There are lots of Christmas traditions in Britain. For example... 1 страница

Reading

Task 1

Read the text below. Match choices (A—H) to (1—5). There are two choices you don't need to use.

Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

A week has 168 hours. If you sleep eight hours a day, that leaves 112 hours per week of active time in your life. If you work about 50 hours a week, that is almost half of the active time you have avail­able to you. This is a very significant portion of your life that you spend working.

0 (C) One obvious answer is that you need to provide for yourself and your family. But there has to be more to work than just making money. Many billionaires, like Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Warren Buffett, spend a significant amount of their time working, probably more than most people. And yet, they don't need any money. Work can be anything from being a volunteer, to being a high-powered executive, and anything in between. Let's look at the advantages work can give us.

1 () Many people go through their working life thinking about retirement. They think about the

day when they will just be able to sit back, relax and take it easy. But when the day arrives when you finally get to retirement an interesting phenomenon happens to many people. They enjoy the first few months of their newly found freedom and stress-free living, but after a while they start losing their sense of purpose. Their work gave them a sense of accomplishment that they now miss, and they start to feel worthless.

2 () In many lines of work, you have to deal with people and their personalities, egos, beliefs,

cultures, politics, habits, and all of the struggles and joys that make up the human existence. You also face conflicts and hard choices. Sometimes you even have to deal with difficult ethical issues. As you gain experience and mature in your work, you develop character. You learn how to deal with different types of people and different situations.

3 () Everyone has unique talents and gifts. Some are obvious to you. Others become apparent as you start applying them in your work activities. Work allows you to discover your strengths and

weaknesses. And discovering and using your talents can be a very satisfying and rewarding xperience.

Without work your talents stay dormant and do not find a way to flourish. It is a waste of your

gifts that could otherwise have been put to good use.

4 () When you do a good job you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Being able to work and serve, in whatever capacity, is an honourable activity.

5 () But I am yet to see a successful person that does not do any type of work. Work is the very

essence of what success is all about.

A Work is honourable.

B To sum it up, there are many interpretations of what success is.

C So the question you must ask is «Why do you do it?».

D Work allows you to put your talents to good use.

E Work gives you a sense of purpose.

F The main purpose of work is making money.

G Some people go through life resenting and avoiding work.

H Work is a means to develop character.

— 15 — Bapiaнт 1

Read the text below. For statements (6—10) choose T if the statement is true according to the text, and F if it is false. Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

PHONE RAGE

What drives people to lose temper on the telephone? Being kept waiting, being connected to voice mail, being passed on to someone else are all common reasons. But what infuriates them most of all is talking to someone who sounds inattentive, unconcerned or insincere, according to a Reed survey published today.

The Reed's survey found that nearly two thirds of people feel that «phone rage» — people losing their temper on the telephone — has become more common over the past five years. More than half of the respondents, who were from 536 organizations, said that they themselves had lost their tempers on the phone this year.

The reasons for this are threefold, according to Reed. People are much more likely to express anger over the phone, rather than in writing or face-to-face. Moreover, telephone usage has been ris­ing steeply over recent years. Increasing numbers of transactions take place entirely by phone, from arranging insurance to paying bills. In addition, people's expectations have risen. Nearly three quar­ters of respondents to the Reed survey said they are more confident that their problems can be solved over the telephone than they were five years ago.

Companies are taking steps to improve their staff's telephone answering techniques. The survey found that 70 percent of organizations require their staff to answer the telephone with a formal com-pany greeting. In 43 percent of organizations, staff have to give their own names when they answer the telephone.

But a third of organizations do not give any training, or they train only their receptionists. That may not be enough, the report says. As companies move towards "remote working", the need for the right tone of voice extends to every level of the organization.

0 People usually don't like talking to someone who sounds inattentive,

unconcerned or insincere. (T)

6 Phone rage means people losing their temper on the telephone. ()

7 All the respondents for the Reed's survey were from one organization. ()

8 People prefer to show anger in writing or at face-to-face communication. ()

9 More and more arrangements take place entirely by phone. ()

10 Companies are anxious about their staff's telephone etiquette. ()

Task 3

Read the text below. For questions (11—15) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

STUDENTS INVITED TO NAME NEW MARS ROVER

NASA is looking for the right name for the next Mars rover.

