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Prueba Práctica magister

 EXERCISES
1. TEXT ANALYSIS. Read the text and answer the questions below.
NONE OF THEM KNEW THE COLOR OF THE SKY. Their eyes glanced level, and remained
upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were gray, except for the tops, which were
white, and all the men knew the colors of the sea. The line between sky and water narrowed and
widened, and fell and rose.
A man likes to take a bath in a bigger area than this boat could provide. These waves were frightfully
rapid and tall; and each boiling, white top was a problem in the small boat.
The cook sat in the bottom, and looked with both eyes at the six inches of boat which separated him
from the ocean. He had bared his fat arms as he worked to empty the water from the boat. Often he
said, ―God! That was a bad one.‖ As he remarked it, he always looked toward the east over the rough
sea.
The oiler, guiding with one of the two oars in the boat, sometimes raised himself suddenly to keep
away from the water that poured in. It was a thin little oar, and it often seemed ready to break.
The correspondent, pulling at the other oar, watched the waves and wondered why he was there.
The hurt captain, lying in the front, was feeling defeat and despair. It was despair that comes, for a
time at least, to even the bravest and most enduring when the business fails, the army loses, the ship
goes down. The mind of the master of a vessel is rooted deep in her wood, whether he commands for
a day or many. And this captain had in his thoughts the firm impression of a scene in the grays of
dawn, with seven faces turned down in the sea. And later the remains of the ship, washed by waves,
going low and lower and down. Thereafter there was something strange in his voice. Although
steady, it was deep with grief, and of a quality beyond speech or tears.
―Keep her a little more south, Billie,‖ said he.
―A little more south, sir,‖ said the oiler in the back.
A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a jumpy horse, and a horse is not much smaller. The
boat was much like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse
leaping over a high fence. The manner of her ride over these walls of water is a thing of mystery.
Each wave required a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then jumping and slipping and racing and
dropping down, she steadied for the next threat.
A particular danger of the sea is the fact that after successfully getting through one wave, you
discover that there is another behind it. The next wave is just as nervously anxious and purposeful to
overturn boats. In a ten-foot boat one can get a good idea of the great force of the sea. As each gray

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wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat. It was not difficult to
imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the determined
water.
The sun climbed steadily up the sky. The men knew it was broad day because the color of the sea
changed from gray to green and the white tops were like falling snow. From their low boat they
could not see the sun rise. Only the color of the waves that rolled toward them told them that day
was breaking.
The oiler and the correspondent rowed the tiny boat. And they rowed. They sat together in the same
seat, and each rowed an oar. Then the oiler took both oars; then the correspondent took both oars;
then the oiler; then the correspondent. They rowed and they rowed.
The captain, hesitating in the front, after the boat had climbed a great wave, said that he had seen the
light at Mosquito Inlet. After a while, the cook remarked that he had seen it. The correspondent was
at the oars then and he, too, wished to look at the lighthouse. But his back was toward the far shore.
The waves were important, and for some time he could not seize an opportunity to turn his head. But
at last there came a wave more gentle than the others. When at the top of it, he hurriedly searched the
western water with his eyes.
―See it?‖ asked the captain.
―No,‖ said the correspondent slowly, ―I didn‘t see anything.‖
―Look again,‖ said the captain. He pointed. ―It‘s exactly in that direction.‖
The open boat
Stephen Crane

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1. What type of text is it?

a) Persuasive
b) Expository
c) Argumentative
d) Descriptive
e) Narrative
2. In the space provided give two reasons to justify your choice in the previous question.
3. Can you identify any secondary functions in the text?
4. Write the phonological transcription of the following extract from the text above:
None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and remained upon the waves that
swept toward them. These waves were gray, except for the tops, which were white, and all the men
knew the colors of the sea. The line between sky and water narrowed and widened, and fell and rose.
5. Analyse syntactically the following sentence from the extract:
The men knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from gray to green and the
white tops were like falling snow.
6. Provide examples of REFERENCE from the text.
REFERENCE: Some elements in a language make reference to another linguistic element,
necessary for the interpretation of meaning. Here we are some examples from the text:
- these
- them
- he /it
- bigger than
- her
7. Comment on the LEXICAL COHESION in the text.
8. Describe the narrator and register of the text.
9. What or who does “her” refer to in this sentence?
―Keep her a little more south, Billie,‖ said he.

