БИЛЕТ № 4 1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences
Albert Foreman had been a verger at St. Peter’s church in Neville Square for sixteen years. Albert Edward was very proud of his job and his church. But there was one special feature about Albert: he couldn’t read or write. When one day a new vicar discovered this, he told him that unless he learnt to read and write within three months, he would lose his job. Albert refused and that evening he sadly locked the church and began to walk home. As he walked along the street he looked for a shop to buy a packet of Gold Flake. It was a long street but there was not a single shop where he could buy cigarettes.
«That’s strange,» Albert said to himself. «That’s an idea!» Next day he went along the street and by good luck found a little shop to let. Twenty-four hours later he had taken it, and a month after that set up in business as a tobacconist and newsagent. He did so well that in ten years he had acquired no less than ten shops and he was making money hand over fist. One morning when he was at the bank the cashier told him that the manager would like to see him. «Mr. Foreman,» said the manager, «I wanted to have a talk with you about the money you’ve got with us. It’s a very large sum and I think you would do better to invest it.»
A troubled look appeared on Mr. Foreman’s face. «I’ve never had anything to do with investments,» he said. «We’ll do everything. All you’ll have to do is just sign some forms.» «But how should I know what I was signing?» «I suppose you can read,» said the manager a little sharply. «Well, sir, that’s just it. I can’t. I can’t read or write, only my name, and I only learnt to do that when I went into business.»
The manager was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair. «That’s the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever heard. And do you mean to say that you made a fortune of thirty thousand pounds without being able to read or write? Good God, man, what would you now be if you had been able to?»
«I’d be a verger of St. Peter’s, Neville Square.»
2 What kind of person was Albert Foreman. Read aloud the extract which says about it
3 Why did Albert have a troubled look when he had heard the manager’s offer?
4 What was the manager’s reaction when he had learned the truth about Mr. Foreman?
БИЛЕТ № 5
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
My Great Aunt’s name is Mary Grieve. She is my grandmother’s aunt. I do not know her very well having always lived a long way away, but she has always been a woman I have respected for many different reasons.
She is now over eighty years old and was bom in Scotland in 1912. She had one brother called Tom. Her family was wealthy for those times and luckily for Mary, her father believed in educating both his children. He did not send her to one of the typical schools for daughters of the rich where they only learnt skills preparing them for marriage. She was obviously intelligent and when she left school she went to Oxford University.
In the 1930’s there were very few women at University. However Mary is not a quiet, submissive woman, in fact she has always been very determined and prepared to be different. At this time it was assumed that woman of her class would spend a few years enjoying her freedom and then settle down and get married. Mary did not do this.
After graduating from the university, she got a job in journalism. Newspapers were increasingly popular and to sell them to a wider audience some papers realised that appealing to women was important. She not only worked for newspapers but also wrote articles and books later in her life.
After the Second World War, she got a job with one of the new women’s magazines that were to become more and more popular. After many years of hard work and struggling in a male dominated profession she eventually reached the top and became the editor of the magazine.
Mary never married as her work was very important to her and a job and marriage did not mix in Britain in the 1950’s. '
She is now old in years and confined to a wheelchair. However she is still full of enthusiasm about life. Her personal courage, her enthusiasm and interest in life, as well as the example she has set for all women working in our still male dominated society, makes Mary a woman I feel privileged to have known.
2 The story tells us about the childhood of Mary Grieve. Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 Why did Mary never marry?
4 What always impressed the narrator in her Great Aunt?\
БИЛЕТ № 6
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
The problems with my parents started when I was sixteen. I wanted to get a Saturday job but my parents ordered me to stay at home and study for my exams. Whenever I pointed out that all my friends had Saturday jobs, they always replied, «We don’t care what they do, it’s you we are worried about,» and yet, whenever my school marks were bad, I was always compared to everyone else. Their double standards infuriated me so much that I did whatever I could to provoke them However, all I managed to achieve was mass arguments before I went anywhere.
