The European Union - СумДУ
Міністерство освіти і науки України
Сумський державний університет
3649 Збірник тренувальних текстів та вправ для підготовки до вступного іспиту з англійської мови до магістратури
для студентів усіх спеціальностей денної та заочної форм навчання
Суми
Сумський державний університет
2013
SECTION I
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
1 The European Union
The European Union began in 1952 when Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxemburg formed the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). This agreement meant that the coal and steel companies in all six countries were controlled by the same organization.
In 1957, the same six countries formed the EEC (European Economic Community). The agreement, called the Treaty of Rome, made trade much easier and cheaper between these countries and with the USA.
By the end of the 1990s, the EEC had changed its name to the European Union and there were fifteen member countries. Trade between members is cheap and easy. They also have more power as a group when they trade with larger countries like the USA. Some people worry that the EU takes a lot of political power away from the government of each country. There is now a new kind of money in Europe – the euro. Not all EU countries have begun to use euros. Some people want their country to keep its own money and make its own economic decisions.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a The abbreviation EU appeared in the 2nd half of the 20th century.
b Steel, coal and chemicals producers initiated a new trade agreement.
c Six European countries and the USA made an agreement in 1957.
d The European Union membership helps develop national economies.
e There are problems which the EU countries have not solved yet.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 France and Luxemburg a was signed in 1957.
2 The Treaty of Rome b by the same organization.
3 The main idea of the EU is c about their political and economic independence.
4 People in the EU countries worry d belong to the EU oldest members.
5 In the EU countries trade is controlled e to make trade easier and cheaper.
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2 Money
Before money, people could not buy or sell. They had to exchange goods. With money, buying and selling could happen at different times with different people. A person could sell food to somebody on one day and get money for it; a week later, he or she could use the money to buy clothes from a third person.
There have been metal coins for thousands of years. But this caused problems. People took very small bits of metal from each coin. Thousands years ago the Greeks used coins made of silver. Their money drachma was the most common kind of money for trade in Europe and parts of Asia. The Romans also used silver and gold coins.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries people did not want to carry large bags of coins with them, so they left the coins with traders. The traders gave them ‘notes’ which were just pieces of paper with a promise to pay back the gold and silver coins.
In 1950, the first credit card was made. Today, most shops, hotels and restaurants in the world take credit cards and people do not have to carry a lot of coins and notes with them when they travel.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Money could make a selling/buying process longer.
b With money fewer people could buy and sell.
c Ancient people did not use silver and gold for money production.
d The traders’ business was to produce special written documents.
e Having a credit card is quite risky and dangerous.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Primitive people a when having coins and notes on them.
2 With money people got b had to exchange goods.
3 With time metal coins c has celebrated its 55th birthday.
4 People do not feel comfortable d more choices to buy and to sell
5 The credit card e became smaller in size.
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3 Building a global brand
Coca-Cola is the most recognized brand in the world. When the company began, it was very small. For the first year, it sold only nine drinks a day. Today, it sells about 7,000 products every second.
John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886. He made it at home and brought to a shop where he sold it for five cents a glass. He worked with a man called Frank Robinson who invented the name Coca-Cola. It is still used on the bottles today. In 1891 the Coca-Cola company was bought for 2,300 dollars. In 1919, the company was sold for 25 million dollars. Robert Woodruff who became the president of the Coca-Cola company in 1923, stayed in the job for more than thirty years and helped Coca-Cola to become one of the largest companies in the world. By 1945, there were 64 Coca-Cola factories across the world.
A global brand must look the same everywhere in the world. All the Coca-Cola factories use the same bottles. The colours red and white have been an important part of the brand since those days.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Coca-Cola sends more than 40,000 products a minute.
b Coca-cola is more than 100 years old.
c J. Pemberton invented a new drink and its name in 1886.
d J. Pemberton sold the Coca-Cola company in 1919.
e All the Coca-Cola products are the same in form and colour.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 John Pemberton started a thanks to its colours.
2 The new product got its name b not once.
3 The Coca-Cola company got its world popularity c thanks to Robert Woodruff.
4 The company was resold d with the price of five cents a glass.
5 The drink can be recognized easily e thanks to Frank Robinson.
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4 Business gurus
People have always been interested in success. They buy books about business written by ‘gurus’- people who promise to teach you the secret of success in the world of business. These books often become very popular and sometimes change the way companies work.
Some business gurus write for the individual. An example is Stephen Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. More than ten million people have bought this book. Covey teaches people to solve a problem in a way which is good for everyone. He also teaches to plan carefully before you start work, and never stop learning new things. Covey himself has become very successful. Now he has more than a hundred shops across the USA.
He comes to companies and give them advice which is very expensive.
Others business gurus write about companies and organizations. They give information about how to make people work together better. In his book “Human Competence”, Thomas Gilbert gives his six best ways to make people in an organization work badly, and then he asks his readers to think what happens in their company.
The “Business @ the Speed of Thought” by Bill Gates has become very popular. Many people who read this book hope that they can learn the secret of his success.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Gurus are people who think they can share their knowledge with other people.
b In his book S. Covey writes about the six habits that business people must have.
c Covey put his knowledge into practice successfully.
d After Stephen Covey made a lot of money, he started to give advice for free.
e The book “Human Competence” by T. Gilbert was written for the individuals.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Some books on business have changed a by Thomas Gilbert.
2 More than ten million people read the book b the way companies work.
3 The book “Human Competence” was written c from the negative example.
4 T. Gilbert makes people learn d Bill Gate’s example.
5 Many people would like to follow e by Stephen Covey.
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5 The future of commerce
Information technology and the Internet have changed the way people do business over the past twenty years, and they will continue to be important in the future. However, information technology is not the only thing which can change business. The way we live our lives at home and at work, and the hobbies we do in our free time, all have an effect on the world of business. To plan for the future, companies need to know how the world is changing.
By 2030, more than half a million of the people in the USA will be fifty or older. Many of them will stop working and have more free time. This is good news for companies who run hotels, cinemas and other leisure centers.
In richer countries fewer people are getting married and more people are living alone. This is good news for companies which build, buy and sell houses.
One thing is certain: the world of business will continue to change quickly. The most successful companies will be the ones which can change with it.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Prediction is very important for business.
b The experts say that most Americans under fifty will stop working in the future.
c Only information technology can change business.
d Construction and entertainment businesses will be successful.
e The richer people become, the more children they have.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 The Internet has changed a the better for people who buy and sell houses.
2 To plan, companies need to know b is getting older.
3 The American nation c the future of the world.
4 The more lonely people, d never stop changing.
5 The main rule in running business is e the way we live and work.
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6 From the history of international trade
Trade is as old as history itself. In the beginning, people exchanged goods such as food and clothes. Later, then began to use money for buying and selling. But international trade only became important in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when many modern countries were formed. France, England and other countries made agreements which made the trade easier and cheaper.
In 1947, twenty-three countries made an agreement called GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). GATT played a very important part in the development of world trade for fifty years.
In 1995, GATT became the WTO (World Trade Organization). All the countries in the WTO have to follow the same trade rules. This saves time: countries can make just one agreement instead of a lot of different ones. Larger and more powerful countries cannot make it difficult for poorer countries to take part in trade. Cheaper trade means cheaper goods in the shops. Easier trade is good for the world economy and probably means more jobs. And finally, people say that trade agreements help to keep peace because they help countries to work together.
However, some people are worried about the WTO because it has got too much power and does not explain its decisions.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a The history of trade is the history of human civilization.
b Not many countries could trade with each other until the 14th century.
c The World Trade Organization was formed more than 15 years ago.
d The developed countries have better positions and privileges in the WTO.
e The WTO cannot improve the world working forces market.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 The members of the WTO a replaced GATT.
2 Neither large nor small WTO members b the lower the prices in the shops.
3 The cheaper the trade, c promote cooperation and piece.
4 The international trade helps d can have privileges.
5 In 1995 the World Trade Organization must follow e the same trade rules.
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7 The Internet-I
The Internet began in the 1970s as a way to send information from one computer to another. It was only used by people who worked in governments and universities. But in the 1990s, it suddenly began to be more popular.
In the early 1990s, a British man Tim Berners-Lee invented the ‘Web’. With the Web it was much easier to find information on the Internet, and to move from one part of the Internet to another. By the end of the 1990s, millions of people around the world were using the Web for many different things: for example, working, shopping, playing games and studying.
In the first half of the 1990s, it was clear that the Internet and the Web were changing the world. Hundreds of new companies started on the Internet. They knew that the Internet was growing, and that it offered an easy way to do business with millions of people. The banks gave money to these new ‘Internet start-up’ companies. By the end of the 1990s there were too many of these companies. They could not all be successful, and many of them went out of business. Now, only the best of the Internet start-up companies are making money.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a The Internet has been popular since 1970s.
b An American T.Berners-Lee made the Internet easier to use.
c The business people got more customers with the Web.
d Start-up business has never been risky.
e In the second half of the 20th century many companies started their electronic business.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 The 1990s saw a the growth of the Internet start-up companies.
2 The first Internet users could be found b made a new kind of business possible.
3 The late 1990s saw c the Internet birth and rapid development.
4 The Internet d to do the start-up business today.
5 It is not so easy e in state offices and educational institutions.
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8 The Internet -II
Internet users can be anywhere in the world; they just need a computer and a telephone. For this reason, it is often difficult to control what happens on the Internet. As computers become more powerful, the Internet becomes easier to use.
In January 1999, an American University student Shawn Fanning invented a piece of software that could copy music. In May of the same year, he started a company called Napster. Internet users could visit Napster and copy their favourite music. They did not need to buy CDs. Of course, the music companies were not very happy about this. A lot of musicians were also unhappy, because people could get their music free. In the end, Napster agreed to pay money to the music companies and musicians.
Today, almost every company in the world has got a website on the Internet. Each site has got a special name(a web address) and you use this to visit the site. But the Internet is not only important for business. It is also a cheap way to make contacts with people from all over the world. A lot of people visit ‘chat rooms: in a chat room, you can ‘talk’ to other Internet users and read their answers on your computer immediately. There is even a special kind of language which people use to save time.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a The Internet has both advantages and disadvantages.
b Internet users buy CDs to copy the music they like.
c Shawn Napstar designed the software for music copying.
d A chat room cannot be locked or unlocked by the key.
e It is clear that the Internet world need good legislation.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Today having a website a when the Napstar company was started.
2 Not everybody was happy b the world is really getting smaller.
3 The more powerful to computers are, c to have music free.
4 Lots of people would like d the easier the Internet is.
5 With the Internet e is not a problem at all.
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9 Getting the message-I
Although the first email message was sent in 1971, electronic messages began nearly two hundred years earlier. Telegraph machines used electricity to send messages along wires from one place to another. The first telegraph machine was built in 1774. But for the next sixty years, the machines were very large and difficult to use, and each one needed twenty-six wires –one for each letter of the alphabet. In the 1840s, an American inventor Samuel Morse built a better kind of telegraph which only needed one wire. He also invented a special code for messages – Morse Code.
Immediately, telegraphs became an important way for people to communicate. During the next twelve years, American telegraph companies put up 36,000 miles of telegraph wires to send messages all over the USA.
In the 1920, a new kind of electronic message was invented – the telex. A telex machine could send a message to any other telex machine in the world. They did not use the telephone or telegraph wires – they used telex lines. These lines were quite expensive, and the machine were not easy to use. It was not a perfect system - but it worked. Companies continued to use telex until the 1980s and many companies still have telex machines today.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a S.Morse made the telegraph simpler.
b Americans were the first to enjoy the advantages of the telegraph.
c The Morse code and the telex are examples of electronic messages.
d Both the wires and telex lines can be used to send messages.
e Today telex is considered as an old-fashioned device which came out of use.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 One should use electricity a in the English alphabet.
2 American telegraph business b belong to the means of communication.
3 High price and complexity c grew up within twelve years.
4 There are twenty six letters d to send message along wires.
5 Both the telegraph and the telex e are main disadvantages of the telex.
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10 Getting the message -II
In the 1980s, people began to buy personal computers. Soon, it was possible to send email messages from one PC to another, but both people had to be a part of the same system. There were several different email systems, and it was not possible to send messages from one system to another. For this reason, emails did not immediately become popular.
In the 1990s, people began to use the Internet and the Web. This made it easier to send messages because there was only one system. Emails soon became a very popular and very cheap way to send messages to anywhere in the world. In the late 1990s, people started to send another kind of electronic message: they used their mobile phones to send text messages. Now they could send and receive messages in any place and at any time.
Text messages use their own kind of language. Long text messages are not easy to send or read, so people find ways to make them shorter. For example, you can write ‘RUOK?’ (Are you OK?), or ‘CUL8R’ (See you later).
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Emails were not very popular in the 1980s for some technical reasons.
b There was no one universal email system in the 1990s.
c Computer users combine letters and numbers to shorten long messages.
d Only people in big cities can send and receive text messages by mobile phones.
e People do not send long text messages because they are lazy.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Different email systems a because of their low price.
