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idAsignatura
=10&idProblema=766&titulo=Coetzee wins Nobel Prize


Palaeontologists have been digging in Africas sands in search of the missing link between
humans and primates. Discovery this year of a fossil skull could be the first evidence of an
enormous diversity of ape-like, human-like creatures that existed from five to ten million
years ago. Perhaps, humans and chimpanzees might be the only survivors of an ancient
burst of evolutionary activity.
Actually, a mere 2% of our genes separate us from from two species of chimpanzees: at
some point, as human beings have made our way up the evolutionary scale, becoming taller
and less hairy as we travelled, we probably separated from our closest relatives.
Nevertheless, the longer scientists study the daily existence of primates, their family life and
their complex societies, the more it seems obvious that we are, in fact, the third
chimpanzee. This similarity has led chimp expert Dr Jane Goodall to call for human rights to
be extended to chimpanzees.
In his book "What It Means To Be 98% Chimpanzee", anthropologist Jonathan Marks argues
that the 2% gene difference gave humans the great leap forward of language, separating
us significantly from monkeys. That seemingly small amount of genetic matter transported
us from trees to urban jungle and transformed us from exhibits into zookeepers, but it does
not seem to prevent us from literally killing our "cousins": development and destruction of
their natural habitats, along with commercial hunting for food, have cut their numbers from
two million chimpanzees at the turn of the last century to less than one-tenth of that now.
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
Nobody thinks that monkeys should be treated like people.
The population of chimpanzees has recently increased.
Explicacin: Para la primera afirmacin el parrafo relevante es:
"This similarity has led chimp expert Dr Jane Goodall to call for human rights to be
extended to chimpanzees"
La respuesta es falsa porque la Doctora Joan Goodall ha pedido que los derechos humanos se
extiendan a los chimpancs.
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"development and destruction of their natural habitats, along with commercial hunting for
food, have cut their numbers from two million chimpanzees at the turn of the last century
to less than one-tenth of that now".
La respuesta es falsa: su habitat natural se ha reducido y han pasado de ser 2 millones al
principio del siglo pasado a una dcima parte de ese nmero en la actualidad.

Find the words in the text that mean:
a) connection : link (conexin)
b) part of the skeleton which encloses the brain : skull (crneo)
c) Jump ahead : leap forward (salto adelante)
d) Apparently : seemingly (en apariencia)

Rewrite the sentences with the words given.
a) He won't speak to you unless you ask him a question. If you don't ask him a question, he
won't speak to you.
Ayuda: condicional de 1 tipo, probable expresando una advertencia. "If" (si) y "unless" (a
menos que) significan lo mismo aunque "unless" se utiliza con verbo afirmativo e "If" con
negativo.
b) "You must do it at once", she said. She told me that I had to do it at once.
Ayuda: Reconvertimos la oracin a estilo indirecto informando sobre lo que se ha dicho. El
verbo introductorio est en pasado y hay cambios en el tiempo verbal: Presente a Pasado,
"must" a "had to"
c) The exercise is so difficult we cant do it. The exercise is too difficult for us to do.
Ayuda: So + adjetivo, introduce una oracin subordinada causal y too+ adjetivo +
complemento + infinitivo indica igualmente la consecuencia de dicha accin.
d) Some policemen are investigating the crime. The crime is being investigated by some
policemen.
Ayuda: se transforma la frase a pasiva porque se da mas importancia al hecho de la
investigacin que a quien la lleva a cabo.