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2. TRANSLATIONS
A. Translate the following text into English.
Jerusalén, época actual
―Hay momentos en la vida en los que la única manera de salvarse a uno mismo es muriendo o
matando.‖ Aquella frase de Mohamed Ziad la había atormentado desde el mismo instante en que la
había escuchado de labios de su hijo Wädi Ziad. No podía dejar de pensar en aquellas palabras
mientras conducía bajo un sol implacable que doraba las piedras del camino. El mismo color dorado
de las casas que se apiñaban en la nueva ciudad de Jerusalén construidas con esas piedras
engañosamente suaves, pero duras como las rocas de las canteras de donde habían sido arrancadas.
Conducía despacio dejando que su mirada vagara por el horizonte donde las montañas de Judea se le
antojaban cercanas.
Sí, iba despacio, aunque tenía prisa; sin embargo, necesitaba saborear aquellos instantes de silencio
para evitar que las emociones la dominaran.
Dos horas antes no sabía que iba a emprender el camino que la llevaría hacia su destino. No es que
no estuviera preparada. Lo estaba. Pero a ella, que le gustaba planear hasta el último detalle de su
vida, le había sorprendido la facilidad con que Joël había conseguido la cita. No le había costado ni
una docena de palabras.
—Ya está, te recibirá a mediodía.
—¿Tan pronto?
—Son las diez, tienes tiempo de sobra, no está muy lejos. Te lo señalaré en el mapa, no es
complicado llegar.
—¿Conoces bien el lugar?
—Sí, y también los conozco a ellos. La última vez que estuve allí fue hace tres semanas con los de
Acción por la Paz.
—No sé cómo se fían de ti.
—¿Y por qué no iban a fiarse?
Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto
Julia Navarro
B. Translate the following text into Spanish.
In those days, the doorbell didn‘t ring often, and if it did I would draw back into the body of the
house. Only at a persistent ring would I creep over the carpets, and make my way to the front door
with its spy hole. We were big on bolts and shutters, deadlocks and mortisers, safety chains and
windows that were high and barred. Through the spy hole I saw a distraught man in a crumpled,
silver-gray suit: thirties, Asian. He had dropped back from the door, and was looking about him, at
the closed and locked door opposite, and up the dusty marble stairs. He patted his pockets, took out a

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balled-up handkerchief, and rubbed it across his face. He looked so fraught that his sweat could have
been tears. I opened the door.
At once he raised his hands as if to show he was unarmed, his handkerchief dropping like a white
flag. ―Madam!‖ Ghastly pale I must have looked, under the light that dappled the tiled walls with
swinging shadows. But then he took a breath, tugged at his creased jacket, ran a hand through his
hair and conjured up his business card. ―Muhammad Ijaz. Import-Export. I am so sorry to disturb
your afternoon. I am totally lost. Would you permit use of your telephone?‖
I stood aside to let him in. No doubt I smiled. Given what would ensue, I must suppose I did. ―Of
course. If it‘s working today.‖
I walked ahead and he followed, talking; an important deal, he had almost closed it, visit to client in
person necessary, time – he worked up his sleeve and consulted a fake Rolex – time running out; he
had the address – again he patted his pockets – but the office is not where it should be. He spoke into
the telephone in rapid Arabic, fluent, aggressive, his eyebrows shooting up, finally shaking his head;
he put down the receiver, looked at it in regret; then up at me, with a sour smile. Weak mouth, I
thought. Almost a handsome man, but not: slim, sallow, easily thrown. ―I am in your debt, madam,‖
he said. ―Now I must dash.‖
The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher
Hilary Mantel
3. LISTENING EXERCISE: Listen to the recording and answer the questions below.
David Grady: How to save the world (or at least yourself) from bad meetings
1. What is the difficult situation that the speaker may have to go through on Monday
mornings?
2. And on Tuesday mornings?
3. What does MAS stand for?
4. What is the primary symptom of MAS?
5. Fill in the gaps with just ONE word:
6. Why have some of the biggest companies in the world asked for permission to use the
speaker’s video?
7. What is a common theme running through all of the comments online?
8.- How does NO MAS work?

