I. READING COMPREHENSION (15 MARKS) PART 1 (5 x 1 = 5 ...

I. READING COMPREHENSION (15 MARKS)
PART 1 (5 x 1 = 5 marks)
EOIDNA / I / 1º NA / PRUEBA MODELO
You are going to read a newspaper article about the anniversary of the Thonet Chair
No 14. For questions 1 - 5, choose the option (a, b or c) that best completes the
statement, as in the example (0 - c).
By Alice Rawsthorn
No. 14: The chair that’s seated millions
It consists of six pieces of wood – two circles, two sticks and a
couple of arches – held together by 10 screws and two nuts. Together
they make the wooden chair known as Thonet Model No. 14, which
although no one has ever actually done the math, is thought to have
seated more people than any other chair in history.
The No. 14 was the result of years of technical experiments by
its inventor, the 19 th -century German-born cabinetmaker Michael
Thonet. His ambition was characteristically bold. Thonet wanted to
produce the first mass-manufactured chair, which would be sold at an
affordable price (three florins, slightly less than a bottle of wine). Many
of his rivals had tried to make similar chairs, but failed and, at first, Thonet seemed
doomed to failure too. (...)
Eventually Thonet succeeded. When the No. 14 was launched in 1859, it was
the first piece of furniture to be both attractive and inexpensive enough to appeal to
everyone from aristocrats to schoolteachers. (…) Brahms sat on one to play his piano,
as did Lenin while writing his political tracts, and millions of us have perched
comfortably on them in cafés. (…)
What makes the No. 14, which is to celebrate its 150 th birthday next year, so
special? (…)
First and foremost, [it] fulfils its designated function, as every well designed
object must do.
Second, it looks and feels great. “It’s one of the most beautiful chairs there is,”
said the German furniture designer Konstantin Grcic. “And it has exactly the right
weight. When you pick it up, it feels perfect. That’s an important aspect of chair design
that’s often overlooked.”
Third, it was startlingly innovative. Thonet perfected [the] process of bending
wood into strong, smooth curves (…) [and] by making the chair from the fewest parts
possible and standardising their shapes to help unskilled workers assemble them and
pack them neatly in shipping crates, he devised a blueprint for efficient massproduction.
Fourth, the No. 14 is timeless. It seems to suit every era, which is why Le
Corbusier chose it to furnish some of his early 1920s modernist interiors. (…)
Fifth, it improves with age. “As the screws and glue loosen, the structure
becomes softer,” noted Grcic. “It’s a chair that becomes nicer and nicer to sit in as it
ages. Most chairs feel odder when they’re older, (…) but the No. 14 just seems safer
and more comfortable.” (…)
What’s become of the No. 14 today? (…) The company has fragmented over
the years. There are now three Thonets, each making slightly different versions of the
original designs, based in Germany, Austria and the United States. The No. 14 is still in
production, but has lost its populist credentials as its price has risen. The cheapest one
is currently on sale at Moss [in Soho, New York] at $565. (…)
(© International Herald Tribune.
10/11/08)

0. The Thonet Model No 14 …
a. had no screws.
b. had only wooden pieces.
c. has been the chair on which more people have sat.
1. It was …
a. a success since it was launched.
b. manufactured the same year it was thought of.
c. sold at a very competitive price.
2. The Thonet Chair …
a. appealed only to aristocrats.
b. fulfilled the prospects for which it was created.
c. weighed the same as any other chair.
3. Its building process was simple because …
a. the chair had few parts to be assembled.
b. of the good quality of its wood.
c. Thonet had the best skilled workers.
4. We can say that …
a. it gets more and more comfortable.
b. the Thonet chair deteriorates easily.
c. time has reduced its success.
EOIDNA / I / 1º NA / PRUEBA MODELO
5. Nowadays, The Thonet No. 14 …
a. has plenty of versions, completely different from the original.
b. is not as affordable as it was.
c. is not produced any more.

