Учимся выполнять тесты (стр. 8 )

F. But we live among people and communication is one of the most significant values. One of the most interesting, clever and well-known writers Chekhov said: “If every person would do on his piece of earth everything he can, what a wonderful world it would be.” Let’s create and, most important, believe in miracles! Let’s believe in our dreams! (469)

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5. FAIRY TALES

A. So, jump in and find out what makes these fairy tales so enduring, or try your hand at creating your own!

B. Both Egypt and Iceland have “Cinderella” stories, as do China, England, Korea, Siberia, France, and Vietnam; and the list doesn’t stop there. There may be a thousand versions of the Cinderella story, each with a unique telling which carries cultural information about the time and place the story was told. One thing is for sure – people everywhere like stories in which truth prevails over deception, generosity is ultimately rewarded, hard work overcomes obstacles, and love, mercy and kindness are the greatest powers of all.

C. A fairy tale, or wonder tale, is a kind of folktale or fable. In these stories we meet witches and queens, giants and elves, princes, dragons, talking animals, ogres, princesses, and sometimes even fairies. Marvelous and magical things happen to characters in fairy tales. A boy may become a bird. A princess may sleep for a hundred years. A seal may become a girl. Objects too can be enchanted – mirrors talk, pumpkins become carriages, and a lamp may be home to a genie.

D. The oldest fairy tales were told and retold for generations before they were written down. French fairy tales were the first to be collected and written down, but now we can read fairy tales from almost any culture. When these stories were studied together, something amazing was discovered. From countries as distant and different as Egypt and Iceland similar fairy tales are told.

E. Today, some authors still like to retell and invent new fairy tales. The Cinderella story was recently re-imagined by Diane Goode in her book Cinderella: “The Dog and Her Little Glass Slipper”. Jon Scieszka’s fractured fairy tales in “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales” are another example of a retelling but with humor. (307)

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6. MOUNT RUSHMORE MONUMENT

Of the four presidents, George Washington's bust is the most prominent, looking as serious as we tend to think of him. He is called the Father of His Country; he was the first president of the United States, the commanding general of the victorious American army in the Revolutionary War. After his death he was praised by the Congress as «First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen». Towering over the Black Hills of Dakota at 6000 feet above sea level can be seen the majestic and lifelike figures of four of America's greatest presidents. Gutzon Borglum spent fourteen years cutting these gigantic busts in Mount Rushmore as a lasting tribute to American leadership. Behind him is Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the U. S.A, the author of the Declaration of Independence. He is friendly looking. Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president, is in the corner next to the last of the four, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, who proclaimed that all slaves were «forever free» and was called the Great Emancipator. He was an exceptionally active commander in chief of the army and the navy in the Civil War. His bust is least complete. In 1927 Borglum began this monumental task when he was sixty years old, a time when most men are preparing for their retirement, and not for a lengthy project. Upon Borglum's death, his son continued the project, but he could not complete the project, because of financial problems. It is unbelievable that such a monumental masterpiece should sit in a now quiet area, once the scene of deadly battles between the Sioux Indians and the white man. (277)

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7. THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION

A. It is thought that the peasants may have rebelled, because they were overtaxed and that they defeated their rulers. But as only the rulers knew how to read and write and how to plan and repair buildings, this and other cultural knowledge disappeared with them, causing the civilization’s rapid collapse. That, at least is one theory.

B. The cultural elite of Mayan civilization were the priests, astronomers, chiefs, and other members of the paratively small in number, they were supported by the labour of large masses of peasants.

C. The ancient Mayas of Central America built one of the most highly developed native civilizations ever found in the Western Hemisphere. In art, agriculture, and mathematics they were equal and in some cases better that all of their counterparts. And for nearly 7 centuries (250-900 A. D.) they controlled the area of Central America now known as Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and El Salvador, and the entire Yucatan Peninsula.

D. How could such an advanced civilization fall so fast? Many explanations have been offered, including earthquakes and disease. Even the possibility of an invasion had been considered. But many scholars feel that the reason of the fall is rather connected with the internal structure of Mayan society than with some natural disaster or outside force.

E. Then, suddenly the entire Mayan civilization collapsed. Hundreds of 200 feet high stone pyramids and beautiful cities fell into ruins, people disappeared. The whole process took less than 100 years. No one is really certain how and why this decline happened. Now, the downfall of the Mayas remains one of the great-unanswered questions of human history. (267)

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8. THE PROBLEMS OF FREE TIME ACTIVITIES

Teenagers from formal groups generally spend their leisure time doing sports, shopping or going out with friends, sightseeing and travelling; watching TV or listening to the music of their favourite radio station. Teenagers from informal groups spend their free time according to their values and beliefs. They may team with those who share their interests and listen to the music that deviates from the mainstream. They may have rave parties or bike shows, navigate the Internet, or organise fan clubs. Schoolchildren usually do not have much free time, because they have to go to school and do their homework. Still, you have to relax sometime. To my mind, it is possible to divide all teenagers into two groups: formal and informal. Other teens are sport fans or go in for sports themselves. British boys and girls play their traditional sport games, such as cricket, soccer, rugby, golf, and tennis. American boys and girls usually play American football, baseball, and basketball. Cheerleaders are also very popular in the USA. Some teens are fans of a music group or a singer. They collect posters and records, visit concerts regularly, and exchange pictures and news. They like to sing songs of their pop or rock idols and find information about them in the Internet. On different websites, admirers can find pictures, and lyrics. Some even download the music. In Britain and the USA many teenagers earn money after school or during vacations. They work for their pocket money or to support their families. They can work in a local pub, a shop, a supermarket, or a golf club. The majority of kids prefer to deliver mail. Some work in stables, if they like horses; some work as baby-sitters, if they like babies. Some teens prefer to spend a lot of time indoors because they are TV addicts or fond of computer/video games. Some like to be alone because they are keen on reading or watching videos. Most teenagers in Russia like to go out with their friends or simply talk. There are a lot of topics to discuss. Friends can help you find new records, computer programmes or just new opportunities to enjoy your free time. The best way to relax is travelling. If your parents are made of money, you are a lucky dog. You may have the most breathtaking holidays at the resorts of Spain, Turkey, or the Bahamas. As a matter of fact, some travelling and working experience is rather important, because universities and potential employers are very much in favour of students who have it. (426)

