The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace

Read the text. Write a short summary of it (5-6 sentences). Use your own words

To express the main idea of the text.

Ukrainian Studies at Cambridge

By Dmytro Drozdovsky

The University of Cambridge is opening a permanent programme in Ukrainian studies, where students will be able to learn the Ukrainian language and culture.

This seems quite a significant step, given that today the first place at European universities belongs to Arabic and Chinese rather than the Slavonic languages, let alone Ukrainian.

Simon Franklin, professor, Department of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge said on the occasion of opening a programme of Ukrainian studies at Cambridge, "The understanding of Ukraine, the studying of Ukraine on a fundamental level, is hardly ever seen in Western Europe, although it exists in North America, especially in Canada. British citizens lack elementary knowledge of Ukrainian history, culture, language, and literature."

According to Franklin, one of the programme's main purports is the formation of an understanding of Ukraine among British people and Western Europeans in general. All this will undoubtedly help speed up the process of Ukraine's reintegration into the European system.

Emma Widdis, director of the Department of Slavonic Studies, University of Cambridge, remarked that Cambridge students can take Ukrainian as their second foreign language as all students are obliged to study at least two foreign languages.

Rory Finnin, director of the Ukrainian programme at the University of Cambridge, also said that as many lecturers from Ukraine as possible would be involved in teaching Ukrainian at Cambridge.

"Our goal is to train a new generation of analysts and politicians, who know and understand Ukraine and its culture," he emphasized. Thus, this programme is aimed at establishing Ukraine as a European nation which must work hard to spread awareness of itself in the European space. But education is a prerequisite for this: the opportunity for young Ukrainian people to study at the University of Cambridge, and for British people to learn about Ukraine as a reliable geopolitical partner.

Taken from The Day No. 52, September, 2010

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► II. Writing

You are going to spend three days with your friends In London. You've just received an email from your English friend asking you about the time of your arrival and the places you'd like to visit. Write an email of 45-60 words including the following points:

· arrival details and the name of the airport;

· a chosen programme.

► III. Speaking

Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming. Talk about your attitude towards the issue. Include the following:

· the reasons of global warming;

· the ways to cope with the problem.

Examination Card #2

► I. Reading

Read the text. Write a short summary of it (5-6 sentences). Use your own words

To express the main idea of the text.

The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace

In 1851 Great Britain was arguably the leader of the industrial revolution and feeling very secure in that ideal. The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London was conceived to symbolize this industrial, military and economic superiority of Great Britain. Just representing the feats of Britain itself would have excluded many of the technological achievements pioneered by the British in its many colonies and protectorates, so it was decided to make the exhibit truly international with invitations being extended to almost all of the colonized world. Many people felt secure, economically and politically, and Queen Victoria was eager to reinforce the feeling of contentment with her reign. It was during the mid-1850's that the word "Victorian" began to be employed to express a new self-consciousness, both in relation to the nation and to the period through which it was passing.

The Great Exhibition was held in Hyde Park in London in the specially constructed Crystal Palace. It was originally designed by Sir Joseph Paxton in only 10 days and was a huge iron goliath with over a million feet of glass. Over 13,000 exhibits were displayed and viewed by over 6,200,000 visitors to the exhibition. The millions of visitors that journeyed to the Great Exhibition of 1851 marvelled at the industrial revolution that was propelling Britain into the greatest power of the time.

The objects on display came from all parts of the world, including India and the countries with recent white settlements, such as Australia and New Zealand that constituted the new empire. Many of the visitors who flocked to London came from European cities. The profits from the event allowed for the foundation of public works such as the Albert Hall, the Science Museum, the National History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

http://www.victorianstation.com

► II. Write an email to your English-speaking friend saying that you would like to go on holiday with him/her and say which town in Ukraine you recommend to visit and why.

► III. Speaking

Speak about a famous British artist (musician, writer). Express your point of view on the following:

· the influence of Art on your/your friend's personal growth;

· modern trends in Art;

· the places (music compositions, books) you'd like to visit / listen to / read.

Examination Card #3

► I. Reading