I variant
Task 1:
You are going to listen to five texts. For each of them answer the two
questions given. Mark the correct answer A, B or C. You have 20 seconds to look
through the questions. You will then hear the recording twice.
Text 1 1. Why didn’t the brothers surf together?
A. Their dad
wanted so. B. They liked it this way. C. They had only one surfboard.
2. What attacked the speaker when
he was in the water?
A. A
shark. B. A Pilot fish. C. A dolphin.
Text 2 3. Dorothea Lange’s
parents encouraged her to
A. take part
in various exhibitions. B. become a
photographer. C. receive education.
4. When was Dorothea Lange’s first
exhibition held?
A. In
1934. B. In 1940. C. In 1945.
Text 3 5. The Terracotta Army
is the collection of the sculptures of
A. the
Chinese Emperors. B. soldiers and
horses. C. one Chinese Emperor’s horses.
6. Who discovered the memorial
statues?
A.
Farmers. B. Generals. C. Archaeologists.
Text 4 7. Before inventing
Coca-Cola, John Pamberton
A. was a
successful pharmacist. B. fought in the
Civil War. C. had already made a lot
of money.
8. Who is the author of the famous
Coca-Cola slogan?
A. John
Pamberton. B. Griggs
Candler. C. Frank Robinson.
Text 5 9. What was Ekvtime
Takaishvili’s major goal?
A. Return
the treasure to the Georgian princess.
B. Look
after the country’s national treasure.
C. Donate the treasure to the British and American museums.
10. What
is the text mostly about?
A. A
Georgian historian and archaeologist.
B. The true owner of the treasure.
C. The
government of Georgia.
Task 2:
Read the text. Then read the statements which follow and decide whether they are
True (T) or False (F).
Stanford University
Stanford
University is a private University in California, approximately 60 km
south-east of San Francisco. Due to its academic strength, wealth and closeness
to Silicon Valley, it is often cited as one of the world’s most prestigious
universities. Times Higher Education Magazine recognizes Stanford as one of the
world’s ‘six super brands’, along with the Universities of Cambridge, Harvard,
MIT* and Oxford. Stanford alumni – its former students – have founded a large
number of world-known companies, including Google, Nike, Hewlett Packard,
Instagram, Yahoo and LinkedIn. The companies founded by Stanford alumni earn
more than 2.7 trillion US dollars annually, an amount equal to the 10th largest
economy in the world. It has been the ‘home’ university of 30 living
billionaires, 67 Nobel Prize winners, 17 astronauts, 20 Turing Award laureates
and many members of the US Congress.
The
university was founded in 1885 by Leland and Jane Stanford. By then the
Stanfords were already a wealthy and powerful family. Leland Stanford Senior
was a Governor of California and US Senator. He was one of the four major
investors, known as ‘The Big Four,’ in the construction of the Central Pacific
Railroad. The Stanfords founded the university in memory of their only child,
Leland Stanford Junior, who died of typhoid fever at the age of 15 while on a
family trip to Italy. The famous words which Leland Stanford Senior said to his
wife when they, after that tragic event, returned to America were: ‘Now the
children of California shall be our children.’ The Stanfords donated 40 million
USD, today equivalent to more than one billion USD, to the building of the
University, which opened its doors to students in 1891. The first student
admitted to the University was Herbert Hoover, who later became the 31st
President of the USA.
Initially
the University was intended for agricultural studies only. Today Stanford’s
graduate programmes are the most selective in America, which means that
students can choose their favourite programme out of a large variety of
programmes. The University’s 27 departments for Humanities and Sciences, 9
departments for Engineering and 4 departments for Earth, Energy and
Environmental Sciences offer both under-graduate and graduate programmes. Law,
Medicine, Education and Business have graduate programmes only. The University
has a popular nickname, The Farm, which is connected to the fact that its
famous founders owned a big horse farm on the territory of the present
university campus.
What really
makes Stanford different from any other university is its physical closeness to
and excellent business relationships with Silicon Valley, the centre of the
computer industry. The University is known worldwide as a centre of innovation
and many new ideas in technology. This is due to the fact that many of its
students and alumni have a good chance to commercialize their new and original
ideas in the numerous companies of Silicon Valley and become successful
businessmen. Therefore, it is no surprise that Stanford University is named a
‘dream college’ by most American students and parents.
*MIT -
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
True
(T) or False (F)?
1. Times
Higher Education Magazine recognizes Stanford as the only ‘super brand’
university.
2. The
graduates of Stanford University have established well-known companies.
3. By the
time the Stanfords founded the university, their family was of no importance.
4. The foundation
of Stanford University is connected to a very sad event.
5. The first
student of Stanford University became an important person.
6. The
number and type of programmes at Stanford University are limited.
7. The
university campus stands on the site of the former horse farm.
8. Close
links with Silicon Valley makes Stanford different from other universities.
9. The
students of Stanford University have little chance to do well in business.
10. The text
is about Leland Stanford’s achievements in the industrial development of the
USA.
Task 3:
Read the questions (1-8) and find the answers to them in the paragraphs (A-F)
of the text. Some paragraphs correspond to more than one question.
Which
paragraph
1. has
information about the official start of Plant-for-the-Planet movement?
2. mentions
that the children, taking part in this movement, are not only from developed
countries?
3. states
some facts about the elections held in Plant-for-the-Planet?
4. has the
name of the project which was carried out by the winner of a well-known prize?
5. mentions
the goal of the Plant-for-the-Planet organisation?
6. has
information about the members of Plant-for-the-Planet?
7. could
have the title: ‘Felix - a confident presenter’?
8. could
have the title: ‘How the idea started’?
‘Stop
Talking. Start Planting.’
A. ‘Stop talking. Start planting’ are
popular words often used by the members of the organisation called
Plant-for-the-Planet. It aims at drawing children’s as well as adults’
attention to the problems of climate change and global warming. The
organisation manages projects on environmental protection and encourages
children worldwide to plant trees. Its members believe that their effort to
make the environment better will, in the future, reduce the effects of climate
change and lead to a healthier and safer world. ‘Stop talking. Start Planting’
is actually a slogan that calls for action as well as for funding.
B. In 2007 the idea for
Plant-for-the-Planet first came to Felix Finkbeiner, a nine-year-old boy from a
small town in Germany. Felix’s teacher asked her pupils to prepare a
presentation on climate change. Felix searched Google for information and came
across the story of Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner from Kenya, who
had planted over 30 million trees across Africa as part of her project called
the ‘Green Belt Movement’. Felix liked the idea so much that he decided to make
it his lifelong goal to plant trees and restore the forests. In his school
presentation, he said to his classmates and teachers that the children could
plant one million trees in every country on Earth and a success story followed.
C. Soon after that, Felix planted the
first tree in his schoolyard. This is when Plant-for-the-Planet movement
officially started. By 2008 more than 150,000 trees had already been planted in
Germany. The same year, at the International UNEP* children and youth
conference in Norway, Felix was elected to the UNEP Board. One year later,
Felix attended the UNEP conference in South Korea where he managed to make this
idea even more popular. There, Felix was able to gain support from children all
around the world. They promised to plant one million trees in their own
countries. Felix was already getting more attention from children as well as
from sponsors.
D. In 2009 Felix Finkbeiner was invited
to speak to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Not many children
get this chance. There stood a thirteen-year-old German boy, speaking very
confidently about the environmental problems and looking for ways to solve
them. ‘We have to take our future in our hands’. With these words, Felix
addressed the children worldwide and he got their attention! Felix, now a
19-year-old university student in London, continues to be active. He encourages
every citizen to plant or sponsor the planting of trees. ‘In most southern
countries, the planting of one seedling* costs as little as one euro!’ says
Felix.
E. One school-based idea has now
expanded into a global network of the children who take part in this campaign
and see each tree as a contribution to a safer environment. Many of them are
from the developing countries. By the start of 2011, children from 93 countries
were already promoting the idea of planting trees in their countries. The same
year Germany achieved its goal of planting one million trees. By now, more than
14 billion trees have been planted worldwide and the global tree-planting goal
has reached one trillion!
