PAGS Mock Exam: Social Media

🇬🇧 PAGS Mock Exam: Social Media - Guía de Estudio Completa

Este documento contiene la traducción de todos los textos y ejercicios del examen simulacro, las soluciones correctas, un resumen de la gramática clave y un glosario ampliado.

📖 Parte 1: Reading (Lectura)

Texto Original: The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media

Social media has revolutionized how we connect, offering a platform where users can find supportive communities and a sense of belonging that was previously difficult to achieve geographically. Hobbyists, minority groups, and students can now interact instantly.

However, recent studies indicate a worrying correlation: heavy usage is linked to increased rates of anxiety and depression among teenagers. The main culprit seems to be the comparison trap. Users are bombarded with "highlight reels" of others' lives, leading them to compare their everyday reality with these unrealistic standards of perfection.

Experts suggest that the solution isn't necessarily quitting, but finding a healthy balance: limiting screen time and curating feeds to include positive, realistic content.

🇪🇸 Traducción: El arma de doble filo de las redes sociales

Las redes sociales han revolucionado la forma en que nos conectamos, ofreciendo una plataforma donde los usuarios pueden encontrar comunidades de apoyo y un sentido de pertenencia que antes era difícil de lograr geográficamente. Los aficionados, los grupos minoritarios y los estudiantes ahora pueden interactuar al instante.

Sin embargo, estudios recientes indican una correlación preocupante: el uso intenso está vinculado a mayores tasas de ansiedad y depresión entre los adolescentes. El principal culpable parece ser la trampa de la comparación. Los usuarios son bombardeados con "recopilaciones de mejores momentos" (highlight reels) de las vidas de otros, lo que les lleva a comparar su realidad cotidiana con estos estándares de perfección poco realistas.

Los expertos sugieren que la solución no es necesariamente dejarlo (renunciar), sino encontrar un equilibrio saludable: limitar el tiempo frente a la pantalla y curar (seleccionar cuidadosamente) los contenidos para incluir material positivo y realista.

🎧 Parte 2: Listening (Diálogo)

Sarah: I honestly don't know why I keep doing this to myself, Emma.
(Sinceramente, no sé por qué me sigo haciendo esto a mí misma, Emma.)

Emma: Doing what? What's wrong?
(¿Haciendo qué? ¿Qué pasa?)

Sarah: Scrolling through Instagram. I just spent an hour looking at photos, and now I feel terrible. Look at this girl, she's our age, she's travelling to Dubai, she looks perfect, and she has like five thousand likes.
(Navegando/Deslizando por Instagram. Acabo de pasar una hora mirando fotos y ahora me siento fatal. Mira a esta chica, tiene nuestra edad, está viajando a Dubái, parece perfecta y tiene como cinco mil "me gusta".)

Emma: Sarah, put the phone down. You know that's not real life, right?
(Sarah, deja el teléfono. Sabes que eso no es la vida real, ¿verdad?)

Sarah: I know, logically. But it feels real. Everyone seems to be having an amazing time except me. I'm just here studying for exams and stressing out.
(Lo sé, lógicamente. Pero se siente real. Todo el mundo parece estar pasándoselo increíble menos yo. Yo solo estoy aquí estudiando para los exámenes y estresándome.)

Emma: That's exactly what they want you to think. People only post their highlight reels, the best moments. Nobody posts a photo of themselves crying over math homework or having a bad hair day.
(Eso es exactamente lo que quieren que pienses. La gente solo publica sus mejores momentos. Nadie sube una foto llorando por los deberes de matemáticas o teniendo un mal día con el pelo.)

Sarah: True. But the photos look so perfect.
(Cierto. Pero las fotos se ven tan perfectas.)

Emma: Filters, lighting, and angles! Half of those photos are heavily edited. It's creating this unrealistic standard that nobody can actually achieve. It's toxic.
(¡Filtros, iluminación y ángulos! La mitad de esas fotos están muy editadas. Está creando este estándar poco realista que nadie puede alcanzar de verdad. Es tóxico.)

Sarah: Yeah, you're right. It just makes me feel... not good enough.
(Sí, tienes razón. Simplemente me hace sentir... que no soy lo suficientemente buena.)

Emma: That's why I turned off my notifications last week. It was distracting me from school, and honestly, I was tired of the FOMO.
(Por eso desactivé mis notificaciones la semana pasada. Me estaba distrayendo de la escuela y, sinceramente, estaba cansada del FOMO -miedo a perderse algo-.)

