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    2. Most people of Leicester are Asian immigrants.     3. The biggest street festival in England is held in Leicester.
On first impression, Leicester is a modern city, but an attentive visitor will easily find traces of its Roman and medieval past. Since the late seventeenth century, Leicesterhas been a centre of the hosiery trade and it was this industry that attracted hundreds of Asian immigrants to settle here in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, about one third of Leicester’s population is Asian. They put on a massive and internationally famous Diwali, Festival of Light, in October or November, when 6 thousand lamps are hung along the Belgrave Road and about 20, 000 people come to watch the switch-on. The city’s Afro-Caribbean community celebrates its culture in a whirl of colour and music on the first weekend in August. It is the country’s second biggest street festival after the Notting Hill Carnival in London.  
4. Local farmers sell their products at the market in Dorchester once a week.     5. A famous English artist was born in Dorchester.     6. Dorchester is no longer surrounded by Roman walls. The county town of Dorset, Dorchester still functions as the main agricultural centre for the region, and if you come here on a Wednesday when the market takes place you’ll find it busier than usual. For the local tourist authorities this is essentially Thomas Hardy’s town. He was born in Dorchester and spent much of his life here. His statue now stands on High West Street. The town appears in his novels as Casterbridge, and the countryside all around is vividly depicted, especially the picturesque forest of Cranborne Chase. Dorchester has an attractive central part of mostly seventeenth-century and Georgian buildings, though the town’s origins go back to the Romans. The Roman walls were replaced in the eighteenth century by tree-lined avenues called “Walks”, but some traces of the Roman period have survived. At the back of the County Hall excavations have uncovered a fine Roman villa with a well-preserved mosaic floor.

 

 

 

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1. Atlanta is home to a typical American product.     2. Tourists can visit the room where Margaret Mitchell lived.     3. There are three football fields in Grant Park. Atlanta is the most populated metropolitan area in the Southeast. It has the world’s second busiest airport. After World War II no city grew more than Atlanta. Of the 500 largest companies in the USA, 450 have offices in Atlanta. One of these, Coca-Cola, is no surprise as the formula of Coca-Cola was developed more than 100 years ago in Atlanta. Atlanta’s sights are of great interest. Those who are interested in history should visit Martin Luther King Historic District. If you like “Gone With The Wind”, then go to see the Margaret Mitchell Room in the Atlanta Public Library. Here you will find autographed copies of her famous book. In Grant Park you will find no sports grounds, but there is the Cyclorame, which contains the world’s largest painting in the round. The length of three football fields, it depicts the 1864 Civil War Battle of Atlanta with lighting and sound effects.  
4. Chicago is larger than Los Angeles.     5. Chicago is the busiest railroad centre in the USA.   6. Chicago’s architecture has influenced the style of modern cities. Chicago is called “The Second City”, even though Los Angeles has replaced it as the second largest city of the nation. Today Chicago leads the country as a railway centre and as a grain and livestock market. It is American largest lake port, and second only to New York city in printing and publishing. After the Great Fire of 1871, Chicago rebuilt itself to become the birthplace of modern design. Chicago’s most striking feature is its skyscrapers and breathtakingly beautiful skyline. Chicago’s architectural school has changed urban design throughout the world. Today, three of the world’s tallest buildings rise above the city. One of them is the Sears Tower, standing about 1400 feet high and covering the entire city block. From the skydeck you can see four states on a clear day.

 

 

 

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1. New Orleans is a typical American city.     2. Jackson Square offers different kinds of entertainment.     3. Visitors to the City Park can play sports there. As an American city New Orleans is unusual. It’s a city whose business is above all pleasure. It was founded around 1718 by the French. The French Quarter was the original city of New Orleans. The beautiful homes of the Quarter – with their courtyards and patios, their high ceilings and large windows – were designed for comfort in a hot climate. Jackson Square is the heart of the Quarter. The square is alive with artists, mimes and musicians. The Louisiana State Museum is in four different buildings, three of which are in Jackson Square. Mardi Grass is the city’s most famous festival. There are many parades, and even spectators are dressed in colourful costumes. The CityPark is one of the five largest city parks in the USA, bigger than New York City’s Central Park. It boasts a botanical garden, golf courses, tennis courts, 800-year old trees and a miniature train. New Orleans is a city where jazz and the blues really got started. You’ll find many jazz clubs in New Orleans, for example, in the French Quarter. When you get hungry, you can treat yourself to local specialties, like alligator soup and crawfish pie.  
4. The main places of interest in Portland are situated in different parts of the city.     5. Portlandia is the country’s largest copper statue.     6. Informal lectures on animals are given to animal lovers at the Washington Park Zoo. There is plenty to see in Portland, Oregon. All the major sights are grouped downtown. Portland’s downtown area is centered on the mall, which is closed to all traffic except city buses. Here you can see the unusual Portland Building, a post-modern collage of pink, blue and yellow concrete and tile. Fans of this building find it very original. Near the Portland Building there is Portlandia, the nation’s largest copper sculpture after the Statue of Liberty. From April until Christmas the Saturday Market takes place in downtown Portland. The area is filled with street musicians, artists and crafts people. Less than two miles west of downtown is Washington Park. The Washington Park Zoo is Portland’s pet. The zoo also features a number of interesting “animal talks” at various times on weekends and has a pet-the-animals children’s zoo. The city is famous for the Rose Festival in June. It attracts crowds of visitors. The Rose Queen is crowned with sapphires, zircons and rubies.

