Sexual Abstinence

in the USA

The United States central and state governments will be spending over 400 million dollars in the next five years on sex education programmes aimed at preventing sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.

Teenagers will be taught in these programmes that the best method of prevention is abstinence. The Sexual Information and Education Council of the United States (Siecus) revealed in a report published earlier this month that these programmes "are having a profound impact" on the way in which youngsters focus on a crucial aspect of our lives.

Siecus placed pop artist Madonna at the top of its list of most positive and influential people with regard to sexuality in the last 35 years. According to the report, Madonna "has been a very firm model of positive feminine sexuality, confirming that women have their own sexual identity and have a right to pleasure."

After the famous singer, the list of role models includes the creator and owner of Playboy magazine, Hugh Hefner, and sex counsellor, Ruth Westheimer.

Sexual education programmes advocating abstinence are the result of a budget assignment which went almost unnoticed in the reform of the social assistance and welfare system in 1996. Legislation assigned an annual budget of 50 million dollars in federal funds to support the state education programmes which provide instruction and recommend that teenagers abstain from sex until marriage. The programmes will cost the USA more than 400 million dollars over the coming five year period. Siecus stated that last year alone programmes were set up in almost 700 educational authority areas.

(A) COMPREHENTION (3 points; 1 per question.)

ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

(1) Why is the Siecus spending so much money on sex education programmes?

(2) In what sense is Madonna a positive influence with regard to sexuality?

(3) What is the origin of this programme ?

(B) LEXICON (2 points; 0,5 per question)

(4) Find one synonym in the text for ESTABLISH (verb)

(5) Find one synonym in the text for ILLNESSES

(6) Find in the text the word which has the following definition :"make known"

(7) Give one opposite of PROFOUND (line 5)

(C) GRAMMAR (2 points; 0,5 per question)

(8) Complete this conditional sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets:

Should Jane Cuisine get her wish, she_________ (become) the first patient to die legally at the

hands of the doctor

(9) Join these two sentences using a relative:

Patients must prove that they are terminally ill. Patients want to benefit from this law.

(10) Put the following sentence into Passive:

Doctors have to rule out clinical depression.

(11) Give a question related to the underlined part of this answer:

"Teenagers will be taught in these programmes that the best method of prevention is abstinence"

(D)PRODUCTION (3 points)

Write a composition (80-100 words ). Choose ONE of the following options. Specify your option:

(12) a Is abstinence the best solution to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies? Discuss.

b Do you think Spanish teenagers receive the right sexual education? Explain.