PAU Practice Examination (Asturias)

PAU Practice Examination (Asturias)

“Would you like some sweet potato with your pineapple?” You might expect this question in a restaurant, but now, it seems, it could be asked in your local clothing boutique as the ethical fashion industry is starting to gain recognition.

Ethical fashion is all about creating and promoting clothing which uses raw materials that can be recycled, and treating these materials in ways that are not environmentally harmful. In addition, ethical fashion aims to encourage local craft workers, and many of the garments produced are made by women in co-operative groups in developing countries. Ethical fashion also promises to reinvest part of its profits in local community projects such as health and education.

In 2006, the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris featured 60 designers from all over the world. Some used organic materials to create modern fashions. For example, one designer used a traditional technique from the Philippines in order to create fabric made from pineapple leaves. Other designers focused on unusual methods of processing fabrics. One French company employed a traditional Chinese practice to dye silk fabric. This involves coating the silk in a sweet potato paste, and then burying it in the ground. It is later rinsed many times in water, and ends up a soft, off-black colour. This company also uses an old Japanese method to produce kakishibu, a natural dye made from fruit, to colour silk scarves brown and pink.

Those involved in ethical fashion hope that the movement will gain in popularity. Twenty years ago, they say, organic food was considered “alternative” and was produced mostly by small companies, but today it has become mainstream. They hope this will happen to fashion, boosting sales and benefiting workers at local levels, as well as helping the environment.

QUESTIONS:

1.What does the writer mean by “considered alternative”? Do not copy literally from the text (1punto)

2.How is the ethical fashion industry considered to be environmentally friendly?Do not copy literally from thetext (1 punto)

3.How do communities in developing countries benefit from being part of the ethical fashion movement? Do not copy literally from the text (1 punto)

4.a) Fill in the gaps with the most suitable word. (0’75 puntos):

Last year, I attended the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris. ……………….. designers from all over the world were featured. I was amazed……………….. the clothes of a designer……………….. made fabric from the……………….. of pineapples. I also liked the colourful fabrics of scarves that had beendyed using kakishibu, a natural dye, ……………….. I actually bought one.

b) For each of the following words, find one word in the text which is pronounced with the same vowel (e.g. rain: great, name, etc.) (0’75 puntos)

fame:juice:home:

5.Finish the incomplete sentences in such a way that each one means exactly the same as the complete sentence before it (1’5 puntos):

a) I wish I had gone to the fashion show.

I should ......

b) She didn’t buy the clothes because they were too expensive.

She would ......

c) You mustn’t forget to rinse the material several times.

You’d better ......

6.Do you think that the ethical fashion industry will gain in popularity? Give reasons for your answer.(100-120 words) (4puntos)