the following sentence using a comparative form. Begin “In my opinion, punch is not ...”
b) In my opinion, Bakewell tart is tastier than punch.
In my opinion, punch is not as tasty as Bakewell tart.
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