 

 

 

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А. PROBLEMS WITH TEACHING METHODS B. MAKING IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND C. STUDYING WITH OR WITHOUT A TEACHER D. COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS E. EXAMINATION RESULTS F. ENGLISH PEOPLE'S MISTAKES 1. I'm a 24-year-old business student from Malaysia and I've been going to English classes at night school for the past 5 years. Up to now I've thought that I'm a good student. Last month I went to Britain. Nobody could understand me and I couldn't understand them. What went wrong? My English teacher is very good and I always get the highest mark for my grammar test. 2. I'm writing to ask your opinion on my problem. My English teacher never corrects my mistakes when I'm speaking. Isn't that her job? How am I going to learn to speak better? Also she's always telling me that I should forget all the rules of grammar that I learnt when I was younger. 3. I am looking after two small English children. I love my job but the way that English people speak is a little surprising. For example, I often hear them say things like 'more friendlier', and I thought it should be 'more friendly'. Many of them say 'we was' instead of 'we were'. Can you explain this? Would it be impolite of me to correct them? 4. I have been studying English for three years. I'm quite good at reading and writing but listening is very difficult for me. My teacher suggested that I listen to the BBC World Service every day in order to understand English better. The problem is that it's hard for me to understand every word. Do you have any ideas about how to make listening to the radio less difficult? I like to listen to news very much. 5. I have studied English for five years at school but for the past six months I have been using the Internet and books to learn. There are lots of materials to choose but I'm not sure what is best for me and how I should use them. I really would like to take some international examination but don't know how to study without help. Should I take a course in my local school – which is a little expensive for me now – or is it possible to prepare for the exam on my own?

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Установите соответствие между темами A – G и текстами 1 – 6. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую букву только один раз. В задании одна тема лишняя. This museum tells you about the history of
A. industry E. а city
B. science F. transport
C. toys G. canals
D. costumes    

1. Step inside this magical 1850s ''Cinema'' for an exciting tour of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. As the lights go down a brilliant moving image of the capital appears before you, while the guide tells the story of Edinburgh's historic past.

2. The National Waterways Museum of Gloucester brings to life the time when Britain's waterways were dug between towns. Transport by these ways was cheaper than transport by land. Many exhibits give visitors the chance to relive the Age which helped to revolutionize Britain's water system.

3. Black Country Museum is an open-air museum. Your visit there is always exciting and enjoyable. Guides in national costumes and working demonstrators tell visitors a story of the time when different machines were invented in Britain and factories began to develop very quickly.

4. Travel through time and discover the colourful story of travel. See shiny buses, tube trains and trams of different centuries. As you step into the past you'll meet people who've kept London moving for 200 years. Hold tight as you put yourself in the driving seat and enjoy your journey.

5. This museum is full of wonderful models of trains, buses, ships and cars. See the 1920s model Story Land Park and play the old slot-machines. It also has a nursery of the beginning of the 20th century. The wonderful collection of dolls contains different marionettes from Ancient Roman Gladiator doll to figures of today.

6. This museum illustrates the development of human knowledge through different instruments. The museum has a clockwork model of the solar system from1750 as well as microscopes, telescopes, navigation instruments, electrical machines and tools.

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A. Dance E. Imaginary person
B. Souvenirs F. Shops
C. Food and drink G. Language
D. Material    

1. Irish hand-made tweed is famous all over the world for its individual look, its quality and different colours. This cloth is made from wool and widely used for caps, hats, skirts, trousers, and jackets. Tweeds can be bought in most of the larger cities as well as in the specialist tweed shops. The most famous place for tweed production in Ireland is Donegal.

2. Ceili consists of hundreds of people. They join arms together, dance up and down a hall at high speeds to the fast sounds of Irish traditional music. Men and women move so quickly turning round and round, that if they don't fall at least once, it means that they are not trying hard enough.

3. Gaelic is not widely used today in Ireland. With hundreds of years of colonisation by the British it lost its significance and was used less and less. It wasn't allowed to be taught in the schools, and it became impossible to use Gaelic in most jobs.

4. Irish products are very popular. Irish hand-made farmhouse cheeses, chocolates and wild smoked salmon taste so nice that they are known everywhere. Many people like Irish coffee which is a hot drink made with coffee, whiskey, and cream. Baileys, a cream liqueur, is becoming known internationally. We must also mention Guinness, is a type of beer, which for many years has been as the meal in a glass.

5. Children in Ireland love to listen to stories about leprechaun, a small wizard with magic powers who could make impossible things happen. He is dressed in green velvet and wears a shiny black belt and magic shoes. He is very small, no more than half a metre tall. He has a pot of gold and gets very angry if he thinks someone is trying to steal it.

6. Irish products are of great value and high quality. They can always tell a story of the history, culture and geography of the place where they were made. Most visitors know of Aran sweaters, Irish lace, Ulster linen table-cloths and bed covers, Galway glasses, Tara plates and cups. Hardly any visitor leaves the country without buying something which will remind them of the country later.