In cooperation with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, NASA will conduct a naming contest for its car-sized Mars Science Laboratory rover that is planned to be presented in 2009.

The contest begins on Tuesday, November 18, and is open to students of 5 to 18 years old. To enter the contest, students will submit essays explaining why their suggested name for the

Bapiaнт 1 — 16 —

rover should be chosen. Essays must be received by February 25, 2009. In April 2009, the public will have the opportunity to know nine finalists' names via the Internet as additional information for judges to consider during the selection process. NASA will announce the winning rover name in May, 2009.

Disney will provide prizes to students submitting winning essays, including a trip to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where the rover is under construction. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to place a signature on the spacecraft and take part in the history of space exploration.

«Mars exploration has always captured the public imagination», said Mark Dahl, program executive for the Mars Science Laboratory at NASA Headquarters in Washington. «This contest will expand our ability to inspire students' interest in science and give the public a chance to participate in NASA's next expedition to Mars».

The Mars Science Laboratory rover will be larger and more capable than any craft previously sent to land there. It will check whether the environment in a carefully selected landing region ever has been favourable for supporting microbial life. The rover will search for minerals that formed in the presence of water and look for several chemical building blocks of life.

«We are now in a phase when we're building and testing the rover before its journey to Mars», said John Klein, project manager for the Mars Science Laboratory at JPL. "As the rover comes together and begins to take shape, the whole team can't wait to call it by name".

0 What does the text tell about?

A About the competition held by NASA.

B About NASA's Mars projects.

C About the new Walt Disney cartoon.

D About Mars Science Laboratory rover.

11 What is the deadline for students' essays?

A November, 2008.

B February, 2009.

C April, 2009.

D May, 2009.

12 How is it planned to announce the finalists' names?

A By TV.

B In a newspaper.

C By means of Internet.

D On the radio.

13 What will the grand prize winner have?

A A trip to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

B The opportunity to see the rover under construction.

C The rover model.

D The opportunity to place a signature on the spacecraft.

14 What is the purpose of the contest according to Mark Dahl?

A To attract students' interest to science.

B To choose the best name for the Mars rover.

C To tell about the new Mars rover.

D To give students a chance to travel to Mars.

— 17 —

Bapiaнт 1

15 Which of the following will the Mars Science Laboratory rover not do?

A Check whether the environment in a carefully selected landing region ever has been favourable

for supporting microbial life.

B Search for minerals that formed in the presence of water.

C Look for several chemical building blocks of life.

D Study the flora and fauna.

Task 4

Read the text below. Match paragraphs (A— H) to (16—20). There are two choices you don't need to use. Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

A Give energy-saving lightbulbs to families in need: this was the bright idea of Avery Hairston, teenager, and friends at the Collegiate School in New York City, who started RelightNY in 2006. Using donations from individuals and corporations, the teens buy compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which use less electricity and last longer than regular bulbs. Then they scout out residents of low-income who need the help. So far, they've delivered 21,000 bulbs.

B Day after day, as he hiked his ten-mile route through St Petersburg, Florida, letter-carrier Eric Wills noticed overgrown, weed-infested front yards. They were eyesores for sure, but to Wills, 31, they were also a cry for help, most likely from someone infirm or elderly. So one day, on his own time, Wills started mowing — without pay and eventually with a little help from his friends. «A yard is an outward appearance of a person's life», says Wills. «I try to help people see something positive". Today he cuts 18 yards on a regular basis, using donated equipment from all over. Says 87-year-old Lucille Formanek, “This mailman is a godsend”.

C No wonder the Wave is the Shangri-La for extreme hikers: this natural rock formation in Arizona, part of the Coyote Buttes area, offers a matchless panorama of undulating sandstone. Top elevation is 5,200 feet, but the area offers lots to admire underfoot as well — the prints of Jurassic-age dinosaurs can be spotted in the fragile earth. To preserve this place of wonder, only 20 hiking passes are issued daily. Want to explore this rocky road yourself? Carry lots of water, wear rubber soles, and prepare to trek three miles in. Then feast your eyes.