F. The members of Plant-for-the-Planet
are called either ‘members’ or ‘ambassadors’. A ‘member’ can become an
ambassador by attending a one-day conference. Members and ambassadors vote
online to elect the Youth Global Board, which consists of 14 youths. At present,
more than 65,000 children act as ‘ambassadors’ in their countries and promote
the idea of planting trees. In addition to planting trees, the members of
Plant-for-the-Planet set up clubs and give presentations all over the world.
‘We are part of a worldwide network and spread our vision to our schools,
families and friends. These clubs make us one family and we feel at home in
every country on earth’, say the members of the Plant-for-the-Planet.
*UNEP -
United Nations Environmental Programme - გაერთიანებული ერების გარემოს დაცვის პროგრამა *seedling - ნერგი
Task 4:
Read the text and the questions which follow. For each question mark the
correct answer (A, B, C or D).
This is a
true story about Susannah Rodgers, a British Paralympic swimmer.
Susannah
Rogers, often called ‘Susie’ by her fans, is a professional athlete, Paralympic
Gold medalist and multiple European and British record holder in different
swimming styles. She has won a total of 30 international medals including 17
Gold medals! Susie competed at two Paralympic Games*. At the London 2012
Paralympic Games she won three Bronze medals. In 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro
summer Paralympic Games, Susie won a gold medal and became a Paralympics
champion. This was the biggest achievement of her life! Susie Rogers was born
in 1983 in England. She was born without a fully formed arm and leg on the left
side of her body. Susie first learned to swim as a child. She, at this time,
was not thinking of becoming a professional swimmer. This interest came later.
‘When I was 25 years old, I watched the British team at the 2008 Summer
Paralympics and got inspired by the swimmers. I thought I could also be one of
them!’ said Susie in one of her interviews.
Among the
very prestigious awards and medals Susie was able to win, she has a very
special one. The award is called an MBE, which means ‘Member of the Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire’ and is given by the Queen to the individual ‘for
outstanding service to the community’. This is what Susie writes in her blog
about how she received her MBE: ‘I got ready in the morning and put on my
clothes and, most importantly, my hat, and headed to the Mall with my Mother to
receive my MBE for services to Para Swimming at Buckingham Palace. I was very
nervous when I arrived. I always find it strange when you are allowed to walk
into the Palace and the crowds are watching you and taking photos just before
you go in! It was lovely to see some of the members of the Royal family there
too, including Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, and also some of my
Paralympics swimming team friends. The Prince of Wales was awarding the
honours, which made it extremely special for us all! As I waited for my surname
to be announced, I looked around the Ball Room, in which the beautiful music
was performed by the orchestra. It was a magical moment! The sounds of music
from the orchestra were fantastic. I felt like in a fairy tale! Then somebody
called out my name. The Prince of Wales spoke briefly to me about my medal and
asked me how long I had been swimming and in a brief moment it was over, just
like my win in Rio. I got my medal straight from him! I was lucky to be there
and to share the wonderful moments of my life with some of the people that have
been a part of my journey because I didn’t do it alone.’ After winning the gold
medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Susannah Rogers decided to retire. Now she
leads an active social life. She is a big supporter of London Disability*
Swimming Club. She is also a disability sports coach.
*The
Paralympic Games - ოლიმპიური თამაშები უნარშეზღუდული ადამიანების მონაწილეობით. *disability - უნარშეზღუდულობა
1. This
is the story of a woman who
A. was
popular from her childhood. B. has never
won a gold medal. C. was disabled but
achieved a lot. D. has set only British
records in swimming.
2. When
did Susie realise that she wanted to be a professional athlete?
A. After she
was awarded an MBE. B. After watching
the Paralympic Games.
C. As soon
as she learned to swim. D. She doesn’t
remember
3. The
MBE is an award which is given to
A. the
Queen. B. champions only. C. only the participants of the
Paralympics.
D. those who
serve people exceptionally well.
4. When
Susie came to Buckingham Palace, she felt quite
A.
anxious. B. happy. C. relaxed. D. comfortable.
5. Among
many other things what made Susie feel as if she was in a fairy tale?
A. The
crowds who welcomed her. B. The people who took her photos.
C. The music
which was played by the orchestra. D.
The gold medal she won.
6. The
person who gave Susie the MBE at Buckingham Palace was
A. the Queen B. the Prince of
Wales.
C. Kate Middleton. D. a swimming team
friend.
7. At
present, Susannah Rogers
A. is still
an active athlete. B. has quit the professional sport.
C. has no
interest in disabled people. D.
intends to retire next year.
8. Which
of the following would be the best title for this text?
A. The story
which inspires B. Meeting the Queen
C. How to be a good swimmer D. The types of awards swimmers
get
Task 5:
Read the text and fill the gaps with the words given (A-N). Use each word only
once. Two words are extra. Do not copy
the extra words from the text on the answer sheet.
ceremony
(A) chosen (B) continue (C) earn (D) funded (E) give (F) held (G) hopefully (H) majority (I) pay (J) private (K) successful (L) take (M) well (N)
Schools
in the USA
Most
American children start school with preschool or kindergarten. Then, they move
up through elementary school, middle
school and high school. Four out of five students finish high school and
many of them ..... (1) with vocational or college studies. If high school
students want to go to college, they ..... (2) an examination called the SAT,
which stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test. The .... (3) of US primary and
secondary schools are public schools which are ..... (4) by taxes. Taxes are
money that people have to pay to the government from what they ..... (5).
Because public schools are free in the US, parents don’t have to ..... (6) for
their children’s studies. On the other hand, only 10 percent of US students go
to ..... (7) schools where their parents pay a tuition fee.
Graduation
is an important time in schools, colleges and universities in the States and it
is usually accompanied by a ...... (8) which is attended by families and
friends as well as the students themselves. If the weather is good, the event
is ...... (9) in the open air. Diplomas are given out and in many schools and
colleges students wear academic gowns and caps. The principal of the school and
other senior members ....... (10) speeches. There are also farewell speeches
from students called ‘valedictory speeches’. It’s an honour for the student to
be ...... (11) by the school authorities for this farewell speech. And this
honour is usually given to a student who has been academically most ...... (12)
at school or college.
Task 6:
Read the text and fill the gaps (1-10) with one of the following: article,
preposition, conjunction or relative pronoun. Insert only ONE word. Do not copy
the extra words from the text on the answer sheet.
Learning a language
How do
children learn their mother tongue? What do the scientists know about this?
It’s a fact that children usually learn their first language ….. (1) their
parents and the people around them. Many babies can say about three words …..
(2) they are 12 months old. But, of course, they start learning their parents’
language before that. First, babies listen to ….. (3) sounds of their language.
People ask babies questions such as: ‘Are you tired? Are you hungry? Do you
want to go to sleep?’ Babies can’t answer these questions because they are
learning the sounds of their first language at that time. Babies learn the most
important sounds ….. (4) their language before they are six months old.
Babies often
cry, so their parents speak to them in order to calm them down. They point …..
(5) interesting things and they repeat lots ….. (6) words. Babies listen and
slowly learn to speak. Their first words are the names of either the people in
the family ….. (7) the things in the house. Before they are eighteen months
old, most children can say about twenty words and can understand a lot more.
Some children learn two languages at ….. (8) same time if their parents speak
different languages. The children who can speak and understand two languages
are ‘bilingual’ and they speak both languages fluently with a good accent. But
….. (9) you start learning a language after you are twelve years old, you will
probably have ….. (10) ‘foreign’ accent.
Task 7: The
advertisement given below is taken from an online newspaper. Read the
advertisement and write an email to the editor of the newspaper asking for more
information about the details which are indicated. The beginning is given on
the answer sheet. Do not write
your or anybody else’s name or surname in the letter.
