Ejercicios de inglés universitario: lectura, vocabulario y gramática con textos sobre chimpancés, obesidad, anfibios y Coetzee

A RELATIVE DIFERENCE

1A false This similarity has led chimp expert Dr Jane Goodall to call for human rights to be extended to chimpanzees B) development and destruction of their natural habitats, along with commercial hunting for food, have cut their numbers from two million chimpanzees at the turn of the last century to less than one-tenth of that now.

2 A) A fossil skull has been found this year that may prove that humans and chimpanzees are the only survivors of a great diversity of ape-like, human-like creatures that lived more than five million years ago. This discovery and the fact that only 2% of our genes separate us from the chimpanzee prove that humans and monkeys have common ancestors. B) The most important difference has been the development of language in humans that has had important consequences in our lifestyl

3 a) connection : link (conexión) b) part of the skeleton which encloses the brain : skull (cráneo) c) Jump ahead : leap forward (salto adelante) d) Apparently : seemingly (en apariencia)

4 a) you don't ask him a question, he won't speak to you.  B) I had to do it at once. C) difficult for us to do. D ) is being investigated by some policemen.

AMERICAN OBESITY PROBLEM

1 true The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about six out of ten Americans were either overweight or obese B) true People are also less likely to cook for themselves these days C) false Roughly half of all meals are consumed outside the home and many of these are from fast foods D) Fals Healthy foods and more intense physical activity in schools are also important

2 a According to the text, obesity is caused by mainly two reasons: bad nutrition and lack of exercise. Nowadays, people do not eat as healthily as they should, and there is an increasing tendency in having meals outside the home, especially at fast food restaurants. In addition, people hardly do any exercise and use transportation to move everywhere.

bSociety has become more sedentary because people tend to take the car to go everywhere, instead of walking even a short distance. In addition, children prefer watching TV and playing computer games to playing sports in their free time.

· Amphibian Decline Serves As Global Warning 1 true The discovery, reported in the journal "Science", is seen by researchers as an early warning of imminent environmental disaster B false Of these, 1,856 - 32 per cent - were threatened with extinction. In comparison, only 12 per cent of bird species and 23 per cent of all mammal species are considered to be endangered 2 Climate changes affect amphibians before any other species because of their skin, which is highly permeable, and therefore makes them very sensitive to this type of changes. b Amphibians live in almost all habitat types because they have been able to adapt to different types of weather and conditions. In this way, amphibians are present in aquatic and terrestrial habitats in nearly every continent, and live under contrasting weather conditions. 3 a) complete : comprehensive (exhaustivo) b) because : since (ya que) c) extreme : drastic (drástico) d) exceptional : remarkable 4a continues...wil rise B continued... would rise c caused... most important D polluting...to   Coetzee wins Nobel Prize 1 false The Nobel has often been misapplied. It evaded Tolstoy, Ckekhov, Joyce, Kafka nad Nabokov B) false Coetzee was born in Cape Town in 1940 and trained as a computer scientist, coming to London in the Sixties to work for IBM, a period recollected in a superb autobiographical novel. 2 a) According to the text, literary qualities have not always been the main reason for authors to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature. Sometimes, the judges have been influenced by political factors. B) Before writing his first novel Coetzee was very busy professionally. In the Sixties he worked for IBM in London and later became a professor of Literature in the United States and finally in Cape Town 3 a) without a doubt: unquestionably (indudablemente) b) completely : wholly (totalmente) c) ideas : assumptions (suposiciones) d) quickly : swiftly (rápidamente) 4 a who... last B winning...received C whose....was not chosen D about...his