PAU THE WORLD’S OLDEST WOMAN

THE  WORLD’S OLDEST WOMAN

The world’s oldest woman according to the Guinness Book of Records, who attributed her long life to a daily whisky, died in a British nursing home on Thursday, six days before her 115^th birthday.  Eva Morris died at the Autumn House home in the town of Stone in the English Midlands.  “Eva died peacefully in her sleep,” a spokesperson at the home said.  “We are very privileged to have nursed her for the last eight years of her life.  She was a grand old lady.”  Eva Morris, a former domestic servant who was widowed in the 1930s, was said by friends to enjoy the occasional cigarette and to have ridden a bicycle.

The Guinness Book of Records said it could not yet confirm who would succeed Morris as the world’s oldest woman because her death might encourage several candidates.  “A Dominican woman says she is 125 years old, but does not have the documents to prove it,” a Guinness spokesperson said.  “We don’t doubt that she is 125 years old, but we need to be able to verify it,” the spokesperson continued.  “She is gathering the evidence so we may be able to make an announcement.”

(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)

a)       ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.                                                                             (1 point per answer)

1) How long did Eva Morris live in the nursing home where she died?

2) What will the Dominican woman have to do to enter the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest woman in the world?

b)       ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT.                                                                             (0.5 points per answer)

3) Drinking was the cause of Eva’s death.

4) Eva’s husband died in the 1930s.

5) Eva was resting when she died.

6) The people from the Guinness Book of Records do not believe that the Dominican woman is 125 years old.

(B)  USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)

7) Find in the text one synonym for “QUIETLY” (adverb).                                     (0.25 points)

8) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:                           (0.25 points)

                “person who speaks in representation of a group” (noun)                                      

9) Turn the following sentence into reported speech.                                           (0.5 points)

                The director said: “We are very privileged to have nursed her.”

10) Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT). Make changes if necessary.                                                                                                                        (0.5 points)

She lived for a long time. She had a whisky everyday.

11) Put the following words in the correct order to make a meaningful sentence.

                people / homes / old / in / live / nursing                                                        (0.5 points)

12) Give a question for the underlined words.                                                         (0.5 points)

                She is said to be 115  years old.

13) Complete the following sentence:                                                                        (0.5 points)

                If Eva had lived six more days…                                                                   

(C) PRODUCTION (3 points)

14) WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.

                a) How do you imagine yourself when you are 64?

                b) Old people: living at home or nursing homes.