"The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about six out of ten
Americans were Esther overweight or obese. Furthermore, the prevalence of obesity
almost doubled from about 15 percent in 1980 to 27 percent in 1999. Dr. J. McGinnis said
the current weight statistics predict future problems. "Obesity now will lead to a higher
number of deaths from diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, and
increased prevalence of osteoarthritis."
The CDC noted that most schools have vending machines or snack bars including foods
that are largely nutrientpoor and calorie-rich. People are also less likely to cook for
themselves these days. Roughly half of all meals are consumed outside the home and many
of these are from fast foods. ?We have become year-by-year an increasingly sedentary
society," McGinnis said. "People used to enjoy walking a half-mile or a quarter-mile but now
they take the car to go across the street. And instead of walking or playing sports during
free time, children sit in front of the TV or computer. These are unhealthy habits because
their muscles are not moving and transportation has become so easy that children are
driven everywhere."
So educating the public about healthy nutrition and exercise is essential, the experts said.
Healthy foods and more intense physical activity in schools are also important.
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (?)
More than half of the American population has overweight problems
There is a tendency to avoid cooking nowadays
Most meals are consumed outside the home
According to the experts, the physical activity program in American schools is appropriate
for the obesity problem
Explicacin: Para la primera afirmacin el prrafo relevante es:
"The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about six out of ten
Americans were either overweight or obese..."
La afirmacin es verdadera ya que segn el Centro Americano de Control y Prevencin de
Enfermedades, seis de cada diez americanos tienen sobrepeso o bien estn obesos. Esto es,
ms de la mitad de la poblacin tiene problemas de sobrepeso.
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"People are also less likely to cook for themselves these days"
Una de las causas de la mala nutricin de los americanos segn el texto es que las familias
suelen hacer menos comidas caseras y salir ms a cenar fuera.
Y para la tercera:
"Roughly half of all meals are consumed outside the home and many of these are from
fast foods"
Segn el CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) aprximadamente (roughly) la
mitad de las comidas se hacen fuera de casa, y no la mayora como se afirma aqu.
Y para la cuarta:
"Healthy foods and more intense physical activity in schools are also important"
El actual programa de actividad fsica en las escuelas americanas no es apropiado ni suficiente
ya que el texto afirma que es importante aumentar la actividad fsica en los colegios para
acabar con el sedentarismo.


Nearly one in three species of frogs and toads in the world is under threat of extinction,
according to the most comprehensive global study of amphibians ever conducted. The report
shows that 122 amphibian species have disappeared since 1980. The discovery, reported in
the journal Science, is seen by researchers as an early warning of imminent environmental
disaster.
Amphibians act like "natural barometers" since their highly permeable skin makes them very
sensitive to the effects of climate change and pollution. Any drastic change in the natural
world is likely to affect them first. Over the past three years, scientists analysed the
distribution and conservation status of all 5,743 known amphibian species. Of these, 1,856 -
32 per cent- were threatened with extinction. In comparison, only 12 per cent of bird
species and 23 per cent of all mammal species are considered to be endangered. The
president of Conservation International, who co-led the research, said: "Amphibians are
one of nature's best indicators of overall environmental health. Their catastrophic decline
serves as a warning that we are in a period of significant environmental degradation."
Amphibians were the first terrestrial vertebrates to colonise the land successfully about 350
million years ago. They have developed a remarkable diversity by adapting to many
different aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Amphibians are present today in every continent
except Antarctica, and can be found in almost all habitat types from dry, inhospitable
deserts to lush tropical rainforests and temperate climates such as Britain's.
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
Researchers consider that the disappearance of amphibians is a sign of ecological
catastrophe in the near future
The number of endangered birds is greater than that of amphibians
Explicacin: Para la primera afirmacin el parrafo relevante es:
"The discovery, reported in the journal "Science", is seen by researchers as an early
warning of imminent environmental disaster"
La respuesta es verdadera puesto que el texto nos dice que este descubrimiento (la
desaparicin de anfibios) es visto como aviso de un inminente desastre ecolgico (warning of
environmental disaster) , lo que se corresponde con la afirmacin (an early warning of
ecological catastrophe in the near future).
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"Of these, 1,856 - 32 per cent - were threatened with extinction. In comparison, only 12
per cent of bird species and 23 per cent of all mammal species are considered to be
endangered"
La respuesta es falsa teniendo en cuenta los porcentajes: 32% de los anfibios estn en
extincin, frente a un 12% de pjaros que estn en extincin. Por lo tanto, el nmero de
pjaros en extincin es menor que el de anfibios.