D When Gus Kendrick turned ten this past winter, his dad, globe-trotting photographer Robb Kendrick, made good on a promise: to take his son on a special trip. The catch? The boy had to devise the itinerary himself and bone up on wildlife, climate, and history.

Gus chose the Galapagos Islands, the Pacific archipelago Charles Darwin first made famous in 1859. For seven days, the duo sailed the islands, scouting blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, and marine iguanas, while Gus vied with the tour guide for most notable factoids. Father and son snorkelled among 250-pound sea turtles as well as stingrays and sea lions, and, says the elder Kendrick, «I could hear my son laughing through his snorkel".

E When Weasie Gaines, 37, of LaGrange, Kentucky, married true love Nick Russ last September, she couldn't have cared less about the wedding dress, she says.

«But the veil — oh, I love this veil!» The mesh-backed, nine-foot-long lace adornment, has been in her family for about 200 years and was worn by her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother: all her life, she says, «I've dreamed of wearing this veil».

Bapiaнт 1 — 18 —

F «If you're passionate about something», says industrial designer Yves Behar, «follow your emotions».

The San Francisco-based innovator makes utilitarian objects that often become design icons, such as the Jawbone Bluetooth headset, the Birkenstock gardening clog, and the Herman Miller leaf lamp. Behar, 40, who founded the Fuseproject design studio in 1999, says his latest project is the «Y» bottle, which holds nine ounces of vitamin water in environmentally friendly, 100 % recyclable plastic. It's also a construction game. «The bottles link together into various structures that teach kids about design and the environment», Behar says.

G When her son Andre was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, Valerie Sobel says she «felt like the most unfortunate woman on the planet».

But the Los Angeles-based interior designer realized she was lucky compared with some other parents she'd met at the hospital during her son's treatment. Single moms and dads often had to choose between staying to comfort a sick child or going off to work to pay the bills. After her son passed away in 1995, at age 19, and her grief-stricken husband committed suicide the following year, Sobel made it a personal mission to assist the most vulnerable families. The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation provides grant money to single caregivers of seriously ill children at 12 U. S. hospitals, covering everything from rent and mortgage payments to wigs for cancer patients. The program has now given $4 million.

«Valerie Sobel is an angel», explains.cancer survivor Oscar Diaz, 19. «She made sure I had my mom».

H W ith the goal of providing donated cars to low-income citizens, former food-service executive Hal Colston founded Good News Garage twelve years ago. Since then, the Burlington, Vermont, nonprofit has given away more than 3,000 vehicles to residents of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont.

«If you can't get there, nothing happens. You can't get a job or be part of the community», says Colston, 54. Lucky recipients are proof positive that transportation helps pave the way to a new start. The majority now rely less on government aid, and 83 percent claim that having a car makes holding down a job possible. Good news, indeed.

O Best light touch (A)

16 Best inventor ()

17 Best deal on wheels ()

18 Best caregiver ()

19 Best guided tour ()

20 Best special delivery ()

Task 5

Readthe text below. For questions (21 —32) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

CALLENDALE CASTLE

Callendale Castle, often called one of the (0) A castles in England, is built on a hill over­looking the (21)______of Callendale in West Bassetshire. On approaching Callendale village, the

twin (22)_____of the castle suddenly loomed through the mist, giving the village a (23)________

appearance.

— 19 — Bapiaнт 1

Callendale Castle (24)_____many stories, and many secrets. A quick read through the (25)____gave me a colourful image of the way things must have been inside these forbidding stone walls all those years (26)_____. A secret meeting between (27)_____Henry the 5th and a French ambassador took (28)_____here during the 100 years' war. In 1814, the castle narrowly escaped being burnt to the (29)_____when a lazy kitchen boy left a pig roasting on the open (30)_____unattended. The castle (31) _____ took me to a dark dank dungeon, complete with gruesome instruments of torture. Hidden in one corner is a tiny cell, little more than a hole, where countless prisoners were left to rot away. It's hard to imagine how a grown person could fit (32)_____a place so small.