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4. USE OF ENGLISH
A) For each question, choose which of the four possible answers fits the space best and write
THE CORRECT LETTER into the empty box. Also think about why the other three answers
are not possible.

1. The old house was furnished and we had to buy almost everything new.
a. thinly
b. sparsely
c. mildly
d. rarely

2. The main way into the building is via High Street but there is also a(n) at the back
used for deliveries.
a. access
b. way
c. passage
d. direction

3. I have been back to the doctor three times and he still hasn't the reason for all the pain
I have been suffering from recently.
a. indicated
b. highlighted
c. pinpointed
d. looked up

4. You shouldn't have bought so many presents on this holiday. You won't have any
money left when you go back home.
a. rich
b. lavish
c. worthy
d. invaluable

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5. It's a long walk tomorrow. We need to as early as possible.

a. set up
b. set in
c. set off
d. set about

6. Sometimes, we don't appreciate the pleasures of life such as a beautiful sky, a cup of
coffee with a friend or seeing a good film at the cinema.
a. sheer
b. simple
c. normal
d. plain

7. Even though she is 87, her mind is very and she is very aware of everything going on
around her.
a. alert
b. lively
c. demanding
d. lifelike

8. The captain decided to ship even though he thought there was no real danger of it
sinking.
a. abandon
b. evacuate
c. desert
d. evict

9. If you continue to debts at this rate, you will have to declare bankruptcy eventually.
a. save
b. raise
c. incur
d. default

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10. The accidental of four listed buildings near the city centre caused a huge outcry and
the manager of the building company was jailed for three months.
a. disruption
b. demolition
c. injuring
d. squashing

B) For each question, fill the space in the sentence using the base word given in bold at the end.
The required word may be a noun, adverb, adjective or verb and it may be either positive (e.g.
helpful) or negative (e.g. unhelpful).

1. You need to take three of these red pills .

day

2. He is being very about his whereabouts last night.

mystery

3. It is his which I find so unbelievable. He is normally such a truthful boy!

honest

4. If you look on the other side of the cup, you will find a small with the name of the
original manufacturer.
engrave

5. Reports on the invasion are still very unclear, as are the of what this will prompt the
government to do.
imply
6. The next time you are in a dark place in the countryside at night, look up at the night sky and
wonder at the stars set out in the heavens before you.
number
7. This new law will not only affect cinemas in the United States but could have dramatic and
significant effects on the film industry .
world

8. As he was walking home late last night, Mr. Jones saw a strange shape in the sky and
rang the police immediately.
sphere

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 ANSWERS:
1. TEXT ANALYSIS. Read the following text and answer the questions below.
NONE OF THEM KNEW THE COLOR OF THE SKY. Their eyes glanced level, and remained
upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were gray, except for the tops, which were
white, and all the men knew the colors of the sea. The line between sky and water narrowed and
widened, and fell and rose.
A man likes to take a bath in a bigger area than this boat could provide. These waves were frightfully
rapid and tall; and each boiling, white top was a problem in the small boat.
The cook sat in the bottom, and looked with both eyes at the six inches of boat which separated him
from the ocean. He had bared his fat arms as he worked to empty the water from the boat. Often he
said, ―God! That was a bad one.‖ As he remarked it, he always looked toward the east over the rough
sea.
The oiler, guiding with one of the two oars in the boat, sometimes raised himself suddenly to keep
away from the water that poured in. It was a thin little oar, and it often seemed ready to break.
The correspondent, pulling at the other oar, watched the waves and wondered why he was there.
The hurt captain, lying in the front, was feeling defeat and despair. It was despair that comes, for a
time at least, to even the bravest and most enduring when the business fails, the army loses, the ship
goes down. The mind of the master of a vessel is rooted deep in her wood, whether he commands for
a day or many. And this captain had in his thoughts the firm impression of a scene in the grays of
dawn, with seven faces turned down in the sea. And later the remains of the ship, washed by waves,
going low and lower and down. Thereafter there was something strange in his voice. Although
steady, it was deep with grief, and of a quality beyond speech or tears.
―Keep her a little more south, Billie,‖ said he.
―A little more south, sir,‖ said the oiler in the back.
A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a jumpy horse, and a horse is not much smaller. The
boat was much like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse
leaping over a high fence. The manner of her ride over these walls of water is a thing of mystery.
Each wave required a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then jumping and slipping and racing and
dropping down, she steadied for the next threat.
A particular danger of the sea is the fact that after successfully getting through one wave, you
discover that there is another behind it. The next wave is just as nervously anxious and purposeful to
overturn boats. In a ten-foot boat one can get a good idea of the great force of the sea. As each gray
wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat. It was not difficult to
imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the determined
water.

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The sun climbed steadily up the sky. The men knew it was broad day because the color of the sea
changed from gray to green and the white tops were like falling snow. From their low boat they
could not see the sun rise. Only the color of the waves that rolled toward them told them that day
was breaking.
The oiler and the correspondent rowed the tiny boat. And they rowed. They sat together in the same
seat, and each rowed an oar. Then the oiler took both oars; then the correspondent took both oars;
then the oiler; then the correspondent. They rowed and they rowed.
The captain, hesitating in the front, after the boat had climbed a great wave, said that he had seen the
light at Mosquito Inlet. After a while, the cook remarked that he had seen it. The correspondent was
at the oars then and he, too, wished to look at the lighthouse. But his back was toward the far shore.
The waves were important, and for some time he could not seize an opportunity to turn his head. But
at last there came a wave more gentle than the others. When at the top of it, he hurriedly searched the
western water with his eyes.
―See it?‖ asked the captain.
―No,‖ said the correspondent slowly, ―I didn‘t see anything.‖
―Look again,‖ said the captain. He pointed. ―It‘s exactly in that direction.‖
The open boat
Stephen Crane
1. What type of text is it?
a) Persuasive
b) Expository
c) Argumentative
d) Descriptive
e) Narrative
2. In the space provided give two reasons to justify your choice in the previous question.

Reason 1: the text narrates a sequence of
events in chronological order and the action
progresses through the extract → the story
begins with four men on a boat trying to
survive, struggling against the sea. The
characters are presented to the reader
intermingled with the elements of nature (the
sky, the sea and its waves), and there is a
progression in time.
The story is told by a third-person omniscient considered as another character, as it takes
Reason 2: the text includes some of the main
linguistic features of narrative texts:
- Action verbs in past tenses: sat, raised,
rowed, had climbed…
-Time phrases: later, thereafter, the next
wave, after a while, at last…
- Specific characters: the correspondent, the
oiler, the cook and the captain. The sea is

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narrator. He knows everything about how the action and determines the course of events.
characters feel in such a difficult situation. - Direct Speech: ―See it?‖ asked the captain.
Some dialogues in direct speech are
intermingled with the narration. ―No,‖ said the correspondent slowly, ―I
didn‘t see anything.‖

3. Can you identify any secondary functions in the text?

Secondary functions refer to the different speech acts that occur in a communicative situation or a
text. Thus we can identify in this extract those functions of depicting a scene (―Their eyes glanced
level, and remained upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were gray, except for the
tops, which were white, and all the men knew the colors of the sea.‖) and depicting a character
psychologically (―The hurt captain, lying in the front, was feeling defeat and despair.‖). Therefore,
the prevailing secondary functions in this text are associated with description, which is present in the
text along with narration.
4. Write the phonological transcription of the following extract from the text above:
None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and remained upon the waves that
swept toward them. These waves were gray, except for the tops, which were white, and all the men
knew the colors of the sea. The line between sky and water narrowed and widened, and fell and rose.
//nʌn ɒv ðɛm njuː ðə ˈkʌlər ɒv ðə skaɪ/ ðeər aɪz glɑːnst ˈlɛvl / ænd rɪˈmeɪnd əˈpɒn ðə weɪvz ðæt
swɛpt təˈwɔːd ðɛm/ ðiːz weɪvz wɜː greɪ / ɪkˈsɛpt fɔː ðə tɒps / wɪʧ wɜː waɪt / ænd ɔːl ðə mɛn njuː ðə
ˈkʌləz ɒv ðə siː/ ðə laɪn bɪˈtwiːn skaɪ ænd ˈwɔːtə ˈnærəʊd ænd ˈwaɪdnd / ænd fɛl ænd rəʊz//
5. Analyse syntactically the following sentence from the extract:
The men knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from gray to green and the
white tops were like falling snow.
4 verbs→4 clauses
1) main clause: ―the men knew‖
Subject: NG: determiner (the) + head (men)
Predicate: VG: head (knew) + direct object (that-clause): 2) that-clause: ―it was broad
day‖
2) That-clause: ―it was broad day‖
Subject: NG: head (it)
Predicate: VG: head (was) + Cs (NG: modifier (broad) + head (day)) + adjunct
(adverbial clause)
3) adverbial clause: ―because the color of the sea changed from gray to green and the white
tops were like falling snow‖
- Linking word (conjunction): because