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A. Hotel E. Safety rules
B. Climate F. Parks
C. Parking G. Sightseeing
D. Newspapers    

1. On most downtown Manhattan streets people are not allowed to leave their cars. Midtown car parks and garages are about $6.75 an hour. Some restaurants and hotels have free car parks. If you are staying at a hotel with this service, it is easiest to leave your car in the garage and use public transport or taxis.

2. Start your day with a laugh, enjoy the funniest pictures in The New York Daily News. Turn over the pages of The NY Times which has won a total of 108 Pulitzer prizes. Read 11 English and foreign language papers which come out every day and you will be in touch with serious problems in the world and in the country.

3. Seasons in New York are distinct. Summers are generally hot and humid, with practically no difference between daytime and evening temperatures. Winters tend to be bitter, although snow and sleet are not that often. Spring and autumn are mild in the day time and cool at nights.

4. This is a great way to see New York. Drivers are experienced and you will feel safe; buses are comfortable and you will feel fine in any weather. They are all air-conditioned. You are offered different excursions. The all-day excursions visit the top tourist attractions and other excursions which last from 2 to 4 hours can be interesting for people with different tastes.

5. No visit to Long Island is complete without the Marriot. Centrally located near Roosevelt Raceway and Roosevelt Field Indoor Mall, it offers expensive and comfortable rooms, fine restaurants, a lively nightclub with an indoor pool. You will be offered outstanding service and hospitality. For information and reservation call (800)228-9290.

6. Drivers, front seat passengers and all back seat passengers younger than 10 must fasten their seat belts around themselves. The state law takes these precautions to protect people against possible trouble. Drivers pay if their passengers are younger than 16 and not wearing seat belts.

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Установите соответствие между заголовкамиA – G и текстами 1 – 6. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую буквутолько один раз.В задании один заголовок лишний.
A. First computers E. Professional sport
B. Risky sport F. Shopping from home
C. Shopping in comfort G. New users
D. Difficult task    

1. A group of university students from Brazil have been given the job of discovering and locating all the waterfalls in their country. It is not easy because very often the maps are not detailed. The students have to remain in water for long periods of time. Every day they cover a distance of 35 to 40 kilometers through the jungle, each carrying 40 kilos of equipment.

2. For many years now, mail-order shopping has served the needs of a certain kind of customers. Everything they order from a catalogue is delivered to their door. Now, though, e-mail shopping on the Internet has opened up even more opportunities for this kind of shopping.

3. Another generation of computer fans has arrived. They are neither spotty schoolchildren nor intellectual professors, but pensioners who are learning computing with much enthusiasm. It is particularly interesting for people suffering from arthritis as computers offer a way of writing nice clear letters. Now pensioners have discovered the Internet and at the moment they make up the fastest growing membership.

4. Shopping centres are full of all kinds of stores. They are like small, self-contained towns where you can find everything you want. In a large centre, shoppers can find everything they need without having to go anywhere else. They can leave their cars in the shopping centre car park and buy everything in a covered complex, protected from the heat, cold or rain.

5. Not many people know that, back in the fifties, computers were very big, and also very slow. They took up complete floors of a building, and were less powerful, and much slower than any of today’s compact portable computers. At first, the data they had to process and record was fed in on punched-out paper; later magnetic tape was used, but both systems were completely inconvenient.

6. Potholing is a dull name for a most interesting and adventurous sport. Deep underground, on the tracks of primitive men and strange animals who have adapted to life without light, finding unusual landscapes and underground lakes, the potholer lives an exciting adventure. You mustn’t forget, though, that it can be quite dangerous. Without the proper equipment you can fall, get injured or lost.

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A. An office at home E. Saving energy
B. Computers for making films F. Saving space
C. “No” to computer games G. Driving in the future
D. Computers for building up team spirit    

1. Safe, comfortable and, above all, green. Electric-powered cars will not produce any substances which are dangerous for either people or the environment. In 10-20 years all cars will have their own built-in computers. These computers will help choose the best way to go and avoid accidents. You can even sit back and let the computer do the driving!

2. As you know personal computers use a lot of power. In fact, with their printers and monitors, computers in the USA use each year as much electricity as the whole state of Oregon. Not to waste electricity, new “green” computers are being developed by more than a hundred personal computer firms in the USA. When left on but unused for more than a few minutes, they go down to a standby, using 80 per cent less energy. At a command the PCs return to full power.

3. Nowadays, people working in offices use computers, which contain hundreds of documents. Do you know how much space these documents would take up, if they were printed on paper? They’d occupy whole rooms! In many offices computers are linked in a network. This way, employees can exchange information and messages without moving from their tables.

4. Technology has allowed more and more people to work from the place where they live. Using a modem on a telephone line connected to their computer, everyone can be linked to the company computer. In this way, they don’t waste so much time, because they don’t have to go to the office every day. It also means less pollution in the atmosphere caused by transport.

5. Good-bye, pencils! Farewell, sheets of paper! These days cartoons are being made with a computer. The first-ever cartoon to be created by computer was “Toy Story” produced by Steve Jobs. A typical Walt Disney cartoon usually needs up to 600 designers. “Toy Story” was made using only 100. So, like so much of modern life, today’s cinema seems to be falling more and more into the hands of the computer.

6. If someone asked you about the negative aspects of a computer game, probably the first thing that would come to your mind is that it isolates a person from other people. Now the first virtual reality computer game has appeared which can be played in a group of 6 people at the same time. The game is called “The Loch Ness Expedition.” Each player is given a role in the underwater expedition. Players have to cooperate to achieve the goal.