Sarah: The fear of missing out? Yeah, I get that a lot.
(¿El miedo a perderse algo? Sí, me pasa mucho.)

Emma: Since I stopped checking it every five minutes, I sleep better, and I actually feel happier. You should try it.
(Desde que dejé de mirarlo cada cinco minutos, duermo mejor y de hecho me siento más feliz. Deberías probarlo.)

Sarah: Maybe I should. It's just hard to disconnect.
(Quizás debería. Es que es difícil desconectar.)

Emma: Tell you what. Let's make a pact. Let's put our phones away for the rest of the afternoon. Let's go for a walk in the park and get some ice cream. Real life, no filters.
(Te propongo algo. Hagamos un pacto. Guardemos los teléfonos el resto de la tarde. Vamos a dar un paseo por el parque y a tomar un helado. Vida real, sin filtros.)

Sarah: That sounds like a great suggestion. Let's go.
(Suena como una sugerencia genial. Vamos.)

✍️ Parte 3: Ejercicios y Soluciones (Exercises)

1. Reading Questions (Comprensión Lectora)

Q1: What is mentioned as a positive aspect? - It offers a sense of community and belonging.
Q2: What negative effect is linked to heavy usage? - Increased rates of anxiety and depression.
Q3: Why do users feel bad? - Because they compare themselves to unrealistic standards.
Q4: What is the solution? - Finding a healthy balance.

2. Conditionals (Condicionales - Drag & Drop)

(Type 0): If you post public photos, you often deal with unwanted comments.
(Type 1): If the government passes the law, it will tackle the cyberbullying crisis.
(Type 2): If users were more careful, they wouldn't struggle with identity theft.
(Type 3): If he had read the terms, he would not have accepted the data tracking.
(Type 3): The influencer would have lost followers if the scandal had leaked earlier.

3. Passive Voice (Voz Pasiva)

1. Valuable professional skills can be acquired via LinkedIn.
2. Global awareness has been raised by online activists.
3. Isolated individuals are connected with support groups.
4. Many small businesses were promoted successfully.
5. Accurate health advice is being shared.

4. Rephrasing (Transformaciones)

1. Regret: I wish I hadn't read those toxic comments.
2. Causative: She had her account hacked yesterday.
3. Deduction: She can't have posted that offensive tweet.
4. Connectors: He feels lonely despite having 1M followers.
5. Comparative: The more you scroll, the more anxious you will feel.

📚 Grammar Summary (Resumen Gramatical)

1. Conditionals
- Zero: If + Present, Present. (Hechos generales)
- First: If + Present, Will. (Futuro probable)
- Second: If + Past Simple, Would. (Hipotético)
- Third: If + Past Perfect, Would have + pp. (Pasado imposible)

2. Passive Voice
Subject + Verb to Be + Past Participle. (La acción es lo importante)

3. Key Structures
- I wish + Past Perfect (Arrepentimiento)
- Causative (Have something done)
- Modals (Must/Can't have + pp)

⚡ Glossary: 40 Key Words (Glosario de Nivel B2)

1. Revolutionized - Revolucionado
2. Belonging - Pertenencia
3. Correlation - Correlación
4. Culprit - Culpable
5. Bombarded - Bombardeado
6. Highlight reel - Recopilación
7. Standards - Estándares
8. Quitting - Dejar/Renunciar
9. Curating - Seleccionar
10. Tackle - Abordar
11. Deal with - Lidiar con
12. Struggle - Luchar/Costar
13. Theft - Robo
14. Leak - Filtrar
15. Scandal - Escándalo
16. Acquire - Adquirir
17. Awareness - Conciencia
18. Raise - Elevar/Aumentar
19. Isolated - Aislado
20. Promote - Promocionar
21. Accurate - Preciso
22. Verified - Verificado
23. Regret - Arrepentirse
24. Toxic - Tóxico
25. Hack - Hackear
26. Offensive - Ofensivo
27. Despite - A pesar de
28. Anxious - Ansioso
29. Scroll - Deslizar
30. Stress out - Estresarse
31. Unrealistic - Poco realista
32. Notifications - Notificaciones
33. Distracting - Distraer
34. FOMO - Miedo a perderse algo
35. Disconnect - Desconectar
36. Pact - Pacto
37. Heavily edited - Muy editado
38. Suggestion - Sugerencia
39. Tech-savvy - Experto tecnológico
40. Fundraise - Recaudar fondos

My English lesson for ADULTS

Buscar en este blog

viernes, 19 de diciembre de 2025