2 Emails messages became popular b were replaced by the one.
3 It is not easy to read c can mean ‘today’ and ‘message’.
4 The text message senders have invented d a long text on the mobile phone.
5 ‘2DAY’ and ‘MSG’ in the text message e a unique language of abbreviations.
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11 Computer games
In the early 1960s, the computer company DEC made a computer called a PDP-1. This type of computers was very large and expensive (120,000 dollars), so only companies and universities bought them. Steve Russell, a student at one of these universities wrote a piece of software for the PDP-1. It was a game for two players, and he called it Spacewar. The two players controlled spaceships which fought against each other. Users of the PDP-1 liked the game, and the other programmers made the software better.
In the late 1960s, a programmer Donald Woods invented a game called Adventure. This was a different kind of game from Spacewar because it did not have any pictures and it was for one player only. The computer told a story; the player took part in the story, and gave the computer instructions, like ‘Go south’, or ‘Get the box’.
Together, Spacewar and Adventure started the two most important kinds of computer games: games with speed and action, and games with stories and imagination.
In 1971, a student Nolan Bushnell tried to make money from the game Spacewar. People did not have PCs then, so he built a machine for bars, shopping centers, and other places where people meet. To play the game, people had to put money in the machine. A company bought Nolan Bushnell’s idea for 500 dollars and made 1,500 machines. But nobody wanted to play the game.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a The computer company PDP is known for production of the computer DEC-1.
b Nolan Bushnell installed personal computers at the bars and shops.
c Two students contributed a lot to the development of the computer games software.
d Adventure and Spacestar were the two most popular computer games.
e Adventure could be played by two players.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Nolan Bushnell a made the software for Spacewar.
2 Steve Russell wanted b to make money from the game Spacewar.
3 People in business and higher education c were fighting against each other.
4 Speed and action are typical d for one kind of computer games.
5 People playing Spacewar e could buy the first computers.
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12 Computer viruses
A virus is a kind of computer program. It moves from one computer to another and damages the memory or other parts of the computer. Some viruses are difficult to stop; they can damage millions of computers in a very short time.
The first virus appeared in 1986. It was called Brain. In 1987, a more dangerous virus called Jerusalem appeared. This virus stayed in the computer and did nothing until the date was Friday 13th; then it started to damage the computer’s memory. Programmers began to write anti-virus software.
By the early 1990s, there were more than 150 computer viruses in the world. Some of these viruses were more ‘intelligent’ than others: they had special software which made it very difficult for people to fight the virus. Programmers also wrote new viruses around this time.
In 1993, the Satanbug virus appeared in Washington DC. The anti-virus software companies worked with the police to find the programmer, who was just a child.
By the late 1990s, most computers were part of the email and Internet systems. This meant that virus programmers could do a lot of damage very quickly. In 2000 the most successful virus ‘I love you’ appeared on millions of computers in less than 24 hours.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a The first virus Mind appeared in 1986.
b The aim of any virus is to attack the computer memory.
c The ‘clever’ the viruses, the harder to fight them.
d The virus software is always written by experienced and professional programmers.
e The computers in the governmental offices have never had problems with the viruses.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Some viruses can damage a the computer’s memory immediately.
2 The virus Jerusalem did not damage b to the computer users.
3 Some programmers damage the computers, c who had written the virus software.
4 ‘I love you” brought the biggest damage d millions of computers.
5 In 1993 the police found a child e others protect them.
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13 Polluting the air - coal
Air contains many gases, two important ones are oxygen and carbon dioxide (CO2). Plants take air into their leaves. They use the carbon in the carbon dioxide for food – the oxygen goes back into the air. Animals and people use the oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. When long ago people made fires to cook their food and to keep themselves warm, they did not produce much carbon dioxide to hurt anybody. Later people built factories, which burned coal or oil. New towns grew up around the factories, with shops, schools and houses for workers. Coal was not burnt cleanly: it produced a lot of smoke and soot. They blackened the buildings, many trees died. Many old people and children died from breathing problems. There were terrible fogs.
In the 1950s, Clean Air laws were adopted in Britain which said that people must not burn wood or coal in their houses. Factories must have tall chimneys to send the smoke and gases into the sky and away from the town. Soon the air in the towns was safer to breathe. People cleaned their buildings and they stayed clean.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a People and animals breathe in the oxygen and breathe out the carbon dioxide.
b There is no circulation of oxygen in the nature.
c Primitive people did not produce much carbon dioxide because of Clean Air laws.
d Soot and smoke are burning products.
e Soot and smoke kill people and nature.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 The plants need carbon and they take it a and caused fogs.
2 The plant chimneys must be tall b to keep themselves warm.
3 People burnt wood and coal c the deaths of the young and the old.
4 Smoke and soot polluted the air d from the carbon dioxide.
5 Breathing problems resulted in e not to pollute the towns.
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14 Acid rain
Many foods and drinks – oranges, for example, contain acid, but they do not hurt anybody. Ordinary rain is a little acid, too. Car batteries contain acid which can burn your hands and your clothes too.
Acid rain is not new. People started producing acid rain when they started building a lot of factories and power stations which burned coal or oil. These fuels produce the gases SO2 and NO2.
Britain produces about five million tons of these gases every year. China produces eighteen million tons. The USA produces more than twenty million tons. The wind carries the gases high into the sky. There they come together with water in the air and make acid rain, acid fog and acid snow.In Canada and northern Europe many millions of trees died because of acid rain from power stations and factories thousands of kilometers away.
Acid rain and acid snow poison rivers and lakes too. Fish and other animals cannot live in acid water.
Acid rain is bad for buildings too. The acid eats into the stone. Many of the world’s oldest and most beautiful buildings are in danger of acid rain.
Many of the countries which produce the most acid rain have no laws to control pollution.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Acid rains are produced when some gases combine with water in the air.
b The USA industry produces more than eighteen tons of dangerous gases every year.
c The sun takes away dangerous gases high into the sky.
d Acid rain kills the nature near power stations and factories.
e New legislation is needed to control acid rains.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 One must be careful a in acid rain production.
2 Many old buildings are b poisoned by acid rain and acid snow.
3 Rivers and lakes are c also destroyed by acid rains.
4 The technology development resulted d many drinks today.
5 Acid can be found in e when dealing with the car batteries.
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15 Water and chemicals
Polluted water kills more than 25 million people every year. One and a quarter billion people do not have clean and safe water for drinking or washing.
All over the world, billions of people use rivers for washing, for drinking and to carry away their waste. Every day millions of tons of waste from houses, farms and factories get into our rivers and lakes. The waste takes oxygen out of the water, and nothing can live, except some very small water plants.
Farm waste often contains poisonous chemicals. Many farms today are factories where millions of animals never see a field. They live in special buildings, with chemicals in their food to make them grow faster, and medicines to stop them from getting ill. The chemicals often stay in their bodies. Meat and eggs from these farms look good; but they contain a lot of chemicals.
Farmers also use the chemicals on fruit and vegetables, and some of these chemicals are very poisonous. The poison stays on the leaves of a plant; an insect eats the plant; the poison stays in the insect’s body until a bird eats the insect. The poison stays in the bird’s body, and gets stronger every time the bird eats a poisoned insect.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Rivers carry people’s waste which kills life.
b Many modern farms are operated like chemical laboratories.
c Millions of people take water from the rivers for drinking and washing.
d The more the bird eats insects, the less poisonous its body is.
e Poisoned meat and eggs do not look very good.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Only some small plants a which is not safe.
2 Farmers use medicines b because it takes oxygen out of water.
3 The waste is dangerous c do not need fields for their animals.
4 Modern meat producers d can live in the poisonous water.
5 Millions of people drink water e to prevent their animals’ illness.
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16 Recycling
Some waste is not dangerous. You can break up old cars to get the metal, or make new glass from old bottles. Burt some waste is toxic – it is very poisonous. How can you throw away toxic waste safely?
You can put it into metal containers and leave it somewhere safe; but this is not a very good
idea.
You can bury toxic waste: put it in a deep hole and cover it with soil. In the 1930s, a chemical producer buried toxic waste in metal containers at Love Canal in the USA. Nobody remembered that when in the 1950s, the land there was bought a little town built. In the 1970s, the waste came through the metal and polluted the ground, killed trees and grass. People had to leave their homes.
You can burn toxic waste, but it is more expensive than burying it, and the burning can produce dangerous gases. When some people burn their toxic waste at sea in special ships, the chemicals get into the water and the wind carries them a long way.
You can send your toxic waste to a poorer country and pay somebody to burn or bury it there.
The USA sends toxic waste to Panama. Germany and Holland send toxic waste to the Czech Republic. Is this a good idea?
Toxic waste can be useful if you know how to recycle it. Some petrol producers bury their toxic waste in the soil. There, special bacteria in the soil eat the waste and change it into clean, safe carbon dioxide and water. In Britain, some people are growing special waste-eating bacteria. These bacteria eat toxic chemicals.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Today a lot of waste is burnt and buried.
b New technologies are needed to deal with toxic waste.
c Germany and Holland send toxic waste to Panama.
d Toxic waste will be safe if put into metal containers.
e Toxic elements eat bacteria.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Waste-eating bacteria a it kills trees and plants.
2 To burn toxic waste is b receiving waste from other countries.
3 After waste pollutes the ground, c result from waste recycling.
4 Carbon dioxide and water d more expensive than to bury it.
5 Poor countries are paid for e can recycle toxic waste.
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17 Radioactivity
Nuclear power stations use uranium to produce electricity. Nuclear power produces one-sixth of the world’s electricity. One ton of uranium produces as much electricity as 20,000 tons of coal. Nuclear power does not produce smoke, soot, poisonous gases or acid rain.
But there is a problem. Nuclear power stations produce a special kind of waste. This waste is radioactive; it gives off radiation. A little radiation can save lives: doctors use it in hospitals. But too much radiation is dangerous. You cannot see or smell it, but it travels on the wind. It gets into soil, plants and water and into the food.
About 95% of radioactive waste is not dangerous, and you can destroy it safely and cheaply. But used nuclear fuel is highly radioactive and very toxic. You can recycle it in special factories and make it into new fuel. You can make it into a special kind of glass. You can keep it under water in special containers, or bury in deep under the ground. But you must remember that it stays radioactive and dangerous for thousands of years.
After the nuclear accident in 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Ukraine, 600,000 people worked night and day to try to make the power station safe.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Nuclear power can solve the problem of poisonous gas and smoke.
b Radiation is always killing.
c Radioactive waste is safe after a hundred years under the ground.
d Radioactive waste has a specific smell and color.
e Electricity can be produced from coal and uranium.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Nuclear power stations a is not dangerous.
2 In 1986 there was an accident b in modern medicine.
3 Radiation is used effectively c at the nuclear power station.
4 Used nuclear fuel is a big danger d for people and nature.
5 A big part of radioactive waste e produce radioactive waste.
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18 Changes in the weather
Our sun produces a lot of ultraviolet radiation. Too much radiation is dangerous, but between fifteen and fifty kilometers above the earth there is a layer of a gas called ozone. This ozone layer protects the earth from the sun’s dangerous radiation. If you make a hole in the ozone layer, the radiation will come through the hole and do a lot of damage on earth.
We produce many gases which go high into the air and damage the ozone layer. In 1984 some scientists found a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica. The hole was as big as the USA.
Some gases are called greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases hold the sun’s warmth and keep it near the earth.
The earth has two big ice caps, one in the north, in the Arctic, and one in the south, in Antarctica. Each ice cap contains many billions of tons of water. There are also billions of tons of poisonous methane gas under the ice. If the weather is too warm, those ice caps will melt. Water will cover earth and the air will be full of methane gas.
Scientists think the earth is getting warmer because of all the greenhouse gases. The ice caps are melting very slowly. Some experts think the level of the sea will go up by about forty centimeters by the year 2100. It is enough to cover many islands and a lot of land near the sea.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a In the early 1980s the scientists found a hole in the ozone layer above the Arctic.
b The ozone layer is saving us from radiation.
c Greenhouse gases keep the warmth near the Sun.
d The ice caps contain millions of tons of water.
e If the ice caps melt, a large land area will disappear under the water.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 The ozone layer is a melting very slowly.
2 The ice caps are b at the height of more than 10 kilometers.
3 The greenhouse gases make the climate c under the ice layer.
4 A lot of methane can be found d on the earth warmer and warmer.
5 Too much radiation can e damage the earth.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
19 The Green Family
We say that a person who cares about the environment is ‘green’. Imagine a ‘green’ family in twenty years’ time. The Greens live in an ‘energy-saving’ house. Most of their house is under the ground. This makes it easy to conserve heat and keep the house warm in winter and cool in summer.
Light comes in through the roof, which can open and close like a window. Special panels collect the energy from the sun. Pipes bring water to the house for drinking, cooking and washing, but there is also a big container which collects rain water. All water is recycled and used again and again.
Sewage from the toilets goes into another container. The waste water is recycled, and methane gas is produced from the sewage itself. A pipe carries the gas to a power station, which burns it and produces electricity for everyone. A machine checks how much electricity and water each family produces, and how much it uses.