Find the words in the text that mean: (?)
a) complete : comprehensive (exhaustivo)
Ayuda: complete es un adjetivo. En el primer prrafo encontramos otro adjetivo
(comprehensive) que tiene el mismo sentido: completo, global.
b) because : since (ya que)
Ayuda: because es una conjuncin, significa porque. Since, acta como conjuncin en esta
frase, y significa ya que. (otras veces since tambin funciona como preposicin y adverbio y
significa desde)
c) extreme : drastic (drstico)
Ayuda: extreme es un adjetivo, significa extremo. Su sinnimo pues, otro adjetivo, drastic.
d) exceptional : remarkable (notable, excepcional)
Ayuda: exceptional es un adjetivo, significa excepcional. Remarkable, otro adjetivo con el
mismo significado, es su sinnimo.

The 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature was won by the South African novelist J. M. Coetzee.
This is wonderful news. Coetzee, 63, is unquestionably among the greatest living writers in
English.
The Nobel has often been misapplied. It evaded Tolstoy, Chekhov, Joyce, Kafka and
Nabokov. It was won, on the other hand, by Bjorns tjerne Bjornson, Jos Echegaray, Rudolf
Eucken and others now wholly forgotten. In many cases, the judges seem to have been
influenced by political, rather than literary, factors. But in choosing Coetzee, the judges
have got it right and ignored the fact that Coetzee has many things to say that do not sit
comfortably with liberal political assumptions.
His books deal with difficult, painful matters -betrayal, the abuse of power, the nature of
evil, our cruel treatment of animals- and ultimately they express deep scepticism over
whether or not any of us are capable of true empathy with others. Coetzee presents these
unwelcome truths with a rigour and purity that cannot be ignored.
Coetzee was born in Cape Town in 1940 and trained as a computer scientist, coming to
London in the Sixties to work for IBM, a period recollected in a superb autobiographical
novel. He then became a professor of literature in the United States, initially using his
computing skills for verbal analysis of writers, before returning to Cape Town in the early
Seventies, where he has continued to teach and publish literary criticism. His first fiction,
Dusklands, was published in 1974, followed by In The Heart Of The Country and Waiting For
Barbarians, which swiftly won him international recognition.
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
Many years ago Tolstoy was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature
Coetzee has not yet written any book based on his life
Explicacin: Para la primera afirmacin el parrafo relevante es:
"The Nobel has often been misapplied. It evaded Tolstoy, Ckekhov, Joyce, Kafka nad
Nabokov"
La respuesta es falsa ya que entre los autores que no recibieron el premio Nobel se incluye a
Tolstoy.
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"Coetzee was born in Cape Town in 1940 and trained as a computer scientist, coming to
London in the Sixties to work for IBM, a period recollected in a superb autobiographical
novel."
El ltimo prrafo nos ofrece datos de la vida de Coetzee y nos afirma que escribi una novela
autobiogrfica sobre el perodo en que viva en Londres en los aos 60. Por lo tanto, s que ha
escrito sobre su vida y la afirmacin es falsa.

Find the words in the text that mean: (?)
a) without a doubt: unquestionably (indudablemente)
Ayuda: la frase preposicional without a doubt es un modismo (idiom) que significa sin
ninguna duda. Encontramos su sinnimo en un adverbio: unquestionably.
b) completely : wholly (totalmente)
Ayuda: completely (= completamente) es un adverbio formado aadiendo el sufijo -ly al
adjetivo complete. De igual modo, wholly es otro adverbio con el mismo significado formado
de la misma manera a partir del adjetivo whole.
c) ideas : assumptions (suposiciones)
Ayuda: ideas es un sustantivo en plural, al igual que assumptions. d) quickly (p.4): swiftly
(rpidamente)
d) quickly : swiftly (rpidamente)
Ayuda: quickly es un adverbio, por lo tanto debemos buscar en el cuarto prrafo otro
adverbio que pueda ser su sinnimo: swiftly.