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A. Colours for royal families E. Colours around you
B. Origin of the toy’s name F. Toys for all ages
C. Popular names G. Lovely animals
D. Personal names    

1. People say that red, yellow and orange are “warm”, and that blue and green are “cool”. But if you touch a red wool sweater, it doesn’t feel warmer than a blue wool sweater. Scientists have taken the temperature of colours with a special instrument called a thermopile and have found that reds and oranges are warmer than blues and greens.

2. Pandas are wonderful. They look so nice, rather like soft furry toys. No wonder people love them. At any zoo they are always the centre of attention. The most striking thing about pandas is their black and white colouring. Pandas are strict vegetarians. They eat only young bamboo stems and nothing else. Pandas are peaceful, friendly and harmless. They have no enemies.

3. Imagine being arrested and thrown into prison for wearing a certain colour! It could have happened back in the days when kings and emperors ruled. In ancient Rome only the emperor and his wife could have purple or gold clothes. In China, only the emperor could wear yellow. And in France, in the past, only a princess could wear a scarlet dress.

4. Today we can hardly imagine a world without this eager listener and loyal friend, the teddy bear. But why is it called Teddy? The story goes back to 1902, when Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States. The press and the people fondly called him Teddy. Once on a hunting trip, he couldn’t bring himself to shoot a defenseless bear cub. The owners of a candy store in New York made a little toy bear cub and put it in their shop window with a handwritten notice saying “Teddy’s bear”. The bear became a hit with the public.

5. Pet names, like human ones, go in and out of fashion. According to Bairbre O’Malley, a London vet, they reflect larger trends in society. The computer boom, for example, has produced dogs called Mac, Apple and, for smaller breeds, Microchip, or Laptop. Hollywood’s influence has inspired names like Conan and Terminator for bull terriers and other strong breeds. Mr O’Malley also remarked that many animals he treated after road accidents were called Lucky.

6. One of the most popular tourist attractions today is Legoland Windsor, the newest theme park in Europe. It is a theme park and the theme is bricks. Lego bricks, to be specific. You know those little plastic toy bricks children use to build castles, bridges, all sorts of things. Some grown-ups play with Lego bricks, too. One hundred of them worked for two and a half years to design buildings, trains, cars, boats, fountains and people for Legoland Windsor.

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Прочитайте журнальную статью о книге и выполните задания 1 – 5, выбирая букву A, B, C или D. Установите соответствие номера задания выбранному вами варианту ответа. "A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right." These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well-known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: ''If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,'' she says. When Mollie was a child her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields – sadly now covered with modern houses. "I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back," she said. "Never." ''When I set one of my books in Scotland," she said, "I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us." To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. "When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." Molly believes that parents don't realize that children are much more interesting company and always have something new and unexpected to say. 1. In Mollie's opinion a good book should А) be attractive to a wide audience. B) be attractive primarily to youngsters. C) be based on original ideas. D) include a lot of description. 2. How does Mollie feel about what has happened to her birthplace? А) confused B) ashamed C) disappointed D) surprised 3. In comparison with children of earlier years, Mollie feels that modern children are А) more romantic. B) better informed. C) less keen to learn. D) less interested in fiction. 4. Mollie's adult visitors generally discover that she А) is a lively person. B) is interesting company. C) talks a lot about her work. D) pays more attention to their children. 5. Mollie thinks that the parents А) are not aware of their children’s gifts. B) overestimate their children’s talents. C) sometimes don’t understand what their children say. D) don’t spend much time with their children.

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I had first become acquainted with my Italian friend by meeting him at certain great houses where he taught his own language and I taught drawing. All I then knew of the history of his life was that he had left Italy for political reasons; and that he had been for many years respectably established in London as a teacher. Without being actually a dwarf – for he was perfectly well-proportioned from head to foot – Pesca was, I think, the smallest human being I ever saw. Remarkable anywhere, by his personal appearance, he was still further distinguished among the mankind by the eccentricity of his character. The ruling idea of Peska's life now was to show his gratitude to the country that had given him a shelter by doing his utmost to turn himself into an Englishman. The Professor aspired to become an Englishman in his habits and amusements, as well as in his personal appearance. Finding us distinguished, as a nation, by our love of athletic exercises, the little man, devoted himself to all our English sports and pastimes, firmly persuaded that he could adopt our national amusements by an effort of will the same way as he had adopted our national gaiters and our national white hat. I had seen him risk his limbs blindlyunlike othersat a fox-hunt and in a cricket field; and soon afterwards I saw him risk his life, just as blindly, in the sea at Brighton. We had met there accidentally, and were bathing together. If we had been engaged in any exercise peculiar to my own nation I should, of course, have looked after Pesca carefully; but as foreigners are generally quite as well able to take care of themselves in the water as Englishmen, it never occurred to me that the art of swimming might merely add one more to the list of manly exercises which the Professor believed that he could learn on the spot. Soon after we had both struck out from shore, I stopped, finding my friend did not follow me, and turned round to look for him. To my horror and amazement, I saw nothing between me and the beach but two little white arms which struggled for an instant above the surface of the water, and then disappeared from view. When I dived for him, the poor little man was lying quietly at the bottom, looking smaller than I had ever seen him look before. When he had thoroughly recovered himself, his warm Southern nature broke through all artificial English restraints in a moment. He overwhelmed me with the wildest expressions of affection and in his exaggerated Italian way declared that he should never be happy again until he rendered me some service which I might remember to the end of my days. Little did I think then – little did I think afterwards – that the opportunity of serving me was soon to come; that he was eagerly to seize it on the instant; and that by so doing he was to turn the whole current of my existence into a new channel. Yet so it was. If I had not dived for Professor Pesca when he lay under water, I should never, perhaps, have heard even the name of the woman, who now directs the purpose of my life.   1. Peska taught A) drawing. B) Italian. C) English. D) politics. 2. Peska impressed people by being A) well-built. B) well-mannered. C) strange. D) ill-mannered. 3. Peska tried to become a true Englishman because he A) was thankful to the country that had adopted him. B) enjoyed Englishman's pastimes and amusements. C) loved the way the English did athletic exercises. D) was fond of the eccentric fashions of the English. 4. ‘… risk his limbs blindly’ means Peska A) didn’t look where he went. B) was unaware of danger from others. C) caused a problem for others. D) acted rather thoughtlessly. 5. The author didn't look after Peska carefully because A) they both had been engaged in the peculiar English exercise. B) foreigners were generally bathing not far from the shore. C) the author was sure that Peska would learn swimming on the spot. D) the author was sure that Peska was a very good swimmer. 6. Peska wanted to do the author some favour as A) it was in his warm nature. B) the author had saved his life. C) the author was his best friend. D) he wanted to look English. 7. Peska managed to A) change the author’s life completely. B) become English to the core. C) meet a woman who later directed his life. D) turn his existence into a new channel.

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Pitcher, a confidential clerk in the office of Harvey Maxwell, allowed a look of mild interest and surprise when his employer briskly entered at half-past nine in company with a young lady. Miss Leslie had been Maxwell’s stenographer for a year. She was beautiful in a way that was decidedly unstenographic. On this morning she was softly and shyly radiant. Her eyes were dreamily bright, her expression a happy one, tinged with reminiscence. Pitcher, still mildly curious, noticed a difference in her ways this morning. Instead of going straight into the adjoining room, where her desk was, she stayed for a while, slightly irresolute, in the outer office. Once she moved over by Maxwell’s desk near enough for him to be aware of her presence. The man sitting at that desk was no longer a man; it was a machine, moved by buzzing wheels and uncoiling springs. “Well – what is it? Anything?” asked Maxwell sharply. “Nothing,” answered the stenographer, moving away with a little smile. This day was Harvey Maxwell’s busy day. Messenger boys ran in and out with messages and telegrams. Maxwell himself jumped from desk to door sweating. On the Exchange there were hurricanes and snowstorms and volcanoes, and those powerful disturbances were reproduced in miniature in Maxwell’s office. The rush and pace of business grew faster and fiercer. Share prices were falling and orders to sell them were coming and going and the man was working like some strong machine. Here was a world of finance, and there was no room in it for the human world or the world of nature. When the luncheon hour came, Maxwell stood by his desk with a fountain pen over his right ear. His window was open. And through the window came a delicate, sweet smell of lilac that fixed the broker for a moment immovable. For this odour belonged to Miss Leslie; it was her own, and hers only. She was in the next room – twenty steps away. “By George, I'll do it now,” said Maxwell half aloud. “ I’ll ask her now. I wonder why I didn’t do it long ago.” He dashed into the inner office and charged upon the desk of the stenographer. She looked at him with a smile. “Miss Leslie,” he began hurriedly, “I have but a moment to spare. I want to say something in that moment. Will you be my wife? I haven’t had time to approach you in the ordinary way, but I really do love you.” “Oh, what are you talking about?” exclaimed the young lady. She rose to her feet and gazed upon him, round-eyed. “Don’t you understand?” said Maxwell. “I want you to marry me. I love you, Miss Leslie. I wanted to tell you, and I snatched a minute. They are calling me for the phone now. Tell them to wait a minute, Pitcher. Won’t you, Miss Leslie?” The stenographer acted very strangely. She seemed overcome with amazement; then tears flowed from her wondering eyes; and then she smiled sunnily through them. “I know now,” she said softly. “It is this old business that has driven everything else out of your head for the time. I was frightened at first. Don’t you remember, Harvey? We were married last evening at 8 o’clock in the Little Church Around the Corner.” 1. Harvey Maxwell was A) a stenographer. B) a clerk. C) Pitcher’s boss. D) Pitcher’s partner. 2. Pitcher was mildly interested and surprised because A) Miss Leslie moved decidedly to Maxwell's desk. B) Miss Leslie arrived with Maxwell. C) Maxwell came late at half past ten. D) Maxwell looked irresolute that morning. 3. It was Harvey Maxwell's hard day because A) he had no one to help him. B) all messenger boys had gone. C) the weather was hot. D) the Exchange was a busy place. 4. ‘On the Exchange there were hurricanes and snowstorms and volcanoes’ means A) the Exchange was about to be destroyed. B) the financial situation was difficult. C) natural disasters often happened in that area. D) those were powerful disturbances of nature. 5. Maxwell dashed into the inner office at lunch time because A) he liked the lilac smell. B) the smell reminded him of Miss Leslie. C) Pitcher called him for a phone call. D) he needed to send a message. 6. Harvey Maxwell made a proposal between phone calls because he A) was rather pressed for time. B) used to make business proposals in such a way. C) always acted very strangely. D) was afraid Miss Leslie would leave him. 7. Miss Leslie was astonished by the proposal because A) she had never heard anyone make it in such a way. B) she had never expected it from Harvey Maxwell. C) she had married the man the day before. D) it came too quickly and without warning.