Are
you interested in Creative Writing? If so, read this advert carefully.
The organisation ‘Creative Writing’ invites young people aged 12-16 to take part in the competition ‘The Best Fantasy Story of the Year’. The candidates must send us a story by the end of December. The number of words of the story is limited. The winner will be sent on a
short
writing course to a foreign country. Take this chance! Let your imagination
go wild!
When exactly? Which one? How many?
Task 8: Read the essay task and write between
120-150 words.
Some people
think that it’s better to have an interesting job than a high salary. Do you
agree or disagree with this opinion? State your opinion and support it with
reasons and examples.
Task 1: You are going to listen to
five texts. For each of them answer the two questions given. Mark the correct
answer A, B or C. You have 20 seconds to look through the questions.
Text 1 1. Who directed the films for The
Lord of the Rings?
A. Frodo Baggins. B. J.R.R. Tolkien. C. Peter Jackson.
2. The number of tourists to New
Zealand went up after
A. the book The Lord of the Rings was
published.
B. the third film of The Lord of the
Rings won 11 Oscars.
C. the speaker visited New Zealand.
Text 2 3. When did Ray Collins start
taking photos?
A. After his friends’ advice. B.
When he was nine years old.
C. After he got injured in a coal mine.
4. Where is Ray Collins from?
A.
Australia. B. Hawaii. C. Iceland.
Text 3 5. How many people have visited ‘The
Newseum’ since 2008?
A. Over 7 million. B. As many as 35,000. C. As many as 500,000.
6. One of the galleries at ‘The
Newseum’
A. was destroyed
during the terrorist attack. B. has the exhibition of famous graffiti
artists.
C. keeps a
collection of prize-winning photos
Text 4 7. What happened in 1450?
A. The printing press was invented. B. Books became very expensive.
C. The Bible was printed.
8. Why was Gutenberg’s invention so
important?
A. It encouraged people to write more
books by hand.
B. It helped to spread knowledge and
education.
C. It slowed
down the book production process.
Text 5 9. Where was the first example of
Asomtavruli script found?
A. In the Georgian church in
Palestine. B. In the church of Bolnisi Sioni in Georgia.
C. In one of the churches in Greece.
10. What is the text mostly about?
A. The modern Georgian script B. The Georgian Golden Age C. Three Georgian
alphabets
Task 2: Then read the statements
which follow,decide whether they are True (T) or False (F).
Niccolo Paganini
Niccolo Paganini, a popular musician
who revolutionized violin technique, is considered to be the greatest violinist
of all time. There were several extraordinary violinists in the 19th century,
but Paganini was far ahead of them. His unusually long fingers allowed him to
perform much better than other violinists of his time. However, people then
believed that the strange length of his fingers was the result of a disease.
Niccolo Paganini was born in 1782 in Genoa, Italy. Before Paganini had learnt
to play the violin, he could already play the mandolin well by the age of five.
Paganini’s father was rather strict. It is said that if Paganini didn’t
complete the hours of practice he was supposed to, his father wouldn’t let him
eat dinner. Paganini studied with popular violinists G. Servetto and Giacomo Costa.
Paganini worked very hard and soon he
was much better at playing the violin than his famous teachers. Then Paganini
and his father travelled to Parma to take lessons from Alessandro Rolla - a
very famous violinist of that time. But when Alessandro Rolla listened to
Paganini’s playing, Rolla had to admit that he had nothing to teach the young
genius.
In 1797 accompanied by his father,
Paganini successfully toured Lombardy – a region in Northern Italy – where his
reputation grew with each concert. When he became older and toured without his
father, Paganini started gambling* and got into trouble. At one point, Paganini
nearly lost his violin because of gambling debts. Although Paganini often had
financial problems, he still did some charitable things. He gave a charity
concert in 1832 for victims of a Parisian cholera epidemic. He once financially
helped a fellow composer, Hector Berlioz, as he believed that Berlioz was a
talented composer.
In 1805
Napoleon’s sister, Élisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, appointed Paganini as a director of
the music department in the small Italian town of Piombino. Later, in 1828
Paganini was greatly successful in Vienna and his appearances in Paris and
London in 1831 were equally sensational. While playing, he used violin
techniques that are impossible for most even by today’s standards. He enjoyed
playing tricks, like playing one of his musical compositions on one string
after breaking the other three. His tour of England and Scotland in 1832 made
him a wealthy man. As a result, four years later Paganini opened the Casino
Paganini in Paris, but it soon closed down because of financial problems.
Paganini was once seriously involved
with a singer named Antonia Bianchi. The two gave concerts together throughout
Italy. Paganini and Antonia had a child. They were never married officially,
but when they separated after 15 years, Paganini still continued to take care
of their child. In fact, he would take his son on long tours with him just to
be together. Apart from music, Paganini didn’t have a good reputation. People
believed that the extraordinary musical ability he had was given to him by the
devil. Paganini spent his last years in Nice, France, where he died on May 27,
1840 at the age of 57.
* gambling - აზარტული თამაშები
True (T) or False (F)?
1. Paganini could play some other
musical instrument before he learnt to play the violin.
2. Alessandro Rolla was the first
violinist who taught Niccolo Paganini.
3. Paganini’s father accompanied
Niccolo during his first tour in Italy.
4. Despite his debts, Paganini was
involved in charity activities.
5. Napoleon made Paganini a director
of the music department at Piombino.
6. Tours in England and Scotland
helped Paganini to earn a lot of money.
7. Niccolo Paganini had a successful
gambling business in Paris.
8. After the breakup with Bianchi,
Paganini didn’t spend any time with his son.
9. People thought that Paganini was
somehow connected to the devil.
10. The text
is about the greatest Italian violinists of the 19th century.
Task 3: Read the questions (1-8) and
find the answers to them in the paragraphs (A-F) of the text. Some paragraphs correspond
to more than one question.
Which paragraph
1. has information about the
best-selling product in many parts of the world in the 1980s?
2. names two founders of the famous
corporation for the first time?
3. tells what helped the
tape-recorder to be a success?
4. names an Emmy award-winning
product?
5. explains why the corporation got
the name of Sony?
6. names the first product which was
unsuccessful?
7. could have the title: ‘Walk and
listen’?
8. could have the title: ‘Sony’s
newer products and increasing trust’?
Sony Corporation - Success Story
A. The Sony Corporation is a good example of how
well-thought-out ideas can make a business successful. The corporation was
founded in Japan in 1946 by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka. It was first
registered as TTK or Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, which in English is translated as
Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation. The company borrowed 500
dollars to start developing consumer products.* Their first product was a rice
cooker. It was not a success as it was not quite able to work as well as
expected. But the founders were not discouraged.
B. The founders went on to invest more capital in
research. They wanted to develop consumer products that would be useful to the
population in Japan. In 1950 they produced a tape-recorder that was an exact
copy of an American model that one of the founders had seen at the Japanese
Broadcasting Corporation. There was not much interest in the product until the
founders gave the Japanese translation of the instructions on how to use the
product to as many people as possible. This marketing step made the product
popular.
C. In 1952 Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka added the
transistor into their device and named it the TTK radio Sony. They used the
term Sony because it came from ‘Sonus’, which is the Latin word for ‘sound’. In
1995 the company began mass-production of these Sony radios which became very
popular among the ordinary people. As the name Sony began to become familiar to
people worldwide, the founders decided to name the company as Sony Corporation
in January 1958.
D. During the following ten years, Sony dominated the
market with its videotape technology. In 1971 The Sony Corporation got their
product - the first Video Cassette Recorder - to market and it received an Emmy
award for engineering brilliance. 1979 was the turning point in Sony’s career.
The company developed a compact cassette tape-player which was called the Walkman,
which could be used to listen to music while walking. This device became such a
big hit that people used the term Walkman to describe cassette players that
were produced by other companies as well.
