Exercicis de reading PAU — Anglès 2n Batxillerat

Per què al Reading de la PAU s'ha de respondre amb frases senceres?

Reescriu la frase sense fer servir 'so that': 'She studied every evening so that she could pass the exam.'

Troba al text un mot que signifiqui 'to reduce': 'Governments want to cut carbon emissions by 2030.'

Text: "Cycling to work has become more popular in Barcelona, where the number of bike lanes has doubled since 2015."
Digues si és vertader o fals i justifica-ho amb el text: "The number of bike lanes has fallen."

Text: "The town's population has grown rapidly in recent years."
Quina paraula del text vol dir "molt de pressa"?

Text: "Maria bought a new laptop last week. It was very expensive."
A què es refereix la paraula "It" del text?

Text: "The match was cancelled because of the heavy rain."
Quina d'aquestes preguntes té com a resposta la informació del text? (a) Where was the match played? (b) Why was the match cancelled? (c) When was the match played?

Text: "The museum opens at 10 am on weekdays and at 11 am at weekends. Entry is free for children under 12."
Respon amb una frase sencera: At what time does the museum open on Sunday?

Tria el significat correcte de actually en la frase "Actually, I didn't like the film.": (a) actualment (b) en realitat, de fet

Text: "More and more teenagers are choosing vocational courses instead of university degrees. They say they want to start working earlier."
Tria el millor títol: (a) The end of universities (b) Teenagers prefer vocational training (c) How to find a job

Ordena els passos correctes per abordar un text de Reading de la PAU: (a) lectura detallada de la zona i redacció de la resposta; (b) llegir les 6 preguntes i subratllar-ne les paraules clau; (c) skimming del text per captar la idea general; (d) scanning per localitzar cada resposta.

Text: 'Renewable energy now provides 40% of the country's electricity, up from 25% a decade ago.' Pregunta: 'How has the role of renewable energy changed over the last ten years?' Respon amb una frase sencera.

Text: 'Although the film received mixed reviews, it was a box-office success.' Pregunta inferencial: 'Did the film make money? How do you know?' Respon amb una frase sencera.

Dedueix pel context el significat de 'scarce': 'Water is becoming scarce in many regions because of droughts.'

Text: "When Laia opened the door, she saw that the lights were off and heard nothing. She called her brother's name twice, but nobody answered."
Era probable que el seu germà fos a casa? Respon amb una frase sencera i justifica-ho.

Text: "The council has banned cars from the old town, which has reduced noise."
A què es refereix "which"?

Text: "Teenagers need between eight and ten hours of sleep, but many get less than seven because they use screens late at night. As a result, they find it hard to concentrate at school."
Escriu la idea principal en una sola frase, amb les teves paraules.

Text: "Fast fashion brands release new collections every few weeks, so clothes are cheap but do not last long. Consequently, millions of tonnes of clothing end up in landfill every year."
Segons el text, per què acaba tanta roba als abocadors? Respon amb una frase sencera.

Reescriu amb altres paraules, mantenint el significat: "The town council has decided to put off the building of the new school."

Classifica cada frase com a fet (fact) o opinió (opinion): (a) "Electric cars produce no exhaust fumes." (b) "Electric cars are far more attractive than petrol ones." (c) "Charging stations are more common than ten years ago."

Text: "Although the new bus line is cheaper, many people still prefer to drive."
Do many people use the new bus line? Respon amb una frase sencera i justifica-ho.

PAU Reading. Llegeix el paràgraf i respon amb una frase sencera: 'What is the main idea of the paragraph?'

'Many people believe that working from home makes employees lazy. However, a study of several companies found the opposite: remote workers took fewer sick days and completed more tasks per week than their colleagues in the office. The researchers concluded that flexibility, not supervision, is what drives productivity.'

Text: 'The library extended its opening hours so that more students could use it during exam periods.' Pregunta: 'Why did the library change its opening hours?' Respon amb una frase sencera.

PAU Reading — compleció. Text: 'The festival was cancelled because not enough tickets had been sold.' Completa: 'If more tickets had been sold, ...'

Text: "In the last decade, the number of people working from cafés has grown. Many say the background noise helps them concentrate, while others complain about the lack of plugs and the cost of coffee. Café owners, however, are not entirely happy: customers stay for hours and order little."
(a) Why are some café owners unhappy? (frase sencera) (b) Troba una paraula del text que vol dir "queixar-se". (c) Vertader o fals, amb justificació: "All remote workers find cafés too noisy."

Text: "The mayor claims the new tram will solve the city's traffic problems. Yet the project is already two years late and has cost twice the original budget."
Quina és l'actitud de l'autor? (a) enthusiastic (b) sceptical (c) neutral. Justifica-ho amb el text.

Dedueix pel context el significat de bustling i explica quines pistes del text t'hi ajuden: "The bustling market was full of people shouting and selling fruit."

Text: "Many shops on the high street have closed because customers now prefer to buy online. Experts warn that, unless town centres find new uses, they will become empty places."
What may happen to town centres? Respon amb les teves paraules, sense copiar el text.