A new illness, the Compulsive Buying Disorder, has been diagnosed. Its symptoms are
frequent thoughts of shopping, experiencing senseless impulses to purchase unneeded
items, and overspending to the extent that it harms relationships or job performance. A
recent survey has found that one in twenty American adults buy things they may not even
want or need. In today?s world of consumerism, where we are constantly bombarded by
ads, this is perhaps not unusual. But more surprising is a further finding that runs counter
to the conventional and rather stereotyped view that compulsive buying is very much a
"woman's disease": men are just as likely as women to suffer from compulsive buying.
Gone seem to be the days when women dragged their bored men around shopping malls.
Researchers say that the number of men who indulge in unnecessary shopping has
rocketed. Experts claim that past trends and figures may have been unfairly distorted as
male obsessive shoppers used to be more reluctant than women to recognize that they
have a problem, admit it, and seek help. While women buy more clothing and products that
improve appearance, men tend to focus more on gadgets and technical items and can
become compulsive collectors.
And help seems to be exactly what the doctor orders for any compulsive shopper who is
usually not made any happier by his or her relentless buying. Doctors have concluded that
this behaviour is a way for people to try to complete themselves. For some people, being
complete is being impeccably dressed or having something new. Instead, medical
practitioners encourage those seeking treatment to cultivate non-materialistic aspects of
their lives.
Are these statements TRUE or FALSE? Justify your answers with the precise words or
phrases from the text. (?)
According to the survey, women are more compulsive shoppers than men
Experts believe that buying is a form of self-realization for compulsive shoppers
Explicacin: Para la primera afirmacin el prrafo relevante es:
"... men are just as likely as women to suffer from compulsive buying."
La respuesta la encontramos en el primer prrafo, que nos explica que, al contrario que la
creencia popular, las compras compulsivas no son exclusivamente cosa de mujeres, sino que
los hombres padecen igual que ellas de este trastorno.
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"Doctors have concluded that this behaviour is a way for people to try to complete
themselves"
El ltimo prrafo est dedicado a la opinin de los expertos respecto a este tema. En l, se
explica que los mdicos afirman que este tipo de conducta (comprar de manera compulsiva) es
un modo de realizarse a s mismos para algunas personas.