A line of containers stands outside the Green’s house. One container is for glass, which is collected every month for recycling. A second container holds steel cans. Another container holds aluminum cans. There is a big container for paper.
Every ton of materials that the Greens and other families collect for recycling saves energy. So the government gives each family the same amount of electricity and water to use in their home.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Rain water can be used in the Greens’ house many times.
b The sewage produced by the family is a source of energy.
c Special people check the production and use of energy.
d Steel, paper and glass are recycled by the Greens.
e The government stimulates energy and resources saving.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 It is easier to conserve and save a gas to the power station.
2 Electricity is produced by b energy under the ground.
3 Metal cans are separated into c the energy of the sun.
4 Solar panels collect and save d two different containers.
5 Pipes bring water to the house and carry e burning methane gas.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
20 Recycling plastics – problems and possibilities
The first plastic was made in 1850 by an Englishman Alexander Parkes. He called the new material Parkesine, but nobody wanted to buy it.
Today most plastics are made from oil and other natural materials which will not last for ever. We use plastic wastefully because it is cheap to produce. We pack things in it, then we throw away the packing. About seventy per cent that a family in Europe and the USA throws away comes from packing materials.
Plastic is a strong, long-lasting material which is very difficult to destroy. Most plastic does not decay, like wood or paper, because bacteria will not eat it. It stays the same for hundreds of years. If you burn plastic on an ordinary fire, it produces smoke and poisonous gases. It is much better to find a way of reusing or recycling plastic.
Some foods and drinks are sold in plastic bottles and boxes which can be reused. Some shops encourage customers to return their plastic containers. This conserves energy, material and saves customers’ money.
Recycling plastic is more difficult than reusing it, because there are different kinds of plastic. Some plastics melt when you heat them. Others do not. Some kinds of plastic are recyclable if you can separate them from other kinds of plastic.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a A.Parkes named the new material Parkenson.
b Packing materials make the biggest part of waste produced by the families.
c Burning plastic can cause health problems.
d Customers buy food and drinks but never return plastic packing.
e All kinds of plastic can be recycled.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Most plastic can stay a in Great Britain in the 19th century.
2 Customers save money if they b are fire resistant.
3 Some kinds of plastic c is quite complicated.
4 Recycling technology is quite d return plastic containers.
5 Plastic appeared first e unchangeable for centuries.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
21 Recycling paper and saving trees
The world cuts more than a million trees every year to make paper and paper products.
In the USA, each person uses about 300 kilograms of paper each year, in Europe – 200 kilograms. In India, each person uses only six kilograms of paper each year.
It takes two tons of wood and 200,000 liters of water to make a ton of paper. About thirty per cent of our rubbish is paper and paper products. It is stupid and wasteful to dump them. Paper on rubbish dumps does not do anybody any good. It decays and produces poisonous gases. It is better to collect waste paper and other paper products and recycle them. Recycled paper produces:
35 per cent less water pollution, 74 per cent less air pollution
and uses :
48 per cent less energy, 58 per cent less water than new paper.
Toilet paper, egg boxes, packing materials, writing paper and paper bags are good examples of possible recycled products. Every ton of recycled paper conserves fifteen trees.
Some countries are better at recycling than others. It is important for governments to encourage people to do this.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Dumping paper products is not reasonable.
b A hundred kilos of recycled paper saves fifteen trees.
c Recycled paper needs twice less energy than new paper.
d Water and wood are main resources in paper productions.
e Lots of paper products and materials are recycled today.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Recycled paper makes a health problems.
2 Decaying paper may cause b further recycling.
3 Not all countries are good at c air and water cleaner.
4 Recycling technologies protect d recycling.
5 Waste paper must be collected for e our environment.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
22 Nothing lasts for ever
Nothing lasts for ever. Almost all our energy comes from materials (oil, natural gas, etc.) which have been here since the world began. We are using them up very quickly. For example, unless we conserve our oil, it will only last for another twenty years. What will we do then?
Reusing is the easiest and cheapest kind of recycling. It saves a lot of energy, materials and money.
In industry, most glass is recycled, but ordinary people are often too lazy to do this. They throw their bottles away, and the bottles are taken to the dump. It is possible for workers on the dump to separate glass from other waste – but it is much easier if ordinary people do the job for them. That is why there are ‘bottle banks’ to encourage people to recycle glass. The glass is collected and taken to the factory. There it is broken up, melted and made into new bottles. Recycling glass conserves materials. It also conserves energy. Every ton of recycled glass conserves 135 liters of oil.
People throw away billions of drink cans every year all over the world. Some cans are recycled – but not enough. Most cans are made of steel, but some cans are made of aluminum. You can recycle twenty aluminum cans for the same amount of money and energy that it costs to make a new one.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Recycling twenty aluminum cans costs as much as to make a new can.
b We will have oil for another one hundred and twenty years.
c It is more effective to separate glass by customers just after it is used.
d Reusing is a kind of recycling.
e Millions of drink cans are thrown away every year.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Reusing the glass saves a lot of a environmental situation.
2 Workers on the dump separate glass, b then it is broken up and melted.
3 Bottle banks help improve c not have it for another twenty years.
4 If we don’t conserve oil today, we will d made either of steel or of aluminum.
5 Drink cans are e money, energy and materials.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
23 From old to new
Recycling materials is often very much cheaper than producing new materials. You can melt metal and use it again and again. Cars are usually recycled for their scrap steel. A car breaker takes all the parts that can be reused. Customers can buy car windows, wheels, engine parts, carpets, seats and other useful things more cheaply from a breaker than they can in a garage. Then, at the steel factory, the powerful machines reduce each car into something like a small metal brick. The bricks are melted and made into new steel. This is a very good way to conserve both materials and energy. But some people are too lazy to recycle their old cars. They drive them to a quiet place and dump them there. In Norway everyone who buys a new car pays some extra money. When they take their old car to the breaker for recycling, the money is returned to them.
The natural world is full of bacteria which can help to recycle waste. Bacteria can eat some surprising things. Some bacteria eat oil. An oil company in the USA digs its oil waste into the earth. There, billions of oil-eating bacteria change the toxic waste into clean water and air. Bacteria will eat many other chemicals too. They are sometimes used to clean land after industrial accidents.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a Some bacteria change the old metal car parts into water and air.
b You can save money if buying car parts from a breaker.
c Recycling materials means to invest more and more money.
d The powerful machines turn old cars into small metal balls.
e People are too lazy to reuse their old cars effectively.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Lazy people drive their old cars a after they bring their old cars for recycling.
2 Metal parts can be used b to a quiet place and dump them.
3 The Norwegians are paid money back c where it is eaten by bacteria.
4 Special bacteria eat toxic waste d and clean land after industrial accidents.
5 Oil waste is dug into the earth e lots of times.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
24 Preventing pollution
Some countries try hard to reduce waste and prevent pollution. The American company 3M have a plan called ‘3P – Pollution Prevention Pays’. They pay extra money to their workers to encourage them to reduce waste and conserve energy and materials. Since they started 3P, the company has saved almost a billion dollars, and reduced its waste by fifty per cent.
Some industries have reused and recycled materials for years. The steel industry uses acid to clean the steel. The acid becomes polluted with metal. The metal is the acid is collected, and the acid is cleaned and reused.
The photographic industry does a lot of recycling too. Photographic paper is covered with real silver. The silver is collected and reused.
The ‘waste exchange’ is a useful idea. When video cassettes are made, toxic waste is produced. It is poisonous but not useless. Another company needs it to make fertilizers – chemicals which make plats grow better. Both companies reduce pollution and save money.
Britain and the Netherlands have had a waste exchange since the 1970s. They exchange more than 150 different ‘waste’ materials.
When you produce steel, you also produce a black stone called slag. Many years ago, there were mountains of slag beside every steel factory. Now slag is recycled for building industry.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a It is a long time ago that people started reusing and recycling materials.
b The photographic industry is a good example of reusing silver.
c Fertilizers are chemicals which are poisonous for plants.
d Slag becomes polluted with metal.
e The Netherlands and Britain have been exchanging waste very actively.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 3P means a it is cleaned.
2 Video cassettes and toxic waste b are produced in parallel.
3 Poisonous toxic waste c is well paid.
4 Energy and material conservation d is not always useless.
5 First acid cleans, then e Production Prevention Pays.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
25 A throw-away world
When you pollute something, you make it dirty or dangerous for other people or animals. If you put engine oil in water, you will pollute it; nobody will be able to drink it or wash in it. All over the world, there are people polluting the land, the sea and the air.
The main reason for pollution is waste – something which is no longer needed. Waste can be yesterday’s newspaper, an old car, your dirty bath water, or smoke from a factory. Some waste is dangerous because it contains poisons. This kind of waste is called toxic waste, and it is the problem of toxic waste which worries many people and governments today.
All living things, especially people, make waste. There are five billion people in the world. They all need to eat, dress and travel about. Most of them need to heat their homes as well. They buy things, they use them and they throw their old things away. Today we live in a ‘throw-away’ world.
Farms and factories produce the things that people need. When they produce these things, they produce waste too. Cars, trains and buses, ships and aeroplanes carry people from place to place. They produce waste too.
If you live in Los Angeles, you probably throw away twenty-one kilograms of rubbish every week. Every person in London throws away six kilograms of rubbish every week. New York throws away 170,000 tons of rubbish every week (more than 13 kilograms for each person).
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
a People cannot live without producing waste.
b There are five million people on the earth.
c In contrast to industry transport does not produce any waste.
d Each person in New York throws away more rubbish than in Los Angeles.
e Some governments are trying to solve the problem of toxic waste.
2 Complete the sentences 1-5 with the correct endings a-e.
1 Producing food results in a it is not drinkable.
2 Each person in Los Angeles produces b waste production.
3 A throw away world is c a rubbish production world.
4 If there is oil in the water, d the more they throw away.
5 The more people use, e more than twenty kilos of waste weekly.
SECTION II
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
1 Walt Disney
There is no one who has never heard of Walt Disney; he is without doubt one of the most famous figures in the twentieth century and yet most people know hardly anything about him. Although he became one of the most successful men in the history, he left school at the age of sixteen and then studied art for a short time. By the early years of the 20th century, he had already started to produce cartoons in Hollywood in partnership with his brother Roy, who, for some reason, never managed to become as famous as Walt.
Disney is perhaps most well known on account of his lovable cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, who first appeared in 1928 in a film called Steamboat Willie. One of the most popular cartoon films of all time is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which, when it was released in 1937, was the first full-length cartoon in the history of the cinema.
By the 1950s, Walt Disney had become one of the world’s major producers of films for cinema and television. As Disney Productions grew, its founder retained complete artistic control of the films and he also went on to publish books for children and cartoon strips in newspapers, featuring such characters as Donald Duck and Pluto the dog.
1 Everybody knows the most popular cartoon by W. Disney
a) Snow White and the Seventeen Dwarfs b) Snow White and the Seven Brothers
c) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2 Walt Disney’s characters could be seen
a) in the newspapers and TV programs b) in the newspapers and books
c) in the films, newspapers, books and on TV
3 As for Walt Disney’s educational background,
a) he managed to get some professional skills b) he did not get any artistic education
c) his brother Roy taught him to make films
4 By now Mickey Mouse
a) is younger than 80 b) is older than 80 c) is 85 years old
5 The cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is known in the history of the cinema
a) because of its characters b) because of its special effects
c) because it was as long as a feature film
Read the text and choose the phrase (a,b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
2 Strasbourg
Strasbourg has always been an important city. Thanks to a favourable geographical position – at the crossroads of waterways and overland routes- the area on which Strasbourg now stands has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. In the Middle Ages, it was an important economic center and it gradually grew so strong that by the fifteenth century it had become a free republic. It grew richer and richer in the sixteenth century and welcomed free thinkers and refugees from Switzerland, Italy and France. These newcomers greatly enriched the city’s cultural life. In 1697, Strasbourg became a part of France. Germany conquered it in 1870 and it was only returned to France after the end of the First World War. It was again occupied by Germany in the Second World War and suffered great destruction. In 1949, the city was chosen to be the headquarters of the Council of Europe, and since 1979 it has been the seat of the European Parliament to which countries send their representatives.
1 Strasbourg is mostly known
a) as the main office of the Council of Europe b) for its history
c) for its specific geographical position
2 Today Strasbourg belongs to
a) Germany b) France c) neither of them
3 The culture of Strasbourg became especially rich in the 16th century because
a) Germany and France fought for this territory b) talented foreigners came to the city
c) the city was close to Switzerland and Italy
4 Strasbourg is important for European countries because
a) many basic decisions are made in it b) its cultural life is very rich
c) they have become members of the European Parliament
5 Strasbourg suffered
a) in World War I b) in World War II c) in both
Read the text and choose the phrase (a,b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
3 Is it a bird or is it a plane?
In 1655, a Portuguese man appears to have been transported within seconds from one country to another by some mysterious forces.