E. In 1982 after spending a lot of money on research and
development, Sony created a very successful product called the Compact Disk or
CD Player. In 1985 the company introduced the video camera which soon became
the best-seller in many markets including North America, Europe and Japan. In
1992 Sony’s total amount of money, the company had to pay as a tax to the
government, reached 1.3 billion dollars.
F. Later Sony released its
mega-successful video game PlayStation for the first time. In more recent years
Sony started producing television screens, Smart phones, Laptops and was very
successful in its projects. People trust in the products made by Sony because
of its high quality. Sony has been a company that built trust and created such
products that satisfy customers’ demands. Sony has been a company whose success
cannot be easily repeated in the decades to come.
*consumer
products - ფართო მოხმარების პროდუქცია
Task 4: Read the text and the
questions which follow. For each question mark the correct answer (A, B, C or
D).
This is a true story told by a young
Iranian woman Maryam Mirzakhani - a winner of the Fields Medal.
At 37, I am the first woman ever to
win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious prize in mathematics, often
described as the ‘Nobel Prize of Mathematics’. However, as a kid growing up in Tehran,
Iran, I did not plan to become a mathematician. I was more excited about
reading and writing stories than doing mathematics. In fact, I would read
anything I could find. As an 8-year-old, I used to tell myself stories about
the adventures of a brave girl. Every night at bedtime, my heroine would become
a mayor, travel around the world or fulfill some other great mission. I also
watched television biographies of famous women in history who managed to change
the world. These stories inspired me to become a writer, which had actually
been my childhood dream.
I grew up in
a family with two brothers and a sister. Luckily, my parents were always very
supportive and encouraging. I owe them so much! It was important for them that
we had useful and interesting professions, but they didn’t care as much about
success and achievement. In many ways, it was a great environment for me. It
was my elder brother who got me interested in science in general. He used to
tell me what he learnt at school. I was very lucky in many ways. The Iran-Iraq
war ended when I finished elementary school and soon opportunities opened up
for motivated students. I went to a great secondary school and then high school
for girls in Tehran. Just like all my friends, I was very enthusiastic about
learning. But I did poorly in maths for a couple of years at secondary school.
This was because my maths teacher thought I wasn’t particularly talented in
this subject and this destroyed my confidence. At that age it’s so important to
get support and motivation from adults, especially a teacher. However, luckily,
the following year I had a more encouraging maths teacher, who supported me a
lot, and my performance improved quickly. In 1993 when I was 17, my best friend
and I formed the Iranian maths Olympiad team. The more time I spent on maths,
the more excited I became. I won gold medals in the Olympiad two years in a
row. And soon I started discovering the beauty of maths. I realised that
without being excited maths could look useless and boring.
Winning the
Fields Medal is such a great honour that at first I couldn’t believe it was
true. In fact, when an email arrived saying that I would receive what is widely
regarded as the highest award in mathematics, I thought that it was some kind
of a joke. I believe that there will be many more women honoured in the future
because there are so many great female mathematicians doing great things.
1. This is a story about a woman who
A. dreamt of becoming a
mathematician. B. wrote stories about
women mathematicians.
C. became a successful mathematician. D. is the first woman who won the Nobel
Prize.
2. As a young child, Maryam
A. enjoyed doing maths the most. B. listened to her mother’s bedtime
stories.
C. travelled
around the world a lot. D. dreamt of becoming a writer one day.
3. Which is true about the author of
the text?
A. She is grateful for her parents’
support. B. She read only carefully
selected books.
C. She fulfilled her childhood dream. D. She became a great traveler.
4. Who introduced Maryam to science?
A. Her
sister. B. Her elder brother. C. Her younger brother. D. Her parents.
5. At first Maryam did badly in Maths
because
A. her friends made fun of her. B. she was not very interested in learning.
C. she was discouraged by her
teacher. D. it was not a popular
subject among girls.
6. Maryam created the Olympiad team
in mathematics together with
A. her best friend. B. her encouraging parents. C. her elder brother.
D. a
supportive teacher.
7. When Maryam learned she had won
the Fields Medal, she felt
A. proud. B. disappointed. C. worried D. surprised.
8. Which of the following would be
the best title for this text?
A. The secret to success in
mathematics B. The first woman mathematician
C. The first woman to receive the
Fields Medal
D. The woman
who became a successful maths teacher
Task 5: Read the text and fill the
gaps (1-12) with the words given (A-N). Use each word only once. Two words are extra.
enjoy (A) form (B) ground (C) jump (D) learn (E) life (F) money (G) once (H) ready (I) recommended (J) seconds (K) spending (L) terrified (M) thousands (N)
Skydiving
Skydiving is
an extreme sport which requires a lot of courage and skill. Athletes jump out
of an airplane and perform acrobatic
movements in free fall. Then they open their parachutes to slow down and land
safely to the ….. (1). Some people who are
….. (2) of flying would never try skydiving. But even those who ….. (3) flying
by plane could never be convinced to jump out of an airplane 3,000 meters above
the ground. However, this is what ….. (4) of skydivers choose to do every day.
Some of them are sure that everyone should try skydiving at least ….. (5) in
one’s life.
So, if one day you decide that you are ready
for your first jump, you have two options. The first is to make a ‘tandem
jump’, where you will be tied to an instructor and the two of you will make the
….. (6) together. However, the second option is usually ….. (7) only in case
you are serious about taking up the sport. Then you need to go to a special
school and start with training on the ground. At this stage you will ….. (8)
how to get in and out of the plane safely, how to pack a parachute and how to
use it. Then you will be ….. (9) for your first jump. This is called a ‘static
jump’, because you jump on your own but your parachute opens automatically
after a couple of ….. (10). Those minutes might seem like the longest and
scariest period of your ….. (11), but the enthusiasts say it is all worth it.
It’s true that for most people one jump is never enough. And soon you’ll think
there is nothing strange about spending a lot of ….. (12) and free weekends for
just one more jump.
Task 6: Read the text and fill the
gaps (1-10) with one of the following: article, preposition, conjunction or
relative pronoun. Insert only ONE word.
Giant
Galapagos tortoises
Giant tortoises, which now live only
on the Galapagos Islands, used to live all over ….. (1) world. But at some
point they started to die out because of wild goats, which were eating their
food and damaging their habitat. In addition, people were also killing them
uncontrollably. In the 1960s there were just fifteen of the tortoises in
existence. Giant tortoise numbers fell from 250,000 ….. (2) a few thousand in
the period from the16th to the 20th century. Because of that, biologists
decided to take action to help the giant tortoises and started a breeding
programme in a special centre. Some time later half of the tortoises were set free.
The tortoises are doing well ….. (3) present. There are over 1,000 of them
living on the Galapagos Islands ….. (4) giving birth to new generations in the
wild nature. Scientists say that it is a success story. Biologist James Gibbs
says: ‘What we basically found over time is that about half of the tortoises,
which were set free, now live ….. (5) nature without human help’. James Gibbs
feels very happy with this programme ….. (6) the tortoises he has helped can
now live without his assistance.
Giant
tortoises, ….. (7) weigh up to 250 kg, can live in the wild nature for over 100
years. One tortoise lived in captivity for more than 170 years. An encyclopedia
about them states: ‘Tortoises also live very easy lives and can sleep up to 16
hours ….. (8) day.’ James Gibbs said that the successful development ….. (9)
the Galapagos Islands would continue. Next year the Galapagos Islands will get
200 more tortoises. James Gibbs is looking forward ….. (10) further success on
the islands.
Task 7: The
advertisement given below is taken from an online newspaper. Read the
advertisement and write an email to the editor of the newspaper asking for more
information about the details which are indicated. The beginning is given on
the answer sheet.
Are you interested in web design? If so, read
this advertisement carefully.
How many? How long? When exactly?
Task 8: Read
the essay task and write between 120-150 words.
Some people think that it’s better to spend free time
with friends than with the family members. Do you agree or disagree with this
opinion? State your opinion and support it with reasons and examples.