"The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about six out of ten
Americans were Esther overweight or obese. Furthermore, the prevalence of obesity
almost doubled from about 15 percent in 1980 to 27 percent in 1999. Dr. J. McGinnis said
the current weight statistics predict future problems. "Obesity now will lead to a higher
number of deaths from diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, and
increased prevalence of osteoarthritis."
The CDC noted that most schools have vending machines or snack bars including foods
that are largely nutrientpoor and calorie-rich. People are also less likely to cook for
themselves these days.Roughly half of all meals are consumed outside the home and many
of these are from fast foods. ?We have become year-by-year an increasingly sedentary
society," McGinnis said. "People used to enjoy walking a half-mile or a quarter-mile but now
they take the car to go across the street. And instead of walking or playing sports during
free time, children sit in front of the TV or computer. These are unhealthy habits because
their muscles are not moving and transportation has become so easy that children are
driven everywhere."
So educating the public about healthy nutrition and exercise is essential, the experts said.
Healthy foods and more intense physical activity in schools are also important.
Use of English: (?)
a) Give one opposite of CURRENT (adjective)
outdated, obsolete, old
Ayuda: ?current? significa ?actual? as que cualquiera de los adjetivos (outdated: pasado de
moda; obsolete: obsoleto; old: antiguo) podran ser una respuesta correcta.
b) Give and adjective with the same root as PREDICT (verb)
predictable
Ayuda: ?predict? es un verbo que significa ?predecir?. El adjetivo ?predictable?, que significa
?predecible?, se forma aadiendo el sufijo ?able al verbo. Hay muchos adjetivos que se forman
de esta manera a partir de un verbo: adapt ? adaptable; absorb ? absorbable; sale ?
saleable...
c) Find in the text a synonym for MOSTLY (adverb)
largely
Ayuda: ?mostly? es un adverbio que significa ?la mayora?. En ingls, muchos adverbios se
forman con el sufijo ?ly. En el texto, encontramos otro adverbio formado con el mismo sufijo y
de significado parecido: largely.
d) Find in the text the word which has the following definition: ?Not physically
active?
sedentary
Ayuda: el ncleo de la definicin es ?active?, que es un adjetivo y el resto (not physically)
simplemente modifica a ese adjetivo. Por lo tanto, debemos buscar en el texto un adjetivo y no
otra clase de palabra. ?Sedentary? (= sedentaria) es un adjetivo que concuerda con la
definicin de persona no activa fsicamente.
e) Turn the following sentences into the passive voice
"Small children are eating too much fat in their meals nowadays."
Too much fat is being eaten by small children nowadays
Ayuda: Al transformar una oracin activa en voz pasiva debemos realizar varios cambios. En
primer lugar, el complemento (too much fat) se convierte en el sujeto que recibe la accin. En
segundo lugar debemos hacer cambios en la forma verbal. La voz pasiva se forma con el verbo
to be + past participle. Ya que en la frase activa el verbo principal est en presente continuo
(are eating), el verbo to be lo debemos conjugar en presente continuo (is being) en la oracin
pasiva seguido del pasado participio (eaten, ya que el verbo eat es irregular). El complemento
agente aparece detrs del verbo seguido de la preposicin by (by small children).
f) Fill in the gap with the correct form of the verb in brackets
The doctor brought (bring) the most recent medical reports to yesterdays meeting.
Ayuda: debemos utilizar el pasado simple ya que la oracin presenta una accin que ocurri
en un momento determinado del pasado (yesterday). El verbo bring es irregular y su pasado
es brought.
g) Complete the following sentences:
?You could lose some weight if ?
you exercised more.
you went on a diet.
you didnt eat so many sweets.
Ayuda: estamos ante una oracin condicional de segundo tipo (second conditional). En este
tipo de oraciones la condicin (if + ?) debe formarse con el pasado simple y el resultado puede
ir con would o con los modales might y could, como en este caso. Las respuestas pueden ser
variadas pero es imprescindible conjugar el verbo en pasado simple y crear una condicin que
sea coherente con el resultado propuesto (you could lose some weight).
h) Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT).
Make changes if necessary.
?That man is very big. This seat may be too small for him.?
That man is very big, therefore / consequently / so, this seat may be too small for him.
Since that man is very big, this seat may be too small for him.
Ayuda: hay varias posibilidades para unir estas dos oraciones. Ya que expresan una causa
(That man is very big) y un resultado ( this seat may be too small for him), debemos utilizar
conjunciones o adverbios que expresen estos significados (so, therefore, consequently...)

