PAU 2012

Once again PAU English exam has finished for all of you and in a couple of days you´ll know the results of your hard work during  English lessons all through the year.

The topics, Domestic violence (Option A) and Passive Smoking (Option B).

I hope everybody will have done their best at English exam, no matter the option chosen, and I wish you all the success you deserve. Have a nice summer holiday!

Domestic violence- why men abuse women

Domestic violence is an under-reprted crime, so it is difficult for agencies to keep accurate statistics. The perpetrators of this crime are usually men and, although domestic violence can affect anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status or their racial and cultural background, women who are young, have a disability, or who live in rural areas are at greater risk.

Men who abuse family members often think that a "real" man should be tough, powerful and the head of the household. They may believe that they should make most of the decisions, including about how money is spent. Some men who use violence come from lower socioeconomic groups and some have problems with alcohol. However, this is not the case for all men who use domestic violence. The perpetrator is sober in about half of domestic violence cases where the police are called.

While some men who are violent may think about getting help, the majority don´t. A man who thinks that he has the right to dominate family members may not believe that he needs help. He may blame the victim for "provoking" his behaviour. regular counselling with a trained counsellor can help men who use violence towards family members to understand and change their behaviour.

Practical strategies include learning that violence and abuse is not caused by anger, but the desire to hurt or dominate others. The aggressor must also learn how violent behaviour damages his relationship with his partner and children.

1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)

a) One out of every five young women in the world suffers from domestic violence.

b) Alcohol abuse is nearly always at the root of domestic violence.

2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)

a) Who is more likely to suffer from domestic violence?

b) May the idea of what it means to be a man be a cause of violent behaviour?

3. Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)

a) Hard, brutish.                   c) Not intoxicated by alcohol.

b) Exact, free from error.     d) An offender, a wrongdoer.

4. Complete the following sentences. The meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)

a) The situation will go from bad to worse if he doesn´t undergo counselling for his violent behaviour.

Unless (...)

b) He went on acting violently although he knew his behaviour was damaging his family life.

Despite (...)

c) The counselling programme George has taken is aimed at examining men´s beliefs about violence and self-control.

George has taken (...)

d) Counsellors teach men practical strategies, including self-talk and time out.

Men (...)

5. Write a composition with the following title (80-120 words): (3 points)

Is domestic violence on the increase? What social factors are involved?

Passive smoking

Pssive smoking means breathing in other people´s tobacco smoke. A smoker´s exhaled smoke is called exhaled mainstream smoke. The smoke drifting from their lit cigarette is called sidestream smoke. The combination of mainstream and sidestream smoke is called secondhand smoke (SHS).

More of the smoke that hangs in a room is sidestream smoke, which contains higher levels of cancer-causing compounds than mainstream smoke. Tobacco smoke inside a room tends to hang in mid-air rather than disperse. Hot smoke rises, but tobacco smoke cools rapidly, which stops its upward climb. A heavy smoker who smokes indoors causes a permanent low-lying smoke cloud that other householders have no choice but to breathe.

Secondhand smoke has been confirmed as a cause of lung cancer in humans. Its compounds irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. A nonsmoking pregnant woman is more likely to give birth to a baby with a slightly lower birth weight if she is exposed to secondhand smoke. A child exposed to secondhand smoke in the home is more likely to develop asthma symptoms and have more asthma attacks. Nonsmokers who suffer long-term exposure to this smoke have a 20 to 30 per cent higher risk of developing lung cancer.

There are various ways to help protect the health of a smoker´s partner and children. Suggestions include making your home and car smoke-free as well as making sure that smokers who visit the house smoke their cigarettes outdoors, no matter what the weather.

1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)

a) Pregnant women who do not smoke need not worry about their foetus´s health.

b) If you really care about your family´s health, not allowing people to smoke at home is not enough.

2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)

a) Why is smoking indoors especially harmful?

b) Is there a connection between respiratory illnesses and passive smoking?

3. Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)

a) In the open air, outside.

b) Moving along in a current of air or water.

c) Persons who occupy a house.

d) Breathed out, expelled.

4. Complete the following sentences. the meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)

a) The compounds in SHS irritate a passive smoker´s eyes.

A passive (...)

b) Some smokers think that limiting their smoking to one room is an effective measure, but tobacco smoke easily drifts through the rest of the house.

Although (...)

c) The smoke in the room is heavier than the air. The smoke starts to descend.

Since (...)

d) "Please don´t smoke!, I begged the taxi driver.

I (...)

5. Write a composition with the following title (80-120 words):

(3 points)

Try to convince a heavy smoker to quit smoking, giving him/her some advice on what to do and how to do it.