Monday 23 March 2015

Passive Causative


Causative 1 – Generalities

to have/make/let sb do sth
to get/force/allow sb to do sth
to help sb do/to do sth


Causative is used when one person somehow makes another person do sth. There are two participants: the causer and the doer.

There are 7 causative patterns in English:
make, have, let    (without ‘to’)
force, get, allow  (with ‘to’)
and help  (with or without ‘to’)



He made/had/let me do it.


The boss made me stay until 10.
David had the barber cut his hair.
My mother let me go fishing.



He forced/got/allowed me to do it.


They forced us to open our cases.
They got them to drive them to the hospital.
She allowed me to read my notes.


He helped me do/to do it.

The waiter helped us choose/to choose a meal.


Difference in meaning

A makes/forces B  = B does not want or does not choose to do sth and A decides = obligar

A gets/has B = B does not care, but A must ask = conseguir, lograr

A lets/allows B = B wants to, but needs permission from A = dejar, permitir

A helps B = B can't without A

Words like "motivate", "lead" and "inspire" are used like causatives too.

Examples:

The story inspired me to learn guitar.
The data lead us to believe that our experiment was a success.
My mother motivated me to study hard.

They follow the same grammar pattern as "force", "get" and "allow" but the nuance is much more positive, or gentle. 

Here is a list of some other causative words (same pattern as "force", "get" and "allow"):

ask
permit
persuade
convince
bribe
encourage

pay

Questions Module 7 - Safety



  1. Do you think homes are safe places?
  2. What basic advice would you give someone about safe driving?
  3. Should people wear helmets when riding bikes or playing sports?
  4. What is Internet safety? What can be posted online?
  5. Describe a risky situation resulting from lack of online safety.
  6. How can people be prepared for natural disasters?
  7. Would you like to take a first aid course?
  8. Speak of the time when you or someone you know was in a dangerous situation.
  9. Are prescription drugs good or bad for your health?
  10. What are side effects?
  11. What is an over-the-counter medicine?
  12. Can a loss of smell be dangerous?
  13. What's the difference between conventional drugs and homeopathic products?
  14. What is the FDA? And the EMA?
  15. Think of some good advice to ensure safety at home.
  16. How can falls at home be prevented?
  17. How should dangerous cleaning and medical products be kept at home?
  18. How can you prevent a fire from happening?
  19. What is the poison helpline?
  20. Do you check that your stove is turned off before leaving the house?
  21. How can an electrical fire be caused?
  22. What special care should people take when there is an elderly person in the house?
  23. Would you write a letter of complaint if you had an accident due to lack of safety? What would you say?
  24. What could be done in order to reduce safety hazards in the work place?
  25. What action should be taken in order to deal with safety hazards in schools?
  26. Do you think electric blankets are safe?

Exam 2014 - 2 with answers - June 2014

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIA CUID  - B2 AVANZADO-  JUNIO 2014   Exam 2

PART 1 -  READING  - two passages

Passage 1
Read the following text and answer the multiple-choice questions.


Volunteering could lengthen life           Adapted from: Telegraph.co.uk


Volunteering may improve your health, according to a new study which found that those who do it live longer and are more satisfied with their lives

People who volunteer report having lower levels of depression and higher levels of well-being than average, while some research suggests it promotes a longer and healthier life.

A review of 40 academic papers on the subject by University of Exeter researchers found that volunteers are a fifth less likely to die within the next four to seven years than average.

Across the studies volunteers had lower self-rated levels of depression and higher levels of well-being and life satisfaction, although this has not been confirmed in trials. It is thought that volunteering can be good for the physical health of older people in particular, by encouraging them to stay active and spend more time out of the house.

Volunteers often explain their motives in terms of wanting to "give something back" to their community, but without receiving anything in return, the reported improvements in quality of life are harder to explain, experts said.

An estimated 22.5 per cent of people in Europe devote part of their spare time to volunteering, compared with 27 per cent in America and 36 per cent in Australia.