— 21 — Bapiaнт 1

Writing

Тask 1

Read the text below. Complete the text with the correct forms of the words in brackets (33—44). Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

THE FROG IN THE WELL

There was a frog that (0) lived (to live) in a shallow well.

«Look how well off I am here!» he (33)______________________(to tell) a big turtle from the Eastern Ocean. «I can (34)______________________(to hop) along the coping of the well when I (35)______________________ (to go) out, and rest by a crevice in the bricks on my return. I can wallow to my heart's content with only my head above water, or (36)____________________(to stroll) ankle deep through soft mud. No crabs or tadpoles can compare with me. I (37)______________________(to be) the master of the water and the lord of this shallow well. What more can a fellow ask? Why don't you come here more often to have a good time?»

Before the turtle from the Eastern Ocean (38)____________________(can) get his left foot into the well, however, he (39)_________________(to catch) his right claw on something. So he halted and stepped back, then (40)___________________(to begin) to describe the ocean to the frog.

«It's more than a thousand miles across and more than ten thousand feet deep. In ancient times there (41)______________________ (to be) floods nine years out of ten yet the water in the ocean never (42)______________________(to increase).

And later there were droughts seven years out of eight yet the water in the ocean never

(43) ______________________ (to grow) less. It (44) ______________________ (to remain) quite constant throughout the ages. That is why I like to live in the Eastern Ocean». Then the frog in the shallow well was silent and felt a little abashed.

Task 2

45 Look at Meg's diary for next weekend; then use this information and the plan below to write a short letter (120—150 words) from Meg to her friend Larry telling about her plans.

Friday, 23 Stay at Earl's Inn hotel in city centre, London.

Saturday, 24 In the morning: visit some of London's museums.

In the afternoon: shop in Oxford Street in the West End, find some bargains in Top Shop.

In the evening: have dinner at Planet Hollywood in Piccadilly — a really popular place with tasty food and great music.

Sunday, 25 Catch 10 o'clock train back to Liverpool.

PLAN

Introduction:

Salutation and greeting

Opening remarks and reason for writing Main Body

Telling about:

accommodation

plans for the morning

plans for the daytime

plans for the evening Conclusion

Closing remarks

Polite ending (Best wishes /Love /etc.)

Your signature

Bapiaнт 2 — 24 —

READING

Task 1

Read the text below. Match choices (A—H) to (1—5). There are two choices you don't need to use.

Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

For centuries, people have recognized the power of luck and have done whatever they could to seize it. Such superstitions as knocking on wood or looking for a four-leaf clover aimed at receiving help from powerful gods.

0 (E) And can we actually do anything to attract good luck?

Lucky people, as psychologists say, get that way via some basic principles — taking chance

opportunities; creating self-fulfilling prediction through positive expectations; and adopting

a flexible attitude that turns bad luck around.

Let's take chance opportunities for example: lucky people regularly have them; unlucky people

don't.

1 () Lucky people see what is there rather than just what they're looking for.

Another important principle concerns the way in which lucky and unlucky people deal with misfortune. Imagine representing your country in the Olympics.

2 () Now imagine the second Olympics. This time you do even better and win a silver medal. How

happy do you think you'd feel? Most of us think we'd be happier after winning the silver medal.

But research suggests athletes who win bronze medals are actually happier. This is because silver medalists think that if they'd performed slightly better, they might have won a gold medal. In contrast, bronze medalists focus on how if they'd performed slightly worse, they wouldn't have won anything. Psychologists call this ability to imagine what might have happened, rather than what actually happened, «counter-factual» thinking. This kind of thinking makes people feel better about themselves, keeps expectations high, and increases the chance of continuing to live a lucky life.

3 () The researchers answer in the affirmative. An experiment was held during which participants

were taught how to be more open to opportunities around them, how to break routines, and how to deal with bad luck by imagining things being worse. They were asked to carry out specific exercises for a month and then report back.

4 () 80 percent were happier and more satisfied with their lives — and luckier. One «unlucky» lady

said that after making her attitude more positive — expecting good fortune, not stressing on the negative — her bad luck had disappeared. One day, she went shopping and found a dress she liked.