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- made up of 2 clauses linked by the linking word AND in a relationship of coordination:

CLAUSE 1: ―the color of the sea changed from gray to green‖
Subject: NG: determiner (the) + head (color) + qualifier (PrepG: Prep (of) +
completive (NG: determiner (the) + head (sea)))
Predicate: VG: head (changed) + prepositional object (PrepG1: Prep (from) +
completive (AdjG: gray) + PrepG2: Prep (to) + completive (AdjG: green)
CLAUSE 2: ―the white tops were like falling snow‖
Subject: NG: determiner (the) + modifier (white) + head (tops)
Predicate: VG: head (were) + Cs (PrepG: Prep (like) + completive (NG:
modifier (falling) + head (snow))
6. Provide examples of REFERENCE from the text.
REFERENCE: Some elements in a language make reference to another linguistic element,
necessary for the interpretation of meaning. Here we are some examples from the text:
- these (―these waves‖) → demonstrative reference, anaphora (it refers to the waves, already
mentioned in the text)
- them (―none of them‖, ―swept toward them‖) → personal reference (semantic), cataphora.
It refers to the men on the boat, not mentioned in discourse yet
- he /it  personal reference (semantic, existential), both refer anaphorically to different
elements in discourse (the oiler, the cook, the oar…)
- bigger than (―A man likes to take a bath in a bigger area than this boat could provide‖) →
comparative reference (particular), exophora, it is the situational reference to a space for
taking a bath as compared to the actual room on the boat
- her (“The boat was much like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she
seemed like […]‖) → personal reference (semantic), anaphora. It refers to the boat, in an
example of use of metaphorical gender.
7. Comment on the LEXICAL COHESION in the text.
Lexical cohesion refers to the semantic choice in the text, that is to say, the lexical items selected by
the author that provide the text with semantic unity. We can distinguish two aspects:
 Lexical / semantic fields, clearly connected to the theme of the text
 semantic repetition, a selection of words which define the theme of the text
Regarding lexical fields, the following ones can be distinguished:
- the sea: waves, water, ocean, walls of water...
- nouns of colours: gray (s), green, white ...
- sea tools and actions: boat, row, oar, lighthouse, ship…

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- noun phrases describing the sea: boiling tops, white tops, rough sea…
The words which are repeated all throughout the text, which define the axis of the text, are these:
boat, sea, water, which definitely establish the thread line of the story.
8. Describe the narrator and register of the text.
Regarding the register of the text, we can identify some traits of formal style, such as lack of
contractions, which are only present in the dialogic parts: didn‘t, it...as one of the most common
features in speech. However, it also contains features of informal style, such as colloquial
expressions and phrasal verbs: getting through, ―The boat was much like an animal‖ … On the
whole, we can conclude that the styly of the text is neutral.
Regarding the narrator, we can conclude that it is an omniscient narrator. The word ‗omniscient‘
means ‗all-knowing‘, from the latin omnia meaning ‗all‘ and scientia, meaning ‗knowledge‘.
Omniscient narration differs from first person or ‗limited third person‘ narration. An omniscient
narrator can tell or show the reader what each character thinks and feels in a scene, freely, because
she/he/it is not one of them. Because the omniscient narrator is not an actor in the story, you may
move between and contrast characters‘ private feelings. This is exactly what happens in the story, as
we are being shown how each of the four men on the boat feels in their struggle against the sea. In
addition, all they know about the behaviour of the sea, the time of the day, the future for them… is
presented to us in a pretty detailed way.
9. What or who does “her” refer to in this sentence?
―Keep her a little more south, Billie,‖ said he.
It refers to the boat.
Why are ships frequently referred to as she and her? This question points to the phenomenon of
using creative gender assignment on nouns in English.
Unlike many modern languages, modern English does not employ grammatical gender, where each
noun is assigned masculine, feminine or neuter gender regardless of whether the noun has a
biological sex. Rather, English employs natural gender, where animate entities with a biological
sex take the masculine (he/him/his/himself) or feminine (she/her/hers/herself) gender, and inanimate
nouns take the neuter (it/its/itself) gender. When English usage subverts natural gender, this is called
metaphorical gender. Metaphorical gender can be applied to ships and many other entities, such as
stock prices.