It was rule in the house that I was only allowed out once during the week and on Saturday till 10 p.m. Every time I attempted to go out in the evening, my parents asked me who I was going out with and where we were going. They even insisted on my giving them my friend’s telephone number in case they needed to contact me. I always argued about the last bit; I felt that if I gave them the number they’d use it to check up on me. It never for one moment crossed my mind that they were just worried about me.
Once I asked if I could go to a party on Saturday night. The party finished at 11.30 p.m. They agreed, but on the condition that my Dad came to pick me up at 10 p.m. I argued and argued about it but in the end I had to agree. I knew I was going to be really embarrassed when my father came to pick me up, so I spent the whole party worrying. I didn’t speak to my parents for three days after that. My mother tried to explain how they both felt but I didn’t want to listen. It was then that I decided to break all the rules they had set down. So instead of coming home at 10 p.m., I would arrive back at 11.30 p.m. and then refuse to tell them where I had been. I somehow felt that if I broke their rules, they would realise I was old enough to look after myself and leave me alone. However, the argument got worse and worse, and the more they tried to keep me in the house, the more I sneaked out. Finally, one Saturday night I didn’t come home till 2 a.m. My father wanted to know why I was so late. I refused to tell him. We had a huge argument which ended with me getting a taxi to my sister’s house.
2 What rules does the family have? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 When did Ann’s problems with her parents start?
4 What went wrong in Ann’s family?
БИЛЕТ № 7
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
One Saturday in September 1985,1 was at my desk when the telephone rang. «My name is Louis Coles,» a voice said. «I don’t know if you remember me, but...»
«Louis!» I exclaimed, my eyes brimming with tears. «How can you ask if I remember you? I’ve been thinking about you for thirty years!» Louis explained that I had been a constant fixture in his memory, that he had often wanted to seek me out. We repeated the same things, asked the same questions, and I laughed as our memories mingled. I learned that for the past 21 years Louis has worked at Glassboro State College in New Jersey. Louis’ wife, Brenda, has worked for Mobil Oil. They have two children, and own a house on a gentle hill in the country. Louis reported that his brothers and sisters are doing well too. They are happily settled in different spots from Virginia to New York — all working and most with families.
A few weeks later, Louis and I got together in Chatham. More than six feet tall, Louis is an affable man, with the same energetic spontaneity he had as a child. We began to talk quietly of serious things — racism, black poverty and the old segregationist South. It was clear that we both understood how profoundly wrong the old way was, yet Louis insisted that as a child he never felt the bite of racism. I mentioned how we used to go to the movies and be separated at the door. Didn’t that bother him?
«Why would it, Henry?» I could sense a hidden grin. «The movies I saw were always better than the ones you saw!»
But I was still puzzled about how his home could be so important to Louis. What had he found here that could fuel his life with happiness and success?
«The most important thing came from my mamma,» he said. «She taught all of us that people are going to treat you just like you treat them. And that’s all I’ve ever done. When you understand that, it makes it really easy to get along in life.» He brushed a tear from his eye.
2 What did Henry learn about Louis when they talked over the telephone? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 When did Louis and Henry get together in Chatham?
4 What was the author’s impression of Louis when he saw him in Chatham?
БИЛЕТ № 8
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
The first time we met, I was an innocent eight-year-old. My friends and I secretly took you down to our dark cellar, so that our parents would not find out. Later on, when I was about ten-year-old, we started to meet every weekend when my friends and I went to the noisy discotheque at our local youth club. We used to sneak out from the club up into the shady woods, where my friends and I sat with make-up on our faces and garish nail polish on our nails feeling very adult and mature.
From thirteen onwards we met several times a day, and by then my mother allowed you to come into my room. She did not want to know you, having gone through so much to get rid of you. Naturally she was rather disappointed in me but what could she do? She kept hoping that I would «get my act together» but at this age I was unruly and rebellious and punishments and curfews did not work.
There is no doubt that you have been everything to me. You have been there when I needed a friend or when I was sad. You calmed me down when I was upset. In other words, you have been one of my best friends.