Dr Suzanne Richards, who published her systematic review in the BMC Public Health journal, said: "Our systematic review shows that volunteering is associated with improvements in mental health, but more work is needed to establish whether volunteering is actually the cause.”
"It is still unclear whether biological and cultural factors and social resources that are often associated with better health and survival are also associated with a willingness to volunteer in the first place."

In a separate study from the University of Michigan, researchers suggested three reasons why volunteering may be beneficial. First, it involves physical activity; second, the social connections we make help to reduce our stress; and third, it gives us a deep sense of happiness.

Choose the right option according to the text

1. Where was the research made available to the public?
a) Online.
b) At a conference.
c) In a newspaper.
d) In a journal.

2. Why does a researcher think more work is needed?
a) We need to volunteer more.
b) A researcher's work is never finished.

c) To prove volunteering is good for our mental health.
d) Work is good for us.

3. According to the studies, volunteers:

a) Live four to seven years longer than average.
b) Do not receive anything in return.

c) Report lower levels of depression.

d) Have a good physical health.

4. According to the text, volunteering:

a) is proved to be the cause of better mental health.

b) is proved to depend on biological and cultural factors and social resources.
c) may improve your well-being and life satisfaction.

d) is popular among the elderly.

5. According to the article:

a) Volunteering is more common in Australia than in Europe and America.
b) Volunteering is associated with more work.

c) Volunteers always want to be in the first place.

d) Half of the population in Europe devotes their spare time to volunteering.

6. What did University of Michigan researchers suggest?
a) A nationwide volunteer program.

b) More research.

c) Three reasons why volunteering is good for us.
d) None of the above is correct.

Passage 2 

One in five songs "advertises" alcohol

Adapted from: Sciencedaily.com

The songs young people listen to could be (7) ____ them to drink more alcohol. This is the conclusion of a study into the extent to which (8) ____ contain references to drinking. Researchers from the John Moores University in Liverpool, England assert that public health warnings on liquor may be of diminishing value because of the prevalence of terms surrounding alcohol in pop songs. The study found that one in five songs in the UK music charts contains references to intoxicating beverages. This figure is double that from a decade ago. They also found that songs from 1981 contained relatively few references to alcohol. John Moores attributed some of the rise (9) ____ an influx of US-imported songs.

Researchers said the exposure of young people to alcohol in the media is "a major concern". Professor Karen Hughes warned that references to alcohol are a "form of advertising and marketing for alcoholic products." She said: "Public health concerns are already focused (10) ____ the impacts of alcohol advertising on the drinking behavior of young people, (11) ____ the growing reference to alcohol in popular music could mean that positive, alcohol-promoting messages are reaching much larger audiences." Dr Hughes added: "Health and other professionals should be vigilant to ensure that popular music does not become a medium for reinforcing and extending cultures of intoxication and alcohol-related (12) ____."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article


7.
(a) encouraging
(b) encourages
(c) encouraged
(d) encouragement
8.
(a) lyricist
(b) lyrical
(c) lyrics
(d) lyric
9.
(a) for
(b) to
(c) at
(d) by
10.
(a) in
(b) on
(c) at
(d) to
11.
(a) yet
(b) regardless
(c) so
(d) even though
12.
(a) wickedness
(b) injure
(c) mischief
(d) harm


PART 2 -  USE OF ENGLISH

Choose the right option

13. Patrick ...... first aid and home safety courses at the community center for the last three years.

a. was giving    b. had given    c. has been giving    d. has being giving

14. The Ellis Falls Annual Community Art Fair ...... in a week with something for everyone.

a. opened    b. is opening    c. has opened    d. was opened

15. If she ...... the values assessment test, she could have found out what her personal values are.

a. took    b. takes    c. had taken    d. has taken

16. If the office building were in a good location, ...... interested in it?


a. would the company be    
b. will the company be    
c. had the company been
d. is the company

17. This amazing house ...... to the public. We must go see it!

a. has just been opening
b. has just being opened

c. has just been opened
d. had just been opened

18. Ingrid told Mark, “Submit your application tomorrow.”


a. Ingrid told Mark to submit your application the following day.
b. Ingrid told Mark submit your application tomorrow.

c. Ingrid told Mark to submit his application the following day.

d. Ingrid told to Mark to submit his application the following day.