The man was doing business in the Portuguese colony of Goa in India when suddenly he found himself back in Portugal. He was put on trial, which may or may not have fair, and he was condemned to death. The authorities in Portugal at that time tended to explain things according to their religious beliefs as well as their knowledge of the world. Their world included witches, magicians and devils who they believed to be enemies of the Church and authority. One of the characteristics by which these evil creatures could be recognized was that they were able to fly through the air. We do not know whether the man from Goa was carried through the air or not. There are no surviving details of the case. Since the seventeenth century, many other cases have been reported in which people were claimed to fly through the air. Nowadays most people do not believe in witches and magicians and UFOs are offered as an alternative explanation.
1 The passage above gives information about the events which took place
a) in the sixteenth century b) in the seventeenth century
c) in the seventeenth century and even later
2 The man from Goa
a) was declared to be a devil b) was sent to death c) was one of the greatest magicians
3 Unidentified flying objects(UFOs) are considered to be
a) military equipment b) mysterious phenomena
c) good explanation as for people transported from one place to another
4 In the seventeenth century the people’s knowledge and beliefs were based on
a) authorities’ activities b) religion c)personal experience
5 An evil creature could be recognized by
a) ability to explain magic b) ability to communicate with witches
c) ability to travel through the air
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
4 Brain training
Do you remember how at school certain subjects seemed impossible to understand? However much the teacher tried to explain geography, for example, you still did not grasp even the basics?
Now some psychologists suggest that learning difficulties may lie in the way the subjects are presented rather than being a failure on the part of children. According to the new method, people fall into groups depending on how they learn best – through sight, sound or feeling. For example, a visual child will learn best through diagrams, an auditory child through spoken words, while a kinesthetic child will benefit most from practical examples. It is easy to find out which group your child belongs to. All you have to do is ask him or her a question, such as ‘What was your day at school like?’ According to the new theory, the way the child answers will tell you whether he or she learns through sight, sound or feeling. So, a visual child, when answering, will look up to your right, whereas an auditory child will look from left to right. A child that learns best through feeling will look down to the left and right before giving an answer.
1 Children do not grasp the information because
a) they do not listen carefully b)information is not presented properly
c) their teacher are not professional enough
2 According to the new theory children learn through
a)seeing ,hearing and feeling b) answering simple questions c) examples they are given
3 Parents may find out their child’ learning type by
a) the way their child looks like b) where the child looks to when talking
c) showing their child a diagram
4 An auditory child learns best when new information
a) is written b) is said c) is presented on the paper or blackboard
5 If a child, when answering, looks up to his left, he belongs to the group of
a) visuals b) kinesthetics c) auditories
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
5 Michaelangelo
Michaelangelo, one of the greatest artists of all times, was born on 6th March 1475 in Caprese, where his father, Lodovico Buonarotti, served as a magistrate for six months. Lodovico was not a wealthy man but he claimed he was descended from an aristocratic family and he was very proud of this connection. Michaelangelo grew up in Settignano, a little mountain town just outside Florence. One of the first sights Michaelangelo must have become familiar with was the dome of the beautiful Cathedral in Florence, which dominated the city then as it still does today. At school, Michaelangelo was by no means an outstanding pupil; lessons did not appeal to him at all. The only thing he wanted to do was to draw and ‘waste his time, as his elders probably called it, in the workshops of various painters and sculptors in the city. One can imagine the eager boy, for whom art was the most important thing in his whole life, watching the wonderful pictures and statues which filled the beautiful churches of Florence. His best friend while he was still a schoolboy was Francesco Granacci, who, although six years older than Michelangelo, seems to have taken an interest in the boy and helped him to draw and paint. Michaelangelo’s choice of profession did please his father at all. Only the most successful of artists in Florence could make any money.
1 When at school, Michaelangelo
a) did well b)did not belong to the best pupils c) missed classes very often
2 Michaelangelo was born in
a) an aristocratic family b) a rich family c) a rather poor family
3 Michaelangelo spent a lot of time
a) in the beautiful cathedral in Florence b) with the painters and sculptors
c) with his best friend
4 Lodovico Buonarotti was not happy about his son’s profession because
a) there were a lot of artists in Florence b) not many artists made money
c) he did not consider his son talented enough.
5 The Cathedral dominates Florence because
a) it is very beautiful b) attracts people’s attention
c) it is the highest building in the city
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
6 The story of jeans
The first jeans came from Genoa in Italy. The name jeans comes from the French name for Genoa, Genes. Sailors in the Genoese navy wore jeans because they are strong and you can wear them wet or dry. The sailors washed their jeans by putting them in a large bag and dropping them in the sea.
Modern jeans were invented by Levi Strauss. Strauss moved to America from Germany, and he started making jeans in the 1870s. He originally made them for miners in California. He made them blue so they wouldn’t look dirty.
In the 1950s, pop and movie stars like James Dean and Elvis Presley wore jeans, and they became fashionable with teenagers and young adults. At that time , wearing jeans was a symbol of independence for young people. However, in the 60s and 70s, jeans became a fashion for all ages. Today, the average American person owns seven pairs of jeans.
1 When washing their trousers, the Italian seamen used
a) a washing machine b) seawater c) washing powder
2 Levi Strauss was an emigrant from
a) Italy b) Germany c) California
3 Levi Strauss is known for designing clothes
a) for pop stars b) for teenagers c) for workers
4 The production of jeans started
a) in the second half of the 19th century b) in the first half of the 20th century
c) in the 1950s
5 Today people wear jeans
a) to feel independent b) to look younger c) to look fashionable
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
7 Reading the signs
Many scholars believe that our superstitions were once a part of ancient religions. Some superstitions come from the belief that similar actions produce similar results. Many people believe that a newborn baby must be carried upstairs before being carried downstairs. This is to make sure the child rises in the world and has a successful life. In Japan, a sick person should not be given cut flowers but a plant in a pot. A live plant means hope for getting better while cut flowers soon die.
Many superstitions are related to important events in our lives, such as birth, marriage, pregnancy, and death. They ensure that we pass safely from one stage of our life to the next. For example, a person born on Sunday will always have good luck. A bride and groom will have bad luck if they see each other on their wedding day before the ceremony. After a person dies, the doors and windows of the room should be open so the spirit can leave.
We can only guess about the origin of most superstitions. But whatever their origin, superstitions will probably be with us all the time people fear each other and are uncertain about their future.
1 People believe in good or bad luck
a) to be on the safe side b) because they are religious c) because they are stupid
2 To be lucky a child must be
a) born in the morning b)brought downstairs after birth c) born on Sunday
3 A bride and groom should avoid seeing each other
a) after the wedding ceremony b)during the wedding ceremony
c)before the wedding ceremony
4 Superstitions will stay with people as long as
a) they are religious b) they want c) they live
5 People believe that by doing things in some way they can
a) have good luck automatically b) understand the world better c) follow old traditions
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
8 Ball-point pens
The first ball-point pen writing on the paper was invented in 1938 by a Hungarian hypnotist, sculptor and journalist, Lasalo Biro, who at that time was editing a Government-sponsored cultural magazine in Budapest. When visiting the printers of the magazine, he was surprised by the advantage of a quickly-drying ink and constructed the prototype ball-point. Soon after that Lasalo left Hungary for Paris, and then for Argentina in 1940, to escape from the Nazi. Here he continued to work on his idea for a pen and patented it on 10 June 1943. About the same time he met an Englishman, Henri Martin, who had lived in Buenos Aires on a mission for the British Government. Martin was impressed with the invention, which could be used for navigational calculations at big heights and not be affected by changes of air pressure or atmosphere. He bought the British rights, and in 1944 began producing ball-points for the Royal Air Force. His staff of 17 girls made 30,000 pens the first year.
The first commercial production of ball-points and their regular sale started in 1945 in Buenos Aires under the Biro patent.
In the USA the invention was advertised as the ‘first pen that writes underwater’. In October 1949 the first American version priced $12.50 was sold 10,000 the first day.
1When Lasalo Biro invented his ball-point, he was working
a) as a diplomat b) as a businessman c) as an editor
2 Lasalo Biro came to Argentina
a) to patent his invention b) to save his life c) to meet Henri Martin
3 Henri Martin’s work and interests were connected with
a) publishing business b) education c) military business
4 In 1945 Biro patented the first mass production of ball-points
a) in Argentina b) in Great Britain c) in the USA
5 On the first sales day, the American ball-point sellers made
a) more than $120,000 b) less than $120,000 c) $120,000
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
9 Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spenser is a well-known chain of shops with a world-wide reputation for quality and style. The whole empire was founded by Michael Marks due to his ability to work hard, to learn and develop.
Michael Marks was a Polish Jew. He immigrated to England in the 1880s. At that time he could not speak English. In the beginning he made his money as a door-to-door salesman. As he didn’t know much about the English language, he carried a special sign with the words, ’Don’t ask the price, it’s a penny.’ Very soon this phrase became an advertising slogan. People could buy things from Michael easily and fast. Two years later he managed to start his own selling business. He sold things of a better quality than those offered by other sellers. That built his customer’s trust, and soon he opened his first store in Manchester. By that time Michael Marks had found a business partner, Tom Spencer, who joined him in 1894. Marks was traveling in search of goods and visiting the stores while Spencer was running the administrative side of the business. In 1903 they officially founded the company of Marks and Spencer Limited. The capital was 30,000 pounds including forty stores all over England. Soon after the company was registered, Tom Spencer decided to retire. Michael Marks was working hard on both managing and expanding his company. That was too much for his health, and in 1907 Michael died of a heart attack. For the next sixteen years his son Simon had to fight for the presidency of the company. Then he became Marks and Spencer’s chairman for fifty years.
1 Marks and Spencer empire was founded by
a)Michael Spencer b) Michael Marks c) Michael Spencer and Tom Marks
2 M.Marks became a successful seller because
a) he had got good education b) he couldn’t speak English
c) buying things from him was fast and easy
3 Tom Spencer’s main business was
a) to visit the stores b) administration c) to find goods
4 In 1903 the company of Marks and Spencer Limited included
a) about forty stores all over the world b) forty stores in London
c) forty stories all over the country
5 Michael Marks died because
a) he worked too hard b) the company had problems c)Spencer did not let him retire
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
10 Separating your combustibles from your recyclables
Taking the rubbish out is never funny, but in Japan it is an absolute horror.
Rubbish in Japan needs to be sorted into three categories; ‘combustible’(that can be burned), ‘non-combustible’ (that can’t be burned), and ‘recyclable’. It must be sorted like this before it is thrown out. The ‘throwing out’ is another very complicated affair. Rubbish is collected only on a special day, a different one for each different kind: combustibles are taken away twice a week, non-combustibles and recyclable rubbish are collected just once a week. Miss your day and you will have to put up with your rubbish for another week, because you are not allowed to get rid of any rubbish until the day on which it is to be collected.
For a newcomer to Japan, it is very difficult to decide what goes into which category. Then there are three other problems. First, rubbish must be carefully prepared before it is taken out: cardboard boxes must be flattened, glass must be marked ‘dangerous’, etc. Second, the rubbish collectors refuse to collect it unless every bag contains rubbish prepared like that. Third, in Japan there are practically no rubbish bins in the streets. So, all in all, you have to get used to the system. It’s hard for foreigners to cope with this. They make some mistakes first. But rubbish adventures may become great dinner party stories.
1 Getting rid of rubbish in Japan is difficult because
a) it must be recycled b) it must be sorted carefully c) it is not collected
2 Foreigners coming to Japan
a) can adapt to the new rules easily b) have big problems with their rubbish
c) put their rubbish into the street bins
3 All the rubbish that cannot be burned is taken away
a) once a week b) twice a week c) once in two weeks
4 The Japanese rubbish collectors take the things only if they are
a) sorted carefully c) prepared carefully c) put in a bag
5 The rubbish adventures may become easy for
a) rubbish collectors b) newcomers to Japan c) people with a sense of humor
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
11 Fathers want to look after the baby
One of the surveys of fathers has shown that, far from the stereotype, most men would like to share childcare duties with their partners or wives. Many agreed that parenting classes would be a good way to give them more confidence around the home.
Based on the survey results, four types of fathers were defined, from the traditional type of dad to the perfect New Dad, who is much involved in taking care of the children as the mother. The survey found that the majority of men were somewhat between these two types.
In the first category comes Enforcer Dad, the old-fashioned disciplinarian who does not see himself in the day-to-day care of his children.
The two biggest categories are Entertainer Dad and useful Dad. Entertainer Dad is at his best keeping his children laughing while his partner gets on with household chores and arranging the children’s school and extra activities. Useful Dad wants to help out around the house, even though he expects the mother to be the ‘team leader’ in all things domestic.
Finally, and probably every woman’s dream, is Fully Involved Dad. He is equally engaged in running the home and the family, and sees the role of the father and the mother as practically identical.
Mums and dads should be able to choose how they want to share the responsibilities of bringing up children and working outside the home. But until we have equal pay, decent childcare and more opportunities to work flexible hours, many fathers will continue to find it hard to be there for their children and many women will continue to be disadvantaged at work.
1Many fathers like to go to parenting class
a) to learn how to do day-to-day childcare.
b) because they want to attend important school events.
c) to be more confident in dealing with domestic issues.