Unlike others in similar situations, I did not associate with you because it was fashionable or I thought it was tough. However, I had seen you and your equals, together with beautiful, sophisticated women; women who ate at expensive restaurants and drank red wine by candlelight. My friends and I tried to imitate those women; we wanted to live in that kind of world.
The problem was I liked you too much. There was no going back. I was caught in your trap. My flat was almost ruined because of you. My skin became a washed out pale grey. Sometimes I felt like an old woman. How was I so blind, deaf and ignorant for all those years? Why couldn’t I let you go? I know the answer myself, it was because I did not care then, but I do now.
In spite of it being difficult, I am now trying to end our destructive relationship, as one must end all bad relationships. I hope I will succeed in my effort to stop smoking and that I will never buy another packet of Prince again. After more than eighteen years together I bid you farewell, my fair Prince.
2 Where did the narrator and her friends go at week-ends when she was ten years old? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 What role did smoking play in the narrator’s life?
4 Why did the narrator start to take care of her health?
БИЛЕТ № 9
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
Annie Stewart has been a keeper at Woburn Animal Kingdom for the past twelve years, and for eight years before that she worked at another safari park. It’s hard physical work, out in all weathers — animals have to be fed and looked after every day of the year.
«My working day normally begins at 8 a.m., but if an animal is sick I may have to be up all night with it. Week-ends and bank holidays are our busiest times while we’re open to visitors between March and October. I begin by loading feeds onto my car, then I drive to the eland (a type of larger antelope). I feed and check them. Then I go through a similar process with the giraffe and the hippo.
We always have to take special care in our dealings with the rhino — remember that they are dangerous wild animals. They have to be watched all the time in case something upsets them. And the eland can be especially unpredictable when the strangers are around. They only trust two of us to go near them, so if there are any problems with them on my day off I might easily be called in.
During the season when we’re open to the public, it’s part of the keepers’ job to patrol the park watching the public as much as the animals. People can be amazingly silly, ignoring signs and warnings. They seem to have no idea of the possible danger. Some get out of their cars to take photographs when they are frighteningly close to an animal that could kill them in an instant. We have to try and be diplomatic and maintain a sense of humour.
I get to know all the animals in my care individually. I fill in a daily diary and a weekly report, making a note of any changes of behaviour.
This is a job that requires dedication and hard work. I was first attracted to it when I saw a documentary about this place 20 years ago. I had experience of looking after dogs in boarding kennels, and I was fascinated by the safari park concept. So I wrote to them and was lucky enough to get a job, learning as I went along. It’s like a wild animal farm here — the animals have plenty of freedom and I enjoy the independence and responsibility which are central to my job».
2 The narrator tells about Annie’s working day. Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 Why do people need as watching as much as the animals?
4 What things about Annie’s job are the most important for her?
БИЛЕТ № 10
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
If you are thinking of buying a dog you must also be ready to devote a good deal of time to training the dog when it is young and giving it the exercise it needs throughout its life, unless you live in the country and can let it run freely. Dogs are demanding pets. Whereas cats identify with a house and are content if their place there is secure, a dog identifies with its master and consequently wants him to show proof of his affection.
The best time to buy a puppy is when it is between six and eight weeks old so that it can transfer its affection for its mother to its master. If puppies have not established a relationship with a human being until they are over three months old, their strongest relationship will always be with dogs; if they are kept in kennels for this length of time, they are likely to be too shy when they are brought out into the world to become good pets.
Different breeds require different training methods. German shepherd dogs, for example, respond favourably to mild punishment but terriers usually resent it and become more aggressive. The best way to train a dog is by reward, not punishment, but the reward must be immediate so that the dog connects it with what it has done. In general it is better to teach a dog by preventing it from doing things than by punishing it afterwards.
Pet food is a profitable business and there are firms concerned to make you believe that your dog will suffer if you do not buy it some special biscuit. In fact, dogs require a well-balanced diet, like human beings, except that they do not need fruit and vegetables because their bodies produce their own vitamin C.