19. The little boy asked, “Who invented this funny alarm clock with wheels?”

a. The little boy asked who had invented that funny alarm clock with wheels.
b. The little boy asked who has invented that funny alarm clock with wheels.
c. The little boy asked who invented this funny alarm clock with wheels.
d. The little boy asked who invents this funny alarm clock with wheels.

20. I met a woman named Sarah. Sarah told me her firsthand experience of sustainable living.

a. I met a woman named Sarah, whose told me her firsthand experience of sustainable living.
b. I met a woman named Sarah, that told me her firsthand experience of sustainable living.

c. I met a woman named Sarah, which told me her firsthand experience of sustainable living.
d. I met a woman named Sarah, who told me her firsthand experience of sustainable living.

21. I often regret ...... so-called ‘bargains’ when I discover that the reduction wasn’t as big as I thought.


a. buying        b. to buy        c. both a and b are possible      d. buy


22. Before you become overanxious about your symptoms, I ...... the doctor ...... you.


a. have/examine
b. have/to examine
c. would have/to examine
d. would have/examine

23. Did you ...... your blood ...... before you started taking this medication?

a. get/checked
b. gets/checked
c. get/to check
d. get/check

24. The director chose plain black costumes ...... the message of the show would be communicated more clearly.


a. rather than
b. even though
c. wherever
d. so that

25. You should see the contemporary art exhibit ...... modern art doesn’t usually appeal to you.

a. in case      b. so that        c. even if         d. provided

PART 3 -  WRITING - two pieces

A
You are studying English abroad at a language school attended by many international students. You are planning a surprise birthday party for a friend who has been feeling particularly sad and homesick.

Write an e-mail to another classmate and invite him/her to the party, explain the reason for the party, give the date and time of the party and suggest what and who he/she could bring to the party.
Write 120-150 words.

B  
Choose ONE of the following topics and write a well-structured essay of about 120-150 words. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling.

OPTION 1
Many of the medical problems that people are experiencing in today's world are due to the fact that we have a very sedentary lifestyle. To what extent do you agree?

OPTION 2
Nowadays, families are not as close as in the past and a lot of people have become used to this. Explain the reasons for this and discuss any possible effects it may have on society.


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Answers

1 d   2 c   3 c    4 c    5 a    6 c    7 a   8 c    9 b    10 b    11 c    12 d    13 c    14 b    15 c    16 a    17 c    18 c    19 a    20 d    21 a    22 d    23 a    24 d    25 c

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Write an informal e-mail

Please, write this informal email - from the exam- and send it to me for correction.

Write an informal e-mail to a friend telling him/her about your weekend. 

State your reasons for not being able to go to work on Monday. 

Use the appropriate style for the situation. 120 to 150 words.

Wednesday 11 March 2015

Exam 2014 - 1 with Answers - June 2014

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIA CUID 
(B2 AVANZADO) 
JUNIO 2014 

DURACIÓN: 2 HORAS


NO SE PERMITE EL USO DE DICCIONARIO, DISPOSITIVO ELECTRÓNICO, NI DE NINGÚN OTRO MATERIAL EXCEPTO BOLÍGRAFO



INSTRUCCIONES:


Conteste a TODAS las preguntas de tipo test ÚNICAMENTE en la hoja de lectura óptica.
Entregue ÚNICAMENTE la hoja de lectura óptica y LA HOJA con la composición escrita (writing)
No olvide escribir sus datos personales en AMBAS HOJAS.
El examen escrito se califica sobre un total de 100 puntos. La parte de opción múltiple vale 50 puntos y la parte de redacción vale 50 puntos. Para aprobar el examen se ha de conseguir un mínimo de 30 puntos en la opción múltiple y obtener un mínimo de 25 puntos en las redacciones.
Hay que aprobar ambas partes. Las respuestas incorrectas NO restan puntos.
NO use lápiz, sólo bolígrafo azul o negro

POR FAVOR, RELLENE EL FORMULARIO ANTES DE COMENZAR:


NOMBRE Y APELLIDOS: ___________________________________________________ 

DNI: _______________________-_____ 
NÚMERO DE TELÉFONO: _____________________ 
CENTRO ASOCIADO:___________________________________________________


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

PART 1  -  READING (two exercises)

EXERCISE A

Read the following text and answer the multiple choice questions.


"Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn't have any beginning or any end. He didn't mean it as a compliment, but it was."             Jackson Pollock 


Born on January 28, 1912, in Cody, Wyoming, Jackson Pollock remains one of America's most controversial artists. He was both renowned and criticized for his conventions.


During his youth, Pollock's family moved throughout Arizona and California, his father, an alcoholic, left the family when the artist was eight. Later on, he enrolled in the Manual Arts High School, where he learned to draw but had little success expressing himself. He was eventually expelled for starting fights. When he was 18, Pollock moved to New York City to live with his brother, Charles. He soon began studying with Charles's art teacher, representational regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton. Pollock spent much of his time with Benton, often babysitting Benton's young son, and the Bentons eventually became like the family Pollock felt he never had.

Pollock admired Pablo Picasso and soon he decided to leave traditional techniques to explore abstraction expressionism via his splatter and action pieces, which involved pouring paint and other media directly onto canvases.

"Sometimes I use a brush, but often prefer using a stick. Sometimes I pour the paint straight out of the can. I like to use a dripping fluid paint. A method of painting has a natural growth out of a need. I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them," he used to say. It was this desire to find a more direct form of expression that led to Pollock and his contemporaries being called the 'abstract impressionists'.

Pollock led life to the full, it was a troubled existence which led to a violent death. He died after driving drunk and crashing into a tree in New York in 1956, at age 44.

"Artist and friend Cile Downs said once, "It's a lot easier to think about the drama of his history than it is to think about what he did in the realm of art."

Choose the right option according to the text

1  From the text we can infer:

    A. Pollock was an outstanding student at the Manual Arts High School.
    B. Pollock was a troublesome teenager.
    C. Pollock never studied Art.
    D. None of the above are true.

2  According to the text, Pollock was known for:

    A. Both his troublesome existence and his original painting.
    B. Being an alcoholic.
    C. Having travelled throughout Arizona and California.
    D. His original way of painting.

3 Some of Pollock’s painting techniques included:

    A. Throwing paint directly from the can.
    B. Using brushes.
    C. Using brushes and sticks. 
    D. A and C are true.

4 According to the text we are told that:

    A. Pollock had only one brother, Charles.
    B. Pollock had many brothers and sisters.
    C. Pollock ́s father abandoned his family.
    D. Pollock never got along with anyone in his family.

5 Pollock and his contemporaries were called abstract expressionists because: 

    A. They admired Picasso ́s paintings.
    B. They expressed their feelings rather than illustrated them. 
    C. They splattered paint all over the canvas.
    D. They didn ́t use brushes.

6 According to the text we can infer:

    A. Pollock adopted Benton ́s son.
    B. Pollock was adopted by the Bentons. 
    C. Pollock was keen on the Bentons.
    D. Pollock lived with the Bentons.


EXERCISE B



Burglars and burglaries


Read the text below and choose the correct word to fill in the gaps from the ones provided below



Believe it or not, you'll find burglary high on the list of the Top Ten fears people have nowadays. An informal survey carried out among university students from Minnesota revealed that most of them had had their homes (7) ................... into more than twice, and a few had been burgled more than five times! Amazingly, none of these students owned valuable jewelry or a collection of ancient Greek pottery. Most of them, in fact, were unemployed. The most typical burglary, it seems, involves the (8)................. of modern electronics, small household gadgets, PCs, media players and so forth. This may have something to do with the (9) ............. that the average burglar is under eighteen.