PART 2 (5 X 1 = 5 marks)
EOIDNA / I / 1º NA / PRUEBA MODELO
You are going to read a web page from the British Railway. For questions 6 - 10,
choose the option (a, b or c) that best answers the questions, as in the example
(0 - b).
SLEEPER SERVICES
Information about long-distance trains running at night which offer sleeping
accommodation.
Introduction
Sleepers enable you to make long distance journeys while having a relaxing night's
sleep. You arrive early at your destination, saving a day's travel - or the early
morning dash to the airport.
Sleeper services operate nightly Sunday to Friday and link:
• London Euston with most principal business and holiday locations in Scotland.
• London Paddington with Southwest England and Cornwall.
Customers joining at the starting point of the train may occupy cabins well before
departure. At terminating stations customers may vacate cabins up to approximately
08:00 on trains which arrive at an earlier time.
Sleeping Berths
These beds are known as sleeping berths. In the case of compartments with two
berths, one is on top of the other in a double-bunk arrangement. These beds (the
lower bed in a double-bunk arrangement) can also be folded away when the other
is in use.
Room Service
Sleeper berth have full air-conditioning and fingertip temperature control. Each cabin
has wall-to-wall carpet, mirror, shaver sockets, drinking water, soft towel - as well as
hot water for the washbasin, and a comfortable bed. Steward(ess) service is available
at the touch of a button throughout the journey .
Sleeper Berth “Supplements”
If you already hold a ticket for your journey, you can pay an additional
'supplementary' fare in order to make use of a Sleeping Berth on board the train.
• Holders of First Class tickets who purchase a sleeper berth supplement enjoy a
single berth cabin to themselves.
• Holders of Standard class tickets who purchase a sleeper berth supplement travel
tickets travel in either a single or twin berth (sharing with someone else of the same
sex) cabin on payment of the relevant Standard class supplement.
The number of berths available to holders of discounted tickets may be restricted at
any time.
Sleeper Train Reservations
To book rail tickets and reserve Sleepers, simply visit any main rail station or rail
appointed travel agent. Alternatively you can book by phone using most credit/debit
cards.
• ScotRail Telesales: 08457 550033
• First Great Western Telesales: 0845 700 0125 (…)
Routes of Sleeper Trains
• Caledonian Sleeper Service - linking London Euston with North England and Scotland.
Reservations are compulsory on the following Caledonian Sleeper services:
The Highland Sleeper
• London to Aberdeen/Inverness/Fort William (Sunday to Friday, between
20:00 - 21:15) Departs from London Euston calling at Crewe and Preston for
boarding only. At Edinburgh (where no alighting is possible), the service separates
into three trains for Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William (known as 'The
Deerstalker'), calling at intermediate stations. (…)
(Taken from © www.nationalrail.co.uk)

0. Night trains operate …
a. only at weekends.
b. six days a week.
c. the seven days of the week.
6. At destination, you must leave your train …
a. as soon as you arrive.
b. by eight o’clock.
c. whenever you like.
7. All berths have …
a. a double-bunk bed.
b. heating.
c. showers with hot water.
8. Holders of standard tickets can …
a. have a cabin seat.
b. have a single berth.
c. share a berth.
9. You can book your tickets ...
a. at any travel agent.
b. by phone.
c. using the net.
10. You can take a train to Aberdeen ...
a. at 9.30 pm.
b. at Preston Station.
c. every Saturday.
EOIDNA / I / 1º NA / PRUEBA MODELO

PART 3 (5 x 1 = 5 marks)
EOIDNA / I / 1º NA / PRUEBA MODELO
You are going to read a magazine article about a girl mad about bags, in which
some sentences are missing. For questions 11 – 15 choose the sentence from
the list (A – H) that best fits in each gap in the text, as in the example (0 - E).
There are two extra sentences that you do not need to use.
The Bag Hoarder
From the age of six I collected plastic bags. My mother brought me the first one
from Paris and after that, whenever anyone went abroad, I asked for plastic bags and
eventually acquired them from all over the world. My favourite was a Japanese
shopping bag with writing on, (0) _____E_____ and paper ones with rope handles. By
the age of nine I had about 90. I kept them in a huge box and used to show them to
visitors. The whole lot were eventually lost in a house move (11) __________ .
I buy all sorts of bags now. My habit has picked up again over the last six years
and has become quite bad. I don’t need any more, but I keep buying them. I don’t own
a Gucci or a Prada, (12) __________! I like bags that are more individual: anything
lilac, sparkly or decorated with flowers. Practicality is a secondary consideration. I don’t
even think about size, just the look.
Although I’m an impulse buyer, I have used every single bag that I’ve bought,
(13) __________ (that’s what I do with my Victorian sewing bag, which I found for £2).
My Victorian evening purse, embroidered with glass beads, is 120 years old; I bought it
in a market for £60. Lots of bags are too expensive. I’d never spend £400 on a bag,
(14) __________. When I went to America, strangers were going mad over my beaded
bags from Accessorize, which only cost £15 each. The most I’ve ever spent on a bag is
£150. ( … )
Once, in Selfridges, I spotted the bag: embroidered and beaded pink shantung
silk by Shanghai Tang. I literally ran up the escalator, beside myself with excitement.
My boyfriend ended up buying it for me -it cost around £120- and it’s my most
treasured bag.
Another time, in Paris, I stumbled upon this amazing shoe and bag shop. (15)
__________ I didn’t realise the shop had a huge plate-glass front and just went
crashing into the door. A very sexy French shopkeeper let me in, sat me down and put
arnica on my face. He wouldn’t give me a discount on any bags but assured me that
they would put a strip across the front of the shop, to prevent accidents like that
happening again!
(Adapted from © Red, December 2001)

SENTENCES
A. ALTHOUGH I KNOW I’LL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN
B. ALTHOUGH I’D BE HAPPY TO ACCEPT THEM AS GIFTS
C. AND I WAS DEVASTATED
D. EVEN IF I COULD AFFORD IT
EOIDNA / I / 1º NA / PRUEBA MODELO
E. BUT MY COLLECTION ALSO EXTENDED TO NYLON GROCERY BAGS
F. EVEN IF IT’S JUST TO STORE HAIR PRODUCTS IN
G. I WAS SO HYPNOTISED BY THE DISPLAY
H. I’D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT
0 11 12 13 14 15
E