2 Enforcer Dads
a) don’t see childcare as their responsibility. b) are the new type of dads.
c) try to be involved in the day-to-day care of their children.
3 Fully involved Dads
a) share childcare responsibilities with their partners.
b) make their partners focus on childcare.
c) do not care much about childcare responsibilities.
4 Entertainer Dad is good at
a) helping his children with their school tasks.
b) telling jokes and doing tricks. c) helping his wife about the house.
5 Proper childcare needs
a) more social advantages for parents. b) more mothers to be off work.
c) more discussion in mass media.
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
12 Suit or smart casual? The modern office dilemma
In the past it was easy to know what to wear to the office. For male managers, it was always a dark suit and white shirt with a tie. With the arrival of Dress-Down Friday, all the old rules went away. Some companies introduced the system in which once a week (on Friday) the employees were allowed to wear casual clothes. In recent years, casual dress days at the office have become widespread in the USA. Casual Fridays have become so casual that some people are coming to work in outfits that resemble pyjamas.
82% of Americans thought that it is OK for businesses to have a dress-down day, while 12% thought it is not.
There are two important factors when discussing dress codes in the workplace. First of all, it must be clear. Employees need to know what is expected of them; otherwise, a dress code that is meant to create a relaxed atmosphere might actually increase stress. Second, employees must always consider their clients. A lawyer in a company put on his jacket and tie when he expects a client who might be offended by a more casual appearance.
And one final thing – no matter what clothes people wear, they must always be clean and neat.
1 The best time to be dressed casual in an office is
a) weekends b) Saturday c) Friday
2 The idea of dress-down day
a) is criticized by most Americans. b) is ignored by most Americans.
c) is taken positively by most Americans.
3 The dress codes in the workplace depend on
a) a long list of important things. b) on a couple of important factors.
c) on the boss’s mood.
4 Casual appearance in an office may
a) hurt a customer. b) attract unnecessary attention. c) make clients laugh.
5 A dress code has always depended on
a) office atmosphere. b) strict rules. c) business needs.
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
13 Grease
‘Greasy spoons’ are an essential part of life in the UK, especially for people living in the big cities. These small restaurants are so common that they often go unnoticed. In London, the capital of the greasy spoon, there are hundreds of them, fuelling population with bacon, egg and sausage.
Greasy spoon cafes are so called because any cutlery that comes into contact with the food they offer is covered with a sticky, greasy layer of lard (сало, жир). More calories can be found in a cup of tea in a good greasy spoon than in a whole meal at a normal restaurant.
Greasy spoons are generally found slightly away from the main streets, they usually have large glass windows, a plastic sign with the name of the café – usually the name of the owner, e.g. Mario’s, Bob’s Place, Rita’s Café – and a huge menu offering a wide variety of delights. Inside they are generally clean and functional. You’ll see old wooden seats, tables covered with cracked linoleum and plain walls.
In a typical greasy spoon, you will find people from all categories. Poets, builders, hurrying businessmen, students lazing around with huge mugs of tea. Some people read, some catch up on the day’s news. At weekends there are large groups friends, recovering from week days on the town. The meals here are dangerously unhealthy and absolutely delicious. All kinds of fried food can be bought for incredibly low prices. The traditional English breakfast here is huge and full of meat and fat.
1 Greasy spoons are so numerous that
a) there thousands of them in London b) you do not take them as something unusual
c) they dominate other types of restaurants
2 Greasy spoons provide their customers with
a) high fat food b) low fat food c) fast service
3 When entering a greasy spoon, you can see
a) a fashionable design b) a clean but comfortable place c) modern furniture
4 People coming to greasy spoons belong to
a) a specific social group b) various categories c) time-wasters
5 Greasy spoons are typically found
a) along busy streets b) in the town center c) in rather quiet places
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
14 Education in Britain
In Britain, education is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. At the age of five, children start primary school. Then, at the age of eleven, they begin their secondary education. Most children go to the state schools, and only about 7% attend fee-paying private schools.
A school year is divided into three terms. Nearly all schools work a five-day week and they are closed on Saturdays. The day starts at nine and finished between three and four. There is a lunch break which usually lasts about an hour and a quarter.
A typical timetable includes English, Math, History, Geography, Art, Music, Physical Education and foreign languages. A lot of schools offer a range of after-school activities such as choir, drama, and trips to interesting places.
Young people are expected to show respect for their teachers and obey school rules. Students who misbehave risk being excluded from school.
The main exams are GCSEs (school-leaving exams at 16), and A-levels (university entrance exams at 18). University students graduate after completing their first degree, usually in three years. Many students then continue their studies for a Master’s degree, or PhD.
1British children start their secondary education
a) every Monday b) at 9 in the morning c) when they are eleven
2 British schoolchildren are busy
a) from eight to four b) from eight to three c) from nine till four
3 Breaking school rules
a) is not welcomed b) is quite typical c) may result in bad marks
4 A typical list of school subjects includes
a) English, History and Biology b) English, Math and Literature
c) English, Math and Foreign Languages
5 At the age of 18 British young people
a) complete their first degree b) take university entrance exams
c) take school-leaving exams
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
15 Knowing London Inside Out
London taxi drivers know the capital like the back of their hands. No matter how small and difficult to find the street is, the driver will be able to get you there without any trouble.
The reason London taxi drivers are so professional is that they have all gone through a very difficult training period to get the special license needed to drive taxis. During this period, which can take from two to four years, the would-be taxi driver has to learn the most direct route to every single road and to every important building in London. Most learners go around the city on small motorbikes, practicing how to move to and from different points of the city. The training period can cost quite a lot, because learners have to pay for their own expenses
( getting around London using private transport), the tests they take and a medical exam.
Once a taxi driver has a license, the next thing he or she has to cope with is the public. Drivers agree that most passengers are very pleasant, although occasionally they can be nasty. More and more drivers are joining radio taxi companies, which only deal with customers who have telephoned for a taxi and who often have an account with them. The big advantage of this system is that drivers know the name and the destination of their passengers in advance.
Talking and driving at the same time is not easy. But this is the art that London’s taxi drivers have brought to perfection.
1 The taxi drivers in London are very professional because
a) they get special licenses b) they can drive motorbikes
c) they learn very long
2 The would-be taxi drivers are learnt how to get
a) to a every single place in London b ) to and from every point of the city
c) to London’s center
3 After getting a license, a taxi driver has to deal with
a) the passengers b) the medical people c) the other drivers
4 Radio taxi companies provide taxi drivers with
a) a lot of public b) mobile phones c) information and security
5 In London the taxi drivers are
a) talkative b) friendly and professional c) driving very fast.
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
16 The history of dieting
The world ‘diet’ originally meant ‘things that usually eat’, but, these days, it means eating pattern to change something. There are diets for avoiding certain chemicals, like salt, and there are diets to increase amounts of certain things. There are even diets to help people put on weight. However, we usually say ‘diet’ about losing weight.
But when did it all start? There is a story that in 1087, William the Conqueror, King of England, had become so fat that he could no longer ride his horse. He stayed in bed and drank alcohol instead of eating food to try and lose weight.
What’s important is the kinds of food you eat, because different foods contain different things our bodies need. But it has taken a long time to find out exactly what these are. When it became possible to build ships that could go on long voyages, sailors started to spend many months at sea. They also started getting a strange disease called ‘scurvy’. It became clear that they needed fruit or vegetables to survive. Today, we know that Vitamin C is the reason. Although the discovery helped their lives, nobody knew why some people got fat and others didn’t, or what to do about it. Then in the 1890s, a chemist called Wilbur Atwater began investigating how foods consisted of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. He measured the heat value of these by burning them and called a unit of this heating a ‘calorie’. This measurement he created can be seen as the start of modern food science and dieting.
1 Today when we discuss dieting, we mean
a) way of life b) special medicines c) overweight problems
2 People might get scurvy when
a) they lack Vitamin C b) stay at the sea for a long time c) do not exercise for long
3 The term ‘calorie’ was introduced by
a) King of England b) sailors c) a chemist
4 W. Atwater managed to measure
a) a unit of Vitamin C b) the heat value c) a unit of weight
5 To be physically fit and healthy, one should know
a) what his food consists of b) why some people get fat c) chemistry
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
17 The art of bad taste: the British tabloid
Newspapers have existed in Britain since 1621. But for over 300 years they were written and read by only a tiny minority. The Daily Mail, which is still running today, was the mother of the modern tabloid, and the beginning of a whole new subculture in the British press. Originally, the word tabloid referred to the size and format. But today, for most people, the word tabloid has nothing to do with shape and size. The tabloids follow a special formula: they report the news, but only certain kinds. But the content is only half the story. The real key to the tabloid newspaper is the style. Scandals, murders and disasters all are described in detail, but the details of political and economic life just don’t appear. Tabloids dedicate most of their pages to stories about celebrities. However, the tabloids are also an instrument for self-promotion, a means of gaining popularity.
Though they have millions of readers, tabloids are widely criticized in Britain for being sensationalist, in bad taste, and having no ethical standards. They follow people on holiday and even break into their houses in order to get a story. Many people believe that the tabloids and the paparazzi caused the tragic death of Princess Diana.
Bad taste is what the British tabloids have made into an art.
1 Today the tabloids are
a) what they used to be a hundred years ago b) of their original format
c) presenting information in a new way
2 The role of The Daily Mail in the history of the British press is
a) not very important b)significant c) practically unknown
3 The tabloids present the news about
a) politics b)economic life c) the private life of well known people
4 The critics of the tabloids do not see in them
a) ethics b) scandals c) sensation
5 The tabloids journalists ignore
a) murders b) privacy c)disasters
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
18 Getting off the bitten track
In the 1980s and early 1990s Africans first realized that tourism might be a way out of poverty.
They built big hotels on the beaches of Kenya, South Africa and other countries. For some times numerous charter flights brought these tourists from Germany and Italy.
A new kind of travel is in fashion now. Today’s tourists are leaving the European-style hotels for more authentic experiences. Sitting by the fire at night after a typical dinner, they listen to the local people telling folk stories. In many ways, this off-beaten-track holiday represents the future of global tourism.. Despite difficulties, international and domestic tourism is expected to grow. Tomorrow’s tourists will come from new places; the number of Asian, and particularly Chinese, tourists is predicted to explode as African region becomes more integrated into the global economy.
While sun-and–sea tourism still dominates, the standard two weeks holiday is becoming less popular. Americans and Europeans are now taking shorter but more varied trips, causing the rapid development of adventure travel, ecotourism, cultural tours, spa holidays, cruises and sport events in more distant places: China, the Maldives, Botswana. Western travelers choose more exotic, individualized experiences.
1 Some African travel agencies started making money
a) long before 1980s b) in the 1990s c) in the 2000s
2 The term ‘off-beaten-track holiday’ means
a) a very comfortable kind of rest b) a completely new sort of holiday
c) sun-and-sea tourism
3 In the future African countries may receive a lot of tourists from
a) China b) Kenya c) South Africa
4 A new travel habit is
a) to stay two weeks at the sea b) to have a long exotic holiday
c) to take a short varied trip
5 Surprisingly, travel business is affected by
a) weather b) fashion c) poverty
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
19 The Rise of the Machines
Cars have given us freedom. We can go wherever we want to go, whenever we want to go. They have also given us independence. Cars provide us with a personalized, door-to-door transport solution that is always available. But they also change the world we live in.
Think of traffic jams and the difficulty of getting about in a car in the rush hour. Think of pollution, and how the toxic fumes destroy the buildings along busy roads. Cars change the face of the towns themselves.
As people buy more and more cars, roads keep getting widened to accommodate the increasing traffic. They narrow formerly green spaces: flowerbeds, lawns or trees that used to line the roads. The pavements become a thin strip along the buildings, narrowed by the parked cars that take the last remaining pedestrian space.
Preferring our freedom to sharing transport with others, we get into our cars to get to our workplace, to do our shopping, to go out to the theatre, and even to go for a walk in the fields. Wherever we drive, we have to park. Parking spaces are huge areas of land used up by empty cars waiting for hours for their passengers to return.
What cars have changed will never be like it used to be, ever again.
1 Cars give us a possibility
a) to save money b) not to depend on other people c) to have a better traffic
2 In the rush hours the traffic is
a) the fastest b) the heaviest c) not a problem.
3 With the number of cars rising increasingly people have fewer possibilities
a) to walk in the city b) to build houses c) to do shopping
4 Parking places is an example of
a) using a car 24 hours a day b) of an ineffective use of land c) future transport
5 Cars have not changed
a) the face of the towns b) the pedestrian areas c) our desire for freedom
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
20 Mobile revolution
No consumer product in history has caught up as quickly as the mobile phone. The arrival of the mobile phone has transformed out lifestyles much.
The survey found that while men are using their phones a lot more, women are actually spending less time on the phone. The explanation might lie in the fact that men love to play with techno toys while women may be more practical about the bills they have to pay.
Innovations in mobile phones has been happening increasingly. There are twenty different products that previously might have been bought separately that can now be part of a mobile phone. Mobiles have changed the way people talk to one another, they have generated a new type of language, they have saved lives and become style icons. As mobile phones continue to become cheaper and more powerful, they may be more successful in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor than expensive computers.