Surely enough, these kids are not so (10) .............. professional criminals, as hard-up young people who need a few bucks or drugs. Unfortunately, police inspectors have no luck (11) ............ any of the stolen goods and alarms or big locks don ́t seem to help either.

In most cases the burglars typically gain entrance through a sliding glass door or back door, stealing jewelry and ransacking the house within minutes.

Truth is, you can ́t do much about it, but as a precaution, you should (12) ............ lock your doors and windows, even when leaving for "just a minute." You should never leave a house key under a doormat, in a flower pot, or on the ledge of the door.

7. a. got       b. destroyed    c. broken     d. entered

8. a. moving      b. robbing     c. carrying    d. theft


9. a. fact       b. information     c. idea    d. knowledge


10. a. many      b. much    c. that     d. like


11. a. keeping    b. about      c. tracking     d. recovering


12. a. never        b. always     c. sometimes        d. seldom

PART 2 -  USE OF ENGLISH

Choose the right option

13. Fergie ......since she was eighteen to buy that dress. 

a. had saved 
b. been saving 
c. saved
d. had been saving

14. I ...... a good baseball player when I was young.
a. am 

b. have been 
c. used to be
d. was being

15. On Sunday, we ...... in this cottage for ten years.
a. will have living
b. will have been living 
c. have been living 
d. will live

16. -“Really, Mary, you ...... that medicine, it might hurt your stomach”.

a. oughtn ́t drink
b. shouldn ́t drink 
c. wouldn ́t drink 
d.have to drink

17. Andrew ...... better in his research paper if he ...... her instructions. 

a. would have done / had followed 
b. had done / had followed 
c. would to do / had followed 
d. is doing / follows

18. If Grace ...... how demanding the job was, she ...... it.
a. had known / would have taken 

b.- knew/would take 
c. had known / wouldn ́t have taken 
d.- knows / will take

19. Instead of buying a new dishwasher, why don't you have your old one ......?
a. fixing 
b. fixed 
c. get fixed
d. fix

20. Don't ...... your child...... so dangerously, turning around on ladders. 

a. let / play 
b. lets / plays 
c. let / plays
d. get / play

21. Samantha remembers ...... the supermarket, but nothing after that. 
a. to go 
b. go 
c. going to
d. having been

22. These walls and those ancient stones are all ...... remains of the village.


a. that 

b. who 
c. where 
d. (no clause is needed)


23. He is neither pessimistic ...... optimistic about his prospects for the future.
a. or 
b. nor 
c. either 
d. neither


Choose the right option for the following sentences (reported speech)

24. Tom asked Sally, “What sort of project are you working on now?”


a. Tom asked Sally what sort of project Sally is working on at that time. 
b. Tom asked Sally what sort of project she was working on at that time. 
c. Tom asked Sally what sort of project he was working on now. 
d. Tom asked Sally what sort of project she would be working on now. 

25. The woman said to me, “This dictator has done a great damage”

a. The woman said to me that this dictator had done a great damage. 

b. The woman said to me that that dictator has done a great damage 
c. The woman said to me that that dictator had done a great damage. 
d. The woman said to me the dictator had done a great damage.

PART 3 - WRITING (two exercises)

Write an informal e-mail to a friend telling him/her about your weekend. 
State your reasons for not being able to go to work on Monday. 

Use the appropriate style for the situation. 120 to 150 words.

Choose ONE of the following topics and write a well-structured essay of about 120 to 150 words. 


You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling.



  • -  OPTION 1
  • In your opinion, what is the best career nowadays? Is it possible to get a job nowadays if you have a degree? Are you optimistic about the future? Why?

  • -  OPTION 2
  • Should governments legalize drugs? What social problems do you think legalization of drugs would produce? Do you think this would create or stop some of the existing problems nowadays? 
Answers 
1. B - 2. A - 3. D - 4. C - 5. B - 6. C - 7. C - 8. D - 9. A - 10. B - 11. D - 12. B - 13. D - 14. C - 15. B - 16. B - 17. A - 18. C - 19. B - 20. A - 21. C - 22. A - 23. B - 24. B - 25. C