Formerly one was obliged to travel in India by the old time-consuming methods of going on foot or on horseback; now fast steamboats are found on the Indus and the Ganges, and a great railway, with branch lines joining the main line at many points on its route, crosses the peninsula in three days. This railway does not run in a straight line across India. The distance between Bombay and Calcutta, as the crow flies, is only around one thousand miles, but the winding of the track increases the distance by more than a third.
The passengers of the Mongolia went ashore at 4:30 pm; at exactly 8 pm the train would leave for Calcutta. Mr Fogg, after bidding farewell to his cards partners, left the steamer, gave his servant several errands to do, urged him to be at the station promptly at eight, and headed for the passport office. As for the wonders of Bombay — its famous city hall, its splendid library, its forts and docks, its bazaars, mosques, synagogues, Armenian churches and the noble pagoda on Malabar Hill — he didn't care a bit about seeing them.
After completing his business, Phileas Fogg returned to the railway station for dinner. Among the dishes served up to him, the landlord especially recommended a certain "native rabbit', on which he prided himself.
Passepartout, meanwhile, having purchased the usual quota of shirts and shoes, look a leisurely promenade along the streets, where crowds of people of many nationalities were collected. It happened to be the day of a religious carnival, with processions and shows. Indian dancing girls, clothed in rose-coloured gauze tied with gold and silver, danced airily, but with perfect modesty, to the sound of viols and tambourines. It is needless to say that Passepartout watched these curious ceremonies with staring eyes and a gaping mouth. Unfortunately, his curiosity took him unconsciously farther away than he intended to go. At last, having seen the carnival wind away, he was turning his steps towards the station, when he happened to spot the splendid pagoda on Malabar Hill, and was overcome with an irresistible desire to see its interior. He was quite ignorant that it is forbidden to Christians to enter certain Indian temples, and that even the faithful must not go in without first leaving their shoes outside the door. Passepartout went in like a simple tourist and was soon lost in admiration of the splendid ornamentation which everywhere met his eyes. He looked up to behold three enraged priests, who fell upon him, tore off his shoes, and began to beat him with loud, savage exclamations. But the agile Frenchman was soon upon his feet again, and soon escaped the priests by mingling with the crowd in the streets.
At five minutes to eight, Passepartout, hatless, shoeless, and having in the squabble lost his package of shirts and shoes, rushed breathlessly into the station. He related his adventures in a few words to Mr Fogg, who said coldly: "I hope that this will not happen again." Just then the locomotive gave a sharp screech, and the train set off into the night.
Adapted from: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
12. According to the narrator, Indian trains do not take the shortest possible route to Calcutta because
1. they have to go round a peninsula.
2. they don't want to compete with the steamboats.
3. the railway is full of bends.
4. they call a lot of places.
13. What was the first thing that Mr Fogg did when he arrived in Bombay?
1. He gave instructions to his servant.
2. He got off the boat.
3. He went to the passport office.
4. He said goodbye to some fellow passengers.
14. Fogg's attitude towards the sights of the city is
1. enthusiastic.
2. cautious.
3. respectful.
4. indifferent.
15. Which of the following statements is true, according to the text?
1. Phileas Fogg ate at the railway station to save time.
2. The only dish available was "native rabbit".
3. The landlord was a good cook.
4. "Native rabbit" was the landlord's speciality.
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16. There were crowds of people because
1. everyone took a walk at this time.
2. they were all on their way to see a show.
3. there was a local carnival happening.
4. an international festival was taking place.
17. Passepartout went too far on his walk because he
1. was interested in the festivities.
2. couldn't find the pagoda.
3. needed to find clothes to buy.
4. became part of a procession.
18. The priests were angry because Passepartout
1. was a Christian.
2. hadn't taken his shoes off.
3. was a tourist.
4. had got lost in the temple.
Writing. Letter
You have received a letter from you English-speaking pen friend Mike.
| ... Guess what! We've just booked the tickets to Toronto. Can't wait for my summer holidays! What plans do you have for summer holidays? What places would you like to visit? How are you going to get to the destination? |
Write him a letter and answer his 3 questions.
Write 100-120 words. Remember the rules of letter writing.
Vocab 
ulary and Grammar
Прочитайте приведённый ниже текст. Преобразуйте слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами в конце строк, обозначенных номерами 18-26, так, чтобы они грамматически соответствовали содержанию текста. Заполните пропуски полученными словами. Каждый пропуск соответствует отдельному заданию 18-26.
Прочитайте приведённый ниже текст. Преобразуйте слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами в конце строк, обозначенных номерами 27–32, так, чтобы они грамматически и лексически соответствовали содержанию текста. Заполните пропуски полученными словами. Каждый пропуск соответствует отдельному заданию 27–32. 