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  A90C24

 

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The London Marathon celebrates its 23rd birthday. That is 23 years of stresses and strains, blisters and sore bits, and incredible tales. Somehow, yours truly has managed to run four of them. And I have medals to prove it. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I watched the inaugural London Marathon on March 29th, 1981. It seemed extraordinary that normal people would want to run 26 miles and 385 yards. And, it must be said, they looked strange and not quite steady at the end of it all. There are, indeed, terrible tales of people losing consciousness by the time they reach that glorious finishing line. But I was captivated. I knew I had to do it. Three years later I was living in London, not far from Greenwich where the event begins, and it seemed the perfect opportunity to give it a go. I was only a short train ride from the starting line, but more than 26 miles from the finish. “Who cares?” I thought. By the end I did. The moment I crossed that finishing line, and had that medal placed around my neck, was one of the finest in my life. The sense of achievement was immense. It was a mad thing to do, and ultimately pointless. But knowing that I’d run a Marathon – that most historic of all distant races – felt incredible. London provides one of the easiest of all the officially sanctioned marathons because most of it is flat. Yes, there are the cobblestones while running through the Tower of London, and there are the quiet patches where crowds are thin and you are crying out for some encouragement – those things matter to the alleged “fun” runners like myself, the serious runners don’t think of such things. This year London will attract unprecedented number of athletes, a lot of title holders among them. It is set to witness what is probably the greatest field ever for a marathon. In the men’s race, for example, among numerous applicants there’s the holder of the world’s best time, Khalid Khannouchi of the USA; the defending champion El Mouriz of Morocco; Ethiopia’s Olympic bronze-medallist Tesfaye Tola. And, making his marathon debut, is one of the finest long distance runners of all time Haile Gebrselassie. Since 1981, almost half a million people have completed the London Marathon, raising more than $125 million for charity. For the majority of the runners, this is what it is all about. It is for charity, for fun, for self-development. It is a wonderful day. I have run it with poor training, with proper training. And I have always loved it. It’s crazy, and it’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done. If you want to feel as though you’ve achieved something, run a marathon. 1. Participation in the London Marathon resulted for the author in A) stresses and strains. B) blisters and sore bits. C) memorable medals. D) incredible tales. 2. When the author watched the end of the first marathon he saw people who were A) extraordinary steady. B) feeling weak and exhausted. C) losing consciousness. D) having a glorious time. 3. The reason for the author’s participation in the marathon was the fact that he A) was fascinated by it. B) lived not far from its finishing line. C) wanted to receive a medal. D) wanted to do something incredible. 4. “By the end I did” means that the author A) found the distance suitable. B) found the distance challenging. C) decided to take part in the marathon. D) eventually took a train to the finish. 5. According to the author, the London Marathon is one of the easiest because A) it goes through the Tower of London. B) there are quiet patches without crowds. C) many “fun” runners participate in it. D) its course does not slope up or down. 6. “… the greatest field ever for a marathon” means that the marathon A) will take place on a big field. B) is to be run by the famous runners only. C) will be witnessed by more people. D) will welcome a huge number of sportsmen. 7. According to the author, one should run the London Marathon to A) raise money for charity. B) get some training. C) feel self-fulfillment. D) have fun in a crazy way.