5 () And when she returned to the store in a week, it was gone. Instead of slinking away disappointed, she looked around and found a better dress — and for less price. Events like this made her a much happier person.

Her experience shows how thoughts and behaviour affect the good and bad fortune we encounter. It proves that the effective way of taking advantage of the power of luck is available to all of us.

A Unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they're too busy looking for something

else.

B But she didn't buy it,

C Does this technique work?

D Can thought and behaviour enhance good fortune?

E So why do we pass this and other superstitions down from generation to generation?

F On average, unlucky people spent about two minutes on this exercise;

G The results were dramatic:

H You compete, do well, and win a bronze medal.

— 25 — Bapiaнт 2

Task 2

Read the text below. For statements (6—10) choose T if the statement is true according to the text, and F if it is false. Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

In Great Britain education is compulsory for all children from 5 to 16 years of age. There are three stages in education. The first stage is primary education; the second is secondary education; the third is further education at university or college. Before 5 some children attend Nursery Schools, while most children start their basic education in an Infant School which is the first stage of primary edu-

cation. In Infant Schools children don't have real classes. They get acquainted with the classroom, desks, they mostly play and learn through playing. From 7 to 11 they attend Junior Schools, the sec­ond stage of primary education. In Primary Schools children are taught the so-called 3R's — reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as elementary science and information technology. They also have music, physical training and art classes.

At the age of eleven children transfer to Comprehensive Schools. These schools give general edu­cation and a wide range of academic courses leading to the public examinations taken at 16. They also provide some vocational courses.

After five years of secondary education, pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Educa­tion examination. Pupils take «O-levels» — Ordinary levels — in as many subjects as they want to; some take just one or two, others take as many as nine or ten. If you get good «O-level» results, you can stay on at school until you are 18. Here you prepare for Advanced Level Exams («A-levels»). Three good «A-level» exams lead to universities.

Higher education begins at 18 and usually lasts for three or four years. Students go to universi­ties, polytechnics or colleges. The leading universities in England are Oxford, Cambridge and Lon­don. After three years of study, a student receives a Bachelor's degree. Some may continue their studies for two or more years to get their Master's and Doctor's degrees.

British education has many different faces but one goal. Its aim is to realize the potential of all for the good of the individual and society as a whole.

0 In Britain children aged from 5 to 16 must go to school. (T)

6 At the age of 7 children go to an Infant School. ()

7 Three R's mean reading, writing and arithmetic. ()

8 Comprehensive Schools give general education and a wide range of academic courses. ()

9 Pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination

at the age of 18. ()

10 Students usually receive a Bachelor's degree after five years of studying

at the institutions of higher education. ()

Bapiaнт 2 — 26 —

Task 3

Read the text below. For questions (11 — 15) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. An example (0) has been done for you.

THE TOWN OF RICHMOND, ENGLAND

This town which is in Surrey or Greater London as it is known today has quite a bit of history to it.

Richmond got its name from the Earl of Richmond Yorkshire in 1501, the father of Henry VII who visited Richmond. Before then, Richmond in Surrey was known as The Vale of Shene. Richmond Park was known as Shene Chase. Richmond Palace on the edge of Old Palace Lane has been home to some of the Royal Family. Henry VII passed away at Richmond Palace in 1509 and his son Henry VIII came to the throne after Henry VII's death, and he visited Richmond too and came to Richmond Park known as Shene Chase then as Richmond Park as it is now did not take its name until Charles I was around in the following century. Henry VIII had his hunting ground in Richmond Park.

More recently Richmond has had Royal Family connections. Half a century ago Queen Elizabeth and George VI were married at St Peter's Church in 1923 and were known as the Duke and Duchess of York. They had their residence at White Lodge in Richmond Park.

Richmond Bridge is over two hundred years old now as it was constructed in 1777 under William Windham. The bridge celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1977, the same year as the present Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Richmond Town Hall was built over a century ago in 1893 under Sir John Whittaker Ellis, three years after the town had got its charter in 1890. Richmond Town Hall got bombed during the second world war in 1940. It was rebuilt after the war and visited by Queen Elizabeth in December 1952.

Не нашли, что искали? Воспользуйтесь поиском: