Eton. Listening test.

Listen to the text and do the tasks.

Eton

Eton is one of the oldest and best-known public schools for boys, in the town of Eton on the river Thames. Its students are largely from aristocratic and upper class families. The school was founded in 1440. Boys usually stay at Eton for five years (between the ages 13 and 18). Eton provides fine teaching facilities in science, language, computing and design. There are two major libraries, College Library and School Library, but also numerous subject libraries.

Sport plays a very important part in the life of Eton. The principal games are rugby, football, cricket and rowing. Athletics, swimming, golf, squash, tennis, fencing, judo and karate are all very popular.

Boys are offered a very wide range of opportunities for spare time activities: art, sculpture, woodwork, metalwork and silverwork. Besides, almost any musical instrument can be learned. There are also fifty societies run by the boys themselves.

Many distinguished people of Britain studied at Eton, among them twenty of Britain's Prime Ministers. There were future writers among the students of Eton from Thomas Gray, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Henry Fielding to Aldous Huxley and George Orwell.

1. Mark the statements as T (true) or F (false).

1. Eton is one of oldest best-known state-maintained schools in Great Britain.

2. Eton is situated on the river Thames.

3. The students of Eton are largely from poor and middle-class families.

4. Boys usually stay at Eton for 5 years between the ages of 10 and 16.

5. Eton provides fine teaching facilities in science, language, computing and design.

6. Sport does not play an important role in the life of Eton.

7. Rugby, football, cricket and rowing are the principal games at Eton.

8. The boys are offered a very wide range of opportunities for spare time activities.

9. There are fifty societies run by the teachers of Eton.

10. Many distinguished people of Britain, from famous writers to Prime Ministers, studied at Eton.

II. Choose the correct variant.

1. The school was founded in …

a) 1640

b) 1540

c) 1440

2. Boys usually stay at Eton for…years.

a) 4

b) 5

c) 6

3. There are….libraries.

a) 2

b) 3

c) 4

4. The principal games are…

a) football and cricket

b) cricket and swimming

c) rugby and judo

5. Among distinguished people of Eton there were…of Britain’s Prime Ministers.

a) 10

b) 15

c) 20

III. Answer the questions.

1. When was the school founded?

2. Where is Eton situated?

3. What families are its students from?

4. Does sport play a very important part in the life of Eton?

5. What are the principal games?

6. What does Eton provide?