Inglês 2021

Leia o texto com atenção e responda às questões que se seguem.

Section I

Carry on learning

Everyone, whatever their age, can share the joy and fulfillment of learning, as June Weatherall found out.

When I first retired, I thought I'd love spending more time on the gardening, needlework, and other creative activities I'd found so relaxing after my demanding job. But it didn't turn out that way. I found that I didn't want, or need, that kind of relaxation anymore, I wanted to stimulate my mind instead. Also, they're all solitary activities and I missed the company and interests of my old work companions.

So, with a couple of friends, I went along to an art appreciation evening class at our local regional college. It was wonderful, but only lasted a year. At the end, I asked my tutor, 'what next?' he suggested I attend his history of art access course. 'Whatever's that?' I asked. The college had an open evening coming up, so I went along to find out.

A full-time access course takes one year and gives you access to university if, like me, you left school without any qualifications, and it's free if you do it full-time. I only wanted to do the art history bit, but even so, with pensioner's discount it would cost a mere £30 per term.

Lyn, who organizes the course for the college, was enthusiastic. 'Why don't you do the whole course? You would start in the spring term with art history, do another module in the summer, then go full-time in the autumn and do all the subjects.' It sounded wonderful, but wasn't I a bit old, at 63, to start being a student? A definite 'no'. One of the students that year was 82. That clinched it. It must be worth having a go.

The art history part of the course, which I've just completed, was stimulating and involved a trip to the Louvre Museum in Paris – which was wonderful. The tutors are enthusiasts and infect us all with their enjoyment of the subjects like psychology, maths, biology, etc., are good company. They're mainly people in their thirties with children, taking a second bite at the educational cherry. There's a crèche to help those with toddlers and an excellent library. They're kind enough to say they find the older students offer a lot of experience – they certainly give a lot to us in newer ways of looking at things. One, a nurse, is changing direction and has placed at Anglia University to do a degree course in art history. Another has been accepted to do English.

We have homework and have to do an essay each term for each subject, and sit exams. For art history, I chose to write about the Bauhaus – a college for all the arts set up in Germany in the early twentieth century. The last essay I'd written had been a lifetime ago – in 1955, but I managed. We also had to produce a journal about all the painters we'd learnt about – which was fun, but rather time-consuming. Occasionally, I envy the more typical mature students, who just do courses for fun and don't have to do exams or essays, but really I'm a very happy lady. There are drawbacks, however. The main one is you have to make a commitment. During term time, you can't just drop everything and go out for the day if the sun shines – one of the supposed joys of retirement.

Will I go to university if I'm successful? I'll see how next year goes. Meanwhile, exercising my brain cells is working well for me. I feel alive. The garden's getting a bit out of control, but that's the least of my worries!

Section II

LANGUAGE USE - GRAMMAR

In this section you MUST choose the word or phrase which best completes sentence. Give ONE answer only for each question.

Section III

VOCABULARY

Read the text and decide which answer A, B, C, D or E best fits each space.

A News Broadcast

Good evening. This is Marciel Rafunga reporting from Nampula, The Cyclone Eloise and (26) ___ rains that have affected the north of the country have produced serious (27) ___. The senior representative of NIMC said in a statement that the situation is now (28) ___ control. (29) ___ food supplies have been dropped by helicopter to families who were (30) ___ to get to the distributions centres. Local charities have also provided clothes and (31) ___ shelter for victims of the disaster.

In the central part of the country, the (32) ___ continues to force thousands refugees to find high lands. Many of these people are suffering from (33) ___ and are weak from weeks of famine. International aid and organisations are trying to (34) ___ them with essential food supplies, but the overflow of rivers is (35) ___ the job of these organisations extremely difficult.

In the neighbouring of the affected areas the cholera epidemic is likely to spread as quickly as possible as a (36) ___ of lack of medicines and clean water. The Ministry of Health has issued a (37) ___ to all people planning to visit the affected areas to make sure they inoculated (38) ___ cholera. The extreme temperatures and the high levels of (39) ___ are not helping the situation. A United Nations spokesman said this (40) ___ turn out to be one of the worst epidemics in the country's history.