Mobile users are two and a half times more likely to develop cancer in the brain areas, although researchers are unable to prove if this is directly connected with the phone. Mobile thefts account for the third of all street robberies in London. Don’t forget about the accidents that might happen as people drive with a mobile in one hand. But, overall, mobile phones have proved to be a big benefit for people.
1 The mobile phone way to the customer has been
a) the shortest b) the quickest c) quite slow
2 The survey has found that men
a) are less pragmatic than women b) do not consider a mobile phone a techno toy
c) like to pay their bills
3 The mobile phone has changed the way
a) people eat b) people sleep c) people speak
4 In the future the mobile phones will have a more developed market than
a) cars b) TV sets c) computers
5 The medical people are not sure about mobile phone
a) as the source of cancer b) as the source of car accidents c) as a benefit for people
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
21 The way we shop
Shopping centers have changed the way we shop – but is this really an improvement?
One positive aspect of shopping centers is convenience: we can finds everything from groceries to electronics, from cosmetics to clothes, under the same roof. Furthermore, shopping centers offer entertainment facilities, like cinemas or bowling alleys, with an enormous range of things to buy and to do. In addition to this, they are places where you can meet people and socialize in cafes and restaurants. They have become the focus of social life for many teenagers.
However, smaller local shops which used to offer a friendlier, more personal service are closing down because they cannot keep up with the competition. The same thing is happening to local cinemas, and sometimes even bars and restaurants. In fact, we are losing places that were once important in our lives.
Another disadvantage of shopping centers is that they offer uniform products all over the world – local character is disappearing. In order to supply a large number of customers efficiently, mass- produced goods replace custom-made products.
To summarize, on the one hand, shopping centers offer a more comfortable shopping experience, but on the other hand, they make us all the same.
1 Shopping centers have
a) advantages b)disadvantages c) both advantages and disadvantages
2 Customers come to the shopping centers
a) to buy and to communicate b) to buy and to speak English c) to buy and to go
3 Shopping centers make the local character
a) come b) go c) arrive
4 In general the local services are giving the place to
a) responsibility b) individuality c) uniformity
5 Shopping centers are a good example of
a) organization b) systematization c)globalization
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
22 The Exxon Valdez oil-spill
On the southern coast of Alaska is the port of Valdez, and from here most of Alaska’s oil is taken to California and other parts of the USA.
On the 24th of March 1989, Captain Jeff Hazelwood was in command of an oil tanker which had the same name as the port of Valdez. The tanker was owned by the Exxon oil company, so it was usually called the Exxon Valdez. Just after midnight, the Exxon Valdez hit a group of rocks called Bligh Reef. The tanker had five holes in its side – one of the holes was two metres wide by six metres long. Fifty million litres of oil started to flow out into the sea.
Unfortunately, the clean up operation did not begin immediately. A special boat was supposed to be ready for emergences, but it had been damaged by a storm. The clean-up began fifteen hours after the oil-spill was first reported. By the time all the necessary equipment was in place, the weather had turned stormy and strong winds quickly moved the oil into the sea.
The oil from the Valdez disaster covered 4,800 square kilometers of water. Millions of fish and thousands of sea birds and sea-otters died. Some animals and birds died from cold, others died from hunger, because 25% of the plankton in the sea was destroyed in the disaster, leaving many animals and birds with nothing to eat.
The Exxon Valdez disaster was one of the first huge oil-spill in history.
1 Most of oil in the USA is brought
a) to Alaska from California b) from California to Canada
c) from Valdez to various parts of the USA
2 The disaster was called the Exxon Valdez oil-spill because
a) the state and the tanker had the same name b) the captain and the tanker had the same name
c)the tanker and the port had the same name
3 After the hit the Exxon Valdez got a hole with the size of
a) ten square meters b) twenty square meters c) twelve square meters
4 The oil spot from the Valdez disaster was
a) larger than 4,500 square kilometers b) smaller than 4,500 square kilometers
c) 4,500 square kilometers
5 The destroyed plankton resulted in
a) the oil-spill b) the death of sea birds c) the stormy and strong winds
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
23 Muhammad Ali’s life story
Muhammad Ali was probably the most famous athlete and one of the best-known people in the world. What is actually known about his life?
He was the first three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He was known for his powerful fists as well as for his poetry. His ability to compose rhymes on the run could qualify him as the first rapper. He won an Olympic gold medal and later threw it into the river in protest against racism in America.
Ali’s interest in boxing began when he was 12. He lived in a poor black neighbourhood in Louisville, together with his parents and brother Rudy. Ali passionately devoted himself to amateur boxing. He trained hard and soon became a celebrity in his hometown. Within the next few years, he won 100 of his 108 matches. At 18, he became Olympic gold medalist and signed a professional contract.
In the 1960, Ali became one of the most controversial figures in the country. He refused to serve in the American army in Vietnam for religious reasons and, as a result, he lost his championship belt. He was also sentenced to five years in prison, but later the sentence was cancelled by the Supreme Court.
Muhammad Ali retired from boxing in 1981. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the century by one of the biggest sports magazine.
1 Muhammad Ali started his boxing career as
a) a celebrity b) an amateur c) as a rapper
2 The reasons that made Ali not to go to the army were
a) controversial b) professional c) religious
3 Muhammad Ali won
a) most of his matches b) more than the half of his matches
c) more than 100 matches
4 After Ali won an Olympic medal he
a) gave it to his brother Rudy b) showed it to his neighbours
c) threw it into the water
5 In the late 1990s Muhammad Ali became the Sportsman
a) of the 20th century b) of the USA c) of the sports magazine
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
24 Making the news
During the Great Depression of the 1930, when the USA suffered financial crisis, poverty and hunger, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began a series of radio broadcasts in which he addressed the American people in a friendly, informal way. They made a great impression on the people, helping to sustain their morale through difficult times.
Although radio was the most popular form of mass media during the Second World War, around 100 million Americans watched the war’s events at their local cinemas each week. Short news films, called ‘newsreels’, were made by film companies such as Fox and Paramount.
In 1969, when 600 million people watched the first moon landings on TV, over a third of the audience in the medium’s history, even though the pictures, received by a satellite station in Australia, were black and white and indistinct. The American networks showed Apollo 11’s three-day journey from Florida to the moon. When the astronauts entered the moon’s orbit it was the middle of the night. There were no video recorders in those days, so the viewers were told to go to sleep with the TV sound turned down low, and promised to wake them with a loud alarm just before the spacecraft landed.
1 The US president F.D. Roosevelt spoke to his people
a) to entertain them b) to teach them c) to support them
2 During the World War II, most Americans could
a) hear the war’s news b) see the war’s news c) could do both
3 Short films about the war were produced by
a) Paramount film company b)Walt Disney’s studio c) Warner Bros. film company
4 The first moon landings could be watched by 600 viewers thanks to
a) new TV technologies b) station in Australia c) time difference
5 The Apollo 11’s astronauts landed their spacecraft
a) at midnight c) before midnight c) after midnight
Read the text and choose the phrase (a, b or c) that best completes the sentences 1-5.
25 Globalization
In November 1999, a collection of 50,000 environmentalists, students, anarchists, and ordinary members of the public gathered in Seattle, USA, to protest against a meeting there of the World Trade Organization. The demonstration began peacefully, but by the end of the day, protestors had smashed shop windows and destroyed property. The police had fired plastic bullets and gas into the crowd, and a state of civil emergency had been declared. The ‘Battle of Seattle’ is now seen as the start of a world-wide anti-globalization movement.
Similar demonstrations have now become common in cities that host global monetary meeting. In London’s financial district, anti-globalization demonstrations take place annually every 1st of May. The largest protests so far took place in Genoa, Italy, in 2001, where 300,000 demonstrators clashed with police in a conflict: one person died and hundreds were injured.
Anti-globalization protestors are protesting about the dominance in the world economy of large(usually American) multi-national companies. They consider that these companies spread their western culture at the expense of other countries, and that they exploit developing countries and the environment in general. Targets for violence and vandalism are often American companies such as McDonald’s, GAP and Starbucks.
1 In 1999, 50,000 protesters gathered in Seattle
a) to declare a state of emergency b) to destroy shop windows and property
c) to demonstrate their disagreement with the WTO policy
2 The anti-globalization started its global level with
a) the ‘Fighting of Seattle’ b) the ‘Battle of Seattle’ c) the ‘Clash of Seattle’
3 Hundreds of demonstrators suffered in a conflict which took place
a) in London b) in Seattle c) in Genoa
4 In most cases anti-globalization demonstrators direct their protest against such producers as
a) Gap b) Levi Strauss c) Kelvin Klein
5 People gather for anti-globalization protests because they
a) want more people to join them
b) don’t like the quality of goods produced by multi-national companies
c) are against the domination of the western culture and way of life
SECTION III
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
1 LOST? NEVER AGAIN!
Imagine the situation. You are driving alone in the desert or in the mountain. You have no idea where you are. You passed the last house two hours ago. Then your car breaks down. It is night and it is cold. You have no mobile phone. What to do? Well, next time take a GPS with you. This invention may be able to help you. It is a device which uses satellite to locate the user’s position. It can locate your position to within 20 metres. Some GPS devices are even more accurate. A GPS cannot start your car, but at least you will know where you are.
GPS, which means Global Positioning System, is a small portable radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. You can hold it in your hand, or put it in your pocket. It is sometimes fitted into a watch or a telephone. You also find GPS devices in cars, aeroplanes, or boats. Some of these devices, for example the Garmin GPSMAP 60, have electronic maps, so you know exactly, where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.
There are three parts to the Global Positioning System. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites orbiting the Earth. The satellites carry atomic clocks and transmit radio signals. The receiver contacts at least four of the satellites. It measures the distance from each satellite, using the radio waves and the times. The receiver then calculates its exact position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations. They are located all over the world. They control the satellites and make sure they are working well.
The United States Department of Defense designed the system for the military. They launched the first satellite into space in 1978. In the 1980s the government made the system available for everyone – for free. By 1998 there were 24 satellites in orbit around the world. When a satellite becomes old or breaks down, a new satellite is sent up in its place.
Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile. They are becoming cheaper and more and more accurate. There are also new users for the GPS, such as tracking criminals. Perhaps they will become like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never be lost again!
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A GPS can help you to start the engine of your car.
B Ground stations are used to measure the distance by means of radio waves.
C In the US one should pay a small amount of money when using a GPS.
D The GPS satellites are replaced from time to time.
E GPS stands for ‘Global Portable System’.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 One can keep a GPS in the pocket
2 When driving in an unknown place
3 You don’t have to hold a GPS in your hand
4 A GPS will give a good chance
5 The GPS devices are valued
A once it is fixed.
B to those dealing with crime.
C for their accuracy.
D because of its small size.
E you may use a GPS for navigation.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
2 HOW TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN HEALTHY
Most people know how to keep their bodies healthy. They know they should eat a good diet and try to get plenty of exercise and sleep. They should also avoid smoking, drinking, etc. However, do you know that we can also take steps to keep our brains healthy? Experts recommended the following tips to keep your brain in good shape.
First of all, it is important to stay mentally active. We exercise our bodies by walking, swimming or going to the gym, but we can also do workouts for our brains. For example, we can try quizzes and word puzzles, or solve mathematical problems. This will keep the nerve cell sharp. It may also help to create new cells.
Another thing we can do is to be socially active. This means that you should socialize by joining clubs and social groups. We can also mix with other people by traveling to other countries, or learning new skills. For example, we can do courses to learn skiing, dancing, or a new language.
Physical activity is also important. We know that exercise is beneficial for the body. However, it is also good for the brain. It keeps a good flow of blood to the brain, and encourages new cells. Of course, the brain is a very delicate organ. It is easily damaged, so people who like dangerous activities should be very careful. Rock climbers, cyclists, and cricket players should all protect their heads.
Finally, we should eat a ‘brain-healthy’ diet. This means we should avoid fatty foods. We should also stay away from food that is high in cholesterol. Instead, we should eat nutritious foods such as green vegetables, fruit, fish, and nuts. Foods which are good for you will protect the brain from disease. Certain food, however, may actually improve brainpower. Research suggests that the nutrient ‘choline’, which is found in foods such as liver, eggs, and red meat, helps the brain work better.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Communication can improve your brainpower.
B New brain cell may come through mental activity.
C Some sportsmen protect their heads to keep a good blood flow to the brain.
D Vegetables and fruit bring cholesterol to the brain.
E Exercise makes your body work better but not your brain.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 The matter formed because of fat food
2 One should follow four tips
3 Healthy and effective brain
4 To keep the nerve cells sharp
5 When learning something and developing new skills
A we make our brain work more actively.
B needs special eating habits.
C if he wants his brain help work better.
D is called ‘cholesterol’.
E one should offer the brain complicated logical tasks.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
3 STIMULATE YOUR BRAIN
Studies show that exercising your brain can help improve your concentration and memory. You can easily exercise your brain every day by following these simple tips.