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2. TRANSLATIONS.
A. Translate the following text into English.
Jerusalén, época actual
―Hay momentos en la vida en los que la única manera de salvarse a uno mismo es muriendo o
matando.‖ Aquella frase de Mohamed Ziad la había atormentado desde el mismo instante en que la
había escuchado de labios de su hijo Wädi Ziad. No podía dejar de pensar en aquellas palabras
mientras conducía bajo un sol implacable que doraba las piedras del camino. El mismo color dorado
de las casas que se apiñaban en la nueva ciudad de Jerusalén construidas con esas piedras
engañosamente suaves, pero duras como las rocas de las canteras de donde habían sido arrancadas.
Conducía despacio dejando que su mirada vagara por el horizonte donde las montañas de Judea se le
antojaban cercanas.
Sí, iba despacio, aunque tenía prisa; sin embargo, necesitaba saborear aquellos instantes de silencio
para evitar que las emociones la dominaran.
Dos horas antes no sabía que iba a emprender el camino que la llevaría hacia su destino. No es que
no estuviera preparada. Lo estaba. Pero a ella, que le gustaba planear hasta el último detalle de su
vida, le había sorprendido la facilidad con que Joël había conseguido la cita. No le había costado ni
una docena de palabras.
—Ya está, te recibirá a mediodía.
—¿Tan pronto?
—Son las diez, tienes tiempo de sobra, no está muy lejos. Te lo señalaré en el mapa, no es
complicado llegar.
—¿Conoces bien el lugar?
—Sí, y también los conozco a ellos. La última vez que estuve allí fue hace tres semanas con los de
Acción por la Paz.
—No sé cómo se fían de ti.
—¿Y por qué no iban a fiarse?
Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto
Julia Navarro

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Answer:
Jerusalem, The Present
―There are times in life when the only way to save yourself is by dying, or killing.‖ She had been
troubled by this phrase of Mohammed Ziad‘s ever since she had heard it from the lips of his son
Wädi Ziad. She couldn‘t stop thinking about these words as she drove, under an unforgiving sun that
gilded the stones of the road ahead. It turned them the same golden color as the houses that were
crammed into Jerusalem‘s New City, which were themselves built out of these deceptively smooth
stones that were in fact as hard as the rocks of the quarry from which they had been hewn.
She drove slowly, letting her gaze wander over the horizon, where the Judean Mountains seemed
almost close enough to touch.
Yes, she was driving slowly, even though she was in a hurry; as she had to savor these moments of
silence to avoid being overcome by emotion.
Two hours before, she had not known she was going to take this path that would lead her to her fate.
Not that she wasn‘t prepared for it. She was. But for her, who liked to plan everything in her life
down to the smallest detail, it had been a surprise that Jöel had arranged the meeting so easily. He
hadn‘t needed to say more than a dozen words.
―That‘s it, he‘ll meet you at midday. ‖
―So soon?‖
―It‘s only ten, you‘ve got more than enough time, it‘s not very far. I‘ll show you on the map, it‘s
easy to get there.‖
―Do you know the place?‖
―Yes, I know them as well. I was there three weeks ago with Witness for Peace.‖
―I don‘t know how they trust you‖
―Why wouldn‘t they trust me?‖
From Shoot Me, I’m Already Dead
Julia Navarro
Translation by Lawrence Schimel

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B. Translate the following text into Spanish.

