Pag. 3/13 Sessione ordinaria 2017
Seconda prova scritta
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’ Università e della Ricerca
–
PL01 ESAME DI STATO DI ISTRUZIONE SECONDARIA SUPERIORE
Indirizzi: LI04, EA03 - LICEO LINGUISTICO
Tema di: LINGUA STRANIERA - INGLESE
A - ATTUALITÀ
Thus, the message becomes clear—if you are born into poverty, you are likely to stay in poverty.
As a country, we have deep-rooted negative stereotypes about people living in poverty, despite the fact
that people who live in poverty are as diverse in their norms, beliefs, and behaviors as people who live in
35 any other socioeconomic stratum. Poverty spans geographical and ethnic boundaries, from urban cities to
rural towns. There are many communities that have battled poverty for decades and many where poverty
has arrived recently, unexpectedly, and in a rush.
Poverty is neither fair nor equitable, and it is not productive for society. If we ignore, as Charles Blow
called it, the “corrosive effects of poverty” on our nation’s children, it will come back to haunt us. And as
40 Steve Suitts, author of the Southern Education Foundation research bulletin, said, “It’s a matter of our
national future, because when one group becomes the majority of our students, they define what that
future is going to be in education more than any other group.”
So what do we do? Rather than just get angry, we must get active.
We can and should commit to addressing poverty via intersectoral alignment, change the formula by
45 which we fund our schools, and ensure that inequities are at the heart of all policy discussions. […]
Poverty affects our education, our economy, and our future. It is becoming the norm, and we appear
reluctant to address it. What was once a local, regional, or state concern is now a national issue and will
we’ve had these steps for
affect our national progress. But we have the steps in place to change it—and
century. What has been waning is our will to act and our determination to succeed. […]
over half a
50 [769 words] —
“Poverty Affects Education And our Systems Perpetrate It”,
From: Stephen Slade, The Huffington Post (US edition), 24 April 2015.
Available online: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-slade/poverty-affects-education_b_7861778.html
Accessed on 20 January 2017.
COMPREHENSION AND INTERPRETATION
Answer the following questions. Use complete sentences and your own words.
the author, in what ways do poor children “enter the school door with a little less than
1. According to
others”?
What alarming fact regarding the children in the USA’s public schools
2. is highlighted by NCES data?
3. How do you know from the article that poverty among children has become a wide-spread
phenomenon in the USA? State at least 2 facts.
Pag. 4/13 Sessione ordinaria 2017
Seconda prova scritta
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’ Università e della Ricerca
–
PL01 ESAME DI STATO DI ISTRUZIONE SECONDARIA SUPERIORE
Indirizzi: LI04, EA03 - LICEO LINGUISTICO
Tema di: LINGUA STRANIERA - INGLESE
A - ATTUALITÀ
4. Name at least 2 points that President Lyndon B. Johnson made in his speech to argue for the urgency
to fight poverty.
5. What relationship does the author establish between poverty and the education system in the USA?
6. Why is poverty depicted in the article as a trap out of which it is difficult for people to escape? Give
2 reasons.
7. Where can poverty be found?
What group is Steve Suitts referring to as having become “the majority of our students”?
8.
9. Name two ways in which it might be possible to address poverty according to the author.
10. Why does the author believe the issue of poverty has not been addressed in the last 50 years?
PRODUCTION
Choose one of the following questions.
Number your answer clearly to show which question you have attempted.
Either
1. The European Parliament resolution of 24 November 2015 on reducing inequalities with a special
focus on child poverty (2014/2237(INI)) recalls that “child poverty is a multi-dimensional
response” and that “tackling child poverty requires the
phenomenon that requires a multi-dimensional
approach […] that reflects the different needs of early childhood, primary
adoption of a life-cycle
childhood and adolescence”. show your own personal understanding of what a “multi-
In an essay of approximately 300 words,
dimensional response” and a “life-cycle approach” to tackling child poverty might entail. Think also
about what you have read in the article.
Or
2. Imagine that you and your volunteer group have been awarded a grant of 10 thousand Euro to set up
a local community project to help at-risk teenagers in your neighbourhood stay in school and succeed
in their education. Write a composition of about 300 words to describe the specific situation you
would like to address, what you would do to address it and who you would involve. Try to make your
project credible, also by considering the amount of money you have for it.
__________________________
Durata massima della prova: 6 ore.
È consentito soltanto l’uso dei dizionari monolingue e bilingue.
Non è consentito lasciare l’Istituto prima che siano trascorse 3 ore dalla dettatura del tema.
Pag. 5/13 Sessione ordinaria 2017
Seconda prova scritta
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’ Università e della Ricerca
–
PL01 ESAME DI STATO DI ISTRUZIONE SECONDARIA SUPERIORE
Indirizzi: LI04, EA03 - LICEO LINGUISTICO
Tema di: LINGUA STRANIERA - INGLESE
–
B STORICO - SOCIALE
The case for gender parity of the world’s
There is a clear values-based case for promoting gender parity: women are one-half
population and evidently deserve equal access to health, education, economic participation and earning
potential, and political decision-making power. However, it is pertinent to note that gender parity is
equally fundamental to whether and how societies thrive. Ensuring the healthy development and
of half of the world’s total talent pool has a vast bearing on the growth, competitiveness
appropriate use
5 and future-readiness of economies and businesses worldwide.