Read often. Set time aside to read each day. However, don’t always read the same type of books. For example, if you are a fan of mysteries, mix it up with a historical biography or science fiction. Subscribe to several newspapers – your local paper, the Wall Street Journal and a trade publication that interest you. Try to read the paper each day before leaving for work.
Do puzzles. Crossword puzzles, Sudoku and other word puzzles are terrific ways to work your brain. In days gone by, you could only find crossword puzzles in newspapers or magazines. However, you can now choose from thousands of puzzles on the Internet.
Use opposite hand. If you are right handed, try to use your left hand to do everyday tasks ( and vice versa ). By switching hands, you will be exercising the opposite side of your brain. Some tasks will be extremely difficult at first, but over time you can train yourself.
Play video and online games. Many video games are designed to improve your memory, develop logic, increase mental speed and boost creativity. Look for “brain games” such as chess, memory games, logic puzzles and many others.
Learn a foreign language. One of the most powerful way to exercise your mind is through learning a new language. Take a course at your local community college or language school. If that is not convenient, you can learn a foreign language online or by listening to tapes.
There are many other ways to exercise your brain such as practicing meditation, doing math problems, learning to play a musical instrument and expanding your vocabulary. The key is to avoid getting into a routine. By changing your day to day activities and taking on new challenges you can improve your mental capacity and stimulate your brain.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Learning new words is a good way to exercise human mind.
B The more kinds of reading you practice every day, the harder your memory works.
C The right handed people have to use their left hands to improve their physical form.
D Doing the same things at the time fixed can stimulate your brain activity.
E Solving logical problems makes our mind work faster.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 You may take a course of a new language
2 To stimulate your brain
3 It takes time and effort
4 One should go to work
5 Practicing meditation is as good as
A to practice some activities that stimulate human brain.
B as playing a musical instrument.
C you should review the list of your everyday activities.
D after gaining some current news.
E even by means of the Internet.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
4 MEMORY LOSS
Most people associate memory loss with getting old, but in actual fact people’s memories start to decline when they are in their twenties. Memory loss is closely linked to how much people keep their brains stimulated. If you want to slow down the process of memory loss, then you have to keep your brain mentally stimulated whatever your age. One of the reasons why people’s memories start to deteriorate when they are still relatively young is that most people stop their formal learning when they leave school, and as soon as that happens their memories start to decline.
So what can you do to stay mentally active? Experts recommend playing chess, doing crossword puzzles, learning to play a musical instrument and studying a foreign language. But really anything that stimulates the mind will do. Take a different route home from work, for example. If you always drive along the same streets, your brain goes on autopilot, so taking a different route will get it working.
Staying physically active is also important. An adequate supply of blood to the brain is necessary for all mental functions, including memory. Regular physical exercise helps to get more blood to the brain so it can work more effectively. Exercising for thirty minutes most days of the week is normally enough to do the trick. Activities such as swimming, riding a bike, or even just brisk walking are good aerobic exercises for people of any age.
Your health is also important. People who smoke and people who drink heavily are at a greater risk of memory loss than those who don’t. So it’s worth considering giving up or at least cutting down if you are in either of these categories.
But what can you do if your memory has already started to let you down? If you have trouble remembering things, write them down. Writing things down reinforces memory. When you want to learn new information, such as someone’s name, create a visual image in your mind to make the information more vivid and, therefore, more memorable. When you want to recall information you have learnt, for example, in an exam, you need to remember that feeling anxious can stop your remembering, so slow down and relax.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Smoking a cigarette prevents effective memorizing.
B Move your body to make your brain and memory work.
C The younger people are, the better their memory works.
D Normally we should exercise 30 hours a week to remember well.
E Imagination is an effective tool in memorizing technologies.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 People’s brains must be stimulated
2 One good way to remember new information is
3 Nervousness should be taken away
4 Most people give up training their memory
5 Driving a new route
A if you want to learn something new.
B be they young or old.
C after finishing a secondary school.
D may get your memory work.
E its visualization.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
5 BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE STUDENT
Learning how to study effectively is an essential skill for all students in any discipline. There are six areas which are crucial to developing good study habits. Work on these and you will become an effective student.
Always set a realistic work target. Don’t try to do too much. For example, plan to read one chapter of a book each evening rather than thinking about reading the whole book over the weekend. This kind of detailed, planned target is more effective. It is sometimes helpful to tell your friends about your plan. This is a good incentive to keep you on target because they will know if you fail.
Develop a system of small rewards for your work. For example, stop for a cup of coffee or tea, or listen to a favorite piece of music after one hour’s study. Rewarding yourself for keeping to your work plan will make you feel good about yourself.
Make sure you choose a suitable time to study, i.e. when it is quiet and when you are most alert. Try to make this a regular, time-table part of your day. If you plan to start work at a certain time, say 7pm, do not find reasons to put off getting started. You can watch a DVD later, and your emails are not urgent!
A large task such as researching a new topic for an essay can be so discouraging, that it may be difficult to sit down and make a start. Break the larger task down into several smaller ones. For example, make a list of questions that you will have to deal with in your essay, and then approach each question separately. This makes the work more manageable.
The books you are studying won’t always present information in a way that suits your learning style. It is, therefore, worthwhile spending time making notes and organizing them in a way that suits you best. It is also a good idea to keep your notes neat and well organized. This will make it much easier to retrieve information later.
Don’t leave revision until the last moment. When you set up your study targets, allow regular revision time. This is much more effective than to cram before an exam.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Small pleasant things must be included into effective learning process.
B Your good mood but not the time-table is primary in studying.
C Combining small items into one big task can help manage the task.
D An outside control does no good if you learn or study something.
E Any work must be planned and completed reasonably
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 The better your notes are
2 Revising the material will lead to better results
3 If you keep to your working plan,
4 Starting a work on an essay
5 Getting small rewards
A than cramming just before an exam.
B is not always easy.
C can stimulate a person on the way to his target.
D your feel quiet and sure.
E the easier your can retrieve information from them.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
6 MUSIC USED AS A HEALING THERAPY
A recent study funded by the Welcome Trust has investigated the connection between the use of music and the recovery of patients suffering from a variety of medical conditions. The study has brought together musicians, health workers, and researchers to find evidence of the beneficial effects music has on health.
Music has long been used to treat patients suffering from different problems. In 400 BC, its healing properties were documented by the ancient Greeks. More recently, in both world wars in the 20th century, medical workers used music therapy with people suffering from trauma. Currently, it is used as a treatment for many diseases, such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, and it has also been used with patients with long-term pain and learning disabilities.
There is a growing evidence that music can cause physical changes to the body which can improve our health. In the Welcome Trust study, which took place over three years at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital in London, patients were asked to listen to musical performances. As a result, it was found that stress levels were significantly reduced, recovery times were improved, and fewer drugs were needed.
These positive results are partly due to general well-being. When people feel happy and have a positive approach to life, they are more likely to feel better or recover from disease quickly. Music increases this feeling of joy and adds to the recovery process.
However, music has other effects which have not yet been understood. According to Professor Robertson, a scientist and musician, some effects of music are mysterious. It has been suggested that the sounds and rhythms of music help stimulate the brain and send electrical messages to the muscles and limbs.
Many in the medical profession have not yet recognized the healing benefits of music. New studies could prove that music is a suitable treatment for many conditions.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Our arms and legs can possibly get music signals.
B Scientists have discovered all the effects that music can make on human body and brain.
C The music effect studies have united experts from several fields.
D Medical people started using music therapy in the World War II.
E Music can’t help people who have learning problems.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 The happier the person feels
2 Today we have an evidence that
3 The studies of music effects
4 The level of the stress decreased
5 Even today cancer is treated
A the healing properties of music were studied by the ancient scientists.
B the faster his recovery goes.
C by means of music healing therapy.
D are quite promising.
E when the patient listened to music.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
7 COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY: A BRIEF HISTORY
The 21st century is already being described as the ‘Information Age’, not surprisingly, since communication and information technologies are widespread – in your homes, workplaces, and universities. You probably have access to a mobile phone, radio and television. It is likely that you have access to the global communication network: the Internet. These forms of communication seem very modern, and yet the ‘Information Age’ of the early 21st century has a long and fascinating history.
Our modern communication era started with the invention of telegraphy, literally ‘writing at a distance’. In 1830, scientist Joseph Henry used an electromagnet to force a steel bar to swing and ring a bell. This was the first electrical signaling.
Samuel Morse developed this idea and invented the first practical telegraph in 1838. His system used an electrical circuit, a battery, a wire joining two telegraph stations, and an electromagnet. When the key was pressed onto the wire, it completed the electrical circuit, and then when it was released, it broke the circuit. This produced a clicking sound. For ease of communication, he developed the Morse code of dots and dashes.
By the 1870s, news was traveling the world in seconds and many historic events were announces via the telegraph. However, scientists and inventors were already considering how to transform the spoken word into electrical signals.
Alexander Graham Bell understood the theory of a telephone, but struggled for a number of years to make a working model. Then, on March 10th 1876, he finally succeeded in transmitting speech. Bell’s first telephone did not resemble the telephones of today, and over the next 100 years it underwent many changes. In the late 1920s, a telephone system was established that allowed people to talk across continents – the era of long-distance phone calls had arrived.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A S. Morse developed and put in operation a working model of the telegraph
B Dots and dashes for coding were first introduced by Alexander Bell.
C Actually telegraphy means a distant writing.
D S. Morse’s system included three components.
E At the end of the 19th century scientists were thinking of sending a voice by the wire.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 People can talk to each other from any part of the world
2 When the circuit was broken
3 A.Bell’s first telephone did not look
4 The history of communication technologies
5 The Morse code presented a text
A a clicking sound could be heard.
B like the telephones we currently use.
C is about two centuries long.
D through combination of dots and dashes.
E thanks to A.G.Bell’s invention.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
8 50 YEARS OF PROGRESS
The first half of the 20th century saw enormous technical developments in three main areas: radio, television and computers. Radio waves were the first to be explored, and in 1902, Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio signal. The first domestic radio with tuners to listen to different stations appeared only 14 years later, in 1916. Once radio was established, scientists and inventors started investigating the possibility of transmitting pictures. In 1925 John Logie Baird sent the first experimental television signal. By 1939, regular scheduled television broadcasting had begun.
Computers were being developed at the same time as TV and radio, and in 1944, computers were put into public service for the first time. The first generation of modern programmed electronic computers were built in 1947 and used Random Access Memory (RAM). This is a ‘memory’ which allows access to any particular piece of information at almost any time. The smallest of these computers was the size of a family car and could store only about 8,000 words.
From 1950 on, the development of computers was extremely rapid. In 1958, the integrated circuit or ‘chip’ was invented and computers started decreasing in size. In 1962, the first computer game, “Spacewar’, was sold, and computers became more popular. ARPANET, the original Internet, was launched in 1969, the first microprocessor was developed in 1971, and in 1981 the IBM PC (personal computer) appeared. The PC revolution had begun. Since then, computers have become smaller, faster, and ‘smarter’. And developed into what many of you use for your studies and entertainment today.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Marconi made it possible to send pictures by means of radio signals.
B Radio, TV and computers developed in parallel for some time.
C The application of chips reduced the computer size.
D The personal computer is 35 years old by now.
E The possibilities of RAM were considered to be unlimited.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 The computers have been rapidly developed
2 Television acquired a scheduled character
3 The PC revolution caused changes in the computer’s
4 It was the first computer game
5 The first letter in the abbreviation RAM stands for
A since late 1930s.
B since 1950s.
C that made lots of people closer to computers.
D size, speed and operation possibilities.
E Random.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
9 MOBILE TELEPHONY
The new era of phones worked by using radio waves which transmitted a radio signal to a transmission center and then to the receiver. As they did not need to be attached to electrical wires, phoned could be portable for the first time.
The first generation (1G) phones were those developed in the 1980s. Much larger and heavier than today’s mobile phones, these had a fairly limited range as the transmission networks were still being established.
It was with the second generation (2G) phones, developed in the 90s, that the mobile truly entered the digital era. The new protocols of these phones, the rules that organize how devices connect to a network, were transmitted digitalized, and the Short Message Service (SMS) was added. Texting was born.
The second and a half generation (2.5G) phones worked on the same network protocol as 2G phones, but added Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). These enabled mobile phones to access certain websites. In addition, some 2.5G phones had colored screens and cameras.
However, in 2000 a whole new generation of phones was launched: the third generation (3G). These were based on completely new protocols which enabled high-speed connections. A simple comparison illustrates this: the 2.5G phones on GPRS had an Internet access of 144b(bits) per second whereas a 3G phone could be as fast as 2Mb (megabits) per second.
It is the fast connection that has allowed mobile phones to become multifunctional, and now many phones are similar to Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), with operating systems such as Microsoft and Linux. These allow the phones to be used as minicomputers. Many phones also
have the Global Positioning System (GPS), which enables users to know their exact position and to get directions to places they want to go.
With 4G phones the connection speed rises to 100Mb per second. These developments include the production of tiny wrist phones, holophones which project 3D moving images of the owners, and remote-control of a car via your phone.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A The owners of the 2.5G phones were lucky to exchange SMS first.