In the same way beauty parlours for dogs would like you to think that it will be unhappy if it does not have its nails cut or its hair combed. Some dogs may benefit, but the essential point to remember is that you should take it regularly to a vet to ensure that it is healthy. In that case you should have a faithful companion for ten years or more.
2 When is the best time to buy a puppy? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 Why don’t dogs need fruit or vegetables?
4 What is the most essential rule that you have to observe if you want to have a happy and healthy dog?
БИЛЕТ № 11
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
What is a hero? This not an easy question to answer. When we look closely at the life stories of many popular heroes, we find that they are not always very good or very likeable people. They have become heroes because of their actions, not because of their characters. People may be famous while they are alive, but after they are dead, stories are told and songs are written which make them into heroes.
The British hero who still remains larger than life is, of course, Robin Hood. Historians tell us that little — if any — of his story is true, but people love the idea of an outlaw who stole from the rich to give to the poor and they continue to believe it. In 1991, the Robin Hood Festival attracted 100,000 tourists to Sherwood Forest. They wanted to see Robin’s favourite hiding-place, the «Major Oak» — a tree which was planted a couple of hundred years after the hero’s death. They crowded into St. Mary’s Church, where Robin married Maid Marian — a marriage between a fourteenth-century hero and a woman who was added to the story two hundred years later (in a church which was completely rebuilt four hundred years later). They queued to get into The Tales of Robin Hood, an exhibition about the life of the outlaw who, according to the Dictionary of National Biography, never existed.
Villains, like heroes, are the subjects of stories and songs which often have little to do with historical facts. Just as heroes are always stronger, braver and more heroic than they are in real life, villains are always more wicked, more cruel and more villainous. For example, there are stories about Blackbeard the Pirate which tell us that he acted with great cruelty to his own men when he was drunk and could cut a man in two with one blow of his sword. In fact, Blackbeard probably encouraged these stories to make himself more frightening to the captains and crews of the ships he attacked. There are just as many stories which say that he avoided battles and showed some kindness to his enemies, but we like our villains to be black-hearted and that is the way we remember him.
Outlaw – лицо, объявленное вне закона
Villain – злодей
2 What is a hero? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 Why is Robin Hood people’s favourite hero?
4 Why did Blackbeard encourage stories about his cruelty and wickedness?
БИЛЕТ № 12
1 Read the article and say what it is about in 2-3 sentences.
The World Health Organization reports that 3.5 million people die every year from tobacco related diseases. Half of these deaths occur in industrial countries. Anti-smoking campaigns have been started in most developed countries — banning tobacco advertising in the mass media, increasing cigarette taxes and requiring health warnings on cigarette packages.
For the first time in a quarter of a century the number of women smoking is on an increase. Statistics show that it’s the youngest women who are increasingly taking up the habit.
The habit is on an increase among teenage girls while it is falling in all other groups of the population. Now almost one in three girls of school- leaving age are smokers. Teenage girls who smoke believe cigarettes help keep them slim, make them look grown-up and control stress, health experts say. And while they know the risks to their future health, they would still rather smoke.
Health experts are puzzled as to why the anti-tobacco message is not reaching them. Dr. Anne Charlton said «We do not really know why they keep taking up smoking when everyone is giving up.» Teenage girls are twice as likely to start smoking if one of their parents is a smoker. They probably have a best friend who smokes and parents who do not disapprove of their taking up the habit. They are more likely to leave school at 16.
Fifty per cent of girls who leave school to start a career in hairdressing are smokers. In nursing the figure is 44 per cent and around 34 per cent in secretarial work. Dr. Charlton said: «The rates are less among those who go to university. The smokers are usually the ones who do not do well at school and show few signs of wanting to. They mistakenly believe it helps to keep their weight down, although they have no weight problem in the first place».
One of the most effective methods of getting girls to stop smoking is to point out how much they smell, says Dr. Charlon. Others stop when a boyfriend insists he does not like it.
2 The article explains why health experts are puzzled. Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3 What measures do anti-smoking campaigns include?
4 Why do so many girls smoke nowadays?