III-version
Task 1:
You are going to listen to five texts. For each of them answer the two
questions given. Mark the correct answer A, B or C.
Text 1 1. At the beginning of the 20th century
over a million people
A. arrived in South America. B.
left South America. C. went to live in Europe.
2. Why
did the speaker decide to learn the tango?
A. To become
a professional tango dancer. B. To meet
a professional tango teacher.
C. To
understand Argentina.
Text 2 3. What was Steve Winter’s childhood dream?
A. To become a photographer for a magazine. B.
To get a camera on his 7th birthday.
C. To travel around the USA.
4. Steve
Winter takes photos of
A. small domestic animals. B.
endangered wild animals. C. exotic lands and hills
Text 3 5. Who brought silk from India to Georgia?
A. Alexander Szymkiewicz. B.
Nikolai Shavrov. C. King Vakhtang Gorgasali.
6. When
did the Silk museum open in Tbilisi?
A. Only a few years ago. B.
In the 1990s. C. In 1887.
Text 4 7. Galileo Galilee was the first person to
A. invent the telescope. B.
see the surface of the Moon. C.
discover the planet Venus.
8. The
Hubble Space Telescope weighs almost as much as
A. a school bus.
B. two school buses. C.
two elephants.
Text 5 9. When does the Parliament open in The
Hague?
A. On the third Tuesday of September. B.
On the third of September.
C. On the twenty-sixth of September.
10. What
is the text mostly about?
A. One of the Royal Families. B.
A building in the historic square.
C. The government of Holland.
Task 2:
Read the text. Then read the statements which follow and decide whether they
are True (T) or False (F).
The famous short story
writer
The American
short story writer O. Henry was born under the name of William Sydney Porter
in North Carolina, USA, in 1862. He left school at the age of 15, so he did
not receive much education. Nevertheless, his short stories – known for their humour,
clever word play and unexpected endings – are well-known throughout the world.
In 1882 O.
Henry moved to the state of Texas. He had been suffering from a bad cough and
hoped his health would get better there. In Texas, he lived on a sheep ranch.
As there were many migrant farm workers on the ranch, he learned a little
Spanish and German. Over the next several years, William Porter – as he was
still known – took a number of different jobs from working at a pharmacy to
working as a journalist and a banker. Being a good musician and playing the
guitar and mandolin skillfully, he had been actively involved in the social
life of the city. In 1887 William Porter married Athol Estes Roach. They had
two children, a girl and a boy. Soon after, William started writing articles
for magazines and newspapers.
Between 1891
and 1894, O. Henry worked at the First National Bank in Austin. Here’s where
his difficulties started. O. Henry was not interested in banking and was quite
careless with his bookkeeping. As a result, he was fired by the bank manager
and then charged with stealing money. His father-in-law wanted to pay a sum of
money officially to keep him out of prison before his case went to court. O.
Henry was supposed to appear in court on July 7, 1896. But, the day before, he
secretly escaped to Honduras - a country in Central America. In Honduras, O.
Henry made friends with a notorious train robber, Al Jennings. It was Al
Jennings who many years later became the main character of one of his famous
stories called ‘Holding Up a Train’. Soon O. Henry heard that his wife was seriously
ill and went back to Austin to be with her. After his wife’s death, O. Henry
was arrested and sent to prison. He spent three years in prison in Ohio. There,
O. Henry started writing short stories. Most of them were funny and had unusual
endings.
After he
left prison, O. Henry lived in the state of Ohio. Then in 1902, he moved to New
York City where he married for the second time. His second wife was Sara
Lindsay Coleman. Unfortunately, O. Henry led an unhealthy lifestyle. As a
result, his health had become bad and he became unable to write new stories. He
died at the age of 48. The funeral was held in New York City, but he was buried
in North Carolina, the state where he was born.
O. Henry’s
talent in writing short stories is well-remembered and appreciated. A
prestigious American award called The O. Henry Award is given to several
outstanding short stories annually. There are many films based on his short
stories. The most well-known one, called ‘O. Henry’s Full House’ starring
Marilyn Monroe, was made in Hollywood in 1952.
True
(T) or False (F)?
1. In his
childhood O. Henry wasn’t able to get much education.
2. O. Henry
moved to Texas because he wanted to get a job on a farm.
3. William
Porter started to write for magazines and newspapers after the birth of his
children.
4. O.
Henry’s job at the First National Bank was unsuccessful.
5. O.
Henry’s father-in-law helped him to escape from the prison illegally.
6. O. Henry
based one of his most famous stories on the life of a man he knew well.
7. O. Henry
stopped writing short stories because of his age.
8. O. Henry
is buried in the same state where he was born.
9. The O.
Henry Award is given to one best short story every year.
10. The text
is about the short stories of a famous writer.
Task 3:
Read the questions (1-8) and find the answers to them in the paragraphs (A-F)
of the text. Some paragraphs correspond to more than one question.
Which
paragraph
1. gives
information about when graffiti are considered a crime?
2. lists the
corporations that use graffiti in their advertising campaigns?
3. mentions
the city where ‘graffiti’ started?
4. mentions
a popular graffiti artist who hides his real name?
5. names the
person who introduced the term ‘graffiti’?
6. explains
why time is important for graffiti artists?
7. could
have the title: ‘The mayor against graffiti’?
8. could
have the title: ‘One of the forms of graffiti art’?
History
of graffiti
A. Humorous, political and sometimes
rude writing or drawings on a wall in a public place are called graffiti. The first
drawings on walls appeared in caves thousands of years ago. Later, the Ancient
Romans and Greeks wrote their names and protest poems on buildings. Modern
graffiti appeared in the US city of Philadelphia in the early 1960s and later
that decade it had reached New York. In the mid-1970s it was sometimes hard to
see anything through a metro train windows, because they were completely covered
in spray paintings known as ‘masterpieces’.
B. In the 1980s the graffiti artists
were part of street criminal groups who used to mark their territory. They
called what they did, ‘writing’. The term ‘graffiti’ was first used by the
novelist Norman Mailer in the 1970s. Art galleries in New York have been buying
graffiti since the early 1970s. But as it began to be regarded as an art form,
John Lindsay, then mayor of New York, declared the first war on graffiti. By
the 1980s it became much harder to write on subway trains without being caught;
thus, graffiti artists began using roofs of buildings.
C. The debate over whether graffiti
are art or vandalism is still going on. If graffiti are done with permission,
it can be considered art. But if it is on someone else’s property, it becomes a
crime. However, there is another opinion on the matter. According to that
opinion, graffiti represent freedom, emotional expression and an increased
liveliness of the city. These debates create disagreement among city officials
and the artists who wish to display works in public locations. City officials
in some areas, however, instead of spending huge amount of money to clean up
and remove graffiti, invite talented graffiti artists to paint more acceptable
images over it.
D. Many graffiti artists who use
political and humorous elements in their works often become internationally
popular. Several French and British artists have achieved international
popularity by creating works that have been sold for over 100,000 British pounds.
Banksy is one of the world’s most notorious and popular street artists who
keeps his real identity secret to avoid arrest. He is known for his political,
anti-war art.
E. While there are many styles of
graffiti, its most popular form is stencil graffiti. It originated in the early
1980s and is created by cutting out shapes in a stiff material to form an
overall image. Then stencil or a pattern is placed in the particular place and with
strokes of the aerosol can, the image appears on the surface. This form of
graffiti is popular because it requires very little time. Time is always a
factor with graffiti artists because of the constant threat of being caught by
the police and this form of graffiti allows them to do the job very fast.
F. Graffiti is becoming much more
acceptable today. In fact, successful artists are often considered as true
modern artists with a unique form of self-expression. Large corporations even
hire a graffiti artist to create advertisements. Some major corporations that
have hired graffiti artists for advertising campaigns include Coca-Cola, MTV
and Microsoft. It’s obvious that graffiti are quickly gaining recognition as a
true art form.