B “Portable” means not attached to electrical wires.
C The function of the GPS is to give an access to certain websites.
D The 4G phones are forty times faster than the 3G phones.
E Some of the 4G phones can be attached to your arms.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 Colored screens came into use
2 With Microsoft and Linux systems
3 The mobile digital era began
4 Many modern phones will never allow you
5 The transmission networks were still being developed
A at the end of the 20th century.
B in parallel with GPRS and WAP.
C when the first generation of the mobiles was used.
D to be lost or have problems with the directions.
E the range of the functions the phones could have increased.
Read the text, then do two after-reading tasks.
10 EEFECTIVE READING
During your course, you have done and will do a lot of reading. It is essential that you learn how to be an effective and efficient reader in order to make the best of your study time. Learning to be a good reader takes practice. You need to develop different strategies or methods of reading.
Skimming. Sometimes you will read just to get a general idea of a text. This is skim reading. First, identify your reason for reading, for example to decide whether an article meets your needs, or perhaps to understand a writer’s attitude. To do this, read the text very quickly. Don’t worry about reading and understanding everything. Instead, look particularly at the first and the last paragraph, and the first and the last sentences of paragraphs. These often summarize the main points.
Scanning. Sometimes you will read quickly to find particular pieces of information, for example, a statistic, a date, a person’s name, or the name of a place. Again, you do not need to read every word to find this information. Instead, scan the text using a finger or a pencil to move quickly through the words. You could time yourself to see how long it takes you to find the information. Always try to improve your speed.
Intensive reading. Sometimes you read for every detail, for example, a description of a process, the results of a scientific study, or a set literature text. To do this, take your time. Stop and think about what you are reading. Have you understood the text? You may need to read the text more than once, in order to take notes or highlight important points for future reference. This is called intensive reading or study reading.
Extensive reading. Sometimes you read for pleasure – perhaps as extra research, or purely for interest. You may concentrate, but you don’t have to worry about detail. This is extensive reading.
We do not always read the same kinds of texts in the same way, and we often use more than one method of reading for a single text. Your reason for reading helps you decide how to read.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A The reason for reading changes the way we read.
B When reading love stories we turn to extensive reading.
C There is only one quick way to read.
D Introduction and conclusion are especially important for intensive reading.
E A good learner should master different techniques of reading.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 Read the text very quickly
2 Using a pencil
3 Don’t worry about complete understanding
4 To be good at different reading technologies
5 Intensive or study reading needs
A if you read for a general idea.
B helps you move quicker through the words.
C one must have experience in them.
D the highest degree of concentration on the reader’s part.
E when reading for particular information.
Read the text first, then do two after reading tasks.
11 THE RUBBISH REVOLUTION
The average person in Britain produces seven times their own weight in rubbish every year. But perhaps this is not surprising when you look at the amount of packaging on supermarket food. Most of it is unnecessary. Think, for example, of four plastic pots of yogurt sold in a cardboard packet. The cardboard packet goes straight in the bin. Think of six plastic bottles of water packed together in plastic packaging and carried home in a plastic bag. That’s a lot of plastic.
A lot of the rubbish we produce can be recycled of course, but that uses valuable resources too. It’s better to buy food with as little packaging as possible. Some of the biggest supermarket chains in the country have agreed to cut unnecessary packaging. However, government minister Ben Bradshaw says this is not enough and he is advising consumers to take direct action. He suggests that we take unnecessary packaging off our food at the supermarket checkout tills and leave it here. There are plenty of other things we can do to reduce waste:
Say no to supermarket plastic bags. Take bags with you when you go shopping.
If there is a choice, choose a product with less packaging.
Buy a bigger packet if you think you will use it all. One big packet is better
than lots of smaller ones.
Try not to use plastic cups and plates.
Choose food sold in environment-friendly packaging.
If you find a product with too much packaging, complain to the manager.
In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country to ban the plastic bag. Taiwan has gone a step further and banned plastic plates and cutlery as well as bags. But would consumers in Britain accept such a ban? The answer is yes. In the town of Modbury in Devon, they decided to ban the plastic bag for six months as an experiment. The ban was so popular that they have decided to keep it, and other towns are planning to follow their example.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Plastic packaging is environmentally friendly.
B Customers must be active in packaging problem solution.
C Both European and Asian countries have taken steps in order to reduce waste.
D British customers get no support from the government people in cutting
unnecessary packaging.
E Plastic spoons and forks are banned in Bangladesh.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 The weight of rubbish a person in Britain produces
2 You may address a supermarket manager
3 The initiative of Modbury people
4 If your shopping list is long
5 It is better to cut packaging
A will be followed by people in other places.
B than to conduct its recycling.
C you would better use a bigger bag.
D to solve the problem of extra packaging.
E equals the weight of seven people.
Read the text first, then do two after reading tasks.
12 PROVIDING WATER FOR THE WORLD
Global demand for water is increasing as many countries are experiencing large population growth. Even in the countries where the water supply is adequate, people are beginning to realize how precious it is. As a result, many countries are developing ways to increase and conserve their suppliers of fresh water.
One such solution is desalination, the process by which salt water is converted into drinkable fresh water. This involves the removal of salt compounds and other chemicals from the salt water, a process which has traditionally been carried out by heating the water (the thermal method). The main disadvantage of this method has been the cost. Consequently, a cheaper and more flexible method has been developed, whereby salt water is purified by passing it through membranes. This method is used most effectively in combination with the thermal method.
Since 1958, China has used these two methods to exploit its 32,000-kilometre coastline and convert sea water into fresh water. In the United Arab Emirates, desalination has also helped compensate for the lack of natural fresh water.
The water crisis is not a problem unique to dry countries. In countries with relatively high rainfall, water shortage can still occur because of leakages and the loss of billions of litres of water. In addition, the average daily consumption of water has risen to as much as 150 litres per person in recent years, due to the increased use of modern technology in our homes. To overcome these problems, the public are encouraged to limit their consumption, and the water companies are being forced to repair pipes.
The demand for water will increase throughout this century, and more countries will return to desalination as the solution to the decreasing water supplies. However, as water shortages become more widespread due to global warming, this alone will not be enough to solve the problem. Governments will be obliged to ensure that water companies operate efficiently and the public will learn that water is a precious resource to be used economically.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A The price of water is getting higher and higher.
B Hot climate is not the only reason of water shortage.
C The main problem with the thermal method is its complexity.
D Millions of litres of water are lost all over the world.
E Today people are recommended to use less water.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 Conservation of fresh water suppliers
2 People must get special environmental education
3 The purpose of desalination is to convert
4 Some Asian countries have already produced
5 The amount of water used daily
A tends to increase in the future.
B to understand the real price of water.
C salt water into the water that can be drunk.
D is a new trend in modern technology.
E positive examples of desalination technologies.
Read the text first, then do two after reading tasks.
13 FIT FOR HIRING ?
A growing number of companies, from General Motors Corp to America Express Co., are no longer satisfied with traditional job interviews. Instead, they are requiring applicants for many white-collar jobs from top executives down - to submit to a series of paper-and-pencils tests, role-playing exercises, simulated decision-making exercises and brainteasers (problems which are fun to solve). Others put candidates through a long series of interviews by psychologists or trained interviewers.
The tests are not about mathematics or grammar, nor about any of the basic technical skills for which many production, sales and clerical workers have long been tested. Rather, employers want to evaluate candidates on the qualities that cannot be felt or described. Companies are getting much more careful about hiring. Ten years ago, candidates could win a top job with the right look and the right answers to questions such as “Why do you want this job?” Now, many are having to face questions and exercises intended to learn how they get things done. They may face questions such as “Who is the best manager you ever worked for and why?” or “What is your best friend like?” The answers, psychologists say, reveal much about a candidate’s management style and about himself or herself. The reason is clear: many recruiters work out badly. About 35 percent of recently hired senior executives are considered failures, according to the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, which surveyed nearly 500 chief executives.
The cost of bringing the wrong person on board is sometimes huge. Searching and training can cost from $5000 for a lower-level manager to $250,000 for a top executive. Years ago, employers looked for experience –has a candidate done it before? But having experience in a job does not guarantee that you can do it in a different environment.
Though most companies have not started this new practice, human resources specialist suggest that that white-collar testing is growing in popularity. Companies want to hire the most competent person rather than the people they like. This is the reason for the limitations in the usual job interview.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A Traditional job interviews have come to a critical point.
B New types of interviews check the candidates knowledge in sciences and
languages.
C Traditional interviews can give more personal information as for a candidate.
D Having experience in a job is the main thing the employers are interested in.
E Companies can save money after introduction of a new kind of interviewing.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 A person must be creative and have a sense of humor
2 Ability of a candidate to fit the corporate culture
3 The process of looking for a candidate and his further training
4 The way people look could be decisive
5 Today the applicants may be offered to practice
A is of primary importance for people responsible for recruitment.
B when employees were trying to get a job in the past.
C may cost companies lots of money.
D to manage brainteasers while being interviewed.
E role-playing and decision-making tasks.
Read the text first, then do two after reading tasks.
14 THE EARTH’S ENVIRONMENT: FOUR MAJOR PROBLEMS
The first major problem concerning the Earth’s environment is overpopulation. The Earth’s population increases by 80 million people every year. Although the size of Earth remains the same, the area of productive land is getting smaller due to the growth of cities and reckless overuse of the land. A lot of land around the world is too worn out to produce food anymore. Because too many sheep, goats, and cows have been put in some grasslands areas and have destroyed all the grass, these areas are now nonproductive deserts. While trying to produce more food for an increasing, hungry population, people are destroying their own forests, grasslands, and farmlands.
The second major problem is the destruction of the Earth’s forests, especially the tropical rain forests. Forests produce the oxygen that people need to breathe and provide protected living space for thousands of kinds of animals, plants, and insects. Because people are destroying the forests so fast and not replanting enough trees, ten species of plants and animals extinct every day!
The third problem is the production of too much garbage, poisonous chemical waste from industries, and hazardous radioactive waste. There are not many places left on Earth where all the garbage and waste can be disposed of. Careless disposal of waste and garbage increases sickness and poor health of people, and also poisons the Earth’s rivers, oceans, and rain. Garbage is a world-known problem. Millions of tons of it are thrown away every day. Poisonous waste from industries is the worst part of the problem, because it is very difficult to dispose it properly and is dangerous to people’s health.
The fourth problem is the progressive warming of the Earth’s climate. People are producing too much carbon dioxide and other gasses which cause the Earth’s atmosphere to warm up. The major source of carbon dioxide are cars, power stations, factories, and the burning of tropical forests.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A People do not use the land reasonably.
B The growth of population causes serious problems.
C Plants and animals die out every day.
D The garbage and waste are disposed all over the world.
E Carbone dioxide is needed for animals and plants.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 Overpopulation is
2 Domestic animals
3 Waste and garbage
4 Poisonous chemical wastes
5 The fewer the forests are,
A bring sickness and diseases to people.
B an environmental problem number one.
C the less oxygen people may have.
D result from modern industries.
E made lots of grassland areas nonproductive.
Read the text first, then do two after reading tasks.
15 WORK AND STRESS
We all need to work in order to live. Some people are lucky with their work. This is because their jobs are healthy. What do we mean by “healthy” and how can we find a “healthy job?” Florists, personal trainers, professors, and nutritionists all have healthy jobs according to research. These are many reasons for this. A florist, for example, sells flowers and plants to customers. This is very relaxing work. A personal trainer, on the other hand, is usually very fit. He or she trains other people to lose weight to keep fit. A nutritionist has a healthy job too. He or she knows all about healthy food and teaches people to eat well.
However, research also shows that some jobs are “unhealthy’. They cause a lot of stress and worry. For example, a taxi driver drives all day. He often faces traffic jams and difficult passengers too. A firefighter puts out dangerous fires and sometimes saves people from burning buildings. An MD(managing director) runs a large company. It is an interesting job, but it is also stressful. The MD has to keep everyone happy – the staff and the customers.
Most people are looking for the perfect job. They want a job that is interesting, with a good salary and not much stress. However, it is difficult to get everything. Healthy, relaxing jobs are usually not well paid. On the other hand, people with stressful jobs often get good salaries. For example, the head of a big company gets a lot of money, but he or she does not always have good health, or time to enjoy life.
Before looking for a job, people should think carefully. What is the most important for them? Is it money, health, or a job that is interesting? Then they can start their research. They may be lucky and get everything they want.
1 Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?
A The research has shown that taxi drivers live a healthy life.
B Firefighters help people stay fit.
C There are a lot of quiet and well paid jobs.
D Good salaries often come together with stressful jobs.
E People have to ask and answer some questions when they look for a job they may like.
2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.
1 A person who sells flowers and plants
2 Traffic jams and difficult passengers
3 Normally people want jobs that are
4 Managing directors belong to those
5 The list of unhealthy jobs
A interesting and well paid.
B who live a stressful life.
C is called a florist.
D includes taxi drivers, businessmen and firefighters.
E make taxi drivers’ life stressful.
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