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9. DISNEYLAND, THE WORLD OF MAGIC

The total cost was estimated at $5 million and Walt Disney had to borrow money and to mortgage his house, furniture and stock holdings. Little by little, as the plan began to take shape, investors started to take interest in the the time Disneyland opened to the public in 1955 the cost had risen to $17 million. Walt Disney was always a man of dreams, fantasy and imagination. In 1952 he came up with an idea to build an amusement park that would be entertaining for adults as well as for children. The amusement park was an instant success. Both children and adults were fascinated by Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland and Tomorrowland. Walt Disney’s magic kingdom offered a unique fantasy adventure. People from all over the world including monarchs, presidents, prime ministers and many other very important persons flocked to Disneyland by the millions. Disney located a 244-acre orange grove 25 miles south of Los Angeles, California. He had his architects draw up tentative plans and was all ready to start when he faced a really difficult problem: money. Though he was a world-famous producer, the creator of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White and Cinderella he could not find any investors for his “risky” project. Many other amusement parks built on the Disney model have appeared since that time. Disney world opened near Orlando, Florida in 1971 is one of the best owing to the latest technology. Today these parks bring nearly $1 billion to the United States each year. More and more innovations are installed each year because, as Walt Disney himself said in 1952, the park will never be completed – “not as long as there is imagination left in the world!” (285)

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10. MEN IN SKIRTS

A. We do not know when this happened. Some people say that the colors of the family tartans are many centuries old. Others say that they became important only in the nineteenth century. In any case, by the early 1800s, most Scottish families had special colors for their tartans. The men always wore these colors on their kilts. For example, the Campbell family tartan was dark blue, with yellow and green stripes.

B. In Europe men do not usually wear skirts, but the Scottish national costume for men is a kind of skirt. It is called a “kilt.” The Scottish like to be different. They are also proud of their country and its history, and they feel that the kilt is a part of that history. That is why the men still wear kilts at traditional dances and on national holidays. They believe they are wearing the same clothes that Scottish men always used to wear.

C. In the late 1700s, Scottish soldiers in the British Army began to wear kilts. One reason for this was national feeling: The Scottish soldiers wanted to look different from the English soldiers. The British Army probably had a different reason: A Scottish soldier in a kilt was always easy to find! The Scottish soldiers fought hard and became famous. The kilt was part of that fame, and in the early 1800s men all around Scotland began to wear kilts.

D. The exact history of the tartan kilt is not so important. To the Scottish people today, it is part of their tradition, and that is what matters.

E. These kilts had colorful stripes going up and down and across. In Scotland, this pattern is called a “tartan.” Tartan cloth was used many centuries ago. In fact, Scottish literature talks about tartans in the 1200s. At first, the tartans showed where people came from. Then they became important to Scottish families.

F. However, kilts are not really so old. In the early days, Scottish men wore a kind of long shirt that went below their knees. They wore long socks and a big wool blanket around their shoulders. These clothes were warm and comfortable for working outside on a farm, but they were not so good when men started to work in factories in modern times. So in 1730 a factory owner changed the blanket into a skirt: the kilt. That’s how the first kilt was made, according to one historian. (401)

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Задания на поиск детальной информации в тексте

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания, обводя букву A, B, C или D, соответствующую ответу, который вам кажется наиболее верным:

I. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

A national park is a large piece of land. In the park animals are free to come and go. Trees and plants grow everywhere. People go to a national park to enjoy nature. Many people stay in campgrounds in national parks. They sleep in tents and cook their food over campfires. They also walk on trails or paths in the parks. On a gate at the entrance of Yellowstone, a sign says, “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People”.

Yellowstone is the world’s oldest national park. It became a national park in 1872. It is also the world’s largest park. It covers parts of the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Yellowstone is two-and-a-half times the size of the smallest state, Rhode Island.

Yellowstone is famous for its geysers. These holes in the ground shoot hot water into the air. There are about seventy geysers in the park. The most famous is Old Faithful. About every hour Old Faithful shoots hot water hundreds of feet into the air.

Two-and-a-half million people visit this beautiful park each year. Park rangers give information to visitors. They also take care of the park. They tell visitors not to pick the flowers. They also tell them not to feed or hunt the animals. (210)

1. People go to a national park to enjoy ….

a) people

b) nature

c) animals

d) Rhode Island

2. The sign says, “For the ….”

a) Benefit

b) Information

c) Security

d) holiday

3. Yellowstone is famous for its ….

a) visitors

b) geysers

c) bears

d) campfires

4. Park rangers …. of the park.

a) feed

b) take care

c) sleep

d) enjoy

5. Yellowstone is two-and-a-half times the size of ….

a) Montana

b) Idaho

c) Rhode Island

d) Washington

6. Geysers shoot hot water into the ….

a) ground

b) air