In those days, the doorbell didn‘t ring often, and if it did I would draw back into the body of the
house. Only at a persistent ring would I creep over the carpets, and make my way to the front door
with its spy hole. We were big on bolts and shutters, deadlocks and mortisers, safety chains and
windows that were high and barred. Through the spy hole I saw a distraught man in a crumpled,
silver-gray suit: thirties, Asian. He had dropped back from the door, and was looking about him, at
the closed and locked door opposite, and up the dusty marble stairs. He patted his pockets, took out a
balled-up handkerchief, and rubbed it across his face. He looked so fraught that his sweat could have
been tears. I opened the door.
At once he raised his hands as if to show he was unarmed, his handkerchief dropping like a white
flag. ―Madam!‖ Ghastly pale I must have looked, under the light that dappled the tiled walls with
swinging shadows. But then he took a breath, tugged at his creased jacket, ran a hand through his
hair and conjured up his business card. ―Muhammad Ijaz. Import-Export. I am so sorry to disturb
your afternoon. I am totally lost. Would you permit use of your telephone?‖
I stood aside to let him in. No doubt I smiled. Given what would ensue, I must suppose I did. ―Of
course. If it‘s working today.‖
I walked ahead and he followed, talking; an important deal, he had almost closed it, visit to client in
person necessary, time – he worked up his sleeve and consulted a fake Rolex – time running out; he
had the address – again he patted his pockets – but the office is not where it should be. He spoke into
the telephone in rapid Arabic, fluent, aggressive, his eyebrows shooting up, finally shaking his head;
he put down the receiver, looked at it in regret; then up at me, with a sour smile. Weak mouth, I
thought. Almost a handsome man, but not: slim, sallow, easily thrown. ―I am in your debt, madam,‖
he said. ―Now I must dash.‖
The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher
Hilary Mantel
Answer:
En aquella época no sonaba a menudo el timbre de la puerta, y si lo hacía yo me retiraba al interior
de la casa. Sólo ante una llamada insistente me arrastraba por la moqueta y recorría el camino hasta
la puerta principal con su mirilla. Estábamos bien provistos de pestillos y contraventanas, cerrojos,
pasadores y cadenas de seguridad, y las ventanas eran altas y enrejadas. Vi por la mirilla a un
hombre desconcertado con un traje gris plata arrugado: treinta y tantos, asiático. Se había apartado
de la puerta y miraba a su alrededor, la puerta cerrada y trancada de enfrente y las polvorientas
escaleras de mármol arriba. Tanteó en los bolsillos, sacó un pañuelo hecho una bola y se frotó la
cara. Parecía tan agobiado que el sudor podría haber sido lágrimas. Abrí la puerta.
Levantó inmediatamente las manos como para mostrar que estaba y desarmado, el pañuelo colgando
como una bandera blanca. ―¡Señora!‖ Yo debía de estar muy pálida bajo la luz que moteaba las
paredes alicatadas con sombras oscilantes. Pero luego él tomó aliento, se estiró la chaqueta arrugada,
se pasó una mano por el pelo y sacó de la nada su tarjeta profesional.

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- Muhammad Ijaz. Importación-exportación. Lamento mucho alterarle la tarde. Estoy totalmente