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Начало формы
Harry had come to Canada from Poland at the age of eight. The family was sent to a Jewish farming village in Manitoba. His father had been a merchant in the old country, but he was allowed into Canada on condition that he took up agriculture. In the village, they lived in a small wooden house. When he was sixteen Harry moved to Winnipeg to work for his cousin Albert in the fur business. He was paid fifteen dollars a week for sixty or seventy hours of work. This arrangement continuedfor two years, and then Harry asked for a raise or a reduction in working time. His cousin said no; that was when Harry began his own family fur business. After his parents sold their farm and moved into the city, he operated out of their North Winnipeg basement. I was introduced to Harry through a friend of mine, a local city planner. Harry now owned properties in the exchange district, so named because it was where the grain and fur exchanges started. My friend had been encouraging Harry to renovate these buildings. The city was trying to save its architectural past. Much remained that would have been torn down in other Canadian cities. The three of us walked to a restaurant called Bottles. Looking at the menu, Harry said he didn’t want anything rich. He had had problems with his stomach since he was eighteen. “Poor eating,” he explained. There had not been enough money for decent food. “I don’t know what’s happened to Winnipeg,” Harry said. “Thirty years ago Portage Avenue was full of life. Now in the evening the whole downtown is dead.” Harry had bought his first raw pelts in 1952. There had been a thousand people employed in the fur trade when he began. Now he thought there might be a hundred. The fur manufactures in Montreal and Toronto, many of them Greek immigrants, had taken over the business. “We used to work like dogs. One of my parents’ neighbours reported us – we weren’t supposed to work out of a house – so we had to rent space downtown. People said we’d be broke very soon. But slowly we expanded.” Harry was among the inter-war immigrants who had given Winnipeg’s north end its special character. Then North Winnipeg had been a seat of political ferment and of Jewish immigrant culture. Its history had acquired a patina because so many talented people had escaped its poverty and gone into business or the arts professions. But Harry was one of the last. Many of the old Jewish families had moved across the river into more expensive neighbourhoods. There was a new underclass made up of Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Canadian Indians. 1. Harry’s father was permitted to come to Canada if he A) didn’t work in agriculture. B) became a farmer. C) remained a merchant. D) returned to Poland after some years. 2. Harry stopped working for his cousin Albert because A) he returned to his father’s farm. B) he went to Poland to start his own business. C) his cousin refused to pay him more money. D) his cousin wanted to increase working hours. 3. A local city planner wanted Harry to A) tear down the old buildings. B) own the buildings. C) exchange the buildings for fur. D) restore the buildings. 4. Harry had some problems with his stomach because in his childhood he A) had eaten too much. B) had not been able to eat proper food. C) used to starve. D) had liked rich food. 5. One of Harry’s parents’ neighbours told the police about them because they A) used to work like dogs. B) rented a place downtown. C) ran their business at home. D) had expanded their business. 6. “People said we’d be broke very soon” means that people expected them to A) go bankrupt soon. B) destroy their house. C) have a breakthrough in business. D) break their back due to hard work. 7. “Last” in “Harry was one of the last” refers to A) the political figures who gave Manitoba its special character. B) those who had moved into more expensive neighbourhood. C) successful immigrants who still lived in North Winnipeg. D) those who had chosen the profession of the arts.

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  2A77EF

 

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I wanted to find my niche. I wanted to fit so badly with some group, any group in high school. Sports didn’t really work for me. In fact, I dreaded those times in PE when the captains picked teams. Fights sometimes happened between captains about who would have the misfortune of ending up with me on their team. But one day, I saw a girl I liked go into the marching band office to sign up. Okay, sure, the uniforms looked stupid and being in the band didn’t exactly give you the best reputation at school, but there was Jaclyn. I would later learn that many of the greatest musicians of our time were motivated to music by some girl whose name they most likely don’t remember anymore. The first thing to learn was how to hold the drum and play it. Holding the drum and playing it is not as easy as it might look. I did, after several private lessons, learn the rhythm. Next, as if that weren’t difficult enough, I had to learn how to play it while not only walking, but marching. At the end of the summer, our uniforms arrived. The band uniform is a sacred attire. It is not only carefully sized to fit the individual, long-sleeved and hand sewn, acquired through a lot of fund raising activities, and cleaned after each use. It is worn with pride. It is also 100 percent wool. I forgot to mention something. In addition to an inability to play sports, I was also not so good at marching. If you were not in step, the band director would yell in a loud and embarrassingly annoyed voice, “OUT OF STEP!” It was at that point that I began to question my decision to join the band. How do playing music and marching around in silly formations, all “in step”, go together? The day of our first competition finally arrived. Although it didn’t start until 9 a.m., we had to meet at 6 a.m. to get our uniforms from the “band boosters” – those selfless, dedicated parents who provided comfort and assistance to the members of the band. I was not really in existence. I could walk and talk, but inside my brain was fast asleep. I was standing around waiting for my hat to be cleaned when I noticed a big container of coffee. I poured myself a cup – my first-ever cup of coffee. It tasted pretty bitter, but I had to wake up. Finally, they lined us all up and off we went. I had had my coffee, so I marched and beat the rhythm out with all my heart. Then, suddenly all my energy drained away. I began to feel sleepy and I fell “OUT OF STEP.” No one noticed at first and I tried to skip back into step. But nothing worked. Then I saw one of the band boosters talking to another one and pointing at me. Then they motioned for me to leave the formation. I walked over to them as the band marched on. They told me what I already knew, I was “OUT OF STEP”, and would have to stay out of the formation until the band passed the judging stand. I couldn’t believe it. Now I had to climb over the lawn chairs, popcorn and arms and legs of my fellow townspeople for the next mile to keep up with the band, carrying my drum and wearing my uniform. This was the most humiliating moment of my life. 1. When the narrator was in high school he A) wanted badly to belong to some sports team. B) looked forward to PE classes. C) sometimes had fights with team captains picking teams. D) longed to have something in common with other students. 2. The reason why the narrator decided to sign up for the band was his A) dream to become a musician. B) wish to get a better reputation. C) attraction to a girl. D) liking the band uniform. 3. “The band uniform is a sacred attire” means it is A) carefully sized to fit the individual. B) long-sleeved hand sewn pure wool. C) cleaned after each use. D) highly respected and symbolic. 4. The narrator began to question his decision to join the band because he A) saw no connection between playing music and marching. B) suddenly found out that he was not so good at marching. C) had a bad ear for music. D) got frightened by the yells of the band director. 5. The narrator had a cup of coffee before marching because he A) sometimes liked to have some. B) didn't want to feel sleepy. C) had got tired of waiting. D) liked its bitter taste. 6. When the narrator fell “OUT OF STEP” he A) just kept on marching. B) expected the band boosters to encourage him. C) worked hard to improve the situation. D) looked forward to leaving the formation. 7. When the narrator was told to leave the formation he felt A) frightened that the band director would scold him. B) miserable because he knew he would be a laughing stock. C) relieved because he did not have to march any more. D) happy that he could join his fellow townspeople.