Text: "In 2010, 18% of households had no internet connection; by 2020, the figure had fallen to 6%."
(a) Per quants punts percentuals ha baixat la xifra? (b) Respon en una frase sencera en anglès: What happened to the percentage of households without internet?

Text: "Last month, a local library in Osona started a free service that lends tools such as drills and ladders to residents."
Escriu la pregunta de comprensió que té com a resposta: (a) "A local library in Osona." (b) "Tools such as drills and ladders." (c) "Last month."

Reading comprehension (format PAU, 6 preguntes). Llegeix el text i respon cada pregunta en anglès amb una frase completa i amb paraules pròpies, tret que es demani el contrari.

On the roof of a department store in the centre of the city, a quiet revolution is taking place. Twelve hives, placed between air-conditioning units and satellite dishes, are home to thousands of bees that fly out every morning in search of flowers in parks, balconies and cemeteries. The idea came from Elena Ruiz, a former accountant, who started keeping bees after a stressful year. 'I wanted something that made me slow down,' she explains. 'Bees don't care about deadlines.'

Urban honey has surprised experts. Beekeepers say that cities often offer a longer flowering season than the countryside, because ornamental trees and gardens bloom at different times, so bees can find food for more months of the year. The honey also tastes different in each neighbourhood, depending on the plants nearby.

However, not everyone is convinced. Some biologists warn that too many hives in a small area could create competition with wild pollinators, which are less visible but equally important. Elena accepts the criticism. 'We should not put hives everywhere,' she says, 'but plant more flowers and protect the wild species too.'

1. Where are the hives, and who had the idea of installing them?
2. Why did Elena start keeping bees? Answer in your own words.
3. According to beekeepers, why can city bees find food for longer than country bees?
4. Find a word in the text that means 'decorative'.
5. What does which refer to in 'wild pollinators, which are less visible but equally important'?
6. What is Elena's attitude towards criticism? Justify your answer with the text.

Reading: inference and tone. Llegeix el text i respon a les preguntes en anglès.

We are told that our attention spans are shrinking, usually by people who have something to sell: an app to help us concentrate, a book on how to focus, a course on mindful living. The claim is repeated so often that it has become a kind of truth. Yet when psychologists try to measure attention, the picture is less dramatic. People can still read novels, follow complex films and spend hours on a hobby they love. What has changed is not our capacity but our environment. A phone buzzes in the pocket every few minutes, and each interruption makes it harder to return to the task. In other words, we have not lost the ability to concentrate; we have built a world designed to prevent it. The solution, then, is less likely to be a new application than a simple act of will: turning the phone off.

a) Who, according to the writer, usually spreads the idea that our attention is shrinking, and what does the writer imply about their motives?
b) What does the writer mean by 'a kind of truth'?
c) What contrast does Yet introduce?
d) Explain in your own words: 'we have built a world designed to prevent it'.
e) Describe the writer's tone and attitude, with two expressions from the text.

Vocabulary and reference. Llegeix el text i fes les tasques.

When the council of Santa Rita, a small mountain village, decided to ban cars from its centre, many residents were furious. Shopkeepers predicted that customers would stay away, and several elderly people feared that they would be cut off from the pharmacy and the post office. Two years later, however, the mood has shifted. The streets, once crowded with parked cars, are now filled with café tables and children playing. Sales have gone up in most shops, and the pharmacist has introduced a free delivery service for those who cannot walk far. 'I was the loudest critic,' admits the baker, Joan, 'but I have to say I was wrong.' Not everything is perfect: tourists sometimes complain that parking is too far from the centre. Still, the village has no plans to go back.

1. Find in the text a word or phrase that means: a) very angry; b) disconnected; c) changed; d) says reluctantly.
2. Who does those refer to in 'for those who cannot walk far'?
3. Paraphrase: 'the mood has shifted' and 'the village has no plans to go back'.
4. Give two pieces of evidence that the ban has been a success.
5. Which sentence expresses a remaining problem?

True, False or Not given. Llegeix el text. Per a cada afirmació, escriu True, False o Not given i justifica la resposta amb una frase del text (o explica per què no hi ha informació).

Fenwick Observatory, built in 1904 on a hill above the town of Marlow, was originally funded by a local wool merchant who dreamed of discovering a comet. He never did, but the observatory became famous for something else: its meteorological records. For more than a century, staff measured the temperature, rainfall and wind speed every day at nine o'clock without a single break, even during two world wars. Last year, when the funding ran out, the town council voted to close it. A group of students organised an online campaign, and within three weeks it had collected enough donations to keep the doors open for another two years. The observatory's director, Dr Hale, says that the future is still uncertain, but that the young people's reaction has restored his confidence.

1. The founder of the observatory discovered a comet.
2. The weather records were interrupted during the world wars.
3. The town council voted to close the observatory.
4. The students raised enough money in less than a month.
5. The observatory will stay open permanently.
6. Dr Hale is related to the founder.

Reading fiction: inference. Llegeix aquest fragment narratiu i respon en anglès.

