The phone box was initially referred to as a "public 4____________________".
When they finally appeared on the streets, they were found in 5_______________________ kiosks.
Giles Gilbert Scott wanted to create a phone box that was part of the British 6________________, just like the post box.
He intended the phone boxes to be coloured 7__________________________.
Not only did telephone kiosks not disappear during the late 80s, but their number was 8____________.
BT has already installed 9____________________________ Internet kiosks.
Collectors can buy a traditional British phone box for 10___________________.
3. Образец теста на понимание прочитанного текста
You are going to read an article about the history of the British money system. Choose the most suitable heading from the list (A-I) for each part (1-8) of the article. There is one extra heading which you don't need to use.
A The strongest currency worldwide. B Deciding on a single currency. C The long history of the pound. D Using goods to buy and sell. E Coins showed the ancient way of life. | F The oldest money in the world, G Making it simpler for all. H from coins to trade again. I Changing the way the pound is measured. |
In For A Penny. In For A Pound.
1) ______________________
England has enjoyed a relatively stable single national currency with an unbroken history of over 900 years. The origins of the pound sterling date even further back. In fact, the pound as a unit of currency has never had to be replaced by a new currency, in contrast to many European countries. The pound has also been preferred and widely accepted in international trade for tow hundred years. As a result, other countries had to adapt their currency arrangements to fit in with sterling.
2) _______________________
Economic activity in the very earliest civilizations had to do with trading or "bartering". Services were traded to meet individual needs. For example, a master would reward his servant with food and shelter. Goods of equal value were also exchanged. People then began to use items that had the same value to everyone. In the earliest civilizations cattle, grain, salt, leaved and seeds were traded to buy necessities. England has returned to barter several times in the course of history,
3) ________________________
The Ancient Britons used sword blades as currency before they started minting coins. The designs of the earliest coins, dating back to 125 BC, were imitations of Macedonia's pure gold coins. As their experience of minting grew the designs became more original. The coins started to reflect their lifestyle and interest. The horse was a common feature as they were a rural people. Their love of hunting and farming can be seen in the designs of boars and ears of wheat.
4) ________________________
Coins continued to be used in Britain while it was part of the Roman Empire. The Romans did, however, impose their own coinage in Britain. Small brass and copper "minissimi" coins were used for low value purchases. When the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century and Britain was invaded by the Anglo-Saxons, minting and the use of coins ceased in England for over 200 years. The island went back to bartering and using other, more primitive, standards of value.
5) __________________________
With the Viking invasions of England came an enormous increase in the production of coins. Alfred the Great, who prevented the Vikings conquering all of England, had eight mints built so that he would have enough coins to pay his soldiers and to build forts and ships/ The king who came after Alfred had to keep increasing the number of mints in order to pay for the defense of the country. It became so complicated, that in 928 King Athelstan passed a law stating that there was to be only one single type of money or currency in England, and there has been just one ever since. This occurred many centuries before other major European countries such as France, Germany and Italy had their own national currency.
6) ___________________________
The pound was introduced into England by the Normans even before William I conquered and united England in 1066. It was originally an amount of silver weighing a pound and became the basis of the monetary systems throughout the British colonies. With Britain's head start in the Industrial revolution, developments in banking, her military victories and the spread of the British Empire during the 19th century, the pound sterling the world's most important currency.
7) ____________________________
In1816 the standard of value for the sterling changed from silver to gold and other countries followed the British example, making the gold standard an international one. During the worldwide economic crisis in 1931, Britain was forced to abandon the gold standard. The US dollar replaced the pound sterling as the key global currency. Other countries then fixed their exchange rated against the dollar, the value of which remained defined in terms of gold.
8) ____________________________
After the Norman Conquest, the pound was divided into twenty shillings. The shillings were made of silver, and the weight of twenty shillings was exactly that of one pound. The shillings were then divided into twelve pence or pennies. The pennies were made of copper, and the weight of twelve pennies was exactly the weight of one shilling. On 15th February 1971, Britain introduced decimal system. This meant that the pound (£) was equal to 100 pence (p) which made it much easier to use.