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  076A6E

 

Начало формы
I like my house and my bed and my shower. I do not like camping. I guess that means I’m weird. Men are supposed to like camping. When I was eight, my father took me on our first and last camping trip together. It was the worst weekend of my life. It was freezing cold. It rained. We went for a hike, and I got lost. My dad had tried to teach me how to use a compass. We walked for a mile while he talked about north, south, east and west. I was cold and bored, so I didn’t listen very well. He left me with the compass and told me to find my way back. My dad says I wasn’t lost for very long. It felt like a whole day. My company recently transferred me to Denver, Colorado. My new co-workers have invited me to go hiking or camping several times since I arrived. I keep making excuses, because I do not want to tell them the truth. My buddy from Texas thinks I should go over it, because I’m not eight anymore. I’m afraid that if I go, I will make a complete fool of myself. If I don’t go, they will quit asking. If they quit asking, I won’t have any buddies to hang out with. Back home my buddies and I played golf every other Saturday. I miss golf. But here wilderness stuff is what people do for fun. I finally decided I would give it a try. They made plans to hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend. After work, I found the nearest wilderness shop. The salesperson thought I had lost my mind, but boy he had a big smile on his face. I bought one of almost everything, just in case. I even bought a wilderness guide. I think I could survive on Mount Everest wearing the coat he sold me. I went home and read all the manuals. I practiced setting up a tent in the backyard. I wore my new hiking boots around the house until I got a blister. After packing my car Friday morning, I could not see out the back of my Jeep Cherokee. Everything I bought was crammed inside. We decided to caravan to Estes Park and then hike up Beaver Meadow Trail. I wondered if we would get lost. But I just wanted to play it cool and follow along. After work, we went in the parking lot to discuss who would lead the caravan. As soon as they saw my Jeep, they started giving me a hard time. “Are ya movin’ in, Tom?” “Movin’ in where?” “To the woods”. They all laughed. “Oh that. Just wanted to be prepared.” They raised their eyebrows and gave me the OK sign. I felt like a complete idiot. “You should have told us. We would have left everything we own at home”. “Very funny. Bunch of comedians.” On the way to Estes Park, I tried to relax. I tried to think macho thoughts. And then it started to rain. I panicked. All I could think about was being eight years old, alone in the woods, cold and hungry. The guys didn’t seem bothered by the rain. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it. We all put on our backpacks. Once again, I stood out. My backpack looked bright and spotless. I forgot to rub it in the dirt and stomp on it. The price tag was still hanging from the zipper. My backpack was the only one dripping with gadgets. They all stared at me. On the way up Beaver Meadow Trail, the rain started to pour. It was cold and harsh. I removed the Mount Everest coat from my waist and put it on. One of my gadgets was a small, sturdy umbrella. I pulled it off the hook, opened it, and held it in front of my face. The waterproof gloves I bought felt toasty warm. I looked around at my macho friends. They were checking out my backpack. I suddenly felt more confident. They looked miserable, and I almost felt sorry for them. When it started to hail, we moved off the trail. I removed my backpack. A rolled up tent was attached to the bottom with straps of Velcro. They didn’t laugh this time. It took us 30 minutes, but we finally put the tent together. It was not big enough for five people. Somehow, we squeezed inside anyway. After several awkward moments, someone said “So what else you got in that backpack, Tom?” We spent the next hour joking and laughing and eating beef jerky. I told them all about my first camping experience. I also told them that I miss playing golf. They said they would give it a try sometime. I decided camping might not be so bad after all. 1. Tom believes that he is weird because he A) expects to sleep in a comfortable bed when camping. B) didn’t like camping when he was eight years old. C) doesn’t like the thing other people expect him to enjoy. D) didn’t like to spend weekends with his father in his childhood. 2. Tom got lost on a hike because A) his father hadn’t explained to him how to use a compass. B) his father had left him alone to teach him a lesson. C) he wanted to make his father feel sorry for him. D) he had paid no attention to what his father was telling him. 3. Tom isn’t quite happy in Denver because A) he feels a complete fool in the company of his co-workers. B) he dislikes the leisure time activities of his new colleagues. C) his new colleagues have quit inviting him to go hiking or camping. D) there are no men whom he would like to become his buddies. 4. The salesperson thought Tom had lost his mind because A) Tom wanted to climb Mount Everest without any previous experience. B) Tom had bought a lot of unnecessary things. C) no one had ever bought so many manuals. D) Tom had bought outrageously expensive hiking equipment. 5. Tom’s colleagues started giving him a hard time because they A) thought he had too many things in his jeep. B) were envious of his Jeep Cherokee and hiking equipment. C) believed he was a complete idiot. D) thought he couldn’t lead the caravan. 6. When everyone stared at his backpack Tom wished he A) had bought a cheaper one. B) had removed some of the gadgets. C) hadn’t bought such a bright one. D) had made it look old and used. 7. Tom found his camping experience not so bad after all because A) it taught him to appreciate nature’s beauty. B) he realized that camping might go well with playing sports. C) he enjoyed the company of his co-workers. D) he liked eating beef cooked over a campfire.

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  C5BDB4

 

Начало формы
 
A


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