Task 4:
Read the text and the questions which follow. For each question mark the
correct answer (A, B, C or D).
This is a
true story told by a famous American ballet dancer, Misty Copland.
I never
thought I would be a dancer. I was fond of music and movement and I was always
dancing around at home, but that wasn’t something I ever thought about as a
career. Ballet found me when I was 13 years old living in a small room with my
single mother, struggling with five brothers and sisters for a place to sleep
on the floor. I was a little African-American girl. I grew up poor in San
Pedro, California, so I’d never seen a ballet, heard of ballet or knew what a
ballet looked like though dancing was something I enjoyed most of all. Quite
unexpectedly, I was noticed by a ballet teacher who saw something in me. Very
soon I took my first ballet class and everything just happened so quickly after
that. My teacher said to me that I had potential and could maybe even dance in
a professional ballet company. But if this was what I wanted to do I had to
work really hard for the next four years to be able to make great progress.
I was
already 13, which was too late to start ballet dancing. Most of the girls who
become ballerinas usually start practicing at the age of three. I remember my
teacher telling me that the legendary choreographer George Balanchine said that
a ballerina should have a long neck, sloped shoulders, a narrow waist and long
legs. ‘You’re everything he wanted’, my teacher said, ‘You’re perfect!’ When I
came to my first ballet class I was a bit scared, afraid of anything new, but
later, I began to believe my teacher and became confident in myself. So, every day
I came into the ballet studio, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to learn
something new today. What’s it going to be?’ I was very excited with the
progress I was making each day. And so, four years later I was in New York
dancing for the American Ballet Theatre – one of the most prestigious ballet
companies in the world. In 2015 after 14 years with the American Ballet
Theatre, I became the first African- American dark-skinned prima ballerina in
the company’s 75-year history.
But it has
been really hard to get where I am now. Ballet is such a traditional art form
that people are afraid to change it. They just don’t want to see dark-skinned
dancers on the stage. This negative stereotype could have stopped me many
times, but I was extremely fortunate to have a teacher who saw more than just
the colour of my skin. I feel proud because I succeeded in breaking down the
barriers of race and class that have long surrounded this beautiful art form. I
think I’ve managed to open doors for everyone. I’ve broken the unwritten rule
that all ballet dancers must look alike. I’m proud to have set an example of
what a ballerina can be, that she doesn’t have to be a white woman, that she
can look different. And I think the American Ballet Theatre also helps to
represent what Americans look like, and that dreams are possible here and that
you can push yourself to become anything if you work hard and have the right
support around you.
1. The
text is about
A. what a
perfect ballerina should look like. B.
the ballerina who changed the rules of ballet.
C. the
ballerina who didn’t achieve much. D. a
typical career of a ballet dancer.
2. When
Misty Copeland was a child, she
A. liked
dancing as well as music. B. used to
go to ballet performances.
C. heard a
lot about ballet. D. dreamed
of a career in ballet.
3. Which
is true about the writer of the text?
A. She was
the only child in the family. B. She
grew up in a rich family.
C. She
started ballet dancing at the age of 13.
D. Her talent was noticed by a famous
choreographer.
4. At her
first ballet class Misty felt
A. proud. B. confident. C. surprised. D. frightened.
5. How
long did it take Misty to become a professional dancer?
A. Four
years B. Ten years C. Thirteen years D. Fourteen years
6. Misty
Copeland is the first dark-skinned ballet dancer who managed to
A. achieve
success and recognition easily. B.
work with George Balanchine.
C. become a
lead dancer in the American Ballet Theatre.
D. change
her appearance to look exactly like others.
7. Misty
Copland feels proud because she
A. opened
opportunities for dark-skinned ballerinas too.
B. herself
trained many ballerinas of different race.
C.
encourages all ballerinas to look the same.
D. has always followed the rules in ballet.
8. Which
of the following would be the best title for this text?
A. Ballerina
who wants to change the world B. How a
star broke the colour barrier in ballet
C. George
Balanchine’s favourite ballerina D.
Ballerina’s life behind the stage
Task 5:
Read the text and fill the gaps (1-12) with the words given (A-N). Use each
word only once. Two words are extra.
began (A)
covered (B) common (C) different (D) difficult (E) exist (F) innovation (G) invented (H) legend (I) modern (J) named (K) strongly (L) variants (M) word (N)
The History of Pizza
The modern
pizza was invented in Naples, Italy but the ….. (1) pizza is Greek in
origin. It derived from the Greek word pēktos meaning solid. The
ancient Greeks ….. (2) their bread with oils, herbs and cheese. The first major
..... (3) that led to modern pizza was the use of tomato as a topping. It was
quite ….. (4) for the poor people of the area around Naples to add tomato to
their flat bread, and so this is how the history of the pizza ….. (5).
While it is
….. (6) to say for sure who invented the pizza, it is, however, believed that
….. (7) pizza was first made by baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples. In fact, a
popular ….. (8) says that the most typical pizza, Pizza Margherita, was ….. (9)
in 1889, when the Royal Palace of Naples requested Raffaele Esposito to create
a pizza in honour of Queen Margherita, who was going to visit the city. Out of
the three ….. (10) pizzas he created, the Queen strongly preferred a pie
covered in the colours of the Italian flag: red – the colour of potato, green –
the colour of basil and white – the colour of a kind of cheese, called
mozzarella.
Most likely,
this kind of pizza was then ….. (11) as Pizza Margherita after the Queen. Since
then the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. Nowadays, many
varieties of pizza ….. (12) worldwide.
Task 6:
Read the text and fill the gaps (1-10) with one of the following: article,
preposition, conjunction or relative pronoun.
Robot Birds
Birds are
nice enough but very often they become a danger to airplanes. Today, there are
many different instruments ….. (1) machines for scaring unwanted birds away
from the airports. One is called robot birds. In Alberta, Canada, robot birds
are used to patrol the skies around the airport. The robot bird’s job is to
send the real birds away ….. (2) the airport in order to protect aviation from
birds’ attacks. Small birds do little damage ….. (3) a plane. But a large bird,
or sometimes a group ….. (4) small ones, can break engine blades and cause a
catastrophe.
Liverpool
city council also decided to use robot birds to clear up the city from large
pigeons. They say that the birds in …..
(5) city are so large because people usually give them a lot of food. So,
instead ….. (6) following their normal diet of seeds and insects, birds eat
high-fat junk food.
In addition,
Liverpool city council thinks that the streets are very crowded ….. (7) birds
because people feed them. The city council hopes that they will be able to
encourage the birds to move away from the city centre and live ….. (8) the parks
and open spaces. Ten robot birds have been brought into the city centre to
scare the birds away. In addition, visitors are asked not to give the birds any
food. The mechanical birds - known as ‘robops’- will sit ….. (9) the roofs of
the buildings. They can be moved around to different locations. Robot birds
look like special birds ….. (10) kill pigeons. Robot birds even make noise and
move their wings to scare the pigeons. Liverpool city council hopes that this
way the pigeons will go away.
Task 7:
The advertisement given below is taken from an online newspaper. Read the
advertisement and write an email to the editor of the newspaper asking for more
information about the details which are indicated. The beginning is given on
the answer sheet.
Are you
an arts student? Are you ready to face challenges? If so, read this advertisement
carefully.
When exactly? Which countries? How many?
Task 8:
Read the essay task and write between 120-150 words.
Some
people think that teachers should give advice to schoolchildren which
profession to choose. Do you agree or disagree
with this opinion? State your opinion and support it with reasons and examples.
Task 1:
You are going to listen to five texts. For each of them answer the two
questions given. Mark the correct answer A, B or C. You have 20 seconds to look
through the questions. You will then hear the recording twice.
Text 1
1. Whose
portrait did Rusudan Petviashvili paint first?
A. Her
mother’s. B. Her brother’s. C. Her daughter’s.
2. How
did Rusudan’s parents help her?
A. They gave
her absolute independence. B. They gave
her a professional recommendation.