perdido. ¿Me permitiría usar su teléfono?
Me hice a un lado para dejarle entrar. Seguro que sonreí. Teniendo en cuenta lo que seguiría, he de
suponer que lo hice.
- Por supuesto. Si es que funciona hoy. Fui delante y él me siguió, hablando; un negocio importante,
casi lo había cerrado ya, imprescindible visitar al cliente, el tiempo (alzó la manga y consultó un
Rolex de imitación), el tiempo se le estaba acabando; tenía la dirección (buscó de nuevo en los
bolsillos), pero la oficina no estaba donde debía estar. Habló por teléfono en un árabe rápido, fluido,
agresivo, las cejas enarcadas, movió finalmente la cabeza; colgó el auricular, lo miró pesaroso; luego
me miró a mí con una sonrisa amarga. Boca débil, pensé. Casi guapo, pero no: delgado, cetrino, fácil
de olvidar.
- Estoy en deuda con usted, señora – dijo-. Ahora he de irme a toda prisa.
De El Asesinato de Margaret Thatcher
Hilary Mantel
3. LISTENING EXERCISE. Listen to the recording and answer the questions below.
David Grady
How to save the world (or at least yourself) from bad meetings
1. What is the difficult situation that the speaker may have to go through on Monday
mornings?
Someone steals your chair without asking for it or giving any explanations about it. This means the
person does not care at all about the fact that you may need your chair for something.
2. And on Tuesday mornings?
You have been invited to a meeting with no agenda by someone you hardly know. After a 2-hour
meeting, you regret having wasted your time as you have lost your chair.
3. What does MAS stand for?
It stands for Mindless Accept Syndrome.
4. What is the primary symptom of MAS?
The primary symptom of Mindless Accept Syndrome is just accepting a meeting invitation the
minute it pops up in your calendar. It's an involuntary reflex.
5. Fill in the gaps with just ONE word:
Meetings are important, right? And collaboration is key to the success of any enterprise. And a well-
run meeting can yield really positive, actionable results. But between globalization and pervasive
information technology, the way that we work has really changed dramatically over the last few
years. And we're miserable (Laughter) And we're miserable not because the other guy can't run a

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good meeting, it's because of MAS, our Mindless Accept Syndrome, which is a self-inflicted
wound.
6. Why have some of the biggest companies in the world asked for permission to use the
speaker’s video?
To teach their new employees how not to run a meeting at their company.
7. What is a common theme running through all of the comments online?
A common theme running through all of these comments online is this fundamental belief that we
are powerless to do anything other than go to meetings and suffer through these poorly run
meetings and live to meet another day
8. How does NO MAS work?
It's very simple. First of all, the next time you get a meeting invitation that doesn't have a lot of
information in it at all, click the tentative button. It's right next to the accept button. Or the maybe
button, or whatever button is there for you not to accept immediately. Then, get in touch with the
person who asked you to the meeting. Tell them you're very excited to support their work, ask them
what the goal of the meeting is, and tell them you're interested in learning how you can help them
achieve their goal

4. USE OF ENGLISH.
A) For each question, choose which of the four possible answers fits the space best and write
THE CORRECT LETTER into the empty box. Also think about why the other three answers
are not possible.

sparsely
1. The old house was furnished and we had to buy almost everything new.

access
2. The main way into the building is via High Street but there is also a(n) at the back
used for deliveries.

pinpointed
3. I have been back to the doctor three times and he still hasn't the reason for all the pain
I have been suffering from recently.

lavish
4. You shouldn't have bought so many presents on this holiday. You won't have any
money left when you go back home.

set off
5. It's a long walk tomorrow. We need to as early as possible.

simple
6. Sometimes, we don't appreciate the pleasures of life such as a beautiful sky, a cup of
coffee with a friend or seeing a good film at the cinema.

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alert
7. Even though she is 87, her mind is very and she is very aware of everything going on
around her.

abandon
8. The captain decided to ship even though he thought there was no real danger of it
sinking.
incur
9. If you continue to debts at this rate, you will have to declare bankruptcy eventually.
demolition
10. The accidental of four listed buildings near the city centre caused a huge outcry and
the manager of the building company was jailed for three months.

B) For each question, fill the space in the sentence using the base word given in bold at the end.
The required word may be a noun, adverb, adjective or verb and it may be either positive (e.g.
helpful) or negative (e.g. unhelpful).

daily
1. You need to take three of these red pills .

day

mysterious
2. He is being very about his whereabouts last night.

mystery

dishonesty
3. It is his which I find so unbelievable. He is normally such a truthful boy!

honest

engraving
4. If you look on the other side of the cup, you will find a small with the name of the
original manufacturer.

engrave

implications
5. Reports on the invasion are still very unclear, as are the of what this will prompt the
government to do.

imply

6. The next time you are in a dark place in the countryside at night, look up at the night sky and
innumerable
wonder at the stars set out in the heavens before you.

number

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7. This new law will not only affect cinemas in the United States but could have dramatic and
w orldw ide
significant effects on the film industry .

world

spherical
8. As he was walking home late last night, Mr. Jones saw a strange shape in the sky and
rang the police immediately.

sphere

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