A variety of models and empirical studies have suggested that improving gender parity may result in
significant economic dividends, which vary depending on the situation of different economies and the
specific challenges they are facing. Notable recent estimates suggest that economic gender parity could
add an additional US$240 billion to the GDP of the United Kingdom, US$1,201 billion to that of the
10 United States, US$526 billion to Japan’s, and US$285 billion to the GDP of Germany. Another recent
estimate suggests that China could see a US$2.5 trillion GDP increase by 2020, and North America and
Oceania could gain an additional US$3.1 trillion over the same period if they closed their gender gaps.
A number of recent studies also indicate that a reduction in the employment gender gap has been an
important driver of European economic growth over the past decade, and has the potential to unleash even
15 further growth. Conversely, limiting women’s access to labour markets is costly, as poor female labour
force participation hampers economic growth. […]
The Global Gender Gap Index takes into account four critical dimensions when measuring the gaps
between women and men’s access to resources and opportunities: economic participation, education,
health and politics. Across these four different dimensions we see a number of positive interdependencies,
20 knock-on and multiplier effects that highlight the multi-faceted nature of the benefits of increased gender
parity.
For example, increased gender parity in education lowers infant and child mortality rates, lowers maternal
mortality rates, increases labour force participation rates and earnings, and fosters further educational
investment in children. The World Bank finds, based on a sample of a wide range of developing
25 countries, that investing in girls so that they would complete education at the same rate as boys would
lead to lifetime earnings increases of today’s cohort of girls of between 54% to 68% of countries’ GDP,
equivalent to an increase in annual GDP growth rates of about 1.5%. Conversely, girls’ exclusion from
education considerably hinders the productive potential of an economy and its overall development. In the
East Asia and the Pacific region, specifically, it has been estimated that between US$16 billion to US$30
30 billion is lost annually as a result of gender gaps in education. Similar to education, investing in health—
and specifically in maternal, newborn and child health—has a significant multiplier effect.
Pag. 6/13 Sessione ordinaria 2017
Seconda prova scritta
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’ Università e della Ricerca
–
PL01 ESAME DI STATO DI ISTRUZIONE SECONDARIA SUPERIORE
Indirizzi: LI04, EA03 - LICEO LINGUISTICO
Tema di: LINGUA STRANIERA - INGLESE
–
B STORICO - SOCIALE
In the political sphere, women’s engagement in public life has a positive impact on inequality across
society at large. The issues which women advocate, prioritize and invest in have broad societal
education and health. Women’s engagement in public life fosters
implications, touching on family life,
35 greater credibility in institutions, and heightened democratic outcomes. […]
Women’s participation in the formal economy, or lack thereof, is also a business issue—costing women,
companies and, ultimately, entire economies. Female talent remains one of the most under-utilized
business resources, either squandered through lack of progression or untapped from the onset. Business
leaders and governments increasingly note that tackling barriers to equality can unlock new opportunities
40 for growth. In the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Survey, 42% of business leaders perceived
addressing gender parity in their company as a matter of fairness and equality; yet, in addition, more than
a fifth of those surveyed also highlighted rationales closer to their core business: reflecting the changing
gender composition of their customer base as well as enhancing corporate decision-making and
innovation.
45 Additionally, the global economy is currently in transition to a Fourth Industrial Revolution. In such a
highly interconnected and rapidly changing world, diversity is critical to informed corporate decision-
making and business innovation. When it comes to leadership positions, companies with top quartile
representation of women in executive committees have been shown to perform better than companies
with no women at the top. […] Links also exist between having more women directors and corporate
50 sustainability, as well as with economic growth, since more diverse leadership teams can cater to a
broader array of stakeholder needs and concerns. Unlocking these benefits requires focused action to
address the underlying causes of persistent gender gaps in a systemic way.
[760 words] Abridged from: World Economic Forum
The Global Gender Gap Report 2016
Available online: http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2016/the-case-for-gender-parity/
Accessed on 13 January 2017
COMPREHENSION AND INTERPRETATION
Answer the following questions. Use complete sentences and your own words.
1. Provide 2 fundamental reasons in favour of gender parity that are given in the text.
2. How could the closing of gender gaps in China affect it economically?
3. What have recent studies revealed on reducing the gender gap in employment in Europe?
4. What does the Global Gender Gap Index take into account to measure the differences between
women and men in terms of access to resources and opportunities?
Pag. 7/13 Sessione ordinaria 2017
Seconda prova scritta
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’ Università e della Ricerca
–
PL01 ESAME DI STATO DI ISTRUZIONE SECONDARIA SUPERIORE
Indirizzi: LI04, EA03 - LICEO LINGUISTICO
Tema di: LINGUA STRANIERA - INGLESE
–
B STORICO - SOCIALE
5. Provide 2 examples from the text of interdependency and knock-on effects from increased gender
parity.
6. What sort of effects may be obtained from a greater involvement of women in public life?
Ecco nella pagina seguente la soluzione delle tracce di Maturità 2017 della Seconda prova di maturità di lingua inglese per il liceo linguistico.