C. They
organised her exhibitions.
Text 2
3. What
made Annie Leibovitz especially well-known?
A. The
portrait of John Lennon. B. The books
on photography. C. The portraits of celebrities.
4. Annie
Leibovitz was given a ‘Living Legend Award’ by
A. the
magazine Vanity Fair. B. the Library
of Congress. C. the National Portrait
Gallery.
Text 3
5. When
were the mysterious Dropa stones found?
A. In 1938. B. In 1958. C. In 1962.
6.
According to one professor, the Dropa stones had the information about
A. China and
Tibet. B. a spacecraft crash. C. the lifestyle of Dropa people.
Text 4
7.
Skateboarding became popular and they began to make them
A. in
factories. B. at home. C. in city squares.
8. What
is the good thing about the skate parks?
A. One can
easily buy skateboards there. B.
Surfers can also practise there.
C. The
skateboarders don’t bother other people there.
Text 5
9. What
kind of city is Nan Madol?
A. A city on
one big island. B. A city consisting of
90 artificial islands.
C. A city
under the volcanic lava.
10. What
is the text mostly about?
A. A city
often visited by locals. B. The lost
city of El Dorado. C. A mysterious city in the Pacific Ocean.
Task 2:
Read the text. Then read the statements which follow and decide whether they
are True (T) or False (F).
Types of holidays in
Britain
Throughout
recent history the most traditional British holiday is the ‘seaside holiday.’
When families decide to go on a seaside holiday, they get on a train or into a
car and travel to British seaside towns such as Brighton or Blackpool. What
they enjoy there most is sunbathing on the beach, eating ice-cream, building
sand castles and going for donkey rides.
But it was
not the same in the late 1970s. Air travel then became affordable for the
average family in Britain and more and more British people started travelling
abroad for the summer holidays. After all, the British weather wasn’t very
good, even in summer, so a lot of British people left Britain for a holiday.
‘The package holiday,’ which included all the costs of a travel, was
particularly popular with families with a limited budget because its cost was
relatively low. In the 1980s and 1990s young people in the UK became wealthier
on average. As a result, they started to go abroad in groups to seaside places
in countries such as Spain and Greece.
British
holiday habits have begun to change, however, in the 21st century. One of the
major factors for this change is climate change, which means that Britain now
has a hotter climate than before, so people can sometimes find warmer weather
in Britain too. Also, the economic crisis has affected the international value
of the British pound, so going abroad has become more expensive than it used to
be. As a result, more and more British people are choosing to spend their
summer holidays in Britain. This year, bookings for British hotels in areas
such as the English Lake District have increased by 40 percent compared with
last year. This was mainly caused by the fact that the British are choosing to
spend their holidays in their own country.
In Britain,
the domestic tourism industry – when people go on holiday in their own country
– is healthier now than it has ever been. Newspapers have even invented a new
word, ‘staycation’. It’s a slang term to describe the sort of vacation when people
stay in their own homes and go on day trips rather than spend money on hotels.
In addition, British people increasingly appreciate the diversity of Britain.
It is not only the geography that varies, ranging from the green hills to valleys
and mountains, or the activities ranging from surfing to skiing, but it is also
the diversity of cultures in Britain that is beginning to be of interest to
domestic tourists. People sometimes forget that there are different accents,
languages, traditions, cuisines and peoples across all the regions of Britain.
It’s not only that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are different
from each other. It’s also that inside of each of these countries there are
unique regions with great differences from each other. As time passes, British
people are getting more interested in these cultural varieties.
True
(T) or False (F)?
1. Rides on
donkeys have been one of the most enjoyable holiday activities for British
families.
2. In the
late 1970s British families could only afford holidays in Britain.
3. In the
late 1970s many British people chose a ‘package holiday’ because it was comparatively
cheap.
4. In the
1980s and 1990s young people started to stay inside the UK for their holidays.
5. In this
century two factors, climate change and the economic situation, affected
British holiday habits.
6. This year
fewer local holidaymakers have reserved British hotels in the Lake District
than they did last year.
7. One
characteristic feature of ‘staycation’ is that people don’t spend money on
hotels.
8. British
tourists are attracted by only the geographical diversity of their country.
9. British
people are getting more interested in different cultures of their homeland.
10. The text
is about those British holiday habits which have remained the same.
Task 3:
Read the questions (1-8) and find the answers to them in the paragraphs (A-F)
of the text. Some paragraphs correspond to more than one question.
Which
paragraph
1. states
how long people have been celebrating Bonfire Night?
2. mentions
how one organisation collects money on Bonfire Night to help children?
3. gives the
number of the men involved in the plan to blow up the Parliament?
4. explains
why it is illegal for children to buy fireworks?
5. mentions
the arrest of the leader and his group members?
6. says
something about the tradition that no longer exists?
7. could
have the title: ‘The biggest firework show on Bonfire Night’?
8. could
have the title: ‘A delicious Bonfire Night menu’?
Bonfire
Night
A. On November 5th people across Britain
celebrate Bonfire* Night. Bonfire Night is also known as Guy Fawkes Night. It’s
a special day in honour of a historic event. In November 1605 a group of men
made a secret plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. An enormous
explosion was planned for November 5th. This was the day when the King was
going to open Parliament. The leader of the group was called Guy Fawkes. Along
with twelve other young Catholic men, Fawkes planned to blow up the parliament
building and kill the Protestant king, James I.
B. To carry out their plan, the men put
36 barrels of gunpowder* in the Houses of Parliament and waited for the King to
arrive. The group decided that Guy Fawkes should light the gunpowder and cause
the explosion. Did the men succeed? No, they didn’t. The police found the
gunpowder before it exploded and they caught all the men involved in the plot*.
Guy Fawkes and his friends were tortured and killed. Their secret plan to
overthrow the King became known as the Gunpowder Plot.
C. On the very night of November 5th,
1605, when Londoners got the news that the King and the Parliament building
survived, they were so happy that they lit bonfires and burned Guy Fawkes dolls
in the streets to celebrate the event. The bonfire parties quickly became a
tradition and after 400 years, Bonfire Night is still celebrated in Britain.
Each year on the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot the British people
light bonfires to celebrate that King James’s life was saved. Fireworks light
up the sky and people burn life-sized dolls of Guy Fawkes, called ‘Guys’, on
the bonfire.
D. It’s normally quite cold in November
in Britain, so on Bonfire Night people wear hats, scarves and gloves to spend the
evening outside. They need some warm food too. Traditional Bonfire Night food
is hot baked potatoes cooked on the bonfire and filled with butter and cheese.
Bonfire Night is also the night of the toffee apple on a stick. This caramel
covered apple is a perfect sweet treat to enjoy while watching the fireworks.
No Bonfire Night would be complete without it!
E. On that day, when darkness falls,
there are major firework shows and the night skies are filled with colour.
People enjoy a sparkling night of fun, music and spectacular firework displays
held in towns and cities across Britain. The biggest one is the Edenbridge
firework display in Kent organised by the Edenbridge Bonfire Society.
Edenbridge also has the biggest Guy. An eleven-metre-high model of a ‘Celebrity
Guy’ is burned at the bonfire festival in Edenbridge every year. More than
10,000 people usually attend this annual event, with families visiting from
London, Surrey, Sussex, and Kent. During this event the Edenbridge Bonfire
Society raises money for local children’s charities.
F. Because fireworks can be very
dangerous, it is against the law in the UK to sell fireworks to children.
Fireworks are fun, but it is important to use them safely so you don’t get
hurt. In the past, children used to take their homemade Guys onto the streets
and ask for ‘a penny for the Guy’ to collect money to buy fireworks. Over the
years, however, the custom of begging for ‘a penny for the Guy’ has completely
disappeared. Now you have to be over 18 years old to buy fireworks and safety
on Bonfire Night is an important issue.
