PAEU Practice Examination (Comunidad de Madrid)

INSTRUCCIONES GENERALES Y VALORACIÓN

1. Lea todo el texto cuidadosamente.
2. Lea atentamente todas las preguntas de la prueba.
3. Proceda a responder en lengua inglesa a las preguntas en el papel de examen.
TIEMPO: 1 hora y 30 minutos.
CALIFICACIÓN: La puntuación máxima de la prueba es de 10 puntos.

LIKE ON MARS

Would you agree to be locked into a small, confined space for 520 days, with virtually no access to
the outside world? Most people would consider this to be a punishment, but at least 70 people have
volunteered to undergo this experience.
As part of the preparations for a manned space flight to Mars, Russian scientists have outfitted a
special “spaceship” in Moscow. They want to study how human beings will react physically and
psychologically when living in conditions that mimic those of a mission to Mars.
During the experiment, volunteers will live in the same conditions as astronauts. Air will be
recycled, food will be rationed, and no tobacco or alcohol will be available. Contact with the
outside world will also be limited by the scientists; although the “astronauts” will have radios and
e-mail, communication will be artificially routed to simulate the delay expected with a real Mars
mission.
The Mars-500 project will have a multi-national crew of six. Volunteers must be between 25 and
50, speak English and Russian, and have a university degree, preferably in medicine, biology,
engineering or computer science. They must also be in good physical and mental health, and be
able to get along well with other people. So far, 70 applications have been received from men and
women in 17 different countries.
So, if you know someone who qualifies for the experiment, and doesn’t mind the gruelling
conditions, he or she should move fast. The experiment should be completed by the end of the
decade, and a real manned mission to Mars could, scientists believe, take place within the next 20
years.

QUESTIONS

1. Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
a) Scientists have not set age limits for project volunteers.
b) The crew must include volunteers from England and Russia.
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

2. In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions.
a) What is the purpose of the Mars-500 project?
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b) How will the conditions during the experiment be similar to a real mission?
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

3. Find the words in the text that mean:

a) imitate (paragraph 2)
b) a wait for something that was supposed to occur (paragraph 3)
c) very difficult (paragraph 5)
d) happen (paragraph 5)
(Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

4. Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when
given.
a) The volunteers ______ the scientists have chosen ______ (be) all highly qualified.
b) The use ______ tobacco and alcohol ______ (forbid) during the experiment.
c) In order ______ mimic the conditions on Mars, the volunteers ______ (breathe) recycled air.
Complete the following sentence to report what was said.
d) “Volunteers must have a university degree.” He said that …
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

5. Write about 100 to 150 words on one of the following topics.

a) Write a letter to a friend describing a project in which you would like to participate.
b) What are the advantages and disadvantages of space exploration projects?
(Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)

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