Mara had rehearsed the conversation a hundred times on the way home. She would sit her father down at the kitchen table, explain calmly that she wanted to study music instead of law, and listen politely to his objections. But when she opened the door, the smell of his favourite stew filled the hallway, and her father, wearing the apron she had given him years ago, turned round with a smile so proud that her prepared words dissolved. 'The first dinner of the week with my lawyer,' he said, raising a spoon like a toast. Mara swallowed. She laid the table slowly, looking for a way to begin, and found, to her surprise, that her hands were trembling. Outside, the street lamps flickered on one by one. She would tell him tomorrow, she decided. Or perhaps the day after.

1. What had Mara planned to do?
2. Why did her prepared words 'dissolve'?
3. What does 'my lawyer' tell us about her father's expectations?
4. How does Mara feel by the end of the passage? Give two details that show it.
5. What does the last sentence suggest about what Mara will do?

Text organisation. Aquestes set frases formen un paràgraf, però estan desordenades. La frase c) és la primera. Ordena-les i justifica l'ordre amb pistes de cohesió (connectors, referències, repeticions).

a) That is why short, daily practice is more effective than a long session once a week.
b) Gradually, however, your body begins to remember what to do, and you stop thinking about each step.
c) Learning a language is often compared to learning to ride a bicycle.
d) But, as with cycling, falling off is simply part of the process.
e) At first, every movement requires conscious effort and you wobble constantly.
f) The same happens with words and grammar: the more often you use them, the more automatic they become.
g) Of course, you will still make mistakes along the way.

Matching headings. Relaciona cada paràgraf (1–5) amb el títol més adequat (A–G). Hi ha dos títols de més. Després justifica una de les teves tries amb paraules clau del paràgraf.

1. Most people think of sleep as a time when the brain simply switches off. In fact, scientists have discovered that the opposite is true: during the night the brain is remarkably active, sorting and storing the information gathered during the day.
2. This process is particularly important for students. Experiments suggest that those who sleep after studying remember more than those who stay awake, even when the time spent studying is identical.
3. Not all sleep is the same. The brain moves through different stages, and each seems to play a different role: some strengthen facts and vocabulary, while others help to connect ideas and solve problems.
4. Unfortunately, modern habits work against these benefits. Late-night screen use, irregular schedules and caffeine all reduce the quality of sleep, often without people noticing.
5. The good news is that small changes can help. Going to bed at a regular time and keeping devices out of the bedroom are two simple steps that many sleep experts recommend.

A) A habit that harms rest
B) The hidden activity of the sleeping brain
C) Different types of sleep, different jobs
D) Why sleeping is better than studying all night
E) Why teenagers need more sleep than adults
F) Simple advice for improving sleep
G) How caffeine affects memory

Comparing two texts. Llegeix els dos textos i respon en anglès.

Text A (guesthouse owner). I run a guesthouse in the old town. Tourism has revived our streets: shops that were closing now thrive, and young people no longer have to leave to find work. A few crowded weekends seem a small price to pay.

Text B (long-time resident). Tourism is changing my neighbourhood beyond recognition. The bakery has become a souvenir shop, rents have doubled and I rarely hear my own language on the street. The town is turning into a theme park of itself.

1. What do the two writers agree on?
2. What is the main difference in their viewpoints?
3. What does Text A mean by 'a small price to pay'?
4. Which words in Text B show a negative attitude?
5. Which text seems more subjective? Justify your answer.
6. Write one sentence comparing the two texts using a contrast connector.

Summarising. Llegeix el text i escriu un resum d'entre 40 i 50 paraules amb paraules pròpies. Després indica quines informacions has deixat fora i per què.

Night trains, once considered relics of another era, are returning to Europe. Several railway companies have announced new sleeper routes connecting cities that, only a few years ago, were joined mainly by cheap flights. The reasons are clear. Travellers worried about the environmental cost of flying are looking for alternatives, and a night train allows them to sleep, arrive in the city centre and save the cost of a hotel room. Companies, for their part, see an opportunity in a growing market. However, difficulties remain. Building and maintaining sleeper carriages is expensive, border crossings are often complicated by different technical systems, and tickets can be more costly than the cheapest flights. Supporters insist that these obstacles can be overcome with political backing and public investment. If they are right, the romantic journey through the night could become not just a nostalgic pleasure but a practical choice.

Stance and loaded language. Llegeix el text i respon en anglès.

Another season of the so-called reality show has begun, and once again millions will sit glued to their screens, watching strangers humiliate themselves for a prize that will vanish within a year. The contestants, carefully selected for their capacity to scream, cry or quarrel, are presented as ordinary people. They are nothing of the kind. Producers manipulate every scene, cutting and arranging the footage to invent rivalries that never existed. And yet we keep watching, perhaps because it is comforting to feel superior to someone else's mistakes.

a) List four words or expressions with a negative connotation.
b) What is the writer's attitude? Give two reasons.
c) Why does the writer use so-called?
d) What effect does the last sentence have?
e) Rewrite the first sentence in a neutral tone.