*bonfire - კოცონი *gunpowder - დენთი *plot - შეთქმულება
Task 4:
Read the text and the questions which follow. For each question mark the
correct answer (A, B, C or D).
This is a
true story told by a big Hollywood star - Sylvester Stallone.
I was
growing up with a dream of becoming an actor, but my rise to success was not an
easy one. My life was difficult right from the beginning. I was born paralyzed
in the lower left part of my face. Because of this, my speech was affected and
I couldn’t speak the way you would expect from an actor. Many people thought
that my speech defect was a big problem for an acting career. All the studios rejected
me probably because of this. In mid 1970s, I went to New York to follow my
dream of being an actor, but again I found nothing but closed doors. I had no
money at all, and I even ended up homeless and had to sleep at the New Jersey
bus station for three weeks. I was so poor by this time that I decided I had to
sell my dog, because I couldn’t afford to feed him any longer. I waited outside
a local store asking people if they would buy my dog. Eventually, someone
bought him for 25 dollars. Probably that was the worst day of my life. I
remember I walked away crying. Then one day, during my hard times, I went to
see a boxing match between legendary Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. Ali was at
his best. Wepner didn’t have a chance at all against the greatest boxing
champion but he wasn’t ready to give up. No matter how hard Ali hit him, Wepner
kept moving forward and continued to fight. I was inspired by Wepner’s strong
character. And suddenly, I got an idea for a film script*. I worked on it
without sleep and after three days of work the script for the film ‘Rocky’ was
ready.
I tried to
sell the script to the producers in Hollywood and I got an offer of 125,000
dollars straight away. But there was a problem: the producers wanted the script
but they didn’t want me to play in the film. They rejected me as an actor and
said that I ‘looked funny and talked funny’. I refused to accept their offer. I
told them I would sell my script only if they let me act the main character in
the film. After a few weeks they offered 325,000 dollars for my script and I
refused again. I was determined to be an actor and no price could change my
mind. Eventually they agreed to allow me to act in the movie, but with a very
low salary for a leading role – only 35,000 dollars. I immediately agreed to
sell the script and guess what was the first thing I did with that money? I
bought back my dog for 15,000 dollars and later he also appeared in the film ‘Rocky’. The film was an
immediate hit. It earned over 225 million dollars and went on to win three
Oscars, including Best Picture. I was nominated for the Best Actor. So you see,
if you really want something and if you work harder than you can, you make the
impossible possible!
*film script
-ფილმის სცენარი
1. The
text is about Sylvester Stallone’s
A.
successful career in Hollywood. B. fight
for success. C. most memorable role.
D. unhappy
life.
2. Which
is true about Sylvester Stallone?
A. He wanted
to become an actor. B. His talent was
quickly recognised.
C. It was
easy for him to start an acting career. D.
His main goal was to become rich.
3. When
Stallone sold his dog he felt
A. proud. B. excited. C. frightened. D. heartbroken.
4.
Stallone was impressed by Chuck Wepner’s fight because the boxer
A. became
the world champion. B. was stronger
than Muhammad Ali.
C. did not
give up. D.
was sure to win the match.
5. How
long did it take Stallone to write the film script?
A. Just
three days B. A couple of months C. Several hours D. A few weeks
6.
Stallone finally decided to sell the script for the film ‘Rocky’ to producers
because
A. he was
offered a lot of money for the script. B. he wanted to act a small part in it.
C. he was
given the leading role. D. he
thought the film would be a big success.
7. How
much did it cost Stallone to buy his dog back?
A. 25 USD B. 15,000 USD C. 35,000 USD D. 250 USD
8. Which
of the following would be the best title for this text?
A. ‘Rocky’ –
the Oscar-winning film B. Easy life of
a legendary film star
C. Life in
today’s Hollywood D. The
dream which came true
Task 5:
Read the text and fill the gaps (1-12) with the words given (A-N). Use each
word only once. Two words are extra. Do
not copy the extra words from the text on the answer sheet.
bears (A) boiled (B) childhood (C) collecting (D) disappeared (E) favourite (F) furniture (G) hobby (H) objects (I) owners (J) shape (K) shop(L) think (M) types (N)
An unusual hobby
Many people
collect things as a hobby for entertainment and fun. People collect a large
variety of …… (1): stamps, postcards,dolls and many other things. Some people
collect things which are connected to historical events or famous people.
Somebody might …… (2) that collecting things is quite strange and boring.
However, these things are really priceless for their …… (3). The joy of
collecting usually starts in …… (4) with dolls, gaming cards, as well as little
teddy bears and then turns into a more serious habit of …… (5) antique
furniture, special edition teddy bears and richly decorated miniatures.
One of the
strangest collections is the collection of eggcups. An eggcup is a container
used for serving a …… (6) egg within its shell. Kevin Murphy from Yorkshire,
the UK, has 10,000 eggcups. Some of them have a very strange …… (7). The
eggcups are made of pottery, plastic, glass and some metals. Some eggcups are made
of only two …… (8) of materials - wood and ceramic. Not surprisingly, Kevin’s
…… (9) eggcup has the shape of a typical Yorkshire man. Kevin’s …… (10) began
seven years ago when he saw some eggcups in a local …… (11). He liked them so
much that he immediately started collecting them. Kevin sometimes loses some of
his eggcups, but he always tries to replace them. ‘I’ve just bought a
replacement for one of my favourite eggcups, which mysteriously …… (12) last
week’, he said the other day.
Task 6:
Read the text and fill the gaps (1-10) with one of the following: article,
preposition, conjunction or relative pronoun. Insert only ONE word. Do not copy
the extra words from the text on the answer sheet.
The travels of Marco Polo
In 1274
Italian explorers Marco and Niccolo Polo set out on a 24-year journey in which
they travelled along the famous Silk Road from Italy through dangerous deserts
…… (1) high mountains to eastern China. They travelled over 4,000 miles in all.
Marco and Niccolo were among …… (2) first Europeans to explore the fabulous
empire of China. In China Marco Polo even worked …… (3) Emperor Kublai Khan.
Marco Polo later wrote a book about his travels in China and described his experiences
and findings in it. He described materials and inventions …… (4) were never
seen by the Europeans before. Paper money, a printing press, porcelain,
gunpowder and coal were among the products he wrote about. Marco Polo also described
the enormous wealth …… (5) Emperor Kublai Khan, as well as the geography of
northern and southern China.
European
kings were very interested…… (6) the products which Marco Polo described. They
themselves didn’t travel to those countries ….. (7) they thought that
travelling along the Silk Road was dangerous and expensive. European kings
began to wonder if there was …… (8) sea route to the east to get the products
they wanted at a reasonable price. Marco
Polo’s stories …… (9) his travels in Asia were published as a book called The
Description of the World, later known as The Travels of Marco Polo.
But only few people believed in Marco’s tale. They thought that it was a fantasy,
the story of a man with a wild imagination. The work eventually got another
title Il Milione (‘The Million Lies’). Though people then thought that
the book …… (10) Marco Polo wrote didn’t have any true facts in it, it still
had a big influence on travellers.
Task 7:
The advertisement given below is taken from an online newspaper. Read the
advertisement and write an email to the editor of the newspaper asking for more
information about the details which are indicated. The beginning is given on
the answer sheet. Do not write your or anybody else’s name or surname in the
letter.
If you
are under 18 and good at painting animals, read this advertisement below.
The International Organisation Art
for Everyone is announcing a competition for schoolchildren for the best
painting of a penguin. The participants have to send their paintings of a
penguin by August 15, 2018. The number of paintings each participant can send
is limited. First prize winners will get some money as an award.
Results will be posted on our Facebook page in spring. If you have questions, please email us
at: artforeveryone@gmail.com
When
exactly? How much? How many?
Task 8: Read the essay task and write
between 120-150 words.
Some
people think that there should be more entertainment places, such as concert
halls and cinemas, for young people. Do
you agree or disagree with this opinion? State your opinion and support it with
reasons and examples.
No comments:
Post a Comment