2. Образцы текстов для реферирования
HOW TO RATION THE TIME YOUR CHILD WATCHES TV
from Ben Macintyre in New York
Parents too weak-willed, indulgent or exhausted to insist that their children turn off the television can take hope from a new gadget introduced in the United States. TV Allowance is an electronic disciplinarian that permits each member of the family a specific amount of viewing time and turns off the set when it runs out.
The machine was invented by a non-professional scientist from Florida who said that his family life was being destroyed by battles with his children over the amount of time they spent in front of TV. It went on sale in America last month for $99 (£55). It is being adapted to European sets and is expected to reach Britain early next year.
The principle is simple: every member of the family is allotted an individual code which must be punched into the machine to turn the television on; each minute watched deducts a minute from that person's viewing allocation. The inventor, Randal Levenson, said that the machine teaches the young self-discipline and discrimination and, moreover, instils the essentials of capitalism since children can save their viewing time, barter it with each other or team up to maximise their resources.
"Initially I invented it just so I could stop yelling at my kids over the television, but it's really more of a teaching tool than an authoritarian device," Mr Levenson said. "It teaches kids budgeting techniques, the art of the deal and business ethics."
Parents can programme the machine not to turn on at certain times (mealtimes, or during homework hours) and, like most parental restrictions, it is unfair: parents are able to allocate themselves unlimited viewing time.
A recent survey revealed that the average American teenager spends three hours a day in front of the television, but authorities on child care are divided over whether a machine such as TV Allowance is the way to reduce television time, let alone maintain harmonious family relations. Some child psychologists argue that children should be weaned off television by persuasion and consultation and that house rules should be enforced by parents, not gadgets.
A number of satisfied customers report that the new contraption has successfully persuaded their children to look for other forms of entertainment. Others have found that their children simply alter their viewing habits: turning off the television during commercials, forcing younger siblings to surrender their viewing codes and refusing to watch anything recommended by their parents unless it is taken off the parents' viewing time.
allot = give, divide
instill = introduce
wean off – отлучать от
ПОЛЕТ НА МАРС ВОЗМОЖЕН ЧЕРЕЗ 30 ЛЕТ!
http://pops. /observatoriya/space/2086-mars
Марс всегда манил людей с магнетической силой — это ближайшая к нам планета, к тому же, очень похожая на Землю. Даже в простой телескоп видны долины, горы, пустыни и полярные ледниковые шапки, доказано, что на Марсе есть атмосфера и вода, сменяются времена года, а в сутках чуть больше 24-х часов. Один из первых фантастов Герберт Уэллс считал, что если на нашу планету и придут инопланетные захватчики, то они будут обязательно с Марса — именно из-за схожести планет. Стоит добавить также, что до 1965 года значительное число ученых было уверено в том, что на поверхности Марса есть реки и озера.
Собранные марсоходами новейшие данные доказали, что Марс и вправду не сильно отличается от Земли, правда, с оговоркой: от Земли после самого кошмарного сценария глобального потепления — «Красная планета» сейчас является безжизненной обледенелой пустыней. Условия жизни, подобные марсианским, можно встретить и на нашей планете — в горах, на высоте от 5 тысяч метров, где сильно разрежена атмосфера и сверхнизкое давление сочетается с очень низкой температурой. Добавьте к этому практически полное отсутствие кислорода и сильнейшую солнечную радиацию (озонового слоя на Марсе тоже нет). Однако те же самые исследования показывают, что Марс был таким не всегда — примерно 3,5 миллиарда лет тому назад здесь было хорошо — грунт был покрыт деревьями и водоемами, а по поверхности, возможно, ходили животные. Более того, у землян есть теоретическая возможность вернуть соседнюю планету в прежнее состояние, однако для этого потребуются усилия всей планеты и тысяча лет. Правда, чтобы об этом говорить, на Марс сначала нужно полететь — первая экспедиция возможна уже в 2025-м году.
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