Some psychologists are worried about the psychological impact on those who undergo
drastic cosmetic surgery ? and also on those who don't and, consequently, may feel
inadequate. Although radical transformations are rare, some psychologists plan to
investigate the surge in cosmetic procedures and whether these surgeries have any
lasting psychological consequences. The number of cosmetic operations increased by 44
percent from 2003 to 2004, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Plastic surgeons conducted a record 11.9 million procedures last 5 year, both non-surgical
(like Botox) and surgical (like breast augmentation or liposuction).
How do such practices affect patients psychologically? Social workers have made a recent
analysis of 37 studies on patients' psychological and psychosocial functioning before and
after cosmetic surgery . It sug gests positive outcomes in patients, including
improvements in body image and possibly a quality-of-life increase too. But the same
research ? published in April 2005 ? also found several elements of poor outcomes,
especially for those who hold unrealistic 10 expectations or have a history of depression
and anxiety. The researchers found that patients who are dissatisfied with surgery may
request repeat procedures or experience depression and adjustment problems, social
isolation, family problems, self-destructive behaviours and anger toward the surgeon and
his or her staff.
Use of English: (?)
a) Find in the text one word meaning ?a doctor whose job is to perform medical
operations? (noun).
surgeon
Ayuda: debemos buscar un sustantivo que corresponda con la siguiente definicin: mdico
cuyo trabajo es realizar operaciones mdicas. La solucin es surgeon (cirujano), de cuyo
trabajo se habla a lo largo del texto.
b) Give one opposite for AUGMENTATION (noun)
reduction
Ayuda: debemos proporcionar un sustantivo que signifique lo contrario de ?aumento?. El
nombre reduction es una respuesta posible que adems comparte el mismo sufijo que
augmentation; otras son: diminution, lessening, decrease...
c) Find in the text a synonym for RESULT (noun)
outcome
Ayuda: el sustantivo que ms se acerca al significado de result (resultado) es outcome, que
aparece varias veces a lo largo del texto y significa lo mismo.
d) Complete the series with another word of the same semantic group: : REQUEST,
SOLICIT, IMPLORE, BEG,?
demand
Ayuda: debemos completar la serie con una palabra del mismo grupo semntico y que
adems sea un verbo, al igual que las del resto de la serie. Todos los verbos de la serie
comparten significado parecido alrededor de la idea de ?pedir o solicitar?. El verbo demand es
una posible repuesta pero puede haber otras: ask for, appeal for, beseech...
e) Join the following sentences using a relative pronoun. Make changes if necessary.
Martins mother is Spanish. She speaks both Spanish and English fluently.
Martins mother, who is Spanish, speaks both Spanish and English fluently.
Ayuda: convertiremos las dos oraciones en una introduciendo una oracin de relativo
explicativa (non-defining relative clause) entre comas. Ya que el antecedente es un nombre de
persona (Martins mother), el pronombre relativo que debemos utilizar es who. Eliminaremos
el sujeto she de la segunda oracin pues no hay que repetirlo. Si la traducimos al espaol:
La madre de Martn, que es espaola, habla tanto el espaol como el ingls con fluidez.
f) Fill in the gap with the correct form of the verb in brackets:
Someone (hit) hit me as I came into the room.
Ayuda: la conjuncin as introduce una oracin temporal (time clause) que indica dos hechos
que ocurrieron al mismo tiempo y por ello los dos deben ir en el mismo tiempo verbal. Ya que
el segundo verbo aparece en pasado simple (came), el primero ir en el mismo tiempo verbal.
El verbo hit es irregular y su pasado es hit. Si traducimos la oracin al espaol:
Alguien me golpe mientras entraba en la habitacin.
g) Give a question for the underlined words:
The Members of Parliament met the Prime Minister last Friday.
Who did the Members of Parliament meet last Friday?
Ayuda: Debemos proporcionar una pregunta cuya respuesta sea The Prime Minister.
Utilizaremos el pronombre interrogativo Who seguido del auxiliar did ya que la oracin
afirmativa aparece en pasado simple. Detrs del sujeto (The Members of Parliament) el verbo
debe aparecer en infinitivo (meet). En ltimo lugar, la expresin de tiempo (last Friday).
h) Use the words below to make a meaningful sentence. Use all and only the words
in the boxes without changing the form. WHOLE WITH INFECTED THE HER SHE
ENTHUSIASM CLASS
She infected the whole class with her enthusiasm.
Ayuda: en ingls el sujeto (she) debe aparecer al inicio de la oracin seguido del verbo
(infected). Cuando hay dos complementos, en ingls suele ir delante el complemento indirecto
(the whole class) seguido del directo (her enthusiasm). La estructura infect + somebody +
with + something es invariable. Si traducimos la oracin al espaol:
Ella contagi a toda la clase con su entusiasmo.